©Hidekaz Himaruya

Burghölzli

Roderich Edelstein stopped in front the imposing building of the University of Zurich, looked up to the dome and sighed, slouching his shoulders and dropping his head in defeat.

This was his first day studding psychiatry at this new place. He was an Austrian, the worst thing to be at the current year.

The Second World War started a while ago and he and his family have been forced to leave his native town, Vienna.

To be honest, Roderich hated the University, Zurich, and all of the neutral and beautiful country of Switzerland. Everything reminded him that his home was far away, maybe forever... but he listened about the professor C. G. Jung, and only for this reason he accepted to start that career. This reason and the fact that his father thought that it was more useful to be a psychiatry, instead of being a musician, as he really ever wanted.

Vash Zwingli entered the hall completely fascinated with being there. He had been preparing for the last five years to be enter the school, and even if his father insisted that these war times would probably would be faced with a more war focused mindset... In the end, medicine was not precisely something that was not handy during war. Of course, it was not in his plans to tell his father that his real intention was to focus on psychiatry. That did not matter at the time, he was a fresh new student, and he was absolutely thrilled to be here.

The brown haired thin bespectacled boy stayed a little longer in the middle of the door, taking his time to walk inside and be definitely lost in the corridors of the labyrinthine and unknown construction when the blond haired Swiss boy got close to him with fast and nervous steps.

"Excuse me..."

"What?" he turned around when he heard.

"Excuse me, it is my first day here, do you know how to get to the auditorium?"

"No, but maybe we can be lost together. It's my first day too" Roderich said, smiling a little.

"Oh..." Vash blushed a bit with the declaration, the brown haired boy was obviously as fresh new as himself. He offered his hand. "Vash Zwingli."

Roderich saw the hand, and didn't take it, he only looked to the boy's eyes.

"I never heard before of the Zwingli surname. Where were you born?"

"Well... I was born in Grindelwald. Where are YOU from? It is quite a common surname here Switzerland."

"I'm Roderich Edelstein, and it doesn't matters where I'm from" He answered, being a little bit nervous, because he knew that was better if no one knew that he was an Austrian.

"Roderich. Or do you prefer me to call you Edelstein?"

"As your wish, Zwingli."

"Well, if you are calling me Zwingli... Come on, I don't want to be late."

"But where are we going? You don't have any idea of where should we go" Roderich stopped to Vash, a little bit worried.

"We can ask someone else."

"Well, ask someone else then "Roderich ordered crossing his arms."

Vash blinked in confusion not moving for a second, then turned around and went to ask someone else. After a little research, he returned to Roderich.

"They have explained me now, we have to go to the stairs, then trough one aisle to the left, walk past trough two big doors..." He started to explain Roderich, who raised his arm and did a movement with his hand signaling Vash to lead the way.

Vash frowned a bit with the movement, stopping his explanation on how to get there.

"Hmm... You are bossy, aren't you?"

"Why do you say that?" Roderich raised his eyebrows.

Vash blushed a bit. He did not have a lot of friends and was not able to socialize easily, probably because he was always too bunt and direct with his comments... Or just simply socially awkward. And this was his first friend at college! He had been lucky enough with finding someone who also was new here!

"Never mind... Come on" Vash decided to let go the subject and even try to change it. "Ehm... Why are you studying medicine?"

"Because the heaviest thing I want to lift is a scalpel" Roderich said shrugging, starting to walk next to Vash.

"You certainly do not seem to be someone who lifts heavy things... However I'd say that you need a better reason to spend the next years studying dead people" Vash pointed ou.t

"That's the reason why I'm not really interested in the dead people" Roderich smiled

"So, you are not interested in surgery... Even with the scalpels."

"It was metaphoric..."

"You are interested in people that is still alive" Vash smiled an imperceptible one

"Yes, what about you?"

"I... I always wanted to be a doctor. Probably a surgeon as my father wants me to be. My mother is a trained nurse."

"A nurse..."

"Yes. What about your parents?"

"I... can't explain you, I'm sorry. You only need to know that they are rich" or... "Maybe they were rich" he think inside.

"Why can't you tell me?"

"I can't tell you that neither."

"Hmm..." He frowned again. "Are they spies?"

"What? No!" He stepped back.

"Well, you are surrounded by secrets" The Swiss looked at the dark haired boy thinking of something. He frowned deeply.

"Exactly" The Austrian looked away the green eyes, and saw the auditorium that they were searching.

"Hmm... There is only one option for that."

"Nobody is a spy, don't insist" He said and walked to take sit in some place.

"I was not thinking that now, to be honest..." he still looked at him intently.

"What are you thinking, then?"

"Nothing. Come on... Let's search the auditorium"

"Ok, go to look for the auditorium" Roderich laughed a little bit.

"W-What?" Vash looked him in the eye, startled. Why was he laughing?

He sat in one of the auditorium's armchairs and crossed his legs. Vash realized then that he was talking with him so concentrated that he did not realize they had arrived already.

"Ta daá~" Roderich sang when Vash realized

Vash rolled his eyes and sat beside him murmuring under his breath, although, he had to admit that it was nice for a change being able to meet someone who was already smiling at him.

Roderich squinted at him, and after that, looked the other people in the auditorium. The place was half full and a quiet murmur could be heard. Half of the people were sitting alone, clearly not having mingled yet with the rest of the students, the other half were clearly starting to know each other. That made Vash nervous. He had met one student and that was much more than enough, he was not planning to meet anyone else. But Roderich didn't think the same.

Just at that moment a girl, the only one at the auditorium, at least for now, yelled from the front and stood up.

"Gilbeeeeeert! Over hereeeee!"

Roderich raised his eyebrows and turned to look at her when he heard.

"A girl!"

She smiled happily waving both her arms trying to catch the attention of a white haired boy.

"GILBEEEEEEERT!"

Vash look at the girl thinking that it was quite disrespectful to yell that way.

"Well... Yes. The only one I can see."

"What is she doing here?"

"Studying, I guess. Just as the two of us."

"What? A girl studying medicine?"

"Well... Yes. Why not? This is Switzerland, you know? "

Roderich rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"This is Switzerland, yes" Roderich seemed a little unhappy.

"What?"

"Nothing" he answered rolling his eyes.

"You are not Swiss."

He turned his head around to meet the green eyes, in silence.

"You are my first... friend in the university... Do not get mad. I will not say it to anyone? Are you German or... An Österreicher?"

"What?" He raised his eyebrows, especially for the "friends" part.

"There are no other options..."

"Why... not?"

"What else could you be if not Swiss... Only German or Austrian."

"Maybe I could be French."

Vash made a weird sound and a weird face... Probably like a smile.

"Nah... You speak very good German"

"Je parle bien français aussi, ma mère est française"

Vash looks at him suspiciously. Roderich shrugged.

"You'll trust me enough someday... And you'll tell me."

"I'm telling you just now!"

"You actually speak french like a Swiss!"

"And what about my accent."

"Nothing" He decided again just to not get him mad.

"Why you don't trust me, then?"

"I trust you... It is simply that you seem to be a mystery and my mind just wants to solve it."

"Well, a half French. That's the solution."

"Half French... Oh. I was not expecting that"

"Don't I look like a French?" He asked smiling.

"Ehm... no, not really. Although the brown hair... looks more Latin than Saxon."

He frowned, crossed his arms and looked to the stage of the auditorium as a response.

"What?"

"Nothing" He answered, because he knew that was impossible for him to tell what he really thought about the Latin people and the Aryan Race, now, that they are in this horrible and neutral country of Switzerland, and how jealous he was about the perfect blonde hair and the perfect blue eyes of his little brother.

Vash frowned, confused with the reaction.

"It is ok here to look more Latin than Saxon... and it is ok here to be from another country, you know?"

"Whatever" He waved his hand disinterested.

"Hmm..." Vash sighed, thinking that this was weird. The guy did not seem to be a "normal" student as his school mates back at home, he had secrets and seemed irritable. He decided to just simply cross his arms and listen to the first conference of the year.

Soon, Roderich started talking someone else next to him. Vash noticed it and sighed, thinking that well... it was not really something uncommon. He would just try one more time to regain his new "friend"'s attention before quitting, so he touched his arm trying.

"Ehm... Edelstein?"

"What?" Roderich turned to him, still smiling of something that he had been talking with the other guy.

"Once this is over, would you like to go to see the rest of the school? I'd like to see how to get to the classes and... Well, you know..."

"What? No. See, that boy is..." He turned to the boy, who smiled and offered his hand to Vash, he was a brownhaired boy too with a big smile.

"Feliciano Vargas, Italian" He was presented.

"Oh. Hello. Vash Zwingli" Vash shook the smiley boy's hand.

"Hello... Guash. I was talking to Roderich, do you have a roommate yet or you are going to your house every evening?" Feliciano asked very, very quickly.

"Vash."

"I can be your roommate" Roderich said to Feliciano, and he laughed

"Oh..." Vash looked at Roderich a bit taken aback. I mean he had known both of them for the same amount of time and he already preferred the Italian? "I do not have a roommate."

"Oh, I'm sure you can find someone" Roderich smiled.

"Maybe you, because I'm with my older brother. He is on his second year. I'm sorry" Feliciano apologized to Roderich.

"Oh... Okey, well" Roderich shrugged. Vash sighed and looked at Roderich in the eye.

"I'm clean, and organized. Also I am sure I will not be a bother. I believe I would be a good roommate."

"Sure, it doesn't matter I think."

"Well, I see you later in the bar, guys... I'm gonna meet THE girl" Feliciano winked and stood up, leaving them alone.

"Hm... well... you are stuck with me then" Vash bit his lip a bit uncomfortable and nervous.

"Stuck? How nice way to see it."

"Look, you do not have to share a room with me if you don't want to... I just thought that well... we at least know each other names" Vash shrugged.

"You don't want to share with me?"

"I do want to share with you, of course! I will not meet anyone else and will end up with the worst possible roommate if you don't say yes. "

"How do you know that I'm not the worst roommate?" He asked, smiling a little.

"Well... I don't "he responded hesitantly."

"Exactly"

"But, well... at least I know your name, and I am talking to you".

"I... honestly think that you can't be better or worse than everyone else."

"That is true. But... I talk to you now."

"Aha?"

"That makes you way more interesting than anyone else."

"Why? You can talk to any other."

"I am not great at talking."

"Why not?"

"Well I... I am a bit shy I guess."

"Mmmm... I don't think so."

"Or probably clumsy."

"Why?"

"Well I don't know, ok? I just don't know how to speak with people!"

"Calm down, you're talking to me."

"Well, yes, that is certainly NOT common!"

"I don't know how do you do with the other people."

"I don't do with other people... I would have sat here without talking to anyone... for the next five years."

"Why?"

Vash sighed.

"Probably just because I don't know how to if I don't HAVE to."

"But you don't have to... with me, neither."

"I needed to ask you something, that's why I started talking to you, and then I just flowed..."

"Mmm... well."

"You were able to talk with the other guy..."

"Yes, I was."

"That's... quite impressive."

"You're a little overdramatic."

"What?!"

"Yes. It can't be so bad."

"IT is bad! I am not overdramatic!" Vash yelled, blushing.

"O... Key..." Roderich laughed a little because that escalated quickly. Vash breathed nervously. "You are scaring me."

"Why?!"

"Because you are... a little... weird."

"I am not weird."

"Well, that's your opinion."

Vash frowned, deciding to better shut up than worsening the "you are weird" situation. Roderich bowed his head looking at Vash intensely, thinking that... maybe this boy can be a good patient to do... phsychriatic experiments.

"Well... ehm... want to go to the administrative office then?"

"Yes."

"Come on" He stands up, finally, happy to be on the move again.

Roderich followed him, still thinking… Evil NAZI thoughts? Mmmm yeah, more or less.