Jade felt somewhat proud when he held up the doll and tried to give it to his sister. The toy looked identical to its original counterpart, just as he had expected, of course, but with one very important difference: unlike Nephry's first doll, it was still intact and in one piece, without a single scratch to show it had been broken before. Now she could have a perfect replica to play with, so there was no need to remember what happened to the original, worry if it could break again or wonder if it became more fragile to the touch. Making that replica was the best solution he could figure out by himself because he wanted to give his sister the best there was to offer, and what could be better than having her favorite doll fresh as new, as if it'd never been broken before in the first place? The data he collected was perfect, so there were no mistakes just as he'd expected.

So why were Nephry's eyes shaking so much? Jade thought he would see his sister's smile again, or that the new toy would at least be enough to help her stop crying. She was supposed to be happy to have it back and in one piece, so why did Nephry look as if she was about to shed even more tears?

"Ja… de…?"

It was a simple four-letter whisper, but her almost soundless voice was shaky enough for him to feel her distress even though he wasn't able to understand what was the problem. The doll Jade was holding in his hands was just like the one his sister loved and carried around everywhere, so what could be wrong? From his point of view, this should be even better. However, Nephry very obviously didn't feel the same way, and he really couldn't tell why. Instead of smiling, Jade noticed she was struggling with her own trembling lips to keep herself from frowning.

"Jade…" Nephry spoke more firmly, though her eyes were still avoiding her brother. "You didn't have to… I can't play with this one anymore, but mom said she'll give me a new one."

"But this one is your favorite," he insisted, "isn't it? You can still play with your best doll. There is no need for a new one."

"No, Jade, but this doll was…"

"You can still play with your favorite doll thanks to this new technology I'm developing." She seemed to feel lost within her own words, so he tried to point it out again. "I thought you would like to."

"But the new doll… it's not…"

Nephry looked at her broken doll and took a quick glance at its replica, and then she shook her head in defeat. She finally looked at her brother with her trembling, watery eyes before she walked away from the room without saying another word, leaving Jade alone with his own thoughts.

Was there anything wrong with the replica? It was the same doll she'd never let go of every minute of her day. No, in fact, it was even better and newer now, so there should be no reason to hold on to the one broken old one. There was no reasonable, logical explanation Jade could find for it since the new doll remained as undamaged as when it was created. His sister's reaction was just… foolish, and yet, Nephry not only refused the new toy, but looking at it also made her feel even more uneasy. Was this doll broken, too, in a way he couldn't see? Or was there a way he should "fix" Nephry so she would be able to smile again?

Was it possible to fix a human being who has been broken, just like Nephry's doll?