Gilbert's birthday had passed a little more than a week ago, and it had been five days since Vash had been seen. Fresh snow crunched beneath Roderich's feet as he walked across the playground to meet his friends, violin case in hand. A tutor visited the school weekly to give lessons, and the young Austrian, who had taken piano lessons since the age of five, jumped at the opportunity to learn a second instrument. He was a virtuoso; a musical genius in the making, he had heard his piano tutor tell his parents. The small smile was suddenly wiped from his face, train of thought broken by the lump of snow that hit him. Looking up, and wiping ice from his cheeks, he was very unsurprised to find it was Gilbert who had thrown it; the ear to ear grin gave it away, really. Eli was crouched on the ground next to him, giggling, and making his own snowball.
"Got ya!" Gilbert cackled, doubling over with laughter. Pouting, Roderich crouched, and gathered a small pile of snow, crunching it between his gloved hands to make a small ball. He stood up, eyes fixed determinedly on Gilbert, who had stopped laughing. He and Eli were looking at Roderich, anticipation clear on their faces. Roderich swung his arm, launching the frosty projectile as hard as he could. It landed but a few feet from him, nowhere near his target of Gilbert, who was once again in peals of laughter. "How can you be so bad at this?" He choked out between fits of giggles, holding onto a hysterical Eli for support.
Roderich too was beginning to chuckle at his own physical ineptitude.
"I don't mind. Being strong doesn't matter. Nana always says 'brains over brawn'." The brunette nodded, as if to back up his statement. "Where's Vash?" Eli shrugged, sniffling a little.
"Still not here. He might be ill."
"But, he's never been ill before," Roderich mumbled, looking around like he was expecting Vash to come along soon.
There was still no sign of Vash when the bell rang, and they were ushered inside.
The teacher sat them down, her face solemn.
"I'm afraid Vash won't be back to school. His mother was sick, and I'm afraid she passed on, so Vash has gone to live with someone else, and he's going to a different school." Some children looked at each other in confusion, one asked what 'passed on' meant, only for Eli to say it meant she was dead, and call the other child stupid, which he was scolded for. Roderich was silent.
His best friend was gone.
It is around two weeks since Roderich was told he would never see Vash again. Sunday morning, and he is dressing in his room, preparing to have breakfast. As he pads downstairs, he can hear his Nana thanking someone, probably his father. He walks into the dining room, and is greeted cheerfully by his Nana. His father is sitting at the head of the table, reading the paper in silence, but Roderich hardly pays attention to either of them. Instead, his curious eyes are drawn to the blonde girl standing by his Nana. She looks to be around four or five, and is looking back at him with as much curiosity as he gives her. Her eyes… Something about them catches his attention.
"Roderich, this is Lili," his Nana explains. "I'm a foster carer for the local orphanage, and she's going to stay with us for now, since your father was kind enough to allow it." Roderich nodded slowly, and walked over to Lili, who shuffled shyly behind Nana's legs. He held a hand out.
"Hello. I'm Roderich Edelstein, your new brother," he greeted her with a kind smile. She played with one of her long, golden pleats, looking up at him with her large, green eyes, and took his hand with a slight smile.
"Hello, Roderich," she giggled. Her voice was sweet, almost melodic. "I'm Lili Zwingli, your new sister."
Roderich tensed. That's where he knew those eyes.
They also belonged to Vash.
Roderich did not tell Eli and Gilbert about Lili's surname, only that she was his new little sister. It was a temporary arrangement, he'd been told, but Lili was with the family even when Roderich left primary school, and was very close to Roderich. She used to watch him practising piano, that was, until he caught her. After that, he began to teach her how to play, and she was almost as good as Roderich himself.
It was the last summer before high school. Roderich, Eli and Gilbert were going to be in the same class, but were very aware they would probably be separated. They'd stay friends, surely.
It was the night before their first day at high school, and the eleven year old Roderich, and 12 year old Eli and Gilbert are at the latter's house, playing in the back garden with Ludwig in the heat of the August evening, when Eli suddenly tenses up.
"What's wrong?" Roderich asks him anxiously as Eli hisses in pain.
"N-nothing, just sore… I think I'm gonna get home, before dad worries about me…" He smiles weakly. Gilbert frowns.
"You're goin' home 'cause you're sore again? Remember when you broke your arm and laughed it off until Vati almost dragged you to the hospital?" He shakes his head. "What's up with you right now?" Eli opens his mouth to argue back, until Ludwig interrupts.
"Bruder, if Eli wants to go, let him go. You'll see him tomorrow anyway." Gilbert huffs and shrugs.
"Fine. See you tomorrow." Roderich says good bye, as does Ludwig, before Eli leaves, arms crossed over his chest.
He arrives home, and puts a blanket over his dad, who has passed out on the couch again. He goes upstairs, and looks at the uniform he now has to wear for the next six years with a grimace. He can't hide himself any longer… He just hopes Gilbert and Roderich take it well…