Chapter 121

Rin.

I sat Len down, a hand still on his shoulders as I wiped my eyes with my other hand. Len was looking straight across, past me, past his sleeping mother, past the walls and the windows and God knows what else.

"Len, please," I got on my knees and gently stroked his face, turning him so that he was at least facing me, "Len, look at me, look at me!"

Len's eyelids drooped and fell over his blue orbs, rising a moment later, like curtains. That was a blink, an extremely slow blink. Kiyoteru loomed over us and eyed Len worriedly.

"You said he'd be fine," I spat, "He's not!"

"Give him some time," the doctor answered, "I know the news was hard on him, but...we can start chemotherapy soon. I'll...I'll give you some time alone."

Dr. Kiyoteru walked out and I hugged Len close, pressing my cheek against his. He wasn't reacting at all. I sniffed, tousling his blond locks and kissing his mouth quickly, again and again.

"Oh, God..."

"Huh...," I heard Len's mother stirring behind me. I turned and watched her shift a little before falling asleep again. She used to look so young and beautiful, even right after the accident, but in a week or so, she had aged rapidly.

Suddenly, Gumi and Yuma ran into the room, huffing. They looked at me and hurried right over. Gumi wrapped her arms around me and Yuma examined Len. I started sobbing into Gumi's shoulder, gripping the ends of her shirt in my shaking hands.

"H-His mom...," I hiccuped, "She's really sick, a-and he just..."

"Shh...," Gumi pressed a finger to my lips and I grit my teeth, fighting back the tears and making her shake her head, "No, no, don't hold back the tears. I meant, you don't have to explain. It's okay. We'll figure something out."

"I-I'm sorry, it's just...your name came up first in my phone, and..."

"Rin, it's okay," she nodded, rubbing my back, "Yuma, is he okay?"

I watched as Yuma poked Len a few times, failing to elicit any sort of real response. "Not yet," he said, "But I think he's about to come back."

We watched as Len began breathing normally and blinked a couple of times. His eyes darted around, taking in our faces; Yuma, Gumi and me. He blinked again and I embraced him, crying again. His arms dangled lifelessly by his sides but he spoke.

"R-Rin," he whispered, "Oh my God, I..."

"You okay?" Gumi asked. I felt him nod quickly.

"I need to...," he pulled away from me and walked over to his mother's bedside, falling to his knees. She was stirring again and he clasped her hand. I walked over to him and put my hands on his shoulders, "Mom..."

Len.

"Hmm...?" Her eyes fluttered open from underneath her blond bangs. She looked at me and my lower lip quivered. Her hand was still warm. She was a fighter, but this was too much for me, "Len..."

"Mom," I repeated. Three letters, one syllable. I could say it forever and it wouldn't make a difference to my situation.

"He...he told you, didn't he?" She whispered. I nodded slowly, "I'm going to be fine."

"M-Mom, just..."

"Shh, listen to me, Len," she went on and I lifted a hand, pushing her flaxen hair out of her eyes, "I'm going to be fine. I was lucky, you know. If it weren't for the accident, the cancer would've spread and we wouldn't have known about it."

I tried to be rational, as hard as it was. I nodded. "Yeah. Okay," I swallowed my spit and blinked rapidly, fighting back the tears that were threatening to take over, "It just...it still hurts."

"I know," she whispered, "Len. They're going to start eradicating the cancer. Chemotherapy."

"I know."

"I...," her voice faltered a bit and she forced a smile, "I'm a fighter. I'll be fine."

She glanced past me and I turned as well to look at Rin, whose fingers were digging into my shoulders. She sniffed and nodded at my mum.

"You have her," my mother said, "Stay with her."

"M-Mom, don't say that!" I snapped, shaking my head, "You're not going anywhere, dammit! You're...you're going to live, you just said so yourself!"

"I hope I do," she blinked and I could see that she was about to cry, "Len, I'm never, ever going to leave you, I swear. I..."

"Then don't doubt it," I croaked, "Mom, it's just...it hurts because I never..."

"I lost you, my son," her eyes were wet, "I cared so much about your future that I lost your childhood, and now, here I am."

"We'll still talk!" I said, "I'm still young, aren't I? You need to stop, mom, you need to stop doubting yourself, because that's only...it's going to make us weak..."

"Len, sit down," I heard Yuma's voice behind me and the screeching of chair legs scraping against the sterile hospital floor. Rin pulled me up and sat me down on the hard chair, and I could barely sit still.

"I'm staying right here," I whispered, "Not leaving till they force me to leave. Even then, I won't..."

"I'll go get some water," this sounded like Gumi. I heard the pattering of feet as she ran off. I felt Rin's hand laced into my hair, trying to calm me, but it wasn't having any sort of effect.

Haku.

I was leaving school when that silver haired dude got in my way again. Yup, it was Dell. I frowned at him and he looked at me pleadingly.

"What?" I asked.

"C-Can I drive you home?" He asked whimpering slightly. I chuckled and nodded. He let out a sigh of relief and we walked towards his car.

As we walked, I decided to have a little fun with him, so I quickly grabbed his hand and he jolted. When he looked at me, I smirked.

"H-Haku!" He said.

"What?" I laughed, "You know, you're cute when you're nervous like this!"

He blushed, as red as a strawberry, stopping in front of his car and staring at me. Suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed me on the mouth really quickly, taking me aback by how forward he had suddenly become.

"You're cute when you're nervous, too," he whispered, cupping my face with one hand and boring his grey eyes into mine, "Want to get in the car now?"

I blushed in spite of myself and nodded. He opened the door and I got in, closing it behind me. Once he was in his seat, I crossed my arms and eyed him. He started the car and looked at me.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"That wasn't fair," I mumbled, "You can't just suddenly change your role in a relationship."

"What?" He frowned, "I had a role?"

"Yes," I rolled my eyes, "You were the submissive one. I'm not supposed to be nervous; that's your job."

"Can't we both be equals?"

I sighed. "This sounds so weird," I said, "You know what? You're right. Screw the roles and whatnot. This is fine the way it is."

I leaned forward and kissed him quickly. As I pulled back, I grinned.

"Just returning the favour," I said, "Now hurry up. I want to go home."

"Are you sure?" He shifted in his seat slightly, "I was kind of hoping..."

"Dell, the Song of Summer is the day after tomorrow."

He frowned. "So?"

"You're the school principal," I said with a sigh, "I think you're forgetting your duties."

He nodded slowly and reversed the car out of the parking spot. "See, Haku. You're a distraction."

I slapped him. "I think you missed my slaps, huh?"

He groaned softly and shook his head. We were cruising down the road, towards my home, and there really wasn't a lot of traffic.

"What would you have done if you had fired me?" I asked suddenly. I watched as he thought about his answer, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. He looked nice, very nice, much nicer than I used to think he did. Sure, he was a bit of an idiot, but that somehow drew me to him. He was also creative, I had learned, when he took me out to the park for our second date. And on top of that, he could cook. Who doesn't like a guy that can cook?

"I would've never gotten over you," he answered finally, stopping in front of my house. He turned in his seat so that he was facing me. I turned as well, reaching forward and pushing his hair to the side of his face, "I honestly don't know how I would've gone on living."

"You're being overdramatic," I said softly. He shook his head and his hair fell over his eyes again. He put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me close.

"I'm not," he whispered, pressing his nose against mine. My heart beat rapidly against my ribs, my face flushing. I could feel his breath, warm and gentle, against my face as we came closer and he tilted his head slightly. Our noses bumped against each other and we closed our eyes.

I tugged at the collar of his shirt and forced him closer because I had had enough of his teasing. I found myself needing his mouth against mine. I wanted to kiss him so badly that even I was surprised.

"Hurry," I pleaded softly before kissing him. I parted my lips and gently ran my tongue along the perimeter of his mouth. His hands dropped to my waist and he pulled me closer, off of my seat as he opened his mouth. I let my tongue flicker in and out of his mouth and finally met his. It was silky and warm and it made me go crazier than I already was.

We kissed for a while till I needed air, and when we pulled away, I wanted to kiss him again, but I resisted.

"That...," Dell began under his breath.

"I liked it," I finished coyly, making him blush harder. He nodded quickly and turned to face the front again.

"Alright, then," he said, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

I opened the door. "Are you sure you don't want to come in?"

He looked at me. "D-Do you want me to come in?"

"Of course I do," I chuckled, "Hurry up."

He nodded and we both got out of the car. I led him up the front steps and unlocked the door. He was running his fingers along the length of my sleeved arm, sending jolts of electricity up and down my limb.

"Get in here," I pulled him in and shut the door, pinning him against it and kissing him again. He didn't resist and instead went with it, opening his mouth and tracing his hands along the hem of my shirt before slipping them in and brushing them up my back slowly. He pulled away from my lips and kissed my chin and neck and collarbone, his fingers rubbing my shoulder blades. I let out a soft gasp and immediately blushed after making the sound. His eyes met mine and he smiled.

"Don't be embarrassed," he whispered, "I think it's cute."

I scoffed and he pulled away from me. "Of course you do," I crossed my arms and led him into the living room, "Dell, do you like oranges?"

Rin.

Dr. Kiyoteru had let us stay till eleven thirty, and now it was nearly a quarter to twelve. Yuma and Gumi left around seven and we had stayed. I looked over at Len, who was sitting by his mother's bed. She had fallen asleep only recently, but he kept staring at her.

"I'm afraid you two have to leave now," Dr. Kiyoteru said walking into the room. Len turned to look at the doctor, desperation in his eyes.

"P-Please, just a little longer?" He asked. Kiyoteru shook his head solemnly.

"I'm sorry," he said, "You two should get some rest."

"I'll sleep right here!" Len insisted. I got to my feet and pulled him up.

"I'd let you, if it weren't against protocol," the doctor apologized, "Len, I know this is hard on you. You don't want to get sick, right? That's why you need to calm down and rest."

"Calm down?" Len whispered hoarsely. I grabbed his arms and led him out of the room, "I can't 'calm down!'"

"Len, listen to me," I took him in the elevator and out of the hospital. Poor Doris had been wandering for so many hours, and I don't know who to apologize to, Len or her, maybe both, "You need to rest, too."

"Rin, my mom's...," he stopped, choking on his words. I pulled him into the car and Doris hurried home.

"Shh...," I put Len's head in my lap and stroked his hair, "I'm here, alright?"

He closed his eyes and grit his teeth, shaking his head. I could see the pain carved into his expression. He clutched my hand and squeezed it.

"I need you," he whispered.

"I know," I said.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Remember my father?"

"...Yeah."

"It happens."

"That doesn't make it better," he croaked.

"That's not what I meant," I said, "My point is, whatever happens, I'm here. I want to be here. So don't apologize."

We got off at my home and I took Len upstairs. He changed out of his school clothes and into a loose t-shirt and shorts. I helped him onto my bed and closed the lights.

"If you get hungry, we'll eat," I whispered, looking at him in the darkness. All I could see was the peak of his nose and his empty, blue eyes. Just looking into them made me feel lost; I could only imagine how lost and hopeless he must have been feeling.

"I'm just going to change my clothes," I said, before closing the door, "Okay?"

I walked out, my nightdress in my hands. I quickly changed in the guest room and hurried back to my room. Slowly, I opened the door. Len was wrapped up in blankets and I could barely see him.

I tiptoed, barefoot, across the marble floor and towards my bed. I climbed on, taking care not to hurt him accidentally. As I slipped under the sheets, Len shook slightly against my small figure.

"Len?" I whispered, "Are you awake?"

I sat up and looked at him. He stared back with wet eyes. Tears were streaming down his face. "Rin, no," he mumbled, wiping his eyes, "D-Don't look at me..."

"Len!" I hugged him and he shook, suppressing his sobs, "Len, I swear to you, your mother is..."

"Don't," he cut me off, "Don't swear. You...you know better than that."

"Len, don't say that," I whispered, pulling away and running my hands through his hair, "She'll live."

Len shook his head slowly. His eyes met mine and I tried to smile. "I'm scared."

"It's okay to be scared," I kissed his forehead and his hands gripped the hem of my dress, his wrists against my thighs, "She's scared, too, I bet."

"She probably is...," Len mumbled. I kissed the tears off of his cheeks, wishing that I could take his pain away by doing that.

"You've said it yourself so many times, Len. She's a fighter!" I tried to lighten the mood. He smiled weakly.

"Rin...," he began, "I'll never understand. Even when I'm like this, somehow..."

He gently brushed his knuckles along my face and I closed my eyes.

"Somehow, you make me want to smile again," he whispered, "I can't explain it."

I pulled myself closer so that our noses touched. "I feel the same way."

His fingers traced shapes along the skin of my thighs. He stroked my hair with his other hand and my heart did flips like an Olympic gymnast. He made me smile even at the darkest of times, and now it was my duty to hold him up and keep him from drowning in sorrow. I remembered that one time when we both crumbled, when we thought we were related. Silently, I swore that I would never let such a thing happen again.

I inhaled and moved my hands through his locks, pulling him closer and closing my eyes. We were silent, just kissing slowly. His lips were cool and chapped; I assumed that he had bitten them because he was so worried, so stressed and anxious. I felt his palms open up and clasp my thighs. We pulled away and stared at each other.

"Len, smile," I requested, "Please..."

He swallowed slowly and nodded, a small, weak smile forming on his face. It was small, but it was there. I didn't want to force him, but I had to be there for him. I wanted to be there for him.

Yuma.

It was Wednesday morning and I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at the pink-haired teenager on the other side, sopping wet and with a frown on his face. I had just taken a shower, and that explained why my hair was dripping, but the frown was unacceptable.

"Smile, dammit," I forced a grin onto my face, knowing that it'd be easier to smile naturally with Gumi beside me. Gumi. All of a sudden, I started feeling an intense yearning for her. My hand felt empty without hers in it. The air felt dead without her laughter. My lips felt naked without her lips pressed against them. I glanced back at my reflection and blushed. I was losing my mind, thinking about her like that.

I could never deny that I loved her, though; it was as set in stone as the sun rising from the east and setting in the west. I tried to contain my feelings because I didn't want to take anything too far. I couldn't afford to.

"Yuma, are you up yet?" My mom called from downstairs. I groaned and left the bathroom, quickly getting dressed.

Once I was ready, I walked over to my bed and sat down, pulling open my bedside drawer and pulling out a USB memory stick and a CD. I smiled - it was a natural smile, because Gumi had come to my mind - and grabbed my bag, putting them in carefully.

It was Wednesday morning, the start of another day, the day before the Song of Summer. I had to make the most of it.

Luka.

I walked into the art office, which was a room attached to the art classroom, and found Gakupo. He was organizing art supplies and didn't notice me when I came in, so I snuck up on him and hugged him. He jolted but slowly turned and hugged me back.

"I'm trying to sort markers," he whispered. I giggled and nodded, pushing my hair out of my eyes.

"Gakupo, do you want to go for a walk?" I asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" He frowned and was clearly confused. That was my fault. I wasn't clear enough.

"I meant, at lunchtime," I said, "I understand if you don't, but..."

"Of course I do," he grinned and leaned forward, "I love spending time with you and you know that."

My face flushed and I nodded. "I guess I just didn't want to seem clingy," I admitted. He kissed my forehead quickly.

"With you, there's no such thing as being clingy."

"Hello, is anybody in here?" We both froze at the sound of a young woman's voice.

"That's...one of my students," Gakupo whispered, "I'll go take a look."

I watched as he walked out of the office and I sat down on his seat, listening to whatever was going on.

"Meiko, there's still thirty minutes before school starts!"

"Can't I be early?" This was Meiko, I realized, from the music club.

"And why is he here?"

"Who, Mikuo?"

"Who else?"

"Because...he's my boyfriend? And even if he wasn't, he'd still be a friend."

"Y-You're not planning on trying to friendzone me, are you, Meiko?" This was a new male voice, one that wasn't Gakupo or Meiko.

"You what? Whatever," Gakupo sighed.

"What d'you mean?" Meiko asked.

"Take a seat and do something till the bell rings," I heard Gakupo finish and his footsteps drew closer till he was back in the art office, looking at me, "Sorry about that."

"It's fine," I smiled, "You know, I used to be like that girl when I was a teenager."

"That's different."

I chuckled and got to my feet. "I'll see you at lunch," I said.

Gumi.

I left my home and saw Yuma standing right there, outside the door. We both grinned uncontrollably at the sight of each other, and when Yuma's gaze fell to the clear plastic bag of baby carrots in my hands, he laughed.

"What?" I walked up to him and elbowed him in the gut before offering him one, "They're sweet, you know?"

"S-Sorry, I'm just thinking about how Miku eats leeks, Kaito eats ice cream, Len eats bananas and Rin eats oranges!" He laughed, unable to stop, "And now you're eating carrots!"

I stuffed the bag of carrots into my pocket and pulled him down the street. His face was red from all that laughter.

"It's cute, you know," he finally stifled his laughter and said, "Hey, Gumi, come over here."

He pulled me into a corner and took his backpack off, unzipping it and pulling out a CD and a USB memory stick and handing them to me. I took them reluctantly and offered a look of confusion in response.

"A few of my songs," he explained before leaning close to me, "Including that one I wrote for you."

My face flushed when I remembered it. I tossed my backpack off and put the disc and memory stick in. Before I could zip it shut, Yuma pulled me close and embraced me tightly.

"Yuma," my voice was muffled and my face buried into the front of his shirt, "This is really tight, don't you think?"

He didn't loosen his grip and held me against him for a minute or so. When he finally pulled away, I looked at him quizzically.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," he replied quickly, "You don't want me to hug you?"

I shook my head. "No, that's not it..."

He smiled and took my backpack, closing it and helping me out it on. "I'm sorry if I surprised you."

"Hey, it's fine," I smiled, "It was the good kind of surprise."

He nodded, draping an arm around my shoulders, and then we continued walking towards school.

Len.

My entire day at school was like a dream. Rin woke me up in the morning and we had breakfast and got ready, and it's true, she made me smile, but deep inside, I kept thinking about my mom. I guess it couldn't be helped.

"Len, is everything alright?" Miku asked me in chemistry class. I had my head down and I shook it slowly in response.

"Are you not feeling well, Len?" I heard the distant voice of my teacher, "You can go home, if you'd like."

There was a bout of sudden silence before my teacher let out a small gasp. I didn't bother lifting my head to take a look around.

"I'll take him to the nurse," I heard Rin.

"Right," this was my teacher. Slowly, the scent of oranges wafted over to me and I felt Rin's hands on my shoulders, a touch that I could never be mistaken about.

"Come on, Len," she whispered into my ear, "You'll be fine."

I groaned as a massive headache took over my skull momentarily. Rin helped me up and murmurs filled the class. Dr. Kiyoteru's words swam through my ears and I stumbled out of the classroom with Rin hanging on to me.

"Let's go for a walk," she said, pulling me close to her.

"But you told the teacher that we're going..."

"Shh," I felt a finger against my lips, "She knows."

I walked down the halls with Rin and she tried to make conversation, but my head was throbbing like mad, so even though I wanted to talk, I couldn't.

"R-Rin, my head," I groaned.

"Do you want some medicine?" She asked. I tried to nod, "Okay, let's go to the nurse's."

We were at the nurse's office after what felt like years. I was lying in bed, a curtain separating me from Rin and the nurse. My eyes were clamped shut and I tossed and turned uneasily.

"Here," Rin's voice was close to me. I looked at her wearily. She was holding a pill and a glass of water, "Can you swallow this?"

"Nngh...," I lifted myself up and saw the nurse peering at me worriedly. I took the pill and the water and swallowed all of it.

"The headache ought to be better in a while," the nurse smiled. Rin took the glass from my hands.

"Thank you," she said to the nurse.

"If you need anything, I'll be in the school office," the nurse nodded and walked away. Rin looked at me, her brow furrowed with worry and a grimace painted across her lips.

"Len, you need to stop thinking about her," she whispered.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know how else to put this," Rin shook her head and pressed her forehead against mine, "Your mother wouldn't want you to worry your days away, you know."

"Rin, I can't just forget about her!" I raised my voice and winced, the increase in volume somehow making my skull ache again.

"I'm not asking you to forget, Len. I'm asking you to stop stressing out."

"I can't do that, either."

She sighed and glanced down at her hands. They were curled up in fists, scrunching up the bed's sheets. "Len," she began again, "This is going to sound harsh, so I apologize in advance."

"Okay," I nodded. Whatever it was, I wanted to hear it.

"What can you do?" Rin asked, "Can you save your mom? Can you eradicate the cancer?"

I swallowed slowly, at a loss for words. "No," I croaked.

"You can, however, stress out about it. You can worry. Or you can hope."

"Hoping wont do anything."

"But at least it won't have a negative effect on you, right?" Rin leaned closer and brushed her lips against mine, pulling the curtains behind her to a close with one swift movement.

I inhaled slowly and nodded. She pulled back slowly and I pulled her close again, wanting to kiss her because of the horrible tease she had left me with.

Rin opened her mouth to say something but I kissed her before she could. She closed her eyes and took a seat beside me, running her hands through my hair as I felt my headache begin to subside. We pulled back and she smiled a little. It was so perfect, so angelic, that smile of hers. I really couldn't describe it any other way; it grabbed me and soared through the skies, to heaven, for a moment, before bringing me back down to earth and dropping me off softly. It was like a cure-all, that smile.

"Feeling better?" She teased.

"Yeah, that pill really did the trick," I grinned. She pushed me back playfully and laughed, "Hey, I'm serious!"

"Come on, Len," she pulled me up and pushed the curtains aside, "Everything will be fine. Don't make this harder on yourself than it already is."

After school, we had our last meeting, which was at school. The Song of Summer was going to be held on school grounds, on the paved area by the field as well as on the field. The stage and everything had been set up for us, so when we met outside, all we had to do was practice one last time.

Miku.

Once the entire music club was there, I started giving instructions. Everyone who was playing instruments had their things set up around the sides, and the first song was me singing 'World Is Mine,' so I was alone on stage.

(Sekai de ichi-ban ohime-sama.../The princess of the world...)

After that, Kaito came up and sang 'Ice.' He did a pretty good job of it, too. I was a little worried about the next song, though, which was Rin and Len singing 'Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder,' because Len was clearly not feeling very good.

"No worries," I heard Rin say to him as they walked onto the stage, hand in hand. He nodded and they both faced the front, starting as soon as the music started. Len closed his eyes and took a deep breath, tapping his foot to the beat.

(Migikata ni murasaki choucho/The purple butterfly on your right shoulder,
(Kisu wo shita kono heya no sumi de/the corner of the room is where we kissed,
(Setsunai to iu kanjou wo shiru/I learned what it's like to feel pain,
(Hibiku piano/a piano echoes,
(Fukyo waon/resounding in my head)

And they were off, singing in harmony, their voices melding like milk and honey, thick, sweet enough to lose yourself in. I was grinning as I watched them sing; it was just too amazing. They were just too amazing.

When they finished, I ran upstage and gave them both a hug, first Rin, who giggled and hugged back, then Len, who was surprised.

"That was so good, too good, you two!" I praised them, "Okay, okay, next one!"

Next, it was me and Kaito, doing Cantarella, followed by Cendrillon. Kaito was such a good dancer; he made me blush in spite of myself. At the end of Cendrillon, he pulled me close for a kiss and my heart felt as though it was about to explode. The kiss was part of the performance, though, but I just couldn't do it.

"Something wrong, princess?" Kaito asked, our faces about an inch away.

"Y-You're just so charming and handsome and perfect!" I gushed. He grinned and kissed me sweetly, only for a couple of seconds.

"My turn!" Meiko waved her arms and stepped away from the keyboard. Kaito took her place. She started singing 'Change Me.'

(Tsuyoi chikara/A strong power,
(Senaka osarete/pushing on my back.
(Gururu mawaru keishiki ga/The fast-changing scenery.

(Nani ga dou toka/I don't know anything
(Wakaranai no yo/and everything
(Doushite kana.../And I wonder why...)

Once she was done, we gave her a few seconds before singing 'Evil Food Eater,' or 'Food Eater.' She didn't mess up at all.

(fushu tadayou haitoku no yakata/The Apostate Castle smells rotten,
(ky mo hajimaru saigo no bansan/The Last Supper begins as always,
(minoke mo yodatsu ryri no kazu kazu/Gruesome foods on the table,
(hitori kui asaru onna no egao/A woman eating them up alone with a smile.)

"Okay, Rin," Meiko patted Rin's shoulder as the blonde came back onstage to sing a cover of my song, 'Yellow', "Knock 'em dead!"

Rin nodded and started dancing as soon as we started playing the music. I watched as Len looked at her, and when he looked at me, I smirked and he blushed.

(itsukara darou kimi no warau koe tooku/Since when, your laughter become so distant?
(shiawase no owari nante akkenai mono da ne/The end of joy is a thing that comes too soon,
(kazoekirenai namida mo kedarui asu mo/Countless, the tears and lethargic tomorrows,
(kawashita kotoba subete omoide ni wa sasenai/The exchanged words, everything, you should forget)

Needless to say, knowing Rin and how well she could sing, she nailed my cover perfectly.

"Len, your turn," she grabbed his arm as he climbed onto the stage and swung him towards the centre, running off, "You'll do fine!"

"Right, right, right," Len looked around at us. I stuck my tongue out at him and he did the same, "Let's get this started."

("saisho kara kimi o suki de irarete yokatta" nante sora ni utau n da.../"I'm glad I liked you from the very beginning." I sing into the sky...)

We all cheered as he continued. Mikuo, Gumi, Neru and Ms. Luka were watching us practice, and they clapped with the beat. Len smiled and went on, singing passionately till the end. I could tell by the way he sang that he was really putting his heart into it.

"Next is 'Paradichlorobenzene', right?" Rin asked. We all glanced at each other.

"Yeah," Meiko nodded, "Say, Rin?"

"Hmm?"

Meiko winked at me and walked up to Rin. "I just remembered something I saw inside the school. It looked like it belonged to you."

"Huh?" Rin frowned, "Really? I don't think I forgot anything..."

Meiko pulled her away from the stage. "No, I think you did."

She dragged Rin into the school. We all glanced at each other, then at Len, who was still standing onstage.

"It's been a minute," Yuma said after, obviously, a minute, "Should we start now?"

Kaito nodded. "Yeah, I think they're far enough. Len?"

Len pushed his hair out of his eyes and exhaled sharply. "Okay. Discotheque Love."

Discotheque Love was the song that on had secretly written for Rin. She didn't know about it yet and we planned to surprise her tomorrow at the festival.

(Yureru furoa no ue de biito wo kizamu kimi wa/You, dancing to music beat on the trembling floor,
(Miraabooru ni hansha shiteru hikari to odotte iru you sa/look as if you are dancing with the light reflected from the disco ball.
(Nagareru sono kami to ka aoi hitomi no wana ni/Your flowing silky hair and your blue eyes
(Dokyuun! Tto tsukinukareta kokoro mou kugidzukeda/have completely trapped my heart and rendered it motionless.)

Thankfully, Len finished singing before Rin returned. After that, we scrambled to get Yuma and Gakupo up there with Len so that we could start 'Paradichlorobenzene.'

"You three are going to glue this song into the audience's brains," Kaito grinned before we started.

"Hey, we asked you if you wanted to join, but you said no," Yuma smirked.

"I didn't want to steal the spotlight," Kaito joked. Len rolled his eyes.

"Let's get started before Rin shows up," he said.

(Boku wa nan no tame ni utau/For what do I sing?
(Paradichlorobenzene
(Tara imi no rikai sezu ni utau/I just sing without understanding why
(Paradichlorobenzene)

Rin came back halfway through the song, a sheepish smile on her face and an eraser in her hand.

"It's my orange eraser," she explained after the song was over, "I don't know how I dropped it!"

"More like, I took it earlier," Meiko whispered in my ear.

"Okay, back to you, Miku," Yuma said as he left the stage with Len and Gakupo. I climbed up and took a deep breath.

"This is one of her new songs," I heard Gakupo say to Luka, whose eyes lit up in response.

"You can do it, princess!" Kaito cheered. My face flushed.

"S-Shush, you!" I said, "I'm ready!"

After 'Two Breaths Walking' I sang another new song called 'Sekiranun Graffiti.' Everybody clapped at the end, though I think they were clapping a bit too much.

"You guys have to dance now!" I grinned, "It's 'Po Pi Po' time!"

They all laughed and came onstage. Gakupo started the music, which was prerecorded this time, because we were all dancing.

Once that madness was over, I sang 'Melt' and got off of the stage. Yuma was the last one to go.

"Is he going to sing that sad song?" Luka asked Gakupo, "I might cry..."

"Hey!" Yuma clapped his hands together, "It's just a song..."

"It's emotional," Luka said.

Yuma shook his head and we started.

(Kimi e no ai o tsudzutta poemu o/These poems I've written of my love for you,
(Okuri tsudzukete juugo-nen/I've been sending them for fifteen years straight,
(Henji wa mada konai/And there's still no reply.
(Henji wa mada konai/And there's still no reply.)

We all whistled and cheered at the end. Gumi even ran onto the stage and hugged him, spinning him around and around and laughing. It was a really good performance, but I think most of us were just happy that we had completed our final rehearsal with no problems.

Len.

After that last rehearsal, we all walked out of the school, laughing and chatting, excited about tomorrow. I had stopped hindering myself, mostly, with my mother's illness. Rin was right. There wasn't anything I could do about it but hope. My mom wouldn't like it at all if I spent my days being stressed and depressed.

"Come on, Len," Rin led me to the car, and Kai was in driver's seat, "Let's visit your mom."

I walked into my mother's room, holding Rin's hand. I was still a slightly afraid, I guess, of myself. I didn't want to hurt Rin or my mom. They both meant so much to me.

My mother looked even more tired. After the accident, she seemed to be getting better and better slowly, but something hadn't seemed right. Now we knew the problem, and now she was going to be put through chemotherapy. She was going to age even faster, but I had to hope. She wasn't weak, and she wasn't the sort of woman who'd give up.

"Len," she looked at me, a tinge of sorrow in her blue eyes, "Why?"

"Why?" I repeated, "What do you mean?"

"Len, I can see it, I can see it in your eyes," she smiled sadly, "Don't waste your life worrying about me."

"I'm not wasting anything!" I replied sharply, biting my tongue immediately after, "I care about you. You're my mother."

"You're going to go crazy, Len," she said. Rin glanced at me.

"No," I said, "I won't. I'm going to stay here and spend every moment that I can with you."

"Len, listen!" My mom furrowed her brow in a way that I remembered her doing whenever she was angry or disappointed with me, "Listen to your mother! Won't you do that, obey your sick parent's wish?"

I know she wasn't trying to manipulate me or anything, but I had a huge lump in my throat. I couldn't speak. Rin squeezed my hand firmly.

"I know that you think that by staying by my side, you'll make me happy, you'll somehow make things better, but Len, that's not what I want. I only want for you to continue to live your life. Don't stop because of me. People get old. They become ill. They die."

"You are not going to die, dammit!" I snapped, my hand flying over and cupping my mouth, eyes widening, "Mom, please. I don't want to talk about the...the cycle of life, or whatever. You're not going anywhere, okay?"

She was quiet for a few seconds. The silence was dreadful, so painful, I felt as though a vat of molten lead was being spilled over me. Those few seconds hurt because they let doubt skitter its way back into my heart.

"Okay," my mom sighed finally, "I swear, Len. I am never going to leave you."

In retrospect, it seems so childish and naïve that those words lifted my spirits the way they did, but that was what happened.

"Len?" Rin whispered and I nodded slowly, taking a slow breath and thinking, trying to sort out my mess of thoughts.

"Now, Len," my mom went on, "Please do as I say. Go home. Spend some time with Rin. Sing your heart out tomorrow at the festival."

Tomorrow, it's tomorrow, the Song of Summer, it's tomorrow. It feels like it was only yesterday when Rin made me sing 'Melt' and Miku asked me to sing in the concert. Has it been a month already?

"Alright," I nodded before reaching down and gently stroking my mother's hair, "Goodbye, mom."

She smiled. "You're not off the hook, Lenny. Tomorrow, you have to come by and tell me how it went, okay?"

I chuckled and nodded. Rin laughed as well.

"I will," I said, "I promise."

Tomorrow. It's tomorrow...

Gumi.

Yuma and I walked down the streets slowly, taking our time, and I was going on and on about how important carrots are to the world.

"See, I was doing some research on them last night, and I found...," my voice trailed off when I looked at Yuma. He was looking forward blankly and his grip on my hand had loosened.

"Yuma?" I looked up at him, "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" He blinked and looked down at me, "I'm...yeah, I'm fine."

I furrowed my brow, deep in thought, before raising my hand and pressing it against his forehead. "You don't feel hot...," I smirked, "But that doesn't mean you aren't!"

"Gumi, I'm fine," he pulled my hand off of his forehead and took it, walking again.

"Hey," I frowned, "You know you can tell me what it is that's bugging you, right?"

He stopped walking abruptly and looked down at me. His eyes were piercing mine, staring in a way that he rarely did. Slowly, he leaned closer and I understood.

"Gumi," he whispered, his hand against the length of my neck. He kissed me and I kissed back. Suddenly, he pulled me closer and opened his mouth, asking for more. I hesitated at first but eventually parted my lips slightly. He kissed me harder than usual. The last time he kissed me like that had to be after Rin's party, but even then, it wasn't like this.

"P-Please," he pulled away, his trembling hands on my shoulders as he whispered breathlessly into my ear, "I...I need to go to your home."

I paused and I heard what sounded like the slightest whimper escape him. He had never made a sound like that before. It squeezed my heart and I felt as though I would shatter into a million pieces.

"Come on," I opened my front door and pulled him up to my room, taking a look around and locking the door.

Yuma.

I held my head in my hands as Gumi locked her door. It was throbbing. My stomach was churning. My knees felt as though they would give way any minute and I'd fall to the floor.

I needed her in my arms. It was too much, the pain, it was too much. I couldn't freaking take it anymore; I was dying because of this girl, and I loved her, and I needed her, and I needed her right now, because tomorrow...tomorrow was the Song of Summer festival.

"Dammit...," I groaned and looked at Gumi. She looked so worried. I grabbed her by the waist, losing control of myself, before blinking, "Oh God. I'm so sorry."

"Yuma, won't you tell me what's wrong?"

I inhaled. It hurt. Everything hurt. I kissed her again and again and again and again.

"Gumi, I...I'm sorry, but...I n-need you," my voice was shaking.

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry...shit...

She looked at me with those perfect green eyes of hers. "Okay," she said softly, "That's fine."

I looked down at the floor, the gap between us. My head was swimming. I felt the girl's fingers lace into my hair. She kissed me softly. The moment our lips met, I made a wish, wishing harder than I ever had that we could stay like this forever.

Of course, we couldn't, and when she pulled away and looked me in the eyes. Slowly, she reached up and gently brushed her index finger along the bottom of my eye, catching a few drops of what were clearly teardrops.

"Don't cry," she smiled, "Yuma, why're you crying? I love you. Of course we can do this."

That's not it.

You guys should all vote for this chapter like, ten times, because it took FOREVER to write and FOREVER to format the songs! Not to mention, keeping the internal shipper at bay was hell. And my heart was genuinely throbbing throughout most of this stuff.
It's tomorrow, it's tomorrow, the Song of Summer is tomorrow! In two chapters, you will know what's wrong with Yuma!
There are five or six chapters left. ;_;
Vote, comment, all that jazz! I really, really want to hear what you guys have to say! How much did you fangirl? Are you scared? I'm so, so excited!
See you next chapter!