Chapter 54

Len.

I couldn't hear anything but the sound of my thumping heart, and that was fine by me. I pulled Rin closer and kept my mouth pressed against hers. She draped her arms around me and dug her fingers into my hair, her tongue sliding into my mouth like a snake into grass. I don't know how long we stayed that way, but when we pulled away, we were both just as out of breath as we were a few minutes ago.

"Alright," Rin said under her breath, tousling my hair. I kissed her neck, my hands around her waist, rough teeth making contact with her soft flesh. She sighed slowly.

"I'm sorry," I said, recoiling suddenly, "I'm moving too fast, aren't I?"

She shook her head, smiling. Her eyes shone like the sky, a clear blue sky that was always cloudless. A sky where night never came.

"Your eyes are beautiful," I whispered, "You know, whenever I see the clear blue sky, I can't help but smile. It's the colour of your eyes, Rin. Even with the rain outside, you manage to clear away the clouds."

Rin giggled. "Since when did you become a poet?" She asked, pressing her figure against mine.

"I'm just being honest," I said. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me again, those clear, bright blue eyes of hers closing for the moment.

"Come on," she said, pulling away, "I still have to show you the rest of this place."

We left the ballroom and headed upstairs. Rin pushed open two large, transparent glass doors, leading me into a grand white room that was almost entirely empty. The wall opposite the door was also made entirely of glass, and it provided a breathtaking view of the rainy weather outside.

"Even rain is beautiful," Rin smiled as we walked up to the glass wall.

"I never said that it wasn't," I frowned. She sat down in front of the wall, and I sat down beside her.

"I know," she rested her head on my shoulder. Slowly, I ran a hand though her hair, "I was just making a comment."

"Alright," I answered, "Rin...do you really like me?"

She looked up at me, "What do you think?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but I couldn't form any coherent thoughts or sentences. I ended up doing a series of wild hand gestures that made me look like a idiot.

"We kissed," she whispered, "I told you before that I liked you. I liked you before I even knew you. Is that a crush or love at first sight?"

I furrowed my brow, unsure of what to say. I went with what I wanted, what I felt this was, "It's not a crush. It's something else. I can't say that it was love at first sight...I mean, that's something you find out later, right? Whether it's real love or temporary love, I mean."

"Mm," Rin added absentmindedly, "I wonder what my father will think if I tell him about you."

"You don't think he'll allow it?" I asked. Needles of worry pricked at my heart.

"No, it's not that," Rin laughed softly, "He doesn't even care about me."

I sighed, listening to the patter of the rain against the glass, watching the beads of water as they rolled down the window. I felt Rin's chest heave gently against my leg with every breath she took. I closed my eyes and immersed myself in the sounds.

"Do you want to see the photographs?" Rin asked me after a few moments of silence, "My mom and dad and me...back when we used to be a family."

I smiled as Rin turned to look up at me. I kissed her forehead. "Yeah," I said, "Let's go."

Luka.

"Gone? What do you mean, she's gone?" I was yelling hysterically as Gakupo got to full height and stared at me with wide, empty eyes.

"Meringue is not breathing, Luka," his voice was dry. I opened my mouth to reply, but there weren't any sounds between us but the nervous scraping of my boot's heel against the concrete.

"She's not here anymore," Gakupo choked on his words, "Look, there's blood coming out of her side..."

"I-I'll get my car, and we'll go to the vet!" I said quickly, patting Gakupo's shoulder. He shook his head slowly and left the alley. I followed him.

"She's dead," Gakupo whispered, "I don't know what I did wrong."

I looked at him, and then quickly turned away as I sensed tears welling up in my eyes. Cars sped down the road and buses lurched forward after pausing at the bus stop.

"Do you...want to bury her?" I asked slowly, holding my umbrella over both of our heads.

Gakupo nodded. "Yeah, I will," he said, "Thanks for everything."

"I'm not done yet," I said, "I'm coming with you. It's dangerous and slippery and you're exhausted, both physically and emotionally. I don't want you to get hurt."

Gakupo stared at me. "Really?"

I grimaced. "I mean, your students are going to miss you, that's all," I blabbered my lame excuse quickly, "And someone will have to fill in for you. And...stuff. There'll be complications..."

"Thank you, Luka," he said, smiling weakly and looking around, "The rain's stopping."

I sighed as the precipitation halted, and then I closed my umbrella. "Yeah."

We walked down the roads and headed over to Gakupo's home.

Gumi.

I don't know how long I was there, lying on Yuma's bed, but I was shaken back into reality when I heard his door click open. I sat up with a start as Yuma entered and sat down beside me.

"You fell asleep," he said.

I frowned, skating my head, "Nope, I...I didn't."

"Yes, you did," Yuma smiled, "Come on, get up. Your clothes are washed and dried."

Yawning and stretching, I slowly got to my feet. I felt Yuma's arms snake around my waist as he pulled me into his lap.

"I wouldn't have minded if you wanted to come with me," he said softly, his breath warm against my neck. My muscles tensed.

I shuffled uneasily. It was best to tell him the truth. "I didn't want to be clingy," I answered, "That's why I said that I had work to do. I mean, I do have homework, but...it's not a whole lot, and I really wanted to hang out with you, but I didn't want to get in your way."

Yuma laughed. "How could you ever be in my way?" He said, kissing my cheek, "You're a part of me, Gumi. You're the only one who can make me run three laps before lunch. You're the only one that I'd tolerate chasing around the school."

I relaxed myself in his hold. "You really know how to make a girl feel better," I whispered.

"Nope," he said, letting go of me, "There's only one girl that I can do that to, and that's because I love her. Now, come on, get changed. The rain's stopped, you know."

First off, sorry about the half make-out scene. There will be, like, one or two more, not necessarily involving Len and Rin again, but they will never get any racier than this, as in, there will be nothing past the point of kissing. Just a heads-up, so no need to worry, if that kind of stuff is not your thing.
Second, this and the preceding chapters have been kind of slow. It may seem like I've run out of gas, so to speak, but I'm warning you, this is the calm before the storm, and the storm will start next chapter or so...
Vote, comment, share, support! Thanks for the 4K+ reads! I must be doing something right, to get that many reads! I hope you keep reading!