Chapter 76

Rin.

"Len, it's hard keeping this from our friends," I said, getting to my feet and walking over to his sofa. I sat down beside him.

"I know, but we can't tell them," Len whispered.

"They're our friends, they'll accept it," I rose my voice slightly and stared at him, "Why won't they? I mean, we stopped as soon as we found out, didn't we?"

"They keep trying to put us together," Len said.

"Exactly, because they don't know the truth!" I yelled, "And unless we tell them..."

"I haven't even told my mother, Rin," Len whispered, "I mean, how can I? She's still not entirely over the divorce."

"Len," I took him by the shoulders and made him look at me, "We have to be strong. There's something I need to tell you. It's...it's what I've been thinking about."

"Then stop putting me through all this, Rin! You know it's not easy on me or you, so just go ahead and say it!"

I sighed and nodded. "You know those things, Len, that are easier to show than tell? This is one of those things."

Len held his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Rin...it's just...nothing makes sense anymore!"

I pulled him towards me and pressed my mouth against his quickly, for the smallest fraction of a second, for a millionth of a heartbeat, and he reciprocated in what was the most innocent, fleeting kiss that I could have ever imagined.

Everything that led up to that moment was a heated mess of misunderstandings and confusion, and it didn't make any sense, that much was true.

But maybe nothing needed to make sense for that one moment to be perfect and absolutely rational.

"I don't care what we are relative to each other," I said quickly, pushing my hair out of my eyes as I pulled back, "I just can't get over you, and you know what? I don't want to! I don't care if you're my half-brother or not, I still love you the way I loved you before! I want to tousle your hair and kiss you, not as a sibling, but as a lover! That's...that's the way I fell in love with you."

I felt tears roll down my cheeks and Len's fingers wiping them away. "You're strong, Rin. Much stronger than I could ever be."

"Then let's do it," I whispered, pulling him closer, "I've had more than enough of this misery! I'd die and be reborn as the daughter of a working class family if it meant that I could have you!"

Len shook his head slowly, but I kissed him again. He pulled away, eyes half shut, letting his face slide down to my neck. His mouth brushed against my collarbone, but he recoiled almost immediately.

"I can't," he whispered, "I told you, I'm nowhere near as strong as you."

"Len, listen," I got off of the sofa and crossed my arms over my chest, "Ren is coming back."

He looked at me like I was crazy. "What?"

"Doris told me," I nodded, "He's arriving home tomorrow afternoon. You have to come. We're going to talk to him."

Len looked down at the floor. "I've never spoken to my father," he said quietly.

"Well, this will be the first time, now won't it?" I asked with a nod.

"Yeah...okay," Len mumbled, "I'll do it for you, Rin."

I walked up to Len and hugged him. "I know there's more to this than it seems. I'm sure that he'll clear things up."

"And if he can't?" Len said into the sleeve of my shirt, "What if we really are...related? We probably are, you know, we're just grasping at straws..."

"I will still love you," I replied, "Whether you still can or not, I will."

Gumi.

Yuma huffed along behind me as we headed to my home.

"Come on, Yuma, pick up the pace!" I hooked my arm with his and pulled him along, "We're almost there!"

"Can we...slow down?" He groaned. I shook my head.

"We're only a few feet away from my door!"

Once we were at my house, we sat down on the porch.

"Stay here," I told him, "I'm going to get you something."

I ran into the house, into the kitchen, and pulled open the refrigerator. A sparkling pitcher of lemonade sat waiting for me on the top rack, and I pulled it out and poured two tall glasses.

"Here you go," I went back out by the porch and handed him a glass. He exhaled sharply, blowing his hair up for half a second. I sat down beside him.

"I didn't mean to hurt you like that," he said after taking a sip of the beverage, "I just...wrote that song and..."

"Hey," I put a hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at me, "It's okay. I was getting too sentimental back there. It was a good song."

"Was it really?"

I nodded. "I still can't believe that you kept it a secret from me!"

Yuma smiled slyly. "I can't tell you everything, now can I?"

"Well, why not?"

"Some things are better when they're surprises," he mused, looking up at the sky, "And sometimes it's better to not know some things."

"Like what?" I prodded.

"Dark things," Yuma frowned, "Things that'll hurt others if word got out. Everyone has some of those."

I pinched my lips together at the tangy sweetness of the lemonade. "Do you have any?"

"I just said that everyone does, Gumi," Yuma looked at me, a deadpan expression painted across his face, "Even you."

"Well, I'd tell you if I did," I mumbled, "Anyway, I think Rin and Len are hiding something."

"I know," Yuma nodded, "In fact, there's no doubt. Something's wrong between those two, but I'm not sure what."

"I was talking to Miku a couple of days ago," I offered quietly, "She's got the same feeling, but still, no idea what's bugging them."

Yuma sighed. "They'll tell us eventually," he said, finishing off his glass and setting it down beside him with a thud, "Everybody does. It's only a matter of time."

Len.

"Promise that you'll come tomorrow," Rin clasped my hands and stared at me. We stood by the gates and the sun was beginning its descent.

"I promise I'll be there tomorrow," I enunciated each word.

"At three," Rin nodded, "Three in the afternoon."

"At three," I nodded. Rin smiled slowly. It was a weak and tired sort of smile.

She leaned forward and kissed me slowly. We closed our eyes and I felt her hands against the nape of my neck. It was a long kiss, but it was gentle. Slowly, we pulled away, and she was hardly blushing.

"I love you," she whispered against the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. Her words kissed the chirps of birds and melted in the summer sun, resonating across the empty street and clinging to the subdued bubbling of the fountains in the gardens of her home. I drowned in those three words, three syllables, a phrase filled with so much ambiguity and at the same time, such preciseness.

"I love you, too," I said. Her hands slipped off of mine as I turned and walked away.

I knew which 'love' she had meant, and I knew which 'love' I had meant. They were both the same 'love', the love that existed between us during that fateful Saturday morning and the days preceding, the love that was no longer acceptable by Saturday afternoon.

Tomorrow, we would find out just how acceptable it was, and whatever the truth was, our love wasn't going to change.

This ending had me "d'awww"ing more than I'd like, so I cut the actual theoretical end of the chapter. I'll use that bit at the start of the next chapter, instead. It's nice to not have a huge cliffhanger all the time, eh?
Vote, comment, and share, please! I need to rewrite this story once I'm done... >_>
I hope you're enjoying! Thanks for all the votes and comments that I've gotten up till now, as well.
See you in the next chapter!