I'll Forever Stay Your Perfect Enemy

Why should I welcome your domination?
Why should I listen to explanations?
I'm not pretending to make it simple
Try to be something experimental

-Perfect Enemy by t.A.T.u.

Rin was barely listening as they talked at her. What they were saying was smart, and they had reason, but she couldn't find the energy to actually listen to them. How could Ring do that? She could barely believe it. Ring, Rin's best friend in the world, was in charge of something so terrible.

"Of course, we'll make sure that we have people watching out for you at all times in case things get out of hand," they told her, trying to tempt her into agreeing. Did she look worried? She wasn't. They obviously were. They thought she was going to refuse. They thought the anger in her gaze was a response to their words. But it wasn't. It was a response to Ring's words.

They continued to talk at her, but she offered no response, nor any reaction at all, to any of their words. Why were they even here? Was nobody else willing to help them? Was this world really so terrible? Or was it because of Ring? Somebody had to shoot her down, to draw everyone's attention to the terribleness of her actions.

"So, Rin, what do you say?" the man asked nervously, having gotten no reaction from Rin thus far. She'd been staring at her hands on her knees until now, their nails still painted Ring's blue, but, now, she turned her frustrated gaze onto them.

"Why does it have to be me?" she questioned sharply, startling the man. Before he could start to stutter out some phoney excuse, she answered her own question. "It's because it's Ring, right? It will mean more if it's us two battling because we used to be so close."

"Well, yes, Ring did have a factor in it," the man confessed. Rin was prepared to stand up and leave, but he continued talking, words tumbling over each other as he rushed to get them out before she left. "But, Rin, you're best for the job. You're pretty, popular, and everyone loves you. They'll listen to you. There's no one else we know who'd be willing to take a chance at this."

"Rin, honey," her mother, who'd been sitting on one side of her on the couch, coaxed. Rin stood up, not wishing to hear anymore of this, and stared at the carpet, her expression near a glare but not quite. It was pure and total disgust that shone in those eyes. "Your father and I really believe you should consider taking this offer."

"I have no wish to partake is such idiotic games," Rin replied coldly. "If you want someone to be your puppet, ask someone who's willing to be bought, because I'm not. I'll never do what Ring did, ever. Got that? Now get out of my house."

"Rin, please, think of how many lives you could change," her father begged. "We know that it will be a hassle, but you really need to think of how many lives you could affect, in a positive way, by doing this."

"Ring's actions are not my responsibility." The adults in the room flinched at her words. Did they really think she wouldn't realize? "You just want me to negate her actions because I'm her opposite. But I won't. That's not my responsibility anymore. I no longer have any connections to her, and you'd all do best to remember that and leave me alone about it."

"Rin, what will it take to get you on our side?" the man wondered, now close to pleading as he gazed at her desperately. It made her sick. They thought she could be bought? She was human, and she made her own decisions. There was nothing they could ever offer her.

"Don't get me wrong," she stated, staring at him with icy blue eyes that caused him to shift nervously. "I'm already on your side. But I'm doing it my way. I won't do it the way you want me to. You treat it as though it's some slimy, elusive creature that needs to be brought to light. I won't let it be seen that way. Understand?"

"Are you saying you'll work with us?" he nearly gasped, her eyes sparkling with excitement before his eyes met hers, their harshness causing him to withdraw fearfully, shrinking into the couch. Even though she was still barely taller than him as she stood and her sat, Rin had power that none of them could deny, making the fourteen-year-old girl the most fearsome one in the room.

"I'm saying I'll do the job, but I will not obey orders. If I wanted to follow orders, I'd've joined Ring when she asked me to." With that, Rin turned away and strode out of the room and up the stairs. This was all so stupid. She hated it.

. . .

"Rin, something awesome just happened!"

It was a restless sleep that night. Rin wasn't at peace, not even a little. She felt so sick. Why did everything have to be this way? It wasn't fair. She hadn't wanted this, any of this. She'd just wanted to spent time with Ring.

"Rin, we're going to be famous!"

At ages eleven and fourteen respectively, Rin and Ring had become the most talked-about idols in all of Japan. Word of their acting talents along with their singing voices had reached even the most remote areas of the country. There wasn't any place you could go without hearing word of the two idols. Rin and Ring had become celebrities overnight. Ring loved it. Rin hated it.

Rin had never wanted it, any of it. She'd only done it for Ring, because Ring was the most important person to her and Ring had asked her to.

The two had become even more famous when the focus of their songs had become stranger, more abstract, as though there were implications behind them that shouldn't have been appropriate to be sung on air. And then, all those implications became explicit as, on air, during a live broadcast, Rin had kissed Ring and confessed her love. They'd managed to cut off into a commercial before Ring had kissed the girl back and returned her sentiments. Only the handful of people in the studio had known about it, and they'd been forced into silence.

Many of Rin's fans had turned on her, but, at the same time, many new ones came to her. Fans grew defensive of Ring, believing that Rin was forcing her affections on her. Rin didn't care what they thought. Ring was the only one who mattered, and Ring was then her girlfriend. Ring didn't tell them that she loved Rin, too, because Rin told her that it wasn't important.

Rin tossed in her sleep, Ring's voice echoing again in her ears.

"Rin, you'll never believe the job they just offered us!"

Ring had come to her with word of an offer: to support homophobia. Ring would use Rin's attack on her as her main selling point and get her fan base to help her destroy something so unholy as same-sex relationships. Rin would 'find salvation' and realize that it simply wasn't possible to love another woman, showing that homosexuality was curable. Ring didn't believe in what she'd be promoting, however. After all, she herself was dating another girl herself. But it was good money, and even better money if Rin accepted the job, too.

Rin had yelled at her, wondering how she could accept such a job when they were supposed to be in love. Ring had argued that it was just show business. Rin had been sick. That day, she'd told Ring that, should Ring accept to job, Rin would break up with her, and they'd forever be rivals. Ring had stared at her, heartbroken, as she'd left, but she hadn't stopped her. Then, the next day, as Rin watched television, it brought her word of Ring's horrifying experience with being the target of a lesbian, her co-star, Rin. Rin, angered and heartbroken, had gone into hiding, where she'd remained for all this time, five months. Until now.

. . .

"It's okay," Ring coaxed to the audience member that had been drawn onto the stage on some live television show. "You can tell us. Forgiveness awaits those who'll admit to their sin."

Rin snorted, disgusted to see the girl who'd once held her so tightly preaching against the thing that was in the core of her being. Hidden under sunglasses, a black wig, and a thick hood, Rin, sitting among the live audience, was unrecognisable. She hadn't been seen for months, anyway. She'd state that she'd probably been forgotten if it weren't for all the fan mail she'd been consistently receiving and the constant mentions of searches for her whereabouts in celebrity gossip articles.

"Well, there was this guy that I thought I liked," the girl murmured, unassured as Ring smiled invitingly to her, nodding to prompt her to continue. "So I went out with him for a while. Then, after a few dates, he told me that he was actually a girl. But I really liked him - her - so I kept going out with him - her."

"Well, sweetie, you're not doing either of you any favours," Ring insisted. "It's impossible for love to exist between two girls."

Rin had heard enough. "Liar!" she hissed loudly, drawing the attention of much of the crowd as she stood up. She continued to talk as she pushed through the audience, over to the stage. "How dare you make these people believe being in love is wrong?" Down with the hood. "Love is beautiful, no matter who you find it with, and you're making all these people believe that, just because they were born a certain gender, they're not allowed to love the person who holds their heart." Off with the sunglasses, thrown into the crowd. She heard whispers of her name, questioning if it could be. It could. "You're a liar, and a hypocrite, and a total monster, and I'm not going to sit around and watch you do this anymore, Ring." Off with the wig. Now everyone was sure it was her, and Ring was looking at her, a mixture of exaltation and terror, as she climbed onto the stage, now standing before her. "Are you happy being a sell-out, Ring?"

Ring looked like she was about to cry as she leaped up from her seat and wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde girl, who stood there stiffly. "Rin! It's been so long! Where have you been? I've missed you so much, Rin!"

Rin shoved her sharply off. Ring stumbled backwards and stared at her, startled and hurt. But Rin's vicious gaze stayed mercilessly on her. "Don't touch me," she hissed. "I don't want to be near anyone like you. I told you that we'd be rivals if you did this, and you did." Rin narrowed her eyes. "Until you come to your senses, this is how things will be. Until then, keep yourself far away from me, as far as you can get, because, from now on, I'm your enemy. Got that?" Ring nodded, unsure what else to do. "Good."

"Rin, does this mean you're back?" someone from the crowd called. Rin closed her eyes irritably as a billion other questions ran over after they realized that the first speaker had a good point. She didn't say a single word or move a single muscle until they noticed and quieted down. She could sense their eagerness and anxiety radiating off them. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the girl who had been on stage.

"Do you care what gender that person you were talking about is?" she barked. "Does it make them any different from the person they were?" The girl shook her head, too nervous under Rin's intense gaze to speak. "Then why should it matter that she's a girl?"

"It doesn't," the girl stated hesitantly, looking overjoyed when Rin nodded in agreement. It startled Rin a bit. All these people needed was some reassurance, someone telling them it was okay. Rin and Ring had been the most popular idols, and, after Rin had left, it had been left to Ring to influence the people. But Rin wouldn't stand under her reign of homophobia any longer.

Staring right into the crowd, making eye-contact with as many people as she could, Rin announced, "I'm a lesbian. I don't give a damn what your Bibles say, what your parents say, what your neighbours say. You shouldn't either. The only reason any of you give a damn is because Ring's been telling you for months that it's sick, wrong, and that what I did was terrible." Ring, alarmed to have the attention back on her, looked at Rin with pleading eyes, begging to have her sweet little friend back. But Rin couldn't do that anymore. She couldn't just stand by and watch this happen. "Does she look like she hates me, or that she finds me repulsive?"

The crowd denied any of these being true, and, as they began arguing with one another, Ring grabbed Rin's arm and tried desperately to pull her away while people began to make their way onto the stage, many with evil intent in their eyes. Rin had just assaulted Ring, apparently, and they had to protect their beloved idol from her kind.

"Please, Rin, please!" she sobbed. "They'll kill you!"

Rin yanked her arm away, staring at her former lover with disgust in her gaze. "I don't give a damn, Ring," she hissed. "If they want to beat the crap out of me for being in love with you, I don't care." She narrowed her eyes. "I only wish that you could've been there with me."

"Rin," Ring sobbed, staring at her with such conflicting emotions in her blue eyes. "I can't do that. I can't because—"

"I don't want any explanations," Rin cut her off bitterly. "I don't want anything to do with you anymore. I told you to stay away from me."

"Rin, please come with me!" she pleaded, looking at the crowed growing nearer. "I'll take care of you! I can protect you!"

"I could've protected you," Rin replied. "But you chose this, instead. Do you realize how many people kill themselves over loving someone of the same gender? Do you realize how many kids are being bullied now because their classmates watch you on television talking about how sick this is?"

"I'm not the bad guy here, Rin!" she exclaimed. Then, she glanced at the crowd and let it drop. "Can we please go, Rin? I'm scared."

"Then who is, Ring, huh? Who's the bad guy?" Rin stared the girl straight in the eye and told her, "You have no right to be scared yourself when you've caused so many people to be afraid of themselves." Then, she shoved Ring toward the escape route. "Run, Ring. Despite what you've done, I still love you, and I always will. Now go."

Ring looked at her once more, her eyes desperately wishing that Rin would come with her, Rin's eyes staring back at her and telling her that she never would. Then, the blue-haired girl disappeared, and Rin took her first hit, to be followed by many more, as a riot broke out.

Author's Note: I don't know if I should continue this or not. It was meant to be a oneshot, but I think it would work as a longer story, as well. What do you think? Anyway, please review!