Whee, another collab~! I love these things, seriously. This one is with OtakuGirl347, she's writing from Rin's POV while I write from Len's. Sooo... I suppose I could rant on and on here, but that would bore you. So, on with the story, yes?

I have this one memory of Rin. It really stands out, more than any other memory. We're both nine years old, and I'm chasing her. I forget what we were playing-maybe tag or something-but I do remember her looking behind her at me and smiling. That image of her is one of my favorites. I always loved her smile. Suddenly, I notice how close to the road we are. I also see the huge semi-truck that Rin's about to run in front of.

I don't even think. I was faster than Rin, I was just letting her win because it made her happy. Now I throw myself forward with all my strength, tackling her. "Rin! Look out!"

I fall on top of her right by the side of the road. The semi rushes past us, the wind stirring out clothes. The ribbon comes loose from Rin's hair and flutters to the ground. Once it passes, I carefully get off of Rin and sit upright. Rin looks at the ground, then at me, then at her skinned hands and knees, then at the back of the retreating semi. Then she looks at me again and bursts into tears.

I hug her tight, forgetting that I'm a big boy and shouldn't be hugging my sister like that, like a baby. That never really mattered to me, anyways-Rin had always been my best friend. I pet her hair, feeling slightly paniced. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay." I keep repeating that over and over, rocking back and forth with her in my arms. Finally, her wails become sniffles, and I gently pick up her hair ribbon and put it back in her hair. "I'm sorry for knocking you over."

Rin looks up at me with wide eyes. "You saved me!" She abruptly hugs me, almost knocking me over again. "You're my hero, Len!"

I blush, smiling a little. "Aw, Rinny..." I don't really know what else to say. I feel kind of funny when she hugs me-although I know what that feeling is now, I didn't when I was nine.

Suddenly, mom rushes outside, pulling us both to our feet. "Oh my gosh! Rin, Len! Are you two okay?" She turns to my father, who was rushing out behind her. "You! You were supposed to be watching them!"

My father looks aghast. "Me? Maybe if you actually cared about our kids, you'd..."

That's all I really remember. My parents fought so much back then, all the fights kind of mushed together. I can't remember exactly what was said, whether it was mom yelling "And-what-about-all-those-cigarettes-do-you-want-our-babies-to-get-cancer" or maybe "like-you-care-about-our-kids-you're-always-at-work." And since I don't remember that, I couldn't remember whether dad answered "how-do-I-even-know-they're-my-babies-you've-probaby-slept-with-half-the-men-we-know" or something like "well-not-all-of-us-can-just-sleep-our-way-to-the-top." Their arguements were always the same.

Of course, I have more memories of Rin. Like the one that happened about a week before we got that news. I walked into Rin's room without bothering to knock. I never did. She was on her bed, crying. This surprised me. "Rin?"

She looked up at me, wiping her eyes angrily. "Didn't anyone... e-ever teach you to knock?" I went and sat by her, hugging her like I did all those years ago. She tried to resist me, but eventually she sighed, leaning against my chest. I got that strange funny feeling in my chest. At thirteen, I thought I knew what it was-love. I was in love with my twin sister.

"Rin, what's wrong? This isn't like you." It was true. Rin rarely cried, which is probably why the two memories I have are of her crying. When someone does something unusual, you remember it, right?

"N-nothing." I sighed; she could be so stubborn sometimes.

"Rin, don't lie to me." I tilted her head up to look into my face. "Look at me, Rin. Tell me what's wrong."

Her watery eyes stared at the wall behind me. "Well... I was just thinking... about you... and me..." She looked in my eyes then, and her expression broke my heart. "We're changing, Len. We aren't the same height anymore. Our voices are changing. Our... bodies are changing, too! What if everything changes? We're going to get married one day, and then we won't even live together anymore!" She sniffled and closed her eyes.

"Rin..." I kissed her forehead. "You're being silly. No matter what changes, our voices, our heights, or our bodies..." I abruptly pulled her close, whispering in her ear. "I won't ever leave you. I won't love any girl besides you."

I heard her gasp, then hold me tighter. "Len... I love you." I didn't know whether she meant sibling love or real love like I felt for her, and I didn't care. No matter how she loved me, I would always be there for her. When she spoke again, I felt my blood run cold. "But I don't believe you."

I drew back from her, looking at her face. "I swear, Rin! I won't ever love-"

She shook her head quickly. "No, no, no-I don't mean that! I mean... I just have this really bad... feeling... a bad feeling that you're going to leave me... that we're going to be separated... and soon."

I pulled her close again, lying down next to her. Even though we weren't supposed to anymore, we often slept in the same bed. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone separate us."

But I was wrong.

A week later, mom and dad brought us together, and told us the news. They didn't love each other anymore, and they were getting a divorce. Rin was going to live with mom, and I was going to live with dad.

"What? No! You can't do this to us!" Rin was furious, but I was stunned. I could only sit there, staring at them. I couldn't take it in.

Mom's voice was calm. "We can and we will. This is for your good, too, Rin. Don't think your father and I don't see what's going on between you two."

I felt my heart drop like a rock. They knew. I couldn't believe it. They knew. But I had been so careful! I didn't even think that Rin knew how I felt about her! I couldn't say anything as Rin yelled, threw things, and finally broke down crying. I could only sit there, my own tears falling silently.

When we were separated, Rin clung to me. I clung to her, too. I didn't want to let her go. But eventually, I had no choice. We were forced apart. Far, far apart. Too far to visit, even if our parents had allowed it.

I was an empty shell for awhile. I felt like half of me was numb. Eventually, though, the feeling passed. It wasn't horrible, not really. I wrote to Rin, although she never wrote back. I wrote to her about everything-how I felt about her, how I missed her, how I felt like nothing now that she was gone. There was never a responce. I wrote countless letters of loss, of sadness, of love. I began to think she didn't care about me.

Then, one day, I came home to find my father staring at the table sadly. "Dad? Is something wrong?" I was surprised that he wasn't at work.

He stood and lit a cigarette. "Rin's dead."

I stopped dead in my tracks, dropping the backback I had been holding with now nerveless fingers. "... What?"

"It was during a robbery at a gas station, Len. She tried to take a picture of the robber with her cell phone. He noticed, and shot her. I'm so sorry." He seemed so calm, just staring out the window, taking a long drag from his cigeratte.

I fell to my knees, my legs no longer able to support me. "No..." I couldn't believe it. Rin... she couldn't be gone. Not like this.

Dad looked at me, grabbing a large stack of envelopes, all tied together by lots of rubber bands and twine. "I kept these from you, Len. I'm sorry. Your mother kept your letters from Rin, too. We thought we were doing the right thing." He threw the envelopes at me, then walked out of the room.

I looked down at the stack. Letter upon letter upon letter sat in front of me. They were all from Rin. I read every single one of them. My heart broke over each one. She told me she loved me, that she had always loved me, as more than a brother or friend. Some of them tried to be light-hearted, joking around. Others were angry, demanding to know why I hadn't answered.

I couldn't believe my parents could be so cruel. How could they keep us from each other, when they knew how we loved each other? Was it really such a sin? And how could I not realized that she felt the same way about me.

I'm eighteen now. All grown up, you could say. Old enough to move out, but there's really no need. Dad's always out working overseas, so it's practically like living alone. I don't want to live alone, but the only person I could ever live with is Rin... and she's not even living now.

I've dated a few girls, but none of them were right. I kept seeing Rin's features in them. She has the same hair color as Rin, she has the same eyes, she's short just like Rin was. It broke my heart, but the only girls I could even have a slight attraction to reminded me of Rin. In the end, though, I just couldn't make myself love them. My heart belongs to one person. I decided that I would remain alone until I died. My heart would remain under the ground with Rin until I was able to join her.

Or so I thought.

Ta... da? Review, mkay? And read OtakuGirl's fic here: .net/s/6656968/1/Seperations