DISCLAIMER: Roses are red, violets are blue. I ain't own Vocaloid, and neither do you! Maybe.
Chapter 10
Rin's POV:
If only I hadn't ran away…
I had so much I wanted to say…
To my mother…but she was gone…
To my father…but I couldn't bear to face him anymore…
To Len…but what if he didn't remember me?
…I'm sorry.
I was standing in the middle of the park from my childhood, with my back to the swings. Although I couldn't see them, I could hear them softly creaking in a gentle breeze. I could barely make out the vague outline of the slide and monkey bars, but I knew they were there.
It was late at night, and a single, lonely streetlamp hovered anxiously over the small playground. It suddenly flickered on. Warm, golden light washed over the whole place, and I felt comforted, for some reason.
"You used to love to play here. Remember?" A voice said tenderly.
I whirled around, and saw someone sitting on one of the swings. It was like seeing a mirror image of myself, but a thousand times more beautiful.
Her electric blue eyes twinkled with friendliness, and, like mine, they were large and framed with thick lashes. Beautiful, luscious locks of gold tumbled down her waist and shone in the silver moonlight. The woman wore no shoes; only a simple, pure white dress that swept to her ankles. I could smell the faint, sweet fragrant of lilies.
A soft glow seemed to emanate from her and light up the shadowy corners of the park that were hidden from the anxious streetlamp. She looked just like an angel.
"Mom…" I whispered.
A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, making her even more beautiful, if possible. "Rin, you've grown."
Trembling, I stood there staring at her. My mother, who had cared for me years back, when I was just a small child. Who had been absent in my life for a decade.
She was the one who had caused Len and me, best friends, to split apart. She was the one who caused my father to become so grim, lonely, and harsh. And yet…
She was the woman who loved me the most in the world. She was the woman who took care of me when I was in trouble. Back when she was still alive, I could always rely on her.
And she committed suicide. Because of me.
Gasping, I suddenly knelt down on the earthen ground. Bowing my head, I refused to look her in the eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry…" I turned away from her and buried my face in my hands.
For what seemed like an eternity, my mother was absolutely silent. Then, she slid of the swing and in one smooth movement, glided over and wrapped me in her warm embrace. My eyes widened; after all these years, I had forgotten what it felt like to be hugged by your mother.
"Rin…I'm sorry too. I made terrible mistakes. Because of my faults, you…"
"I-Is Rin okay?" he asked tentatively.
"Why did you do this?" she whispered. "What did she ever do to you?"
"I-I-I'm sorry! Rin saved me! I didn't meant to-"
"You almost killed her." These words, softly spoken but full of venom, pierced the young boy's heart as if she had stabbed him. He started to cry.
"Lily! Don't say that!"
"You have no right to be her friend. You almost killed her."
"Lily…we're so sorry…but…it was an accident. If you think it's Len's fault, we can discuss it later, but not in front of-"
SLAP.
"What did you say? My daughter almost lost her life! You can't just-"
"Lily…what's wrong with you? You're not like this. Get it together!"
Finally looking into my mother's sorrowful eyes, I saw glistening tears that sparkled like stars.
An understanding seemed to pass between us, silent yet clearly obvious. Both of us had made mistakes, and that separated us from our family and friends. It was those mistakes…that created solid barriers between us that even death itself couldn't penetrate through.
But even though we couldn't change the past, we had to do the best with what we had.
My mother had come here just to show me that mistakes mustn't be tolerated; they had to be fixed. That that was what life was; solving both big and small problems, one at a time.
And she was exactly right, so how could I just ignore her?
"Rin…over the years, how has Oliver been?" Mom asked.
"…" I lowered my head in guilt.
"Listen…don't let you and your father drift apart. You love each other; you're family! It might be that you have fights, but…Rin, I don't want you to ever be lonely again."
"M-mom…"
"You…you have a wonderful father, and wonderful friends. While you still have them with you, enjoy your time together. It's true that friends often drift apart, as well as family members, but you should always remember them, no matter what. Always, always cherish the precious memories of your loved ones, Rin, and appreciate them while they are still with you. That is what I have come to say."
With a lump in my throat, I nodded to show that I understood.
Smiling kindly, she handed me a long white ribbon. My eyes widened; this was the ribbon I had dropped on her grave earlier when I had the fight with my father.
Affectionately brushing a loose strand of hair out of my face, she kissed my forehead and whispered, "Rin…I love you. Remember that, no matter what, I'll always be with you."
I tenderly fingered that ribbon and looked up to thank my mother, to tell her that I loved her too. But she was gone.
…
Suddenly, I opened my eyes and looked around wildly. I was lying on the hard, cold bench on the edge of the park. The place was completely empty. Silence seemed to press on my ears as I slowly started to stand up. Was it all a dream?
I glanced down, and saw that in my right hand, was a long white ribbon. The very same ribbon that I had dropped on the grave and got back in the dream.
Creak, Creak. The swing that my mother sat on in my dream moved very slightly. With a strange sensation of warmth spreading through my body, I silently vowed to always remember my mother's words.
Then, I saw a boy running towards me.
He reached me, and for a long moment, we only stared at each other in silence. His blonde, windblown hair swept casually into his face, yet his relaxed air gave him an atmosphere of elegance, making him look like a handsome prince from a fairy tale.
I could tell, by the look in his striking ocean-blue eyes, that he remembered me. Not just as his classmate or acquaintance at school, but as his long lost childhood friend. Gently clasping my hands in his warm, soft ones, Len smiled. Looking at his face, I felt like all of my worries were being washed away with sunshine.
"Le…Kagamine-san," I mumbled, with a crimson blush spreading over my face.
He reached forward and grabbed my hand. Warmth spread through our fingertips and traveled up my spine, washing me in our childhood memories.
"Hi! Do you want to be friends?"
"If you want, you can come visit my home."
"Let's be friends forever and ever!"
"Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry!"
"Rin! RIN!"
"You don't deserve to be her friend."
"Didn't you used to know a girl called Rin?"
"I-I think we've met before…"
"It's been a long time…Rin." Len leaned forward and hugged me. My whole face felt on fire, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. After a moment of shock, I sighed in content and hugged him back, just like we used to. It felt so nostalgic…
Everything that needed to be said was already said. Our frozen time had finally started to move again…
Our frozen time is movin' again...FROZEN. LET IT GO, LET IT GO, CAN'T HOLD IT BACK A- *gets stabbed*
Please review, everyone, and stay tuned for Chapter 11! Thank you!
~Rikasa