I awoke very late the following day due to the lack of sleep, and when I finally opened my eyes they were sore and swollen. I blinked away the blur in my vision, finding my eyes painfully sensitive to the light flowing through the drapes. Rin was already up and gone. I felt like an empty shell as I stood up, grabbing one of the bedposts to regain my balance, my head throbbed painfully. I had no tears left to cry today, not for the time being at least, and I wearily stumbled into my own room to change. I did this blearily before staggering down the grand staircase to see Rin.

I met her in the usual place, the throne room, and was stunned to see her pretty face darkened with worry. She wasn't sat regally upon her throne either, she was pacing across the length of the vast hall, one arm folded behind her back, the other held to her mouth. She sighed in exasperation. I approached her some what cautiously, wondering if she was in an explosive mood this morning, I didn't feel much like having her bite my head off the moment I spoke. I stayed a metre or so away from her, what I considered to be a safe distance, before clearing my throat to alert her of my presence. She looked up, a look of panic flashed across her face, but noticing it was only me she relaxed a little. Her hand slipped from her lips to her neck as if fiddling with an invisible necklace, she glanced nervously at me. A sense of impending fear began to grow within me, swelling from my heart outward so that I showed signs of this outside, I ran a hand through my fringe, coughing a little to break the tension. I wished she'd just hurry up and tell me what was bothering her, and how I was to be involved. After an unbearably long period of silence she flew into my arms, I felt myself gasp as her body collided with mine; she wrapped her skinny arms around my neck. I had not been expecting this, and it seemed very out of character for the Rin I knew today, yet it reminded me some what of my innocent little Rin who sat beneath our tree with me so long ago.

"Len there has been talk of an uprising against me" She said this in such a soft tone I struggled to hear her, as if she were frightened that someone was listening in on our conversation. I guessed that this meant I had to commit murder once more. I was emotionally drained, and such a thought didn't seem to bother me as much as usual, I pinched the bridge of my nose, attempting to wake myself properly, I didn't want to be caught out again, I feared my carelessness would get me murdered. I pushed her gently away from me, bowing before her.

"I promise I will find these people Rin and finish them" She didn't even need to explain my duties anymore, I would simply get on with them, feeling she was all I had to live for now, all else was meaningless to me now. I turned toward the door to leave, but was stopped by a small hand gripping my forearm tightly. I raised a curious eyebrow and turned back to face her, awaiting her instructions.

"No Len, no, there are too many of them, it isn't one or two of them..." She trailed of, nervously fiddling with the tie around my neck as she moved closer to me once more. This closeness made me feel uncomfortable, so I moved away scratching the back of my head to distract myself from the way she was staring at me. I felt her very gaze my suffocate me, she grabbed my hand, clasping it tightly in her own, I looked at her a look of irritation upon my face. Wasn't it clear to her? I just wanted to receive my orders and go, I didn't feel like playing games today, I was empty and uncaring.

"They are forming an army against me!" Her voice cracked, she turned her head away from me, holding a gloved hand to her eyes trying to control a sharp gasp. I tentatively stroked her hand with my thumb, as she had the rest of my hand trapped in her own. She was trembling with emotion. My duty was to her; however, right now I had something I needed to do before this. I secretly suspected that Kaito was behind this, but there was only one way to know for certain. I yanked my hand free from her grasp and gently lay my hand upon her shaking shoulder. I tilted my head and grinned at her reassuringly.

"I will go out there and see for myself, most likely a nasty rumour, but for your peace of mind I'll make sure alright?" I raised an eyebrow, now daring to let my smile drop or show her any sign of fear. She blinked up at me as if confused, but weakly she nodded, signalling for me to leave without saying another word. She seemed too frightened to say anymore, and though I felt guilty for feeling this way, for me it was a blessing, I didn't need her questioning me right now. I collected my cloak, impatiently donning my disguise I sprinted outside. No point in taking Josephine. Would just draw attention. I was alarmed by the position of the Sun in the sky, it was far later in the day than I had assumed, it was at least midday. I felt a pang of sympathy for my dear Rin, she had been on her own for hours worrying that they would burst through the door to capture her any moment...

I bounded down the dirt road; it was a long journey, one I did not enjoy embarking on at the best of times, especially by foot. Despite my mixed feelings of urgency and fear the sky was clear, and the Sun glared down, reflecting my long lost feelings of joy and happiness. I moaned with exhaustion, the heat of the Sun seeming to burn away at my back. The sweat made my thin shirt cling like a wet blanket to my skin; I wiped my forehead with my sleeve hoping I would make it there. What would I do if Miku's body was gone after all? That would mean Kaito really was the one behind the uprising, or at least in on it. Rin would be heartbroken. What would we do if they attempted to attack? Would we make our army fight our own people? All confusing questions but unfortunately relevant.

I reached the field where I had left her and fell to my knees, fatigued by the heat and by the exercise. My chest heaved heavily as I stared at the space where she had been only the night before. I felt light headed and couldn't quite work out why I couldn't see her there anymore. Had she somehow come back to life? The heat was playing havoc with my weary mind. I crawled along on my knees, looking for any evidence that she had ever been there. There was none. I collapsed on to my back in the space where I had supposedly left here, and gazed up at the empty sky. It was rare for the sky to be so empty; the only thing up there was the Sun, drowning the world in light. I felt this way. Completely alone in such a vast space. Kaito had her. It dawned on me as my mind began to function again. A sombre sigh. I had hoped he would take her, but not if he was going to wage war against my sister. Still optimism bloomed in my mind, perhaps the kingdom wasn't against her, we could take on the blue kingdom...just about...providing we all fought together. I wasn't so sure if we could take on the blue kingdom AND our people.

I reluctantly staggered to my weary feet, and made an attempt to race back to Rin, if Kaito had Miku we had little time. I forced my legs into action; I pumped them despite my fatigue. I ran so that the dust from the path billowed around me in a cloud. I spluttered at this, shielding my eyes with an outstretched arm. Why does the Sun shine so much when life is falling apart in every possible way? I couldn't help but wonder. Guilt ate away at me as if I were made of paper, it was my fault that Rin was in danger, if I hadn't let Kaito find Miku's body he would have no evidence to prove that Miku was dead, no reason to believe we had murdered her, hence no reason to attack us. Now he had her body, he had both evidence and reason to wage war on our practically defenceless little kingdom.

My conscience screamed inside my head; this isn't my fault! I wasn't trying to hurt Rin, I was trying to help Miku, there's nothing wrong with that, no I'm not to blame! I wanted so badly to believe this, that my intentions had been pure, that I hadn't meant to jeopardise our home. Oh how I wished to shift the blame upon someone else, but who else was there? Kaito. Yes Kaito's fault for hating Rin, for hating the girl who had destroyed the Kingdom of his lover...no any decent man would want to get revenge on someone for such a crime. Could it be Miku's fault? After all, if she weren't with Kaito Rin would not have destroyed the green kingdom or Miku, my beautiful Miku who fell in love with me, only to be slain by me, poor Miku who only stayed with Kaito to unite two kingdoms that would otherwise have become enemies. No I would never blame my beloved Miku, it wasn't her fault, she was the most innocent of all of us, yet the only one to have died, oh how cruel fate can be. Rin. It was Rin's fault, had she kept her jealousy under control there would've been no war against the kingdom of green, and no reason for Kaito to hate her. Even this sounded absurd. It wasn't Rin's fault, I would never blame Rin either, as I had learned, you couldn't help who you fell in love with or what you did while under that spell.

The only person left to blame was myself, having wasted my time by going full circle, I miserably admitted to myself that I was the only one to blame for this. If I hadn't of killed Miku as Rin had ordered, if I'd somehow helped her to escape to a distant country, or even helped her by taking her to Kaito while she'd still been alive, there would be no problem. If I hadn't of loved Miku so much and foolishly left her for Kaito to discover. Yet there was nothing left for me to do, no way I could reverse time and undo my mistakes, I spent my life wishing to undo mistakes and it came to nothing. So I decided I would simply focus on helping Rin now, as she was all I had left once more.

As I reached the outskirts of the yellow kingdom I slowed my pace to a walk, too languid to continue running. I slipped silently through the kingdom, deciding that this would be the perfect opportunity to discover if the people really were conspiring against the queen. I parted the thick branches of the trees with my hands, scrambling through the dense crowd of Ash trees. I tread carefully, not wanting to snap any twigs that may alert those nearby to my presence. I became careless in my irritation, I was far too hot, and not at all sure what I was meant to be looking for, it wasn't as if they would be holding up signs saying they hated Rin, or wanted to overthrow her. No it wasn't that simple.

In my carelessness I let one of the branches slip from my grasp too quickly, causing the tree I was concealed
to shake, scattering a few leaves around me. Two villagers nearby were distracted from their conversation by this sudden movement, they froze to stare my way. I held my breath, not moving, had they noticed me? I lay one of my hands against the rough bark of the tree trunk, digging my nails into it as the tension built. My heart raced fearfully as the edged closer towards me, seeming to be just as wary as I was, they peered through the dense foliage attempting to catch a glimpse at the source of the noise. The pair glanced at one another as if trying to communicate telepathically.

"A squirrel?" One of them suggested in a low and uncertain tone. He raised a concerned eyebrow as he stared at his companion, hoping for confirmation. The other nodded slightly in reply, he visibly relaxed, his shoulders dropping a little. He seemed relieved.

"Or a bird..." The second trailed off, turning back to his companion. He scratched his head nervously as the pair continued to wait for further sign of life within the miniature forest. Satisfied that they were alone once more, they returned to their conversation. I dared not move. My joint ached from the tension within my rigid body; I couldn't relax just yet, not until the men had left.

"...Yes I agree, things round here have gotten bad" I listened to their conversation, hoping for distraction. They seemed to be discussing the state of the Yellow kingdom, about how little money they managed to keep from their work, how high taxes were, and how spoilt the queen was. This made my blood boil. I knew Rin wasn't spoilt, she was just confused, she had caused too much turmoil within the kingdom and didn't know how to fix it. Yet I was becoming more uncertain of my twin's intentions, I wanted to defend her but it was becoming increasingly difficult to find truth in my own thoughts.

"I hear there's a woman trying to get a group together so she can capture the Princess" Now THIS was what I'd been waiting to hear. The man looked around; making sure no one was within hearing distance before continuing.

" I hear she wants revenge, hear that evil boy that used to come round her killed her father, now she wants revenge" He whispered hurriedly to the other man, who nodded in agreement as if he recognised the story. I frowned waiting for them to continue.

"Oh I heard about that! Imagine that! A woman solider" He snorted in reply as if the idea were insane. I supposed he was right, there were no women soldiers, nor would there ever be, it wasn't a woman's duty to fight a battle that was the job of a man. The other waved dismissively as if the point his friend had made were trivial.

"Yes but come on it's about time someone did something, she's made our lives hell that little girl up there" he growled, jerking his thumb in the general direction of the castle, a look of disgust upon his face. The other man nodded mutually.

"She calls herself queen; she couldn't have done a worse job if she tried!" He laughed bitterly. "Ye I also hear that the blue kingdom's Prince is against her for what she did to the green kingdom" The man lowered his tone even more as he exposed this information. I wondered how they knew so much, secretly impressed by their knowledge on the situation.

"So if it comes down to it, do you think you'll join the uprising?" One of them finally asked, I leaned in closer, waiting eagerly for a response. The other man paused, taking his time to dwell on the question; he considered it carefully before replying

"Well...I think it'll do a whole lot of good to bring her down but I'm not so sure about being led by a woman soldier, I mean if it were a man I would be there right now" He scratched his chin thoughtfully as he spoke. "If the blue king gets involved then I'll definitely join them, he's got more power than we have" He decided, asking his companion what he would do.

"I'm going to join even if the Prince doesn't involve himself...it's time for change, someone has to bring that girl, and that little assassin boy as well" he spoke monotonously, staring into the distance as he answered. My hand went nervously to my throat, they wanted to kill me as well, I supposed it was only fair since I had committed so many murders, yet I was shocked by his bluntness. Needless to say I was not reassured by what I had heard, and not caring if they heard or even saw me anymore, I stumbled away from the scene in terror, pushing my way through the trees as fast as I could, I tripped countless times. Wondering if I was being pursued.

My fringe clung to my face with sweat, obstructing my vision, I swiped uselessly at it, panting heavily as I did so, I twisted my head round to check behind me, to see if I was being pursued. I cursed in irritation; my hair was preventing me from seeing properly despite my attempts to tuck my tangled fringe behind my ears. I decided to just continue running, if I was being chased this was simply wasting time and slowing me down.

I finally stopped at the edge of the castle, where the mass of trees diminished significantly, clearing a friendly path to the back of the castle. I crouched down, resting my arms against my thighs, letting my head drop a little so that I stared at the grass beneath me. How true the saying the grass really was greener on the other side, only because Rin had people to tend to her garden for her. It was nice to occasionally take my mind away from my many worries and simply gaze at the beauties nature had to offer. An abundance of yellow flowers sprouted around the vast grounds surrounding the castle, after all, we were the yellow kingdom.

I stood once more, allowing the worn hood of my cloak to slip from my head, I could feel my hair had become loose from the amount of running I had done. I sauntered down to the castle, freeing my hair from its messy ponytail and letting the gentle breeze play with it. I held the dark satin ribbon in my mouth while I scraped my hair back once more, into a tighter ponytail this time, before wrapping the ribbon around my hair and tying it into a bow. My mind was screaming at me, telling me to have some urgency, the situation was dire. Yet my heart let itself be deceived by the beauty of the surrounding garden, letting me temporarily believe that everything was going to work out.

I reached the entrance to the kitchen, tugging at the dark cloak as I let myself in. It clung to my skin and clothes, I felt dirty from sweating so much. I managed to pry the cloak from my body, repulsed by the site of the mud and blood incrusted on it. I hadn't realised how filthy my clothes were after an errand. Brushing myself down and hiding my cloak I rushed to the throne room to see Rin.

There she was, just as I'd left her, pacing up and down the vast room, a look of anguish adorning her face. I moved toward her quickly, though what I would say to her yet I didn't know. For what could I say to a queen in distress? That her worst nightmares were true? That her kingdom truly did hate her? I really didn't know what to say, so instead of making an attempt I just hugged her instead. Surprisingly she hugged me back; it wasn't like when were children, it wasn't like being afraid of the dark, or what lurked in the shadows beneath the bed. This was the adult world, and now the monsters were real, only more frightening because they were people who had once respected and looked up to us (well Rin at least).

"So...I was right, they are against me, is this what you are trying to tell me?" She read me like an open book, but I was still too much of a coward to give her a straight answer. I nodded my head stiffly, not wanting to confirm it with words, as if not admitting it meant it wasn't true. What a childish way of looking at an adult situation I thought to myself. She fiddled with a small button on my waistcoat absent mindedly.

"How long do we have?" She asked me casually, how could she act so casual when she could be dead within days, maybe even hours? I turned the question over in my mind, rubbing at my face as I considered everything I'd heard. I sugar coated it I suppose.

"A few days at most" I replied coolly, though inside I was a nervous wreck. That was sugar coating it? Well, the situation certainly was a bleak one. We both jumped as the doors were thrown open wide, I pulled Rin close to me defensively. We both expected it to be an angry mob of villagers, waging war against us. I heard her let out a small cry of fear, I glared at the door, letting my guard down as I saw one of our own guards standing before us. I blushed nervously letting the Princess go, that must have looked bad, I hoped he was one of the few people who knew Rin had a twin. He coughed awkwardly as if he was intruding. Rin regained her composure professionally.

"Y..Yes? You have news for me?" She questioned in an authoritarian tone, smoothing her dress down impatiently. He nodded immediately, I hoped it was good news this time...naturally it wasn't. He advanced towards her; I mentally prepared myself for the worst.

"Your highness...the blue kingdom...they've declared war against us" He stared down at his feet as he told her this, not wanting to meet her eyes. She stumbled backward, as if moving away from the bringer of bad news would stop it from being true. She moved her hands to her ears, attempting to shield herself from it. I pitied her.

"I...I see..." She replied she looked as if she would break at any moment now. I automatically moved to comfort her, as I approached she nudged me, hard with her elbow. Taken aback I was offended, why had she rejected me? The guard cleared his throat uneasily, waiting for instructions it seemed. I was reminded he was there, and realised that was why Rin had stopped me from making physical contact with her. We'd already been caught embracing once, it would only do harm to Rin's reputation to be seen in the arms of her servant again.

"We will fight back with everything we have your highness, at your command of course..." The guard informed her. Of course they would fight back! A sudden thought struck me...they didn't have to fight the blue kingdom, if they so wished they could change sides, the rest of the kingdom seemed to be doing it. This thought ate away at me, if that were the case, surely our defence would decrease significantly.

"Though I'm afraid some of our men have joined the uprising..." The man began, confirming my own thoughts on the matter. "Also, many of the men still with us are recovering from injuries obtained during the battle between the Green Kingdom." He spoke monotonously, he knew as well as I did we had no chance. Unless our kingdom suddenly decided to look up to our Princess once more and help us fight...the yellow kingdom would be gone by this time tomorrow. My hands clenched into fists, I wondered if we had time to sneak Rin out.

"Oh" was all Rin could manage, she was trembling violently, the reality of the situation seemed to be hitting her hard now. I couldn't believe we could just let Rin be killed! I refused to let it happen. Usually I never spoke or even raised my head when anyone else was in the room, but I had to know why we weren't doing anything to save Rin!

"Why can't we sneak her out of here?" I questioned angrily, looking up to stare at the astonished guard, he obviously hadn't expected me to speak. I was also shaking just as Rin was. I could feel so many emotions pulsing through my body, frustration, denial, anger, fear, helplessness, hope.

"Of course we considered that! It was our first option. The trouble is with our own against us as well they've got all exits surrounded, not just one or two of them, enough to kill" He spoke to me differently than Rin, in a tone of irritation as if I wasn't important...I suppose I wasn't. I frowned, I knew the village well, and knew a lot of secret ways to get in and out, I couldn't believe they had them all covered.

"I'll find one they don't know about" I declared, deciding I would leave straight away to make sure I found a safe one. It was better to make sure before taking Rin, it didn't matter if I died but if she died, there would be no hope.

"Good luck, they've surrounded the place completely, they've covered ways we didn't even know existed until now" He snorted ignorantly as if I were an idiot. My blood boiled, I'd show him. I was a little discouraged, they'd surely have found some of my secret paths, but could they have found all of them? I walked towards the door, determined to find a way to get Rin out. The guard made no effort to stop me, however Rin did.

"Len no! Please! Just stay here; if you die out there...I don't know what I'll do!" She snatched the hem of my shirt in her small hand. I was amazed that she would speak so openly to me when there was another person present. I turned to look down at her; she had tears shimmering in her blue eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. I brushed her dishevelled hair behind her ears and smiled at her reassuringly.

"I promise I'll get you out of this mess, and I won't die along the way okay?" I was half convincing myself, but I plastered a smile upon my face and forced her to let me go. I pried her hand away from my shirt, kissing it as I did so, a little embarrassed to be doing so in front of the man. He shifted uncomfortably at this display of affection, and pretended not to notice. I hugged her quickly, giving her an encouraging wink, before turning away and leaving without looking back.

I fled the castle in a panic, speeding through the gardens into the village. It was eerily silent as I approached the centre; I kept running terrified to stop. If I stopped they'd catch me. If I stopped they'd kill me without hesitation. I darted between houses, desperately trying to remember one of my most unknown trails. Adrenaline fuelled me in my frenzy. As I neared the outskirts of the village I could see them, the stood together brandishing spades, knives, pitchforks. A few of them even had brooms; they wielded whatever form of weapon they had been able to get their hands on. A surprising amount of them had weapons that could actually kill; there was no way I could bring Rin through this way.

I ran for what felt like hours, becoming more and more distressed as I could find no unguarded means of escape. I continued to search, tearing through thick foliage, finally a route that hadn't been discovered! Relief was overtaking me as I peered through the dense trees, only to witness a group of them crowded around a small fire (presumably for warmth) on the other side. My jaw dropped, even if we managed to slip past them they had gone as far as to block the other sides as well! It was hopeless!

I reluctantly gave up, stumbling miserably back to the castle. As I walked through the corridors I spotted a few figures moving quickly back and forth between rooms. I feared the attack had already begun; I would fight them off if that was the case. I crept down the hallway, closer to the intruders. I peered into one of the rooms, and almost leapt from my skin as I was tapped on the shoulder, I'd been caught!

"Len? What are you doing?" The voice of a young woman made me turn on my heel, I imagined the woman soldier the villagers had spoken of standing behind me ready to gut me. I breathed a sigh of relief as I recognised the young woman before me. It was one of the maids; she had her red hair tied in a messy bun. I looked away sheepishly, embarrassed to be caught spying on what turned out to be some of the other servants. I noticed the large bag in her hand; I wondered what was going on.

"I saw you all rushing around, what's going on?" I asked curiously. The maid, April, blushed, not wanting to meet my gaze. She gripped the handle of the bag more tightly as I questioned her. What could she be hiding from me? One of the gardeners came up behind her; he also had a bag in his hand. I tilted my head, puzzled by their peculiar behaviour.

"Well...uh...we're leaving Len; they'll kill anyone left here to get to Rin..." April trailed off; she knew how I'd feel about this. They were running away! Abandoning Rin! I frowned angrily, how could they be so disloyal? This is exactly what I said to them.

"How could you be so disloyal to our Princess! Her own servants!" I fumed, clenching my fists again, though not intending to hit her. She stuttered attempting to explain herself to me, clearly embarrassed to have been caught. The man, Andrew, gently pushed her aside to confront me himself.

"Look boy, she's never done a thing for us, we're not gonna stay here and die just to buy her some time, they're gonna kill her whatever happens, so why should we all die along the way if we can avoid it?" His tone was firm; he wasn't going to be dissuaded. I was furious! I wanted to argue back, but I knew there was nothing I could do or say to change their minds. I looked down the corridor to see a small group of them with bags, obviously waiting for April and Andrew to join them. I turned back at him to glare; they'd been planning this for days surely.

"Are you coming or not?" He questioned. I was shocked, he was one of the few who knew that Rin was my twin, how could he possibly expect me to leave her? I didn't care what she'd done, I'd done it with her, and I'd stay with her until the end. The shock must have shown clearly in my expression as he spoke;

"I know she's your sister and you want to look out for her, but I have a sister to look out for as well" He gestured to April standing quietly behind him, her head hung shamefully. My anger subsided a little, he also had a sister to take care of, I understood they all had family to save as well. I shook my head, I refused to abandon Rin in her time of need...I'd made a promise hadn't I?

"No, I'm not coming with...I have to look after Rin, even if it is hopeless" I spoke sincerely. We nodded, gazing mutually at one another, we both understood the others decision. He smiled sadly at me, taking his sister's hand and preparing to leave.

"Good luck..." I wasn't sure what else to say to them, I wasn't particularly close to any of them, so I couldn't think of anything more heartfelt to say. I hoped they would survive...I bid them farewell, letting go of my last chance of escape, not wanting it.

I spotted the same guard that had come to Rin earlier as I entered the throne room; it seemed he had stayed to take care of her. He seemed like a nice man. The pair looked up at me hopefully, Rin more so than the man. I hung my head grimly; I didn't think I could bear seeing the look of disappointment upon Rin's pretty face. I heard her let out a small sob, she covered her mouth to prevent herself from falling apart.

"I'm so sorry Rin, I looked everywhere but it seems they really have got us surrounded" I spoke quietly, as if such words would harm her. I looked to the guard; he nodded at me simply, taking that as his cue to exit now that I had returned.

"We will do our best for you Princess Rin, we will inform you when the attack has begun" He declared before rushing from the room, presumably to consult his comrades. Rin was slumped in her throne, she ran her fingers along the arm rests, she knew it could be the last time she sat there. It broke my heart to think it could all be over tomorrow. She looked so small and fragile as she sat there, a broken soul. I knelt down in front of her, taking her little hand in my own and stroking it comfortingly with my thumb. I smiled at her, not that it helped. She gazed at me, her misery plain to see on her contorted face.

"Let's go to bed" I said simply, offering the only solution I could for the time being. I doubted the blue kingdom would attack now, it was late, and an attack at such a time would be too risky, even for them. She didn't bother to reply as I scooped her up in my arms as if she were a child, and carried her up to her bedroom. She was tolerant as she let me undress her and pull a nightgown over her head. I dressed her as I knew she wouldn't do it herself if I left her alone. She sat motionless, processing all of the information that had been thrown upon her.

She didn't seem to register what was going on around her, or just didn't care what I did anymore. I brushed her fluffy hair out in an attempt to sooth her, it made no difference to her.
I lay her down in her king-size bed, pulling the cover over her, tucking her in. She stared up at me now, silently begging me not to leave her alone. As if I would do such a thing!

Too afraid to leave her alone, even if only to retrieve some different clothes. I pulled my boots off, placing them neatly by the door, before beginning to unbutton my shirt. She stared at me a little fearfully, though what she expected of me I didn't know. I took my shirt off, draping it over a chair, and slipping into the bed beside her. We stared at one another for a long long time, silently sharing memories, knowing that this would be the last night we slept together. Maybe even the last few hours we would have alone together.

"Len" Rin breathed tearfully, finally breaking the silence. I pulled her towards me, cradling her small body against my bare chest. She didn't seem fazed by this. She wrapped her arms around my waist, sobbing into my chest. I kissed the top of her head, feeling a few tears roll down my own cheeks. I willed myself to be strong; Rin had cared for me when I'd been upset, now it was my turn. I had to be the strong one and not cry. She cried in a way I'd never heard a person cry before. Her whimpers were the sound of pure misery. So this was how a dying person cried. She knew she would die, there was no way around it, and it broke my heart to see her so distraught. I couldn't protect her this time.

"I'm sorry I haven't kept my promise" I apologised in a soft low whisper; I choked on my own words. She shivered fearfully, curling up and moving closer to me. What could I say to console someone who knew they were going to die? The silence between us was almost painful.

"I don't want to die Len" It sounded so childish, her voice seemed so small and helpless. She breathed shakily as she clung to me. "I'm so scared" She whispered sadly, even her voice wavered as she trembled. Oh it was killing me! I couldn't protect her this time!

The night dragged, we lay in one another's arms, dozing on and off, neither of us actually slept. We napped for a few hours at a time, maybe not even that long. Any noises we heard made us jump. Every sound seemed to be the enemy coming to claim our lives. The hours stretched out endlessly. We were both delirious from lack of sleep, whispering to one another that we heard them climbing the staircase, moving down the halls towards us. I was practically lying on top of Rin in an attempt to shield her from any intruders.