Here's the next chapter! But, first, let's see your reviews!
Guest- Thank you! I promise to do my best with finishing this story!
Azure-Blue-15- Ha, I'm excited to see how they turn out, I'm not really good with writing sad scenes. Rinto's just full of secrets! And yes, Rin is Queen! Everyone wants to be her!
Kome Rurita- I'm very glad you like it! Thank you!
Okay, I said that there was going to be heartache. There will be and there will also be a bit of a time gap between this chapter and the last one. Hopefully, it comes out okay.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Vocaloids.
Rin's POV
The concert was a success. Everything went smoothly and I managed to correctly perform each song. Luka's proud, of course, and says that they'll offer me that world tour soon. She's very happy and so is Miku. They're excited about my career and how well it's going. I… I, on the other hand, am not okay…
Rinto's been acting very weird. He's getting clumsier and he's less active… It bothers me. He's always full of life and seeing him so different is torture. I try to ask him what's wrong but he refuses to tell me anything. At first, I thought he had a girlfriend and maybe they broke up. That makes sense, right? But now… I'm not so sure. His blue eyes shine with another emotion that I can't quite figure out…
Rinto's not the only one who's changing. Len and Lenka are warming up to us, they're more comfortable from what I've seen. They're occupying my room which I left for them when my new bed came in. I moved into the storage room after we cleaned it out. I have my bed there and a few pieces of furniture for my clothes. I left a few things over there since Lenka and I always play there. Len… Well, he's less formal with me. He's not constantly thanking me anymore but there's still a bit of distance. It seems like he doesn't believe that this was their new home…
I, myself, have also been having a few issues. It seems that with all the stress from work, I'm losing sleep and I'm having a lot of headaches. I didn't think much of it at first but then I started to get dizzy and my hands began to tremble. This is all because of my health problem… But thankfully, I'm a great actress and I can hide this from Rinto. Or, at least I can try to hide it.
"Rin! I'm home!" Rinto yelled as he entered the house with a box of pizza in his hands. "Lunch is here!"
I smiled as I heard the footsteps of the two siblings coming down the stairs. "Rinto, what took you so long?" I asked, setting down the plates on the table. "You left like an hour ago. The pizza place isn't too far away."
He placed the box on the table, shrugging as he did so. "There was a lot of traffic. Plus, the place was full." He replied as he headed to the sink to wash his hands. "Has Luka called yet?"
I shook my head. "She said she was going to be pretty busy with trying to get me that offer." I said as Lenka appeared, giving me a hug before sitting down on her usual place. "I hope it doesn't take too long."
Rinto placed drinks on the table before sitting down. "I'm sure they'll tell you soon. And hey, the concert was like a week ago. You can't expect an answer right away, right?" He comforted and I nodded, taking a seat next to Rinto. "Yeah… Well, let's eat!" I said and everyone grabbed their first slice. I wasn't really hungry, the headaches kind of took that away, but I knew I had to eat or else Rinto would be suspicious and ask me what's wrong.
I tried eating it slowly, hoping to make time. It worked. Everyone else grabbed more while I still continued with the same piece. I guess their hunger's distracting them… Ha, people are funny when they're hungry. No one's noticed, yay!
"Rin, you're not hungry?" Len asked, ruining the victory in my mind. I looked up, a small smile forming on my lips. "I guess I'm still full from breakfast." I lied which caused Rinto to look up. "But you didn't eat much in the morning." He pointed out and I knew I was caught. I laughed nervously. "I guess my stomach isn't asking for much." I said, hoping to avoid any further questioning.
Thankfully, it managed to do just that. They continued eating and when they were done, I stayed behind to clean up. Lenka and Len went upstairs to their room while Rinto went to his.
I let out a sigh as I threw away the empty box. I was about to clean the table when an image of Papa appeared in my mind. I smiled, remembering all the times we played together. He was always very cheerful but he was also serious. He never liked sad things and he never liked it when I cried. He wanted me to be strong. I tried really hard and I managed to do that the day he left. I was unhappy because he was leaving for work but little did I know that it would be the last day where I would hear his voice.
Flashback
"Papa, do you really have to leave?" I asked, watching how Papa picked up his portfolio. I clutched my white teddy bear, sad that Papa was leaving.
He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I already said yes. If I don't go, I'll disappoint them. You know that Papa always keeps his promises." He replied, bending down to pat my head.
I sighed. "Yes, Papa. But promise me you'll play with me when you come back." I requested, smiling when he nodded. "I promise. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? In the meantime, watch over your mother and brother. Can you do that for me?"
I nodded, raising my small head with pride. "Yes! I'll protect them, don't worry, Papa!" I answered, grinning as I heard Papa's laughter.
"I'm gonna miss you." He said, hugging me before planting a small kiss on my forehead. "Be strong, okay? See me off with a smile, no tears, alright?"
I tried my very best to smile, trying very hard to control my tears. "Yes, Papa. I'll be your warrior."
End of Flashback
"You lied, Papa…" I whispered, those last moments of my time with him were running through my mind. "You broke your promise… You never came back…"
I went to the kitchen and sat down on the floor, leaning against the fridge. "Papa never came back… Mama left us as well…"
Tears were gathering in my eyes as I remembered hearing the news that Papa had died. That he was never going to return to us.
Flashback
"Rinto, why is Neru here?" I asked Rinto, glancing over at our cousin who was preparing some sandwiches.
Rinto shrugged. "Don't know. Hey, Nere!" He called out for her and she responded by coming over to us. "What's going on? Where's Mama?" He asked.
Neru let out a sigh, her golden eyes displaying sadness. "Guys, you have to be strong." We nodded. "Something happened. Your dad… Your dad had an accident."
I froze. "W-What? An accident? Is he okay?" My eyes began to get watery. Papa's okay, right? He promised he would be here to play with me… He couldn't have broken that promise, right?
"I'm sorry. Your father died."
My eyes widened at the words that left her mouth. No. "Papa's not dead! You're lying! Rinto, tell Neru to stop telling lies! Papa's not dead! He promised to be here! He promised me!" I yelled, turning to Rinto who remained shocked.
"Rin, I'm sorry. I'm not lying. I didn't want to tell you but…"
"No! It can't be true! Papa's going to walk through the door and play with me!" I continued to scream, wishing for nothing else but to wake up from this horrible nightmare. "No, no! H-He's not dead… He's not dead! He can't be…" I shook my head, angry that Papa actually broke his promise and that I broke mine… I'm crying… I'm supposed to be strong… I'm sorry…
End of Flashback
I gasped as I remembered the pain from that day. Papa always said that you couldn't give up in this life. It was your only chance and you had to enjoy all of it. That's why I continued on with my life. But Mama didn't do that. No, she gave up. She killed herself without even thinking about how much pain and trauma it would bring to us.
"She promised to take care of us… She promised me that she would be the one to help me one day with my wedding… Such a liar…"
At that moment, anger took over my body. All the hurt from all these years were being released as I thought about the many people who broke promises.
Papa never returned. I never played with him again.
Mama gave up. She didn't even bother to seek comfort from us. She was thinking only about her emotions.
Rinto. He broke the promise we made when we were small. We promised to protect each other, we promised that we wouldn't keep any secrets. He broke that…
Everyone broke something… They've all managed to break me…
Tears clouded my vision and it was becoming very hard to breath. It was like all my pain was suffocating me, like they all came back to show me how much suffering I went through.
I'm never going to hear Papa's words again…
I'm never going to hear Mama sing again…
I'm never going to enjoy the feeling of being with my family on a picnic again…
All those memories… They're nothing but memories. They'll never happen again. I can never go back to those times…
Thinking back to all of that, I cried. I cried, breaking my promise to Papa. I'm not strong. I can't handle this… I'm not a warrior. I can't do this! I'm not strong!
I broke down, crying all the tears from all the sad times. My chest started hurting at the moment but right now, I don't care. Let me cry, just this once.
Len's POV
"Lenka, I'm bored." I said, staring at the ceiling as I laid on bed.
Lenka was next to me, drawing some stick figures with the crayons that Rin had bought for her. "You like drawing?" I asked, watching as she responded with a happy nod. "Can you draw me something, please?"
She grinned, taking out a paper from her notepad and handing it to me. I smiled as I looked at the drawing. It was a picture of us, holding hands, with smiles on our faces. "It's very nice, Lenka. You could be an artist someday." I said just as Orange came into the room. He looked like he was sleepy, his eyes barely staying open. I laughed while Lenka dropped her notepad and rushed over to the puppy.
Crash!
I looked around, startled by the sudden noise. "What was that?"
Lenka blinked, just as confused as me. I went downstairs and I was not expecting to see Rin on the floor, her face full of tears and broken glass surrounding her.
I rushed over, careful not to cut myself. Rinto also appeared, his eyes wide as he saw his sister.
"Len, try to calm her down. I'll call the doctor!" He said as he took out his phone and tried to make that call as fast as he could. I didn't know what to do and my panic only increased when I noticed the blood on her hands. My eyes widened and before giving it any thought, I wrapped my arms around the sobbing girl who looked like she was having a hard time breathing, her eyes shut tightly.
"Rin, calm down. It's me, Len." I whispered gently, trying my best to soothe her. She just kept crying, shaking her head as she repeated the same words. "I'm not strong. I can't take it anymore!"
I listened, extremely concerned about her state. "Shh, Rin. Calm down." I told her softly and she must have heard me because she stopped shaking her head and looked up at me, her usual joyful eyes were now filled with nothing but despair. "Len?" She asked, uncertain if it was me.
I nodded, offering her a reassuring smile. "Len." She repeated my name, this time with hope in her voice. "Len. Please, make it stop. Make the pain go away." She pleaded, throwing herself at me before bursting into tears again.
I froze, her words leaving me speechless.
"She's on her way." Rinto said, coming in and crouching down to take his sister from my arms. "Len, can you get the first aid kit? It's in the cabinet underneath the bathroom sink."
I nodded, standing up and running to get the desired object. I came back and helped Rinto treat the cuts on Rin's hands.
"Rinto, please… My chest hurts… Make it stop…" Rin said in between breaths, her eyes closing as she drifted off.
"Len, can you open the door to her room?" He asked, lifting Rin carefully before standing up. I nodded, standing up as well before quickly making my way to her room. I opened it and the scent of oranges instantly hit me. It was like that first day but this time, the situation is very different.
Rinto came in and placed Rin on the bed, cautious not to hurt her. "Len, bring me a wet towel, please." I obeyed, following his orders without saying a word.
I went to the bathroom and grabbed a clean extra towel before placing it under the faucet with running water. I made sure it was cold enough and when it was, I returned to the room, instantly giving it to Rinto who placed it on her forehead.
"She's okay, just a fever." He informed which partially released me from my worry. I sighed, observing how Rin's face remained peaceful, very different from her appearance in the kitchen.
I turned around when I heard footsteps behind me. It was Lenka.
Her eyes were brimming with tears and I immediately became worried.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Lenka pointed a finger to the sleeping girl on the bed and I understood away. She was worried, worried about Rin. Of course, she's gotten so close to her, it's only natural for her to get concerned about Rin.
"Don't worry, she's fine. The doctor will come to see her." I reassured, forcing a confident smile to form on my lips. "She'll be fine."
Lenka looked unsure for a moment before nodding. I sighed, waiting for the doctor to get here and confirm what I told Lenka.
It took another ten minutes before she arrived. She was tall with short brown hair and intimidating brown eyes.
"Where's Rin?" She asked once she was inside the house.
"She's in the room at the end of the hallway." Rinto answered, taking the woman to the room.
When she saw Rin, she started to check her pulse and questioning what happened to her. "She just broke down?"
Rinto nodded. "Yeah, she was having no issues. She's been stable all this time." Rinto answered, confusing me a bit. Stable? Issues?
"Has she been taking her medicine?" The doctor asked as she took out more equipment from her bag. "Yes, I've been making sure she takes them each day." Rinto answered and after a few more questions, she asked us to leave. I was reluctant to leave but after seeing Rinto comply to the request, I had no other choice but to hope for the well being of Rin.
"She'll be okay, right?" I asked Rinto, noticing the distress in his eyes.
"Yeah, Rin's tough. She can handle this." It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself, trying to stay positive. "Come on. Let's clean the glass." He said, grabbing the broom from the closet and sweeping away the shards of glass. I followed him, taking out the dustpan and helping him get rid of the fragments of the damaged glass. Many people wish for things each day… I only ask that you hear this selfish plea. Please, let Rin be okay. I don't like seeing her like that… It may be greedy of me but I wish for her smile to continue to adorn her face…
It's done! This didn't turn out like how I originally planned but meh. I hope you like it and I apologize for the horrible attempt to write a sad scene. I myself, have been feeling a bit ill. I've been having a couple of headaches and a lot of stress! But I'm trying to do my best! Tell me what you think, thank you!