Chapter Four: Hidden Truths

…

It feels like it's taken forever, but night time finally comes. Just as the four 'guests' begin to overstay their welcome, Len decides it's time for them to leave at around 10pm. Honestly, it's surprising he didn't kick them out sooner, considering SeeU unleashed a mighty hidden secret. And the nerve of that damn pervert, he tried to say those filthy manga belonged to me. Lily and Gumi in particular believed it right away, and even tried to get Miku to accept such an absurd statement. But Luka bluntly defended me, for some odd reason. I still don't understand her motive for being here, though.

As the four girls clamber exit the bedroom, I glance over to Miku. She's watching them with a subtle pout pulling at her lips, and I don't know whether to feel bad for her or not. I can only assume she's the one who invited them all here. And considering that fact, I'm relieved my brother hasn't tried to kick her out with them. Once I hear a door faintly slamming, I acknowledge that they are gone, and I can finally let my guard down.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I turn slowly on my heels and head back into my bedroom, along with Miku. I glance around, and I can see that Len currently has his head stuck into the large cupboard on one of the walls near the back of the room. He must be retrieving the spare futons and pillows for the remaining guests. I move towards my bed, and plop myself down onto the edge; it feels as though a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

Len finishes setting down the futons for everyone, and once he does, he breaks the harsh silence between us all. "Alright…" he starts. "Time to take turns changing into our night-clothes. Who wants to go first?"

Straight after Len asks that, Miku jumps up from the floor. "I-I'll go," she announces, stuttering her words. Without another word, she grabs her small bag and leaves the room with her head hung low.

"Well, alright," Len says, shaking his head slowly. It seems like he's still pissed off.

"Lenny…" Meiko mumbles, frowning slightly. She can apparently pick up on his sour mood, too. In fact, I think everyone else has noticed.

"What's gotten you so mad, dude? We've been surrounded by all grown up babes! You can't seriously tell me you didn't enjoy that," Piko says, speaking just like the dog he is. Again, can't really blame him for that. But he's met with a sharp glare from the male in question. Piko audibly gulps, and stops talking.

"Len. It isn't Miku's fault," Kaito then speaks, trying to keep the peace as our neutral friend. "What if they bullied her into telling them we were all here today?"

"She needs to learn how to stick up for herself, in that case," Len coldly replies.

I grit my teeth together, beginning to grow frustrated myself. So now he feels as though he has the right to begin trash-talking one of our oldest friends. "Jesus, you're so-!" I cut my words off, hearing the bedroom door swing open again. The door is kind of creaky, so it's easy to hear. Miku is back, and she's in a pair of light-blue PJs.

Scoffing lightly, Len grabs his own night clothes and rudely pushes past Miku – who has a confused look in her eyes. He leaves the room, and I bet he won't be back for a while.

"God, he's so irritating!" I burst out in anger, lightly punching my bed covers with one hand.

Miku silently returns to her futon, sliding herself into it with a sigh. "He's right… I should have stuck up for myself." She speaks after a short while, and this is the most I've heard from her all night. Now it's clear. She must have been bullied into siding with the four girls.

"Eh, even so, he needs to lighten up," Piko remarks. I look to him briefly, and just catch him giving an indifferent shrug. "Is he always like this, Rin?"

I can't help but let out a laugh after hearing this question. I suppose my brother acts a lot more harshly at home, or even just when it's the two of us. I can't remember him being too rude around everyone else. "Pretty much, yea'." That's all I can say.

"You should go talk to him, Rinny!" Meiko blurts out, a hint of sadness in her voice. It seems as though she thinks siblings can calm each other down without any effort. "He'll listen to you, right?"

"I mean…" I trail my words off, hesitating as I look at her innocent, begging puppy eyes. God damn it, you innocent, manipulative-… "I guess?"

Why did I even say that? Geez. With that, I give a huff and stand up from my bed. I might as well take my PJs along as well, on the off chance he's just sobbing in the bathroom or something. Grabbing my night clothes, I let my friends know I shouldn't be too long, and I head out of the room. The bathroom is just at the end of the hall, so it's not far.

When I step out into the hall, I can't see Len just standing around all miserable, so that's a good start. I move down to the end of the hall, coming to the outside of the bathroom. It's a good place to search at first, I guess. Shifting my night clothes under one of my arms, I use my free hand to knock on the wooden door out of respect. There's no answer, but I'm sure I can hear some light breathing coming from inside. I roll my eyes, growing tired of Len's childish attitude. "Open this door up, you immature little child."

I can definitely hear a quiet groan in irritation. Tch. Typical. After that, I hear footsteps, and then the door is slowly pulled open. He still hasn't changed into his night clothes. I narrow my eyes at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something first. There's silence. Stubborn as always. "Well?" I decide to urge him on, impatient.

"What are you doing here?" He speaks up eventually, stepping away from the door to lean against the sink. "I could have been half-naked, you know."

"Ugh, god Len, don't put those images in my mind," I scowl at him, shuddering all over at the mere thought of 'Len' and 'naked' at the same time. "You should know why I'm here, anyway. You're acting like a total brat."

At those words, I'm met with a confused glance, yet it's like he's in disbelief as well. "I've been defending you, for your own damn sake. And you're telling me I'm being a brat?"

"Yes, you are," I bluntly reply, folding my arms over my chest and still clutching my PJs. I'm not taking his excuses anymore. "I'm not the kid I used to be. I'm over what happened in the past."

"That's great and all, but I'm not over it. I remember everything those wicked girls did to you, and I'm not going to let it slide just like you have," Len says sternly, just as stubborn as me in this case. "That means Miku isn't going to get off the hook easy, either."

"You told her to just stick up for herself more, after those girls bullied her again." I trail my glance down to the floor, giving a sigh as a thought enters my mind. "You wouldn't just say that if they bullied me…"

"Rin, don't do that," my brother speaks in a demanding tone. "It's completely different. Why would you even begin to compare those two situations?"

Unable to hold back my anger for much longer, I pull my glance up from the floor, and stare into Len's eyes. "Why the hell do you care about me so much?" I end up shouting more forcefully than I intended, but I'm done with my brother's attitude. I'm not playing these games any longer. He seems to shrink down a little bit when I growl at him, but I can see that fire of wrath remaining in his eyes. "I don't understand you – not one bit. Sometimes I feel like you despise me and you couldn't care less about my feelings. In fact, just earlier, you rubbed it in about all my previous crushes, as if they were nothing to me. But then… Suddenly you flip that, and now you care? Are you just pretending, just to mess with me?"

While I mercilessly lash out at my brother, I try my best not to show how much his constant mood-swings pain me deep inside. This has been going on for long enough, after all. Now that we're getting older, I feel like it's my job to put him in his place, and to put an end to these constant mind games. I breathe heavily once I've finished lashing out some more, just going on about specific examples of him changing his attitude every so often.

And then… Silence falls. It suddenly feels very tense between us again, just like the time he and I practiced dancing earlier. But somehow, the tension feels even tighter than before, and it causes my heart to begin pounding in my chest. He doesn't take his cold eyes from mine during that suffocating silence.

"I just want you to hate me, Rin."

Huh…? Did I hear that right?

Len pushes himself up from leaning against the sink, and he takes a step closer to me. Without really thinking, I take a small step backwards, but I can feel myself bump against the bathroom door.

"Ah…" I quietly gasp in surprise, realising the wide-open door is blocking the wall, and taking up any remaining space. I stare up to him, my heart pounding harder, due to what I can only describe as nervousness. "What… What the hell are you talking about…?"

My brother sighs, taking a step back. He probably realises he's making me feel pretty uncomfortable right now. "It's no good, though. I always end up wanting to protect you from the world."

I'm trying to make sense of what he's saying. Is he saying that… he can't truly cut me off, due to his brotherly instinct to always protect me? But I still don't understand. Why does he want to cut me off in the first place, and why does he want me to hate him? "Idiot… I could never hate you. Don't you get that?"

"That's the problem," Len says, and lets out a sort of bitter-sounding laugh. Then, out of nowhere, he reaches a hand forward and taps against the top of my head. "Sorry, kiddo. All that doesn't matter, okay?" He speaks with a cocky grin on his face, and pats my head a couple times.

"E…eh…?!" I don't believe it. Was all that part of a joke, too? He doesn't actually want me to hate him, right? He's so frustrating…! Unleashing the fury of a thunderstorm, I scream at the top of my lungs without worrying about any consequences. "Get your hand off me, you big freaking idiot! I'm not a damn dog, you know!"

Len bursts out into a fit of laughter, before giving a sigh and shaking his head. "Right, right. Go on, you get changed first. I'm not a huge pervert like you think, see?"

"Get your ass out of here before I slap you!" I order, shoving him out anyway. As soon as he's just outside, I slam the bathroom door shut in annoyance. I let out a huff in irritation, turning my back to the door.

I'm left confused by everything that just happened. He very clearly was in a sour mood the entire time Luka was here. He was even really pissed off at Miku. So that part couldn't have been an act… But… He just flipped his mood completely again. And I just realised… He had avoided my questions again! He hadn't given me a proper explanation as to why he was so mad. And I just let him get away with it. Again.

Well… Fine. If he doesn't want to tell me, what can I do? I should let it go, at least for now. I'll just make sure he doesn't get too mad again, and everything will be fine… Right?

…

Morning comes around faster than I want it to. Our birthday was yesterday, on a Sunday. And now, today is Monday. Guess what that means? We need to be up early as always for good old school. Len and I planned to have yesterday as a birthday party, but since we had uninvited guests, we'll have to improvise. We already planned to have our friends over for two days, so it's no problem. Once school is over, we're all going to come back here, and then our friends will be gone before Mother and Father return.

I'm abruptly pulled from the world of sleep, due to some loud as hell alarm filling the room. I jump up with a frightened gasp, and then I realise what's going on. That alarm ringtone… That damn girl… She better prepare herself for the fury of Hell itself to be unleashed on her sorry ass, for not letting me savour those ten minutes before waking up for school…! I take in a deep breath, seething with rage.

"MEIKOOOO!"

Eventually, we're all awake properly, a little after 7am. I ended up waking not just Meiko up, but everyone else as well. Piko complained, saying he was having a 'nice dream' about a certain girl… Other than that, I didn't get told off too much for screaming so early. We all took quick turns in the bathroom to wash up and get ready for school, and surprisingly, we didn't end up being late. See, we're all coordinated and awesome like that. We even have time for a quick breakfast, even if it's just plain old toast.

School life isn't so bad, really. It's never been a pain – well, the only time it sucked was when Luka and her friends attended. So, for about… six months or so? The time before and after that wasn't so bad at all. Sure, our group of friends are labelled as weirdos or whatever, but we've all got each other's backs. We don't let bullies get to us during school hours. We're not exactly perfect, but we're happy.

Today, that's all about to change again. I know I should have anticipated it, but I truly was shocked to discover Luka is returning to our school. I don't even know why she left or why she's returning – there's a few rumours revolving around her parents, but that's about it. I tend not to buy into such gossip, but man, I really would love to know more about the mysterious Luka. That's probably just my thirteen-year-old self still living inside my heart. Anyway, apart from all that, it means she's going to reform her gang of minions and she'll be the centre of attention once more. Oh, she has many more friends than just the three she drags around with her, of course.

My only escape in this school is drama club. My friends all decided to join this club with me, along with Len, too. We joined it probably around a year ago, when we agreed it was about time to join a club together. Club lessons take place three days a week – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Monday, which is today, there's an hour-long slot for our club in the morning, and another hour after school. Everyone says they hate Mondays, but not me! I look forward to every club session, and today's apparently been scheduled as 'a very important' meeting.

We're the first ones to arrive in the club classroom. Drama club is run by a very sweet teacher, and she urges us to call her by her first name: Miki. She's fairly young for a teacher, perhaps just under her thirties, so I guess she's rather relatable in the sense that we can relax around her and all. There's usually about ten of us total in the club, so we've never been able to take on any large-scale play performances. We usually just act out plays in our classroom, and it's always been a fun time.

But once we take our seats, it seems as though some new members are arriving. And guess who those are? Ding, ding, ding. That's right! Luka and her three cronies… Sigh.

I shuffle uncomfortably on my seat, and break any eye contact with them straight away. I can't help but automatically trace my glance over to Miku, who's sitting a few seats away from me. I shouldn't feel like I can't trust her, but… What if she told them which club we were in, too? Damn it. I'm starting to doubt my only other best friend apart from Meiko. There's no way she'd lie to us about being bullied. Feeling annoyed at myself, I lower my glance to my lap.

"Welcome, welcome!" comes the teacher's cheerful greeting. She's probably talking to Luka and the others. "Oh, it is so good to see you again, Luka! And of course, you three lovely ladies, too." Oh, god. Gag. I forgot how much of a fake, goody-two-shoes act those four put on in front of teachers.

"Yes, it's very nice to be here. And such a lovely, cute little club this is," Luka says, and when I look to her in curiosity, there's a sincere smile on her face. I can't believe this. This makes up fourteen members, which probably means…

"Okay everyone, let me have your attention, please!" As Miki speaks up to talk to all of us, Luka and her friends take some spare seats from the sides of the room, to sit with us as part of a circle. I resist the urge to groan quietly, and focus completely on the teacher. "As you all know, the lovely Luka and her friends have decided to lend their talent to us! This means we have fourteen members – and that means we can finally start talking about a real school performance! Isn't that wonderful?"

Len and I exchange glances, and I can just hear his thoughts without even being connected in the first place. 'You've got to be kidding me.'

I mean, this isn't wonderful at all. I can still feel the embarrassment of that extreme failure from all those years ago. I don't mind acting out a play in front of my friends in the classroom. But… But in front of a whole crowd… Oh dear, god. I hoped to myself this day would never come. We've never surpassed ten members in the entire year we've been here – safe to say, this club was an outright pathetic excuse of a club. But that was okay! I don't care, it meant we were safe from public humiliation! This is just giving those bullies more leeway to fuck us over and laugh at us later.

With his face still as focused as ever, Len groans in his thoughts without looking at me. 'I can hear you freaking out. Stop it.'

I gulp, pretending that I'm listening to what Miki is saying. But now it's all going in one ear and out the other. 'I can't just stop! Damn it Len, you aren't helping! Don't you understand what a real school performance means?!'

'I understand your fear of crowds, but you gotta get over it someday.'

Not even bothering to respond to that, I fold my arms over my chest with a slight 'huff' noise, and listen to the teacher again. I want to get over my fear of crowds, but that memory from dancing lessons really does haunt me still. Giving a mental sigh, I watch as the teacher begins to rummage through her bag, and pulls out a bunch of what I can only assume to be scripts. I raise a brow. She must have been waiting for this day, definitely. It's pitiable in a way…

Miki grins brightly, and starts heading towards our little circle of chairs. She hands out a copy of a script to each of us. "Here you go, everyone. This is a little something I wrote myself! Now, it's not quite original material, if you give it a read, hehe… But it's as unique as I could make it. Let's all have a read through as a club, okay? Everyone open it up!"

Oh, good. She's going to make us read it right now. I suddenly don't feel as relaxed, knowing Luka and her friends are right here. They won't show it, but they're definitely going to mock us in their heads. Trying not to think about the relentless mocking I'll fall victim to in the near future, I gulp silently and scan my eyes over the title of the play. It's nothing fancy. Just some big, bold words on a sheet of plain white paper. Its title is Forbidden Happy Ever After. Wow, that's totally not cheesy or over the top at all.

"Wow, Miss. Even the title itself is very attractive," Luka says, wasting no time to kiss ass.

Rolling my eyes subtly, I open the script to the first page. Even reading over it before we start reading aloud, I can tell this is the classic sappy prince and princess fairy-tale. Seems almost Cinderella-esque. Everyone else seems excited to rehearse this play, though.

Miki begins handing out roles to each of us. She hands out roles such as 'rival princess', 'royalty servants', 'party guests', etc. My friends seem pleased with their roles so far, despite them sounding so boring. Then, she hands out the more interesting roles. Luka is given 'Princess's Mother', Lily and SeeU receive 'Sneering Sisters' roles – ironically – and Gumi receives the role of 'Sweet Sister'. I don't know if the teacher is giving them main roles just because she blatantly favours them or what.

No matter that, she continues. Len receives the role of 'Corrupt Wish Granter', which definitely sounds interesting. Miku receives the role of 'Rival Princess'. And this is actually where it gets interesting, or perhaps, more fearful. Kaito is given the role of 'The Prince'. And strangely enough, I'm asked if I want to take the role of 'The Princess'. I'm no fool – that sounds exactly like the biggest part in the play. Which means more and more opportunities to make a fool of myself in front of the whole school.

"Me? Well, ah… Won't Meiko be better suited for that role?" I try to turn it down, not wanting to state why exactly.

Meiko looks at me as soon as I mention her name. "No! I'm the party's jester, Rinny. I can't turn that down!" she protests, puffing her cheeks out. Of course you can't. Thank you for the support.

"Want me to play the princess, Rin?" Piko pipes up, grinning cheekily at me. He then tries to throw his arms around Kaito. "Kaitoooo, let me be your princess!"

"M-Miss Miki, help-!"

"Piko, you can't be the princess, I'm sorry," the teacher sighs, and Piko frowns as he lowers his arms from Kaito. God damn those two clowns…!

I let out a sigh, running out of people to push my role onto. But then, I can hear Len's thoughts.

'Come on, Rin. Don't ruin everyone else's fun. You'll be a perfect princess, I'm sure of it. Besides, I get to cast a curse of death on you- Don't you dare ruin that once in a lifetime opportunity for me.'

I resist the urge to roll my eyes at Len's fucked priorities. But I guess I should at least try. I can always back out on the night of the performance, right? "Uh… Well, sure, I guess I could try." I finally give in, and Miki's expression lights up.

"Thank you! This is going to be amazing! Let's begin reading right away, shall we?"

As we begin to read through the play aloud, each of us taking turns according to the script, I find that it feels somewhat… familiar. At first, I barely notice that feeling. After all, this seems like a generic fairy-tale, with the evil mother and sisters, and even some kind of curse being involved. But when we get further and further into the script – which doesn't take too long, considering it's a practice run – it becomes more evident. There's one scene in particular; it moves onto a traditional royalty ball, but just picturing it in my head brings back a sudden memory.

This feels awfully similar to that dream I keep having. The only difference is, that prince is really Kaito – so I don't feel that strong connection like the one in my dream. But the similarities between this play and my dream are just screaming at me. Even the whole cursed wish thing is the same. The princess in the play is left unable to speak, as she hasn't a need for words, and the only condition is that she must 'kill' the prince. Reading over that scene out loud sends a shiver down my spine, as if dreams have met with reality. Maybe I overacted just a bit, getting too involved in that scene, because I can feel several pairs of eyes, either staring at me in awe or in disbelief at how serious I'm being.

Once the play comes to an end, I'm left with a weird, indescribable feeling within. Perhaps I'm thinking too much about it. After all, there's coincidences and all in this world, right? And with all those fairy-tales out there, it's no surprise that it came into my dreams and into reality at around the same time. Besides, all that stereotypical fairy-tale crap aside, there's another thing that bugs me the most. The prince and princess are supposed to share a short kiss just before the princess kills him.

I can't help but feel a light blush sneak up onto my cheeks at that thought. I trail my glance secretly over to Kaito, while everyone else spends the last ten minutes of club time talking amongst themselves. I look at him curiously – I mean, really look at him. As I've thought before, I've never felt all that close to Kaito. Sure, he's a fun person to be around, and he's smart along with level-headed at the same time. He's a good friend, for sure. But… As someone who doesn't take feelings lightly, I feel like just kissing him for a play is kind of… cheap? Weird? Yet at the same time, the very idea of it makes my heart pound a little faster.

"Hey, Rin?"

I blink, snapping out of thought after hearing a voice say my name. I glance around in confusion – ah, if only I payed attention. Then I'd know quicker and not look so stupid and air-headed. I realise that it's Kaito a short while after looking around, and I send him a light smile. I try to push away any awkward feelings, thinking of him as my good friend. "Mm?" I curiously hum.

"How do you feel about this play, honestly?" he wonders, propping his arm on top of his chair, and resting his cheek against his palm casually.

"Ehh, well… It's not so bad, I guess. I wish I wasn't playing such a major role, though," I admit, giving a half-hearted, nervous laugh. I rest my palms on my lap, letting out a sigh. "It just puts a lot of pressure on me, ya know?"

"Mm, for sure," Kaito says, nodding once in agreement. "If you feel weird about that whole kiss scene thing, we should take it to Miss Miki and ask her to cut it out or something."

Seems like he's a mind reader. Or does he not want it, either? …Idiot! I mentally curse myself. Of course, he doesn't want that. I can't be so sure, though. Even though I feel awkward as hell about it, I shake my head to disagree. "I don't want to cause any problems for Miss Miki or anything. Ah… As long as you're okay with it…?"

Kaito then gives a shrug, indifferent as always. "Sure, why not. It's just for the play. It wouldn't mean anything to me."

"Y-Yeah, that's right! Me too," I promptly answer, nodding my head. I try to play it off, but I end up stuttering anyway. 'Don't be an idiot, Rin. Don't get a crush on Kaito.' Ah, crap. I hope Len doesn't hear that. I keep forgetting this creepy thing of ours where we can connect thoughts – so much so, that I forget to mentally 'switch off' connections before certain thoughts. There's nothing in return though, so I can only hope he hadn't heard.

Anyway, I just want to get this whole play thing out of the way. Miki told us all that we'd now be assigned an hour per day to rehearse together, so that would take up one of our other lessons. We have also been assigned an extra hour per day after school. If we keep it up like this, hopefully we'll be done with it by next Monday. Or is that just me being too optimistic? I hope not. We're all good at remembering lines – well, apart from Meiko and Piko. I'm going to hope Luka and her group are at least somewhat decent actors.

…

At lunchtime, while sat around a table with the others, I decide to invest myself in studying the script. Taking small bites of my sandwich, I narrow my eyes and completely focus on reading through it over and over. Well, I'm reading one part in particular. That royalty ball scene. Call me stupid, but I just can't get over how similar it is to that dream I keep having. It's just freaking me out at this point, and I can't shake that weird feeling deep inside when I read over it.

"Rinny? Why are you reading that? We have all the time in the world during our scheduled rehearsals!" Meiko's voice pulls me from my concentration.

Raising a brow, after being in a day-dream state again, I slowly lower the script to see that both Meiko and Len are staring at me in disbelief. I let out a sigh, shoving the script back into my bag, and then stuffing the remainder of my sandwich into my mouth.

"I guess she's just kind of nervous after receiving such a huge part…" Miku quietly adds, swirling her straw awkwardly around her smoothie.

"I'm sooo jealous, Rin. I wanted to have a big role, too! In fact, I wanted to be the prince, then we could kiss and live happily ever after, and have-"

Tutting in irritation, Len tears a small piece of bread from his sandwich and launches it off Piko's face. That cuts him off as he begins to fantasise more and more about being my prince. "Oi."

"Ahah… It seems like I can't always be your knight in shining armour, princess Rin," Kaito snickers at this, making a joke in reference to my brother's act of heroism.

I give a shrug at this. "I prefer non-violent methods. Sorry, Len."

"Oh, poor Piko…!" Meiko gasps, beginning to fuss over him.

"Hey. I could have easily landed an uppercut. But I don't do that to my brothers," Len casually remarks, maintaining his 'bro code' or whatever. How nice of him.

And with that, the conversations between everyone continue again. But I remain silent again, beginning to lightly stab through my pudding with a spoon, absent-minded. That dream creeps up once more from the back of my mind. I still have so many unanswered questions. Am I supposed to find the one who I feel such a strong connection to in my dream? No matter where I look, no matter whose eyes I look into, I can't feel that instant connection. It's bugging me like crazy.

'Alright, enough. What's your obsession with that script?' Len's thoughts enter mine, and it almost startles me due to how much I've been concentrating.

'Eh? Mind your own business. Geez, can't I have any privacy to myself?' I think those words in a mocking, irritated tone.

'I can hear literally everything you're thinking. You aren't concentrating hard enough on shutting me out,' he remarks, and when I look at him, his eyes are narrowed probably in annoyance. Oops. I've probably been bugging the hell out of him. 'Sooo… About this dream?' Oh, geez. I can hear that sickeningly sweet tone, and I bet if we were having an actual conversation, he'd be smirking. And I'd want to punch that smirk off his sly face.

'You did not…'

'A mysterious prince who you feel a deep connection to… Oooh, so romantic!~' Len adds a mental snicker at the end of his teasing words.

I grit my teeth together, trying not to let my embarrassment physically show. I'm dying on the inside here. 'Oi, you shut your mouth! …I mean… Stop your thoughts! Damn it!' Good one. 'Shut your mouth'. Real good.

'Seriously, girls worry way too much. You think your dream literally came into reality? You know how many sappy fairy-tales are out there, right? Don't think you're special, kiddo…'

'Stop calling me kiddo!' I angrily demand inside my head. 'And, on second thoughts… GET THE HELL OUT.' Finally regaining my will and sense of control, I put up a mental block inside my head. No more intruding for that annoying brother of mine. Now, what was I thinking again…?

...

I let out a long, loud yawn once I pass the school gates at last, while stretching rather dramatically. The day is finally at an end. School had been as boring as always – we had the following lessons: Maths, History, and Literature Studies. Naturally, I wanted to fall asleep about half-way through History. And Literature Studies. Okay, and through Maths. I know I said I enjoyed school, but I never said I enjoyed the lessons. I just want to always have fun.

Rehearsals for the play were fun, though. We started to get more familiar with Miki's script, and for this session, we stood up and worked out which movements would match best with all of our lines. Thankfully, the prince and princess do not have to kiss at this point in time. Miki said it would be better if we saved 'the magic' for on the stage, on the night of the perfected performance. Yeah, right… Magic, my ass. Anyway, despite it being fun, it had been exhausting after so many boring lessons previously cramped together.

I want to go home and just sleep for the rest of the day. But our friends are coming back with us until around 7pm, so we have a lot ahead of us. I also can't forget about the dance I practiced with my brother. After how annoyed I got at him last night, I'm not sure if I even want to do it anymore… But after all, that is one of our only bonding moments as siblings. I wish Len was always kind and sensitive, just like he was during our practicing yesterday. But I suppose this is the hand we've been dealt. We're twins. We have to be natural enemies, right?

Since home isn't that far from school, my friends and I all walk back together. It takes us around twenty minutes to return home, so by now, it's around 4:45pm or near that time. We should have enough time to open our presents, enjoy some birthday cake together, show off our dance, and then part ways until tomorrow. As we approach the front door, Len pushes his way forward as he is in charge of the house keys. Stupid parents… Always thought of Len as the most responsible sibling. I can be responsible, too. Hmph.

Our lively chatter dies down a little as Len finally unlocks the front door, and we all begin to pile into the house. When we enter, we each take off our shoes and set them down in the small entrance hallway. Len closes the door behind us all, and I decide to go up to our room, in order to retrieve our presents from the night before.

It only takes me a short while, and when I come back downstairs, I head towards the kitchen where the others said they'd wait. When I enter, only just managing to carry each present, I notice that a birthday cake has been set onto the table already. That's right… Mother and Father planned their trip way before our birthday, so they really hadn't had the time to bake a cake like they did each year. And this is what we're stuck with. Some store-bought cake. I'd call it cheap crap, but knowing Mother, she bought it from some expensive store. At least it'll taste semi-decent, if that is the case.

Len is holding a lighter ready, apparently. He's also set out some plates for each of us. I guess he's forgiven Miku in the end, which is a relief. I don't want any of us to fight on our birthday. Well, I don't want any of us to fight at all. So seeing this scene… makes me really grateful for my great friends. I'll put my trust in Miku. That's what friends are for.

With a bright smile on my face, I head towards the table and take my seat in the middle of Len and Meiko. I carefully place the presents down onto a free space on the table, avoiding the others' plates. "Thanks for these presents, you guys."

"Of course! I have no fear that my presents for you guys is the best, though," Meiko proudly beams, puffing her chest out as she speaks.

I can't help but giggle at her. I don't doubt for a second that she got some sort of crazy present, or maybe something ridiculously expensive. Who knows with this unpredictable girl.

"Cake comes first, without a doubt," Kaito says, grinning along with Meiko.

Ah, yes. Getting a closer look at the cake, it doesn't look too bad. It's covered in vanilla frosting, so it's probably some sort of chocolate cake with hidden jam. It's also nicely decorated, with a custom message from our parents. Happy Birthday to our favourite babies.Ah, they're so sappy, damn it… But that is super cute. And this is a shame-free zone, so our friends comment on how cute that message is, too. To finish it off, Len sticks two simple number candles into the top of the cake: '1' and '5'. Yeah, I don't want to waste time pulling out fifteen individual candles, either.

Len flicks the lighter and sets the flames atop the candles. With that, our friends begin to chorus and sing the traditional Happy Birthday song to us, which may sound terrible from an outsider's perspective, but it makes me grin widely in appreciation. Within a minute, the song is over, and it's time for Len and I to blow out the candles. It's silly, but I still like to make wishes on my birthday. I doubt Len wastes his time on something so childish… But I do it anyway, and hide my wish from Len.

'I wish for my brother to be kind to me from now on. Even if it's for just one day. It's all I want.'

In the end, it does get to me quite a lot. But it's a pointless wish, I suppose.

Len and I begin to open our presents, and we get quite a variety of different, strange yet wonderful things. I get bits and pieces like the latest makeup products and small bits of jewellery – and even an old, kind of dusty but supposedly collectible book. Yeah, thanks Meiko, that's exactly what I wanted. The boys feed Len's manga addiction, and although the cover looks appropriate, I can almost guarantee Piko has hidden away a filthy manga underneath a pretty cover. Yeah, Piko wasn't surprised at all when SeeU found Len's dirty manga stash, so that seems completely plausible.

Before we tuck into our cake, I catch my brother's eyes and exchange glances with him. Essentially hinting that we should show off our performance now, rather than later. I hope this goes well, anyway. Len gives a light nod towards me, before speaking up.

"Guys, Rin and I have something we wanna show you. You guys remember when we told you about our dance classes, right?"

"Ooh, yeah! I remember! It sounded like soooo much fun," Meiko responds the fastest, nodding enthusiastically. Although she probably has no idea what we're going to show her.

"Yep. Well, we decided to practice something recently, and we wanna show off for the fun of it," Len announces. I can see an excited smile light up his features. So, this is one thing in his life he's passionate about, it seems. I'll never be able to live down that embarrassment from all those years ago, but fuck it, it's just our friends here.

"Oh, that sounds delightful…!" Miku claps her hands together in anticipation, smiling softly at us.

"I always wanted to take up dancing, but Mom kept telling me it wasn't appropriate for a fifteen-year-old boy…" Piko mutters, appearing to be sad.

Kaito just stares at him blankly, and rightfully so. After a short while of being judgemental, he focuses on us again. "Uhh… Well, go ahead, Rin. I'm sure it'll look great."

For some reason, I can feel my cheeks grow a bit warm when Kaito flashes that sincere smile of his, and my heart skips a beat again when I hear his encouraging words. Just those words alone feel as though they're enough to shatter my fear of performing… Ah, geez, no…! I mentally shake my head, wanting to focus entirely on the task at hand.

"Do you guys mind taking your plates into the living room? There's a table in there, so it won't get messy or anything. It's just that our stereo is in there," Len requests. And with that, our friends begin to pick up their plates of cake. I take mine as well, and we all begin to migrate into the living room. Once we're there, we set our plates down on the coffee table near the TV, and our friends just plop themselves down onto the couch.

I follow Len over to the stereo, and for a short while, I try to push down my nerves. It's only natural after not performing for so long. He messes around with the buttons and all, and before pressing the play button, he looks at me with a gentle smile. "You've got this, Rin. Okay? You don't need to be scared anymore."

His words catch me off guard, and that same pounding heart sensation returns. Maybe I'm just getting a bit more nervous. I take in a deep breath, before swallowing my fears down, and finally nodding in response. "Thanks, Len." With that, he presses the button to play the music; a soft piano track begins to overflow from the stereo, in a spine-chilling, beautiful minor chord. Something traditional and perfect for an intimate dance, and I can hear the whispers of approval.

Len takes hold of my hand and guides me a few steps in front of the stereo. I just allow myself to be pulled along, realising I can't back out anymore. He looks towards our friends with a nod, and then turns to focus on me entirely. I look up at him, suddenly hit with that same feeling of tension as yesterday. I try to gulp, but find that my mouth has become completely dry. My eyes sparkle and my lips are parted just as before, and my mind goes blank when Len rests his free hand onto my hip.

"Ready?" he quietly whispers to me, for confirmation.

Fuck it. Ready as I'll ever be. I give a nod in response, and allow myself to be taken by Len's beginning lead. We start to dance slowly, in time with that beautiful piano track, our movements as graceful as they had been when we were children. But naturally, being so close and being held this way by Len… feels much more intimate. There are a couple twirls out… Then I'm supposed to elegantly spin back into Len's arms; we move back and forth together and add in a few other moves on the spot, just to perfect our original plan even more.

And before I know it, it's over. I managed to survive those four minutes without freezing. The music fades out, and I'm left standing hand in hand with my brother. I let out a shaky breath, finally releasing all my pent-up tension. During that time, it had felt like time stood still… And we were the only ones in the room. I completely forgot about our friends being there, and I'm still staring into Len's reassuring, trustworthy eyes for quite some time after we're done. The sound of wild, genuine applause brings me back to my senses.

Giving an awkward light cough, I slowly pull my hands from Len's warm ones, and take a step back. I turn on my heels to face my friends, and I smile while giving a modest bow. Len nods his head, not seeming to be too interested in gaining praise, and he turns back to switch the stereo off.

"Oh, my god! Rinny, Lenny, you were so great! I wish I could do that!" Meiko exclaims happily, in complete and utter awe of our sweet little dance. Was it really that good…?

"Th-That was… so beautiful…!" Piko sniffles, apparently brought to tears from the whole show. If not for his clear interest in girls, I'd totally conclude that Piko is gay as fuck. But perhaps he's just a very passionate male after all.

"Wow… Rin, Len. That was so elegant, and the music was so full of emotion," Miku says, offering some more praise.

I glance at Kaito, and it seems as though he's at a loss for words. He then snaps out of it, shaking his head lightly. "Rin…" I raise a brow at this. …Wait. Why is he looking at me like that? With his eyes full of total admiration? And he only said my name. But it seems like he's realised. "And Len… That really was great. Breath taking."

When I glance back at my brother, I catch a slight glimpse of… Irritation? Oh geez, what's gotten him so pissed off this time? I swear, no one has even said anything this time. All they did was praise us. If he's mad at praise, I'm going to smack him across the head.

"Thank you, guys. I guess we never lost that talent after all, huh, Len?" I giggle, playfully nudging him with my elbow.

"Huh. Indeed," Len simply says, giving a shrug as though he had been pulled from thought.

I roll my eyes instinctively at his air-headed behaviour, and move over to the couch to finally eat some cake. I plop myself down in between Miku and Piko, grabbing one of the two plates left behind on the table. I watch my brother as he grabs his own plate and carefully sets himself down on the edge of the couch, just beside Kaito. Okay, is it just me, or can I feel some kind of strange tension between my air-headed brother and Kaito? It's like I just saw something hidden in their eyes when the two exchanged glances momentarily.

Eh… In the words of Len, maybe I'm just overreacting again.

…

The remaining time we have with our friends passes by rather quickly. We all mess around, playing fun games together after we finish our cake. We play truth or dare just like yesterday, but these questions and dares are a lot more our style. Crazy shit, like 'I dare you to lick the window!' and all that. And trivial truths, ones that are more light-hearted in nature, rather than Luka's filthy, invasive ones. It really had been fun. But then our parents finally arrived home, and our friends took that as a hint to get moving.

Once we see our friends off, I immediately rush happily over to Mother and Father. It's been a fun couple of days, but only now I realise how much I missed having my parents around. I grin brightly, rushing up to Mother first and giving her a big hug. While greeting our parents, Len stands opposite them obediently, as if waiting for their kind words or something. Once I get kisses from Father, I take a step back and stand at my brother's side.

Only now, I can see how tired the two adults look. Aha, we aren't the only ones to have lots of fun, then. Despite this, a tired smile is on Mother's face. "I see that everything went well. I knew we should have trusted them more, dear," she says, laughing softly at Father.

"Hmm, as always, you're right, hun," Father sighs, giving into his wife. They're so sweet. They've been married for so long, yet still use those pet nicknames for each other. That's true love… A love I hope to find, rather than drifting between a load of crushes. But at least Mother and Father are living proof that true love really exists. That's why I'm still hopeful.

Since Len and I already had a light dinner, we dismiss ourselves to allow our parents a quiet meal together. They probably don't want children to bug them while they're all tired out. So, we take the initiative, and head up to our room. Once there, I flop down onto my bed and give a yawn. I'm feeling rather sleepy myself, after such an action-packed day. Rehearsals, dancing, playing games… Sure, it's nothing compared to my parents' trip. But it's still a lot for a lazy young girl like me.

"Rin, you're going to get your sweaty clothes all over your bed. Get changed," Len says, scoffing arrogantly at me.

"Riiin, you're going to get your sweaty clothes all over your beeeed," I instantly repeat him in a mocking tone, one that sounds as annoying as possible. I roll my eyes, picking myself up from my bed. Why does he care so much anyway? Sheesh.

When our friends aren't around, obviously, Len and I just change at the same time in our room. We turn our backs to each other, and don't peek while taking clothes off. We've always done that – there's no reason in particular why we do that, it's just sort of always been a thing. So, it feels normal to us. Plus, it's weird to want to look at your brother changing anyway, so it's never been a big deal. Letting out a yawn, I grab a set of night clothes and begin to slide my skirt down without another thought.

"Rin! Oi, you dumbass, I haven't turned around yet!" Len's loud yell stops me dead in my tracks, with my backside almost showing.

"A-Ah…! You… you filthy pervert, turn aroooound!" I scream defensively, immediately yanking my skirt back up.

"What! Who the hell are you calling a pervert? You're the one who started to strip off when you KNEW I was still looking!" Len fires back, eager to push the blame onto me. Oh, not a chance in hell. He should have turned around as soon as he told me to change. So, he's to blame.

"Are you trying to say I'd change on purpose in front of my brother, knowing he's looking?" My face flares up in utter embarrassment at his absurd statement. "What the hell do you take me foooor?!"

After screaming at each other back and forth, neither of us taking the blame, we eventually give up and turn away from each other. Len is most definitely to blame, but it's not like I can argue that point all night. So, I shut my mouth, but I won't let that one go. After changing slowly in silence, we finally settle down in our individual beds. Len is the one to switch the bedroom light off – however, I flick on the lamp standing on my bedside table.

It's a dull light, so it's not enough to disturb us during the night. I've always had this light on every night, and Len has never questioned me about it. Giving a light sigh, I snuggle up under the covers. Just before I let my eyes slip shut, Len speaks up.

"Rin… Why on earth do you always have that annoying light switched on?" Ah, so there's the question, in the end. I should have suspected it to come sooner or later. But honestly, is he that dense? Do I have to spell it out for him? I mean… Why else would a fifteen-year-old still leave a night lamp switched on?

"Figure it out yourself, idiot."

I hear a mischievous cackle from my brother. That tells me he already knows. He just wants something to tease me about directly. "Oh, I've figured it out, don't worry. Poor Rinny is scared of the dark, huh?"

I grit my teeth together. I won't let his words get to me. That's one of my only other weak points. My fear of crowds… and of the dark. I don't know why I'm scared of the dark, actually. It seems like a fear of the unknown more than anything, the fear that I can't see what's in all that open space. "Len… Just tell me why you're always flipping between moods…" I quietly sigh, with my back turned away from him. I can't really look him in the eyes anymore.

"Eh? Didn't I tell you it was nothing?" Len responds, in a confused tone. I can feel his eyes digging into my back. "Besides, I haven't been in a sour mood anymore, so don't try and guilt trip me or anything, kid."

I lack the energy to lash out at him like I did before. Groaning quietly, I let my eyes slip shut due to exhaustion. "You're so difficult…"

"And you're so nosey," he remarks, with a slight scoff. "Why do you assume there's a reason?"

Well. He has a point. But I just figured these kinds of things always had a reason. "Alright, fine. You win." I decide to just give up once more, knowing I'll never get an answer from my mysterious brother. Maybe someday he'll tell me. Or maybe he'll just be a bitch for the rest of our lives. With those thoughts still lingering in my mind, silence falls, and I find myself drifting off to sleep rather easily.

I can't tell if I'm entering the world of dreams or not… But I swear I can faintly hear some mumbling while my awareness fades out.

"…-ove me…"

It's probably nothing.

…