Chapter Ten: Alone

When I first open my eyes that following morning, I'm overwhelmed with a strong sense of fatigue, after a terrible night full of bad dreams. If not for those nightmares, I would have temporarily forgotten about Rin leaving me today. I slowly roll over onto my side, glancing over to my sister's now empty bed. Maybe this is still a nightmare. Maybe she's… not really gone?

I suppose I'm still trying to be optimistic here. But I'm crushed all over again when I realise this is reality. I remember that I told her the truth last night. Well, she was asleep while I said it. Perhaps she heard it, though. That's the only sliver of hope I can hold onto. I roll onto my back a few moments later, sighing heavily.

I lie in bed for a few minutes longer, wondering if Rin has already told Meiko and Miku about her decision to leave. I'm sure they'll be heartbroken, too. Maybe it's not too late to make up with my friends, though. I want to become a better person, now that my sister is no longer here with me. I just wish this wasn't the situation to push me into changing. I suppose that's what life is like, and I feel like this is only the beginning of many challenges. After all… I'm just a pathetic kid.

As I pull the covers off myself and slip out of bed, I start to wonder about other things. The only way I can gain Meiko's trust again is if I tell the truth. Rin and I have always been the closest with Meiko, so, there's a chance she might not judge me for how I feel. There's always that chance, though, considering how fucked up my feelings are. I can't delay this decision either – if I don't try to fix the broken bond with my friends, I'll be all alone. I don't think I can't handle that for much longer.

I think it's time I finally tell the truth.

…

Walking to school by myself is as difficult as it had been yesterday. This time, however, the pain of loneliness is a lot harsher than before. I try to push those feelings aside, and instead, look forward to changing myself for the better. Even if Meiko can't accept my explanation, I'll feel a whole lot less burdened. I have to admit, while I'm determined to change, I'm also pretty nervous. There's also the chance that my depraved feelings will be told to all the students at school. Rumours here spread like wildfire.

Pushing all the negativity to the back of my mind, I make my way into the main building once I arrive on school grounds. Knowing Meiko, she'll probably be hanging around her locker, joined by Miku. So, with that in mind, I don't waste any time. I quickly move towards some of the lockers; when I come closer, just as I expected, I catch sight of Meiko along with Miku. Kaito and Piko are nowhere to be seen, which is a relief. I'd hate for those sick bastards to start targeting Meiko and Miku.

I take in a breath as I walk closer, gulping lightly once to push down my nerves. I only plan on telling Meiko at first – I have no idea how Miku will take it, even if she claims to always be neutral. I try my best to act casual, but I probably end up looking… just awkward. I pull my hand from my pocket, lifting it to give a wave to the two girls. "Hey, guys…" I quietly mutter.

They both turn to look at me; I've presumably just interrupted their current conversation. Miku gives me a soft smile, whereas Meiko appears to be understandably pissed off – beyond belief, I might add – at me. Meiko folds her arms over her chest, before she sends a blank stare at me. Yeah, I deserve that. I should have expected that, as well. "Lenny, I really can't look at you right now."

I let out a small sigh, rubbing at the back of my neck. "Uh… Believe it or not, I have an explanation for you," I respond. Though that doesn't seem to make her curious at all.

"Len, I… I don't think this is the best time for Meiko right now," Miku quietly speaks up, darting her eyes between the two of us.

"Look, I know how much I've fucked up…" I start to speak, trying not to appear weak in front of the two, especially when they need the most comfort. "But Meiko, I really have to tell you the reason behind everything. I can't say you'll be less pissed off at me, but… at least let me explain."

"I understand if you need to speak to her privately," Miku responds, with an understanding, warm smile. She turns to look at the other. "Meiko, I think you should give him a chance."

Meiko lets out a huff, averting her eyes. "Fine, but I'm not going to forgive him."

I can't help but break out into a grin. I'm so happy that she'll listen to me. I don't care if she doesn't forgive me. I just need to get this out. "Thank you, Meiko. Maybe we could go into an empty classroom or something?"

"Whatever," she apathetically says, clearly not bothered by where we speak.

I can't believe I've had such an effect on everyone like this… I've been incredibly selfish. I realise that now. I've only been protecting myself, haven't I? That's even more reason to fix everything I can. With that in mind, I lead Meiko over to an empty classroom a bit further down the hall – one that's probably going to be used for the first lesson of the day.

I allow her to enter before I do, and then I close the door behind us. Meiko sets herself down onto a random chair, crossing one leg over the other. She stares up at me impatiently, her eyes still cold and her tone unforgiving. "Well. What's your so-called reason for making me lose my best friend?" She grits her teeth together after, her voice breaking as she accuses me.

I can't look her in the eyes. I'm still a coward. I trail my glance down to the floor, letting a sigh pass my lips. I have no idea where to begin. No matter how I phrase this, it's still going to sound just as bad. I suppose an apology is the best thing to start with. "Meiko, I… You have no idea how sorry I am. You have no idea how guilty I feel for causing all of this."

"You treated Rinny so badly for years…! And now you feel guilty?" She immediately fires back, wasting no time in lashing out at me. "Only now you feel guilty? Now that… now that she's gone?!"

This is going to be difficult. I draw in a breath, unable to swallow down my nerves. My mouth has gone completely dry. "This is going to sound like total bullshit, but please just listen. I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to become to withdrawn and so cruel. I didn't want to hurt Rin this much… I understand now how selfish I've been."

"This doesn't sound like an apology. It just sounds like you're pitying yourself," Meiko hisses in a low tone, growing impatient. She's right. I've been rambling just to prolong the inevitable. She tosses her crossed leg back to its original position, before standing up from the chair.

I decide to lift my glance back up. I have to look her in the eyes, so she knows I'm being sincere. "I guess I am. But it's all my fault, and I know that," I respond, agreeing with her. "What I'm about to tell you will probably freak you out. You'll probably hate me even more. I just have to get it out, though."

Meiko remains silent, but she holds eye contact. Am I seriously doing this? I didn't have the nerve to tell Rin, but I somehow find the strength to tell her best friend.

"Long story short, I… I'm in love with Rin." I speak as confidently as I can, yet I try to be blunt, just to get it out in the open. And once those words escape my lips, I can see Meiko's expression drastically change. At first, she's in disbelief, as if she misheard… Then, she tries to process what I just said. She's left speechless and confused for a few moments, and so, a painfully awkward silence hangs between us. My heart's still pounding from the confession.

She slowly lowers herself back down onto the seat, seeming to be in a state of shock and confusion still. She must be disgusted, as well. Finally, she begins to mutter some words. "I… I don't really get it, Lenny. You- You're in love with… y-your sister?"

That response is extremely crushing, for some reason. Maybe I didn't expect her to be so harsh and judgemental. Or perhaps I've been so delusional, thinking there was a chance she'd accept what I told her. At this point, I can no longer hold eye contact.

"I already hate myself for it. I know how wrong and disgusting these feelings are. That's why I've… tried to get Rin to hate me. I've tried so hard to push her away, in order to protect myself. I thought I was protecting her at first... But of course, I wasn't. If she hated me, no one would ever find out the truth. Then I would never have to face a long time of bullying, and possibly even death threats…"

Even though I'm essentially just confirming those facts to myself, Meiko still appears to be very confused. "Lenny…" When I reluctantly trail my eyes up to look at her, I can see that there's a frown pulling at her lips. In turn, this shocks me now. Does she feel sorry for me? I don't understand.

"I'm so sorry, Meiko. It was never my intention to make Rin leave like this. I only wanted her to stop talking to me. I didn't want her to leave for good…!" That all too familiar stinging sensation forms in my eyes. I bite down on my lip, refusing to let any tears fall.

"So, you only did it to protect Rinny…" Meiko mumbles. She seems to think I haven't been selfish at all – or at least not as much as I think I have. "You hurt her so much, Lenny. I'm sure if you just told her…"

I slowly shake my head at this. "You can't seriously think this is normal."

"I know I should hate you and think it's disgusting, but… but it's you, Lenny. I've always known how pure your heart is, and I know you've been the best brother in the whole world when you weren't trying to protect Rin from the truth…" Meiko responds, smiling up at me brightly. She pulls herself up from the seat once more, and takes a few steps towards me. I can barely believe what I'm hearing. "Besides… you're also my bestest friend in the whole world, along with Rinny…! How could I hate you?"

I frantically shake my head in denial. "Meiko, you don't get it! I'm in love with my sister – in a way that a brother shouldn't be…!" I try to fight her, but she won't be convinced otherwise now. "You should still be pissed off at me for how I treated her. When Kaito made that disgusting bet and messed with her, I abandoned her when she needed me most!"

"Lenny… It must have been so hard on you… You've been like this for so long, and you've had to deal with it all for so long. I can't judge you for that," she responds, determined to defend me. "I know for a fact you would do anything to protect Rin under normal circumstances…!"

I let out a heavy sigh at this. While she's right, I just can't believe she isn't out in the halls telling everyone what a disgusting person I am. "I don't know what to do without her," I quietly mumble.

"I've tried so hard to convince her to stay – or even to come back after a few months. But… she really isn't listening to me," Meiko says, with a pout. "I'm sorry you have to go through this, Lenny. I-It's breaking my heart to be without Rinny, yet it must be so much harder for you."

"I'm really glad you're so accepting, Meiko. But, why? I don't understand." I'm still trying to process exactly why she's so eager to defend me. Sure, we've been best friends for years… Is this really her true nature? If so, how the hell did I get so lucky?

"Well… I know that it must have been hell to deal with when you first felt all that for Rinny," Meiko says, giving a light sigh. "I can't even imagine how you must have scolded yourself. But it's something that you just can't control, Lenny. I can understand how painful it must be."

I truly appreciate her words, though it makes me want Rin by my side even more. I can only imagine how overjoyed I'd be if Rin accepted my confession like this. That's wishful thinking gone too far, however. I'm just grateful to have at least one person accept me, even if I can't fully accept how I feel myself. Maybe things will be just a little less painful with Meiko as my friend.

Once I've calmed down a bit more, I sit with Meiko until classes begin. I tell her some more about my feelings, going into added depth about why I acted the way I did over the years. It's hard to relive all those memories, but once I've fully explained myself, she seems to understand me a lot better. And once we get those painful memories out of the way, Meiko decides that we should talk about the happier moments. She even tells me about all the times Rin expressed how much she loved the caring side of me. It's hard to hear at first, but it definitely eases the burden after a while.

Tomorrow may be hard all over again, but at least for today, I feel slightly less alone.

…

[Rin Kagamine's P.O.V]

I've made possibly the worst decision in my life.

Shit, is that just me overreacting? Because I really feel like I'm about to go crazy if my mind doesn't shut up and stop arguing with itself. The decision to leave and go live with my aunt has got to be the most impulsive thing I've ever done.

But I had no choice. Even though I could have stayed, there was far too much going wrong back home. Everything just started to pile up – one problem after the other, like it was never-ending. And while there's some good in my life, everything else is seriously shitty. That's why I just had to get away and start a new life.

I don't even know what to think. This is mainly all my brother's fault. That insensitive, heartless bastard of a brother who never treated me kindly for more than five god damn minutes! I hate him. I despise him with every ounce of my being. I could tolerate him before everything in my life became a dumpster fire, but even then, he was pushing it. The constant flip-flops in attitude, his relentless mocking, his inability to give a damn about my problems…! If that wasn't bad enough, he just had to go and completely fuck everything up over the past week.

As soon as Luka came back to school, he had the nerve to pretend he cared about my feelings and the history I had with that girl. Did he actually think he was fooling me, by acting like he was mad at Miku? Did he really think I was that freaking stupid?! Oh, but of course, he eventually flip-flopped his attitude for the hundredth god damn time.

After the whole bullshit situation that happened with Kaito… That had been my breaking point. Again, Len acted like he cared that I was going to be messed with. He tried to crush that moment of happiness I had longed for. And when I did end up getting hurt, he flipped the switch and told me what he really thought of me. That's what he thought all along. I finally understand him, ironically.

There's no doubt about it. Len has never truly loved me. We must have drifted apart when we grew up… He must have only been pretending to care about me the entire time. I don't understand why, though. Did he want to look good in front of our parents? In front of our friends? He obviously only cares about himself, so, perhaps that's why he gave me some moments of fake happiness. And now that he's told me what he really thinks of me, it's all making sense.

And now, I've been left to feel like a complete and utter fool. The dance we shared on our birthday felt so real… I can't believe I actually felt breathless around him – as though we shared such a deep connection. As if we were… more than siblings. But that was all just me. That was all part of his attempt to trick me. Just reliving the memory nauseates me. How could I have had a fleeting moment of immoral feelings? How...? Why did I think I might have been falling for my own brother?

Well, I no longer feel anything like that. I couldn't possibly hold those feelings after the way he spoke to me that weekend. I'm disgusted at myself for even thinking of such a possibility. Am I sick? Am I losing it? I mean – how on earth could a sister ever feel such things towards her brother?

It doesn't matter anymore. I'm finally free. I'm going to speak to Meiko as much as I can while I'm over here, though. I feel extremely guilty for leaving her behind, but we can still talk, so I think I can make it over here. There's nothing good for me back home. Luka would have started to ruin my daily life sooner or later. Kaito might have targeted me again. And Len might have actually had me institutionalised.

Still, I can't help but think this is the wrong thing to do. I mean, just up and leaving home? And in the middle of the school year? It's going to be difficult to fit into a new school, and to make new friends. I can only hope this school isn't full of bullies… Or maybe I can fit into a 'popular' group? As long as they're a nice group, I really wouldn't mind being the centre of attention for a little while.

I have to actually meet my aunt first. Mother told me all about her when we had our talk last night. Her name is Yukari, and she's supposedly a really nice woman. She's quite younger than Mother, and she lives by herself, so, she'll most likely love the company. It'll be a nice change, though – to live in a less crowded home. I've heard this part of the country is particularly great for amazing scenery, too. There's nature everywhere you look, and the city is old-fashioned. It sounds like a wonderful place, and I'm excited to get there.

A new life… One without all my previous troubles. But the more I think about starting a new life out here… The more alone I start to feel.

…

It's early in the morning. Far too early. It should be illegal to be awake at this hour, but I can't complain, really. I'm full of excitement, but I'm kind of nervous, too. Father and I have just arrived outside the local train station. We haven't been on the road too long, but he told me that we should arrive early to catch the train.

Father is going to make the journey there with me, so he can show me where Yukari's house is and make sure I'm settled in. He says he wants to spend a few hours over there with me, have lunch together, and then he'll be heading back home. Honestly, I wish Mother and Father could come live over here with me, and then we'll just leave my annoying brother by himself. That'd be an ideal situation. But, unfortunately…

"Are you nervous, sweetheart?" Father asks, glancing over to me. We're currently sitting on the seats near the platform, waiting for the train to arrive. He's finally set down his morning newspaper – which he must have grabbed from a kiosk in here – and now he wants to have a chat while we wait.

I gulp lightly, before giving a small nod. "I'm glad you and Mom have been so understanding."

"Of course, Rinny," Father says, giving me an encouraging smile. He wraps an arm around me, pulling me into a sort of side-hug. I take in a breath, appreciating the loving warmth from him. "Still, I can't help feeling guilty about the whole situation with you and your brother. If only your mother and I had noticed the signs sooner…"

A pout pulls at my lips as I hear this. "Don't say that, Dad. It's not your fault, I promise," I say, in a reassuring tone. They're definitely not to blame. It's not their fault Len is so messed up in the head. I just wonder why he hates me. It hurts to think about. What could I have possibly done to make him hate me this much? I guess there won't be an answer.

"I know, sweetie. Still, your mother and I can't help but feel responsible," he continues. I think I can understand that. They feel as though they had the responsibility to look out for me at all times. So, to never notice the way Len treated me… They must feel like they've let me down. I wish I could reassure them both before I leave.

Before I can respond to Father, the sound of the train pulling into the station can be heard. The train slides in smoothly, and an announcement follows to state that the train has arrived. Father and I exchange glances, then we quickly pull ourselves up from the seats. Father takes hold of my suitcase, wrapping a palm around the handle and pulling it along. We move onto the train straight after, finding our seats without much effort.

The train isn't so busy this early in the morning, though there'll most likely be more passengers getting on at later stops. Father finds a spot nearby to place my suitcase, and then, he takes his seat next to me. I can't believe this is really it. We have to sit at the station for a few minutes, so I simply look out the window, watching as people with suitcases come and go.

Eventually, I speak up, just as the doors are closing. "…Do you think I made the wrong choice, Dad?"

There's a slight pause between my question and his response. He seems unsure. "It's hard to say, Rinny. I think it's a good idea, just to get a break and experience new things. You know you can come home whenever you want, whether that's next month, or next year. But your mother and I will make sure you never feel homesick."

I pull my eyes from the window, after watching some of the scenery begin to fly by. I turn my head to Father, a smile pulling at my lips. "Thanks, Dad. That's all I needed to hear." Still, that feeling of uncertainty lingers… I'm sure it's normal, though. Letting out a soft sigh, I turn my eyes back to the window. I'll be at my new home soon.

…

My eyelids flutter open, after feeling a soft tap against my arm. "…Mmh?" I sleepily mumble, blinking a couple times and looking around. I must have fallen asleep. Funny, I don't remember drifting off… But it makes sense, after so much stress. I slowly lift my head and arms off the small table in front of us.

"We're here, Rinny."

I wonder how long I've been asleep. It feels like it's been hours – despite that, I still feel drained. I rub at my tired eyes, before giving a nod. Father and I stand from our seats; he goes over to the area where my suitcase is, taking a moment to collect it. We move towards the train doors together, and admittedly, I'm still having a bit of a hard time processing everything after waking up.

The unfamiliar scenery outside is still flying by. Just as Mother had told me, the whole place is surrounded by nature. While it's beautiful, it's also kind of scary. Maybe it's only that strange feeling people get after waking up from a nap, but there's this overwhelming sense of dread deep inside my heart right now. I try to gulp lightly, only to find my mouth is dry.

The train finally comes to a stop outside a quaint little station. While it looks wonderful, like somewhere out of a movie, it all feels incredibly alien. I can tell, it's such a different atmosphere compared to home. I nervously bite down onto my lower lip, sliding my arm through Father's for some comfort as we step off the train. I take in a breath of the unfamiliar air, and although it's not directly caused by that breath of air, a strong sense of nausea washes over me, twisting a knot in my stomach.

Father says some words of reassurance to me, but I can barely hear him. This is going to be my life now. No matter what happens from now on, I can't go back… Not after everything that happened at home. I begin to follow Father, as he leads me towards aunt Yukari's house. Although the walk is long, it all feels like a blur. Before I know it, we're standing outside a small home situated in a village.

When I blink once, I seem to regain awareness of my surroundings. My eyes widen slightly as I fully realise I'm at my new home. I glance around, taking in the beauty of the area. There's a fairly tall, white fence around the house; there's a cobblestone path which leads towards the house itself. Like everything else in this village, it has a nice, old-fashioned feel to it. And now, I realise… This is perfect.

Father smiles over to me, apparently noticing my awe. "I knew you'd like it here, Rinny. Well… Go on, knock on the door."

I start to feel a bit more excited to finally meet my aunt. I should take everything one step at a time, shouldn't I? Taking in a light breath, I move a step closer and knock twice on the front door. I stand there waiting for a short few moments, before the door is pulled open. Standing in front of me is Yukari… At least, I think so?

The woman is probably in her thirties, yet she appears quite a bit younger. She's wearing a light summer dress, which just falls short of her knees, with a pink jacket thrown over her shoulders. Her style reminds me of something I might wear, surprisingly. Her hair is a light purple, which is currently tied into a braid; it hangs over one shoulder, and there's a summer straw hat adorning her head to finish her outfit off. She looks literally nothing like what I expected.

"Um… A-Aunt Yukari…?" I hesitantly ask, worried that this isn't her at all. I can hear Father chuckle quietly behind me. Oh man, I feel so awkward.

The woman breaks out into a bright grin, before nodding enthusiastically. "Who else, dear? Oh, it's so great to finally meet you, Rin!" Without saying anything else, she quickly moves forward to wrap me in a welcoming hug.

I'm kind of surprised by her hospitable nature, but it's a lovely feeling. I return the hug, and a couple of moments later, Aunt Yukari takes a step back. I let out a sigh of relief after, glad that I didn't mistake her for someone else. "It's really nice to meet you too, Aunty."

"Oh, please! Call me Yukari, sweetie," she says, with a light laugh. She then turns her glance to Father who's standing behind me. "Ah, and look who it is! I feel like I haven't seen you in years, Rinta!"

I awkwardly take a step to the side, so that Yukari can go over to rather tightly hug Father. It seems she's a bit overenthusiastic – Father's facial reaction to this is priceless. After squeezing him for a good few moments, she finally pulls back and faces me once more.

"It's only been a few months, hasn't it, Yukari?" Father lightly rubs at the back of his neck as he speaks. "Well, it's good to stop by, anyway. I'm so glad you agreed to look after our Rinny."

"I'm glad, too," I add, with a shy grin.

Aunty nods in agreement rather happily, before answering. "Yes, yes, of course! It gets pretty lonely here, with it being just me," she says. A sort of pout pulls at her lips for a moment. "And my, I'm so sorry to hear about your situation, Rin. But don't you worry – there'll be none of that here. You see, the community here is so close. We all look after each other, so you don't need to worry at all about if you'll fit in or not."

It's actually pretty relieving to hear those words. That had been one of my top fears on the way over here. But it seems like I'll fit in just fine. I'll only find out for real when I start school here, though. Even so, I give a nod. "Thank you, Yukari. It seems so nice here."

"Mm, it really is!" she responds, brightly as ever. "Oh, and speaking of…" She turns to look over her shoulder for a moment. I try to get a glance of inside the house, but she's kind of blocking the view right now. "I currently have someone inside helping me out with my groceries. Oh, the children here are such sweethearts – they always offer to help out if you have a lot of bags. Why don't we go inside and say hi?"

Wow, the people here really do seem kind. Even if there's a chance to make just one friend on my first day, I'll take it. Father and I exchange glances, before nodding in confirmation to each other. We follow as Yukari turns on her heels and walks inside. Father pulls my suitcase along still, and once I step inside, I can't help but curiously glance around.

The inside of the house is even more amazing than the outside. There's a cosy little entrance hall, with the stairs to the left, and some doors to the right. After taking a few steps inside, I manage to find a place where shoes can be left. While I slide them off my feet, I catch sight of some pictures hanging on the walls. It looks like Yukari has some pictures of herself and Mother when they were children, along with some other relatives I don't recognise. It's sort of sad… I hope she isn't too lonely all by herself out here. But she has me now, so it shouldn't be that bad.

After Father and I place our shoes down, Yukari speaks up. "Rinta, you can leave that suitcase by the stairs for now, okay? I'll take it up for Rinny once we're all settled in."

Father appears to be relieved. He lets out a sigh and sets the suitcase to lean against the wall. It mustn't have been easy to haul around for so long. "Thank you for that, Yukari."

After all that, Aunty leads us into the door furthest from the stairs. We're taken into the kitchen, and while there's a lot more scenery to take in, I immediately notice the person Yukari mentioned at the front door. I can feel a light blush creeping up on my cheeks. Fuck… It just has to be a boy my age, doesn't it? This isn't good.

I gulp lightly, taking in his appearance, while trying not to stare for too long. I briefly note that he has sort of silver hair, intense dark green eyes… Oh dear god, he's so cute. I avert my eyes after a second or two, once he realises there's more people here.

"Oh…?" His voice is kind of deep, yet also kind of dreamy. Oh, no, no. Get a hold of yourself, Rin! You can't go having crushes this early!

"Hello, dear! Sorry, I completely forgot to mention that I was expecting my family today," Yukari giggles quietly, a blush crossing her cheeks. "Rinta. Rin. This is the young man I was telling you about. He's such a sweetheart, isn't he? I told him that it wasn't necessary to help, but no, he wouldn't accept that."

The male smiles modestly, before his eyes catch mine for a split second. I resist the urge to let out a squeak in embarrassment, and quickly pull my eyes away. I hope the blush on my face isn't visible. Please, please, don't be visible. "Aw, it's no problem, Miss Yuzuki. Really."

"My, what a gentleman, indeed," Father says. When I glance over to him, I see him nod his head slowly in approval. Oh geez, I know exactly what he's thinking. "It's a shame I won't be staying for longer. It'd be nice to get to know the young man who helped out my family."

The male rubs at the back of his head, with a soft, shy smile. Even that look of modesty is sooo…

"Rin, sweetie. This is Dell. I think he's about your age – right?" Aunty glances over to him, seeming to forget his exact age.

"That's right. I'm 16," he responds on cue. Well, not exactly my age…

"Ahh, yes…" Yukari nods, apparently remembering the details now. "And of course, Dell. This is my wonderful niece Rin. She's coming to live here for a few years! So, she'll probably be coming to your school. You two should become friends."

I nervously chew at my lower lip, suddenly finding myself at a loss for words. I mumble something in agreement, with a single nod. "It's, uh… it's nice to meet you, Dell." When I sneak a glance up, I can see that he's grinning warmly at me.

"Yeah… it's nice to meet you too, Rin. I'm sure we'll… y'know… get along well," he responds, and I swear it's in the same shy, smitten tone as mine. Am I just hearing things? Or is he just not good at introductions? Either way, I'm sure Father and Yukari are having a field-day with our obvious show of embarrassment.

And before I know it, Aunty is sending us off somewhere else. "Hmm, well! Dell, why don't you leave the rest of the groceries to Rinta and I? You and Rin should go get to know each other a bit! Why don't you tell her about her new school and other things?"

"Uhh…" I quietly mumble, glancing up to Yukari. No, no! Don't leave me alone with a cute boy I barely know…! I mentally shake my head in a frantic manner, but of course, no one can see my protesting.

"Yes, go on, Rin. We can still spend a bit of time together over lunch. You should get to know your new friend," Father adds, clearly approving of our friendship. I know what he's getting at. Dell seems to be a gentleman with truly pure intentions… And Father is a sucker for that. He wants that kind of boy to 'look after me'. Damn it…

Our eyes meet again, for a bit longer this time. Geez, I wish my cheeks would stop burning up so much. "I-Is… um, is that okay with you?" I manage to ask, and of course, I end up stuttering.

"Yeah… Of course. I… I guess I could tell you about school and stuff," Dell responds.

"You two can go out to the garden, if you want!~" Yukari pipes up, with a devilish, match-making grin plastered across her face. "It's just through that door, there!" She points to a white door towards the back of the kitchen.

I let out a quiet sigh. As much as I don't want to be thrown into the deep end already, I suppose it'll be nice to try and make a friend. I know my feelings are all over the place right now. That's why I need to be careful, and I absolutely can't rush into anything. I've learned my mistake from last time… Which is probably why I suddenly feel so nervous. A part of me is terrified of that happening again.

I give Dell a chance, of course. We make our way to the door at the back of the kitchen, and we both step out into the garden. It's relatively small in size, but there are so many different plants and flowers spread across both sides. And the smell of all those flowers is simply blissful. There's a table set near the back with some chairs, on top of the path between all those plants.

We walk slowly, side-by-side, heading towards those chairs. The silence between us is almost painfully awkward. Even talking to him as a friend, I have no clue what to say, so I hope he has something in mind. We take our seats, ending up being sat opposite each other. I lean forward a bit, resting my arms against the table. "Ah, so…"

Dell leans back against the chair, taking in a breath. "Mm… Right, so… What d'you want to know about school?"

I guess that's a good place to start. That's one of my other biggest worries regarding my new home. "Well… What are the people there like? At my old school, we hardly had any nice people, you know?" I start with a relatively simple question.

"Oh, I see. You don't have to worry about people like that," Dell replies, with a sincere smile. "There are a few rude people here and there, but everyone sticks up for each other. Nobody goes through anything alone – there aren't any bullies."

I'm surprised to hear this. I thought Yukari might have been overreacting a bit, but it seems like she isn't. With that, I start to feel a bit comfortable around Dell, thinking I can trust him at least a little more. Before I know it, we've started off a full conversation just about school. He starts to tell me about his group of friends, and some of the things they've got up to together. In turn, I tell him about Meiko and Miku – how they're my only good friends, but I mention all the fun we've had together, too.

Before I know it, I've relaxed entirely around Dell, and we end up talking for quite a long time. It feels nice, knowing I've made a friend already. It seems like I'll be able to forget about all that happened at home, and that soon, I can start to move forward with my life. There's a chance I won't be all alone here.

…