a fateful reunion ;
rin

Freckles of sun darted across the monotonous bedroom as waves of ashes were painted across the walls. This gave the room a calming gray hue, a beautiful sight indeed.

Rin was huddled comfortably on her bed, the ivory sheets embracing her as the coldness of the cloth seeped through her sleepy body, soothing her like a mother caressing her child.

Sleep...Is so nice. The girl silently thinks to herself, tugging at the corners of her pillowcase with her slender pale fingers. What time is it..? She thinks to herself once more, the cloud of drowsiness showering over her body.

Rin yawned as she slowly sat up from her bed, sleepy eyes caressing the ivory walls of her dull-looking bedroom. Her eyes then landed on her cellphone that was placed on her vanilla-colored side table, and her fingers instantly snatched it. Rin unlocked her cellphone, going through several text messages, some that included Fukase, Gumi, and of course, Mikuo.

But two specific contacts caught her eye.

Miku, and Len.

A shiver crawled through her body as her chest began to ache suddenly, and she cursed underneath her shaking breath; pearls tears beginning to fill the corners of her porcelain blue eyes.

I'm not doing this today, I can't cry right now.

The blonde tossed her bedsheets away from her body, placing her bare feet onto the cold floor, the coldness of it flowing through her body as she quietly shivered, hugging herself in an attempt to warm herself up.

The girl walked toward her kitchen, but once she looked at the stove, her stomach didn't complain about delicious food.

Rin didn't feel hungry for some reason; she just didn't have the energy to cook anything for herself.

"Meh, I'll eat later," She muttered, turning her heels as she headed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, leaving the dense cloud of gloominess in the kitchen all alone.

Rin stared at the center of her coffee, her lips forming into a somewhat unpleasant expression; she had always hated coffee, it just tasted so bitter, and flavorless, she didn't know how to describe it.

The sound of people excitingly bustling in the crowded food court rang in her eardrums. 'So much for peace and quiet', Rin thought in the back of her mind, reclining against her chair. 'It is eleven in the morning though.'

An envelopment of thin arms circled around the blonde-haired female's neck, which caused her to flinch at the unexpected warmth.

What the—

"Who am I?" The voice was sweet and practically easy to guess—she'd recognize that voice anywhere, anytime.

Rin's lips formed into a satisfied smile. "Hi, Gumi." The blonde sighs, finding ease in the soothing hug. When was the last time I ever felt like this? "Hey, RinRin!" The greenette steals the seat beside her, placing her book bag onto the surface of the table, along with some study books. "Jeez," Rin winced, "That's a big pile of books, what the heck are you studying?" The blonde grumbled, setting her head onto the cold surface of the table, the frigidity searing through her body. "I know you want to be a painter, but come on."

"Oh, these?" Gumi grabs one of the books, "These aren't mine, they're Fukase's. I had him over at my place, and he just left them there." The greenette states, stuffing the book inside her cramped bookbag. "Ah, you had him over, eh?" A smirk formed on Rin's lips.

Gumi tilts her head; once she understood what Rin meant, her face flushed. "I-it was a study session! J-just a study session!" The girl exclaims, her throat and ears reddening with embarrassment. "Yeah sure," Rin smirks as she tilts her head back a little, sighing. "Like I'm gonna believe that."

"RIN!"

"Pfft—okay, okay! I'm sorry!" Rin laughs, shaking her head a little as she sighed once more. Her stomach began to ache a little, and it wasn't until it started to growl as to say: 'Feed me, human!' Or something like that. "You hungry?" Gumi asks, "Don't tell me you skipped breakfast again!"

Rin laughs nervously. "Sorry, it's just too heavy for my stomach." She says.

The greenette groaned. "Jeez, Rin. You and Fukase are the exact same, it's unbelievable!" Gumi complained, pinching her nose bridge as she continued mumbling something under her breath. "Come on, let's go eat something." The greenette grasped Rin's elbow, tugging her out of her seat.

"Wanna get some pancakes? I heard the breakfast they make here is really good, we should try it!" Gumi suggested as the blonde nodded in agreement.

The two females lined up near the station, and a couple of people formed up in front of them; the line wasn't that long, but it would take a little while. In order to kill some time, Rin glanced around the food court, curious eyes landing on several restaurants, such as yummy fast food, or delicious Asian cuisine.

But one specific restaurant caught her eye.

Wait a minute...Isn't...

Isn't that..Lily's brand?—

"Next!"

"Rin, hey, RinRin!" The greenette tugged on Rin's arm, which broke her away from her paranoid thoughts. "Tell me what you wanna order, you want the standard breakfast?"

"O-oh, uh..yeah." Rin shook her head a little and smiled, clearing her throat a bit violently as she tried clear her head from what she had just seen. Maybe I'm just seeing things, yeah. That definitely wasn't Lily's brand, I think I'm just going crazy.

The blonde swallowed a hard lump of saliva. It had been so long since she had seen them; four years to be exact. She didn't know if she was ready to see them again after what happened to Len and Miku—Hell, Lily probably wasn't even aware of their tragic deaths; she probably doesn't even keep in touch with Luka anymore.

Gumi glanced at Rin, who was biting her nails. "Rin, you can go wait for me at our table. I don't mind." The greenette smiles a little, which calmed Rin's throbbing anxious nerves. "Y-yeah, okay. See ya there then." The blonde laughs nervously as she began to hastily walk toward their table, continuing to bite her nails anxiously.

She wanted to keep biting them until they bled. However, biting them while looking down at the ground wasn't necessarily a good idea, because in the next moment she had bumped into someone.

Shit.

"Fuck," Rin silently cursed underneath her breath, hoping the mysterious stranger wouldn't hear what she had just spoken. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't see where I was going and—"

"It's okay."

The moment her azure eyes had connected with the stranger's calm, ocean-colored ones, Rin froze on the spot. The gentle gaze, the mature expression they effortlessly wore, and their deep, yet soft laced voice that flowed like honey in Rin's ears, it was all too familiar. In front of her, a wide-eyed pink-haired woman stood, her flowy pink hair tugged into a ponytail, which was thrown in front of her shoulder.

Rin's breath hitched, and her heart completely thumped against her aching chest.

"Luka?"


[NOTE]

It seems we have someone else joining the story...

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Have a great day/night wherever you are!

(Sorry for reuploading this chapter, had to do some minor adjustments.)