Twin Hearts: A Parallel Destiny
Chapter 2: Leap of Loss
Sei glanced down at his watch. He still had twenty minutes until this period ended. Until school ended for the day.
He sighed as he jogged down the hallway until he reached the corner the girl had taken earlier, then he slowed to a walk, and cautiously and quickly peered into each of the classrooms, scanning the rows quickly, trying to pick her out.
Halfway down the left side of the hallway he spotted her. He knew it was her because she was totally spaced out, and her milky brown hair just barely touched her shoulders. Not to mention the look of pain on her face.
Well, no one else would notice it. It was just barely there. A hint of inner turmoil. Sei could tell. It was an expression he wore all too often. Only, for him, no one noticed.
Rei could sense there was something wrong with him, but wasn't actually sure what. After all, Sei had been slipping further and further away form him, or at least that's how it felt to him sometimes. But he didn't know what was wrong, so he couldn't exactly bring him back. It was like he was fading away...
And that was exactly the way she looked...Like she was trampled on and withering away into dust...Poor thing...
Well, I've found her...But now what?...It's not like I can sit by the door and wait for her to come out... He glanced down at his watch again. Five minutes. Then again, maybe he could.
He leaned against the lockers next to the door...and waited...
After what seemed like an hour, the bell rang. We watched the kids pour out of the room, and realized that she wasn't with them. He took a step forward into the doorway...and got trampled by her a second time. Although this time, he did fall over, and slid across the floor on his rear.
Tomo looked down at him, shock and her depressed look from before mixing on her face. Sei tried to manage a weak smile. Tomo gently shook her head, as if to clear something out, and then bowed, muttered an apology, and then ran down the hallway...and up the stairs?!?...That wasn't a good sign!
Sei scrambled off the floor, and onto his feet and flew after her. "Hey, wait!"
He cursed himself for not at least trying to make an atempt at athletics earlier on in the year, now he was suffering for it. He couldn't run half as fast as Rei could. After all, when Rei was playing basketball with the guys, he was sketching, or painting. Now his legs were suffering for that, as he bounded up the stairs after her.
He heard the door to the roof slam. It shouldn't have been open in the first place, which meant either the janitors had left it open again after cleaning the roof...or she had somehow found a way to open it herself, which was a really bad sign.
Sei sped up. He didn't have any time to loose. She was probably already on the ledge. Taking a last look around before she took that fatal step...Something he had seriously been debating doing himself lately.
He threw open the door, gasping for air, trying to recover his breath, to see her standing on the ledge.
She twitched when she heard the door slam against the wall, but she didn't dare to look behind her now.
The only reason she hadn't jumped yet was because she was too busy thinking about the boy she had ran into. It had to have been Sei, because he looked just like Rei, but his personality was completely different. More quiet most of all. Not half as outgoing as Rei. Rei...
That was one of the other reasons she had been so upset lately. Her self- esteem plummeted below zero when the day she decided to tell him how she felt, she found out he had just started going out with Shiori. She had known that he liked her, but figured that he would never take her from Sei. They were twins, closer than best friends, from what she had observed, anyway.
And now, he was taken. Besides, they looked so happy together, she couldn't break them apart. He'd probably just laugh at her, anyway. Most people didn't even notice her in class or in the hallways. She was a loner, always had been. But now, she was tired of being alone. She sighed, damn tired.
She noticed the ground get blurry and the feel of moisture on her cheek. She had started to cry. She cursed at herself for that, she was supposed to be strong, not wimpy...And yet, she was taking the coward's way out. She nearly laughed at that. All this time she had spent trying to make herself strong, numb to her feelings. All wasted.
She didn't care what her father thought. After all, he didn't care about her, just his reputation. It was always the same thing. Every time she did something wrong, 'How does that make me look?' he would say. Not that he was worried about her, or that she shouldn't do that because of whatever reason. No. Because it made him look bad. Well, fuck him.
She felt bad for her mother, for she couldn't stand Tomo's father, and was thinking about suicide herself lately. And her cat. The only two that will miss me are my mother...and my cat...Wow.
That was it. It was settled, she was going to jump. She cursed at herself for spacing out again, right before she got ready to jump, too. Then again, it didn't matter, anyway. Actually, it would be a good thing if she spaced out after she jumped. She really didn't want to feel the concrete at the bottom of the five story drop.
"Well, here goes nothing. Quite literally," she mumbled to herself as she raised her right foot off the edge and prepared to take that final leap. She had nothing to loose, anyway. Other than her life, that is. But she didn't want that, anyway.
"No! Don't jump!" she heard behind her as she stepped off the roof into the air next to it. Maybe it was just her conscience. Most likely.
Sei swore as he dove towards the edge, barely grabbing her arm in time. Her arm was limp in his hand. He swore as he looked down at her. Cursing himself for not being able to stop her in time, and cursing her for jumping.
After a few moments she shook her head and looked around like she was confused. And then, she looked up...
The whites of her eyes grew as she realized that someone had caught her. Sei now had both his hands on her arm, and was attempting to hoist her up, but it wasn't working, and she wasn't helping. She was hanging there, limp, and staring at him in shock.
Shortly there after, there were tears in her eyes, and she looked up at him with misery clearly written across her face, like if she looked at him long enough like that, maybe he would have pity on her and let go. His stomach lurched. Why would she want to die so badly? He had never even noticed her before, so what problems could she possibly have? Someone who was paid no attention to wouldn't have problems with bullies, or their friends, right?...So what was her problem?
Sei shut his eyes hard and willed his thoughts to go away. He would have to analyze her some other time. Right now he needed to get her back on the roof, for some people had noticed and stopped, gathering on the side walk below.
"Give me your other hand," he asked her.
Reluctantly, eyes shifted downward in defeat, she gave him her other hand, and he pulled her up onto the ledge, and seated her on the roof after he lead her a safe distance away from the edge.
All she wanted to do now was cry. She couldn't even die when she wanted to. It seemed that everyone else around her controlled her life. Everyone except herself. She brought her knees up to her chest, wrapped her hands around her legs, and then rested her head against her knees. Her hair shielded her face and her tears, and all Sei could do was watch as her shoulders heaved from quiet sobs, and feel his own heart ache with a pain that was probably similar to her own.
***
A/N: Poor Tomo...So what will she do now? Attempt suicide a different way, perhaps. After all, Sei won't be following her around to stop her again, right? Maybe life isn't so bad after all...But then again, when the only person she can trust with her troubles is her cat, what will become of her? And the last thing she wants is that damn social worker after her again. Curious? Well, then review so you can read the next chapter!
Next chapter:...Chapter 3: A Good Lie
Chapter 2: Leap of Loss
Sei glanced down at his watch. He still had twenty minutes until this period ended. Until school ended for the day.
He sighed as he jogged down the hallway until he reached the corner the girl had taken earlier, then he slowed to a walk, and cautiously and quickly peered into each of the classrooms, scanning the rows quickly, trying to pick her out.
Halfway down the left side of the hallway he spotted her. He knew it was her because she was totally spaced out, and her milky brown hair just barely touched her shoulders. Not to mention the look of pain on her face.
Well, no one else would notice it. It was just barely there. A hint of inner turmoil. Sei could tell. It was an expression he wore all too often. Only, for him, no one noticed.
Rei could sense there was something wrong with him, but wasn't actually sure what. After all, Sei had been slipping further and further away form him, or at least that's how it felt to him sometimes. But he didn't know what was wrong, so he couldn't exactly bring him back. It was like he was fading away...
And that was exactly the way she looked...Like she was trampled on and withering away into dust...Poor thing...
Well, I've found her...But now what?...It's not like I can sit by the door and wait for her to come out... He glanced down at his watch again. Five minutes. Then again, maybe he could.
He leaned against the lockers next to the door...and waited...
After what seemed like an hour, the bell rang. We watched the kids pour out of the room, and realized that she wasn't with them. He took a step forward into the doorway...and got trampled by her a second time. Although this time, he did fall over, and slid across the floor on his rear.
Tomo looked down at him, shock and her depressed look from before mixing on her face. Sei tried to manage a weak smile. Tomo gently shook her head, as if to clear something out, and then bowed, muttered an apology, and then ran down the hallway...and up the stairs?!?...That wasn't a good sign!
Sei scrambled off the floor, and onto his feet and flew after her. "Hey, wait!"
He cursed himself for not at least trying to make an atempt at athletics earlier on in the year, now he was suffering for it. He couldn't run half as fast as Rei could. After all, when Rei was playing basketball with the guys, he was sketching, or painting. Now his legs were suffering for that, as he bounded up the stairs after her.
He heard the door to the roof slam. It shouldn't have been open in the first place, which meant either the janitors had left it open again after cleaning the roof...or she had somehow found a way to open it herself, which was a really bad sign.
Sei sped up. He didn't have any time to loose. She was probably already on the ledge. Taking a last look around before she took that fatal step...Something he had seriously been debating doing himself lately.
He threw open the door, gasping for air, trying to recover his breath, to see her standing on the ledge.
She twitched when she heard the door slam against the wall, but she didn't dare to look behind her now.
The only reason she hadn't jumped yet was because she was too busy thinking about the boy she had ran into. It had to have been Sei, because he looked just like Rei, but his personality was completely different. More quiet most of all. Not half as outgoing as Rei. Rei...
That was one of the other reasons she had been so upset lately. Her self- esteem plummeted below zero when the day she decided to tell him how she felt, she found out he had just started going out with Shiori. She had known that he liked her, but figured that he would never take her from Sei. They were twins, closer than best friends, from what she had observed, anyway.
And now, he was taken. Besides, they looked so happy together, she couldn't break them apart. He'd probably just laugh at her, anyway. Most people didn't even notice her in class or in the hallways. She was a loner, always had been. But now, she was tired of being alone. She sighed, damn tired.
She noticed the ground get blurry and the feel of moisture on her cheek. She had started to cry. She cursed at herself for that, she was supposed to be strong, not wimpy...And yet, she was taking the coward's way out. She nearly laughed at that. All this time she had spent trying to make herself strong, numb to her feelings. All wasted.
She didn't care what her father thought. After all, he didn't care about her, just his reputation. It was always the same thing. Every time she did something wrong, 'How does that make me look?' he would say. Not that he was worried about her, or that she shouldn't do that because of whatever reason. No. Because it made him look bad. Well, fuck him.
She felt bad for her mother, for she couldn't stand Tomo's father, and was thinking about suicide herself lately. And her cat. The only two that will miss me are my mother...and my cat...Wow.
That was it. It was settled, she was going to jump. She cursed at herself for spacing out again, right before she got ready to jump, too. Then again, it didn't matter, anyway. Actually, it would be a good thing if she spaced out after she jumped. She really didn't want to feel the concrete at the bottom of the five story drop.
"Well, here goes nothing. Quite literally," she mumbled to herself as she raised her right foot off the edge and prepared to take that final leap. She had nothing to loose, anyway. Other than her life, that is. But she didn't want that, anyway.
"No! Don't jump!" she heard behind her as she stepped off the roof into the air next to it. Maybe it was just her conscience. Most likely.
Sei swore as he dove towards the edge, barely grabbing her arm in time. Her arm was limp in his hand. He swore as he looked down at her. Cursing himself for not being able to stop her in time, and cursing her for jumping.
After a few moments she shook her head and looked around like she was confused. And then, she looked up...
The whites of her eyes grew as she realized that someone had caught her. Sei now had both his hands on her arm, and was attempting to hoist her up, but it wasn't working, and she wasn't helping. She was hanging there, limp, and staring at him in shock.
Shortly there after, there were tears in her eyes, and she looked up at him with misery clearly written across her face, like if she looked at him long enough like that, maybe he would have pity on her and let go. His stomach lurched. Why would she want to die so badly? He had never even noticed her before, so what problems could she possibly have? Someone who was paid no attention to wouldn't have problems with bullies, or their friends, right?...So what was her problem?
Sei shut his eyes hard and willed his thoughts to go away. He would have to analyze her some other time. Right now he needed to get her back on the roof, for some people had noticed and stopped, gathering on the side walk below.
"Give me your other hand," he asked her.
Reluctantly, eyes shifted downward in defeat, she gave him her other hand, and he pulled her up onto the ledge, and seated her on the roof after he lead her a safe distance away from the edge.
All she wanted to do now was cry. She couldn't even die when she wanted to. It seemed that everyone else around her controlled her life. Everyone except herself. She brought her knees up to her chest, wrapped her hands around her legs, and then rested her head against her knees. Her hair shielded her face and her tears, and all Sei could do was watch as her shoulders heaved from quiet sobs, and feel his own heart ache with a pain that was probably similar to her own.
***
A/N: Poor Tomo...So what will she do now? Attempt suicide a different way, perhaps. After all, Sei won't be following her around to stop her again, right? Maybe life isn't so bad after all...But then again, when the only person she can trust with her troubles is her cat, what will become of her? And the last thing she wants is that damn social worker after her again. Curious? Well, then review so you can read the next chapter!
Next chapter:...Chapter 3: A Good Lie