Hi, guys! So, I guess school is starting again. Or university. Or college. Or whatever it is we do these days. I just dunno anymore! Then again, my classes started near the end of August, so I guess I'm already back at school! Speaking of school, I think it's safe to say that Toshiro and Ren are going to have one hell of a day!
Chapter 14
The Most Painful Kindness
"Alright, everyone seems to be here. First period is in fifteen minutes, so feel free to chat among yourselves." A teacher with brown hair tied up in a bun snapped closed a clipboard and left the small classroom, leaving the fifteen teenagers in the room, but some had already picked up their bags and were starting to leave the room, yet the rest remained where they were. Among them were Toshiro and Ren, the latter with her focus drawn to a shoujo manga book in her hands. Toshiro himself was sat on the windowsill, gazing out of the window down at the quad area in front of the common room that was just two floors down.
A few days have gone by since that attack. Toshiro thought. He glanced at a calendar on the wall. It read Thursday, so Toshiro deduced that it was nearly a week, and he was surprised to see that it said February. So, he had been here nearly a month already? Phenomenal! No Feathers have appeared since that machine. I don't know if that's good or bad. Ren, however, doesn't seem to think it's a big deal, but then again, it's hard to tell what she's thinking. I haven't seen nor heard from those two members of the Twelve Masters, either. I haven't had any more premonitions, but the other two have yet to come true, so I need to keep my guard up regarding Nathan, but I should still tread carefully. Toshiro glanced over his shoulder at his back. That burning on my back hasn't reappeared, either. If anything… Toshiro looked back out the window, his own reflection staring back at him. It's as if there is no such thing as White Raven. But, now that I know how I'm linked to this, I have to do what I can to help Ren. The sooner my powers return, the sooner I can leave my Gigai, and the sooner I can really fight.
"…" Ren glanced over the edge of her book, looking in all corners of the room with her eyes. There were less people here than before, but she knew that they were out of ear shot. Good. Remembering where she was in her book, Ren shut her book and dropped it in her bag. She stood up from the table and turned to Toshiro. "Hey, Shiro."
"Yes?" Toshiro looked away from the window and over to Ren, who seemed rather focused, which surprised Toshiro. But, he knew that this meant Ren needed to talk about something. Something important.
"I've been thinking about something for a few days now, and I think I have a theory."
"About what?" Toshiro asked. Ren looked over her shoulder both ways before moving Toshiro's legs off the windowsill so that she could sit beside him.
"It's about the Feather cores."
"You mean those gold Feathers?"
"Yeah. These." Ren pulled out her draw string bag from her pocket, and placed it on the window sill between the two of them. "I think they're more important than we think."
"I've been meaning to ask about that. Why were you collecting them in the first place?"
"I was being smart. Anyway, I think these things might come in handy at some point."
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, you know when Pixie said they weren't important back the lido? I thought it over, and I think it's not that they're unimportant, but that she doesn't know how important they are. If they remain silver, then they can be turned back into Feathers. We've established that. But, when they turn gold just by me touching them, they become "purified", as they say, and Pixie automatically assumed them to be useless. But, if they were useless, then how would she be able to sense them? So, there must be some kind of magic in them if she can sense the, right?"
"I see…"
"Secondly, I think the Twelve Masters might know something about them. After Caleb and Lina defeated the Mecha Feather, Lina gave the Feather core to me."
"So?"
"If it was so useless, then she would have destroyed it or thrown it away. But, instead, she gave it to me to purify it and store it away. The only logical explanation I can think of is that she knows I'm collecting them, and she knows that they have another purpose besides bringing out Feathers. The only question is what." Ren picked up the bag again, and tossed it in her hand. "In other words, I think you and I should each try and find out what these gold cores can do, and how we can use them in the future."
"…" Toshiro nodded. But, he was really trying to hide the fact that he hadn't thought about the Feather cores like that. He genuinely thought that Ren was collecting them out of a random impulse, of which she had many. After all, she had taken her words seriously from the other day, and she was literally carrying a counter to keep track of how many of her stupid ideas worked. So far, she was at six, and for some reason, it really annoyed him yet amused him at the same time. Plus, Ren had actually thought this whole situation with the Feather cores through, which showed that she was a very intelligent person and can still look her usual cheerful and dense self. She really was a unique girl.
"And Shiro?"
"What is it?"
"Your powers. Are they coming back?"
"Little by little. But with Ryuki's powers coming through, too, I think I might be able to join you in the fight soon."
"Yay!" Ren cheered, throwing her arms up in the air. She jumped off the windowsill, grabbed her bag and practically skipped towards the door. "English first! English first!" Ren sang, while Toshiro marvelled at how Ren was always energetic, even in the morning. How can she act like this when she looked half-dead when she got out of bed this morning? Ren felt like one of the greatest mysteries of the world to him.
"Hey, move it!"
"Damn" Toshiro cursed, jumping down from the windowsill. There was only one person Ren spoke to like that. He left the classroom, and scowled at who he saw. Nathan. The last person he ever wanted to see. Ever since the week begun, he had caused some form of ruckus almost every single day in the school and Ren was always there to try and stop him. It's bad enough that Ren was his favourite, but her selflessness was seriously going to get her hurt.
"Nathan, I said move it. I have class now."
"What? I just wanted a chat." Nathan said innocently.
"Yeah, sure you did." Ren said sarcastically. "Now, let me through."
"…" Toshiro stared at Nathan, expecting some form of resistance. But, to his surprise, he stepped aside and beckoned her through like a butler welcoming a guest inside.
"Thank you." Ren nodded her head at Nathan, and walked past him. "Come on, Shiro." But, Nathan turned around and grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving.
"!" Toshiro clenched his fists, resisting the urge to step in and help, no matter how much he wanted to.
"Did you really think it was going to be that easy, Reny?"
"…" Toshiro wasn't sure what angered him the most; Nathan laying a hand on Ren, or the annoyingly affectionate nickname.
"What do you want?" Ren asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice. She shrugged Nathan's grip on her arm and turned around to face him. "In case you didn't hear me, I have a lesson now, and I like to arrive on time."
"This won't take long. It's just that I've been dying to ask you a question." Nathan raised a hand up and placed it on the side of Ren's smooth face, yet she did not react. "Why did you leave school on Friday? Why would you leave so early in the school day? You said you would protect your friends and the department from me, did you not? But the fact that you left them to my wrath led me to believe that your resolve isn't as strong as I thought. You're lucky that I have a kind side and left them alone that day. After all, I know that the little-uns would be devastated if they knew you willingly abandoned them."
"Don't you dare accuse me of abandoning them!" Ren snapped, the annoyed tone in her voice replaced with an angry one. "I did it because a friend needed me, end of story."
"That's all?"
"That's all." Ren slapped Nathan's hand away from her face and turned around again to walk away.
"Hold it right there." Nathan said, deliberately placing a hand on Ren's upper back. Ren immediately stopped walking, her eyes wide. She spun around and instinctively elbowed Nathan in the gut.
"Ourgh!" Nathan groaned, clutching his stomach and staggering back a bit. He had forgotten how sharp Ren's elbows were. With his smirk on his face, he looked up at Ren, who still looked a little fearful after that sudden contact, while Toshiro was alarmed at her reaction. But, she acted almost the same way when he touched her back at the shop a month ago, so it made sense. Somehow. Toshiro counted himself lucky that Ren didn't elbow him that time. That looked like it hurt!
"Don't touch me there." Ren said quietly.
"Yeah. You hate having your back touched, right?" Nathan said, still recovering from Ren's attack. "Well, it was the only way to get your attention." Nathan straightened up, keeping a hand where Ren hit him. "I guess that hasn't changed. But, what has changed is your attitude. You used to be so different. Quiet. Weak. Helpless. A cry baby. But, you were prone to being violent and angry at the smallest thing. I liked that about you. But now, you're a different person. You keep getting in the way of my fun. But be warned, Ren." Nathan leaned closer to Ren until their faces were inches apart. Ren, who had calmed down, stared back with a neutral expression on her face. "You were my favourite toy, and if you keep this up, you'll have that title again." Nathan straightened up again. "So, what do you have to say to that?"
"Breath mints." Ren said bluntly.
"Pfft." Toshiro held back a laugh at Ren's bluntness, but as soon as Nathan and Ren's eyes fell on him, he quickly pretended to cough. Why does he always get such weird looks whenever he laughs or smiles?!
"Still nothing?" Nathan said simply, raising an eyebrow. "Let me tell you, sugar, you're going to regret crossing my path." Nathan walked past Ren with his hands in his pocket, but stopped when he was in front of Toshiro. "That goes for you, too, Snowy." Nathan placed a hand on Toshiro's shoulder, who was still resisting the strong urge to deck him, especially after that nickname. He found it more annoying than not being addressed by his title! "A little advice, man to man. Don't waste your time with that girl. She's worthless."
"I can decide for myself." Toshiro said fiercely, shrugging Nathan's hand off him. Nathan shrugged while still wearing his smirk on his face.
"Your choice, kid. Just remember; everyone has ghosts in their closet. Including her." Nathan pointed at Ren with his head and then proceeded to walk around the corner and vanish from sight.
"Damn, I have half a mind to punch him in the face." Ren grumbled. "Thanks for not interfering, Shiro."
"I still don't understand why you don't want me to do anything. No matter how much you say no, you need help."
"No can do, Shiro. I stand by what I said. I fight my battles by myself."
"Fine." Toshiro muttered, knowing that there was no persuading Ren when she was this stubborn. "That aside, what did he mean by ghosts?"
"I don't believe in ghosts." Ren said, turning around so that Toshiro saw her blank expression that showed she was clueless.
"No, see, what he means is that there is something in the past that you've been hiding." Toshiro explained.
"Oh." A pause. "Oh…" Ren looked away, avoiding looking directly at Toshiro.
"What did he mean by that, Ren?" Toshiro asked, pressing her for an answer. Ren said nothing, and only responded by shifting her bag on her shoulder.
"It's…" Ren started.
"…" Toshiro looked away, scowling. He just knew that Ren was about to say "It's complicated". Why can't she just be straight with him?!
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Huh?" Toshiro looked back at Ren after hearing that response. She was still looking at the ground, but Toshiro saw an unmistakable sad look in her eyes. Should he carry on questioning her? Or leave it be? What should he do?
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Dah!" Ren exclaimed. "I'm late!" Ren promptly ran down the corridor and in literally one second she ran straight into a classroom, not noticing how she had dropped the manga book she was reading earlier. "No, no, no, no, I'm not late, I'm not late, I was, er, I was here the whole time." Silence. "Okay, I'm late. I'm sorry. Hey, where's my book?" Ren poked her head around the door frame. "Oh, there it is. Shiro, come on!"
"I'll be right there!" Toshiro yelled back. It's amazing how, in one instant, Ren can act like nothing ever happened and return to her usual, happy self. But, that look in her eyes bothered him. What exactly happened to Ren? What did Nathan do to her? Better yet, what did Ren do, if anything?
…
"Okay, here's one. Which apocalypse would you prefer? Zombies or aliens?" Steph asked the two powerless Soul Reapers, Ren and Tom as they sat at a table in the cafeteria. It was the middle of the lunch rush, and there were students filing in and out of the doors, while many of Nathan's friends, and Nathan himself, were standing around doing little things like making students move to the back of the line if they were prefects, stealing their dessert, and occasionally, tripping them up.
"Oh, wow. That's a hard one." Tom said, holding his chin.
"Yeah, they're both kinda cool." Ren agreed.
"Do the aliens still do anal probing?" Tom asked.
"Not anymore but they have the gun."
"Then there's your answer." Tom decided.
"I'm going with zombies. I mean, if zombies come, then that means there are no rules, and you spend every day beating the crap out of corpses and destroying stuff! It's just like the video games, and if you ask me, that would be pretty awesome! But, with aliens, everything gets vaporised, and that's it. Our weapons don't work against them. Instant victory. With zombies, all it takes is a good whack to the head and victory is yours. Aliens; well, their weakness changes every time, from water to some weird country song to…to…whatever it is Hollywood movie directors come up with! But, everything still gets vaporised, no matter what their weakness is! If I'm gonna live in a destroyed world, I want to be able to have fun!"
"Good point. Can I change my answer?"
"No."
"Dang it!" Tom banged a fist on the table, making it rattle a little.
"What about you, Toshiro?" Steph asked, noticing that he and Ichigo haven't said anything.
"Not interested." Toshiro muttered, folding his arms.
"Aw, come on, Shiro."
"Fine. Zombies." Toshiro said in a bored tone, hoping that that would be the end of it. For some reason, it was getting harder and harder for him to say no to Ren.
"Ichigo?" Steph looked to Ichigo.
"Um…I don't know. Aliens sound interesting."
"Wait, Shiro, you said zombies, didn't you?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Don't you already live in a zombie apocalypse?" Ren asked. Silence. Toshiro and Ichigo both looked rather blank. "I mean, Hollows are made from dead souls, right? Technically, wouldn't that make them zombies?"
I never thought about it like that. Ichigo and Toshiro both thought, dumbfounded at Ren's logic, even if it did somehow make sense.
"Well with that bombshell, I'll go and get the food. The queue has died down a bit." Ren stood up, bringing out her student card. But, she didn't notice the banana peel on the floor behind her, while Toshiro did.
"Ren, banana!" Toshiro said quickly, standing up.
"Huh? What bana-" Ren stopped herself when she stepped on the peel and slipped. "NA!" Ren yelped, landing face first on the ground. "Uuuu…" Ren groaned, rubbing her head. "That hurt."
"Are you alright?" Tom asked, standing up to help Ren back on her feet.
"Yeah, just a bump on the noggin."
"…" Toshiro glanced down at the table, deep in thought. "It was just her head." He muttered.
"Eh? Did you say something, Toshiro? Ichigo asked, over hearing what Toshiro said.
"Um, I said that it was just Ren's head that got hurt. I mean, it could have been a lot worse." Toshiro said quickly, making a mental note to not say his thoughts out loud. He almost gave away the fact that he had premonitions. "And it's Captain Hitsugaya." Toshiro corrected as he sat back down again.
"You sure you want to pay for the food?" Tom asked Ren.
"Yeah, it's no problem. I mean, you only have two pounds left, Steph lost hers, Shiro never has an appetite, and Ichigo already ate. I've got this!" Ren insisted, still smiling.
"You're too generous, Ren." Toshiro said, grabbing her attention.
"That's just the way I am!" Ren said happily.
"I mean, you're too kind for your own good."
"How so?" Ren asked, confused.
"Your kindness is great, I admit that, but…it makes me worry that kindness will only get you hurt."
"!" Ren's eyes widened a little at what Toshiro said, and she looked away.
"Ren? What's wrong?" Steph asked.
"I'm going to get the food." Ren said, briskly walking off, but Toshiro noted how her voice did not sound upbeat as it usually did. What did he do?
"You almost crossed the line there, Toshiro." Steph said, leaning closer towards him. "Try not to touch that spot, otherwise she might snap."
"Why? What did I say that was so wrong?"
"Ren's a complicated person. There are some parts of Ren that not even Tom and I understand. The answer will come in due time."
"Tell me something I don't know." Toshiro grumbled, resting his head in his hand and tuning out Tom's insistence that he change his answer to zombies, while Steph kept shaking her head, and Ichigo rolled his eyes. Toshiro looked over to his left, where Ren was moving two trays along the line, one with two plates on it, and the other with her food. Just what was she hiding from him? Why did she behave so strangely just now? Ren was one mystery after the other. The sooner he figured Ren out, the sooner he would stop feeling so confused around her.
"I'm er…I'm going to help Ren." Toshiro said, saying the first excuse he could think of, and he stood up and went over to Ren. Tom and Steph looked at one another, confused, but Ichigo smirked a little. It seems Toshiro still hated to apologise, or even admit to apologising. Maybe it was Ren doing this to him.
"Ren?"
"Hm?" Ren looked over at Toshiro, who was right behind her. "Oh, hi, Shiro."
"Let me help." Before Ren could answer, Toshiro grabbed the tray that had Ren's food on it, while Ren went to the tray with Steph and Tom's spaghetti and beef and noodles. Toshiro noticed how there was a pack of beef sandwiches on her tray, which almost made him laugh, considering how Ren said he had no appetite. It was like he said; Ren was too generous. "Listen, I…"
"It's fine. "Ren said dismissively. "I just spaced out for a minute." Ren grinned at Toshiro. "It's all good!"
"So, you're not mad at me?"
"Nuh uh." Ren shook her head. "No point making a mountain out of a mole hill." Ren handed her card to the woman at the checkout. Toshiro looked at the cafeteria, trying to find where Ichigo and the other two were sitting, but his eyes were soon drawn to Nathan, who Ren didn't seem to notice. He was just coming towards Ren, and he finished a banana and dropped the peel on the ground, out of Ren's line of sight and making sure nobody noticed. But, Toshiro was the only one who saw. He looked back to Ren to warn her, but she was already walking towards Steph and Tom.
"Watch out!" Toshiro yelled.
"NYA!"
CRASH!
"!" Most of the students in the room stopped in their tracks after Ren fell on the ground. She was surrounded by food and broken plates, and she obviously didn't notice how there was a lump of noodles on her head. But there were hushed whispers all around, and Toshiro looked on at the scene before him, wide eyed.
"Ow…" Ren groaned, rubbing her head. "My shin and head hurt. I have two owies! I think I hit a chair on my way down." She sat up a little, a hand on her leg and her head, still not noticing the noodles, even when a little sauce trickled down her face. "Damn…"
This is… Toshiro thought, recognising the image. It's the other vision! That means… Toshiro remembered the final vision of Ren crying. That was going to come true any day now! But, he shook his head quickly to snap himself out of it. He had the present to worry about right now.
"Ren!" Toshiro dropped down on his knees beside Ren, skidding a little. "Are you okay?"
"I'll live." Ren groaned.
"Wow, Ren, that was quite the slip up." Nathan parted the crowds to look down at the food-covered Ren, his smirk on his face. "That's the second time you slipped in less than five minutes. I guess you should have kept your eyes peeled."
"Your puns are terrible." Ren said simply.
"You bastard." Toshiro growled. "You dropped it there."
"But who saw me?" Nathan asked, bringing his hands up to his shoulders with an innocent look on his face. Nobody said anything. "You see? What proof do you have? Ren's clumsy, so how do you know she didn't just slip? That's what everyone is going to think, so you're just blaming an innocent man for a simple accident."
"Rrrr…" Toshiro clenched his teeth, ready to hit him where it hurts, but just as he got up on one knee, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Ren, who was holding him back. She said nothing, and simply shook her head at him. "Tch." Toshiro looked away. He hated to admit it, but Nathan was right. He had no real way to prove that Nathan dropped the banana peel. And, even if other people saw it, they were too afraid to admit it. Nathan was smart.
"Consider this a warm up." Nathan said, and with that ominous comment, Nathan turned around and left, letting the students get back to what they were doing.
"Ren!" Steph and Tom were beside Ren almost immediately, along with Ichigo. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Ren reassured. "But, your lunch isn't."
"That's okay. I have ten pounds in my wallet, anyway." Tom said, smiling.
"Still, though. Hey, am I bleeding? I feel something on my face." Ren dabbed her finger at the sauce on her face and gave it a lick. "Black bean?" Ren raised an eyebrow, but then her face went blank. Her hand slowly went to the top of her head, and as soon as she felt the noodles there, she sweat dropped. She promptly picked them up and threw them in a nearby bin, an embarrassed look on her face. "Let's never speak of that again."
"Hee hee!" Steph giggled.
"How can you laugh like that? Nathan just made Ren slip." Toshiro protested, baffled at how they could laugh off something that Nathan did to Ren.
"There's not really a lot we can do, Shiro. I should have watched where I was going, so it was my own fault, whether Nathan dumped the banana there or not."
"Not it's not! Aren't you a little bit angry at him? Why don't you let me do something?" Toshiro demanded, getting frustrated.
"Well, yeah, but it's not that easy." Ren placed a hand on Toshiro's shoulder. "You've gotta understand. Sometimes, it's better to do nothing than to do something."
"But…But he's…You were…I…" Toshiro stammered, not sure at how he was supposed to react to this. "Rrrr!" Toshiro just gave up, stood back up and walked briskly out of the cafeteria, his fists clenched. Ren got up to follow him, but Ichigo stopped her with an arm in her path.
"It's fine, Ren. He just needs to cool down for a while." Ichigo said.
"…" Ren stared back at the doors Toshiro left through, a worried look on her face. Toshiro's behaviour was unusual, to say the least, but she just dismissed it as Toshiro worrying about the situation with Nathan. But, after what he said to her earlier, she had more reasons to be concerned. After all, she knew full well how kindness can hurt. Then, there was that warning Nathan gave. What did he have planned? Something told her that it wasn't going to be pretty.
…
The next day, Friday, 11.35am
"Damn, I have earned this!" Ren sighed, collapsing in one of the blue chairs in the common room. She took out her 3DS and turned it on. "After a full morning of lessons, nothing says chillax like a game of Pokémon." Soon, she was madly pressing the buttons and muttering things under her breath. Toshiro looked at Ren from a distance, standing on the other side of the common room. He couldn't help but notice how some of the students out of the fifteen in here were looking at Ren, then whispering to themselves and to one another. What were they talking about? Toshiro narrowed his eyes at them, wondering what they were saying. But, he could hear a few words. Something along the lines of "hard to believe" and "brutal". What was that? Toshiro shrugged it off, thinking it was nothing, and went towards Ren. He had to ask Ren about how she behaved when he brought up her kindness.
"Oh, come on! My Oshawott's a lot stronger than that stinkin' Darumaka!" Ren almost exclaimed.
"Ren."
"Nya!" Ren snapped her 3DS shut, looking up at Toshiro with an unconvincing innocent look on her face. "I wasn't playing Pokémon!"
"Then what were you playing?" Toshiro asked, wondering why Ren would lie about it. Silence.
"Nothing." Ren said slowly. Another silence.
"You were playing Pokémon, weren't you?"
"Yes, I was."
"You're terrible at lying."
"I know." Ren hung her head. "So, what is it, Shiro? Did you want to ask me something?"
"Yes, I did." Toshiro said. "Yesterday, you were-"
"Ren!"
"Huh?" Ren looked up, and she saw Steph run into the common room, a piece of paper in her hand and a panicked look on her face. "Steph?"
"What is it?" Toshiro asked, hiding the fact that he was annoyed by the interruption.
"We've got a problem." Steph said urgently, shoving the paper into Toshiro's hands, which he looked at. It was a photocopy of a newspaper article. "It's an old article from the newspaper of the village communities Ren, Tom and I live in."
"So?" Ren said, opening up her 3DS.
"You don't know?" Steph gasped. Meanwhile, Toshiro was scanning the newspaper cutting with his eyes. There was a picture, but it was cut out, leaving only the headline and the article.
"Brutal beat down at the primary school." Toshiro read aloud. Hearing this, Ren's thumb hovered over her 3DS buttons. "Villagers both local and neighbouring were shocked beyond belief after the news that eleven year old Katelyn Doss was violently attacked by fellow classmate…Ren Conner?!" Toshiro's eyes widened. "Ren, it's about you!"
"What?!" Ren immediately turned her 3DS off. "Gimme that!" Ren took the paper out of Toshiro's hands, and begun reading it herself. "No, no, no! I can't believe this was in the paper!"
"You didn't know?" Steph asked, still in shock.
"I don't read the paper, be it county or local." Ren said dismissively, reading the article with a face that was a mixture of shocked and angry. An expression that Toshiro had never seen her wear before. That, and the fact that Ren was capable of violence, gave Toshiro an entirely new perspective of Ren.
"I found this on the bulletin board of the sixth formers." Steph explained to Toshiro. "I took it down and came here as fast as I could." At that precise moment, Tom burst into the room, carrying tonnes of sheets of paper in his arms, and he was clinging onto so many, some kept falling to the ground.
"You won't believe what I found!" He said, wide eyed.
"We know." Steph said, calmly but sadly. Tom went over to them, and dropped the papers on the ground, where some of them floated to the ground like autumn leaves. Toshiro saw that they were all the same article concerning Ren.
"I grabbed as many as I could find, but it looks as though they've been up for a while. I'd say almost half the school already know."
"Damn." Toshiro cursed. So that was what the group of sixth formers earlier were talking about.
"This is awful." Steph said quietly.
"I know!" Ren agreed. "Can you believe how biased it is?! It was not unprovoked! And Katelyn's mum wrote this! That was obviously the wrong person for the job! See, this is why I never read the paper! Gimme the TV any day!"
"I think the problem here is less about how biased the article is and more about the school knowing." Toshiro said, sweat dropping a little. Even now, Ren was not seeing the bigger picture. This was seriously not the time for Ren to be dense!
"But, this was in the past. Why would it be in the school now?" Tom wondered, picking up one of the articles on the floor.
"The past?" Toshiro repeated.
"Just remember; everyone has ghosts in their closet. Including her."
"Consider this a warm up."
"Nathan…" Toshiro said, narrowing his eyes angrily. Suddenly, he couldn't wait to see Nathan again.
"Hm?" Ren looked up from the article, hearing the anger in Toshiro's voice. "Shiro, do not go after Nathan."
"How can I not?" Toshiro exclaimed. "Are you even aware of what he's done to you? He obviously put this article up about you so that a rumour would start and pretty much humiliate you! Insulting you and making you fall I could handle, but this time, he's gone too far!"
"I am aware, but I'm not going to do anything. It's just what he wants. Besides, I'll explain myself to anyone who asks about it. The articles have been taken down, so nobody else is going to find out, and if they're going to talk about me behind my back, then let them. I'm going to explain it if they ask, so it's fine. I am not going to retaliate against Nathan, and neither should you."
"That's not the point! Nathan is going out of his way to make you and everybody else miserable, and yet here you are playing on a damn console like nothing has happened!"
"Shiro, I'm just as upset as you are-" Ren said, standing up out of her chair.
"I'm more than just upset! And you should be, too!" Toshiro was so angry right now, he could feel his face getting hot. But, Ren still kept calm. He didn't get it! Ren opened her mouth to speak. "Don't give me that "It's better to do nothing than something" crap!" Toshiro yelled, knowing just what she was about to say. Ren closed her mouth, confirming Toshiro's prediction.
"Toshiro, I know you're angry, but this is what Ren wants, so we need to respect that." Tom said calmly.
"Including you." Steph agreed.
"Yeah, I know. She wants to fight this battle on her own, right? Is that it?" Toshiro asked, his voice quieter, but still with the angry tone to it.
"Yeah. I'm glad you understand, Shiro. Now, I probably need to go over to the disabled department and explain to the kids there about the article. They're still too young to understand this sort of thing." Ren said briskly, obviously not noticing how Toshiro was still angry, and he was getting even angrier at what she was saying. Even now, she was more concerned for others than herself.
"Why?"
"Huh?" Ren looked back at Toshiro.
"Why?" Toshiro said again. "Just once…"
"What are you talking about?" Ren asked, confused.
"Why can't you think of yourself instead of others?!" Toshiro shouted. With that, he turned on his heel and marched towards the exit.
"Shiro, wait!" Ren protested, about to go after him, but the sound of the door slamming made her flinch, and she got the message. "I think I made him mad." Ren looked over her shoulder at her friends. "Did I make him mad?"
"Sorry I'm late." Ichigo said briskly, walking through the door Toshiro just left through. "Did I miss anything?" Ichigo was surprised to see that the response was annoyed glares from Ren, Steph and Tom, and the many papers littered on the floor, as well as the lack of a certain white haired captain. "What?" Suddenly a hard back book about physics was thrown at his head "OW!"
"Told ya." Ren said with a shrug. She turned around and walked away, screwing up the paper she was holding into a ball and throwing it in a bin she walked past. "I think I'll make you a year thirteen after all. Besides, I gotta see Mr Watson about the article, anyway. But first, the department."
…
"So it was a misunderstanding? I see. Very well. Mr Kurosaki will now be in the thirteenth year. He will be in your form next Monday." Mr Watson stacked some papers on his desk, while Ren secretly smiled and mentally high fived herself. She was certainly getting better at this magic trick of hers. Plus, the fact that the kids in the disabled department and the other year sevens knew her, they didn't take the article too seriously. Guess she was just worried about nothing. That, and sorting out Ichigo's place here, had brightened Ren's mood somewhat.
"Thank you for understanding, sir." Ren said politely.
"While you're here, Miss Conner, I found this on my door." Mr Watson slid a sheet of paper towards Ren. She glanced at it. It was the article from before. There goes her good mood.
"Well, about that…" Ren started.
"You don't have to explain." Mr Watson said. "I am aware of the incident that happened during your final year of primary education. I do live in that same village, after all."
"Oh." Ren looked away. "I guess I forgot."
"So, what are you going to do now?" Mr Watson asked.
"Nothing. If people ask me about it, then I'll tell them what they want to know. It happened in the past, so it is nothing to do with the person I am now. They can say what they want about me. That was then, and this is now. Besides, we're all old enough to handle this kind of thing, and I know that the students in my year will be mature enough to not see me any differently. I mean, the disabled students and the year seven's handled it well, so why not the rest of the school?"
"That is a very mature thing to say, Miss Conner. But, it's also rather…concerning."
"Sir?" Ren said, puzzled. Mr Watson stood up and begun to walk around his desk to Ren.
"I have known your family for years, and likewise, I know exactly the kind of person you are. People like you are one in a million, and I'm sure your friends would say so too. But, you always think about what others want and how to make them happy. And even regarding the case of the article, you still think about other people." Mr Watson was now in front of Ren, but the sternness in his face was gone. Instead, it was a lot softer, which Ren found weirder than when Toshiro looked like that. "Ren, you need to think about what you want and your happiness."
"…" Ren looked down at the ground. Again, she was told to think about herself.
"Your kindness is great, I admit that, but…it makes me worry that kindness will only get you hurt."
"Why can't you think if yourself instead of others?!"
"Yeah…" Ren agreed quietly. "But, it's just not my nature. Everybody's happiness is my happiness. I couldn't possibly think about myself, sir. Not even for an instant."
"That is up to you. You're eighteen now. You're old enough to decide. You're a caring girl, but sometimes, you need to set aside some of that care and think about yourself. Remember that."
"Yes, sir." Ren said a little reluctantly.
"Now, be on your way. Break time finishes in half an hour."
"Thank you, sir." Ren gave a small bow out of habit, turned around and left the office, closing the door quietly behind her. With a sigh she wandered back to the common room. Would Toshiro be back there again? It's been about ten minutes since he stormed off, so maybe he's cooled down and come back to the common acting like he usually does like he did yesterday. Somehow, Ren doubted that. After all, she had never seen Toshiro so angry before, and she wasn't sure if it was at her or at Nathan. Or maybe both?
"Uuuu!" Ren groaned, scratching her head. "Emotions are so confusing!" She cringed to herself after realising she said her thoughts out loud. Luckily, nobody was around to hear her for now, so she was safe. It was only when she turned the corner that she saw at least thirty, or maybe more, students dotting the corridor in different groups. Some avoided eye contact with her, and others dared to glance at Ren, and then sharply look away. Ren calmly walked down the corridor, over hearing every single whisper.
"Is that her?"
"Yeah. That's Ren Conner."
"She's the one who attacked a student, right?"
"Maybe she's a delinquent."
"Don't look at her! She'll probably attack you!"
"She wasn't even provoked."
"She's dangerous."
"If she did that at primary school, what did she do while she was here?"
"Who knows?"
"I heard she goes out and picks fights. She even left school last Friday."
"I bet she was playing hooky."
"…" Ren said nothing as she walked, ignoring the whispers as best she could. After all, she was used to people talking about her behind her back, so this was no different. Besides, if she dealt with it properly, then this whole situation will be…what was the saying? Swept under the rug! Yes! Everything will be forgotten, and things will go back to normal without Ren needing to interfere with Nathan and cause more trouble for herself and her friends. Why couldn't Toshiro understand that? She saw the door leading to the common room, and gripped the handle and walked through to the room again, where she was met with more whispers.
"Just one week, just one week." Ren muttered under her breath, scanning the room for her friends. She spotted them. Steph was trying to speak some reason into three girls in her year, while Tom ran in with more papers, and then proceeded to rip them up, screw them into balls, scribble over the writing with black marker, anything to make them unreadable. Ren smiled to herself. She was lucky to have friends like them.
"No, Ren does not go out to pick fights. Where did you hear that?" Steph asked, trying to brush off the rumours that were going around quickly. She'd wager a bet that it was some of Nathan's friends spreading the rumours. But then again, there were several cliques in the school who loved to gossip, so it could be anybody. Then again, this rumour she heard was half true, considering the fact that Ren and Toshiro go out to battle monsters.
"From a friend." One of the girls said. "And why are you defending her? Unless…unless she really does go out and get into trouble!"
"No, nothing like that!" Steph protested.
"Damn, these things are everywhere." Tom grumbled, throwing some shreds and balls of the article in the bin just inches behind him without turning around. "Someone must be putting up more as they get torn down."
"Well, guess I'd better deal with this." Ren decided, walking over to Steph.
"So, are you saying this isn't true?" The teenage girls asked Steph, waving another article in her face.
"Yes, I mean no, I mean Ren doesn't do that anymore." Steph said quickly.
"It's alright, Steph." Ren said, moving in front of her. "What you are reading is true. I did attack a student when I was eleven."
"Aha!" The second girl exclaimed. "I knew it!"
"But, shouldn't you be more focused on the now rather than the then?" Ren asked simply. "Back then, I attacked Katelyn because she had been bullying me for years. I had put up with it, and on that day, I just snapped. She never bothered me again after that, but that doesn't change the fact that it happened. However, I am different from how I was back then. That was almost seven years ago, so you should look at the me now rather than the me I was."
"…" The three girls looked at one another, suddenly feeling guilty.
"Okay."
"We're sorry about the misunderstanding."
"We'll tell our friends the truth and make sure they all know."
"Thanks for understanding!" Ren said cheerfully, her smile on her face. The three girls stood up and went on her way. "See? If I just keep doing that, then this will be swept under the rug in no time!" Ren secretly felt proud of herself after saying that expression.
"Yeah." Steph nodded.
"There's nothing I can do about the articles." Tom said after getting rid of the last article, a frustrated tone to his voice. "Whenever I take one down, another takes its place within five minutes!"
"It's fine, Tom." Ren reassured. "Thank you for your efforts, though. Anyway, have you seen Shiro anywhere?"
"No." Steph and Tom shook their heads. After they said this, Toshiro walked into the room, out of their sight, as there were so many students here, they completely hid him from sight.
"Hey, it's Toshiro!"
"Toshiro, what's it like living with a delinquent?"
"Don't say that. He's probably one too."
"Eh?"
"Well, just look at him. He bleaches his hair."
"…" At that, a vein throbbed on Toshiro's head. "I do not-" Toshiro yelled, but stopped himself, realising that yelling wasn't going to solve anything. "I mean, I don't bleach my hair, and Ren is not a delinquent. Besides, don't you have better things to do than spread rumours and make rash assumptions about people you don't know?"
"…" The students looked at each other, cringing. Toshiro just closed his eyes for a moment, and walked deeper into the common room. Honestly. Humans were so strange.
"My, my, would you listen to this rumour mill!"
"Damn…" Toshiro muttered under his breath, recognising the voice. Nathan had suddenly appeared in the room, and all talking had stopped. Nathan looked around the room. He saw people, year twelve and thirteen, that he didn't know, and many of them were people he recognised, be they classmates, his friends, or even his past victims. Speaking of which, he finally found Ren, who had an expressionless look on her face. Nathan smirked and walked over to her, his hands in his pockets. "So, how do you like my little surprise?"
"You mean the article?" Ren asked. "Not gonna lie, Nathan, you really pulled a dick move."
"That's all you have to say? I was trying to teach you a lesson, but clearly it has not sunk in." Nathan leaned down to Ren's eye level, but she still did not react. "You can't bury the past, no matter how much you try." Nathan straightened up again, looking around the room at the sixth form observers, obviously not noticing Toshiro move to the front so that he could see Nathan. Likewise, Ren, Steph and Tom did not see him, either. They also didn't see Ichigo walk in from another door, and upon sensing the tense atmosphere, slipped into the crowd and stood next to Toshiro, who was so fixed on the scene that he didn't even notice Ichigo's presence.
"Let this be a lesson to all of you!" Nathan said loudly so that everyone could hear him. "This girl before you is a complete and utter fake! The Ren you know is kind, brave, truthful and cheerful! Let me tell you now, my friends, that this Ren is a lie. I know her true self! That of a wimpy, violent, angry waste of space! I have seen it for myself, and now…" Nathan produced another article from his pocket, and displayed it for all to see. "So have you. This is who Ren really is. She has kept this side hidden from you, deceiving you all into believing that this happy go lucky weirdo is her true self. But, now you know. She is not as honest as you think. After all, she hid this from you. Can somebody honest really hide something from her friends?"
"Nathan, what you're saying is a lie!" Tom snapped. "I've known Ren much longer than you have, and I know that she wasn't how you said she was, whether she attacked someone or not!"
"Oh, so you know Ren, do you?" Nathan asked, still wearing his trademark smirk. "Funny, that. You were one of the many people who stood there and watched Kate do what she did best to Ren, and you didn't really become friends with Ren until you came to this dump of a school together, did you? So, what gives you the right to say what she is?"
"I…" Tom started, looking away.
"Hey, back off!" Steph stepped in front of Tom, a fierce look in her eyes. "He may not have been Ren's friend back then, but he definitely knows her a lot better than you do, and so do I."
"Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie." Nathan said, closing his eyes and shaking his head with each word. He opened his eyes and looked straight at Steph. "You're not exactly one to talk. I mean, you met Ren three years ago. You know even less about her than Tommy here. I, however, have been with her for many years. I have seen her true colours, and yet you two, her "friends", have not."
"…" Tom and Steph hung their heads, knowing that he was right, even if they hated to admit it.
"Leave them out of it." Ren said firmly.
"Still defending your friends?" Nathan asked. "Didn't you do exactly that for your former friends all those years ago?" Nathan narrowed his eyes at Ren, still smirking. "Right before they left you all alone again."
"!" Ren's eyes widened at those words. Toshiro saw this, and immediately remembered when Nathan said something similar to this, and how he saw tears in Ren's eyes almost immediately afterwards.
At this rate… Toshiro thought, remembering his final vision. Ren on her knees and crying. He wanted to step in. He wanted to tell Nathan exactly what he thought, but Ren's words to stay out of it kept going through his head. And yet, the desire to prevent Ren from crying drove him forward at the same time.
"Face it, Ren. Nobody is going to understand you." Nathan ran his hand down Ren's face, and she made no attempt of batting it away. "Not like me."
"…" Seeing Nathan touch Ren revolted Toshiro, and yet Ren didn't look the slightest bit disgusted. In fact, she didn't even look angry. She didn't look anything! Why won't she do something? Why isn't she saying anything?
"This is who you are." Nathan said, quiet enough for it to sound sinister, yet loud enough for everyone to hear. "You will always be alone. Nobody will understand you. Nobody will help you. And now, nobody will even come near you, for they know your true self." Nathan moved away from Ren again. "And for that, you have me to thank!" He proclaimed. With that, he threw back his head and laughed. Again, Ren did and said nothing. She just continued to stare at him with a blank, neutral expression.
"That bastard…" Ichigo growled, clenching his fists. Toshiro, meanwhile, was even angrier than Ichigo. Angry at Nathan for mocking Ren. Angry at the students for not helping.
Angry at Ren for not doing anything.
"I know you were trying to help, but you shouldn't make a fist in something that isn't your fight."
As Nathan continued laughing, Toshiro clenched his fists so hard he could feel the nails digging into his palms.
"Sometimes, it's better to do nothing than to do something."
Unable to look at Ren saying nothing, Toshiro screwed his eyes shut, clenching his teeth. He could feel the rage boiling up inside him, ready to explode. And all the while, Nathan's laughter continued to ring through his ears and echo in his head.
"You help me, and I'll help you."
Suddenly, something inside of Toshiro snapped, and his eyes shot open, brimming with rage. Screw the request! He had a promise to keep, and he was not going to take no for an answer!
"That was the deal, right?"
"DON'T YOU MOCK HER!"
"Huh?" Nathan stopped laughing, looking at where the voice came from. Ren, Tom and Steph also looked to the source of the shout, and they finally saw Toshiro, and he did not look happy. In fact, he looked downright furious.
"Toshiro, what are you doing?" Ichigo almost hissed, a very worried look on his face.
"What I should have done from the start." Toshiro answered, his voice dripping with anger.
"Oh?" Nathan said with a smile, overhearing Toshiro's response to Ichigo. "You got something to say? Go ahead, we're all ears."
"?" Confused, Ren felt around on her head for more ears, and feeling none, shrugged.
"You're damn right I have something to say!" Toshiro yelled, marching over to where Nathan stood with his fists clenched. "Let me make something perfectly clear to you! Just because you happened to be in the same school as Ren doesn't mean you have the right to tell her what or who she is!" By now, Toshiro was directly in front of Nathan, and he was so angry, he just said whatever words came to his mind, not caring if they sounded ridiculous or not. "Right now, I don't care about why you do what you do! What I do care about, however, is who you do it to! You can torment defenceless kids that are younger and less able than you if you want, but you will not, I repeat, you will NOT! INSULT! MY! FRIEND!" After this, Toshiro reached up and grabbed Nathan's necktie, pulling him down to eye level. "Do you understand?" Toshiro growled at Nathan, who had lost the smile on his face.
"Are you talking down at me?" Nathan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Not nice, is it? Savour this moment, you bastard. Because this is what all the other victims you know so well feel whenever you're near. How do you like it? Do you like being a victim?" Without any warning, Toshiro punched Nathan as hard as he could in the face. The entire room responded with gasps and open mouths. Nathan landed on the ground, and sat up, using his hand to try and hide the fact that his nose was now bleeding.
"Holy crap!" Ren exclaimed loudly. Tom closed Steph's hanging mouth while ignoring his own.
"Geez…" Ichigo sighed, closing his eyes. Toshiro can never control his temper. Right now, he felt sorry for Nathan.
"You've been warned. If you come anywhere near Ren…" Toshiro brought a fist up, his eyes narrow. "I'll kill you." Toshiro then turned to the crowd. "You see?! This is what you should have done long ago! You should be ashamed of yourselves, watching as innocent people get tormented! You're cowards, the lot of you! And some of you don't even say a word when you're on the receiving end! In that case, you're just as cowardly as the rest of them!" Toshiro said this while shifting a glance at Ren, who didn't even notice, and was still bewildered as what she was seeing in Toshiro. "At least I'm willing to take a stand against this injustice, unlike some people I know! Aren't you sick of watching?! Don't you just want to do something?! If so, then don't leave it to someone else! Take action! Because if you don't then nobody will!" After saying this, Toshiro went quiet, taking a moment to catch his breath. Meanwhile, the students were looking at one another, muttering, or even hanging their heads in shame.
"Shiro…" Ren started, trying to figure out what exactly to say. Should she say thank you? Should she reprimand him for stepping in?
"Ren. A word." Toshiro said in a strangely calm tone.
"Huh?" Ren blinked, puzzled. "But it's-"
"Now!" Toshiro yelled.
"Okay." Ren said quickly, deciding not to argue with Toshiro about it, especially after he had raised his voice like that. Toshiro walked off to his left, and Ren nervously trotted behind him, and they left the common room and entered the corridor, leaving silence in the room. Everyone soon chattered to one another about what had just happened, while Ichigo went to Steph and Tom. They didn't say anything, but they didn't need to. They understood full well what was going on. And, all the while, nobody even bothered trying to help Nathan to his feet. He narrowed his eyes angrily He was going to make them pay for humiliating him like that!
…
"Shiro, what's this about?" Ren asked, entering an empty classroom and closing the door behind her. Toshiro was already inside, his back turned. He gave no response. "Answer me."
"I don't understand you, Ren."
"Yeah. Sometimes, even I don't understand me!" Ren said with a little laugh.
"That's not what I mean!" Toshiro said quickly, trying not to yell again. "Nathan was humiliating you and telling lies, and yet you said nothing. Why do you stay silent? Why won't you let anyone help? Better yet, why won't you ask for help?"
"I…" Ren said, hesitating for a moment. She looked away, fiddling with a tassel on her black prefect gown. "I have my reasons."
"What reasons?!" Toshiro demanded, spinning around to face Ren. "Give me one legitimate reason why you won't accept help!"
"I just…Because….Just because. Look, it's complicated. If I went into-"
"That's all you ever say! Every time I ask you something, all I hear is "It's complicated" this and "It's complicated" that! I'm sick of it! Just this once, give me a straight answer! Why won't you accept my help?!"
"Well, um…I…I…" Ren trailed off, and she remained silent, refusing to look at Toshiro in his face. "The thing is…You wouldn't understand. Nobody has ever understood, so you won't be any different."
"I don't understand now! Just tell me!"
"No!" Ren yelled, stunning Toshiro a little, and even Ren herself was a little surprised that she raised her voice. "No." Ren said again, but in a much quieter voice. "I will tell you. I will tell you everything you want to know. But, not yet."
"…" Toshiro narrowed his eyes a little. It was like Steph told him all those weeks ago about Ren testing him.
"And besides, I am grateful for you interfering, but I never asked for your help. You acted in a totally inappropriate manner and ignored a request I gave you several times before. No matter the situation, if I say no, then I mean no. You just have to accept that."
"I won't!" Toshiro shook his head. "You promised to protect me, and I promised to protect you, remember?!"
"Of course."
"So let me help!" Toshiro demanded again, but this time in a more pleading tone. But, Ren refused, shaking her head with closed eyes.
"I'm sorry Shiro, but I just can't do that."
"You mean you won't! Stop being so stubborn! No wonder Nathan keeps tormenting you if you just stand there and take it! You have to say something and take action if you want the pain to stop! Sitting there and letting him have his way and do what he wants is what put you in the situation you're in now! If you'd said something, then I wouldn't have had to do anything! You're a fool, Ren! You're a fool if you think doing nothing will solve anything!"
"I don't to have to listen to this." Ren turned around, but before she could begin to walk away, Toshiro grabbed her wrist, preventing her from leaving
"I'm not done with you yet! Just listen to me! It's amazing how Nathan gets away with all this! He brings up painful memories in your past; you sit there and let him! He makes you trip; you sit there and let him! He puts up a demeaning article about you, and you just sit right there and let him! Every single time I offered to help, and you just brush me off!"
"Like I said, I have my reasons." Ren said, forcing Toshiro's grip off her arm, yet she made no other attempt to move. But, she could feel herself getting angry almost every time Toshiro spoke. Almost as angry as he was right now.
"And what would they be?! Oh, wait! "It's complicated", right?! That doesn't change the fact that it happened and is happening! Don't you get just a little bit angry?! Don't you want to wipe the smirk of his face?! Make him suffer! He's the one who deserves it! You need to stop being so soft and make someone who deserves it pay for what they've done to you!"
"…" Ren said nothing, although she clenched her fist.
"Even now, you're not saying anything! I don't understand! Why do you stay silent when someone is hurling abuse at you?! Only an idiot thinks that doing nothing will solve their problems!"
SWAK!
After that last sentence, Ren had spun around and slapped Toshiro on his face so hard, the sound echoed in the empty classroom for several seconds. Her eyes were hidden by her hair, and Toshiro was still looking to his right from the blow, stunned. His left cheek felt as though it was on fire. Nobody had ever hit him like that before. Not even Hinamori laid a hand on him like that, or his grandmother. He slowly looked back at Ren, who still had her hand raised from the slap.
"Ren…" Toshiro almost whispered, moving a hand to the giant red mark on his face.
"You're the one who's being an idiot." Ren said. She looked directly at Toshiro, her eyes both sad and angry. "Do you think I like being called those horrible things? Do you think I like listening to people talk about me when they think I'm not looking? Do you honestly believe I do that deliberately? If so, then you're clearly not as smart as I thought you were." Ren finally lowered her hand, looking away again. "You're right. Doing nothing doesn't solve anything. But, doing something doesn't solve anything, either. Not for me. I tried that. I honestly did. It tried telling someone about how Katelyn treated me, but nothing was done about it. No matter how much I begged, no matter how much I screamed, my cries kept falling on deaf ears. That's why I attacked her. I tried taking matters into my own hands, and it worked for a while, but that incident and that reputation followed me here. Then, Nathan appeared. I tried doing something again, but he always had a way to cover his tracks. So, I stopped trying. Nobody will come to help me. Nobody will be able to help me. I'd accepted that. No matter what he did, I said and did nothing, even if it hurt. After all, what's the point? You don't know what it's like, Shiro. People like you…You only face this ridicule for most of your life. But for people like me, I'm going to be treated like this for the rest of my life!"
"!" Toshiro's eyes widened after hearing that? People like her? What did she mean? Could it relate to what Steph told him? He said nothing, and carried on listening, hoping that it would answer some questions in his mind.
"You're right about one thing, though. Kindness can hurt." Ren felt her legs grow weak, and she dropped onto her knees on the floor, keeping her head lowered. "When you interfered during that first day Nathan came back, I was shocked that someone would step in to help me. But, no amount of help is going to get rid of the pain I will have to endure in the future. And that hurts. I feel happy every time I help somebody I care about, yet when they help me, it hurts. It's so painful that I feel like my heart is going to be ripped out. I can't help myself, and I can't do and say nothing. No matter what I do, it still remains the same, and I'm still in so much pain. And when somebody tries to help me…"
"?" Toshiro noticed that something wet fell onto the floor in front of Ren. Following that was another drop. And another. Toshiro knew right away that this wasn't water, but he didn't want to believe it.
"That has got to be the most painful kindness!" Ren cried out. The drops fell from Ren's face, which remained hidden by shadows, and onto the floor. Ren brought her fists up, rubbing her face with them. "Every time somebody like Nathan treats me like that, it hurts. Every time I try to stop it, it hurts. Every time I do nothing, it hurts. No matter what I do, it hurts! That's why I never ask for help! It only causes me more pain than I can bear!" Ren lifted her head up, and Toshiro finally saw her face, although he immediately wished that he hadn't. "Please believe me, Shiro!" Ren cried, streams of tears falling from her closed eyes. "I don't want to hurt anymore!" Ren rubbed at her eyes with her fists, and there was a silence in the room, except for Ren's occasional sniffs and hiccup's. At that moment, two things shocked Toshiro. One; Ren was indeed capable of crying. Two, the Ren before him was exactly the same as the Ren in his vision. All this time, he was wrong.
It wasn't Nathan… Toshiro thought, lowering his hand from his face. It was me. I'm the one who made Ren cry.
"…" With a sniff, Ren wiped away the tears with one hand. But, to her surprise, she felt another hand gently wipe the tears from her other eye. She opened her eyes and blinked a couple times. She looked up, and saw that Toshiro was now kneeling on the ground in front of her, a genuinely sad expression on his face. To him, seeing Ren like this almost made him want to cry, too.
"I'm sorry, Ren." Toshiro apologised, a rare action for him. "I thought I was helping, but I see now that I just made things worse."
"Nn." Ren shook her head as a way of saying "It's not your fault." silently.
"But you have to understand. I did what I did because I care about you. I don't want anybody to hurt you, whether they're White Raven or Nathan."
"Shiro…" Ren started, stunned. "Did you say that…you cared about me?"
"…" Toshiro hesitated, stunned that Ren would ask him something like that. "Yes. What made you think I didn't?"
"Well…you're always a little harsh and cold, and there's the fact that you didn't call me by my name for a while."
"Of course…" Toshiro muttered, sweat dropping a little. He liked Ren's honesty, but sometimes, she was so honest, she was blunt.
"I don't mean it in a bad way!" Ren said quickly, bringing her hands up and waving them left and right frantically. "I mean…thanks." Ren's moist eyes shifted in different directions nervously. "Thank you for caring, Shiro."
"Anytime, Ren. You help me and I help you." Toshiro took Ren' hand, and linked her little finger with his. "That was the deal, right?"
"Ah, I see what you did there!" Ren said with a grin. "Um…are you going to retaliate?"
"What?" Toshiro blinked.
"Ya know…I slapped you?" Ren reminded Toshiro, fiddling with her hands.
"What? No, I had it coming."
"Phew!" With an exaggerated sigh Ren leaned her head against a nearby table, relieved.
"Oi, oi, why do you look so relieved?" Toshiro muttered. "Do you take me for some kind of monster?"
"No, but…you are kinda short tempered."
"So…are you okay now?" Toshiro asked, shrugging off Ren's blunt comments.
"Yeah…" Ren rubbed at her eyes until they were free of tears. "Yeah, I think I'll be okay now."
"Good." Toshiro said with a smile. Without warning, Ren punched him on his left shoulder. "Ow! Why did you do that?"
"Don't you dare tell anybody you saw me like this!" Ren all but ordered, pointing directly at Toshiro.
"Don't worry, my lips are sealed." Toshiro reassured, rubbing the spot Ren punched him.
"Also…" Ren looked away shyly, a slight blush on her face.
"Ren?" Toshiro leaned closer towards Ren, a little surprised at her girlish blush.
"In the common room just now, you called me your friend." Ren glanced at Toshiro. "Did you really mean it, or was it just a spur of the moment thing?"
"…" Toshiro was silent, remembering what exactly he said back in the common room. She was right. He did refer to Ren as his friend. After all, she had considered him her friend all this time, as he recalled.
"Because you're my friend!"
"If I abandon a friend in need, then I have no right to call myself their friend."
"But, Shiro is my friend. And I will always protect anyone I care about."
"I don't "call" him my friend, he is my friend!"
"I'm not saying this because we're going to be comrades in battle, but because we're friends."
"Shiro?" Ren said after Toshiro went silent for a few seconds. That probably meant it was a spur of a moment.
"Yes."
"Eh?" Ren blinked.
"Yes." Toshiro said again. "I may have seen you as just a human before, but this past month has made me realise that…you're my friend." It felt strange for Toshiro to say the word "friend" out loud, and yet it felt good at the same time.
"Yay!" Ren cheered, and without warning, she wrapped her arms around Toshiro's neck in a hug, and Toshiro was too stunned to do anything in response. Wasn't this girl mad at him just a few moments ago? "I'm so happy!"
"You're always happy." Toshiro said, half-laughing.
"Yeah, but this time I'm really happy!" Toshiro secretly smiled to himself at the feeling of déjà vu he just felt. Sometimes, Ren was unpredictable, but other times, she was so predictable it either made him want to shout or smile.
"Ren…" Toshiro placed his hands on Ren's shoulders and pulled her away so that he was looking straight at her face before smiling warmly. "You are so random."
"Hee hee!" Ren grinned. "Gotta admit, that punch of yours was pretty awesome, even if it was out of hand. I can't believe you gave him a nosebleed!"
"Yeah…" Toshiro glanced away, his smile from happy to nervous. "I guess I'm gonna be added to his list."
"Not if I have something to say about it!" Ren said with confidence, pointing at herself with a smile.
"And what would that be?"
"Wuh oh." Ren muttered. She looked over her shoulder, and there she saw Nathan, leaning on the doorframe with a red nose and a very annoyed look on his face. It took everything in Ren not to burst out laughing. He looked like Rudolph.
"Rudolph the red nosed reindeer." Ren sang under her breath, hoping that Nathan couldn't hear her. She just had to get it out of her system! "Wait, that's not right…" Ren thought for a moment. "Ah!" Ren tapped her fist on her palm. "Nathan the red nosed bastard…has a very bloody nose!" Ren sang cheerfully with little regard to Nathan being right in front of her. Toshiro, however, was laughing behind his hand, and Nathan just rolled his eyes.
"Why are you on the floor?" Nathan asked suspiciously. "And why is his face red?"
"Uh…" Ren started.
"I fell over." Toshiro lied, standing back onto his feet. "I hit something on the way down, so that's why my face is red." While he spoke, he helped Ren back onto her feet with one hand, and pointed at the spot where Ren hit him with the other. It wasn't as red as it was before, but it was still obvious. Nathan raised an eyebrow, and for one moment, Toshiro thought he didn't believe him.
"Whatever." He said, disinterested.
"Thanks." Ren whispered.
"You owe me one." Toshiro whispered back.
"Oh, siiiiir!" Nathan called into the corridor in a sing-song voice. "I've found them!"
"Yah beh!" Ren flinched.
"Miss Conner…" Mr Watson started, walking into the room. "And Mr Hitsugaya. Mr Harris came into my office with an accusation that you, Mr Hitsugaya, attacked him. Is this true? If so, then the punishment shall be severe."
"Well, um…" Toshiro hesitated, looking away.
"Shouldn't you ask Ren, sir?" Nathan asked, a subtle smirk on his face. "After all, she was there when it happened." Nathan narrowed his eyes a little. "She'd never lie."
He's got me. Toshiro thought, glaring at Nathan angrily, but he merely smirked at him.
"Well, Miss Conner?" Mr Watson said, folding his arms. Ren paused for a moment. Toshiro looked away, knowing that it was over.
"Nathan is a liar, sir."
"Eh?" Toshiro looked straight at Ren.
"Eh?" Nathan said, a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Is that so?" Mr Watson said slowly, looking over at Nathan.
"N-No! I'm telling the truth! He punched me! Look! Look at my face! It's still red from where he hit me!"
"How do you know you didn't just slip?" Ren asked, a smile on her face and a devious look in her eyes. "For all we know, you're blaming an innocent student for something that was an accident." Ren narrowed her eyes, a smile still on her face. "Isn't that what you said yesterday when you made me slip?"
"Is this true?" Mr Watson asked Nathan.
"Yup." Ren answered before Nathan had a chance to. "He did it to all the other students, too. Particularly the year sevens and the ones from the disabilities department. He also stole their dessert, targeted the ones that had no money left on their cards for his "slip-ups" and made his prefect friends force people to go to the back of the line. Then, there's all those, ahem, incidents that happened this week. It's all him."
"She's lying!" Nathan protested.
"But, I never lie." Ren said, an innocent look on her face. "Shiro, do I lie?" Ren asked, looking at Toshiro.
"N-No." Toshiro shook his head, still stunned at the new side of Ren he was witnessing. She was one surprise after the other. "You couldn't lie even if you tried."
"You see?"
"…" Nathan's mouth kept opening and closing, trying to think of something to say, but nothing came out.
"Mr Harris, I am surprised at you. I half expected you to return to your old ways, but accusing somebody of acts of violence is unheard of. Come straight to my office. We're going to have some words."
"Oh, and one more thing, sir."
"Yes, Miss Conner?"
"He's the one who put that article up about me."
"Mr Harris, come with me." Mr Watson said in a very angry voice. He walked out of the room, and Nathan shot Ren a glare. She remained unfazed, and merely waved at him wearing her cheerful smile. Nathan left, and was out of sight.
"Ren…" Toshiro said, speechless.
"What? You said I owed you one. Besides, Nathan spent his entire life relying on others to get him out of trouble." Ren looked over at Toshiro, smirking. "Maybe this outta teach him a lesson."
"I didn't know you had a devious side." A pause. "I like it." He smiled at Ren.
"Eh?" Ren blinked a couple of times. "Is that a good thing?"
"I don't know. And, frankly, I don't care. You finally did what was right. After that, I'm sure Nathan won't bother you again."
"He'd better not. That's the last time I'm doing something like that!"
"Ren…"
"Yeah?" Ren looked back at Toshiro.
"I meant every word that I said in this room."
"You did?" Ren said quietly, smiling. Toshiro smiled back and nodded. "Yay! Oh, but speaking of room, we'd better go back to the common room. We've been gone for…" Ren looked at her phone. "Whoa, that long!? Damn, I'm glad we have a double free. Nathan made me miss out on a big Pokémon battle!"
"There are more important things in life than Pokémon, Ren." Toshiro said as they started to walk out of the room, putting one hand in his pocket.
"Yeah, but it's a start."
"I challenge you to name me one thing useful relating to Pokémon."
"Weeeeell, the creator of Pokémon, I think his name is Satoshi Tajiri, is worth five point one billion dollars."
"Really?!"
"Yeah."
"That still doesn't count."
"Yeah, well, you can say what you like. I grew up watching Pokémon. So much so that I can name every single Pokémon. In numerical order."
"Wow, that's impressive, even if it is completely useless!"
"Uuuu!"
Throughout this conversation, Ren and Toshiro had set aside all the negative emotions they were feeling just minutes before. In fact, they were so at peace, they had not noticed that, ever since Nathan found them, they had not stopped holding hands.
Now, their bond was stronger than ever.
Whoa, that was long! I really need to stop getting carried away. Sorry if it was a tad bit boring for you guys. There's definitely gonna be some action soon! Promise, promise, promise!