CHAPTER SIX: TREACHEROUS

Three years ago

It had been months. Months since she last received a letter from Rin. She wrote him numerous times since then but he never replied. As time went on Misaki's letters became riddled with pleas for a response, the begging for Rin to just write her back and let her know what was happening. That was the worst part of the whole thing- the fact that Misaki had no clue why this was occurring. There was no warning that one day Rin would stop writing her, that he would cut all ties.

"Misaki?" two soft knocks came on the fourteen year olds door before pushing it open, "Aw honey."

Mrs. Takahashi let out a long sigh as she saw her daughter sleeping on her bed surrounded by pieces of paper. As the woman approached she noticed that the papers were not blank but were in fact letters. A gentle hand picked up one of the letters noticing how it was affectionately signed 'love, Rin'.

"I think he lied." Misaki's voice was small and tired as she pushed a few of the letters off her bed, "Dad loves you right Mom?"

"Yes," Mrs. Takahashi nodded, sitting down next to her daughters curled up form.

"Would he ever stop talking to you?"

Mrs. Takahashi took a moment to think of her answer as she ran her fingers through her daughter's silky black hair, "Not without a reason."

"That's why I think Rin lied when he said he loved me," Misaki sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand, "He stopped talking to me and didn't give me a reason."

"Now I don't know much about this Rin, but any boy who could make my daughter's eyes light up must be something special. When I hold these letters I can see his spirit-"

"Mom," Misaki whined, flipping over onto her back as she rolled her eyes at her mom's spirit comment.

"I'm being serious! I can sense his energy and I believe with all my heart that he loves you."

One eyebrow rose as Misaki sat up and pulled her hair to one side, "Really?"

"Yes. These letters are filled with love, I can feel it."

"So what should I do?"

"That's a good question," Mrs. Takahashi gently rubbed the top of Misaki's head, "But no one else can give you that answer. Follow your heart and I'm sure you'll figure it out."

The day after Misaki's emotional breakdown she showed up at Samezuka for tutoring. She sat with Rin for an hour as he helped her with her study guide. The necklace was nowhere to be seen and neither of them talked about what had happened. They pretended like none of it occurred and instead focused on raising Misaki's math grade. But something was building, changing, and waiting for the right opportunity to come barreling out.

Misaki got a solid B- on her math final which managed to raise her grade to a 71%- meaning no summer school for her. She found out after school that Friday when her teacher sighed and told her to work hard after the break. Misaki had then run to the pool and proudly announced her accomplishment to the Iwatobi Swim Team who all smiled and clapped (except for Haru- he just clapped). After practice Misaki almost began walking the route to Samezuka before she realized that she would no longer be tutored by Rin. There was now no reason for her to spend so much time with him, but maybe that was for the best.

After arriving home to see her house in a mess (which always happened right before her parents left for a long trip) Misaki thought twice about telling her parents about her math final. They didn't even know that Misaki was getting tutoring though a letter from the school a month ago informed them that their daughter might need to go to summer school. In typical Takahashi fashion Misaki's parents didn't pressure her at all to raise the grade. Kimi Takahashi said that math can't heal a person's soul so as long as Misaki's soul was okay then she was proud. Yasu Takahashi said that he could just write a letter to the school saying summer school was against their religion (aka he could lie) that way Misaki didn't have to go. Basically neither of them were worried about it but Misaki knew they would be way too excited if she told them that she had raised her grade.

Misaki thought it over for a second before she shrugged and began walking up the stairs, "Hi mom, hi dad I'm home! School was good, life is good, I'll be in my room if you need me!"

With that shouted greeting Misaki went into her room and shut the door. Her parents never questioned her about her life so she was sure they wouldn't ask her about the whole summer school thing. It wasn't that they didn't question because they didn't care but they always had a philosophy that Misaki's life was her own and even if they were her parents they didn't have a right to butt in. Most of the time this was nice but sometimes Misaki really wished her parents would set rules or give her guidance so she wasn't trying to figure out everything on her own.

With summer break officially here Misaki figured the best way to celebrate was with watching Disney movies on Netflix. After changing into sweatpants and a plain orange t-shirt Misaki settled onto her bed ready to mindlessly enjoy Pocahontas when a loud ping emanated from her phone.

'i heard about your math grade.'

Misaki stared at the sender's name. Rin. They had exchanged numbers a while go but they had never actually texted each other. Thumbs lightly grazed over the keypad composing a response. 'who told you?'

'Makoto he texted me saying thanks.'

A low groan grew in Misaki's throat. Of course Makoto would text Rin to thank him for tutoring her even before Misaki ever said thanks. Of course. 'i ended up with a c-' The message sent and Misaki figured she should follow it up with some sort of gratitude. 'thanks for all your help.'

'you owe me'

'excuse me?' Misaki's eyebrows stayed raised as she waited for Rin's response.

'you couldnt have passed without me'

Misaki quickly typed, saying her response out loud as the words appeared on the screen, "Yes I could have."

'really?'

She could picture the smirk that must have been on Rin's face as he pointed out a truth that Misaki wasn't about to admit. 'what do i owe you?'

'dinner tonight'

Misaki liked keeping her personal life private but at reading the text she was nearly running down the hall to ask for advice, "Rin wants to go to dinner tonight."

"Look how comfy you look," Mrs. Takahashi grinned as she continued to fold clothes into a suitcase, "Honey throw me my pink shirt," she called, her gaze going towards the closet where Mr. Takahashi was sorting through clothes.

Misaki entered the room, scooting clothes out of her way before plopping down on the bed, "Did you hear me?"

"Rin wants to go to dinner with you," Mr. Takahashi repeated, throwing a red shirt towards his wife.

Mrs. Takahashi frowned down at the shirt but instead of correcting her husband that this was not the pink shirt she wanted she simply folded it neatly and placed it in the suitcase, "Are you going to go?"

Misaki took a moment to realize just how versed her parents were in this whole 'not butting in' thing. They had heard Misaki mention that Rin was back once and they had no clue that she had been seeing him for tutoring for the past few weeks but here they were talking to her about Rin as if he wasn't the guy who basically broke her heart. "I feel like I should ask Makoto what he thinks."

"You know what he'll tell you," Mrs. Takahashi said, "Plus no one else can give you the answer."

Misaki rolled her eyes though her mom did have a point. Whether Makoto approved or not he would tell Misaki that it was okay for her to go out to dinner with Rin. Makoto would never dare tell Misaki that she couldn't do something and knowing him he'd probably encourage her to go because he would know that she wanted to. "It'll just worry him if I tell him," Misaki mumbled to herself, running her fingers through her hair as she stared down at her phone.

"Misaki," Mrs. Takahashi's voice caught her daughter's attention, "I heard a very interesting phrase the other day, one that I think can help you in this situation. YOLO."

"No, no, no mom oh my god you are not allowed to say that!" Misaki heard her father laugh as her mother simply smiled at her, "Seriously mom you can't say that."

"I think it's catchy," Mrs. Takahashi said with a shrug, "Do you know what it stands for? You only-"

"Yes yes I know I know. You only live once."

A smile came to Mrs. Takahashi's face, "Exactly. We each only get one life so we should do what we want with it. So, what do you want to do?"

Misaki bit her bottom lip her eyes focused on pile of socks that lay on the bed in front of her, "But isn't it like I dunno….wrong? Girls with boyfriends don't just go out to dinner with another guy."

Mrs. Takahashi repeated the question, "But what do you want to do?"

A flutter had formed in Misaki's chest when she read Rin's text. It had been a feeling of excitement that Rin wanted to spend time with her and Misaki wanted to spend time with him. Misaki grinded her bottom lip between her teeth as she slowly typed in her response and hit send before she could change her mind. 'what time?'

The black shorts hit at Misaki's upper thigh showing off legs that she had just spent an hour shaving. As she walked Misaki tugged at the hem of the green sheer button up shirt that was worn over a black tank top. Simple silver sandals adorned her feet and made a soft sound against the pavement. Misaki had re-straightened her hair and spent way too much time on her makeup as if she were getting ready for a date.

But this was not a date. If this had been a date Misaki would have let Rin pick her up at her house. If this was a date they'd be meeting at a nice restaurant rather than a McDonalds. This was in no way a date because girlfriends don't go on dates with guys that aren't their boyfriends.

The sun had already been replaced by the moon which cast a bright glow over the bustling street Misaki was walking down. Neon lights clung to every building as street lights lined the way. The McDonalds was on the corner right next to a small coffee shop that never got much business. A chime emitted from the door as Misaki walked inside, the thought that she was early being wiped away as her eyes caught sight of Rin.

He wore a white t-shirt, dark grey skinny jeans, and some simple black tennis shoes. Misaki noticed how he sat on a red bench with his elbows on his knees. The way his arms were bent caused his biceps to flex. One of his hands was balled into a fist, the other laying over it as if it were a blanket. His gaze was up at the menu and he didn't notice Misaki until she blocked his view.

"How long have you been here?" Misaki asked watching as Rin's eyes slowly made their way up to her face.

Rin didn't answer, instead he stood up so now it was Misaki looking up at him, "You sure you want to eat here?"

Over text Rin had tried to argue for them going to an actual restaurant but Misaki refused. "Yeah," she said as she dug through her black purse before pulling out her wallet, "It's fine."

"I'll pay for you."

Misaki knew that Rin was trying to be sweet, but she simply couldn't allow it. "I got it," she mumbled trying to ignore the frustrated look that had appeared on Rin's face.

Before Rin could offer again Misaki went up to the counter and ordered a hamburger with some fries. She could feel Rin's gaze as she paid and even as she went to fill up her cup with soda. Silence fell over them as they waited for their food and continued as they sat across from each other at a sticky yellow and red booth.

Misaki had been thinking of something to say when she saw noticed a hand reach for her tray and take off with a handful of fries. "Hey!" her voice was way too loud, earning her the attention of the other patrons and a chuckle from Rin, "Give them back."

Instead of returning the stolen fries Rin placed them on his tray and slowly began eating them relishing in the perturbed look Misaki was giving him, "Don't tell me you haven't grown out of that little pet peeve of yours."

Rin was mocking her and Misaki had to try her hardest to control her irrational anger. That pet peeve Rin was talking about had in fact not been grown out of. Misaki still hated it when people took food off her plate without permission. Rin had blamed it on her being an only child since he didn't have the luxury of not sharing with Gou around. Although Rin found it hilarious how angry it made Misaki he was always good about not taking food off her plate. That's why when he stole her fries and then taunted her about it Misaki was about ready to punch him in the kidney.

"Of course I have," Misaki lied, not willing to allow Rin to think that he still knew her so well.

Rin smirked, "Oh really?" His head reached out again towards Misaki's tray before slowly picking up two more fries.

Misaki's eyebrow visibly twitched as she tried to push past her annoyance but she simply couldn't. With one quick movement she reached over the table and took a handful of fries off of Rin's tray and dumped them onto hers. Rin immediately let out a laugh as he didn't even bother to try to get his food back, "You really haven't changed."

That comment irked Misaki more than Rin taking her fries because yes, she had changed. She wasn't wearing booty shorts when she was twelve god damn it! The last thing Misaki wanted to be was the same scrawny, poorly dressed, awkward kid Rin remembered. She was a woman now, a woman who hated people stealing food from her but a woman none the less. "Well neither have you," Misaki shrugged, "I would have thought you'd get those teeth flattened out by now."

Rin raised an eyebrow at Misaki's petty excuse for an insult, "Last I remember you were always begging to touch them to see if they were sharp."

The memory made Misaki both embarrassed and sad because of how different things were and the only way to relieve the sadness was to change the subject, "So how was Australia?"

"Fine."

Awkwardness formed between them as the pair tried to have a conversation that didn't revolve around math. Truth be told they had yet to really catch up and the only thing Rin really knew about Misaki now was that she sucked at math. Misaki let out a sigh before turning her gaze towards the other patrons, "I heard you had a pretty rough time."

Rin stayed silent, allowing Misaki to continue, "Something about how you didn't feel good enough or I dunno."

"Makoto needs to learn to shut his mouth," Rin mumbled, taking a sip from his soda as he leaned back, "There were just a lot of good swimmers there that I wasn't prepared for."

It slipped without warning, no preparation as the words slid out of Misaki's mouth before she could pull them back, "Is that why you stopped writing me?"

Hazel eyes immediately widened at the sound of her own voice asking that question, at the sound of the rug being moved aside to reveal all of her and Rin's issues. Misaki stared at Rin noticing how his gaze widened then narrowed as he looked away before responding.

"I didn't want to burden you."

A lump began forming at the back of Misaki's throat. For years Misaki thought that Rin stopped writing because he hated her. Because he didn't love her. Because he moved on. A thousand reasons swam through her head during those years but never once did she think he did it to spare her. "I could have been there for you," the verbalization of her thoughts was meant for her own ears but Rin heard them as well, "You could have told me that instead of just abandoning me."

"I didn't abandon you Misaki."

Hazel eyes hardened as she met Rin's red orbs as if daring him to say something else. Daring him to act like that's not exactly what he did, "You left without a reason. I'm pretty sure that's the definition of abandonment."

Rin leaned forward, pressing his palms into the table, "Abandonment means you never come back. I came back. You're the one-"

"Me!?" Misaki's voice was beginning to rise as she let out a fake laugh, "You really want to blame this all on me?"

"I'm not the one who told you to go out with Makoto."

Misaki could hear the anger in Rin's voice. The obvious hurt that was laced in his words but Misaki didn't care. What she did care about was how Rin was trying to put this all on her. How he was acting like he did nothing wrong. Like Misaki went out of her way to break her promise. Like he gave her no reason to lose hope. "Screw you," she hissed before grabbing her stuff and walking as fast as possible towards the exit.

"Misaki!"

She could hear Rin calling her name and sense him running to catch up to her. She didn't stop. Instead Misaki kept pushing forward her sandals pounding against the pavement as she tried to drown out Rin's voice. Her pace wasn't fast enough and soon she was forcefully spun around, "Leave me alone," she spat, pulling her arm out of Rin's grasp and turning to begin walking down a nearby alleyway.

"I thought about you every day."

His words were blown by the wind into her ears causing her to stop walking and turn to see a look on Rin's face that she never wanted to witness. Devastation.

"I- god damnit," Rin balled his hands into fists as he stared down at the ground not sure how to verbalize what he wanted to say, "I wanted to write you back but I felt like such a fucking failure. I thought about you every day and then I get back to see you with him."

The way the pronoun came out of Rin's mouth, filled with so much hate, sent chills down Misaki's spine and all she could think to do was apologize, "I'm sorry. But you don't know what it was like waiting for you."

"It's not like I wanted this to happen but it did and now," Misaki let her head drop as she placed both her hands on either side of her head, "Now I'm just so confused."

"Why didn't you take that bracelet off?"

Misaki looked up at Rin to notice that he had moved closer to her. He gently took Misaki's hand and thumbed over the pink bracelet with a pained look on his face. "Same reason you didn't get rid of the necklace," Misaki whispered as she felt Rin's touch disappear for a moment before resurfacing on her hips.

The contact was rough and tight so Misaki would have no chance of getting away. His hands were warm and his thumbs pushed up the fabric of Misaki's t-shirt so his palms could press against her bare skin. With a strong pull Rin brought Misaki towards him so that there was no space in-between their bodies.

"Rin," Misaki whispered trying to force her body to move away but she couldn't. Her mind was screaming at her that this was wrong. That her breath shouldn't have become rapid at Rin's touch. That she shouldn't be pressing herself into him. The image of Makoto came to her mind causing her to flinch and retract.

At feeling her body flinch Rin didn't loosen his hold but instead pushed her shirt further up so his hands pressed into her waist. The slight moan that left Misaki's mouth made Rin smirk as he removed one of his hands and placed it under her chin so she would look up at him.

At first glance Rin looked calm and collected but Misaki could see the nervousness pooling in his eyes. She could see that this situation made him uncomfortable and Misaki couldn't help but find that adorable. "Rin we-"

She was about to say 'can't'. As in they simply couldn't do this. As in Misaki had a boyfriend who she loved. As in Misaki wasn't a cheater but that's exactly what she became when Rin's lips firmly pressed down onto hers.

The contact was sudden and uniquely different. Makoto's kisses were always soft and tender as if he were afraid of breaking her. Rin was completely opposite. His lips crashed into Misaki's with a ferocity that sent her taking a small wobbly step backwards. His teeth nipped at her bottom lip as one hand rested on her cheek and the other on her bare waist.

She should have pulled away. Misaki should have pushed Rin off in disgust and yelled at him about how she had a boyfriend. She shouldn't have given in as easily as she did. At feeling his teeth on her bottom lip Misaki let out a moan and pushed her body into Rin's causing him to kiss her even harder. She pushed herself up onto the balls of her feet as she placed her hands around his neck. Once her hands were around his neck Rin took the opportunity to grab the back of Misaki's legs and easily lift her up. Instinctively her legs wrapped around his waist as he took two steps forward.

Her back hit the alleyway wall with a low bang and a grunt from Rin as Misaki pulled his hair. He detached his lips from hers but before Misaki could say a word he began nipping at her neck. "You're gonna leave a mark," Misaki couldn't believe it but she was actually giggling as she felt Rin's tongue circle around her collarbone.

"Good," he breathed, gently biting down.

"Not good," she laughed, pulling Rin's hair gently until he was away from her neck and looking back up at her.

Rin didn't respond at first, instead pressing his lips to Misaki's once more before mumbling out words in between kisses, "God, I've…been…waiting for this…for so….fucking long."

By now Misaki's mind was completely involved in Rin. The word 'consequences' was far, far from her mind as she flushed at how passionate Rin sounded. "Me too," she whispered against Rin's lips the words tasting of bitter truth and had her senses not been so preoccupied with Rin she would have surely felt the scarlet A being burned into her chest.

Author's Note: I've been wanting to write this chapter since I started this story and I'm actually pretty proud of how it turned out. The drama is gonna start heating up so I hope you guys are ready! I'd also LOVE to hear what you think of this chapter as it's kinda a big turning point in the story.

StormyInk: adjwegeaeoneou AH you're review was so SO nice and basically made my day. i'm so happy that you like this story even with it's OC and just seriously thanks so much cause your review was very sweet and lovely and wonderful. also RinSaki and MakoSaki are the perfect little ship names for them

Pinkychick1: thanks so much for your review! and did you expect Misaki to do this!?