Thanks to all who have reviewed/like/favorited! There's a buttload of author's notes under the cut, too, so stick around, please –v-

"God, you're...you're kidding me..." Gumi ran her thin fingers through her hair, gazing at the ground with shock. She tugged at a loose knot in her hair while her baggy eyes stared at the floor, a shade (whiter) than a blank canvas.

"Only in your dreams, Gumi," The girl replied.

"Wha- how do you know my name? Seriously, what is going on?" Gumi begged, backing away from Rin, feeling as if she'd be attacked at any moment. "What are you?" She shook her head, unable to comprehend the situation she had been confronted with. "Okay, you know what? This is a dream, but now that my subconscious knows that this is a dream, I should be awake, right? That's how dreams work." She began chewing on her lip as her anxiety increased. "M-maybe pinching myself will help…" Gumi squeezed the skin on her arm and yelped loudly.

"I think you need to sit before everything you become faint."

Gumi gasped as her behind smashed into the seat that appeared behind her. Her shoulder blades knocked into the back of the wooden chair. She cringed with pain.

"Fuck, that's going to bruise." Gumi groaned. She sat up weakly in the (white) chair and stared curiously at the (white) table covered with a (white) embroidered cloth. Her eyes widened at the array of sweets that appeared within her grasp, the table topped with several pastries and delicacies, some of which Gumi had never had the chance to taste before: Carrot cake topped off with fresh cream cheese, oozing delicately down the sides of the cake; vanilla crème cupcakes coated with edible golden glitter, the flakes of gold reflecting off of Gumi's eyes as they stood in front of her, all perched upon a three-tier silver stand; brownies, all a dark chocolate hue, were finely sprinkled with (white) powdered sugar; disks of chocolate chip cookies sitting on one another, held together by their gooey chocolate pieces; and truffles of different kinds, seemingly shipped from Belgium, littered the table. All baked goods and sweets were arranged around a clear vase filled with freshly picked lillies. Gumi's stomach nearly caved in when she remembered that she hadn't eaten dinner. She went to cut herself a slice of carrot cake but immediately pulled her hand away, her conscious reminding her of her naïve personality.

"Ah, go ahead! Eat!"

Gumi kept her hands in her lap, tugging at her fingers to keep them occupied. "N-no, I wouldn't want to stain your tablecloth." She licked her lips unconsciously. "I'm not that hungry."

Rin sighed reluctantly. "Alright, then. Some tea, at least?"

Gumi nodded and held out her (white) porcelain tea cup, holding it steady while Rin walked over and poured her the drink. Gumi watched the streams of water vapor floating lazily from the cup. Gumi thanked Rin quietly and sipped her tea. Gumi's eyes widened when the flowery taste hit her tongue; jasmine tea, just the kind she would drink in Okinawa, right before she'd head for school. Gumi slowly sipped more of the tea eagerly.

"Better?"

"U-uh, yeah, thanks." Gumi bowed her head. She rubbed her lips together nervously, feeling for the marks from when she ferociously chewed on her lips earlier (that certainly wouldn't help the chaffing, she reminded herself.) "I really don't mean to be rude, but could you please tell me what's going on?"

"Going on with what? My brother? Me? The weather? There are a lot of things going on in the world today. It's daytime in America right now, there's a lot going on there. Would you like to talk about America?" Rin sat down in her chair and picked up her teacup.

Gumi huffed. She wasn't in any mood to be joked with. "I meant about Len, and you, and where the hell I am? Can you at least tell me if this is a dream?" Gumi extended her neck to look at Rin, her view being obscured by the vase of lilies sitting in front of her.

"Not really." Rin sipped her tea. "I simply just phased into your body, took your soul, and brought it with me. We're in a little domain meant for spirits here, just a few kilometers under the Earth's surface. It's pretty lovely, I think, but not as brilliant as Heaven is." Rin noticed Gumi struggling to see her. She put the vase off to the side while Gumi sat in her chair with shock.

"...e-excuse me?" Gumi squeaked. Her body went cold, the warmth of her face leaving her as her cheeks turned white. Her fingers began to tremble. "So I'm dead? Y-you-"

Rin giggled. "Of course not. Your body is still snug in bed. Well, actually, you are asleep on your desk. But, when we are finished, your soul can return peacefully to your body."

Gumi stirred in her seat. "Um, g-great." Gumi stared at her pale hands nervously, watching the color return to them slowly.

"It is a lot to take in, is it not? Pardon me." Rin rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, her blonde strands sticking up from behind her head. Rin gently fixed her hair and began tugging at the (white) bow angled on the right side of her skull. "And forgive me if I speak too formally. It's become a habit, especially after becoming acquaintances with spirits of the past."

"I think it's quaint." The corner' of Gumi lips quirked upwards. "I can talk fancy, too."

"Well, we must really pace ourselves with this conversation. Let's stop mucking around to discuss the importance of my interjection." Rin tapped her delicate lips with her (white) napkin. "Well, over the past few years after my death, I've been conflicted. When I deceased, I lamented over the matter of how my brother had the lack of heart to burn me during my sleep. I could not believe that he would be capable of putting me through that much pain. Then, I came to realize, once I calmed myself from my tensions, that he did not set me aflame."

"Aflame? Like, you mean that Len didn't set you on fire?" A grin slowly broke out over Gumi's face. "Fuck yeah, I knew it!" Gumi eagerly stood up from the table and pumped a fist into the air. Rin sat patiently in her chair, amused with Gumi's excitement.

"Your moods are very unpredictable."

"Sorry." Gumi said, her face flushed with embarrassment. She sat down again and fingered the tablecloth, waiting for her face to cool down. "If Len didn't kill you, who did?"

"I'm not permitted to share that information with those who are not deceased. It will interfere with the lives of those who are alive, especially if it is a big mystery that hasn't been resolved among the living."

"Why?" Gumi frowned, disappointed. "Wait, why are you even talking to me? Can't you just help Len directly, since you're on Earth right now?"

"Len does not believe in anything ethereal, or anything regarding ghosts and spirits and all of that 'nonsense', as he used to put it. If I appeared, he would believe that he was going mad. Considering how life is going for him at this moment, it wouldn't be fair for me to stress him any longer. Neither can I trust the rest of the populace in Kahiru; I've only seen the people treat him with disgust, as if he is gum on the curb of a sidewalk." Rin grimaced. "Up until now, I couldn't step foot on Earth at all, even if I wanted to; once you die, you stay in the three outer-worldly existences chosen by God, or, you may request to become a ghost on Earth and roam around beneath the Earth. Yet, that is a very lonely existence, and I chose to become a spirit of God. However, with His permission, I could retrieve your soul, provided that I turn myself into a ghost, which I did. Angels are too pure to even lay a toe on Earth."

Gumi scratched behind her ear. "But, okay- I'm sorry to interrupt..."

"No, feeling free to ask about any inquiries you may have."

"Can't you banish Len's harassers to Hell or something? If you can drag my soul out from my body-"

Rin sighed glumly, pushing her tea plate away from her. "Again, I do not have that kind of power on Earth to just make people vanish, unless God permits it. It took a month just to convince The Lord Himself to permit me to help Len with your aid. Once I saw you, I knew that I could rely on you to help my brother."

"God sounds like a hard-ass." Gumi muttered under her breath (If that comment didn't send her to Hell, then she didn't know what else would.) "And how would you know if I can help Len?"

"I know everything about the past and present. Only God knows about the future. The future cannot look too good for Len, though, if I can base it off of his life at this moment." Rin's face fell sullen. "The only choices for the future would be to let him suffer, or for me to intervene and pull him out of Kahiru. I am risking my status as an angel to help my brother, but since no one else is going to help him, it is up to us."

"Shit, so I'm literally his only hope?" Gumi raised her eyebrow, wondering how her predicament could be so trite, yet grave, simultaneously. (Although, Gumi admitted, this wasn't as banal as the tales of a boy saving his damsel in distress from either monsters or an unattractive suitor, whisking her away to safety. There were just too many stories like that.)

"Well, besides me, yes."

Gumi pursed her lips, rolling the fabric of her skirt into the palms of her hands, her mood taking a different turn over the outcome of this conversation. "I don't think it's a good idea to let me try to even talk to him. Seriously. I think I'll make his life ten times worse-"

"If that was the case, I wouldn't have chosen you to help Len. I would have attempted to assist him myself, but that's next to impossible."

Gumi shifted her eyes to the floor, tugging at her navy blue skirt with uncertainty. "I really won't be much help. It was stupid of me to think that I could help him in the first place."

"Len needs as much aid as he can get. I assure you that if you do as a say, all will go smoothly."

"...promise?"

Rin suddenly restrained herself, her mouth closing just as quickly as she opened it. "I'll make sure."

"No, look, all I want is a promise." Gumi pleaded. "At 'least' promise me that I won't be tortured, beaten, or murdered? I don't want any of that to happen to me," Gumi prodded herself in the chest, looking at Rin earnestly, "nor do I want all of that to happen to me all at the same time."

Rin's face brightened. "I can promise you that, just as long as you follow my advice."

"Thank God." Gumi's shoulders eased and she slouched in her chair. She shut her eyes momentarily, as the different shades of (white) began to blind her. Her eyes fluttered open when Gumi remembered another question. "What about your murderer, though? Wouldn't you want me to do something about him?"

"Let me reassure you that my murderer is none of my concern at the moment. As long as Len is freed from the bonds of his oppressors, my killer will no longer be an issue to me or Len." Rin smiled and shrugged. "I'm not even upset any longer that I've been killed; In Heaven, everyone is at peace. I have forgiven my murderer for everything long ago except for tormenting Len endlessly." Rin sat up and began to fix the silver earring that had latched onto a strand of her hair. "Besides, my murderer go to hell for having my blood on their hands- that is, once my murderer kicks the bucket. Yet, it is not fair for my brother to have to suffer consequences for a crime he didn't commit. It is not fair that I may enjoy the spoils of the afterlife while he is stuck living in such pitiful conditions."

Gumi nodded, agreeing with Rin immensely. She paused to gaze at the sweets with temptation, but paid her attention back to Rin. "Heaven sounds strict, though."

"Well, yes, but nothing too strict. In Heaven we are meant to enjoy ourselves for the rest of eternity. You would be surprised by how easy-going Heaven is. After a week of being dead, you'd wonder what was so great about being on Earth in the first place. Some of the saints here are very friendly. Saint John delivers some killer serves when we play volleyball." Rin looked on suddenly at her floral teapot with fret, concentrating on the purple irises and the pinkish chrysanthemums closely, as if she was checking to see if any of the paint had chipped off. "At least I hope I can return to Heaven to play volleyball again. I sincerely miss it."

Gumi was inattentive to Rin's murmur. "That's not strange at all." Gumi snorted at the thought of Saint John the Baptist in his robes, spiking a volleyball right in front of Jesus's feet. She shrugged. "Well, Heaven sounds like a blast. Wait, did you just say killer? That doesn't sound very quaint." Gumi giggled.

Rin suddenly frowned angrily and pulled at her hair, her cheeks now a ruby red. "Urgh, I was so close!" She wailed.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"No, no! I can talk very nicely! I ruined it. Oi, so much for looking angelic." Rin sighed with lamentation and slouched in her chair. "It was pointless anyway, since I won't be an angel again for a while."

"Wait, so you can speak like a normal teenager?" Gumi narrowed her eyes. "You were just acting like a young lady to put on airs? Speaking like a normal person would have made things so much easier!" She bellowed.

"...it would have." Rin giggled. "I had to keep up my image."

"Well, you only increased my inferiority complex."

"Sorry." Rin grinned. "Maybe a pastry will make you feel better?"

"Er, yeah, well, I don't want to stain your tablecloth." Gumi frowned. She herself felt like a smudge of paint when she compared herself to the cream colored walls and swan-(white) floor.

"We do have washing machines in Heaven." Rin raised an eyebrow, and then pressed her lips together. "Actually, they're more or less for show, considering that we can get rid of stains with the snap of our fingers. God just wants Heaven to look a bit more modern these days, to keep up with the demands of the newly deceased. Oh, geez, I keep forgetting that I'm not in Heaven anymore." Rin smacked herself on the head. "I'm sure ghosts have bleach or something down here. Don't sweat it if you spill a crumb or something."

Gumi frowned, eyeing the pure (white) cloth. One crumb would surely ruin the crotchet tablecloth, but Gumi's restraint popped. "Alright, then." Gumi reached over for a cupcake eagerly. Her teeth barely scraped the icing when Rin began talking again.

"My brother likes to read, and after I make sure those Gakupo and his friends don't harm him badly." Rin frowned at the thought of Gakupo, gazing at the table pensively for all but a moment, seeming disappointed, but her content smile returned at the thought of her brother. "Sometimes, I watch Len rest and read until he goes home. I saw you at the library," She admitted, " and I can't blame you for avoiding him, because you were only taking caution; but now, you can exercise less anxiety around him, now that you know that Len is not a 'psychopath'."

Gumi guiltily set her unscathed cupcake back onto her porcelain plate. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

"I can see that you want to help him. I'm willing to let you see your father again if you help my brother graduate from junior high. He's been having a rough time with math lately, from all the algebra textbooks I've been watching him skim through these past few weeks. All you would need to do is tutor him, make sure he graduates, and that is all, to ensure that he has a chance of escaping Kahiru. Don't bother trying to convince anyone that my brother is not guilty, because, frankly, no one will listen to you, especially since you're only the 'new girl'. It's just better to give him his freedom rather than cause an uproar. When you give my brother his freedom, then The Lord will give you permission to see your father, and then, I can return to Heaven."

Gumi felt her heart race at that possibility, but it only fell again as it collapsed with worry. "But what if I mess up?"

"I said I'd help you."

"Yeah, but what if I still screw up? Will you be able to go back to Heaven if I fuck up?"

"Are you doubting my abilities?" Rin pouted.

"N-no! You see-"

The soft giggle approached Gumi's ears again. "You get so flustered! It's cute. However, you need to focus on yourself, too; If you don't have the confidence to help my brother, then that tells me about your confidence in your abilities, too. You really need to work on your self-esteem."

Gumi rolled her eyes. "My self-esteem is fine."

Rin sighed with doubt and her light pink lips settle into a frown. "However, there is a slight, er, 'catch' to this." Rin whispered nervously, her voice tensing. "I have temporarily given up my wings to become a ghost, in order to help Len and to contact you. The Lord was kind enough to give me a few months on Earth. However, if I don't succeed with helping my brother within that time span, then..." Rin glanced up at Gumi sheepishly, "I'm stuck as a ghost on Earth forever. After all the years I've spent enjoying Heaven, I really can't let you opt out of this deal," Rin said meekly. "So, I have no choice but to keep you here and badger you until you agree."

Gumi looked at Rin as if she was a deer watching oncoming headlights, as something in her mind snapped, her brain breaking like a glass vase. "I've only been in school for- one, two, three-" Gumi counted on her fingers, then held up the correct amount of appendages, "-three days starting today, and now, in addition to homework, clubs, and managing my social life, I have to do this? I don't even get a choice?! Wait, and you died at eight, nine? How do you look older?"

"I never said that you had to help." Rin pushed her chair back and got up. She skimmed her bare feet against the floor before walking around the table, watching Gumi as she circled around her. "I'm just going to convince you until you say yes. You have to remember that we can't live off of these sweets forever." Rin smiled bitterly. "Gumi, please understand, I really don't want to be stuck on Earth. Earth sucks, honestly, and I'm sorry that you were the only hope for my brother. I would have helped my brother by myself in a heartbeat, but besides the fact that my brother doesn't believe in ghosts, if a human sees me on Earth, with you as the only exception, then my contract with God will be void."

"It would have helped if you mentioned all of that earlier!" Gumi shouted angrily.

"Heaven is an interesting place, really! It's my home, too. Please, let me show you how nice it is. Let me convince you: Anyone can be any age they want to be."

Suddenly, Rin disappeared. Gumi quickly hopped out of her seat and scrambled to look for the dead girl, only to find her within half a second to be less than half of her original height, with larger eyes and cherubic cheeks.

"See? This was me when I was five." The squeaky voice announced.

Gumi snorted and then giggled, no longer angered but now amused by the girl's appearance and began to wonder why she was taking this little spirit seriously. "You look like a doll."

Rin pouted again. "I do not! Ugh, six." Rin grew slightly, her dress growing with her.

"Seven." She sprouted up again. Gumi looked on with interest.

"Eight." She grew by a few more inches. Her large eyes remained and her cheeks retained its pinkish glow. Rin smiled, still doll-like in appearance. Her smile slowly faded, and her lips fell into a sad line.

"Nine."

Gumi watched Rin's body unravel as if she was watching a horror film; she watched Rin's pale skin shrivel and choke, all of her muscles blackening and shrinking until the dead skin clung to her charcoal bones. Her hair sizzled and burned, the scent of the dead hair choking Gumi's lungs without warning, and all of the once golden locks disintegrated into thin ash. Gumi only wished that she hadn't looked into the girl's face; it melted. That was the only way Gumi could describe it, as the whites of Rin's eyes melted and trickled down her hardened cheek bones as her flesh flaked away. Her dribbling eyeballs melted like candle wax, traveling all the way downward to the burnt, crinkled pieces of her flesh, ending at her lips, which were no longer pink and plump but seared to nothingness, exposing her grey teeth and burnt gums.

Gumi collapsed to the floor and heaved and heaved until she thought she had vomited up her stomach. She shivered repeatedly, threatening to spill digested food from her mouth again until she felt something stroke her back. Gumi fell over, narrowly avoiding her puddle of vomit, shielding her face until Rin pulled Gumi's fingers away from her eyes, allowing her to feel the sensation of her long, soft fingers and smooth skin. Rin smiled sadly.

"I don't like being nine. I still like to have birthdays, so I'll always be the same age as Len until he deceases. He's fourteen, and so am I." Rin finally noticed the sour smell emitting from the mushed liquid on the floor. "I'll clean that up later."

Gumi felt herself be placed back into the chair, dizzily allowing herself to slip into the seat. Gumi wiped her mouth with her napkin, smearing an ugly beige color against the once pure (white) napkin. She sighed tiredly, shut her eyes and attempted to shut out the memory of Rin's melting flesh.

Within minutes, Rin had the vomit removed. "See? No big deal." Rin wiped her hands on a rag as she set a bucket aside. Rin sat in front of Gumi again, with a smile plastered on her face, yet her eyes twinkled out of remorse.

Gumi's eyes twitched open. Gumi groaned quietly, then nodded solemnly. "I'll help you if you agree to never to do that again. Ever."

Rin smiled sympathetically, yet bounced on the back of her heels eagerly, internally celebrating the success of coercing Gumi into her plan. "Of course! You're making the right decision, Gumi."

"There's one more thing I want, though."

"What's that?"

Gumi grunted and leaned over the table. From there, she quietly slid the plate of carrot cake to her. "I get to take this home." Her stomach growled with agreement.

"Hmm, I don't know." Rin tapped her well-polished fingernail against her chin thoughtfully, smiling deviously. "That cake is to die for. No, seriously, you have to die in order to eat the food made from Heaven; it's kind of the rule. I convinced some of the angels to transport me some goods. The chocolate here in this world just doesn't cut it. It must suck for the ghosts that live here." She smiled happily at the array of pastries, plucking a (white) chocolate truffle from the table and welcoming the sweet flavor into her mouth.

"I think I've experienced enough morbidity for today." Gumi rubbed her eyes. "Er, tonight. Whatever time it is now, I guess."

"I'll leave you be for today. The only thing you need to do now is try to talk to him, at least just once, and then we can discuss how that went."

"Do I still get to bring the cake-"

Gumi thrashed against her desk and opened her eyes widely. She had just felt as if she was falling, falling off of her chair and into a dark pit, slipping away into eternity. Fortunately, that wasn't the case; Gumi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though she had narrowly escaped death.

"Shit, what a nightmare." Gumi gazed at the digital clock across from her with her bloodshot eyes, sighing pleasantly when she saw she had a few hours to herself to calm her nerves. Gumi wrapped her arms around her head and groaned.

'That was a nightmare, a complete nightmare. I can't believe my brain managed to conjure something like that up. I don't even know what Rin looked like, but my brain managed to recreate her, somehow. I really am losing my mind.' Gumi lifted her head up and then her upper body. She cracked her back and groaned.

'I'm so stupid for sleeping here-'

Her mind became quiet when she saw a cake coated cream cheese icing sitting right in front of her. Gumi nearly screamed, but mouth hung open in the shape of a large circle instead.

'My brain is just sleep deprived. This isn't possible...'

She touched the cake, only to achieve a small coating of frosting on her fingers. She pressed her fingers together, rubbing the greasy icing back and forth while she looked on with incredulity.

'I think I just need to sleep. Bed, now. Bed.'

Gumi stumbled out of her chair, abandoning her homework and the fresh cake for her soft comforter and fluffy pillow. Gumi face-planted her head into her pillow and let her brain push the snooze button, abandoning reality as quickly as she could.

"I want a mommy and daddy, Len."

The ensuing tears made Len frown sadly. He lifted up his small hands and soaked up the tears off of Rin's rubbery face with the sleeve of his shirt. "Don't cry, Rin. It makes me sad, too."

"I-I can't help it." She sniffled and sniveled repeatedly, with sobs getting caught in between.

"Rin, stop, please. You'll wake the director up." Len frowned at the thought. "Shush, Rin!"

Rin hiccuped. "Read me a broooook," She whined, tears bolting down her face and falling onto her blanket.

Len sighed. "It's called a 'book', Rin." He leaped down from their bed and he crouched onto the floor, his eyes greeting the bookshelf. He quickly searched for a story that would soothe his sister. "Cinderella?"

"That's dumb!" Rin cried.

Len frowned and shoved the girl and her glass slippers back into the shelf, annoyed with his sister's frivolous behavior and the fact that he had been woken up in the middle of the night again. He briskly pulled out a different book. He held the book up to her sister, covering his face. "Goldilocks?" He recommended.

Rin blinked curiously, and then nodded slowly, clutching her pillow while she sniffled repeatedly. Len hastily climbed back onto the bed and threw the book onto his lap. He took the blanket and covered Rin with the soft fabric.

"Can I start?" He asked.

She nodded. Len began to read slowly, letting his voice permeate through Rin's ears gently. He carefully read each word, unwilling to foul up on the pronunciation and risk another tantrum from Rin, who was now calmly sucking on her thumb. Len gently pulled his weary sister's hand from out of her mouth while he detailed all of the chairs that Goldilocks tried to sit in.

"And it fit juuust right." Len smiled to himself, expanding the vowel just like Luka did whenever she read the story to him. His smile turned into a grimace when he ended up with some of Rin's saliva on the unfortunate hand that had tried to force his sister's thumb from out of her mouth. Len rubbed his hand try against the blanket to dry his fingers.

"Len?" A small voice uttered.

Len realized that he had paused for too long. "Sorry, Rin."

"It's 'kay, Len. I don't wanna hear about Goldilocks anymore."

Len nodded and set the book at the end of the bed. He settled down and let Rin take his arm. She curled next to him while staring at the patterns on his shirt.

"Why doesn't anybody want us, Len?"

"That's not true."

"B-but we've been here for a long time."

Len stared at the ceiling, unable to ignore that truth. "Yeah."

"That means that nobody wants us."

Rin's voice wavered and Len immediately tried to soothe her. "Rin, everybody wants you."

"Then why don't they bring me to their home?" Rin offered her brother her downtrodden eyes, threatening to spill tears all over her pillow again. "The director says all the time that I'll be adopted one day, but that day still isn't here."

Len sighed hesitantly. "That's the problem: everybody wants you, not me."

"What do you mean?"

The young boy stalled for a few moments, lacing a finger nervously around a loose thread on their blanket. "The director doesn't like me, and neither do the adults." Len mumbled while he tugged at the corner of the blanket, concentrating on its stitching. "The director wants the mommies and daddies to adopt us as a package, like a box. The parents get all happy to see you, but when they see me, they just change their minds. You can't have parents because of me." Len rubbed at his eyes and set them on the same corner of the blanket, too ashamed to look at his sister. "But, because everyone wants you, if they just take you, I'll be left here forever, and then the director will be angry. It's my fault, Rin. I'm sorry."

Rin studied her brother's shirt as she let his words sink in. She shook her head. "But Len, we've always been a deal." She curled up closer to her brother. She smiled sadly while she hiccuped. "Maybe nobody wants twins?"

"Nobody wants me because I get sick all the time." Len stared at the box of tissues on the small dresser next to the bed and sighed. "It took me days to get over that dumb cold. And, because I'm sick, no one wants to play with me, and then everyone thinks I'm not a fun person."

"But you're the funnest person ever, Len!" Rin cried with disbelief. "They just don't know what they're missing."

Len shrugged. Rin frowned and hugged her brother tightly.

"I'd rather live here then get taken away without you. Twins can't get taken away from each other. Who else is going to teach me how to tie my shoes?"

Len smiled at his sister's loyalty. They both embraced each other, and then snuggled under the blankets for the final time before settling into sleep. The moonlight radiated through the window, highlighting the clock left on their dresser, its hearty tick unknowingly becoming weaker every day, as its alkaline heart slowly lost its strength.

Gumi awoke to the distant sound of chirping, with sunlight creeping in through the window blinds, reaching out to cast its glow onto the girl's face. Gumi dug the discharge out of the corners of her eyes and began to contemplate buying a sleeping mask to combat the sun's painful rays. She gazed at the clock, groaning when she realized that she hadn't done any of her homework and still had to be in school in an hour. She sat up, and suddenly remembered the dream.

'How do I even know what Rin or Len looked like as kids? Why is this happening? When did my dreams become so…melancholic? But that nightmare...that wasn't real. At all. Maybe I saw a picture of them or something on the internet and I forgot about-'

Then she remembered the cake. Slowly, she twisted her head to glance at her desk, only to find the cake sitting right on top of her homework, its icing gleaming in all of its tantalizing glory. Gumi, despite the quick thumping of her heart, rolled out of bed and approached the cake, slinking to her desk carefully. Now, instead of just the cake, there was a vanilla scented letter laying on her desk, too. She gently picked up the small letter and, after gulping down the knot stuck in her throat, opened it. She made her way back to her bed as her stomach rolled around uneasily.

Yeah, sorry, you weren't dreaming, except when I transferred the memory of Len and I into your conscious (weren't we so cute?!). I won't leave you 'completely' out of the dark as to why everything is like it is today, okay? Just some details are classified- boooo, right? See you soon!

Rin

Gumi didn't scream or throw a fit; she was too exhausted and panicked to say one word. Gumi sat on the edge of her bed, and stared emptily from Rin's perfect cursive to the dull beige shade of her wall. Her lips lay parted; begging to ask why, yet her tongue couldn't formulate an intact sentence. Finally, Gumi thought of the only thing that could make sense in her current situation:

"I'm fucked."

Gumi thought about the situation and began to realize the assortment of questions she still had for Rin: About her parents, about her adoption, what she thought about Miku and her old friends, and about the students torturing Len...all questions that would have to be answered at a later time, and there was no guarantee that they would be answered, either. She scratched her scalp and sighed with disappointment, slowly becoming angrier at all the things she could of asked, yet was too shaken up to even bother recalling. If she had to, she barely would have had the confidence to ask Rin to use the bathroom (did ghosts ever need to pee, though? Did they have bathrooms in Rin's world?). Gumi stared at the cake and glared at it.

"This is your fault, and you're going to pay for it."

Piko only offered his sister a weird stare when he saw her, still dressed in her pajamas, digging a fork into a cake- a whole cake, to be precise. Gumi felt his stare and looked up at him, shrugging casually at his permanent frown.

"It's carrot cake. It has more vegetables in it than you've eaten in your lifetime."

Piko grabbed an apple from off the kitchen counter and walked away. Gumi couldn't have cared less about her brother's indifference; her carrot cake was too good to ignore. It actually was one of the best carrot cakes Gumi had ever eaten. At least something good came out of her difficult situation, and it seemed that her cake would be the only pleasant thing to come for a while.

END PART 1

sdjal college, guys, college. It's been a busy week, and I'm going to France on Monday for a school trip and I don't have enough time to write and sob (#FirstWorldProblems...)

I think this is turning out to be a pattern with this story: one exciting chapter, one boring chapter, the next exciting, and the next mundane…this is by no means exciting. This chapter was definitely stressful to write because I wasn't sure how to flesh out Rin's personality. She's definitely somewhat conniving, but she loves her brother. I definitely didn't want her to be all OMG KAWAII DESU because a lot of people here like to make her like that :I Hopefully I didn't offend anyone when I had Gumi call God a hardass and when Rin claimed Saint John was killer at volleyball. I mean, who doesn't like volleyball? And being the ruler of Heaven can't be easy either.

And sibling memories! I have a twin, so you would think having a twin would help me write cute sibling moments, but we were never touchy-feely with each other when we were younger, but I guess I wouldn't remember (except my parents told me when we were babies they couldn't put us in the same crib because I'd kick my brother's head...oops) But, yeah, just a reminder: there's no twincest. Nada. Nope. Don't expect it because ew

The next part/chapter will definitely have Len and Gumi interacting. That will be interesting, no? And don't expect Len to come crawling to Gumi's feet for help, because nopenopenope, Len will not be like that.

PLEASE leave replies! I thank everyone who has replied/liked/favorite the story so far! But please, let me know if you don't like how the story is going because I don't want this to be boring. I know there are some stragglers out there who are perhaps too shy to leave a reply (bc I'm like that too haha...), but I'm sure you guys have something to say about this fic, no? And on that story stats thing, Scorned got a buttload of views...(so hopefully no one is just reading my story just to make fun of my horrendous writing? ;;;;w;;;;)

And to all that want this to be Gumi/Len…be patient. Relationships take time to form .w. So, yeah, I'll see you all soon~ /w\