Disclaimer: No

Author's Note: Going through a hard time and feeling really depressed so I thought maybe writing would help. Sorry that this one is depressing…

The Point Between Caring and Not Caring

"Stop it!" she yelled, causing everyone in the courtyard to turn and stare at her. She sighed, glaring at the boy in front of her, trying to hold back the tears. Finally, she couldn't do it any longer and she turned around and walked away.

"Yumi!" he shouted, getting up to run after her, but his best friend, Odd, held him back with a strong arm. Ulrich looked back to him and saw him slowly shake his head back and forth, advising him to stay where he was.

Yumi, on the other hand, was walking towards her house, tears streaming down her face. She stopped and sat down on the curb, hiding her face in her arms, her sleeves getting soaked. Her sobs soon turned to hiccups and she tightly shut her eyes, trying to block out the tears.

She couldn't do it anymore…

She was tired of trying to be strong…

She couldn't let anyone see her cry…

She didn't care anymore…

She stood up again and turned back to the sidewalk, beginning to continue her trek to the house when she felt a soft hand grab hers. She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was.

When she did turn around, she broke down again in a stream of tears and buried her head in his chest. He didn't need to say anything, words weren't needed, he just held her close to him, feeling his shirt get wetter and wetter.

A tear streamed down his face as well, falling onto her head. She looked up at him and saw that he, too, was crying.

"Ul…rich?" she asked, now aware of what was going on. She began to wipe away her tears, hoping, by some sheer amount of luck, that he hadn't seen them.

Another tear slid down his cheek as he looked down at her. He was still holding her hand, and he pulled her back to him, closing the distance between their bodies. He held her close and she laid her head against his chest, realizing how relaxed and safe she felt.

"Why…why are you crying?"

He didn't answer, and she couldn't look up at him to see if he was still crying, so she stayed where she was, feeling so content.

"Sometimes, Yumi, it's okay to let others care."

She nodded, glad her tears had stopped. Finally, she wiggled from his grasp, the serene feeling around her, and looked up at him. ((A/N: he's taller.)) He wasn't crying anymore, but the look he gave her let her know things would be okay.

She realized they were still holding hands and quickly let go, blushing a little. She noticed Ulrich's cheeks were pink as well.

"Why did you come after me?"

He smiled, pushing the hair behind her ears. "Because I care about you."

X

Yeah, it sucked, I know. Whatever, I'm really not in the mood to try and make it better. So please don't review and tell me how much it sucked, I already know. Laterz.

Savannah