This is how I'm ending my year. Happy New Year guys! Enjoy!

Again, I want to express my thanks to those who read this story so far!

And of course many thanks to those who leave their marks behind (Chris Shino, AkikazeRyo, Mew-Star-Mew, Karisma Jetsler, LadyInRedz, riddlefame15, Myrrh)

Truth to be told, I love reading reviews because that's how I know how much you've enjoyed the story... so please leave your thoughts and input for me! Hehehe... thanks in advance ^^

Reine

Mom stares at me lovingly, as if telling me that she would understand.

"You can tell me," she says.

If it's Mom, maybe things will be all right. It's not like she is entirely in the dark, anyway.

I point my finger at Neil. "I'm dating him. Neil Forrester."

Mom's smile is enough to assure me that everything is going to be all right, and for a moment, I felt foolish for not telling her earlier. My head feels light, but soon, weight returns to my heart when I heard that voice.

"Dating whom?"

I turn around and surely enough, Dad is standing on the threshold. Dad is staring at Neil, the only candidate possible since he already knew Allen is Gwen's boyfriend. Unless he thinks I'm the kind who likes being the third party of my own twin's relationship.

I clear my throat. "Hi, Dad."

Dad is not a bad person, mind you, it's just sometimes… he can be unbelievably strict at times. I know he meant well, but I'm not in the mood of going through Dad's overprotectiveness again.

Mom rises from her seat and takes Dad's briefcase from his hand, as she will usually do. "How about we invite them for dinner?" she suggests.

He nods curtly.

During the dinner, Dad and Mom sit at the opposite edges of the oval table while Allen and Gwen sit on one side and Neil and me the other.

The milk porridge Mom has made looks like a white version of mud, and I can't bring myself to eat it. I stir the content of the bowl slowly with my spoon, trying to find it in me to scoop some and put it into my mouth.

"Eat up, Reine," Gwen says across the table. "You need it."

"Are you the one to tell me to eat up?" I tell her. Until recently, Gwen would eat nothing but raisins and only miracle in the form of tons and tons of vitamin supplements that allows her to survive. However, now she begins to eat more kind of food.

Still, she tells me to eat up? Talk about irony.

Gwen falls silent and suddenly I feel guilty for making her feel bad. "I'm sorry," I say.

She nods.

"How long have you been dating Reine?" suddenly Dad asks, his eyes fixed on Neil.

"Six months." Neil replied.

And those are the last words that are being said on the dining table until the dinner ends and Allen and Neil excuse themselves.

"I'm sorry," I whisper to him before he leaves.

He says nothing.

"So? That is the kind of guy you would expect me to give my blessing to?" Dad asks once Mom closes the door. "Allen is enough, Reine."

"He's different," I tell him.

"He sure is," Dad snaps, "With that gangster look and blond—"

"So what if he's blond?!" I suddenly yell, not caring if that takes the rest of my energy. "Blond, blond, you guys always has a problem with his blond hair! You know what, Dad, this pink hair—" I grab a lock of my hair, "is not so much better than his blond hair! Don't you remember how many times people thought I'm into gang things because of this pink hair?!"

"That's different—"

"Can you point to me where's that difference if I tell you his blond hair is also natural?! Seriously, can this be more insensible than it already is?!"

"You know why I won't let you mingle with that good-for-nothing brat?! Because now you dare to raise your voice against your dad! That's why!" Dad roars, only a step away from actually slapping me if not for Mom's intervention. "Now, go to your room and reflect!"

The voice of thunder becomes Dad's full stop and the subsequent rain its quote mark.

I stomp up the stairs and lock the door behind me. Okay, I'm guilty of yelling at Dad. That's… not something I'm supposed to do.

But, I can't believe that Dad would also tell me the same thing.

He is blond, so I shouldn't date him.

As simple as my logic might be, it doesn't make sense in my head.

I look at the glass door that leads to the balcony in the room I share with Gwen. The balcony is now wet because of the rain that pours down like there's no tomorrow.

Neil's voice echoes in my head.

"I won't ask you to choose. I will give you my back and leave."

The sight of his back leaving the front door of my house is replayed in my head. Was that it? Was that the back he intends to give me as his last gift?

When I stand up, my head feels light, and it goes lighter and lighter as I take each step. I don't know what's gotten into me, but it feels like the rain is calling me.

I slide the glass door open and let the cold water pours on me. As more water hits my head, the heavier it becomes. My breathing becomes heavy as I hold the railing. I step on it.

This is it.

My liberation.

Neil

It's clear that Reine's father dislikes me. And he doesn't bother to hide it.

The rain starts as soon as I get back to my place, and it's only then I remember why I went out in the first place.

Darn it.

But, seeing as how things are now, I don't think it's such an important matter. I can survive without milk just fine.

I walk into my room and look at the silver medal that is on my desk. After we agreed to go out, we exchanged our medals to remind us always of two things we would promise each other.

The gold medal in Reine's hand is my promise to always protect her.

The silver medal on my desk, in turn, is her promise to fight as she has always been.

Fight.

I close my eyes and the images scroll through like a movie roll: her pale face, her mother's smile, her father's disapproving eyes.

DING! DONG!

Huh? Who could it be?

Wondering, I walk to the front door and open it. She stares back at me, her lidded eyes hazed and unfocused.

"Don't…"

Her body sways forward and soon loses its balance. I quickly catch her before she hits the ground, her skin burning against mine.

"Don't leave…" she murmurs against my ear, the air coming out from her mouth almost as warm as freshly-boiled milk before she lets go the rest of her weight onto my arms.

She coughs several times, and I feel something warm on my neck. I sweep my hand around it, to find a warm, dark red liquid on it.

I turn my head and find blood has covered her chin.

"Reine Kreiss!" I call her frantically.

"Don't leave..." was Reine's last word before she eventually gave in.

How was it? Please let me know what do you think of this chapter! ^^