AN: I hope you guys like it...Next chapter will go into Rin and Len's past a bit, so it make take a while. Especially since most of my beta testers are on hitaus.... ;;; Oh, this chapter is really based on the PV for Rin's song, Dolls. I suggest watching it before/during/after reading- watch?v=eKZQHrUWeMs I also mixed a bit of Transmit and MELTDOWN as well...sorta. Argh, I'm getting kicked off the computer now, enjoy reading.
(Len's POV)
I hold the pillow to my face, her aroma still lingering. I sigh and lay it back down on my bed. Rin had only left just a few moments ago, but I still craved for her presence.
I stand up from my bed. After a moment, I press a finger to my lower lip. Her taste lingered as well.
My body drops back onto the bed, face first. I groan. These cravings…A want to be around her, to see her wonderful smiling face. But also, the want for her slender, pure neck in my mouth. My body shivers ever so slightly at the thought. I flip over onto my back and stare up. I lie and think in silence. But from past experiences…Silence doesn't last too long.
I shoot up as I hear a door slam. My head snaps to face the direction of the noise. Guess who it is.
"Ah~! Good Evening Len~"
"A-Akaito! Stop slamming the door…geez…"
"Sorry, sorry…"
I look over the older male. Nothing too different from usual, but…He's holding something covered by a bright red cloth. Its shape reminds me of a small bird's cage. I raise an eyebrow. Akaito simply smiles and trots over. He sets the covered object on the bed as he sits beside me.
"So, where's that little Doll of yours…?"
"She's…Gone for the night. Hey..." I point to the object. "…What the heck is that?"
"Ah…Remember the last time I was here, a week or so ago?"
"Yeah, and?"
"And I took a few pieces of your Doll's hair?"
"…What was that for?"
"Well, let me show you~" He pulls it closer to him. I watch as he carefully removes the cloth.
Underneath is a glass cage-like container. The glass is decorated with gold trim. Inside is a small porcelain doll. After a second of looking, I realize that the doll has a striking resemblance to Rin. My face heats up slightly.
"…Wow, I don't even really know what to say…?"
"Heh, you're good with making clothing, I'm good with making dolls. It's just a little 'I'm Sorry' gift."
I hesitate before reaching out to the glass container. I remove the top, exposing the little doll. Setting the top aside, my hands move towards the piece of porcelain, wrapping around it slowly and carefully. I pick it up, examining the details.
"This…isn't creepy at all…" I state sarcastically.
"Humph, appreciate it."
I glide my finger over its cold white 'skin'. The doll is wearing a dull green dress with a large bow on the back, and pure white gloves. For some reason, she has no shoes. My finger moves up to its hair, its shade a perfect golden yellow. It's soft to the touch. I look over her face- Every detail seems perfect, but her eyes seem distant and far.
"Mmm…"
"Be careful with it. I spent a couple nights making it, and it's as fragile as the real thing."
We exchange quick glares. Akaito saw all humans as 'fragile'. I didn't really like thinking of Rin as 'fragile'…but it was kind of true, I guess. I stare at the doll for a bit longer. I then slip it slowly back under the glass of its container.
Akaito flashes a smile, and then removes himself from my bed.
"Well, that's all I came to do, see you~" He begins to exit, waving to me as he walks to the door. I look at the back of his head, slightly confused. I probably shouldn't be though. Akaito is well known for his sudden entrances and exits.
"H-Hey, Akaito, no, wait-"
He slams the door shut behind him. I twitch. After a second, I decide not to follow. I turn my attention to what the bipolar red-head left. I lean over and carefully pick up the glass 'cage', making sure it doesn't fall on its side. The base of the container and the small blue rocks that covered it made it a tiny bit heavy, even for me. Cradling it in both arms, I stand up from my bed and look for a place to put it. My eyes rest on a desk next to a bookcase. Being careful not to drop it, I walk over and place it on the wooden surface.
I step back and look at the doll once more. A small smile embraces my lips.
"Hah, a doll of my Doll…a bit ironic, I guess."
The doll, of course, does not respond.
(Rin's POV)
I dive onto my bed, grab a pillow, and hold it close to my form. Despite my body being in a temporary state of languidness, my mind was energetic with passing thoughts. And, as usual, most of these thoughts related to Master in some way. It probably isn't healthy for me to think about him so much, but the preceding day had been normal and a bit dull. I giggle into the pillow.
My eyes drift to my backpack on the floor. I had a bit of homework to do, but it wasn't due until the end of the week. I'd just put it off until Miku or Luka can assist me with it. They, for some reason, loved helping me out with schoolwork, Miku especially. I think that she likes being around me in general…I'm happy that she's so nice to me. The thought makes my cheeks redden slightly.
I stand from the bed and walk to the closet. I dig out a pink nightgown and quickly rid myself of my school clothes. Slipping on the fabric, I close the closet and return to my bed.
I roll onto my back, clinging to the pillow again. My eyes scan the ceiling for a few moments. My mind finally begins to slow down as sleep begins to take me.
(Dream)
The distant sound of a ticking clock caresses my ears. The soft sound is soon joined by another, this one a bit louder. It sounds as if someone is rummaging around.
'…Hmm…'
For some reason, my body refuses to move. But I can open my eyes. Darkness is slowly replaced by candlelight. It takes a second for my eyes to fully focus. When they do, I quickly recognize where I am.
'This is…Where Master lives…'
I can't move my head to look around. All that is in my line of vision is the door and the edge of a bookcase. This view doesn't remain for long. I see Master Len step in front of me, his red eyes fixated on mine.
His big red eyes.
Either Master had turned into a giant, or I had shrunk. Judging by the size of what other things I could see, I was the one who had changed size. Either way, I couldn't move my mouth at all to ask what was happening. All I can simply do is stare back. He reaches a hand out towards me. Using a single finger, he strokes my cheek. I can feel it- A calming, warm sensation. He softly smiles at me.
"My beautiful little doll…"
I can feel my cheeks fluster. I mentally sigh.
'Master…I guess I really am your doll now, huh?'
It feels like I'm smiling, but I doubt that I actually am. I hear Master sigh in content. He rubs my cheek a few more times before removing his hand. Master then backs away and ducks out of view. The rummaging sounds return. After a small amount of time passes, Master Len reappears, a small yellow ribbon now in his hand. He looks to me for a moment, then back down to the ribbon. His eyes linger on it. Master finally looks back up to me and grins.
Reaching his hand out again, Master holds the ribbon up to my hair.
"…This will look perfect on you." He laughs slightly as he speaks.
…I hear a quiet noise in the distance. Master hears it too. He retracts his hand and turns to the door. Footsteps. They grow louder with every passing second.
'Master, what's going on…?'
He doesn't respond. He can't hear my thoughts. Master Len braces himself on whatever I'm standing on. My best guess is that it's a table or desk…but it doesn't seem that important right now. The footsteps grow louder still, soon joined by a pounding noise emitting from the door. I stare at Master's back, the door now only partly visible. Something in me begins to panic.
Finally, the door is broken down. A horde of men run in. Shadows consume and hide their faces from sight.
"There he is!"
"There's the disgusting monster, get him!"
'M-monster?!'
The group of men quickly surrounds us, words like 'monster' and 'demon' still shooting out from their unseen mouths. I still cannot move. Suddenly, one of them lunges for him. Master defends himself, shoving the man away. He yells for them to stop, to leave. He shows off his fangs. This just causes more men to jump him. Master struggles. He punches, kicks, and claws at his attackers. But when one was thrown off, at least three others replaced him. Master yells again, claiming that he had done nothing wrong. He also calls out my name as they pull him away from the desk, his hand reaching for me.
"Rin…! Stop! Let go of me! Rin!"
'Please, no, stop it! Leave him alone!' I join in mental pleas. I still can't move. I still can't be heard. I want to cry.
I can't count how many men it takes to push and hold Master to the ground. Once out of my sight, the sound of struggling continues, but it eventually stops. Out of the blue, I feel something tighten around my arm. My entire body is jerked up by one of the faceless men. He dangles me by the arm, Master now once again in my line of sight. He is now being held to the ground by several men. His back is to me, head down. He's stopped struggling.
One of the men puts a silver gun to the back of his head. I close my eyes.
For a split second, all is quiet. I hear a whisper.
"Die."
A gunshot rings out in the darkness. I feel a warm liquid splash against my face. My eyes remain shut. I can hear the men laugh. The sound echoes and surrounds my mind. Something seems to stab me in my chest, in my heart. It feels as if I'm choking.
I try to scream.
Eternity seems to pass by. I just can't bring myself to open my eyes, to look at what happened to Master Len... My hands rise up to cover my face in shame.
…Wait. I just moved my hands. But…I'm a doll, right? I shouldn't be able to move.
I slowly open my eyes, putting my hands down. They open to soft blue lights that are steadily fading. I look around to find myself in a glass cage, the glass adorned with golden patterns and designs. Beyond the glass is Master's home still. But Master Len is nowhere in sight.
My eyes gaze down to my open hands. They're covered by white gloves. Out of the bottom of my eye, I notice also the edge of a dull green dress. My mind is quickly whisked away to other thoughts, though. I remember the ribbon Master was holding. My hands shake. I feel warm tears spill from my eyes.
'Master…'
My eyes enlarge. The mysterious lights vanish from existence. My fingers unsteadily curl into a fist.
'I want to be with Master. I want out of this cage.'
I quickly become animated, looking for some way to escape. I finally look down to see a few small rock-type things sitting at my feet. Without hesitation, I bend down and grab the closest one. I quickly lift it over my head, and with all my strength I throw it at the glass. It shatters. I look around one more time before carefully climbing out of the hole the rock had made.
And now, I run.
I have no idea where I'm running to. I don't know where he is. I don't know if he's even alive. But I don't care. I want to see him. I want to be with him. That was reason enough.
I realize as I run that I'm barefoot. The wood seems cold against my feet. I ignore it. I continue to run. That is, until I trip.
Something shatters. I can no longer feel the wood underneath my feet.
I gaze back. My feet had broken just like the glass. Pieces are scattered everywhere. The bottom of my dress had begun to rip. I don't feel surprised.
'…I'm still…just a…'
I shake the thought before it can finish. I shakily try to sit up. It's hard, but I manage. I carefully reach out to one of my feet. My finger glides over the broken porcelain. Another chunk falls off. I can't feel it. I try not to cry.
I sit there for a little while. But then I decide to get up. I couldn't let this stop me. Even though I could no longer feel them, I still had control over my feet. Being as gentle as possible, I stand up again. My feet continue to crack with every step. But I keep going.
…
Time passes. I fall several more times. My porcelain form can't take any more. I simply lay on the seemingly endless wooden surface. My cracking hand reaches out to nothing. Parts of my face, shoulders, and arms fall off. The gloves that covered my hands had now ripped in multiple places. My vision begins to blur. All feeling has faded.
Master's smiling face stabs my mind. My outstretched arm cracks even more and my fingers begin to fall off. Everything spirals into darkness.
'…Master…'
(Rin's POV)
I shoot up from bed. Hot tears pour out from my eyes and cover my face. My eyes are dilated, my breathing and heartbeat escalated.
"….A dream? Just a dream…"
The tears refuse to stop. I'm still holding onto the pillow. I grip it tighter and bury my face into it.
"…Not a dream…A nightmare…"
I sit in silence for a while. My body calms down and the tears finally cease. I loosen my grip on the pillow and sigh. I get up from my bed and fumble in the darkness for my backpack. I pull out a watch, and turn on its backlight. The now glowing face reads 2:04 AM. I stuff it back into my bag.
I make it through the darkness of my room to reach the light switch. Light floods the room. I squint. My eyes take a few seconds to adjust. Once they do, I walk back across the room to my closet. I retrieve my jacket and shoes. I slip them on and leave.
(Len's POV)
I carefully slip a book back into its proper place on the shelf. I yawn. It was getting late…early…whatever. My feet carry me back to my bed, and I sit down. I silently begin to fumble with the buttons on my vest. I start to slip it off as my ears pick up a noise coming from the door.
'Hmm?'
I gaze over. I hear the lock unlock.
'Ah…Rin?'
The door swings open slowly. My Doll stands in its frame, wearing nothing but a small nightgown, a jacket, and shoes. Tears stain her face. She is motionless, just staring at me.
"R-Rin? My Doll…what's wrong?"
All Rin does is smile. She then suddenly runs towards me. Rin throws her form into mine, both of us crashing down on the bed. She clings to me tightly, burying her face in my chest. I look at her, a bit shocked.
" Rin! What happened?"
"…I love you Master. Don't ever leave me."
What she says catches me off guard a bit. I pause before smiling. I take my hand and glide it through her hair.
"I love you too."
Silence takes the room. My hand continues to comb through her hair. It isn't too long before she falls asleep in my arms. Once I'm sure that she's completely knocked out, I move her onto the bed. I take in the sight for a moment. She looks so peaceful sleeping.
I sit up, rubbing my eyes. I was starting to get sleepy as well. Standing up from the bed, I finish removing my vest. I walk over to my desk and lay the piece of clothing on it. My eye glimpses over towards what Akaito had left earlier that night. But something catches my attention enough to make me look fully.
The doll…had shifted position. It was now facing the wall, its body beginning to crack.
'…What the…'
I stare for a moment, but then shake it off. Akaito probably was lying about having a flair for making dolls. Questionable craftsmanship was probably to blame…But that doesn't explain why it moved…
I yawn again as I make my way back to bed, removing the doll from my thoughts. I had the real Rin to attend to, anyway.
