Dreams

Her tears welled up in her eyes as she saw her father ripped the magazines, which she had been collecting and hiding for months, apart. The feeling of not wanting to let go of her own aspiration was painful. She knew she had to give it up, but she just could not do so. This dream meant a lot to her, a child with no freedom.

"Rin... what is the meaning of this?"

Putting her tiny feet together, she lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut, allowing the floor to be stained with her tears.

"Just give up... You're not fit to be a model. Never..."

Chapter 10: Out of Her Shell

"Oh... Rin, we're back!" She heard her mother's voice coming from the doorway. "Have you finished your report?"

Rin was dumbfounded while Len was sitting still, feeling very nervous. It was going to be his first time meeting her parents! He wondered how they were like. After how Rin talked about them, he pictured them as parents with two invisible horns on each of their heads and who ruled the household with iron fists. Speaking about iron fists, it was surprising that both of her parents did not fight for higher authority in the household.

"Rin?" This time was her father's turn to call out to her.

Rin gulped and replied in a quivering voice, "Ye... yes!"

Her parents put their shoes on the shoe rack and made their way towards the dining room where the lights were turned on, much to their annoyance. They thought Rin had carelessly left the lights on.

"Rin, have you put..."

Her father paused upon seeing his dear daughter and an unknown man in the dining room. Worst of all, that man was sitting on his usual seat.

He immediately snapped, "Intruder! Who are you? What are you doing to Rin? I will call the police!"

"Daddy..."

"Shut up, Rin! I don't care who he is but I know what he is after!"

Len blinked and pointed to himself, then pretended to muse, "Wow... so, what am I after?"

"Money!"

Rin smacked her own forehead and groaned. Here it went again. She knew it anyway. The thing which her parents could only think of was just money. It was as if the world only revolved around money.

"What?" Len sounded slightly surprise by her father's response.

"Daddy, you're wrong! He... he needed my help earlier!" Rin butted in, causing her father to glare at her.

"Oh? What kind of help was that? Look at him. He looked like nothing better than a beggar."

This time, it was Len's turn to glare at the older man. "Mind your words, Sir."

Rin nearly died upon hearing what her father had just said. It was so insulting. How could he say that to Len? Len did not look anything like a beggar! To correct her father, Len was dead gorgeous and sexy!

No, it was not the right time to think about that!

Rin shook her head in order to clear her weird thoughts away. She stood next to Len and glared at her father as her fist hit against her chest. As long as Len was next to her, she wanted to show him that she was not weak. In the first place, it was her parents who stole away her freedom. She had regained a little of it and all she wanted was to help someone whom she thought she would called a special friend.

Indeed, Len was kind of special to her.

"I can help whoever I want to help. It is not your business, Daddy," Rin retorted. "Furthermore, don't you dare to insult him!"

And there went her pride.

-:-:-:-

Her mother was taken aback by her sudden attitude which she deemed as rebellious and snapped, "Rin, how dare you..."

"Is it wrong to help a friend?" Rin interjected and took a step forward. "Tell me."

"Do you mean that guy is your friend? Don't joke with me, Rin. Didn't I tell you before that having friends is useless?"

Len stared at her father who was gritting his teeth. Her parents were scary and fierce. Both adults had many prominent white streaks of hair and light wrinkles on their faces. They looked older than he thought them to be, probably due to work stress. But that was not the point that bothered him. It was how broken the relationship between Rin and her parents was. That should not be the way.

"Please understand me... I was trying to help him with his car and he hadn't eaten yet so I... I... let him come in." As she spoke, her voice dropped to a whisper.

Len could tell that she was scared. It was not her fault by the way. It was his. He was the one who unknowingly stopped outside their residence and came in. As her father turned to look at him, he immediately straightened himself and swallowed hard. The man's hard stare looked as if he could penetrate through his body, and finally, the angry man snorted loudly.

"I can sue you for trespassing."

Len frowned at his unrealistic comment and said calmly, "But I have your daughter's permission."

"She has no right at all..."

What was wrong with this old man? Len was already screaming inside his head. This was so ridiculous! What did he mean by saying that Rin had no right at all?

"... unless she promises us that she will follow our footsteps."

There was a soft gasp coming from Rin as she held onto the back rest of the chair to prevent herself from tripping over her own left foot. She looked at her father in horror while her legs began to wobble slightly.

"Rin, your father is right. Unless you stop being so stubborn, we don't mind giving you the right to invite your friends over," her mother added.

"Is it wrong not to follow your footsteps?" Rin mumbled softly, making her voice inaudible to her parents. "I don't see what is wrong."

"Say that again," her father bellowed. "I dare you to say that again."

Biting her lower lip, Rin looked away and knitted her eyebrows closer.

"Rin Kagamine!"

Rin flinched hard and closed her eyes in fear. A while ago, she wanted to try to be defiant in front of Len so that she would not be seen as weak. But right at this moment, she had become a laughing stock to Len, showing how weak she actually was. However, how wrong was she when Len suddenly stood before her with his arm placed in front of her in a protective manner. She was utterly shocked.

"Is it wrong to be someone different?" Len questioned and his brows immediately furrowed when he saw Rin's mother rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Your daughter has been trying really hard to fulfill your wishes. But do you think she is happy with them?"

"She don't have to be happy now," Rin's father interjected. "When she gets a proper job as a lawyer in the future, she will be happy. Not only that, we will be happy. Everyone will be happy."

"I will never want to be a lawyer," Rin mumbled softly and quickly shut her mouth before her father could hear the slight quiver and anger in her tone.

But Len heard it. He knew how she felt because lost dreams were painful and could never get them back once they were missed. Unlike him, there was still hope for Rin to get her lost dreams back. He knew she could do it.

He frowned upon thinking about that. Why didn't he think about it earlier? Whether their meeting were fated or purely coincidental, there must be a reason behind it and he had somewhat known it. The reason he was here right then was because he had to help her. He believed in her dreams.

"Your daughter wants to be someone who can bring joy into other people's lives like a star. Happiness isn't all about money." Len took another step forward. "To her, happiness is about being able to let others smile."

Rin's eyes widened while her tears welled up in her eyes. Len understood her and was helping her to say those things which she had never said to her stubborn parents. She was glad... that he came into her life.

"Nonsense!" the older man shouted and waved his hand at Rin. "Rin, come here! Don't listen to this rascal!"

"No!" Rin clutched onto Len's shirt from behind and buried her face on his back.

"Rin! Why..."

"Sir," Len interrupted him as he held onto Rin's available hand and raised it up high. "How about this way? If Rin becomes a famous model within three months, you must allow her to pursue her dreams. If she fails, she will follow yours instead."

"What?" The three other Kagamines exclaimed loudly, especially Rin whose head suddenly shot up from his back.

Len smirked and looked at Rin who was gawking at him. Her jaw was hanging open from pure shock. Oh, the horror! How could Len make this type of bet? It was too risky!

"Don't joke with me, little rascal. Rin will never make it. The only path she can take is the route to be become a lawyer just like us," her father grunted. "Anyway, the sky will fall if she really does become a famous model. A model's life is difficult and is full of defamation. Our name will be definitely be tarnished as well."

"Then, she will prove you wrong, Sir. I believe she can do it," Len corrected him with a slight bow. "Please believe in her."

Rin's father clicked his tongue angrily while his wife looked down without displaying any emotions. The atmosphere turned cold as everyone remained still and quiet. It was as if time had slowed down for them. Rin tightened her grip on Len's shirt and stared at his back. Questions were running through her head like a windmill. Why was Len helping her even though they were not that close? Why was he bothering to continue to fight for her when his words were rejected? It was her dream, so she should be the one who had to fight for it.

What was her to Len?

She wanted to know it.

While she was too immerse in wondering that herself, her father suddenly grabbed her shoulder and spoke in a harsh tone, "Come here, Rin. You shouldn't be befriending this type of person. He will taint you..."

"Daddy," Rin cut his speech and shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "I want my freedom."

Her voice was shaky, partially because her body was trembling. Her tears rolled down her cheeks as she let go of Len's shirt, allowing her free hand to wipe her tears off her face. Her other hand was still in Len's grasp. She mentally wished he would not let go of her. As cheesy as it sounded, she wanted Len to be with her and be her pillar of support.

"What are you talking about, Rin?" her mother queried with a frown.

"I want to be free..."

"Rin Kagamine!"

"... and I want to prove to you that I can find my own happiness using my dreams."

Rin plastered a determined smile on her tear-stained face and stood next to Len. Len saw how Rin was coming out of her tight shell on her own, looking determined and anew. She was no longer hiding her feelings and had taken a better option to face her parents, instead of doing stupid things like playing truancy in school.

"I have had enough of your ridiculous nonsense!" Her father slammed his fist against the wall and glared at the two youngsters. "Do what you want, Rin. I am sure that you'll come home one day, crying out to me that how wrong you are to be dreaming of those useless things. I'm sure of that. Listen well, Rin. You'll soon understand that what we've done for you were actually for your sake."

"Daddy..."

"Shut up! You will never ever call me Daddy until you admit that you're wrong!"

"Ah..." Rin was tongue-tied as she saw her father stomped off into his room with her mother following behind him.

With her lips pursed, she looked down on the smooth marble floor, staring at her own fuzzy reflection. Her eyes looked a little swollen and she noticed Len's hand was still holding onto hers.

She looked back up at Len and muttered softly, "What am I going to do? My parents disown me..."

"Then, take this chance to fulfill your dreams," he replied with a warm smile, dragging her out of the house and leading her to his car. "Get on now."

"Wait! Hey! What are you doing?" Rin shouted as she was being forced into the vehicle. "And where are we going? Hey, answer me!"

As soon as Len got into the cab, he started the engine and drove off. Rin looked around her frantically, as if it was her first time riding on his little cab.

"Where are we going?" she asked him again, but with slight suspicion in her voice.

"I..." Len scratched his chin and thought very hard. "I don't know either."

Upon hearing that, Rin fainted.

Hi guys, thanks for reading up to Chapter 10.

Next, I would like to thank those who had reviewed Chapter 9. Thanks for all those encouragements. Hope to hear more from you again! :D

Here are the reviewers:

- YellowFluffiesForever22
- seraphim. 159
- KawaiiJelloUsagi
- Lukia Kagamine
- Gruesome Deaths
- MizuneMinamiki
- Ann meli

Lastly, I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story.

Random notes:

- There will be a short break, or should I say hiatus, after Chapter 25. There are two parts to this story; the first part is from Chapter 1 to 25 while the second part is from Chapter 26 onwards. I am still working on the second part of this story so I am not sure if I would split the story into three/four parts instead. But anyway, I promise that the break(s) won't be so long.

- If you have anything to say about my fanfics or me as a writer (be it good or bad), go to my profile and click on the survey form (a link in italics). Your responses will be greatly appreciated and kept confidential. Thanks!

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