Chapter Seven

If I Forget about You, then . . .

Rin gazed around herself as she walked through the town, her hands stuffed in her pockets to hide from the gentle nip of cold in the air. Her short, blonde hair was free of tangles for once, and the shadows under her eyes were covered by makeup. Her clothes weren't wrinkled and stained with alcohol as she hadn't been wearing this for more than just today but were instead freshly pressed and without a single fault thanks to Iroha. Anyone passing her on the streets wouldn't stop twice to look at her as she seemed exactly as everyone else for once, though they would quickly move out of her way to avoid the harshness of her gaze, which refused to disappear even after with her make over. Today, Rin had actually gone into work, and she'd gone in properly. There was only one reason why she'd bothered to do so.

"Bastards," she'd muttered as they'd held her back in leaving work, causing her to have the need to walk at such a brisk pace now. But, finally, she saw her destination ahead, so she quickly picked up her speed.

By the time she entered the building, she realised that she had quickened her pace to a jog, so she slowed down for fear of tripping on the freshly-mopped ground. She swiftly made her way into a room and caught sight of her target.

"Yuki," she called, catching the little black-haired girl's attention from where she stood, holding hands with a white-haired boy as they talked to their teacher.

All eyes turned on Rin. Miki looked rather pleased, the white-haired boy confused, and Yuki's face lit up with joy that made Rin's heart ache with a sharp pain, a sense of betrayal dancing around her heart as the emotions pierced their grips into her being, battling for superiority.

"Yuki, Yuki, I'm so sorry I'm late!"

Rin wasn't the one to speak that time. Instead, it was the short, pink-haired woman who appeared behind Rin, running in with no shame and sliding to the ground at Yuki's feet, landing on her knees so that she looked the black-haired girl right in the eye.

"I was held up at work, so I ran here as fast as I could! I was so worried that you'd be all alone!" the pinkette apologized feverishly, gripping Yuki by the shoulders as the kid smiled at her. "I'm so sorry, Yuki!"

"Oh dear," Miki laughed. "It appears you both have had trouble arriving on time today."

"Both?" questioned Iroha, confused, turning her head to look at the teacher. "Did Rin bring Yuki in late?"

"She came to pick me up," Yuki said quietly, looking to Rin in an ingratiating manner that irritated Rin to her very core. Iroha turned her head to follow Yuki's gaze, immediately alarmed by the sight of Rin.

"You told me to pick her up," Rin stated icily, refusing to let this be seen as anything more than an obligation.

Iroha's smile held the barest trace of a smirk. "I only said you had to drop her off. I can easily pick her up after school. Are you sure you weren't just worried?"

"You said I had to pick her up," Rin insisted through gritted teeth. As Iroha's smirk became evident, the blonde snorted. "Whatever. Let's go."

"Actually, Rin, may I speak to you for a moment?" the teacher requested, that kind smile still on her face. This woman frustrated Rin to no end.

"I needed to talk to you, anyway," Rin replied haughtily.

Miki nudged the white-haired boy and Yuki toward Iroha, who had stood up in catching on that she was meant to leave the room. The kids looked back at their teacher. Iroha drew their attention toward her with a, "Why don't we go outside and get some fresh air? You guys have probably been stuck in this classroom all day."

Rin and Miki watched the pinkette herd the kids outside of the classroom before turning back to each other. Rin immediately questioned, "So? Was she alright? She called me, you know, and it didn't sound like things were doing well."

"I did as you asked and I took care of her," Miki replied pleasantly. "She wouldn't even enter the classroom all morning, so I let her go call you, and then I sent my little brother, Piko, down and asked him to make friends with her. She made friends with two sweet girls, Haku and Neru, as well. She seems to be doing much better now."

"Good," Rin said shortly. Until she could be rid of the girl, she had to do her best to help the girl. For Len's sake.

"Now, I must ask, is that woman your, how should I put this, life partner?"

Rin stared steadily at the woman, whose eyes held no judgement, before carefully replying, "No, and I'd prefer if you didn't refer to us in such a way. Iroha is simply the one who cares for me and, as a result, Yuki. She simply pities me for having lost Len, and harassing me makes her feel better about herself."

Miki continued with that breezy smile. "I'm sorry, I just had to be sure. I hadn't heard anything about her so it startled me when she arrived. Now, if I may, it appears that both you and—" She stopped and gazed expectantly at Rin.

"Iroha."

"Iroha, have very busy jobs. My little brother, Piko, and your daughter, Yuki, seem to have bonded, so it wouldn't be a bother for me to walk Yuki home. She lives only a couple blocks away from us."

"Thanks for the offer, but that girl is my responsibility," Rin replied, narrowing her eyes at the woman. "I don't need any assistance from you."

The teacher was unfazed by Rin's sharpness. "I understand. Still, if there are ever any difficulties, just give me a call and I'll bring her home."

"That won't be necessary. Are we done now?"

"We are. Will you be bringing Yuki to school tomorrow?"

"I will, not that it's any of your business."

"No, it isn't. I was just checking something. Well, anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."

Rin scowled at the woman and spun on her heels to leave. She glared at nothing as she stormed outside to where Iroha, Yuki, and Piko were chatting amiably. Rin scowled. Why did Iroha have to be so nice to everyone, even some bratty little child?

"We're going now," the blonde woman announced irritably.

"Bye bye, Piko," Yuki said cheerily, smiling to the boy as she squeezed the hand that held hers. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Piko was watching Rin carefully rather than focussing on Yuki as he mumbled, "Yeah, see you tomorrow." Rin frowned at the boy, not liking the way he stared at her. She didn't deserve that accusatory tone that his eyes carried.

"Piko, let's go," said Miki from behind Rin. The white-haired boy gently released Yuki and made his way toward his sister, staring at Rin all the while whilst she stared back at him, wondering what the brat's problem was. "See you tomorrow, Yuki."

"Bye bye, Ms. Utatane," Yuki replied politely, bowing her head to show her respect to the teacher. Rin snorted at this act, earning a glare from Iroha that said, Behave. Rin obliged and began walking by herself. With one last farewell, Yuki followed, Iroha by her side.

"Thank you for coming to get me," Yuki offered quietly, quite obviously trying to get Rin's attention, but Rin wasn't willing to look at the girl.

"From now on, I'll pick you up and Rin will drop you off, okay?" Iroha told the girl, smiling cheerfully.

Yuki was quiet for a moment before saying, "Oh. Okay."

Words fell from Rin's lips before she could stop them. "Yeah, right. It's on my way home from work, anyway. I'll be coming by, too."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

Yuki was so completely overjoyed at Rin's response, and Rin hated it, so she forced herself to say, "I'm not doing it for you so calm down."

"Okay." But when Rin glanced down at the girl, the fifth-grader was smiling up at her, as bright as the sun itself. Rin turned her gaze away stubbornly.

"So, Yuki, how was your first day at your new school?" Iroha wondered. Rin looked at the pinkette, who had taken one of Yuki's hands and was swinging their arms as they walked.

"I made friends," Yuki said cheerily.

"Well, I saw that," the woman laughed. "Piko's a very nice boy. Did you meet any other friends?"

"Uh huh," Yuki said, nodding eagerly. Her head was turned to Iroha, so Rin could easily watch her without having to worry about being caught. "Their names are Haku and Neru. They're really funny."

Iroha smiled encouragingly, and Rin could see the same shock shared in both women's gazes. Rin couldn't recall hearing Yuki talk so much before. Then again, this was only the girl's third day living with them. How much could Rin and Iroha know about the girl in such a short amount of time?

"Haku's really nice, and Neru is, too. Neru's always teasing Haku, and it's really funny because Haku gets all gloomy but I don't think she really minds. Apparently they've been best friends since they were in kindergarten. They grew up together. Piko and Ms. Utatane moved here last year, but he already knows everybody. Everybody loves Piko. He's so lucky. And everyone else was nice to me, too."

"That's great," Iroha said, looking fondly at the chatterbox. "So I guess your first day of school went really well, then."

Yuki nodded enthusiastically yet again. "It was really good! I can't wait to see them again tomorrow! Oh, and Haku said she wants me to come to her birthday party. I've never been to one before, though."

"Well, you should ask Neru or Piko what she might like as a present," Iroha suggested. "Ask what they'll be doing for her birthday. Sometimes people go to movies, or they'll have sleep-overs, or something else."

"That sounds like so much fun!" Yuki squealed excitedly.

Rin, watching them, felt a strange emotion choking her. She felt . . . lonely. It was different than the loneliness she'd felt since she'd lost Len. Iroha and Yuki were there, right beside her, but she felt so terribly lonely. As Yuki and Iroha continued to discuss the party, Rin watched them, never offering any word nor being pulled in by one of the two.

But that doesn't matter. They aren't Len, after all.

The words sounded hollow.

Yuki let out a yelp as she stumbled. Instinctively, Rin reached out and grabbed Yuki's hand to steady the falling girl, yanking her back up before she could hit the ground. She didn't know why she did it, but she did.

"Th-thanks," Yuki stuttered nervously.

"Watch your step," Rin grumbled, turning her gaze away.

She kept her grip on Yuki's hand the entire way home.

Author's Note: (You don't have to read this, this is me kind of ranting/venting.) Alright, I just had the most awkward thing happen. So I'm a tutor, and I have one student who's missed a few session and it's really annoying but I've let it go. So she missed it today and I had never received a reply from her mother who I'd emailed to verify a week ago. So I sent a sort-of-but-not-super nasty email informing her that she had to pay for this session. Then she emailed me back informing me that her husband had died last week. And now I feel terrible. Okay, sorry to take up your time, I'm just one of those people who's really careful about not hurting other people so this really affected me. Sigh.