Chapter Twenty-Seven

How Did You Know I Was . . .

"C'mon, you two," Rin said with a scowl as Piko and Yuki rushed around the apartment in the morning. Rin had the day off, so she'd planned on sleeping in, but then Iroha had reminded her that school started today for Yuki and Piko. Rin still didn't completely understand how it was that they'd ended up taking care of Piko, but she knew better than to question Iroha when it was this time of the year. Iroha did her best to hide her mood, but Rin noticed. Still, for her roommate's sake, she pretended not to. Iroha might have been hurt worse that day than Rin had, if that was possible. Of course, she'd seen something far worse than Rin had, even though Rin had, in exchange, felt something far worse than Iroha had.

"I can't find it!" Yuki exclaimed, turning up cushions on the couch in a desperate attempt to find her missing apple-shaped pencil case.

"It's not under your bed, either!" Piko called to her from Yuki's bedroom.

Rin sighed and leaned against the door, already wearing her winter jacket, questioning, "Didn't I tell you both to pack last night?"

"I didn't realize I hadn't packed it, though!" Yuki replied, looking under the couch now for it. Rin sighed once more, wondering how in the world it would have gotten under there. "Where is it? Mom, help me!"

Rin raised her hands and looked away with a smirk. She replied, "No way. This is your responsibility. If we're late, it's your fault for not being prepared."

Yuki, on her knees at the couch, sat up and cast Rin a tiny glare. Rin had to resist the urge to laugh, knowing exactly who she'd learned that from. The yellow-haired brat, of course. And, by that, she meant Neru. "You're the worst, Mom! I'm gonna tell Mama what you said if we're late!"

Rin felt her phone vibrating in her pocket and pulled it out. Under her breath, she smiled and said, "Speak of the devil," before lifting the phone to her ear. "What's up, Iroha?"

"Can you pick Yuki and Piko up after school, too?" Iroha pleaded on the other end.

Rin glared viciously at her phone. "This is my day off, Iroha!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry!" Rin still scowled at the phone, though, despite Iroha's deeply apologetic tone. "My work has been piling up lately, though, and there's some stuff I need to get through before I go home if I plan on staying home to work this week. I'm going to have to stay late tonight."

"You suck, Iroha," Rin sighed, shifting her weight onto her other foot as she grinned at the phone. She was being a bit softer with Iroha than usual since it was this time of the year. She couldn't be too soft, however, or Iroha would know that she'd noticed. "Whatever, stay late. See if I care."

"Thanks, Rin! I love you!"

Before Rin could say anything, the phone was taken from her grips. She blinked in shock, momentarily confused, until she saw Yuki glaring up at her and saying into the phone, "Mama, I can't find my pencil case and Mom's not helping at all!" She paused to listen to Iroha's reply, her face going red in embarrassment as her glare faded. "Oh. Right. Okay, see you later. I love you." She offered the phone to Rin, who took it, but Iroha had hung up already. As Rin hung up, Yuki disappeared into her room and towed Piko out. Since they were already set to leave, she brushed past Rin and began walking down the hallway. Rin followed the children after locking the door behind her, smirking at Yuki.

"Did she tell you where it was?" Rin wondered, thoroughly amused.

"I forgot it at school at the beginning of the break," Yuki mumbled, clearly humiliated.

Rin laughed, earning another glare from Yuki, and said, "Well, we're going to have to rush if we want to make it on time."

"Or we could just not go," Piko suggested, flashing her a hopeful smile over his shoulder.

"Yeah, right," Rin snorted. "Keep walking, buster."

Piko frowned and looked forward once more, allowing Yuki to keep his hand in hers as she pulled him down the stairs. Rin watched them with a small grin, wondering if that was what Len and Iroha had looked like as kids. Rin had never had a childhood friend, herself, so she didn't have the same connection that Len and Iroha had had, or that Aria and—

She cut off her own thoughts, shaking her head. No, that was in the past. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. Instead, she focused on Yuki and Piko. Yuki was growing each and every day, her personality changing as only a child's could. She'd been much quieter and more reserved when she'd first come here. She behaved more like a child than she did then, and she'd found a nice group of friends, with the exception of that Neru character.

Rin liked the kindergarteners that were commonly hanging around them, as well. The little boy, Ryuto, had initially reminded her of someone, but that had clearly simply been an illusion. Rin had spoken to Miki about the bruises she'd noticed on Ryuto, as well, and Miki had assured her that they were already looking into that. Rin hoped Yuki hadn't noticed. That girl had had enough to worry about since she'd first come here without adding someone else's problems onto that load.

"We're gonna run so we're not late, okay, Mom?"

Yuki's words interrupted Rin's thoughts as Rin blinked them away. Then, Rin agreed, "Yeah, go ahead, but be careful. Don't slip on any ice."

"No promises," Piko called back as the two began to run, and Rin laughed. They really were cute, those two. Maybe one day they'd share the same feelings Rin and Len had. Maybe.

. . .

"We'll be right back," Yuki promised afterschool, dashing out to speak to Rin as soon as the bell had rung. Rin was a little shocked by how quickly Yuki had come to her, but the girl obviously had something else she had to do first.

"What're you up to?" Rin wondered, gazing toward the school curiously. Yuki hadn't even put more than her boots on to keep her warm.

"We were teaching Mizki, Yuuma, and Ryuto how to read," Yuki said with a smile, overjoyed. She was jumping from foot to foot in a mixture of overflowing energy and an effort to keep warm as frost bit her cheeks. "Kids are really cute, y'know. Len said that you don't like them, though."

"Nope, not at all," Rin laughed, wondering what other secrets Len had shared with her. "You're about the youngest I can handle on a daily basis. I don't really mind your little friends, though." Then, with a grin, she ordered, "Go back inside. You're making me cold just looking at you."

"We have to tidy up some books and stuff, okay, but we'll be out really soon." She took a couple steps before pausing to turn back and tell Rin, "There's a new teacher, too. Miss Utatane wasn't here. Do you know when she'll be back?"

Rin honestly had no idea. She wondered if Iroha knew. "No clue," she said apologetically. "Now go back inside, okay? Don't keep me waiting out here for too long or I might freeze to death."

"I'm sorry," Yuki said, dashing back through to courtyard as she called, "We'll be out soon! Promise!"

Rin watched her disappear with a smile and sighed. The things she did for Yuki and Iroha. She leaned against the entryway once more and pressed a heel against the wall to balance herself. She'd had a pretty good, peaceful day off, at least. She'd looked up some new recipes and experimented, and, though they'd all turned out hideously and she'd ended up throwing them out after her taste test, at least she had something new to work at. They promised to be good recipes for the future.

It was already getting a little dark out, as though the icy weather wasn't enough to remind Rin that it was winter. Yuki still seemed to have energy despite it being her first day back at school, which was good. Rin hoped Yuki and Piko would still get along even if they were stuck living together. They'd set up a futon in Yuki's room for Piko to sleep on since there really wasn't anywhere else to put him. When Rin had questioned this considering that the kids were opposite genders, Iroha had dispelled her concerns, stating that there was no need to worry about them since they were both still young. Rin had still been reluctant, but what could she do? She couldn't, in good conscience, make Piko sleep out in the living room, and Rin and Iroha were already sharing the other room. This really was the only arrangement, and Rin was sure that she wouldn't mind it so much after Iroha explained the situation.

So Miki was missing, then? That was probably a part of it, too, then, and Piko had been pawned off on Iroha and Rin to care for. Rin didn't particularly mind seeing as it was Piko, who she liked rather well, especially when she saw him playing with Yuki, but an explanation would be nice.

It was when she was thinking of all this that a voice Rin recognized in a heartbeat spoke to her.

"Long time no see, Rin. You look pretty deep in thought. What has your beloved Len done this time?"

Lighthearted thoughts faded away in an instant, painful electricity dashing through Rin's veins as she became more conscious of everything around her than she had ever been before. She didn't want to be conscious of it, though. She wanted to be numb, to pretend it wasn't real, to pretend that that the subtle hint of malice hadn't sounded in her ears.

It was that voice, her voice, her voice, her voice.

Rin's eyes were frozen wide open, but she stared only at the pavement at her feet. She couldn't move, and breathing was getting harder. She was acutely aware of every part of her body telling her to run, and the skin above her heart felt as though it was pounding in time with the blood that rushed to her ears. It felt like that voice was coming from a thousand miles away, like she was deep underwater. That voice was drowning her, suffocating her, and she wanted to run, wanted to hide, wanted to cower in a corner far far away from here and cry, cry until that voice, her voice, was gone, until she was gone.

"Now now, Rin dearest, don't be so rude. You couldn't have forgotten me. You should at least say hello."

Rin gasped involuntarily as those fingers gently touched her cheek. She flinched, wishing she could close her eyes, but she couldn't. She didn't remember how, and she just wanted to run, run far away. Those fingers, slender, delicate fingers, lingered on her cheek for a moment before trailing downward, under her chin, and Rin's face was pulled softly, firmly, upward until her eyes met that face, her face, with that horrifyingly sweet smile, the green eyes that only ever looked at her. Rin knew that her fear showed, but she couldn't hide it. Her entire body had become lifeless, and a thousand memories were yelling at her from every which way.

"No, I didn't think you had," she said with that sweet, horrible smile. "I've missed you, Rin dearest. You never called or came to visit. I was really worried that you'd forgotten me, or that you hated me, but how could you ever hate me? I'm your best friend, after all."

Rin needed to get away from here, but there was nowhere to run. She was everywhere, everywhere, in everything, watching, monitoring, absolutely everything. Rin had been so careless, so reckless, such an idiot. She had never been gone, never, never. She'd always been here. Rin had been a hopeless fool to think that she wasn't.

"How's our little Ironya, Rin dearest? And Aria. She stopped talking to me after all that uncomfortable stuff, that mean girl. Most importantly, how is your beloved Len? Have you two sealed the deal yet?"

Rin's words didn't sound like her own, and she didn't know where they came from, but she knew they were hers as white puffs of air mercifully obscured her vision for the shortest moment. "Len is dead."

Those fingers were still on her chin, those elegant eyes shining with a sense of knowing as she tilted her head to the side with that same smile, green hair following her lead, and mused, "Oh, is that so? How tragic." Her smile told Rin otherwise, and Rin wished she could move her body, even a little, but she couldn't. She saw nothing but those horrifying emerald eyes as the woman said, "Please don't worry anymore, Rin dearest. I'm here for you now.

"Gumi will take care of you from now on."

Author's Note: Well, Sarah (mukirome), you guessed long ago that the unnamed character was Gumi, but, I'm curious, did anyone else guess that it was her? Also, we're now into the main plot that I've been leading into since early chapters. Please review! It's greatly appreciated!