Chapter 5

His earlier statement he took it all back, the morning had started off wonderful, sure. However, the rest of the day had been a different story.

All morning long Rin had stayed close to him. Walking literally one step behind him all day long. Something wasn't right in her head. Then again common sense was just like deodorant, those that needed it didn't use it, especially in this school. Not that she smelled bad. In fact she smelled wonderful. He'd caught a few whiffs of her from walking behind him all— he caught himself end sentence. He did not mean that at all. Len had been only trying to prove his earlier point. He dropped the topic.

Having not gotten Rin proper gym clothes, she had still participated in gym with him in the jeans and T-shirt she had on. This gym class was what one would call, unreal.

Today was vaulting box day. So the boxes were stacked and everyone went about their business. Gym class was a bit of a spare class for everyone in Vocalo. There was never a teacher present and often this was a period where massive fights broke out. Passing teachers never tried to break them up. They stood away from potential danger like birds and only came in finally to scrape up whoever was on the ground after the bloodbath. An ambulance was always less than a breath away during gym.

Course, fights only broke out on the good days when students actually felt like participating. Usually groups and odd cliques would sit on the bleachers and chat up a storm. Others smoked lord only knew what under the broken smoke detector in the school which thankfully, was located next to a plethora of windows. Almost all of the windows were broken or marred. Other profanities and crude drawings were etched into whatever windows weren't broken. It was usually unsurprisingly hot or unbelievably cold in that corner. Often Len wondered to himself if their idiocy was worth it. They never moved. Even if blankets of snow made it difficult for them to smoke.

It was a blessing that the gymnasium was so large. For an entire period you could usually ignore the lesser half of your fellow students. Len of course didn't see a single one of his fellow students as equals though. They were lesser than he was. If anything, not even fellows. Each person accounted for about one sixth of a brain. More or less the people who did participate made up the curriculum and strayed far away from the other troublesome crowds of the gym.

So Len had been going about his business with the participating students as usual. That was until he had explained what happened on vaulting day to Rin.

"Do you understand?" He had asked watching her expression. It was one of the best ways to tell what she was feeling and her real understanding of what he'd said. Not that he cared about her feelings or anything. He didn't want to waste energy on two explanations that would both be just as unclear. He wanted the quickest route to understanding which was easily rooted out in her emotions. Yet, as she looked at the amount of boxes she frowned.

"Yes, I understand. Though Len why is the amount so small?" This struck his interest. The class record was 10 boxes higher than any other class had ever got, or cared to try. Perhaps Mrs. Meiko's tough love did work wonders.

"Well, if you want more there's a bunch in the gym storage," he said and she happily skipped off into the gym storage, and fetched about 40 more boxes. Len took it upon himself to stop her. Something had to be wrong, why would she grab so many otherwise?

"Rin, what are you doing? That's way too many boxes. You should start slow." She nodded at his advice but didn't put them away. So Len stood close by and watched her intently. Rin would need someone to catch her if she fell after all.

She started by placing ten boxes on top of the ten she had herself. Jumping a twenty was going to be impossible. It was exactly a one and a half story jump. More or less, he would catch her if she fell. It didn't matter if she fell, but it would be embarrassing to have a lackey like that; so Len stood there waiting. Like the airhead she was, she backed up a rather close distance and ran. The most amazing moment was when she jumped. Gracefully gliding over the top, flipping and landing safely on the mat on the other side of the vault; arms outstretched. On two feet he thought he might add.

Len along with everyone stared at Rin. It was unbelievable. Never in Vocalo High history had any student managed to grab the full attention of the gym. Not even rowdy fights. Mostly because fights were an everyday occurrence that had become the norm. She didn't even take notice and instead placed another ten on top of the twenty. After she made that, there was another ten, and another. Then she ran to the storage and grabbed th vaulting boxes that were left.

In total she jumped fifty vaulting boxes. She would have grabbed more had the gym been equipped with more. She looked sad as she had to put them all away. It was inhuman to be able to possibly jump that high. Glide so gracefully and still be able to land in one peace. It was unreal, this girl couldn't possibly be human. She was real that he was sure of, but human? Probably not.

Len's mind rushed him backwards to the memory of how he had found her. Locked away and chained in a cement house. That house that he had always simply passed by on the way home. That eyesore he saw on his walks in the morning. Still he reached out and touched her shoulder. The crowd gathered round expecting to find answers he himself was looking for.

"Rin,how did you do that?" He asked looking her in the eyes, she smiled.

"Easy, I jumped, Len. You told me to jump so I did. You wanted me to start slow and keep going right?" Now she was looking for answers from him and so was the crowd. Answers he unfortunately didn't have to give.

"Yeah, but I didn't know you could do that."

"Is it weird? Does it make you angry? Are you upset with me, Len?"

"No, it's amazing." She smiled and hugged him. This time though he didn't push her away. For some strange reason he felt he had to hold her, as if she needed protection.

Thinking back to it there must have been a reason as to why she had been locked behind those chains. But nothing about her said so, she was harmless. An angel even. He held her closer into their seemingly awkward hug. He would never get used to this. Delinquents aren't supposed to get used to it he reminded himself. He gritted his teeth. Before he would have never hugged a girl; any girl. Not even previous girls he had dated.

The urge to hold her ran its course and left. So he ended the hug himself by gently pushing Rin away from him. All around the gym people stood looking, watching them. Each one of their leering eyes exiling them from their peers. It wasn't their gazing that particularly upset Len. It was the emotions in them; bewilderment, shock, amazement, and most of all fear. The one emotion that veiled all other emotions. Some looked at Rin like she was a rare object they could profit off of while others stared at her like she was a monster to be destroyed. Like she was the entity of all that was and could be wrong. Like she was about to bring the downfall of mankind. That pissed Len off beyond compare.

"What are you looking at? Keep watching and I'll make it so all of you can't see." Len shot, glaring back at all the leering eyes. With that they all cleared out. A few looked just out of the corner of their eye, but those people couldn't be helped. They left on their way after nothing happened.

Thankfully, gym was the last class of the day. Len felt he needed to get out of here. Have some space of his own without Rin in it. She was having some kind if abnormal effect on his emotions. There was a tug on his sleeve and as he turned around he came face to face with an angelic face. A wet one with tears rolling down the cheeks. Rin attempted to wipe her tears but the more she wiped them away, the more they came pouring down.

"I knew it. Len is mad at me," Rin cried, her own voice wobbled, but the angelic tone stood.

He didn't know why he had done it. Usually he couldn't care less if a girl was crying. He detested them, they were all so fake. He loved to make them cry and detested their happiness. Those kinds of people didn't deserve to be happy in his opinion.

Yet when Rin had cried his hand came out instantly. Touching her cheek and wiping the tears away with his thumb. A rather gentle touch on his part, a kind gesture. Something he would've never done for anyone except her. When he really came to his senses he was already holding her closely again with a hand on her head patting in a soothing motion.

For the first time a hug between them had not been awkward but rather warm. She was warm. Had girls always been this warm? This fragile? This delicate? This time Rin ended the hug, removing herself from Len's embrace.

"Len, you're being awfully kind to me right now," Rin said, locking gazes with him. It was a rather off and unusual behaviour from him so far, she noted. Though it was lovely to know he was a kind person at heart.

Len placed a hand on his cheek, his face was warm. Stepping back he made a bit of distance between them.

"You, err, it's not that I'm, its just that—" He turned around unable to look at her directly. "Just hurry up, we're leaving. And if you keep asking if I'm mad I really will get mad at you," he said beginning to walk. Rin nodded and walked behind him. Whatever he had just done was probably an effect from his current sickness, so far it was incurable. Caring that is.

On the walk home he stopped at all his regular places. Both hadn't talked to each other much on the walk home. Still she had not minded that he had stopped at several places. It was awfully awkward to talk to her after earlier. He needed to clear his head before he did something crazy.

No matter what he couldn't forget that he was a delinquent. A shatter skulls, start fights kinda guy. That was what he had been when he found Rin. And that's what he was planning to stay. He couldn't let some girl interrupt his morals. Of course for him to be able to avoid her he would need to get Rin all her own stuff. Everything, no matter what the cost. He needed to avoid her for a while, or as much as needed.

So today he decided he would take a detour, not for her sake of course, who cared about her needs. He himself needed to stop at the store and buy a few things. And while he was there he might as well pick up a few things for Rin on the side. As he had stated before he wouldn't go near her unless necessary. She was staying with him after all, she would need some food for herself so that she wouldn't devour all his. She was lucky he didn't put her back out on the street for not having any money.

At the store Rin pranced about as if she had owned the place. Pointing to several different things and asking what they were. Her face lit up brightly every time he answered her. Her smile really was refreshing.

"Rin why don't you go pick out a cereal in the next isle? I need to grab some other things. I'll be there in a second," Len offered. Not because he wanted her to actually get the cereal though. He just needed her out of his personal space for a moment or so. Maybe his emotions would reset if she wasn't so close. Rin nodded and ran off into the next isle. A few seconds hadn't even passed before Len heard yelling in the next isle. It didn't take long to realize it was Rin.

Stopping his cart, he sprinted over. A rather tall man had Rin's wrists in his grasp. He had long silky red hair pulled neatly back and tied in a pony at the back of his head. Though he did not look like a girl at all. In fact he looked rather manly.

"Put that cereal back! It belongs to Len!" Rin screamed, trying to tug herself away from him. But it failed. He had a box of Bananatastic cereal in his hand.

"Rin, I'm so happy you're safe. I finally found you…" The man said sounding rather relieved. Who was this stranger, Len thought as he stepped closer. He knew her name though Len himself had never seen him before. Why was he acting so over familiar? More importantly who was he?