Chapter 17
To Len, being cut and battered wasn't anything new. In his earlier youth he'd received an abundant multitude of scrapes and injuries. He'd always been rowdy, some days more than others. Always getting into trouble and looking for trouble just the same. Naive and blocked headed just like every other walking pile of testosterone his age. He'd quickly learned to hate that feeling. Being a background character, it wasn't acceptable. Len had never been the type.
Brawn by itself wasn't enough. He'd wanted to have something nobody else did or at least very few. So he'd picked up books. Len had walked right up to his parents and asked for a tutor. Their flabbergasted faces would be forever ingrained in his mind.
He'd never forget his brother dropping his glass of water and his sister spilling her popcorn in sync from the sudden shock. They'd been so excited and in no less than two days he'd gotten his tutor.
His family treated him differently after that. Filming him as he studied. Documenting him as if he were a rare animal. Taking an assortment of pictures and videos. The attention had been no short of ridiculous, and his parents had spread news to all their neighbors.
Bragging about their ingenious son. Their second son who would grow up to be a famous doctor, accountant or lawyer. Len had hated the attention, but he'd loved the respect. So he'd pursued and persevered, but he'd never stopped being a delinquent. Never stopped voicing his feelings and arguments.
His passion for learning had grown over time. Transforming into a sort of perfectionism. He'd worked at things until he'd excelled and had never stopped for a second to let something veer him from his goals. He'd dealt with distractions and only focused on excelling at his studies; calculus, formulas, mathematics, multiple sciences, literature, music, fine arts, defenses of all kinds, fencing, archery; the list went on.
He had focused and continued to expand his curiosity. Continued to learn. That was until he'd grown and considered himself superior.
He'd corrected the idiocy of others, and made people who thought they were superior feel dumb with his words. He had fired tutor after tutor, and excelled without them. When his parents had thought of sending him off to one of those prestigious private schools, he'd purposely failed an entrance exam that he considered child's play.
He'd acted like he knew nothing when people had tried to take advantage of him, and regularly got into fights. He'd made snarky comments, been defiant and had become a pain. So he attended Vocalo High. There he wasn't pressured to reach higher potentials, to achieve more. Len could just be himself.
His parents had disapproved for him to attend the same school his brother and sister had as a last resort. They'd wanted more for him. Scholarships, honors, medals, and awards. He'd possessed all of those. But even rewards after a while got boring, simply mediocre. There were never any challenges. Nothing new with the concepts he'd already perfected. His parents had protested to no end about the topic.
The loner he'd made of himself got fed up with it and had blocked his parents out. Following that, his parents had got fed up with him. They'd shouted and got angry but their words fell on deaf ears.
Finally they'd told Len he needed to leave. They'd bought him his own place and Len had moved out accordingly. Taking all his belongings and practically removing himself from the family. His parents still supported him, by sending money he didn't really need. For the most part, he'd been on his own. Other than the occasional visits from his family, he'd been alone.
Soon he'd grown accustomed to being alone. Len had never really gone through that phase of being lonely. In the first place he hadn't really been close to anyone. He'd shared memories and great moments with his family and friends or more so acquaintances. Just like any other person, he'd given people a chance but they were a nuisance.
His personality the second he'd picked up books was that of shutting people out. From an early age he'd grown cold and disconnected. Entering Vocalo High had been somewhat of a last blow. The finishing touches. He'd become uncaring, unwilling, and lazy; Len had gone straight back to being a delinquent.
A genius among idiots, trying not to stand out too much.
Like his parents had nagged, he'd gone right back to his original lifestyle. When truth was, he'd never truly left. Originally, he'd been a delinquent and that's what he'd stay. A punch first and think never kind of person.
Len had told himself this so many times. Almost chanted it daily as a ritual or mantra. Lately, everything was different, just slightly. Any day he could go right back to what he was. What he'd always been. He kept telling himself so...yet here he was. Trudging through the forest with Rin on his back. He himself, cut and battered.
It had never been much for him, such cuts or scrapes. But his body didn't just ache. The ache had faded away a long time ago. Infact, the ache he had felt earlier was something he'd take in just a heartbeat now if offered.
No, now, Len couldn't feel a thing. His body was nonexistent; a ghost walking. The numbness he felt in his body was that of someone who'd been paralyzed. Paralyzed, and yet still able to move around freely.
He didn't feel like himself, not like anything really. Still, he trudged on like a corpse walking, with no feeling whatsoever.
Earlier he'd thought of it as a sort of a blessing. Len had shifted through all phases of pain. Pins and needles had given away to a stabbing. Stabbing to throbbing. Throbbing to cold slices which had quickly turned into an unbearable ache. The ache had shifted through a whole series on its own.
He'd used his technique of breathing and moving to make the pain lessen. But even that lost effect after a while. The excruciating cry his body had given him was a telltale sign he couldn't keep going. Pain had sliced at his nerves and invaded his mind. Prodding like fingers.
But all that had been over an hour ago.
Now all he felt was nothing. He'd foolishly thought it a blessing, but it surely wouldn't be when he woke up tomorrow morning. And that was if he did.
At least he wasn't cold. Rin had warmed him like a human heating pad. Her abnormal heat was definitely a bad thing. If she turned out to have some serious illness or cold...Len cringed. At least he thought he did. If his body even responded, that'd be a miracle.
Saying he was exhausted was an understatement. Len just wanted to sleep. The idea was so comforting, but he knew better. If he fell down and slept, he'd die. His body was fooling him. Sleeping meant dying. So he wouldn't.
He wouldn't rest until Rin was safely back at the Megurine's. And not a second before then would he stop. Len attempted to run again but his feet slipped out from under him. He gripped onto Rin as he fell forwards and crashed to the ground.
"Len!?" Rin's voice was frantic, panic hidden slightly under the surface. The ground, though wet and uncomfortable, felt amazing. It would've been so easy to just give in, but Len dug his feet into the mud, setting proper footing where he could. Trying not to let reality slip away from him or his focus deteriorate. Dying wasn't an option.
He couldn't do that, not to Rin. Not to his family or himself. He could almost visualize the article written on him. 'Heroic boy dies saving two girls.' An article he'd throw away.
They wouldn't know what a genius he was. His potential. They'd never know how no one could measure up to him. Len was a delinquent. Delinquents sure didn't get heroic stories in the news, and they sure as hell didn't die from saving someone.
If he was gonna die, he'd leave his mark on the world, and die by his choosing. He sure as hell wasn't gonna die from a heroic act. And he sure as hell wasn't gonna die before Kaito did.
Len forced himself upwards with what strength he had. He wobbled for a brief second but gained a firm stance.
"Len?" Rin called again. She started to loosen her grip around him but before she could, he placed a hand over hers.
"We're almost there, just hang on. I'll definitely get you to safety." Len choked out the words just barely. His breathing was heavy, almost stifled. Peeking through the trees was light. He knew what that light was. He'd made it to the Megurine's. If he could just get a little farther, just the smudge closer...
But he couldn't move. He begged his body not to give out on him. Not to shut down at this very moment. It was only a little farther but his eyes unfocused and that short distance stretched for miles.
He felt Rin's hands slip away from his and next she was by his side. His arm over her shoulder, steadying him, assisting him. His pride told him to pull away, but he couldn't. Mentally, physically it was impossible.
So he leant on Rin and let her guide him. Stubbornness, delinquent dignity and pride didn't have a role in life or death. Played no purpose in survival situations.
Despite the fact that Rin could've gone through worst than Len himself had, she still smelt wonderful. The fact that the icy rain, caked on dirt, and the vegetive forest scent didn't ruin the way she smelled...Len leaned closer and found himself inhaling.
His face felt extremely warm but he didn't have the strength to push away. Only enough strength to lean on Rin and keep walking. Continuously inhaling the scent of some kind of flower. Lilacs possibly? Then a hint of orange and some kind of spice...
Len felt his face accumulate more heat. He didn't doubt he was blushing a much brighter shade of red. What kind of strange things was he doing without Rin knowing? He couldn't help but wonder if Rin did infact know. She either didn't notice or didn't care.
Len shook his head. Even if she didn't know, it was more than creepy to be doing such a thing. But with his body so spent it was difficult if not impossible, to separate himself from Rin. Somehow he didn't really want to. Rin was soft, warm and yet so delicate. So small...
Momentarily, Len wondered if all girls were like that in some way or another. Kinda like Miku. His thoughts were becoming fuzzy and if he recalled it properly she had said she liked him. Something of that sort...
He'd never really focused on girls much. His studies had been time consuming and if not studies, delinquent activities. He had been in one or two relationships but not for very long.
Bright light flashed into Len's eyes and disrupted his focus. He lifted his head spotting Miku frantically running and shouting to people inside. He couldn't hear much of what she was saying and felt himself slipping.
In seconds Luka and everybody else was outside. However that wasn't Len's main focus. The last thought he remembered asking himself, the last thing he remembered thinking about was Rin and only her. Then momentarily who she might like.
With that Len collapsed. Everything around him faded out to black and he fell from Rin's grasp.