When Rin fully regains her senses, she realizes Len is holding her close to his chest.

It takes a moment to pull herself together. It was so surreal, being lost to the dark trenches of the water, and then the next minute being thrust into the open air and hearing Len's voice calling her name. It was his words that made her frozen lungs work to breathe; it was her name on his lips that forced her to open her eyes.

If it weren't for Len… she wouldn't be here.

Her body is so cold, God, it's almost painful. The warm summer night stings against her skin, but it's a welcome sensation compared to the dulling numbing agent that is icy waters.

I very well could have died down there, her water-logged brain manages like a cynical joke. Wouldn't that have been ironic?

"Oh, my God! Rin!"

A shrill, terrified voice makes her sluggish body move to look in front of the two of them. The dusk's light beats down on them, casting the world in an eerie glow that taps at her mind like a phantom's fingers.

A very concerned Miku, followed by Mikuo, Gumi, Yuuma, and Miki right behind, comes running up to Len, instantly grabbing Rin's pale face in both her slender, manicured hands, nothing but worry sketched across her pretty features.

"What happened to you?! You look like death!" she exclaims in horror.

"I found her in that cave," Len says in a velvety, soft tone as he tilts his head in that direction. Miku's eyes grow wide.

"Wait, what?! Rin, tell me you didn't just go in there, especially not by yourself?! Are you alright?"

Rin can't bear the way her friend looks at her.

"...I-I'm okay," she tries to say, her voice raspy and scratchy, her throat burning. "I'm okay."

"You don't look okay, Rin," Miku snaps.

"What happened to her?' Gumi asks. "She's practically a ghost. We should get her inside for now."

"Yes," Len says, and Rin's eyes return to his face. His masculine features are dripping with water, his thick blond hair plastered to his face and neck. "We should get her into something dry before she gets sick."

She keeps remembering something, something in the back of her mind that tugs at her heartstrings, but it threatens to disappear at the very edge of her thoughts.

It has something to do with when she was drowning- an image that haunts her. Something happened there, didn't it?

...Maybe…?

It flashes in her mind's eye, like a bolt of lightning.

It was Len's face, she realizes, as the group makes its way back to the house.

When he saved me… His face…

He was scared for me. He looked… so sad.

...In that moment, did Len fear that I would die?

.x.X.x.

Softly wrapped in a thick blanket, with a hot mug of fresh tea in her hands, Rin sits on the edge of her bed, letting the heat re-enter her frozen body.

She can barely shake the sensation of the cold water she'd been submerged in. It haunts her, threatening her with the feeling of suffocation.

God, I hated every second of it. She really could feel death's grip around her throat, as if she doesn't face it every day.

She's not alone in her room. Unfortunately, even though everyone else had given her some space to warm up and recover, one person refuses to leave her side.

Standing up against the wall of her room, with her lamp casting shadows across his face, is Len. He's been quiet ever since they got back to the house. He had offloaded her into bed and immediately covered her in a towel; she's changed into a pair of shorts and a loose tee since then, but he doesn't seem convinced she's fine now.

Well… he did see me drown, she thinks bitterly.

She should thank him for saving her, but every time she starts to utter the words, they catch and stick in her throat like daggers, and she can't get them out. Her embarrassment is vast after what happened.

She feels like an idiot, to be truthful. Her stupidity nearly got her killed, and she already has enough things trying to do that as it is. If Len hadn't been there at that moment, she wouldn't have gotten out. She wouldn't be sitting here right now.

...Then, why is it so hard to tell him she's glad he found her?

Movement makes her head tilt up, and she watches Len approach her, his steps a bit tentative. He places himself beside her, allowing a space between them that feels empty and cold.

"...Rin," he begins, and she winces at her name.

"Are you alright?"

She can't help her sharp inhale at his words. It's a knee jerk reaction, and images of her drowning flood back into her memory, rendering her speechless again. It hurts to remember those moments under that water.

"...You're still shaking like a leaf," he murmurs, his hands clasped in his lap. She can feel his eyes peering through her, but her own are aimed directly down to avoid him. "Your breathing is shallow and you look ready to run away at a moment's notice. Are you alright, Rin?"

There is a probing sincerity to his question, like a heated blanket with thorns, and she grimaces softly. Her heart aches sharply in her chest.

"...No," she says despite herself, crossing her arms tight across her chest and hugging the blanket closer. "I'm not alright."

Her words exit in a rush, and she refuses to meet Len's gaze.

"...Do you remember when I told you that my parents died?" she asks quietly.

"Yes…?"

"I told you their boat sank," she continues, her voice barely above a whisper now. "They died at sea. They drowned, Len. They both drowned. I… I have nightmares about it. I wasn't there, but I feel as if I was. I have horrible dreams about suffocating in the ocean like they did. I can't step foot in water anymore because every time I do, I think, 'will I drown if I slip?' It terrifies me, Len, and I… I almost died that way tonight. Just like my parents."

She's starting to hyperventilate.

It's haunted her since the day her parents died. It always has, forcing her to stay away from beaches and swimming and only further secluded her from people that might've been friends. It's such an irrational fear to have, but she can still see in her mind's eye the images of a stormy night, her parents crying out in the water, losing air and strength and succumbing to the ocean's icy embrace.

Her childhood imagination had fueled those images, and they've stuck with her throughout the years like bad pennies. The nightmares are as frequent as they had been when she was a child, despite trying everything to get rid of them.

"For a minute, I really thought I was going to die," she chokes out. "I thought I was going to drown alone, Len, I thought- I thought-"

There's a blur of motion, and she's yanked to the side. Her blanketed self is crushed against Len's chest, his arms wrapped around her tight as a vise. His hug burns hot against her skin, combating the chill.

His face is nestled into her hair, and she can feel his cool breath against the nape of her neck. Her teary eyes are wide, her lungs refusing to work.

"...No," he murmurs to her. "I won't ever let that happen to you, Rin."

"L-Len…?"

He squeezes her tighter.

"I won't," he promises her, his voice smooth and willful. "You won't ever be alone. You'll never have to be afraid of that. I'll protect you, now and forever."

Her heart is racing. She doesn't know what to do.

This feels so…

...Comforting.

Len is so assuring, so comforting and safe. There's not a hint of dissonance or dishonesty in his voice at all. And his touch feels so…

Involuntarily Rin's arms loosen from the blanket, and then she snakes them around Len's torso, returning the hug for the first time. She buries her face into his chest, and tears begin to fall unendingly down her cheeks.

He simply holds her close, letting her weep inaudibly into his shirt. His hand reaches up to lovingly caress her hair, playing with her blonde strands gently.

She doesn't know how to respond to such a caring gesture. It melts away her fears, her worries, and leaves nothing but warmth in its wake. Rin has never been one for physical affection, especially not hugs. Not even from Miku- but right now, she wants nothing more than to become one with Len and be held this way forever. It leaves a tingling sensation just beneath her skin's surface.

Just this once, when I need it… Let me have this.

I can't fight this when I want it so much.

"You can rely on me, Rin," he whispers into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "I'm here for you. I'll always be here, and I'll always protect you. You never have to be alone again. No matter where you are, or what happens, I'm not going anywhere."

Slowly, he pulls back a little, and Rin lifts her head. Instantly she's caught in his soulful blue eyes, staring straight into hers. They entrance her, locking her within and not letting her go.

His arms are still around her, but a hand reaches up to brush her messy bangs away from her face. His face is inches from hers, and just his fingertips leave electric thrills upon her cheek.

"Rin…"

Her name on his lips leaves her wanting more, her wet blues searching his- and it's then she realizes he's getting closer.

Ducking his head slowly, his nose brushing hers, Len hesitates a moment, just barely grazing his mouth against her own; and then, he leans forward and connects his lips to hers firmly. The softness is sweet and gentle, and the warmth of it grows hot.

She feels her body stiffen, ready to reject his embrace again, but a tiny voice in the back of her mind tells her to listen. It gives her the split second of just feeling she needs to bypass her skittishness, and she closes her eyes.

Moving closer, she sinks against him, letting his kiss hold her up. His hand knits itself into her hair, his hand pressing her up to meet his lips. Her fingers grip into his shirt with white knuckles.

He parts from her for a second, but then swoops in for a second kiss, and then a third; she is helpless under his affectionate assault, weakening by the moment.

I can't think straight.

He kisses her over and over again, and she finds herself letting him guide her backwards against the bedspread. Her blanket was slipped away as easily as if it hadn't existed, and she's left pinned under him. She can't process the ease of it all.

She can't breathe properly like this, but for some reason, she doesn't want to. This feeling of suffocation is different than drowning. It leaves her lightheaded and swayed by him.

She doesn't have time to think anything through. She can only feel Len, taste Len, breathe in his air. He engulfs her every sense.

His fingers slide down over her shoulder, gliding over her hip and then peeking under her shirt, making its way up over her bare skin in just an instant. She shivers in response, feeling him reach up and softly cup her chest. Her face is flaming hot, her head emptied of all reason.

She lets out a small sound of pleasure as he squeezes the soft flesh, and when his lips leave hers, she almost protests before gasping aloud. His mouth latches hard against her neck, and she can only manage a strangled cry as his teeth leave a perfect mark against her supple, pale skin. In the same motion, he's managed to unbutton her shorts and lift her shirt to a dangerously high position. His leg has wedged itself between hers, rubbing up against her. The world is swirling around her, and she can't make heads or tails of anything anymore.

She's never felt anything like this before; it's a tidal wave of lust and desire, a sweet angelic need to be touched and a devilish need to be taken.

Her own hands climb up under his shirt, tossing aside the material without a second thought, and he doesn't protest, breaking from her only long enough to remove it and then reconnecting again, his kiss erasing any coherency her thoughts may have had. She clings to his bare skin, feeling the heat and only able to hear the thrumming of her own heartbeat in her ears.

There is tingling warmth between them, and she drinks it in, letting him do as he pleases. She doesn't care, she doesn't want him to stop, just please, let him keep going.

She's never been touched like this, and she wants more. She can feel his response to her, his body awakening something in hers that's been tamed for so long. With every gentle rub against her, she whimpers, feeling a growing hardness that threatens to consume her if she acknowledges it.

"Rin…" His murmur of her name brings her back to the surface of her emotions. "Rin, I…"

What? What is it?

His unfinished sentence leaves her wanting so much, to hear more- but that creeping fog threatens to overtake her again, waking her up just enough from her misty thoughts to remind her exactly what she's doing.

We're about to make a mistake.

"Wait," she whispers, barely managing to utter the syllable. "Len, please, wait."

His movements grow still, his hands stopping in place as if handling porcelain. He looks at her, and she sees a myriad of emotions flickering through his eyes.

There's so much going on in the look he's giving me… Is that really what an android is capable of?

"I'm… I'm not ready," she whimpers. "We can't."

He raises himself above her, and she tries not to think too much about how disheveled she must look, or how he's still in a very compromising position over her. If she gives it any more mind, she'll fall back into that numbing fog that had encaptured her before.

It hurts her to see the expression on his face. It's that same look she's seen before- one of heartbreak, of concern and uncertainty.

How can an android be uncertain?

Len gazes down at her for a few more moments, before reluctantly slinking back away from her, releasing her from his hold. Her chest heaves as if she's run a marathon, and her skin aches where his hands and lips had once been, wishing to regain the sensation as soon as it's gone. He sits up, and she can't help observing the ripple of his bare skin.

He says nothing, but she watches his lips purse together, his jaw clenching. Rin hurries to fix her shirt, lifting herself up and gazing at him questioningly.

"I…" she starts to apologize, but the words don't come out. Why should she be apologizing? He's an android, right? Why does it matter? He can't feel rejection.

...Although, right now, she can't help but wonder if that's true.

"...I'm sorry, Rin."

His voice, like a sweet whisper, and she's staring wide-eyed as he meets her eyes, blues against blues.

"I'm sorry… But I don't understand," he says quietly, his expression melting into one of concern. "Did I do something wrong?"

Rin bites her cheek hard enough to taste blood, unsure how to respond.

She's beating herself up inside. Just for a minute, a single moment in time, she had let herself go. She let her feelings do the work, and it had felt so good. But her thoughts got in the way again.

She let reason and logic make her choice, but for once, she wishes she hadn't.

It's not right. Wanting to be touched by Len, to sleep with him, it just… It feels wrong. But at the same time, she just doesn't care.

She's just causing problems for herself now.

"No. No, of course you didn't, Len," she sighs softly. "You were just doing what you're programmed to do. It's me that's doing something wrong. It's not okay for me to take advantage of the situation like that. I never should've let you kiss me. I… "

She swallows hard.

"...It's your duty to sleep with me," she continues dryly, looking to the ceiling for strength. "I don't want that. I don't want… to be with someone who forces themselves to be with me. I don't want to be touched for the sake of it being an obligation." She sharply inhales, wanting to cry again out of frustration. "I don't want you to sleep with me because you have to, Len, but you don't have feelings like I do. It won't mean anything to you, but to me, it'll mean everything."

"Rin…"

He leans toward her, close enough to make her draw back slightly, but his blue eyes burn against hers with a fiery intensity. His hands snake out to grab her upper arms, holding her in place.

"It's not because I have to," he promises her strongly. "It's not true. What you've just said… I know that my programming is for you. I know that my software is attuned to you, but this isn't because of that. Rin, I want to be with you because I care about you. It's my own desire to touch you. I want to kiss you. I want to be yours, and I want you to be mine because that is what I really feel."

Her mouth drops open slightly, trying to understand what he's saying, but it just doesn't make sense. It sends her heart aflutter in her ribcage like it's trying to escape.

These words… They're too real. His AI is too good.

It can't be true. It can't be real.

Len is an android. He can't feel.

I keep telling myself that, but… What if I'm wrong? What if he can?

...No, no, I don't trust it. I can't.

"...That's a funny joke," she mumbles, and his brows raise. "Saying those things with such determination, it's almost convincing."

His eyes darken. "What are you saying?'

"I don't believe you."

His hands drop from her arms as he recoils.

"I'm not telling you lies, Rin," he says again, shaking his head. "I don't know how to explain it, or what it is, but I-"

"Save it," she cuts him off, trying to hold strong. "Just stop, okay? How can any of what you're saying be true? Nothing that comes out of your mouth is original, or sincere."

"Rin-!"

A harsh knock at her bedroom door makes the two turn toward the door, and a voice echoes from the other side.

"Hey, Rin? You doing okay in there?" Mikuo asks, his voice muffled through the door. "I was wondering, if you feel up to it, if you wanted to come out to the bonfire for awhile…?"

Rin frowns, but then jumps to her feet. The thought doesn't really appeal, but right now, she just wants out of this room before she second guesses herself again.

"Sure," she calls back. "I think that sounds fine. I'll be right out."

She makes for the door, her hand gripping the silver handle before she pauses. Rin casts a look back at Len.

He's still sitting on her bed. His face is dark, his bangs hanging over his eyes and shielding them from her view, but there's something thoughtful over it that tugs at her heartstrings.

She starts to open her mouth to say something, to say anything- but she's reminded she's said enough. There's nothing left to be said.

Instead, she opens the door, and walks out.

.x.X.x.

The beautiful bonfire crackles into the night sky.

There are towels haphazardly tossed around it, and a cooler nearby open and half-filled with beers and wine coolers. Everyone's lounging around the fire having a good time, Miku and Kaito across from Rin, Gumi and Yuuma whispering amongst themselves to the side, and Mikuo sidled right up beside her.

Which feels a little weird since there's so much more space around, but she doesn't bother questioning it.

Everyone's a little tipsy except for her, having avoided drinking to this point, but she can't help feeling… bothered. It's when she gives the group a good once-over does she remember why.

Ah… Len isn't here.

He must've stayed in her room, electing not to join them. It leaves her feeling a little lonely without him near, but… Well, she did choose this, didn't she?

Images flash through her mind from earlier when they'd been tangled in her sheets, and her face flushes. She can't stop thinking about it.

"You feeling better?" Mikuo asks from her side, and she gives him a half-hearted nod.

"Yeah. It was just a… a jarring experience. I'm okay now."

"That's good to hear," he smiles, before reaching over and grabbing something, leaning over to place it in her hands. She frowns as she realizes it's a beer bottle he's just opened. "Maybe this'll help make it seem like a distant memory?"

She stares down at the amber liquid in her hand, cringing at the thought.

"Rin doesn't drink," Miku pipes up from across the fire, her face nearly obscured by the flames. She's leaning into Kaito's shoulder, her hand pressed to his chest. Her tone is sharp, though. "She doesn't like alcohol, don't give that to her."

"Actually…" Rin finds herself saying, before meeting Miku's confused teal eyes. "I'll take it."

Her friend narrows her eyes, but Mikuo wraps his arm around Rin's waist and pulls her close, grinning.

"See? It's fine," he says triumphantly.

Rin wedges out of his hold a little uncertainly, her hand tight against the condensating bottle.

I don't really want this, she frowns, sloshing the liquid around a bit. But… Maybe this really will make it easier not to think about earlier.

Make it so that I… don't think about Len.

Or think at all.

Raising the bottle to her lips, she takes a big swig of the drink- and then coughs, barely managing to swallow it as it burns the back of her throat, tasting like what she expects battery acid to be.

"Hey, hey, careful," Gumi warns, chuckling. "If you don't drink much, that's gonna hurt. Take it slow."

"Sure," Rin replies, wincing as she looks down at her drink again.

...I just want to forget for a little while.

She takes another, slightly more hesitant sip of the foul beverage, and then it turns into two and three.

The next hour seems to pass in a blur. Her beer turned to three, and at that point she was definitely starting to feel something. Her stomach feels leaden, and her head swims a little if she turns too fast, but it leaves a semi-pleasant warmth over her thoughts.

Honestly, she can't remember why she started drinking in the first place. Wasn't it Len related?

Ah, well; it doesn't matter right now.

Miku and Kaito have started making out on their towel, and Gumi went back to the house with Yuuma to grab some snacks for the group. It leaves Rin and Mikuo sitting in the dying embers of the bonfire.

"...Hey, Rin," Mikuo whispers, drawing her off-kilter gaze his way. "Do you want to see something interesting?"

She blinks. "...Uh, sure."

He gets to his feet, and offers her a hand. She takes it, and he helps her to a standing position, his chest brushing hers. He doesn't let go of her hand, instead only walking away with her in tow.

"Hey, hey," Miku calls out before they've gotten far, glancing back at them. "Where you goin'?"

"We'll be back," Mikuo only says, before ignoring his twin and pulling Rin along with a purpose.

She just allows it to happen, her head spinning with too much movement. She's never really drank as much as she has tonight, and her empty stomach exacerbated her dizziness, she's sure. Still, right now, nothing in the world seems too insurmountable or upsetting. It's mostly just riding the waves of insobriety.

Mikuo leads her along, gripping her hand tight in his, up to a rockier part of the beach raised above the rest. The sand slowly turns to a grassier path, and when they finally reach the top of the hill after what seems like forever, Rin is left staring out at a vast expanse of the ocean below. It has to be at least twenty or thirty feet high, which to Rin feels like miles above the world leading to a watery grave.

Even in her clouded state of mind, she backs away from the edge of the outlook, a lance of fear striking her through. Mikuo refuses to let go, however, instead yanking her along with determination until they're standing at the very edge.

He moves to stand just behind her, his shoulder brushing hers, finally releasing her but putting his hand at her waist instead. It bothers her, but she can't seem to make the stern words to tell him off come out.

"Isn't it gorgeous?" Mikuo remarks airily, his fingers tightening on her hip. "I could sit up here and paint for hours just seeing this view."

"It's… it's nice," she says weakly.

"Nice? It's picturesque," he argues, and he turns her to look at him. His teal eyes glitter. "The roll of the waves, the clouds surrounding the moon, the calm of the air. With you here in front of it, it would create a beautiful painting that would steal the breath of the worst critic."

"I…" Her tongue twists in on itself, and she swallows hard, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up not being able to see the crashing of the water against the rocks below, but being able to hear them. "I don't really…"

"You should take another look," he says softly. "You should take a good look at the world around you. Or maybe you can't see it, because you're not an artist. But I look at you, and this ocean, and I… I see beauty unmatched by any in this world."

His hand touches her face, and her eyes widen. His fingers are icy from the night wind, and he's suddenly just too close.

"Rin, you're just as beautiful as all of this," he murmurs softly. "Untainted by impurities, as calm as the sea, yet your blue eyes seem so stormy. I wish I could just recreate looking into your eyes like this on my canvas."

She's starting to feel uncomfortable. The beer's effect is rapidly deteriorating in the face of the situation. Yet, it's still too foggy to fully defend herself.

"Mikuo, look, I…" she starts, but he shakes his head.

"Don't you hear it?" he asks her. "The lullaby of the sea. It's… romantic, right?"

It's at this point she realizes he's leaning in to kiss her, close enough she can smell the alcohol on his breath, and it's suddenly overwhelming. His gaze reminds her of the endless depths of the sea, murky and uncharted and dangerous, and it sends her reeling.

"No, wait a minute…!"

Finally her fight or flight kicks in, and she raises her hands to push away his hands, taking a step back to put some distance between them and turning her head away.

However, she overestimated how much space was still between her and the drop below, and before she's realized, she's toppling backward over the cliffside.

A scream tries to rip from her throat, but her fear chokes it down. She sees Mikuo reach out for her, but just barely miss her fingers by inches. She squeezes her eyes shut, ready to feel the rippling wind past her as she meets a rocky descent that ends in death.

For a split second, she envisions her parents, wondering if they had felt this same type of mind numbing panic when they had died.

Please, let it be quick. I don't want to feel my lungs give way.

However, as she's about to drop off into the yawning abyss of rocks below, something firm and unshakable grips hard against her wrist. It yanks her back forward, and she snaps back into warm material and a strong hold that wraps around her securely. The scent of cinnamon and shampoo fills her nostrils.

When she opens her eyes, she realizes that she's in Len's arms, her face pressed into the soft material of his sweater. When she looks up at him, her breath catches.

His bright blue eyes are dark and steely, and his jaw is taut with anger. She follows his eyes to a confused Mikuo, who takes a few steps back at the sight of the android. The tealet's mouth opens and closes, as if struggling to speak, but Len pipes up before he can manage a word.

Len glances down at her, his expression softening for a hair of a second.

"...Are you alright?" he asks her quietly. She barely nods.

His eyes turn back to Mikuo, and his entire body goes tense.

"How dare you?" he roars in an authoritative tone, sending the boy back another step in shock. "Have you lost your mind? Rin nearly drowned this afternoon, and you thought it wise to bring her up here where she wouldn't be safe? She's drunk and terrified, but you still chose to be selfish. All you thought about was taking advantage of this situation. What were you thinking?"

He rips Mikuo apart with each syllable, and Rin's hands tighten into his shirt, her heartbeat refusing to slow.

"I- I'm sorry, Rin," Mikuo apologizes quickly. "I didn't know you were going to jump back like that, I never would've let you fall-"

"If I hadn't been here, Rin would've died," Len spits out with distaste. "After berating me for not being what Rin needs, you endangered her. I can't fathom why you would ever bring her here when she is obviously afraid of the ocean! Did you want her to panic for your amusement?"

Mikuo falls silent, unable to respond, and Len turns back to Rin.

"...Let's get you back to the house," he says.

She glances between the boys, not sure how to process what she's just witnessed, but then nods. "O-Okay."

Len guides her away from the outlook, and when she casts a look back, Mikuo is standing back with a mixed expression, his hands clenched into fists.

During the walk back, Len doesn't utter a word, not even looking her way, but he stays very close even as she wobbles back the way she'd come. The effects of the alcohol have all but dissipated and she tells herself off for even letting herself fall victim to the siren song of it.

But, even more than that, something Len had said earlier bounces around in her head unwarranted.

"I want to be with you because I care about you."

"I'll always be here, and I'll always protect you."

She had so readily dismissed his claims before, but… Now, after seeing how harshly he'd scolded Mikuo for earlier, and the way he'd looked, so protective and upset…

I can't believe I'm even entertaining the idea right now, but….

What if what Len said before wasn't just what he was programmed for?

It doesn't make sense, and shouldn't be possible, but what if there is something to this after all? Could it be that Len has developed his own feelings…?

Can I really trust that's the truth? Or am I deluding myself into wanting to believe it?

She wishes she could see directly into his mind, into the thoughts he has to be having, but there is nothing to decipher in his eyes.

Bypassing her friends still at the bonfire, Len takes her straight back to her room. As they go up the stairs, he steadies her when she struggles to take the simplest step up. Her face flushes, but she says nothing.

At her doorway, Rin pauses at the handle, her lips pressed together in a tight line. She then turns to look him head on, swallowing her feelings.

"Len… I…" she begins. "Thank-"

"You should be more careful."

Her mouth snaps closed at his words, the sentence dying in her throat.

"...What?"

"Rin, you need to take better care of yourself," he says coldly, in monotone. "You have to think more about your wellbeing, and not put yourself in danger like that."

She blinks, surprised by his blunt harshness.

"Len…"

He turns away from her so she can't see his face any longer.

"...You should get some rest. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Just like that, he walks away, disappearing down the stairs. When he's vanished out of sight, Rin can only stand there, feeling a yearning where there wasn't before.

If she had doubted the ability of Len having feelings before, that doubt has been crushed beneath this heavy, soulless feeling of disappointment he's left behind. She can practically feel his emotions with every step he took.

It leaves something in the pit of her own stomach that festers like a black hole. She presses a hand to her chest, feeling weak on her feet.

Why do I feel like… I should be apologizing?

I can't deny that Len seems… incredibly off.

I can't explain it, but when he walked away…

It was like I had broken his heart.