Hi everyone,

I am coming back from a very long hiatus. An explanation is posted below. If you have read this story before, here are two important notes:

1)PLEASE go back and re-read chapter 2. Many minor changes were made.

2)This chapter will likely be slightly edited because I am posting this late at night and my brain isn't 100% there, but I wanted to post this chapter before I become insanely busy again. If there are any errors, I would be more than happy to correct them! If you find any inconsistencies, let me know!

While Rin was in the hospital, Rin didn't see Kaito not just once, not just twice...

"You've visited me nearly every single day."

"Yup, nine times."

Kaito rubbed the back of his head. Rin counted in her head, recounting each time Kaito visited, and he was right: he had visited her nine times.

"And you've only bumped into bed for three out of the nine times you've visited me." Rin smiled, folding her arms over her chest.

"At least it wasn't your IV pole."

"True. Huh…you really have visited me nine times? Why?"

Kaito frowned, confused, but suddenly groaned. "Is it becoming creepy? Ugh, I knew it. I'm really not trying to come onto you or anything, I promise."

Rin waved her hands. "No, no, it's not creepy! It's very kind. Especially the chocolates." Rin picked up the empty box of chocolates. "They were delicious, by the way."

"It was a special edition!" Kaito smiled. "I know you said that you liked oranges but, like I said, I couldn't find those chocolates that are shaped like an orange. I figured this since this had orange creamsicle chocolates -and they're delicious, I would know- that you'd like. You can't beat the ice cream edition!" Kaito smiled happily.

"Oh, yeah, that one was really good, I think it was the best flavor in the box."

Kaito picked up the box and looked at the back cover of the box. "The orange creamsicle just can't compare to the other flavors, like the hot fudge, not even the strawberry!"

"Don't worry, I'm not too offended."

Kaito continued, "The vanilla bean crème is good too but it just tastes a bit too artificial. Oh, there's also this larger box that's sold in stores. That one includes all of those flavors plus the mint chocolate, banana ripple- am I boring you?"

Rin yawned and smiled slightly. "Just a little."

"It's kind of weird, I get it."

Rin quickly tried to improve his self-esteem. "Well, it's really interesting how you know all of those flavors...and that you've tried every single flavor of Häagen-Daz...and that you've collected every single Häagen-Daz container you've tried on a shelf in your room."

"...you're making that sound like that's really weird, like beyond your normal amount of weirdness," Kaito said sheepishly. "I also wash the containers out when I finish them. Nothing smells worse than spoiled dairy products. I also don't collect every single Häagen-Daz container. I only collect a container if it's a new flavor."

"I'm not judging. It's good to have hobbies."

But Rin judged: 'If that's even a hobby...eating every single flavor of Häagen-Daz ice cream to exist.'

Rin slightly shrugged. The least she could do was be kind to the boy who saved her life, even if he was weird. Fortunately, he wasn't too weird; Rin could make exceptions.

"Speaking of those, besides taking care of your brother and 'volunteering' in your spare time, what do you like doing?"

Kaito sat in an adjacent chair, looking at her with interest. Rin blinked, her eyebrows narrowing.

"Why do you care?"

"Uh, well," Kaito muttered, taken aback, "I thought we were friends? At least people who are interested in becoming friends ask each other those questions."

Rin frowned. From what she could tell, Kaito did not have many friends. Being an ice cream addict did not make him popular, nor did being a klutz.

"I used to be on a track team."

"Used to?"

"After my mom died, that was the end of that. I had to start working, do chores..." Rin trailed off. "Basically everything my mom did, I had to do."

"Oh, right. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry? Were you the one who killed my mom?"

"N-no! I never even met your mother!"

"I'm just kidding." Rin smiled, but it was forced. "Illness killed her, not a person. I did that to Miku. She would apologize so much and I'd tease her for it." Rin glanced at the empty box of chocolates. "Now who even knows if she'll get to speak again?" Rin suddenly groaned. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to ruin the mood."

"Have you seen her yet?"

"No, they won't let me. Only her family can visit her." Rin plucked a loose strand of her hair from off of her blanket. She held it between her fingers. "It really sucks. I'm still in some pain but it's not as bad as it was last week. I'm so lucky that those girls weren't strong enough to break my ribs, but the bruises on my ribs are bad enough. I didn't even know ribs could be bruised until this happened." Rin sat up in her bed. Her lower abdomen hurt but not enough to prevent her from sitting up (a good sign, Rin assumed). "But...I want to ask the nurse again."

"Have you talked to Miku's family?"

Rin shook her head. She couldn't stand to see the pain in Miku's parents' eyes. The fact that their talented daughter was now a vegetable, yet she -such a small and weak girl- somehow survived.

"I haven't. I don't think they want to see me."

Kaito rubbed the back of his neck again. Rin slowly breathed out through her nose.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" Kaito began to sit up.

"No, please stay." Rin motioned her hand for Kaito to sit back down. "Thank you for visiting me. Really, it means a lot. You visited me more than my father did- oh, right, he's coming over again today, but not until later."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? You made it seem like he's been regularly visiting you."

"He's visited twice. He came over my first day in the hospital and then the next day, Sunday. He only has Sundays off."

Kaito frowned deeply. "But can't he come to visit you after work?"

"He can't afford to keep driving back and forth. Too much gas money."

This was not a lie but it wasn't the exact truth either. Gas was a factor, but Rin knew he didn't care enough to visit every day. He at least had the decency to come when Rin was first admitted. Rin had been sedated, so she didn't see him (thank god for small favors).

Then he came last Sunday, possibly the most stressful day of her life. She realized that the doctors had probably told her father about the suspicious bruises that didn't occur from the accident. In that case, he would know that she was dressing as Len.

Yet if he knew, he didn't show it on his pale tired face. His face lacked his hallmark redness that spread across his face when he became enraged. Pink cheeks meant danger, a blotchy red face meant a black eye, and a full red face and bloodshot eyes meant 'you're screwed'. Miss Miriam was in the room as he sat in the chair, looking at Rin. Other than "How are you?" they did not speak. They had nothing in common. Rin looked at her feet, avoiding his stare, hoping that maybe she would sink into the bed and disappear forever. She feigned exhaustion. She eventually closed her eyes and tried to forgot that he was there.

"So, how much longer does she need to be here?" He continued looking at Rin.

"We can't give you a definite answer, Mr. Kagamine. Hopefully within the next week. We need to keep checking any internal injuries that may arise, but your daughter is a tough girl. I think she will be alright." With that, Miriam flashed her a kind smile. Rin didn't notice; her eyes were still closed.

Then her father said something surprising that, for once of his life, that wasn't cruel nor relate to money: "I'm lucky that she's alive."

Rin had to force her eyelids to stay shut so they wouldn't fling open in surprise. After thinking about it, she realized there wasn't true gratification in his statement. He meant that he was lucky that his daughter would at least be able to work again. At the very least, he did not seem mad at Rin. This soothed her fears. It meant that Len had managed to evade their father from their secret. Or, at the very least, her father was smart enough to conceal his anger until Rin returned home. Rin knew he wasn't very good at that, but she figured that maybe he had gotten better at hiding his rage around other people. She couldn't let her guard down. Her thoughts were an endless cycle: he's mad at me, he has to know, but no, he can't possibly know if…

Rin thought about this while Kaito slowly nodded. "I understand."

He didn't, but she didn't expect him to. It must be nice having decent parents, she thought. Rin let go of the strand of hair that she had been holding and watched it fall to the floor. Kaito watched her, wondering which question to ask her that wouldn't jeopardize their fledgling friendship. He opened his mouth.

"Rin-"

"Oh Kaito!" A loud voice filled the room. "I'm so happy you're here!"

Rin slumped further into her bed while Kaito made it a point to sit up properly to fix his slouched posture.

"Hello, Miss Miriam." Both teenagers greeted her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but it is time for Miss Kagamine's physical therapy session."

"Ugh, I was hoping you forgot about that, Miss Miriam." Rin grumbled. At first, Rin used the 'miss' title passive aggressively whenever Miriam would float into the room when Kaito had come to visit. It wasn't until Miriam genuinely started calling her 'Miss Kagamine' that Rin knew that she had to be respectful.

"Oh, you'll be fine, Miss Kagamine. Can you get up and get into your wheelchair?"

"I guess." Rin grunted as she sat up.

"I'll be back tomorrow." Kaito sat up. "If you want me to come?"

Miriam looked at Rin expectedly. Rin ignored Miriam.

"If it's not too much trouble?" Rin asked.

"I'll be here after school!" Kaito grinned. "And I'll buy you more chocolates!"

"Kaito, don't worry about it."

"I will!" Kaito waved at her from the doorway. "A few chocolates won't hurt you! Really, you could stand to gain a few pounds."

"Hey!" Rin snapped.

"Well, Miss Kagamine, you are very thin. I'm sure that if someone blew on you, you'd float away into the sky!"

Rin sighed. 'Wouldn't that be nice.'

"Thank you, Miss Miriam, for supporting me," she deadpanned.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then!"

Rin waved to Kaito goodbye. Miriam hummed happily as she helped Rin into her wheelchair. "I have to say, you really found your knight in shining armor."

"We're just friends, that's it." Rin huffed.

Rin settled herself into the wheelchair. Miriam smiled, lifted the breaks pedals from Rin's wheelchair, and wheeled her down to the physical therapy room. Rin counted the tiles on the floor until she remembered her question.

"Miss Miriam, do you know if I can visit Miku yet?"

Miriam patted Rin's head. "Maybe soon, dear."

She watched Rin's shoulders slouch. Miriam gazed at the girl with significant pity before she wheeled her into the next room.

_

"You are doing very well, Miss Kagamine. You've made great progress."

"Thank you. Oh, wait, Miss Miriam, I need to use the bathroom."

"Of course, dear." Miriam wheeled her next to the bathroom door.

"I've been able to get into the bathroom myself. Thank you, Miss Miriam." Rin used the handle bar in the bathroom to help seat herself onto the toilet. She winced.

'I hope I didn't overexert myself, my stomach is killing me...but it feels like I have a bad stomachache, I don't think it's my abdo-'

Rin glanced at the toilet and screamed so loud that if God was taking a nap, he was probably awakened.

"Oh dear, it's alright! You'll be fine."

Rin's face shadowed her knees, barely aware that Miriam had barged into the bathroom and had come to observe her. "W-what?" Rin picked her head up and looked at Miriam. The woman looked at her urgently.

"Rin? Do…do you know what this is?" Rin couldn't determine Miriam's expression. It was a mix of sympathy and pity. Pity.

'Oh god, no way.'

"Miss Miriam, why are you looking at me like that? Am I bleeding internally?"

"Dear, do you know what a period is?"

Rin instinctively clutched her stomach. "What? But...but my mom didn't have hers until she was fifteen...I thought..."

"Oh good, so you do know what it is!"

"Uh, yeah, Miku would get pretty cranky when she got hers. I know all about it...I think."

"This just means that you are turning into a young woman. Nothing to worry about!"

Rin read several times of peoples' blood becoming cold when they heard bad news or when they were confronted with a horrible situation. Feeling her own blood run cold was a terrible sensation. It wasn't just her blood that had become cold and felt as if it had stopped flowing through her veins: everything had seemed to stop.

"When will it stop?" She asked quietly, but she wasn't asking Miriam.

Miriam didn't notice. "Well, at your weight and stature, you probably won't have it for more than three or four days, but you might have it for longer than that. When you first start menstruating, it's a bit unpredictable, but-"

"Can I stop it forever?"

Miriam frowned. "No, dear, you cannot stop it, I'm sorry to say. All you can do is taking some ibuprofren, put on a heating pad, and lie down."

Rin felt the hot tears running down her face and unfortunately, she couldn't stop the tears, either. She couldn't stop Miriam from hugging and letting Rin rest her head on her shoulder.

"I know that this hasn't been great timing," Miriam told Rin, "but you're just getting older, Rin. There's nothing to be ashamed about."

Rin sniffled as the thoughts dug themselves into her head. Hitting puberty. Becoming mature. That meant growing the parts of a woman. That meant dressing up like Len would become much more difficult and that the binders she bought to cover up her chest would become useless. It meant that (if her father somehow hadn't found out that they had been switching clothes) their father would find out, that Len would hit puberty too, and that he would be forced to fend for himself.

Rin cried harder. She couldn't stop, as much as she tried.

'Stop, stop, STOP, oh my god.'

"Miss Miriam." Rin hiccupped.

"Yes, dear?"

"Can I get off the toilet now?'

Miriam gasped. "Yes! Oh dear, how awkward..."

How pathetic, Rin thought.

_

"Thank you for helping me with everything, Miss Miriam."

"It is no problem at all." She pulled the blanket over Rin. "Now how about some ice cream?"

Rin thought of Kaito. She shook her head. "Um...do you have some oranges? I would really love some oranges."

"Of course. Let me ask the front desk. I also need to check on another patient, but I will be back as quickly as possible, okay?"

Rin nodded, watching Miriam's thick blonde curls barely move as Miriam turned around and briskly walked out of the room. Rin squinted.

'Why does she live here if she's from England?'

Another nurse had brought oranges for her and the question was no longer important. Two nicely sized oranges, unpeeled. Rin eagerly sunk her fingernails into the first one, peeling it sloppily as the pith became trapped under her fingernails and orange juice coated the palms of her hands. The first orange was eaten within five minutes. The second orange was quickly consumed as well. As Rin was eating the last orange slice, another nurse knocked on her door.

"Miss Kagamine, your father is here."

Rin nearly choked. She grabbed her water bottle and took a gulp to clear her throat. Rin cleared her throat again weakly so that she could speak.

"He can come in," Rin said with uncertainty. She quickly dabbed her napkin with water from her water bottle and cleaned off her hands. She didn't think she needed to give the nurse permission to let her father in, but she knew that her father didn't really care about that.

He walked in, huffing as he sat down in the adjacent chair. The chair squeaked under his weight. Her father grumbled about the seat being uncomfortable before he settled. As he did so, Rin couldn't help but feel disappointed (and nervous) that Len wasn't present. She knew not to expect him, but her heart didn't know better. Her stress was abated when she saw that her father didn't appear angry. The distinct redness on his face was absent. Then, her stress rose again: the nurse had turned around.

'Ugh, don't go!'

There was no way she could say that with her father in the room. The nurse left, leaving father and daughter alone. Rin looked back at him.

"How are you today?" He wiped something off his pantleg. He tried wiping it off a few more times before he realized that it was a stain.

"Better!" Rin replied. She forced a smile. "The doctor thinks that they can let me go later this week."

"You certainly look better. Do you really think you need to stay here longer?" Her father shrugged. "I mean, you look fine to me."

"Well," Rin replied carefully. She picked her words wisely, choosing the words that wouldn't trigger her father's rage. "These were the doctor's words, not mine, but he said there were a lot of internal injuries. The doctor hasn't let me go yet because he wants to make sure that I'm healing properly."

"But it's been, what, over a week? They surely would have found something by now."

"Um, maybe." Rin shrugged. She turned away. "I don't know."

"Do you really like being here, Rin?"

"No."

Rin wasn't sure if she was lying or telling the truth, but she knew it was the answer her father wanted to hear. At least, she hoped so. She knew that the lack of extra money had to be aggravating him. Yet she had answered slightly too quickly. Now he was going to be suspicious.

"It's your friend, isn't it?" Her father sighed. "You know she's probably a goner, right?"

"Huh?"

Rin looked at her father fearfully as he stared at her as if she should have known better.

"She's been in a coma for over a week, Rin. There's not much left they can do for her."

"I...I was told-"

"Have you even been watching the news?"

Rin felt her face grow cold as her cheeks became pale. "Not really. I don't want to."

"Well, here." Her father pulled out his phone. He handed it to Rin. "Read it."

Rin took his phone. She stared at the screen blankly. She could see the words but her brain couldn't process them.

"I mean, read it out loud."

Rin winced. She began reading the title out loud:

"Citizens mourn over attack victim's uncertain fate."

She stopped reading. There was a picture of Miku's blurred face. She was wearing the outfit from their school's latest chorus concert.

"Keep reading, Rin." Her father urged.

"A fourteen-year-old student, Rana*, has made very little progress since she was first admitted into the Shinbaku hospital. Th Kikore student, who was offered admittance into the prestigious Vocaloid music academy last year, was found being beaten, along with another female student, by two classmates..." (*False name has been used to protect the minor's identity.)

Rin paused. She continued reading again. "…last week. A male student from a neighboring district stopped the attackers and alerted authorities. While his actions may have saved their lives, Rana suffered from severe head trauma as well as internal bleeding after being kicked in the stomach multiple times..."

Rin kept reading. She could read them clearly, but she could process none of it.

"...While the second victim is expected to be released later this week, there have still been no signs of improvement seen in Rana."

She read and read but the article didn't seem to have an end, until finally:

"Rana's mother claimed that she felt her daughter's fingers twitch as she held her daughter's hand. She says, 'I still have hope that my daughter will make it out alive.' While there is still some hope, there is also much uncertainty. Investigators are still trying to determine why Rana was the main target in this attack."

"Investigators," Rin repeated. "I haven't had anyone try to talk to me yet. Maybe I should-"

"There's time for that later. We're going to get it taken care of. However, there's no point in you staying here," her father said plainly.

"What? The doctor told me later this week that I can leave. Even the article said-"

"But I thought you weren't happy here?" Her father raised an eyebrow.

Rin's head became heavy again. She wondered if her brain could deal with the stress. What if she had suffered brain damage after slamming her head against the sidewalk and she just didn't realize it? Could she keep up the charade?

She finally said, "I want to make sure that I'm okay. I don't want to have time get sent back to the hospital again." Rin looked at the white ceiling. She decided to gamble with her words. "I'm sorry that this happened, dad. I will pay you back the medical expenses, since you have to pay thirty percent of the bill and everything."

"No need to worry," Her father said. He smiled. Rin couldn't remember the last time she saw him smile. Her father used his arms to help push himself off the chair. "Both families will be compensating us. The shame of this ordeal has convinced them to pay me. It's the least they can do. This actually worked out quite nicely." Her father's smile fell and he scratched his scalp loudly. "Not for you as much, but at least you got a break, right?"

"Yes," Rin said.

"Alright, let's call the doctor. If he says you're good to go, then we're leaving."

As Rin's father left the room, she felt a rush of heat burning her face. Her throat made that same tight sensation it usually made when she was going to cry, but this time, she did not feel like crying. Her face, as red as blood, remained like this until Rin finally forced herself to breathe in and out, multiple times. She ignored the fact that she had unfortunately inherited something from her father.

"Mr. Kagamine, while your daughter may look fine on the outside, I want to make sure that she has healed up properly on the inside."

Her father stared down the doctor. This was her father's natural appearance: large and discontent. The doctor, hardly intimidated by him (how?), stood up straight after glancing at Rin's head wound. The doctor adjusted the stethoscope around his neck. "We will be performing an X-ray on her tomorrow morning."

Rin saw Miriam at the doorway. Miriam brushed a thick strand of hair away from her face as she stared.

"I just want her home. She wants to go home too." Her father persisted, then looked at Rin. Rin realized that he wanted her to speak up.

"Yes, I want to go as well," Rin said. "I miss my friends at school, too," she added.

She knew Miriam had good 'bullshit' detectors. The nurse looked at Rin, bewildered by her statement. Miriam went to say something, but the doctor got his words out before Miriam could.

"Rin, for the next month, it is still expected that you are to take it easy. There is also the process of your trial. People will need to talk to you about what happened the day you were attacked, especially since Miku cannot speak for herself. You will likely not return to school for at least another month."

Rin nodded quietly. The doctor sniffed, rubbing his index finger beneath his itchy nose. "But," the doctor continued, "provided that your X-rays turn out satisfactory, we can let you go home tomorrow, but definitely not tonight." The doctor adjusted his coat as he looked at Rin's father pointedly. "It's what's best for her."

'Do you really think he knows or even cares what's best for me?' Rin wanted to roll her eyes.

"I have to work. I am embarrassed to admit this, but I can't take off, either."

The doctor furrowed his eyebrows at her father. "Then Rin can stay here until you can get her. This really isn't a big deal, Mr. Kagamine."

"I want her to come home and rest." Her father adjusted his collar. "I will be honest: I don't like hospitals."

'...excuse me?'

"Uh...I'm sorry about that, Mr. Kagamine," the doctor said, as he looked at the taller man with surprise.

'He wants to save that badly on gas, huh?' Rin thought, until she saw her father rubbing his sweaty hands together. Rin wondered if her eyeballs would fall out of their sockets next.

"Is there anyone else you can request to pick up your daughter?"

Her father sighed, irritated, but answered reluctantly. "Yes, I can," he mumbled. "I can arrange it. They are family, and I can provide identification."

Rin's eyes widened. Her father's parents were dead. They had been dead for a long time. Her mother was dead, which only left...

"My wife- er, my deceased wife's parents can pick her up. They have been wanting to see her."

"I'm sorry about your wife, Mr. Kagamine."

He sighed. "It's been a few years. It gets easier with time. She was admitted to a hospital. Unfortunately, she contracted a cold from here, or at least I believe she got it from here- which turned into pneumonia."

Rin watched his shoulder's slouch. She almost felt bad.

Her father sighed. "The last thing my daughter needs is pneumonia."

Rin felt any sympathy exit her body the same way a bad spirit flies out of its host after a successful exorcism. 'Oh, yeah, go figure. You just can't stand having your human ATM away from you for too long, right?'

The doctor became much more sympathetic, effectively concealing any ridicule he might have had for her father. "I'm sorry to hear that. That's very unfortunate. Rest assured, our hospital takes pride in its cleanliness. There is a minimal risk of Rin developing, uh, pneumonia, but still, there's always a risk. Yet, we must keep Rin hospitalized if there is still a risk to her health, but we won't know for sure until tomorrow after the X-ray is completed," the doctor said.

"Understandable."

Rin sat up. "May I say something?"

Her father, the doctor, and Miriam looked at Rin. Her father cocked his head to the side, wondering. Miriam squinted her eyes, wondering as well. The short doctor stood and sniffled.

"Can...can I visit Miku? In case that I do leave tomorrow? I want to say goodbye."

Especially if her grandparents were coming to pick her up, it would very well be the last time she saw Miku.

The doctor looked at the nurse, then at Rin. "We will ask her parents for permission. They understand that you have wanted to see her. But, please realize that your friend isn't going to look the same. She was very badly injured."

"I understand. I just really miss her and if she does pass away..." Rin shuddered, then continued, "if she does pass away while I'm gone, I want to see her at least one last time."

After agreeing to her request and after discussing with her father what to do once he could contact his in-laws, he left. Miriam had to leave to check on another patient. Rin's father, once the room was cleared, turned around and looked out the window. His back was turned to Rin as he watched the sun set. Rin looked at the swirls of warm orange and hues of pink. The clouds were very thin, brushing against the sun as they moved. As Rin was entranced by the sunset, her father took out his phone and began to make a phone call. He abruptly stepped outside the room. Rin suddenly realized this and tried to hear the conversation, but she couldn't. He was too far away. Rin sighed and waited until he came back in.

"Your grandparents are coming tomorrow." His voice suddenly became harder. "If there is any talk of them trying to get you to live with them, you must tell me. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Rin replied. She knew the drill. She learned from last time. "I know that they are too old to take care of me. I would never burden them like that."

"That is because you are considerate, unlike..." Her father grunted and looked out the window. "You would understand what it's like to take care of a burden, wouldn't you?"

Rin knew who he was referring to, but the way he said it made Rin anxious. She didn't say anything as her father walked out of the room to talk to the front desk. Rin slowly sank into her bed.

"I'm leaving, Rin."

Her eyes fluttered open as she saw her father in the doorway. "Okay. Thank you for visiting."

"...is there anything I can get you?"

Rin kept her face stoic. "Hmm, no, I do not need anything. Thank you."

Her father looked relieved that he didn't have to go out of his way to get her something. "Well, good night."

"Good night," Rin said. After a minute, once she knew her father had left for good, she giggled (she couldn't laugh unless she wanted to further traumatize her ribs) at the absurdity of her father trying to be kind.

'Why was he being nice? Did he actually feel bad for me?'

Rin snorted and looked out the window again. She sometimes forgot that she wasn't the scapegoat. That was Len. She was the 'useful' child that made his life easier. Now that she knew that he was going to be paid (she didn't even know if this was legal or expected when things like this occurred), she knew why his temper had been quelled. Additionally, since she was missing school, it meant that she could make up the lost hours by working at the library, or helping her father at his convenient store. She crinkled her nose and mustered a disgusted sigh at the latter thought. This had been a wonderful turn of events for her father. Then another idea surfaced:

'What if he found out that he's been beating me instead of Len, and he actually feels bad?'

She immediately shook away the thought, because she knew that the only thing he had pity for was himself when he discovered that his wallet was empty. He didn't care who he hurt either to get his money. Her mother was a good example of that.

Miriam wheeled Rin just outside Miku's room.

"Miss Kagamine, I hate to rush, but it has to be quick. You need to go to get your X-ray taken shortly."

"Okay. I don't think I need too much time."

Rin did not see Miku's parents. She finally exhaled, relieved that she wouldn't be forced to make pleasantries. Miriam wheeled Rin closer to Miku's bed.

"Alright now," Miriam whispered, clutching the wheelchair's handles.

Rin could barely make out Miku's face under the tubes and bandages. This did not faze Rin until Rin noticed something was lacking. She blinked multiple times. What was missing?

'The hair.'

Her glossy teal hair no longer existed. It was gone. It had been shaved off. This was enough for Rin to lean over her friend's bed and cry.

"I'm so sorry, Miku...I'm sorry that this happened to you." Rin leaned the left side of her head against the mattress. Tears made dark splotches on the bedsheets. "Why didn't you go to Tokyo? Why did you stay for me? You would have been better off." Rin sobbed shortly, but the pain in her ribs made her stop. Rin breathed heavily as she suppressed her cries.

"Miku," Rin grunt. "Miky, you have to forgive me. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I didn't want this to happen. I could have stopped them if they hadn't p-pushed me first..." Rin leaned back, gazing at Miku's face. The black circles around her eyes had faded. Rin gently put her hand over Miku's. "I'll try to visit. I can't make any promises, but I hope you can forgive me if I can't. You just have to pull through this, Miku. You have a family that cares about you and friends that miss you. This shouldn't..." Rin gasped, taking a minute to breathe. "This shouldn't have happened to you."

Miriam went to reach to touch Rin's back but she pulled her hand away, deciding against the idea. She watched the girl cry, and she felt her stomach twist in a very sickening way. Miriam leaned against the wall, rubbed the wetness away from her own eyes, and turned her head away, hoping to calm herself down before Rin finished crying.

"Miss Miriam, I'm ready."

Miriam sighed when she saw Rin was still facing Miku. Miriam quickly dried her tears, put her hands on the wheelchair handles, and wheeled Rin out of the room.

Besides the sound of meal cart being pushed and the chatter of nurses, the hallway was quieter than usual. Strange, Miriam thought. Maybe it was because she couldn't be bothered now to pay attention to the other sounds.

"Miss Miriam?"

"Yes, Miss Kagamine?" Miriam looked down at the top of Rin's head.

"Why do you live in Japan if you're from England? I've never seen someone like you here before...a-and I don't mean it in a bad way, I'm just curious."

Miriam smiled gently. Her eyes felt very dry, but this didn't bother her. She always enjoyed answering this question.

"Oh, many people are. I'm a strange case, I won't lie. About eight years ago, I came here to study for almost a year, and I met my husband."

"You're married?"

"Yes, actually. Yes, he's Japanese as well, not an expat. We met, and I had never been happier. The day before I left to go back to England, we cried. I didn't want to go back home."

Miriam became quiet. Rin frowned.

"I went back home, though. I didn't think that I had a choice. I had to finish nursing school. I talked to my husband every day, though, but then I just couldn't take it any longer. I wasn't even in England for a year before I bought tickets to return to Japan."

Rin almost sputtered. "But what about your parents?"

Miriam chuckled. "Oh, they were pretty furious. I had decided to drop everything to go to Japan, and they didn't understand why I would want to go back. They couldn't understand why I would want to go to a country where I would stick out like a sore thumb. My mother, when she finally realized that I wouldn't budge, bought me black hair dye as a parting gift. How horrible, right?" Miriam chuckled. "I didn't use it. Dye is really bad for your hair. I may be easy to pick out in a crowd, but I'm not putting those chemical in my hair."

"Why did you come back here if they were so upset about it?"

"I was an adult. I realized that if they wouldn't support me, I just…had to let it go. I could support myself. I knew what I was doing: I was nearly fluent in Japanese and I knew that if I got married, I still wanted to work in Japan as a nurse. I had to continue my studies there."

Rin's eyes widened as large as snow globes. "How about your brothers? Sisters? Maybe both? Were they upset when you left?"

"No, I was an only child, which only made my decision more painful for my parents. But...we did reconcile. It took a while. I go home every Christmas to see them."

"That was really brave of you."

Miriam gently brushed her hair back with her right hand. "Ah, not really. I knew my boyfriend would let me stay with him and I was nearly fluent in Japanese -I had been studying it for years- and I already was aware of the challenges. It hasn't been easy, but I was lucky enough to get a job here as a foreigner."

"I still think it's brave." Rin brushed her thumb over the leather armrest of the wheelchair. "I don't think I could ever do something like that. Just up and go."

Miriam smiled. "Rin, when your heart knows what it wants and it's aching to get it, you will do everything you can to get it. Sometimes, it's not always going to work out how you wanted, but if you at least try, you'll likely still be satisfied with the outcome." Miriam wheeled Rin into the x-ray room. She put the brakes on the wheelchair and then put her hand on Rin's shoulder. Miriam's long fingers draped over the small girl's shoulder.

Rin suddenly felt numb. "What if you try really hard, you give it your all, but you still can't get what you want? What if you end up unhappier?"

Miriam went to open her mouth. Her lips closed. Her eyes brightened when she formed a decent response.

"Keep trying, even if you feel like you've done enough. Keep trying until you feel satisfied."

Rin didn't like the answer. Just keep trying? What happened if there were truly no more options left? If no more energy could be put towards what was desired? Did the heart just fall apart from being denied what it wanted? She frowned and rubbed her lips together for deciding to thank her for her response.

"By the way, Rin: you can't try to get rid of your period. That's not going to work, I'm afraid. Well, unless you get rid of your uterus, but doctors pretty much refuse to take that out of a woman unless it's making her very sick."

Rin stared at Miriam as if she had three heads. "You sounded wise until you said that, Miss Miriam."

Miriam smiled. "I just thought it was best to include a disclaimer."

Rin felt a cramp in her abdomen, her body letting her know that puberty was well under way. Rin didn't say anymore as she was prepared for her X-ray.

Hello again. Thank you for reading! If you have been waiting for an update for years, I hope that the wait paid off…? If you are waiting for Scorned to be updated, unfortunately you might be a bit disappointed: I am focusing on this story at the moment and don't have any plans (or time) to update Scorned. I'm very sorry about this, but I thought it would be fair to tell you. I am doing my best to finish w e a k. I really should finish something for once. I hope you can forgive me.