Disclaimer: I shall never claim Vocaloid as mine no matter how much I yearn for such. There's a small lemon. I don't own any of the songs used in here and beforehand.

Chapter Twenty One

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In the corner of the room

I learned the emotion of grief

The sound of dissonance ringing in my head

Mixing with the sounds of the piano

And somewhere along the line

I'm lost in you

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She didn't sleep at all that night.

She just couldn't

Her chest felt numb (she was breathing, she knew, but it didn't feel real; it wasn't enough).

Through the night, she had been quietly told by her mother (Natsumi's voice was cold and emotionless) to pack away her things.

Rin didn't cry one single tear.

It wasn't really happening, was it? Wasn't it just some dream (it was nothing but a nightmare) and wouldn't she wake up soon?

Why wasn't she waking up?

When she finally went to her bedroom; her body was jittery; anxious. She and her mother could be caught any moment by Len, even if it was one or two or three a.m. It didn't matter. So many things could go wrong if he woke up and saw them moving their stuff out the door.

Masato could do nothing about it (he agreed to it in the first place). He understood that Len shouldn't be told. It would've been too complicated (when the war was over to begin with; no need to further the wound's opening). He understood not to tell him where they were (Dell had already gone on).

When that subtle knock was heard on the other side of her door, Rin silently got up with her things (she was already dressed; she had to be prepared). It was then that she took a final look at her surroundings.

Memories had surrounded her; so many things had taken place in this room; no matter how empty it seemed right then and there, good and bad, she wouldn't forget them, no matter what- -

She wiped her eyes and cheeks (she swore it was the leftover dust in the room).

Her feet carried her out of the room and down the stairs…(this wasn't real; it wasn't reality; she was going wake up soon; she knew it)

Sliding into the front seat of her mother's car and her fingers finding the seatbelt and the quiet purr of their rusted old car…

This was reality.

"Hey, mom? Can I visit the school one last time?" Her voice was quiet as her mother silently regarded her.

It wasn't even eight a.m. (No one woke up that early)

Her fingers curved over her phone and the school came in sight (his phone would be silent and off).

XXXXXX

Lately you're all I need

You smiled at me

Was something going to happen?

He didn't particularly know. The tree beside his window held a nest of birds that usually sang around this time. But…they weren't singing now.

Len pushed himself up from the bed; his sight going a little blurry from moving so quickly. He couldn't sleep last night. Something about yesterday had kept him up. It had been any other regular day in the middle of the school's end.

Something about the way she acted made him feel unnerved.

He looked at the alarm clock; wiping sleep from his face. It was seven fifty-eight a.m. Besides the clock lay his phone; he'd turned it off last night; he wouldn't be in need of an alarm clock (he no longer had a hidden agenda).

His fingers gravitated toward it and fluidly pressed his finger against his END button to turn it on.

One New Message

A furrow in his brow became visible and he pressed the necessary buttons to take him to the message. He pressed the phone to his ear and listened carefully; everything was quiet and he had to strain to hear.

I'm letting you go.

He knew that voice.

The words replayed in his mind over and over. What sick person would play such a thing on him? But, it was her voice, quiet and different sounding though.

Len pushed himself up from bed and out the door- -

The house had no evidence of her ever living in it.

XXXXXX

This place.

This place.

Her feet carried her through the door and her fingers shut the phone in her hand. The school was cold and empty enough so that when she exhaled her breath showed. Her fingers absentmindedly skimmed the walls as she walked.

If continuing to grow…to change…is a part of life, then- -

It has no mercy to spare.

"None at all."

The words left her mouth subconsciously and her cheeks were starting to get sticky and wet. She took in a shuddering breath.

The rooms of each individual class and grade…She remembered these rooms, being in them with no real meaning except to learn. The school itself held no meaning to her. She hadn't even been many events that took place there. If anything; going here was masochistic.

She passed by the separate, elective classes' hallway.

Seconds ticked by.

The outdoor pool…

XXXXXX

Her toes curled over at the edge, bare.

She stood at the edge, feeling numb. So many things were going through her mind at once.

Part of the flow…

She took in a deep breath and looked at the distance. Her eyes wavered somewhat, and she closed them. She took it all in, remembering and forgetting, pushing and pulling away her thoughts, and Rin cleared her mind. Her sharp eyes surveyed the area.

She'd always been scared of such things.

But, at the moment, she didn't feel so frightened. Rin knew this to be a swift, brief thing, lasting only for so long, as compared to those other things. She distinctly heard voices, almost beckoning. Her mind was clear; nothing in it malicious, misleading (crazy)…

She had never felt so clear headed.

She jumped.

It's okay to be afraid…Don't be afraid to face your fears.

"Rin!"

XXXXXX

He searched everywhere. Natsumi's car wasn't there. His father wouldn't answer.

"I'm sorry; son, but I can't answer that."

Those were his simple words; just angering and confusing him all the more. He ran out the door, slamming it behind him. His cellphone was enveloped tightly in his hand and he tried to think while running. The few cars in traffic honked at him as he ran to the apartment complex to the west of his home.

He skipped steps, barely stumbling, and skidded on the metal balcony when he found the right room number. His fist rapped harshly against the door.

The door was opened noisily after the chain was removed. "What the hell- -Len?" Miku was still rubbing her eyes of sleep.

He raked a hand through his hair and she narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Why are you here?"

"Where's Rin? Everything- -at my house- -gone." He was still breathing hard, leaning against her doorframe for support. He could only say a few words at a time.

She looked at him in sympathy. "Look, I'm not allowed to tell you much. But, I like you, alright? So I'll tell you this: go to the school right now. Like, run, seriously, at this moment, to the school."

"What? Why the school?"

She pushed him forward towards the stairs. "Just go! And call me if anything happens!"

And so he ran.

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At first, all she could see was darkness. Rin knew she couldn't swim.

But, strong hands grasped her waist and pulled her upwards and her eyes opened, seeing the bubbles of the water float upwards. She shut her eyes one more time and her need for air was suddenly quenched and looking upwards from the ripples she could see an overcast sky beginning to weep from its grey.

She was pulled onto the hard floor that circled the pool. She sputtered and gasped, choking on water.

"What the hell were you thinking?" It was Len. How did he- -

"Were you trying to kill yourself? God, if I wasn't here then, you really would've died from that impact!"

Rin turned to him and snapped, water droplets flying, "Kill myself? I think I'm already past that! I'm capable of many things!"

"Even though you can't swim?" Len returned fiercely. It was silent between the two of them, steely glares faced at each other.

Rin was the first one to get up, albeit wobbly. "You know what? I'm going on."

Why was he even here? It wasn't for him to watch her walk away, not after that message.

His hand reached out towards hers, grabbing her wrist tightly. "Hey. Hey, wait, Rin." He coaxed her to stay. She stopped but didn't turn around, her body fragile. "Why are you and Natsumi leaving? What the heck was that message for?"

When you walk away

You don't hear me say please

Don't go

Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight

It's hard to let it go

When she didn't say anything, he pulled her gently towards him. "Answer me, Rin. Come on. What happened to before? And to when we were younger?" Len spoke in a quiet, tender voice; pleading.

Rin tore her hand away from him, shaking but with a firm voice. "This is stupid." She stalked off, going in through the door.

He chased after her, claiming her hand once more. "Oh no, you don't." He started dragging her off to the elective hallway and into a random room where he closed the door fluidly behind them.

"What are you doing? I have to go! Let me out of here!" Rin tried to struggle out of his grasp. His fingers wouldn't budge.

"No. Not until you tell me." His voice was firm and gentle.

Her eyes searched the room frantically. It was the music room, a piano in the corner…It brought back a flow of memories back from when they were younger, back at the elementary school; in its tiny abandoned music room…first kisses…wayward playing of the keys…

"Rin, look at me, please." His fingers found her chin and faced her to look at him. It was a slight struggle at first…

Her eyes were wide, but in subtle way. They were glassy (crystalline, like broken mosaic glass; reflective and beautiful), and staring, the depth within them impenetrable and never ending. Her mouth was slightly opened, lips forming a perfect 'o'.

And God…

He could see. They spoke volumes he couldn't comprehend. "Is this…how it's been all along? Rin?"

She tore away from him, backing a few feet away from him. "They divorced, okay? I'm supposed to be leaving for Nagasaki today… I didn't want to go! Not from this…but, I had to let you go, okay? I'd rather have you hate me then be sad and heartbroken over someone who's miles away!" Her nails scraped against the wall in anguish, a small sob wrecking through her body.

Len didn't care about that.

He pretended not to hear those footsteps outside his bedroom door. They were hesitant at first; but then he could hear her running down the stairs and out the door…

The way the door slammed behind her on the way down from the roof…

The way she sounded so distant in her texts…

The way she wouldn't look at him straight the time at the market…

"Rin…this whole time…" His hands grasped her towards him and he held her tight against him. Her fingers; although hesitant at first, folded at his back, her eyes closing despite tears still seeping out of her eyes. Waiting. This whole time.

I wish I could prove to you that I love

When we're older we'll both understand

It's enough when I say so

And maybe some things are that simple

Rain poured hard outside and her back pressed against the window as he kissed her. Things were jumbled up in his head, and all he could think was of her. With him, against him, holding her close, wanting her, her wanting him…

Her fingers slid into his hair, abandoning the hair tie that held it up together. "Not here. Len…"

He wanted to prove to her…in so many ways. But, he couldn't, not all of them. Just this way right now. His fingers crawled into her hair, and he pulled away from her. "I'm sorry…" He murmured into her ear. Len kissed away her tears, trailing his mouth against her cheek, "Just this one last time. I don't want to forget."

His lips crushed into hers, moving gently and passionate. He felt her legs tremble beneath him and he dragged his hand down her spine, eliciting a small moan, holding her by the small of her back. Her fingers drooped from his hair and draped themselves at his shoulders, clenching and unclenching. They skimmed under the collar of his shirt; fingering the small chain around his neck.

It did matter that she was leaving. It did matter that he would have a slim chance of being able to communicate to her, see her every day, to talk to her, murmur words to her. It was like a siren in his head, in the very corner of his mind. He knew there wasn't much left and it did matter, so much. He didn't want themselves to be the ones to say goodbye, not in this moment; life.

Hold me

Whatever lies beyond this morning

Is a little later on

Regardless of warnings

The future doesn't scare me at all

Nothing is like before

But, it mattered so much more to him to know that she was right here, breathing and moving against the plane of his body, only willing to wait years for him and willing for things to end with nothing in her hands just for him. It meant so much more.

So much more.

Her fingers touched his face, wiping away his tears. He grabbed that hand and kissed it, holding it against the cold window. "I love you…" Len murmured, kissing her face. "I love you." He whispered it to her over and over again. It was never enough; just to say those words to her, for him to hear it from her in turn…

She didn't want this to end. Not when everything had just become so clear; never had anything had been so vibrant. Not when she could finally see now. Not now. It couldn't end. It couldn't be the last goodbye. His calloused hands slid up and down her arms, as though trying to finalize the fact that she was here and breathing (real). She shivered, goose bumps crawling up her body; a heat enveloping her body in an intimate way.

Never enough…

His fingers swiftly undid the buttons of her shirt as her hands roamed underneath his shirt. He kissed her neck, her collar, and trailed everywhere, her moans following after. They melded to each other, losing themselves in it. As he thrust into her, her fingers adjusted in his, weaving into his fingers, lacing them together, hoping to intertwine their lives just like that.

"I love you." He breathed against her neck when he finally came to.

"I love you too." She murmured. The words felt more than just right, fitting perfectly.

XXXXXX

They walked out of the school together, where her mother was waiting for her, cold and emotionless. She pulled Rin away, dragging her to the rusted car. The rain had never poured so hard (the droplets mixed in with tears, so solemn).

Their fingers lingered from each other's palm; with the promise of waiting.

Infinite.

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If it was the end of the world right now…

I would leave every single thing behind

Just so that the both of us can be together

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A/N: It's been such a joy to have written this story. I was going to do more with Rin's fear of large bodies of water, her tutor, and I had originally planned in the story to have her try to commit suicide two times… THERE WILL BE AN EPILOGUE. I hope you all enjoyed this story and thank ye all for reviewing. I'll probably add in some bonus chapters to this story too. Well thank you! R&R, please! Hm…it did turn out to be five extra chapters… XD

You know how they say a butterfly on your right shoulder means death, right? I had no idea about that until some time ago. I had always interpreted it as another way to say butterfly on Rin's shoulder since Len was left and Rin was right. I always assumed such since at the beginning of the song, she's singing alone (like a battle being fought on her own; later on in the song, in the PV, it seems she struggles with Len's playboy antics).I had planned for this story to be like another look on Migikata No Chou as opposed to Meltdown, although this story still held components of Meltdown…As for the name "On the Other Side" I was planning on adding a whole chapter on the fact there was a barrier between Len and Rin (hence the name) and yet, they were almost like reflections, although, I had no idea how I would've fit that in. But, that's alright. Any of you can use that as a story idea or such. I chose Luka to be somewhat of an antagonist, since the song RIP Release seem to fit well…hmm…I believe some questions have been answered through this; so if you have any, please PM me. Like seriously; one question can impact the whole story. And, sorry if the lemon sucked. It wasn't supposed to be full on; I only wanted to put in the emotional part.

Also, it would've been nice if I had been more detailed in the story beforehand as well. Oh well. Love to you all!