#fluoriteshipping

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RIN USED TO BE A DELINQUENT IN XXX MIDDLE SCHOOL, SHE WAS KICKED OUT FOR HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH A TEACHER AND EVEN HAD AN ABORTION!!!

Those were the words that she was greeted with when she entered the classroom, okay, she didn’t actually notice at first, she just walked in as usual, there were little groups gossiping among each other, but that was not weird, they were always gossiping about one thing or another, they stopped talking when she passed, but they always did that too, so she didn’t take any notice.

When she took a seat, she saw the message.

Or maybe accusation?

Whatever it might be, she had to suppress a snort at the ridiculousness of it; but she held to her temper, she would not give them the satisfaction of even that.

Instead, Rin did exactly as she always did; she pulled out her phone and started to browse random things, occasionally answering texts – mostly from Yugo – and didn’t pay attention to the blackboard for more than it was necessary to read.

She forced herself to hid her smile when she heard their gasps of surprise and their sighs of frustration, she could swear she even heard someone click their tongue and stomp on the floor and stomp on the floor.

Fitting of spoiled brats.

“Someone should clean it.” A voice she knew very well piped from behind her seat.

The teacher – a nervous wreck of a man already in his forties – had entered the class, and as usual, he gave a half-hearted greeting and request for everyone to seat which in response got half-hearted complains and even though everyone obeyed, no one greeted back, much less bowed to the teacher.

When his words fell on the class, right on cue, she felt everyone's stares growing more intense.

“I agree,” Rin said, barely lifting her eyes from her phone. “It’s not my turn to clean though.”

“I'm pretty sure it is" Someone else said, she didn’t pay attention to who it was, they all hated her anyway, and the feeling was mutual.

So, of course the room was quickly filled with sounds of agreement, the teacher goes and makes a mock show of checking the list in his notes and looks straight at her, as if expecting to abide.

“It’s not, because I have the list of duties right here.” She said, and pulled out a copy of the list she made the first time she was actually on cleaning duty. “And, oh would you look at that, It’s Sawatari’s turn.”  

There were some strangled noises among the group, clearly not expecting her to retaliate or even complain, they probably never had to deal with someone punching back, much less when at their glares they were giving her, she glanced at them, not with challenge or fire in her eyes.

But simply with dull indifference.

Instead she willed herself to show no emotion whatsoever, her eyes unblinking and uncaring, her mouth set in a straight line.

After a few minutes of silence, the teacher sighed and after lots of complaining from Sawatari – something about his back hurting – three other classmates, she never bothered to learn the name of stepped in to do the cleaning duty, acting as if it was a noble mission from a king or something similar.

All in all, they wasted twenty whole minutes of class.

Every slight of interest on her, had been apparently erased along with the words on the board, and all of them went back to their businesses.

Except for one, usually sitting somewhere on the back rows of the class, never paying much attention to class if at all, but now of course he chose to seat himself right next to her, with the dumbest hairstyle she has ever seen, all sleek and brushed, as if he used a whole can of hair gel every morning, and the glariest shade of violet she’d ever seen, sometimes showing up without his uniform or even his backpack, if any teacher dared to tell him to get to work, he flashed them a toothy smile so wide, it may as well look as if he would bite someone’s hand off if they got too close, and eyes that flashed with such entitlement and conceit it made her feel sick to her stomach to just look at him.

Rin hates him more than the others, she hates him so much that even as she can brush off the other’s taunts and hurtful words, just his eyes fixing on her, with a devil-may-are attitude all the way down to him using his hand to lay his face, giving her a wide and tilted-looking smile, it had her concentrating on not flinching, lest he’d notice.

“I’m a little disappointed, I expected to see you stand for yourself.” His voice drawled low enough to not call anyone’s attention but hers, she could hear the laughter laced in his words and she almost snapped her pen in half.

‘And give them the satisfaction?’ She had to bit her lip to avoid saying something so obvious.

“Such sloppiness is not worthy of my attention, if something like that was remotely true, the teacher in question would have been all over the news, whereas no one could find out the name of the students, because as minors they’re protected from media harassment by law.”

“Oh? Are you saying that you’re good at covering your tracks? I suppose my classmates will have to try harder then.” He said finally tearing his eyes from her, and almost sighed in relief until he spoke again. “I’ve read that the harder the prey is to catch, the more exciting the chase becomes.”

This god dammed school was awful in everything except campus and the food in the cafeteria; all the teachers and students were the same

And Yuri was definitely the worse of them all.

-oOo-

“You’re the new girl right?” She heard for the fifth – or the sixth? – time in the day, “I’ve read all about it, you're the winner of a full scholarship to the LDS Academy!” The girl kept talking her ear off, about the school, her family, where the classes where held, the different clubs, and a long, long etcetera. “I’m Sayaka Sasayama, I’m on my first year too! I was wondering if we could become-”

Then, the girl finished Rin felt herself being pushed with more force than such a lithe girl should have, but before could complain about being shoved so harshly against her locker, the girl was signaling her to be quiet.

That was she realized all the people in the hallway was in the same position as them, not sticking to the walls like Sayaka was, but they put a very significant distance between them and the person in the middle of the hallway.

It was a boy who looked about their age, brown hair and short in height, or maybe it was his entire frame that made him look like that, his back was hunched, he had bags under his eyes and his uniform looked not just unkempt, but also dirty and even ragged in some places, he was walking at a very slow pace, while some looked at him as if he was a past or something worse, others looked at him with pity.

Somehow she got the impression of some type of criminal procession.

“Why are you all outside?” Asked a woman, a teacher she assumed, she was tall and had a voluminous ginger hair, and brown eyes, that looked reddish from her angle.

“It’s Sam, Miss Claire, It’s his last day, remember?” Sayaka said in a low voice, she was on the people who looked at this ‘Sam’ with pity. “His parents pulled him out, I guess he couldn’t take it any longer.”

“I see,” Rin tuned her ears to hear more clearly, without taking her eyes off Sam.

There was a heavy sigh coming from the teacher, and in her hear, Rin had red alarms flaring through her mind, she didn’t like how the woman sounded, how Sayaka talked or how everyone behaved, as if this was normal, expected.

“What happened to him?” Rin didn’t need to voice the real question to know they understood what she meant.

“If he just stayed out of their way, he wouldn’t be in this situation,” It was the teacher who answered her, and she sounded tired, as I she saw this happen one times too many. “But problematic cases will always find their way out.”

One times too many to care apparently.

Rin perked when she heard a thumping noise; it was Sam, or rather his belongings, who had fell to the floor, books, notebooks and papers all spilled around him. No one moved a finger to help, even more so, she heard some giggles when he got to his knees to pick them up.

She had not realized she stepped forward until she felt Sayaka’s hand hod her arm.

“Don’t! They’ll do the same to you if you help him.” She whispered to her, and the teacher nodded.

Her teeth gritted at her words and she easily yanked her arm back, throwing them both her best glare.

This was bullshit, total and utter bullshit.

-oOo-

As usual, the classes had dragged until it was time for lunch.

Today, it was day of steak and some weird assortment of vegetables and rice, and she almost found herself staring at the food while she waited for her turn to be served. The only people she allowed herself to smile at, and give her thanks to, was the kitchen staff – an old lady, who always gave her an extra portion when the other were not looking – and she would keep it that way.

Ahead of her one of Sawatari’s pets was obviously waiting for her to pass and make her trip.

They were so obvious and sloppy she almost could laugh, with the way Sawatari was grinning at her, the hushed whispers from the rest of the table and how rigid the volunteer’s leg was.

When she was barely a step away and his foot was put in place, she pretended not to see it, but she made sure to put a little extra strength in her step as her feet kicked his ankle.

“My bad, I didn’t see you there.” His exaggerated cries of pain, made her cover her mouth with her hand, to stifle the laughter.

When she finally found an empty table, where she wouldn’t be disturbed, she finally took a seat, not listening to the protest of the others, as the other guy kept whining, each time in louder yells. It almost made the food taste better.

At least until she heard a groan, as if someone just woke up from a nap.

Rin almost choked on a mouthful of rice when she saw two arms stretching above the table, soon joined by a slightly disheveled head of violet hair.

Yuri yawned for a little too long, and even rubbed his eye and blinked lazily, focusing his eyes, almost as if he had forgotten where he had decided to nap; he looked almost like a child, and Rin cursed herself for drawing that comparison.

For staring long enough to even notice.

Then, he noticed who he was sitting with, for single moment he looked like a deer caught in the headlights – his stupid hair antennae didn’t help – and he turned around, the slight motions of his back made her realize he was huffing.

Obviously, he must be laughing at her, and she just decided she would ignore him and went back to her food, she picked the knife and fork to start picking at the steak; not because she imagined herself using them on Yuri’s face instead, nope, she was above that.

“No fried shrimp or pasta this time?” He asked, but she refused to look up, while she sank the fork a little too hard on the meat, so what if she liked them? They were delicious and filling unlike their ‘fancy’ tuna and sushi.

Of course now Yuri helped himself to her plate and used her chopsticks to grab a big chunk of meat before her fork could take it.

“Wow, you know how to use chopsticks, congratulations.” She said, her teeth grinding, it still stung when he did that, for him it was just a stupid game to get on her nerves, for her it was her only food until she got home for dinner and he probably didn’t appreciate it like she did.

Spoiled, rich kids, she hated them all.

“I can’t help it,” He said, licking his lips from leftover gravy – stop noticing Rin – “Food from your plate tastes better,” He wasn’t even bothering to be quick when now he stole a mushroom. “It gives it a zing.”

She snorted, she couldn’t help herself.

“Then you’ll be glad to know that the chopsticks you took to your mouth, were mine, used them for the rice,” She said this in perfect synch when the food and thus the wood made contact with his lips  “So at least this time you know where the zing comes from.” Rin allowed her lips to from a small smile as she watched the realization sink in.

For a moment, she felt triumphant, watching him squirm a little and she could swear – if she squinted hard enough – that the tip of his ears had reddened.

It didn’t last, his eyes flashed with... something – amusement? – And he seemed to be chewing the stolen food very thoroughly, and when he swallowed he directed her another of his wide smiles, his teeth almost showing.

“If you wanted a kiss, Rin, you only needed to ask.”  

Rin would give herself a pat in the back if she could, because she somehow managed to keep her expression unchanging, even if her tongue felt tied in place, her belly was doing flip-flops and she could swear her ribcage felt a little too big for her own chest.

“Disgusting.” That simple word came out of her mouth almost without her permission, and even she was surprised by the venom she put in it.

She didn’t wait for his answer, nor his reaction, and she didn’t she feel hungry anymore.

And she simply left him there.

-oOo-

Rin was furious.

No, furious was not enough to describe how she felt, her entire body felt stiff with so much hatred swallowing her whole in the moment for the people in in front of her; Yuri and Sora looking as pleased as they could, Dennis inscrutable face that didn’t seem to care at all about his surroundings let alone her, and lastly Gloria and Grace looming over her, with their almost identical silhouettes.

Her school bag was floating on the pond, empty, all her belongings – notebooks, pens, her wallet and laptop already sank at the bottom of the murky waters. It wasn’t about the stuff... lie, it was about it, and school supplies weren’t cheap; but also, above everything, it was their faces, full of delight at her expense.

“What is it Rin-chan?” Gloria asked, looming just a bit more. “It’s just a bit of water right? Just take a dive and pick it!” From the corner of her eye she saw her hand, ready to push her.

With a speed Rin didn’t even know she possessed she grabbed her wrist, and twisted it forcing her to look up to her. Just a little more pressure and she could do it, her wrist would be sprained, maybe even broken, or she could push her instead into the pond, have her retrieve her stuff for her instead...

“Ugh, you are all so ridiculous, getting all worked up for a bag.” Yuri’s voice said and it was enough of a surprise for her hold to slacken and for Gloria to tear apart from Rin.

While she was focused on Gloria, Yuri had moved towards them and between his fingers her bag, holding it as if it was the most disgusting thing he ever had in his hands, dripping and muddy Rin couldn’t even say she would disagree with him.

He threw it at her feet without even looking back.

“That little bitch was-” Gloria started and was interrupted by her sister, with her vibrant eyes she looked at Rin and smiled.

“Let her be to her misery, you had your fun.” Rin had sometimes fooled herself believing that Grace was the nice one between the two, of course she was wrong.

“I’m bored now, let’s go.” Yuri said and started to walk away, obviously expecting everyone would follow, so of course they did, like little soldiers.

Gloria of course took her chance to push her shoulders into her, Grace only giggle at the sight and Sora skipped on the shallow side of the pond and splashed her shoes and socks, Dennis was the last one to follow, and he also brushed against her.

To pass her a note.

Your stuff is in under my desk.

Rin wasn’t sure what to make of the note, maybe he was screwing with her and hid something awful for her to find, or maybe he would stage a scene to make it look as if she was robbing him.

She really needed her stuff though.

-oOo-

“Why did you help me?” Rin said, cutting to the chase when she finally found him having his lunch in an empty classroom. After she found all of her stuff, hidden exactly where he told her, for days, she had pondered on whether or not, to approach him about it, part of it because he was always seen with Yuri and the others and partly because she was still half-expecting to be the first part of another prank.

“Does it matter?” Dennis said, putting his sandwich away, probably sensing she wouldn’t leave any time soon.

Yes it did matter, because he was close to Yuri and his awful friends, because she had assumed he was compliant with everything they did to others and herself, and maybe, just maybe she hoped to convince him to get on her side, and he could help her get an advantage on Yuri...

Yeah, right. Even in her mind that sounded stupid.

“I’m curious.” And she didn’t miss lunch at the cafeteria just to get such a bland answer, to get her point across, she sat atop the desk next to him, just to look down on him as unlike Yuri, he was way taller than herself.

“Is it so hard to believe I didn’t want to be complicit?” He said, not looking at her but at the window, she must have been looking at him in disbelief because he sighed and finally looked at her and said: “We’re not friends.”

“What?” Of all the explanations she could get, this was not in what she expected. “You’re always around them, and...”

“Yuri, Gloria, Grace and Sora, are no friends of mine, my family moved to Japan a year ago, I’m a foreigner, I talk ‘funny’, I don’t know how to behave half of the time, and like you I’m a charity case.” Rin had heard the term thrown around occasionally, they meant the scholarship students. “What I mean, is that I’m an easy target; but because Yuri and the others think I’m amusing and help them with their English homework, they keep me around.”

“A protection.” She said almost in a whisper.

“Not that they know, mind you.” He said and he laughed a little, but it was humorless and empty of emotion.

“So that’s it? You play along with them and turn a blind eye to everything they do, so you don’t become a target?” She had not realized her voice had raised until an echo resounded at her outburst. “I thought...”

“I’m sorry if I burst your knight-in-shining armor fantasy, but I’m just a coward who had a fleeting moment of decency and now it’s gone.” He sounded genuinely apologetic and that only pissed her off more.

“I don’t care about that fairytale bullshit, I thought you could be of use!” Her hand slammed on the desk.

For the first time, he looked surprised instead of bored or nonchalant, and then he laughed, this time a hearty laugh that even had a few snorts in between and had him holding his belly.

“I think I know now,” He said, still stifling a bit of laughter, until he finally composed himself.  “Why Yuri it’s so bothered with you, I mean.”

“Because he thinks I’m a thorn on his side.”

“Maybe a poisonous thorn.” He insisted, “You know, the type that will spread poison through your blood until it reaches your heart, if you don’t get rid of it.”

“What?” Why was he acting like he had some huge revelation was beyond her. “That’s dumb. He just wants me to back down, to make bow to him, like you, like every person in this school.”

“Not really, Yuri doesn’t care much for that, sure he enjoys the benefits of it, but for him it grows old fast...” He paused, giving her a strange look, appraisal? “... No, what he wants is this, he wants get past this ‘Ice Queen’ act you put on, he wants to provoke you to do something, anything about everything.”

“That’s stupid, even If he wants me to have a meltdown or whatever...” But the more she thought about it, the more sense it made...

Rin couldn’t finish her line of thought, because the door of the classroom slides open so suddenly and so harsh that she could swear the frame made creaking sound, she almost turned around to nag whoever it had entered, but Dennis beat her to the punch.

“Yuri, what ha-”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” She barely finished to process it is indeed Yuri, when he had already thrown the question, he looked far more agitated than she ever saw him before, his breath ragged, as if he ran all the way here.

Wait, had she ever heard him curse before? She is too stunned to even wonder if the question is for her or Dennis.

Their silence seemed enough to make him look pissed off beyond belief, he was usually so expressive – even if his expressions were for the worst – but now, with his lips stuck into a thin line, his glare held absolutely no amusement instead it looked as if he was imagining the many ways he could bring suffering to either of them, and his usually relaxed stance had gone, his shoulders looked completely rigid to the point it looked as if he was carrying something extremely heavy, even then, he looked almost calm, like a statue.

“Well?” When he spoke again, with a tone that demanded answers, the shock quickly vanished and gave place to annoyance.

“I was not aware I needed to report myself to you.” She said, and crossed her legs and crossed her arms putting as much finality to her words. From the corner of her eye, she saw Dennis looking aside, his face looked a little red... of course, her skirt had hunched up, but if she tried to fix it now, it would ruin her stance.

“No one is talking to you.” Yuri said, directing his glare fully at Dennis now. “Leave, we need to talk.” This new side of Yuri was definitely unknown to her.

And it was giving her a thrill to think she was the cause of it, with so little effort.

She propped down from her ‘seat’ and very much with purpose she waved at Dennis, giving her the brightest smile she could muster, she even threw a wave at him – which made him pale so much, she almost felt bad for him, almost. – And the moment her eyes were posed on Yuri’s general direction, she morphed her face back into indifference, acting as if he was below her notice, invisible even.

Rin didn’t even turn when she felt Yuri’s intense look posed on her, she just passed next to him, and closed the door behind her.

Sayaka had once warned her that playing with Yu– with them would be acting like a mouse thinking it stood a chance against a feral cat. But Rin could prove her now that she was no mouse, no, she was the person holding a toy mouse above the cat, just out of its reach.

Every single time.

-oOo-

From the corner of his eye, a head full of soft-looking green hair catches his attention.

Yuri stops in his tracks to get a better look at the owner, but when he does, her back is turned and some girl is talking her ear off, he only catches the words ‘new girl' and ‘winner' before they get too far for him to listen.

He feels someone hanging from his arm and using it as a swing, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Stop it Sora,” he said and he only did it one more time before he actually listened.

Laughter came from behind him, and he knew it was the twins, standing behind him now and looking at Sam.

He was walking in the middle of the hallway, almost dragging his feet with each step, neither of then needed to send anyone a warning for the people in the hallway to part and avoid all contact with him.

He didn’t even remember what he had done to piss off Gloria, but as Sora and Grace followed along with whatever or more like whoever had sent her into an indiscriminate swirl of spite, he just shrugged and played the part for as long as it was fun, then the rest of the people did the work for them.

Dennis was quiet, he was only required to do his digging as usual and told them what things they could use against him.

It was successful as usual.

Then out of nowhere he hears dozens of surprised gasps, before he could even ask or look around for the source, he was already feeling Gloria's nails digging on his shoulders, he could almost hear her teeth grinding.

“Who is that?” She asked, and Yuri's eyes caught the green hair before anything else.

There she was, kneeling on the floor and helping Sam picking up her stuff, from the distance he couldn’t hear what or if she was talking to him or even her face.

“I read something about her, she’s the new scholarship student, Yukimura Rin, I believe.” Dennis said from behind them. “She won it by academic excellence.”

“Hmph, another charity case, and look at her thinking she’s better than everyone then?” Gloria was now biting her finger. “I say she needs a reminder that peasants need to keep their head low.”

Yuri was only half-listening, the girl was now helping Sam – he was truly pitiful and insignificant – carry his stuff down the hallway.

He felt something ugly twist in his gut the longer he looked.

“Yes, let’s do it.” And for the first time he means it.

-oOo-

Yuri has a problem, a problem named Rin.

Why? For many reasons, for example how much of a swot she was, always answering every question correctly, even when the teacher wasn’t even asking anything, the she went to give that little jump on her seat and lean forward until the old man sighed and gave her the word, sometimes when she gave the right answer after someone else got it wrong she even directed them the most conceited look in the world right afterwards.

In gym class, she never understood the meaning of the word ‘practice’ and always went all out, whether it was jogging it always ended up turning into a race – usually between Rin and Gloria – or some volleyball game when somehow after a very unhelpful opinion from Dennis, it turned into something called dodgeball, it ended with most of them sent to the infirmary for bleeding noses, black eyes and at least one concussion – but he could bet that Sawatari was just being dramatic – she always showed off when they had to do gymnastics. But above all, Yuri thinks he hates the school sport’s uniform, it’s too short and... form-fitting, and Rin doesn’t seem to care that by the end of the class there’s at least half a dozen guys ogling at her.

Of course they don’t flirt or approach her at all, because they’re also terrified of her.

Which was… good, because the thought of anyone wanting her like that, touching her made him sick to the stomach.

Her new fame probably had to do with the one time threatened to post the personal phones of the entire class online along with recordings and footage of everything they'd done to her.

If teachers refused to discipline them, then maybe being trolled non-stop by strangers online would do the trick.

Soon the class learned that it was better to leave her alone, rather than try to grind her down, because when that happened, nothing would protect them of whatever fitting punishment Rin cooked-up in her pretty little head.

That leaves Yuri in tight spot in which her mere existence in the school made him bristle with... too many feelings that he doesn’t have time to think about – nor does he want to – he just wants her out of his sight, out of his class, and out of his life.

Anything to stop feeling the way he does.

But he can’t do much of anything, or else he risks having people realizing that she had managed to put a dent in him.

If only, if only she was also bothered as he was, if only there was the slightest hint that he also provoked her the same ugly and unwanted feelings then maybe he could try or pretend to be at peace, there would be some balance. When it all started, there were a couple times when it looked like something was coming through her cold and listless expression.

Sometimes he thought he saw something in those eyes, he though he saw her jaw tightening, her composure wavering.

But then it was gone, always gone, when he thought he had something on her, she just left him to his misery, sometimes throwing some scathing line.

‘What’s so funny?’

‘I was just thinking it must be nice to be rich, and not having to develop a brain or a personality.’

“Yuri, you’re up!” Sora yelled in his ear, once he focused again, he remembered where they were: the moon-viewing festival that he very reluctantly go so he could get away from his house, Sora has promised fun and lots of candy, Dennis had simply shrugged and said he never went to a temple before and would be interesting, Grace wanted to win every prize of every game and Gloria was happy with showing off one of her extra luxurious kimono.

Right now they were all nudging him to play ring tossing.

He just rolled his eyes and took the ring from the vendor’s hands a little too harshly, before tossing it with a little too much force.

“It looks like we have a winner!” The old man said, and handed him a tube of chips.

“Aw, I was hoping you would win the chocolates box.” Sora said, obviously thinking only of how much he could stuff his face.

“Tough luck,” he said popping the tube open and throwing at least five chips into his mouth, they were good, he was quickly gobbling them down.

“Easy there,” Grace said. “Your dad will get mad if he realizes you were eating junk food.” She only said it because she tried and succeeded to steal a chip while she removed the crumbs from his clothes, but she had a point.

There was a photoshoot coming up.... fuck it, they were just entering the food stands and the smell of fried shellfish and dough had his mouth watering, if he was gonna be nagged for his weight gain anyway, then he may as well enjoy himself.

And the yakisoba looked delicious. While he went to the line, he couldn’t help notice something.

Right at the front of the line, there it was, the back of a head full of green hair.

Rin, it looked like she had just been served and she dived right in, eating almost all of it in three mouthfuls. She always ate so heartily, not caring if anyone was looking, or if she filled her face with soy sauce and the like. She was not wearing a kimono or even a yukata – his mind helpfully reminded him that those were expensive – instead she was wearing a pink short – too short – and blue and white jacket and high-thigh boots, there was even a pretty bracelet on her wrist and a necklace.

Yuri swallowed a little, clearly seeing her outside school had caught him off-guard, but he wasn’t going to let that ruin this night, and he tore his eyes from her, before she or anyone realized he was staring.

“Ugh, finally! What took you so long?” Rin said out loud, and not like she was yelling or as If she was angry, no, someone he couldn’t see or hear clearly said something funny to her and she laughed.

She laughed, loud and clear, she didn’t even cover her mouth and her eyes were closed in merriment.

He found himself staring again, drinking on the sight, she never, ever laughed like that when he was near, nowhere in the school.

Then, a gloved hand touched her shoulder, and a boy that had to be around their same age, wearing something that looked like a biker outfit, his hair was put up in the most ridiculous hairdo he ever seen; and he laughed too at whatever she had said back.

He leaned into her, his arm went around her shoulder and pulled her into a half-hug, that she only half-heartily shrugged off, her hands were all over him too, and his hair, his arm, he saw how she pulled his cheek jokingly.

Yuri couldn’t believe it, she never once stopped smiling, she looked happy and at ease. And it was all because of this random guy.

His head started to fill with red static, it didn’t let him think clearly let alone act clearly; when he saw them leave, he marched towards them, forgetting all about the food, about his friends, he didn’t know what he would do once he caught up with them.

But he couldn’t let this slip, he just couldn’t.

-oOo-

“What a surprise," She heard that voice and instantly felt herself frozen in the spot, maybe she had imagined it, maybe- “Hello Rin.”

Yugo turned then, and she had no choice but to do it too.

“Hey, didn’t see you there.” Yugo said and as usual greeted him with all the enthusiasm he put in pretty much anything, Rin almost wanted to groan. “I’m Yugo, are you from Rin’s school?”

“I am, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He said giving both of them a sickly sweet smile, and forced Rin to face the facts.

Yuri was there, looking strangely unearthly… the purple kimono with stripes and a faint pattern of petals matched perfectly with his hair, blowing the slightest bit on the autumn chilling wind, and the pale moonlight bathing him a glow that If she didn’t know any better she would think he was a nature spirit who popped right out of ancient painting.

“Cool! I’ve been wondering why Rin never talks about her new classmates!” Yugo said quickly pulling Yuri closer.

“And I’ve wondered so many things about Rin myself!”

Rin bit the inside of her cheek to remind herself of the type of person he really was; just because she had never seen him outside school wearing anything other than slack pants or dress shirts didn’t mean she was going to lose her head over him, anyone would look good on a kimono, especially one as skillfully crafted like the one he had.

He didn’t even knew how to wear it properly, because one of the sleeves was hanging lower than the other, leaving part of his chest open for view.

“Oh you know her since kinder garden? That’s so sweet.” Yuri said and Yugo, bless his oblivious heart, somehow didn’t realize the sarcasms dripping from his voice.

“Yes! We’ve been inseparable since then! Well, at least until she got into your school he he...” Yugo’s voice faltered, and Rin’s heart skipped a beat at it. “Anyway, you look a bit familiar... “

Seeing them together brought her the thought that they both represent the comfortable – if slightly boring – life she traded for the one where she felt like she was walking on knives, filling her with a strange surge of adrenaline every day.

“Rin!” She was pulled out of her thoughts when Yugo practically jumped into her face, jumping up and down. “Why didn’t you tell me you went to school with Yuri? You could brag with everyone.”

“What?” Rin was stumped, why she would bother to tell anyone that she went to school with a rich spoiled brat like Yuri? At best she could brag about his good looks, but it’s not like he was her boyfriend or anything.

Yugo dug inside his pockets for bit to pull out his phone searching for something, and Rin took a second to throw a warning glare to Yuri, who simply looked too delighted than he should be allowed.

“Got it!” said Yugo at last, shoving the phone against her face

“Yugo I can’t see like this.” Rin said and she took a step back.

“Look!” Yugo repeated, and she saw the image in his phone: it looked like the cover of a magazine, there, Yuri was posing – more like standing – in the middle of a park, wearing some type of posh clothing and gigantic headphones, a jacket thrown over his shoulder.

Rin grabbed the phone and was looking between the picture and Yuri still standing behind Yugo.

She almost laughed at how ridiculously retouched the picture was, because yeah, she was willing to admit Yuri has very handsome, but he wasn’t particularly tall, not that thin, and specially his eyebrows where not that delicate-looking. Suddenly why everyone at school tolerated Yuri’s lack of studying was clear; he was just doing an act of presence, he obviously had his life solved for him, and would go on to become huge after they finished school.

“You know I don’t buy fashion magazines.” Rin said, feeling her annoyance back in place the more she thought about how easily handed was everything for Yuri. “Maybe I should be wondering how you know about him.” She said suddenly feeling like a tease and was rewarded by the stupefied looks of both boys, in the case of Yuri his face was blue for a couple moments.

“I just know because Amanda and Aru have a crush on him!” Yugo yelled almost too quickly, and she laughed at his outburst. “Come on Rin, you know no one can replace you in my heart!” He said, looking a little too much like a kicked puppy, and she relented.

“Silly, I was joking.” She said, even sticking out her tongue, it took a few seconds for him to get it, but when it happened he laughed and she couldn’t help but laugh with him too.

“Oh” Yuri said, and it made her look at him again, “I apologize for interrupting your date.” even though he was still smiling, there was something weird behind it and it couldn’t have been just the darkness, she could swear a shadow had fallen on his eyes.

It was the same aura from back when he had found her talking with Dennis in private.

“D-date?!” Yugo said, and for a minute Rin thought he might actually faint from how red his face became, his eyes practically shimmered and she felt her own face get warm at the complete adoration he was looking at her with. “...but, you got it wrong, Rin and I aren’t like that.”

Rin felt her chest tighten when a good part of his good mood had been sucked off him.

Because she never gave him a clear answer.

“So, you are not her boyfriend?” Yuri asked, and got into Yugo’s face, as if he wanted to detect any hint of lying, Yugo just shook his head and shrugged, giving him a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, Yuri on the contrary completely perked up at the confirmation. “Ah, that makes much more sense, isn’t she just a tease?”

It was as if her stomach and her heart just somehow dropped to the bottom of her body, or maybe this was just what it felt to be frozen in place, due to shock and fury.

Tease, Yuri had... he just called her a... Rin’s fists balled at her sides, trying to breath in and out to calm down herself.

“What are you talking about?” Yugo asked this time, turning completely to face Yuri, his voice was low and so flat, so unlike him that it was almost scary.

“Well, since you ask,” Yuri didn’t seem to notice the change in the air, or most likely didn’t care, as he had now abandoned all pretenses of niceties, his voice full of the scorn and disdain of every day. “Rin here has a little trouble with showing off all the time, she wants everyone to look up at her, praise her, maybe even love her, but what does she give in return? Nothing, she only ever let’s people see a glimpse of what she can give and uses it as bait to string them along, just so she can continue to lead them on, and have them to her beck and call, like little trained puppies, vying for her attention.”

Rin couldn’t believe her ears, the things she was accusing her of were completely outrageous, she didn’t show off just for the hell of it, she had to do it to prove her worth; she didn’t care if people wanted to looked up to her or showered her with compliments, she didn’t like when she got under people’s skins and then acted as if they didn’t matter... and she wasn’t stringing anyone along with the possibility of any reciprocation...

He eyes sneaked up on Yugo’s back, his face still hidden from her.

She... she didn’t do that right?

A strangled noise broke between the heavy silence and it made them both look at her.

It took her a moment to realize that it had come from her, her throat was closing and opening rapidly, making it hard to breath, her lips trembled, trying to keep any other noises from escaping without her permission, and her eyes felt itchy and watery.

“You bastard!” She barely heard the curse from Yugo, because her head was filling with white noise, not letting her think clearly.

At least until she heard a loud growl, the swish of a fast motion and them a loud bash, followed by the sound of something, or more like someone falling flat on the stone cold floor.

The image that greeted her when she searched for the source was Yuri fallen on his butt, one of his sandals had slipped off while one of his shoulder was uncovered because the kimono was in complete disarray, but the most shocking was that he was using both hands to hold the lower side of his face, between his fingers there were faint trails of blood, and some drops had already stained the cloth of his kimono.

“Don’t you dare to get anywhere near Rin again!!” Yugo was hovering almost on top of him, in fighting stance, ready to strike him one more time.

“You savage!” Yuri yelled, but he was clearly frightened, the sight went a long way to make her feel a lot better.

Unfortunately the yelling had gotten people’s attention and if they realized what had happened they would call security on Yugo.

“Let’s go!” She said, gathering herself as quickly as she could, and grabbed him by the arm, forcing him to run with her to the nearest exit.

-oOo-

“I formally rejected Yugo this weekend, I hope you’re happy.” Rin said the moment she finally found him after scanning every single place in the school; she thought that maybe he had not shown up, but his shoes where in the lockers, so she just redoubled her efforts, and as it turned out he had been hiding in the multi-purpose room all along.

Of course, after all they didn’t have English  or P.E. class today, she should have started here; he had brought together and bunch of chairs and then simply laid on them as if they were a futon, he acted as if it was an impossible tasks to get up and

Now that his face was in full view, she could see why he didn’t want anyone seeing him; he had a Band-Aid on his nose, but even then it didn’t hide the reddening bruise that was underneath.

It was... strange, seeing him like this, she always thought that it would give him pleasure to see him suffer the consequences of his actions for once – she definitely had pictured herself decking him more than a couple times per day – but right now, she couldn’t find enjoyment within herself.

“And your boyfriend, sorry, your friend almost broke my nose, gave me a concussion and ruined my kimono, so I hope you’re delighted.”

Rin ignored the jab and grabbed a chair to seat right in front of him, he almost immediately straightened up, looking at her with narrowed suspicious eyes.

“Let’s settle this matter between ourselves once and for all.” She started crossing her arms and her legs, having a good pose couldn’t hurt.

“And why would I want to do that?” He said, almost spitting the words.

Because she was teetering towards the edge since she first took the challenge he brought her, and now she feared that if she continued, it would consume her whole.

He didn’t need to know that though.

“Unless you want more than a broken nose, I highly suggest it, because you won’t want to see me truly pissed off.” She said, and he snorted in response. “Yugo is scared of anger, and if you’re smart you would be too.”

“Oh, I know you’re terrifying,” He said, not an ounce of laughter in his voice. “Why do you think I stopped you from breaking Gloria’s hand months ago?” He asked, apparently surprised that she had not picked it up.

Rin felt a wave of shame at realizing that the thought never crossed her mind. In fact she was forced to think of all the times when she was about to burst to someone else – mostly Gloria – and he immediately would start trying to annoy her.

“If you know that, then why do you keep this up?” Why had he put himself on harm’s way? The concept of Yuri helping anyone was too alien for her, it had to be something else.

“Maybe I just like pissing you off,” He looked to the side while saying this. “And I don’t want anyone else hogging it up.”

Rin blinked, very slowly, mulling over his words, a thought had started blooming in her mind, one so ridiculous that it had to be a false.

“So that’s it? You get bored and get a rise out of making me angry?” She made the disbelief in her tone as obvious as she could.

“Are you mocking me now?” He said, passing a hand through his hair. “It really isn’t fair you know? It doesn’t matter what I do, it’s never enough, you always look at me as if I was a bug you accidentally squished with your shoe, what else do I have to do?”

Yuri looked and sounded really miserable at the admission.

“You... wanted my attention?” Even saying it out loud, Rin doesn’t believe it, but like everything else, it makes so much sense than any other convoluted theory she ever had she can feel herself starting to laugh, her gut is twisting and untwisting in tight knots, her heart is beating too fast and the amusement quickly melts into “Are you an idiot or what?!”

Yuri’s eyes were wide as plates when she yelled at him, looking at her as if she was seeing her for the first time, then he shakes his head and then sneers at her.

“Don’t make a big deal out of it.” He said and she never before wanted to punch him as hard as she wants now.

“Me? Make a big deal?! That’s rich coming from you! What are you in kinder garden?!” She said throwing her hands at the air, she gets up and starts pacing around the room, trying to calm herself, but it’s no use. “If you wanted me to look at you, then you should have talked to me like a normal person, you should have been nice to me!”

“I wanted to!” He screamed, his face buried in his hands. “I saw you, during your first day, walking down the hallway, and I immediately wanted to know who you were and... I wanted to... but you had to go and piss Gloria off, you had to go and be nice to Sam and talk to him, help him and smile at him, and then I was pissed off too.”

“If anyone is at fault that I helped Sam, is because you people made his life miserable first, don’t try to pin this on me.”

“Oh yeah that explains Sam alright, I’ll drop it then, but what about Yugo?” She couldn’t believe Yuri was bringing him up again, this felt like a bad joke.

“What?! He has nothing to do with you.” Rin turned to face hi fully and her words seemed to piss him off more, and he stalked his ways towards her.

“No, but isn’t he nice all the time? Doesn’t he shower you with compliments and hugs you and makes moony eyes at you, hoping for a kiss or a sign, and you still rejected him? What chances do I even have?” Yuri was standing in front of her now, only a step away from her, she’d never been this close to him before and now she was finally able to see how dilated his pupils were, his ragged breath in synch with the rise of his heaving chest.

“It’s none of your business what happened between the two of us.” She said closing the distance between them, his eyes were impossibly dark now and fixated on her mouth. “And if you wanted a kiss, you only needed to ask.”

Rin grabbed the hairs of his nape and pressed a harsh kiss to his mouth.

She couldn’t believe this was the whole cause of their stupid fiasco, for a god dammed kiss, thinking about it just gave her another peak of anger and she grabbed him forcibly from his shoulders, just to have his body to claw at; on top of it, he wanted this so much and he is barely responding, his surprisingly soft mouth is still against her lips. She pushed him backwards until they were stopped by either a chair or a desk, it didn’t matter, but she stopped only a moment to pass her thumb across his lower lip, and the moment he sighed she crushed her lips against him again.

That was the moment he finally, finally matched his motions to hers.

She doesn’t have much experience with kisses – more like none – and she guesses he doesn’t either, because just like her, he is sloppy, in the mesh of lips, tongues and teeth, sometimes he bits where he shouldn’t or she forgets to breathe through her nose, but even then they cannot stop, it’s almost they’re intoxicated with each other.

Yuri hops up onto the hard surface behind him – a desk she realizes now – and she follows just so they can keep kissing. With their bodies now meshed against the other, the sensations heighten up and she can’t help running her hands through his back and her fingers dig into his hair, her nails into his scalp.

He moans when she does it and she swallows it as if it was the air she needs to live.

“I hate you, you jerk.” She whispers between kisses. “I’ve hated your stupid looking hair since I first saw you.”

She feels him press his body harder against her and gives her a deep kiss, as if he was tasting every single nook inside of her and the intensity makes her toes curl in her shoes.

Then he stops, they both looks at each other, waiting, too see if the other will do something else. Rin can’t help but stare at her work: his face is flushed and his lips swollen, his shirt is a mess and a couple of buttons had unfasten.

She hopped down from him, satisfied, feeling his eyes roving wandering all over her as he moves.

“I hope is everything you dreamed of.” She said, turning completely away from him, trying to calm her beating heart.

“I don’t know if a single kiss will be enough.” He called before she reached the door.

“Why are you here?”  Rin growled, her words raw from crying yet desperate to mask any weakness.  It felt like a cruel joke to see someone so similar to Yugo alive and well.  A deep, dark part of herself almost wished he would be put into a coma as well for some twisted version of justice.

“I come in peace,”  Yuri raised a bouquet of flowers halfheartedly.  “Just giving Fusion Boy my respects.”

“Don’t talk like he’s dead!”

“I also thought you’d like a home-cook meal.”  He hardly acknowledged her anger as he pulled out a tupperware container of soup.  “I’m no master chef, but it should be one less burden off your shoulder.”

If this was supposed to soothe her fury, it only stoked it instead.

“Why are you here?”  This time she couldn’t stop the tiredness from seeping into her words.  “You already hurt me during the worst time of my life, do you plan to do so again?”

He looked genuinely pained by her words, but once more he acted as if all she said rolled off him.  He sat next to her, keeping a noticeable distance between the two of them as he placed the flowers on Yugo’s chest.

“I’ve told you before, I don’t want to hurt you.”  His voice was so soft she had to strain to hear it.  “Can you just accept my kindness with no strings attached?”

On a logical level, Rin knew she should, but in practice it was so much harder to stay wrapped in cold logic.  She really couldn’t stand his eyes on her, not when he felt like a vulture circling a dying animal.

“What do you want out of this?  For me to come running back into your arms if Yugo...if he...”  She had to cut herself off, because she promised all those years ago she would never cry in front of Yuri again.  She would never allow him that piece of herself.

“On some level: yes.”  Yuri spoke in an almost monotone.  For once there was no hint of teasing nor irony.  “I know it won’t happen though.  Still if you love someone you’re supposed to care for them no matter what.  So that’s what I’m trying to do.”

She tried to read Yuri’s expression, tried to pick out any sign of malice or deceit.  But to the best of her abilities, he seemed nothing but genuine.  Damn it, he was always the most difficult to understand when he was being sincere.

Rin turned to study Yugo’s face.  If she ignored the bruises from the crash, she could pretend he was just asleep.  It was the only thing keeping her sane at the moment, so maybe she could pretend for a little bit that this wasn’t a bad idea, that she wasn’t inviting back old demons to haunt her again.