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I think it's a very good story you're putting together. You've crafted a much more natural Rin than some people have produced (including the original and mine, heh)—she's grounded in her own self and yet remains the disconnected stranger she's supposed to be. I'm enjoying it!

Only one tiny problem: sometimes you have X and I where it should be X and me.

Well, mostly to Akio and I
。。。
leaving Takashi and I alone under his umbrella.

"me" in both cases.

Otherwise a very nice version of Rin!

brythain wrote:I think it's a very good story you're putting together. You've crafted a much more natural Rin than some people have produced (including the original and mine, heh)—she's grounded in her own self and yet remains the disconnected stranger she's supposed to be. I'm enjoying it!

Only one tiny problem: sometimes you have X and I where it should be X and me.

Mirage_GSM wrote:

Well, mostly to Akio and I
。。。
leaving Takashi and I alone under his umbrella.

"me" in both cases.

Otherwise a very nice version of Rin!

Thanks! I've fixed the pronouns in this chapter and the previous ones. I completely forgot I hadn't corrected them yet. Hopefully I won't keep on making the same mistakes

I'm glad you both still enjoy my version of Rin, though I'm not sure she's "more natural" than yours (as in brythain's) or the original. She's certainly different, and maybe more "down-to-earth" than the Rin we usually see, but I think each version of her has its merits.

Great to see another installment of this story! There’s just not enough Rin in the world…

Once again, really nice work, and thanks so much for sharing it. One of the things that’s so much fun about Rin is that everyone’s version of her can be a little different and yet still be right, and this is definitely one of my favourite portrayals of her.

Looking forward to reading more!

This took much longer than expected, sorry! I'll try to keep a tighter schedule.

Anyway, this chapter is something a bit unusual. It's a prologue of sorts, about someone completely different, and set a not so long time ago, in a school not so far away... As always, comments and criticism are welcome!

Interlude: Rough Sketches

The manga I am reading deals with time travel and insane teenage girls stabbing people. Takashi said it was visionary and incredibly bold. He nagged me constantly about it, so I decided to pick it up and see for it myself. Well, it's definitely bold. Violent. Edgy. Almost boring, actually. I put it down, and glance at my watch, sighing. The Art Club meeting should have been over by now. He's probably talking to Enomoto and lost track of time, or maybe Mr. Nomiya was too immersed in one of his rambles to release them. I put my stuff in my bag, grab my cane and make my way inside the main school building. It's incredible how quiet the usually bustling place becomes after the club hours are over. I walk past the elevator, and I slowly climb up the stairs, helping myself with the railing. Passing a few empty classrooms, I eventually reach the art room.

The classroom seems empty at first, but I quickly notice a red-haired girl sitting in front of a easel supporting a large canvas, painting. Two things about her immediately catch my attention. She's wearing a boy's uniform, and she has no arms. It doesn't seem to stop or impede her in any way, though. She's using a brush she holds between her toes to cover large areas of the canvas with a color that seems to be a mix of yellow and green. I vaguely remember Takashi saying something about an arm less girl in the Art Club. She turns her head slightly in my direction, looking at me with deep green eyes.

"Um, good afternoon."

"Hello."

"My name is Akio Hayashi."

"Okay."

She returns to her painting, leaving me there hanging for a few long seconds. I'm about to say something to break the awkward silence, but she suddenly starts talking.

"I'm Rin Tezuka. Tezuka Rin. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Her deadpan tone makes me think she's not as glad as she says she is. She gives me a sideways glance, barely lifting her eyes from the painting.

"Do you have a reason to come here, or do you just like to stop by classrooms and look at girls? I mean, that's a reason too, but maybe you had another."

What sort of question is that? I decide to smile and ignore the second part of it.

"I do, actually. Would you happen to know Takashi Maeda?"

"Maeda?"

She stops painting, and turns her head to look at one of the tables in the middle of the classroom. Maybe that's where Takashi usually sits.

"No."

I'm slightly taken aback.

"Really? That's strange. Aren't you a member of the Art Club as well?"

She glowers at me, frowning slightly.

"How do you know I'm in the Art Club?"

I puff.

"An educated guess."

She looks at something outside the window, then nods sagely.

"You're pretty good at guessing. That's good. Maeda's usually here in the club when I am. He might be a member, but I haven't asked him, so I wasn't sure if he was one too."

"So you do know him?"

She frowns again.

"I know who he is, but I don't think I can say I know him."

"Fair enough. Anyway, have you seen him today?"

"He came to the meeting. He was talking and laughing with Enomoto most of the time, though. Mr. Nomiya didn't like that very much. They left together after the meeting ended."

Figures. I look over Tezuka's shoulder. Her painting is pretty surreal: a pair of grinning skulls face each other in a field of that yellow-green mix, under a gloomy dark blue sky.

"They look pretty orange, don't you think?"

Is she talking about the skulls? I'm a bit lost.

"I'm not sure. They seem more yellow to me, like some old bones you could find in a museum."

She raises her eyes from the canvas and considers this for a second.

"I hadn't thought it about that way. I think they're more orange, though."

There is another moment of silence. I consider taking my leave, but Tezuka starts questioning me again.

"What brings you here? Other than Maeda, I mean. You know, the reason you're in this school, and not in another one. You have a cane, but you aren't limping, so it's not something with your leg."

"You also seem to be pretty good at guessing."

She shrugs. Her lack of arms makes the gesture almost goofy, but it only draws a bitter smile on my lips.

"I try."

"I have osteoporosis. The cane is to avoid falling and breaking my hip."

"Interesting. I haven't met someone with osteoporosis before."

She keeps on painting as she speaks, and I find myself staring at her, as if mesmerized by something which I can't quite pinpoint. Is it the quick, dexterous movements of her feet? Or maybe her unusual choice of colors, and how well they actually blend together? Minutes must have passed before I manage to talk again.

"Well, I think it's best if I leave. I'll see you around, Tezuka Rin."

She seems to consider that for a few seconds, then nods.

"That's pretty likely. We both go to school here, after all."

I chuckle, and I see something resembling a smile on her lips. I open the door and nod at her as I go out of the class, but she's immersed in her painting again. I leave her to it, and wonder where Takashi and Saki could be. I feel my cell phone vibrating. I take it out and glance at the screen. Something tells me I won't wonder for long.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Akio! Where are the hell are you, man? We've been looking for you everywhere!"

There's a hint of frustration in Takashi's voice, but I've known him for a while and I can tell when it's faked, even on the phone.

"I was waiting for you in the yard, but you weren't coming and I thought Saki kidnapped you."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," he answers, laughing. "Anyway, we're next to the pool. Come quickly, practice's about to start."

The swimming pool isn't far from the main school building. I find Saki Enomoto and Takashi right outside its door, chatting and laughing. She's the first to notice me, and makes a comically exaggerated wave to be sure I don't miss them. Takashi walks up to me and clasps my hand, grinning.

"There you are! Took you a while."

I ignore his jibe, and respond with one of my own.

"I've had a chat with your club mate Tezuka. She told me you guys aren't being the most attentive during club hours lately."

"What a tattletale. Do you think we'll have to offer her a pair of concrete shoes and a one way trip to the bottom of the lake, Saki?"

She covers her mouth with her hand in the most ladylike fashion and chuckles. She looks even more radiant than she usually does, with the late afternoon sunlight gleaming on her honey-colored hair and making her eyes sparkle. I mentally pinch myself.

"Good job. We'll have to offer the same thing to Akio now. You row the boat."

He laughs, and I chuckle too.

"So you met Tezuka, hmm?" Takashi asks as soon as he regains his composure. "She's nice enough, but she's a bit..."

"Unconventional, to say the least," Saki finishes. "The second thing she asked me was literally if I thought Mr. Nomiya's suit made him look like a pink elephant."

Takashi sniggers, and Saki rolls her eyes at him with feigned exasperation before continuing.

"I'll admit she did have a point there, but all she ever says is stuff like that with little to no relevance to the matter at hand. Having a coherent conversation with her is almost impossible."

Takashi frowns a little.

"I don't know. She's pretty weird, but I think her stuff is pretty amazing, and she says pretty intelligent things about painting at times."

"Um. I guess you have a point. That watercolor she did last week gave me some cool Kandinsky vibes. Never judge a book by its cover, right?"

She smiles at Takashi, then glances at her cell phone.

"Crap. I'm supposed to be in the pool already."

She opens the door, then looks back at us.

"See you tomorrow, guys!" She focuses on me for an instant, her eyes full of mischief. "I'll be expecting you in the pool at seven, Akio."

Damn it. Whatever hope I had of dodging my newly imposed exercise regimen sank. Takashi smirks at me and waves at her as she leaves. His stare lingers a bit on the door.

"I guess we better go back to the dorm. Apparently pizza's on Setou tonight."

The common room of the boys' dorm is usually a loud, cheerful place, full to the brim with people playing on the well worn console, but today it is oddly empty, and I wonder where everyone is. Have they left for the pizzas already? It seems too early for me. It doesn't seem to bother Takashi, who takes the best armchair before someone else comes in and claims it. He leaves his jacket on it while he looks through the small collection of video games.

"How about Street Fighter? I'll let you play Ryu."

"I think I've had my fill of wiping the floor with amateurs, thank you." I answer while making him my cockiest grin.

His face turns into something between a grimace and a scornful smirk.

"Don't make me laugh. You only manage to beat Taro and Kenji because you happen to have both a pair of good eyes and arms."

"I'm just a bit out of practice."

"Alright, champion. What do you want to do?"

I look outside the window, then back at him. It's still pretty early, and we have plenty of time before curfew. But time to do what? That's the billion yen question. There's almost nothing to do in town, and the city's too far away, so we're stuck here at school, playing on a console almost older than us.

"I don't know," I answer, shrugging.

His eyes narrow, and he starts scowling.

"Whatever. Anyway, are you doing something Saturday afternoon?"

"I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"I was thinking about going to the cinema with Saki. They're doing a special projection of Howl's Moving Castle. I know it's your favorite, so I figured you'd like to come with us."

The day has finally come. I smile a little smugly, partly because I'm content that I've just won a whooping five hundred yen from Taro, but mostly to tease Takashi.

"You know, you might want to take her alone when you go on a date."

He looks a bit flustered for a second, then glowers at me and punches me lightly on the shoulder.

"As if I'd need your help with that, smartass! You know what, I was going to ask her to invite that girl in her class you fancy, but whatever. Your loss, man. How about Perfect Dark?"

I don't have time to tell him that I don't know who the girl in question is supposed to be, as Kenji Setou, Taro Arai, "Le Lézard", and a couple of guys from 1-4 I don't know by name burst in the room. Each of them is carrying a few of pizza boxes, except for Taro, who for obvious reasons carries only one, and Setou, who is looking attentively at a list. I take a quick look at it, but it's written so small I have trouble reading what's on it. I manage to make out the words "raspberry" and "yellowtail" before he turns around. Taro puts his box on the low table in front of the TV and shakes my hand, then Takashi's.

"Yo! How was the meeting?"

"A blast, as always," Takashi answers, smirking. "You guys should have waited for us, though. We could have helped you carry the pizzas."

Arai smiles and waves dismissively.

"No need. Five people is enough. Do you know where the others are?"

"Not a clue. Weren't they with you? Their loss."

Takashi takes a slice of pizza from the closest box, and bites in with gusto. He finishes it quickly, then grabs another. Setou raises his eyes from his list.

"Alright, double mozzarella's for Akio, Hawaii for Toshi, eels for..."

He suddenly falls silent. He looks at Takashi, then at the box, then back Takashi. He frowns, and his voice becomes eerily soft.

"What was that pizza, Takashi?"

"Garlic-salami," he answers, his mouth still full. He takes another bite. "Pretty good."

"And whose is it?"

Takashi gives me a brief "what-the-hell-is-up-with-him" look, then shrugs.

"No idea. I don't think he'd mind, to be honest. There's still plenty."

I can see Setou's eyes growing dark behind his thick glasses, and I feel a shiver running down my spine. He takes a deep breath before his face contorts in indescribable rage.

"MINE! It was MINE! You traitorous feminist-"

He lunges at Takashi, shouting incomprehensible obscenities and incoherent accusations. Everything happens in a flash. There's a shout, shortly followed by a sharp, violent shove as Takashi stands up. Setou ends up on the floor, but he gets back on his feet in an instant, waving his arms wildly. Takashi tries to punch him, but Taro is already between them.

"Stop," he says firmly, his voice carrying an edge I didn't know it had. "That's enough."

Anger flashes in Takashi's eyes. Arai doesn't budge, and he storms off. Nobody tries to stop him, except for Setou, but Taro pulls him by the sleeve with his good hand. I follow him. Just as I was thinking the day was going well.

By all means, Maeda; hit Taro. Find out what happens.

Nice work building up the little gang you have assembled here, Kaser. Good job.

Why? Maeda doesn't seem to be a bad guy in this story...

I'm glad you guys enjoyed this chapter!

Sharp-O wrote:By all means, Maeda; hit Taro. Find out what happens.

Nice work building up the little gang you have assembled here, Kaser. Good job.

Mirage_GSM wrote:Why? Maeda doesn't seem to be a bad guy in this story...

I'm wondering the same thing. I've tried to make Takashi an okay dude with a mean streak. Do you have a particular reason for disliking him?

You know when you take an instant dislike for someone and you're not sure why? Maeda is that character for me. My Taro had beef with him so any chance to see the big guy smack the little dweeb anywhere else is great for me

Writing a lenghty story from Rin's point of view... wow. You've got guts. And you actually seem to be pulling it off. Great job. The fact that a large portion of the story seems to be dialogue without any further descriptions or who's talking or how they look or gesture seems to fit Rin's way of viewing things quite well. There's only certain things she pays attention to and the rest might as well not happen.

Likewise, I'm also enjoying your take on Takashi. It's nice to see a friendlier side of him every once in a while.

Interlude: The Boredom of Rika Katayama

I am woken by my the high-pitched screeches of my alarm clock. I'd like to turn it off and get a few extra minutes of sleep, but it's already pretty late, and I can't ruin my new morning routine on its very first day. I reluctantly get out of bed and glance outside my window. The rain doesn't seem to have stopped. We're in for yet another gloomy summer day. I usually don't really care about the bad weather, but I am human after all, and even I can enjoy a bit of sunlight from time to time.

With Ikuno and most of the hallway gone, there is no one to share the bathroom with, so I take my sweet time to shower and braid my hair. I hesitate a bit over which clothes to put on, but settle on the school uniform. I don't think I'll leave the school grounds today anyway. It isn't the most innovative design, but it's definitely a big improvement over the dreadful sailor uniform I was forced to wear in middle school. I have to admit it's pretty stylish, though. It makes me look like a serious young woman, not the somewhat aloof girl I am.

Finally ready, I head straight to the cafeteria. It is almost empty. I pick up some fruits, yogurt and bread and make my way to an empty table near the windows. Saki Enomoto and a few other third year girls are sitting at a table close to my intended place. Enomoto smiles pleasantly as she sees me.

"Good morning, Katayama," she says, "Would you like to sit with us?"

This is unexpected, to say the least. Enomoto and I are in very different places in the Great Popularity Chain of Yamaku. She's a popular girl, the kind that everyone likes and with whom half the boys are in love, like Emi Ibarazaki the Legless Wonder and Miss Lilly Satou. They must like blonde extroverts, I wager. I politely return her greeting, thank her and I take a seat at their table.

I wonder how Aoi and Keiko are doing. They left yesterday afternoon for a short two-day trip in the mountains with Keiko's brother as chaperone. I would have joined them, but the doctor forbid me from making tiring physical activity until he had the results of my Great Annual Check-up, which is to be distinguished from the Regular Check-up I do every other day, and I didn't want to constrain their movements because of that.

But maybe I could have gone with them, and stayed with Akio on the easier trails. That wouldn't be a terrible prospective, now that I think of it. He's kind of cool, despite, or maybe because of, the whole "more serious than thou" air he gives. We could have an impromptu lit-club meeting, just the two of us. Keiko would tease me mercilessly if I stayed with her brother for the entire day, though, and Aoi would tease me more, and maybe be a little jealous. She's been fawning over the track team captain lately, but it is impossible to tell how serious it is with her. Not that it matters now. Something tells me the doctor wouldn't have approved it, and I sort of blew up most of my allowance during our last trip either way. I didn't imagine I'd miss them already. I used not to mind being alone.

Enomoto and her friends are giggling at some funny remark I've missed. I smile a little, more by reflex than anything else, as I take a peek outside the window and my mind starts wandering again. I quickly realize I don't have much to do today. My two best friends and most of my classmates are gone, the Literature Club doesn't meet during the holidays, there is no point to go shopping on my own, and going to the park with this awful weather is completely out of the question. I guess I could go to the library to read, or actually do some of the supplementary Math homework I was given. The other girls are getting up and preparing to leave the table. Good riddance. Enomoto seems to hesitate for a second.

"Are you doing something today, Katayama?"

"Yes, sadly. Homework," I answer with a grimace.

Enomoto smiles and nods, almost apologetically.

"I see. Good luck!"

My eyes follow Enomoto to the door, and I feel a sudden pang of guilt. I was being harsh with her and the others. I don't know her very well, but she's always been friendly the few times we talked. The fact that she noticed I wasn't with my two usual companions and immediately proposed me to join her shows it's not just a façade. Why did I reject her proposal without even hearing it?

I find myself wandering towards the nurse's office half an hour later, a solitary figure haunting the hallways. I want to slap my unconscious mind for coming up with such bland romantic drivel.

The silence is comforting, yet completely out of place. That's when I see him.

Hisao Nakai. According to Keiko's third-hand rumors and kitchen-table gossiping, his handsome looks and his quiet, almost brooding persona have made him extremely popular with the girls in his year, and not only those, judging by the dreamy expression she has when speaking of him. He's had far less social success among the boys, since a new player could put at risk the careful balance of their year-long seduction schemes.

I've never seen that Hisao, if he ever existed. We first met shortly after he transferred, and had a short conversation about what brought him here. He let slip that he had arrhythmia, which led us to form a budding friendship based on our similar conditions. I thought it was pretty poetic at the time.

He seemed kind of depressed at first, which was understandable given the situation he had suddenly been thrust into, but really he bounced back after the first few days. I even considered inviting him to the festival, but got cold feet and decided against it in the end. It proved to be the right choice, since it spared me from being turned down in Satou's favor. I had fun anyway, and the alcohol the boys somehow managed to sneak in wasn't that bad. We stayed on good terms, despite seeing each other less and less often until Satou left the school. I always seem to catch him at rock bottom. Something a more confident, prettier, blonder girl would take advantage of. He's smiling.

"Hey, Rika."

"You're unusually late, Hisao. Are you sinking back into your habits now that we're on holiday?"

He chuckles, and smiles even more radiantly.

"Have you seen the weather? Not even Emi would have me run with this rain. And if she did, she'd have to drag me outside."

"Am I sensing mutiny?"

Hisao makes an awkward smile. He's kind of cute when he's blushing.

The infirmary's door bursts open before he can answer. A short blonde dashes out of it, almost bumping into me.

"Oh! Hello, Rika! It's great to see you here! I was just looking for you."

What's with popular people wanting to talk with me today?

"Good morning, Ibarazaki."

She giggles a little.

"Please, there's no need to be so formal. We've been sleeping right next to each other for almost two years. I've heard that you're staying here for the holidays."

"I am."

Though not by choice.

She starts smiling and making big eyes, like a child who asking for a sweet even though she already had a dozen.

"Could you do me a big favor? I'm leaving for two weeks on Friday, and I need someone to watch over Rin and help her dress while I'm gone."

"Well... I guess I can help."

Ibarazaki seems a bit surprised for an instant, then positively thrilled. Maybe she expected more resistance from me.

"Really? That's great! If that's the case, could you come with me this evening? I think it's better if you start helping her while I'm still here so I can show you the ropes."

I smile a bit.

"I didn't think I'd need a formation to put her to bed."

Hisao laughs.

"Don't underestimate Rin. She's quite stubborn in her best moments."

Ibarazaki starts glowering at him.

"Don't discourage her now, she literally just accepted! Anyway, thanks, Rika, you're a lifesaver! Let's go, Hisao. Last to the tea room is a lazy jerk!"

She starts running before finishing her sentence. Hisao waves at me. I wave back, but he's already chasing her down the hallway.

Nothing exceptional comes up in my check-up, and the head nurse releases me after I promise to exercise more often. I lock myself inside my room, and I lie on my bed, still a bit overwhelmed by the fact I've accepted Ibarazaki's request. Tezuka's a complete stranger. Sure, I've seen a few of her paintings around the school, but that's it. I surely hope the art doesn't resemble the artist in her case. I'm not really into modern art, so I'm perhaps not the right person to judge her paintings, but God are they creepy. Just looking at them makes me uneasy. The contorted, tortured people surrounded by swirls of aggressive colors in that mural are the worst. Whoever allowed her to paint it there in full view of everyone must be a weird sadist.

I suddenly feel my cellphone vibrating. It's a message from Keiko.

Keiko: ~Good morning, Rika! ~ How's my bestie doing? <3 ~

There's a file attached, a picture of my three brave adventurers in front of the mountains. Aoi and Keiko are making silly faces while Akio smiles and struggles to maintain a serious face. Way to cheer me up.

You: Good morning! Feeling great! ( ^_^ ) How's the trip?
Keiko: Exhausting! ( X_X ) Barely got any sleep last night, but at least it doesn't rain here! ~
You: I hope you haven't been naughty! ( ^.^ )
Keiko: How did you know? ヾ(゜д゜)ノ You've been spying on me again?
Keiko: Anyway, Aoi and Akio want to visit some old castle (-_-;) Wish me luck~ <3 (^ヮ^)
You: Luck! Have fun! ( ^_^ )/
Keiko: See you tomorrow! ( ˘ ³˘)♥

It's almost half past twelve. Time flies when you do nothing. I guess I'll have to get some lunch soon-ish. But first, a bit of homework. I get to my desk, and dive right in my trigonometry exercises.

I hear a kick on my door, so loud and unexpected that I almost drop my pen. It's quickly followed by two others. I take off my headphones and rise from my chair. I almost trip over a pile of books I left on the floor, but manage to get to the door and open it. It's Tezuka. She stares blankly at me for a few instants, but her eyes suddenly widen like those of a startled fawn, and refuse to meet mine. I smile and take my most cheerful tone.

"Good afternoon, Tezuka!"

"Hello," she mumbles to herself as she steps inside, without asking for permission. Her gaze slowly travels across my room. She stares a long time at the posters, photos and decorations on my walls, then at the handcrafted porcelain doll Mum and Dad gave me for my twelfth birthday and the stuffed lion on my bed before turning her attention on my desk.

"That's Math."

The flat, almost bored tone of her voice makes it impossible to know if it's a question or a statement. I make the tiniest of nods, to which she replies with one of her own.

"I like Math. It would be great if things were more like numbers, don't you think? They do what they're supposed to do, and nothing else. Not like words. And people. But people would probably be less interesting if they weren't people. Some of them, anyway."

I try to grab her attention before she wanders deeper in her thoughts and loses me completely. I wonder where on Earth Ibarazaki is. Wasn't she supposed to help me?

"Are you here to put on your pajamas? Isn't it a bit early to go to bed?"

She raises her head, and eyes me suspiciously.

"Maybe. I'm not tired, but I've often gone to bed before being tired."

She paces around for an instant, then looks back at me.

"How did you know I needed to ask you if you could help me dress?

I'm almost tempted to tell her I'm an esper, but I don't want to take the risk of exciting her.

"Ibarazaki told me."

She looks down for an instant, then back at the walls, frowning.

"Really? That's a shame. I wanted to ask you myself."

"You can still do, you know."

She looks at me with a puzzled look. Maybe humoring her was a mistake.

"You're probably right. Will you help me dress and undress, Katayama?"

I raise my right hand, as if I were swearing on a Bible.

"I will," I answer, wondering what exactly I have gotten myself in.

You know, I'd almost forgotten about this story, but I'm glad to see it's still being worked on.
Just reread it from the start, and it's really good.

Mirage_GSM wrote:You know, I'd almost forgotten about this story, but I'm glad to see it's still being worked on.
Just reread it from the start, and it's really good.

Thanks! I'm still actively working on this, even if progress has been slow lately. Hopefully I'll update more often staring in January.

I liked this a lot. I find Rin works best when it's her perspective and isn't a romance with Hisao. Though that might be because I've never really read a Rin/Hisao fic and found the Rin path to be... boring? Not sure if that's the right word, but she was odd.

Maeda was interesting. Most fics paint him out to be an asshole and it's nice to see something more soft in his character.

The aquarium scene reminded me of this image: