"Rin"
I heard a whisper come from above me. I opened my tired eyes and blinked quickly. I saw two beautiful green eyes staring at me and for the first time since my mom's death, I smiled. I put a finger to her lips and caressed her chin. She smiled at me and kissed my forehead. "Thank you" my face instantly turned red, "I didn't actually get your name."
She laughed, "It's Serenity."
I smiled, "Thank you Serenity, for saving my life."
She shrugged, "We are even."
I looked into her eyes, "Not yet." I pulled her close and kissed her lips. I was locked in an intense moment of passion and the happiness that came with it was very new.
"Serenity!" Someone called from the kitchen. 249Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyb1V2wvXt
Serenity quickly pulled away and ran into the kitchen. I heard some voice coming from the kitchen who I only supposed to be her mom. I sat up and flipped my feet to the bottom of the couch. I started to get up and put a hand to my head. I muttered under my breath, "Holy shit..." and sat back down. The headache was astronomical. I have never had a worse headache. The pain was radiating throughout my head and into my body. All of a sudden a woman who looked in her forties walked out, saw me, and smiled. 249Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdroVFm73pe
"Ah! This must be the brave young boy who saved you!" She walked towards the couch and hugged me. "Well you just sit here young man and I will make you some breakfast."
I thanked her and looked around awkwardly. I don't belong here. I have been so deprived of happiness that this feels terrible. I looked at Serenity and then looked back down at the ground and grabbed my arm until it turned red. I don't want to leave this moment, it is so reminiscent to when my mom was alive. A single tear fell down my cheek and Serenity quickly came and sat next to me. She went to put her hands on mine and I quickly stood up and grabbed my head. "I-I can't stay here."
Serenity looked concerned and walked towards me, "Rin..."
I looked at her through red, teary eyes and shook my head. "I can't feel happy, that would be an insult to my mom."
Serenity grabbed my arms and steadied me, "That is nonsense, your mom would want you to feel happy!"
I ripped away from her and opened the door while turning back, "Every time people ask me if I am ok, it is just another reminder that I'm not." I gave her a weak smile and stumbled out of the door.249Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RMjiJKfTW
"Rin..." Serenity stood in the doorway watching Rin leave. A single tear fell down her cheek.
I stumbled down the street groaning until a familiar Corvette passed by and then turned back around. 249Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0rfJlzxSj
"RIn!" I turned around. Sty jumped out of the car and ran to where I was. "What happened to you! Who the fuck did this to you?" He looked around and cursed under his breath.
"The man with the gun." I stared at the ground with the intensity of the fire and allowed tears to fall onto the ground. I yelled, grabbed my head, and fell just as Sty caught me. 249Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlYVIHN7r8
"Rin, Rin, Rin, man your parents killer is probably dead. C'mon, you need to get to a hospital and tell me what happened."
I gritted my teeth, "That may be true, but he will always be alive in my mind. The scars that I will always have. The memories he seared into my head forever. If he is alive I will find him...and...and..." My eyes rolled into the back of my head.
The last thing I heard was Sty screaming my name.
I woke up in a familiar room. I was in my old house, the one I lived in before my parents died. I looked around the room, everything was just how I left it. The action figures I played with were sitting on the floor, my posters were on the blue wall. I smelled something delicious coming from downstairs. I got up and walked down the stairs to see the normal sight of my mom cooking breakfast as my dad looked my way and smiled. I couldn't think, I couldn't move, all I could do is smile. "Good morning, honey!" My mom walked over to me and kissed the top of my head. I wrapped my arms around her.
"M-m-mom?"
She pushed me away and put a hand on my head, "His vitals are fluctuating! He is going to have a cardiovascular seizure! I don't know what the hell happened! His friend just brought him over here and he had the highest temperature I had ever seen! His skin was completely soaked!" I raised my eyebrows and looked at my mom. All of a sudden my dad ran over to me and grabbed my arm.
"His friend says he has no idea what happened and that he just left the house jogging and he couldn't find him the next night and just assumed he slept somewhere else! It went to below freezing temperatures last night and it poured. The only conclusion I can come to is that he fell in the lake and couldn't get out somehow! He was in below freezing waters for hours! He's lucky to be alive!" I grabbed my head and screamed. Immense pain flooded my systems and I awoke to find my vision hazy and red. The entire room spun above me and I noticed a few silhouettes above me. I whispered and reached my arm up, "Mom..."
"He's awake! Keep him awake!"
I felt a few hands rubbing my arms and some people pinching me and softly slapping my face. I saw one of the silhouettes right above me with a hand on my forehead. "Rin! Can you hear me?! Rin!"
I raised my hand to touch his hair, "M-m-mom?"
All of a sudden the face transformed into a white featureless face apart from two black eyes. A raspy voice radiated from nowhere in particular. "Hello, Rin...I am your Afflictor...I am here to watch you...I am your friend...do not resist me...", All of a sudden my body went limp and its voice became clearer, "That's better. The more you resist me, the more pain I will cause you. You are lucky that your dad told me not to hurt you very much or else you would be in a lot more pain." The creature tilted its head. "You killed an Afflictor, Rin. You committed an act that hasn't been done before, the Gods are terrified of you, other Afflictors are terrified of you. I find you to be very interesting. I hope we remain friends. Goodbye Rin." The creature left and the face of the doctor remained. I gasped and sat up in bed.
"Rin!" I looked and saw Sty, terrified, grasping my hand.
I smiled at him and whispered in a raspy voice, "I know I'm irresistible."
Sty laughed and a tear fell down his cheek. "Yeah man, you are irresistible."
I sighed and laid back down. 249Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQgDe90Rt0
"Son! What happened to you?"249Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXqfhWxD7m
I looked at him, smiled, and closed my eyes, "Depression is like war. You either win, or you die trying"
My mind clouded and I fell back into a deep sleep only hearing the last words that came from the doctor's mouth. "Yumika, take the patient to the suicide ward and put him on a twenty-four-hour watch. Make sure he does not leave until I say he can."
I woke up in what seemed like a waiting room and I slowly looked around.
"Hello, Rin. Welcome back. My name is Yukima and I am here because you were diagnosed with extreme depression and the doctor is concerned you will attempt suicide again."
I laid my head back down and looked at the ceiling. "Yukima do you have any idea where Sty is?"
"Your friend is outside this room, would you like me to call him in?"
I shook my head, "I don't want to see me in this state."
Yukima nodded.
I am a complete failure. The pain and resentment of myself I experience is just too much. I can't die, but I can't live. My demons, though quiet, are never quite silenced. Calm as they may be, they wait patiently for a reason to wake, take an overdue breath, and crawl back to my ear.
I looked at Yukima, "Maybe I'm just not meant to live a happy life. Maybe pain is all I'll ever know."
Although Yukima never responded, I knew this was true. I will never experience happiness or love ever again. I curse myself for trying to find something that is so hopelessly lost. I will never be happy. I will always resent myself for allowing my parents to die. I wish it was me and not them. It should have been me. My parents are not completely dead, I hear them whisper in my ear how I failed them. If only Serenity hadn't seen me, I would of died and rid myself of this awful existence.
I pretended to grab a knife and stab it in my neck and I smiled. I am not sick for that implies there is a cure. I will never be cured of the emotional scars that befell upon me. I will carry this burden for my parents for I know they deserve it. I will find the person who did this to me but I won't kill them. I have something special planned for them.
I looked at Yukima with tears in my eyes, "I might not be dead, but I am most definitely not alive."
Yukima smiled a sad smile and whispered, "The people who experiencing the most pain tend to be the ones who are always trying to make others smile."
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