Welcome to Gaia! ::

“No. Leave me alone.” A dark haired beauty spoke to her persistent companion. She stormed off, intent on leaving that school for the rest of her life. She didn’t want to see it again. Too many bad memories of events that occurred there. Good events too, but she wasn’t running from those. The brunette was not disturbed though. She had heard this enough from the dark haired women.

“Rin… you don’t mean that. Without me, you’d get lost!” Shou yelled, jogging to keep up with Rin. Rin rolled her eyes. Shou just didn’t get the fact that Rin wanted to be alone. She couldn’t risk Shou. Because Shou was the most important person to her. Maybe minus her sister.

Rin turned on Shou, and then stood her ground. “Look. I appreciate what you did for me. I really do. But now it is time to part ways. I’m serious about this.” She looked at the women who had grown in heart through various methods. The first person she had ever had a connection with. She looked past Shou, not surprised to see Qin there, waiting for her sister to return. Qin whom loved her sister more than anything else in her life. Rin could identify with that. In fact before Shou came into her life, she thought that her own sister, Beatrix, was the most important thing to her. Then the brunette came along. The beautiful young woman who was perky, excitable and an air head. Rin sighed. This was the toughest part about leaving. Leaving her behind. Qin also, for she had developed into a decent friend over the time period that the two of them had known each other. Still, Rin hardened her heart. She couldn’t bare leading Shou into danger. She couldn’t.

Rin gritted her teeth. “No. I won’t let you come with me.” She stepped up to Shou, and then kissed her on the lips, soft and tender as the first time they had kissed. She would never forget that night. “Shou. I love you. Never forget that. But where I’m going, you can’t follow. It’s too dangerous.” She had never said the L word before. Never had cause to. In fact, she wasn’t even sure it was love. Probably just infatuation. But she could calculate her words. Shou seemed to accept these words as the truth, and turned around, crestfallen. Rin smiled, the first genuine smile she had today, indeed in a long time when Shou wasn’t there to pick her up. Finally. Rin thought to herself. I can move on. That was the second reason why she hadn’t wanted Shou to come. She was scared. Scared that Shou would only bring back unwanted memories.

Either way, Rin rationalized in her mind, it was too dangerous for Shou to come. The magic world was not a place to mess around in. And Shou would suddenly mess around there. Suddenly, the body that was slowly walking away ran back towards Rin. Rin paused, knowing she should run. But she couldn’t. First her body was rooted down in some sort of masochist need to know what Shou wanted to say. Second she knew that the all-national runner would eventually beat her in the race. That was if she wouldn’t use her powers to run away faster. Which linked back in point one in that she didn’t want to leave due to some masochistic need to hear what Shou was going to say.

The first thing she felt was slaps against her face, and she didn’t even try to block it. She felt that she deserved as much. The next surprised her much more though. It was a kiss on each slap. Each one being tenderly caressed. Rin’s mind stopped, her mind closed down. It was so like Shou. Shou was temperamental, she was rash. She did stupid things for reasons that made no sense to anyone but her. She tended to hold a grudge for more than a few minutes before forgiving everything. She loved everything. Even Rin. Shou swallowed before speaking once more.

“Say it one last time. Tell me what I need to hear. Tell me while staring in my eyes. Tell me that you don’t want me to come. Tell me that you love me.” Tears began to pour out of the poor girl’s eyes. Rin felt a twang of pity fill her heart. Still, she did not act. Instead, she looked Shou in the eyes and began to speak, slowly.

“I do love you Shou.” She began to caress Shou’s cheek. “But I…… you can’t come with me.”
“Why?” Shou asked. “Why can’t I come with you…?”

Rin sighed. How could she tell Shou that she couldn’t come? Qin knew of magic. Shou didn’t. Though Qin had figured it out on her own. Rin wasn’t as careful as she should have been. Still, no harm no foul, right? Rin swallowed audibly, and then closed her eyes, and just spat it all out of her mouth. “I’mfromaworldwithmagic.” She said all at once. Shou tilted her head, trying to make out the words that Rin had just spat out. Rin took in a deep breath, and then spoke again.

“The world I’m from... it’s different from yours. My world: It contains magic.” Rin said, in a slow and clear voice. Shou gasped, placing her hands over her mouth. Rin sighed, knowing it was too much for Shou to handle. Why had she told her anyway? Why couldn’t she have lied? Shou then grasped Rin into a hug.

“Can I see it?” She asked, looking at Rin with a child-like expression on her face. “Oh, please?” She practically begged.

Rin knew she was going to regret asking this, but: “What is it you want to see?” Rin asked, holding back the inevitable sigh.

“Your magic of course!” Shou shouted out loud, not caring for the few people who could hear them, nor the facepalm that Qin did in the background.

Rin blushed a tad bit. “Ne….” She then slammed Shou’s head to the ground. “What are you? Stupid?” She asked, with a little grin. “Why should I show you my magic?” She asked, though she thought she knew what Shou would say. And of course, the other girl repeated the same words that Rin was thinking.

“Because you love me!” Shou exclaimed, to which Rin chuckled. Of course. It all came back to this, didn’t it? The backbone of their relationship. Love. But was it truly love? Rin knew not the answer. She smiled, and then hit Shou again.

“Stop saying that,” Rin said, in a neutral voice. She was tired of this fight. “Okay, I’ll give you one trick. That’s it. One trick. Then we part. Forever. Got it?” Rin told Shou, who thought for a moment.

“On one condition. I can’t beat your magic.” Shou said, nodding. “Yep, That one condition.” Rin looked at Shou with some curiosity in her eyes. Shou smiled, and began to speak once more “Yes… If I can beat your magic, then you have to take me with you.” Shou told Rin, who smirked.

“You’re on.” Rin said, summoning a fire in her hand. Something simple. Shou had no magic. None at all. This was going to be a cakewalk.

Shou grinned, impressed. “My turn.” She then stepped up to Rin, and leaned in, putting her lips on Rin’s. She put all her force into this one kiss, forcing Rin to the ground. Rin’s eyes grew large. Once Shou had finished the kiss, she smirked. “The magic of love eh?”

Rin sighed. “Fine. You win.” She turned around, content, despite the fact she lost. Maybe having Shou along would be a good thing. Just Maybe.

Thus Begins

THE ADVENTURES OF RIN AND SHOU