Determined

8.

Len

The room was uncomfortable, and it didn't take a genius to know why. Rin's quivering lips and Yohio's panicked and stunned expression were clear indicators that Len fucked up yet again, for what seemed like the 80th time within the span of a week. He was beginning to wonder if the relentless wheel of misfortune which consistently churned out various scenarios laden with dread was a product of karma. 

When he saw Rin shift an accusatory glare his way, he was sure that his theory was confirmed. "Len, who is this?" Her voice broke midway through her sentence, and Len winced as his mind raced for an answer. No matter how fast it ran, though, he would come up empty anyways. 

"Uh..." Was all that stupidly came out of his mouth. Rin clenched her jaw. 

"Who, Len?" 

"I...don't...know?" The words grew quieter as he strung his pitiful sentence together. Oh, God, no. He threw logic out the window, and allowed his mind to weave false tales as they came from his throat. "He's some homeless guy I...found on the street. Some guys were beating him up, so I helped. Don't flip your shit, we can...uh...kick him out tomorrow. He's...mute, he can't speak, either, so don't both-"

Rin's hand slammed onto the coffee table. Miku flinched and instinctively, Len grasped her hand. As quickly as it happened, he let go, as if it were ablaze. He felt her surprised gaze upon him. Out of fear of confrontation, he didn't look back. 

"Tell me the truth, Len." Her voice was quiet. Len's refused to speak. 

"I...I'm sorry." Said Yohio after a period of silence. Though his voice wavered with raw emotion, it was strong enough to resist the temptation to break. "On the plane...I was the only survivor, and...I forgot everything for a while. But when I remembered, I came back...here, to find you two. I should've called you, or reached out sooner, but..." Tears glided down Rin's cheeks smoothly. She looked down and hid her face with her hands, shoulders shaking. Yohio reached out and stood, but immediately fell to his knees, unable to withstand his own weight. Rin stumbled forward, descending to the floor to embrace her father. She sobbed into his shoulder. 

"I- we missed you so much," She whispered, grabbing onto the back of his shirt tightly. Len saw his father's eyes flash with surprise, followed by pain, relief, then tears. He closed his eyes tightly as if afraid that when he'd open them, Rin would be gone. Miku tugged his arm gently. 

"Let's give them the room," She said quietly. Her eyes were gentle, and understanding; perhaps this was why Len felt his own tension melt away, just a bit. There was something about Miku that both agitated him and calmed him, sometimes simultaneously. It was strange, but in that moment, the muscles in his shoulders loosened, the stress and tightness diminishing gradually. 

"...Yeah." He mumbled. "Maybe he'll save us from this situation, somehow." They gave each other a wary look, both of them not quite believing Len's words. Still, they shuffled out of the room not-so-quietly, but it's not like Rin and Yohio would've noticed, much less cared, anyway. When they got to Len's room, he collapsed onto his bed, though unfortunately, upon impact, his shoulder pain flared up obnoxiously. 

"Ah, fuck!" He whisper-yelled through grit teeth. The pain had gotten worse. Maybe it was the adrenaline blocking most of the pain before, but now that he was safe, it definitely hurt a lot more. He pushed his hair back, his hand running over the rough layer of dried blood. I really got fucked up, huh? He thought, with a wince. He recalled other times where he came back from a mission with a broken arm, or a sprained ankle, or fractured ribs and countless scrapes and cuts. I guess I could've fucked myself up worse, though.