Regrets of Evil

Chapter 7
Sin

It took Rin three days to recover from her trip. Nero brought her food everyday and even told her stories of the fish caught out in the bay. He was always smiling, just like Len. Every time Rin looked at him, she thought of her brother. Her heart grew heavy and her face fell. When he'd leave the little bedroom, Rin ended up breaking down to tears. They were beginning to stain her skin, even though she tried to keep them off.

Neru had given Rin some of her old clothes. They were a little too big in the chest, but other than that they fit. The sibling's little house was located just outside Harbortown, on the edge of the sands. Once she could walk again, Rin took to standing at the edge of the water staring out the sea. She'd stand there for hours, until Nero came to find her and bring her back.

"Why are you always down here?" Nero asked her one night. He'd come to bring her back as usual. Rin just smiled at him.

"I have a wish I want to make, but I can't ask it yet," was all she would say.

Rin had been living with Neru and Nero for a couple weeks now, but she still couldn't escape the haunts of her past. Her dreams were tormented by the events of her last moments as queen of the yellow country. Oh, how she wished she could take it all back…

On one such occasion, Nero took Rin's hands and with a very serious look in his yellow eyes asked her to come with him to the peak rocks. The peak rocks were a jutting outcropping of bedrocks near the house and overlooked the sea. Rin followed him up the slippery rocks to the top of the tallest one. The sea beat against them, crashing and sending up sprays of sea foam.

"What did you call me out here for?" Rin asked, careful in her footing atop the giant black rock. Nero was looking very nervous indeed. He was fidgeting with his fishing dagger at his belt.

"Len, I've got something very important to tell you," he said. He turned his back on Rin and gazed out to the sea.

"My parents died when I was just two. My sister was the one who raised me. We've always had each other. So when you told me your brother had been killed, I felt a bit of understanding toward you. You seemed so helpless when I found you and you're always gazing out at the sea…like you've lost something…"

He turned around and took her hands. "You've told me that you have a wish to make. I've got one too. My wish is that you'll stay here, with me because…because…because I love you, Len!"

Rin's face flushed pink. "N-nero, don't be silly! You can't possibly love me! You haven't known me that long!"

"I don't need to. Ever since I rescued you, I've loved you."

Rin pulled away from Nero. "You don't understand what you're saying! You don't know anything about me, and if you did, you'd hate me. You're a very kind person, Nero. Please, don't ruin it by talking nonsense."

"But, Len, it's not nonsense! I really do love you!"

"Stop it! Just stop it! You don't know wha-,"

Rin had been so flamboyant in her movements that she had forgotten about the slippery rocks. Her foot slid out from underneath her and she fell backwards off the rocks. Nero reached out and made a grab for her, but missed. His footing wasn't as solid as he had thought either and he went tumbling off the rocks as well.

Rin barely missed a jagged edge, but hit instead the flat side of another rock. She rolled off it and landed in the sand a few feet away, bruised and bleeding, but unharmed. Nero hadn't been so lucky. He'd whacked his head on the rocks and lay unmoving amongst the rocks. Rin got to her feet and reached out to shake him, but retrached her hand. Nero's head sat in a dark pool of his own blood. Rin put her hand to her mouth, suddenly feeling sick.

"Nero! No, gods, no! Nero, answer me! Answer me!"

"There you are! I was wondering where you two had gotten off to…" Neru stopped, looking from her brother's body to Rin's crying face. Her own face contorted.

"Nero! Nero, this isn't funny!" Neru pushed Rin aside and knelt down next to her brother. "What happened here?"

"He slipped on the rocks and-,"

"Shut up! You…you killed him, didn't you?"

No, that's not what happened, I swear!"

"I said shut up!" Neru grabbed her brother's fishing knife and slashed at Rin in her sorrowful rage. Its sharp edge cut Rin's cheek. Neru was crying as she swung. "You lied to us from the start, didn't you? And you made Nero climb all the way up there, just so you could push him off, isn't that right?"

Rin was backed up against the rocks, with nowhere to run. "No, I'm telling you he slipped! He tried to save me after I fell and-"

"SHUT UP!" Neru came at her again, knife raised. Rin frantically looked around for a defense, but found none. She dove out of Neru's path and she crashed into the rocks. Rin heard a strangled cry and saw with horror what had happened.

Rin had been up against a sharp rock. She hadn't noticed it, since she had been resting on its flat side, but when she dove out of the way, Neru had hit it full force. The tip of the black rock pierced right through her heart and come out her back. The blood dripped from the tip, making little red balls in the sand. Rin's eyes were wide with shock. Her knuckles were turning white from clutching to her skirt so hard.

She was speechless. Two more people had now died because of her, two very good people. Rin's knees went out and she collapsed to the ground. She was shaking from the shock. It was happening again, just like with Len. Another sin to her already endless list of betrayals murders and cons. Another regret for her to live with.