"It's not your fault", Rina knew that nothing she could say would make it better, she knew from experience that people have a tendency to blame themselves, but she still had to say it. His eyes where sad when he looked at her and she wanted desperately to make him feel better. He had nothing to feel bad about, he had been there for he when she needed him.

"He wanted you to tell him the location of this place", he tried to lit another cigarette but his hand where trembling so much that he had to give up, "that's why he beat you, because you wouldn't tell him".

Rina knew that there was no use lying to him. Unlike every other person she had met in her life, he could tell. And that would just make it all a whole lot worse. So she carefully lifted her head and nodded, "yeah". As she said it the tears welled up in his eyes again.

It hurt inside her, more than anything had done in a very long time, to see him feel like this. She carefully lifted her arm and took a hold of his hand. Even though it was bigger than hers, it felt fragile and thin as she held it. He really cares, she could sense him shiver in her grasp and see the fight for control that went on inside him.

"I'm so sorry", he said again and a single tear made it's way down his cheek. Rina wanted to hug him, wanted to make it all better, but as soon as she moved a sharp pain shot up in her leg and she could just barely stop herself from crying out. There wasn't anything more she could do at the moment, she knew that with full certainty, but it didn't mean that she felt good about it.

"You really don't have anything to be sorry about", she tried to smile and almost managed. He smiled back, but there was no joy in his eyes. She knew that smile, everyone around her had known it for years without seeing trough it.  

"What happened", she wasn't sure if the question would make it better or worse, just that she needed him to think about something else for a while, "when you got expelled?". He looked up at her, for a second he seemed surprised, but then he gave a dry laugh and strightened his back a little.

"I sent a guy to the hospital", he started, "I beat him so bad that he was uncontious for three days". Rina knew that this should scare her, that the person that sat next to her should make her frightened out of her mind, but she couldn't make herself feel like that, no matter how much it was the proper emotion. Instead she felt safe, safer than she had probably ever done before. 

"What had he done to you?", she asked, she could remember him telling her that it was justified. Yuji seemed to think for a moment, than he said "he'd beaten Olivia". It appeared to be a painful memory, and Rina could understand why. They where close, Yuji and Olivia, not matter what it seemed like, hurting one of them would be like hurting both.

"He was her boyfriend", he continued, the hold around her hand was tighter now, like he needed her strength to continue, "they had been dating for one month when it started. It was because of him she stopped coming to school. She doesn't want to admit it but she got scared, and when she finally dared to go back she was failing almost every subject. That was when she decided that she didn't have it in her to fight."

"But she did", Rina could not help but to say it.

"When you came along", Yuji said, "I thought that you where just a spoiled brat, but something you said made her listen like she has never done to me". He grieves that she doesn't listen, Rina realised when she saw the new kind of sadness in his eyes. He wanted to be there for her, but she didn't let him in. She knew that feeling to, she and Olivia was veyr similair in many ways.

"It's hard to let people in", the words didn't at all sound as good coming from her mouth as they hade done in her head, but Yuji nodded slowly. He understood what she meant, he was the same in many ways. She could see it in his eyes, see all the secrets that was locked up not to let anyone see weakness. 

One day he would confide in her, that was her hope. No matter what it was, she wanted to know everything that had happened in his life, everything that had made him the person she could see in front of her now. She wanted to know, so that she could help him. He had already helped her so much, no matter how unaware he was of it, and she wanted so badly to return the favour.

He seemed tired sitting there, the kind that comes when you have no energy left keeping up the facade. Even tough he must know the guy named Max very well there was somewhat a pretend game going on between them, Rina was sure of it. Max didn't know the whole story, and if he did he didn't understand the impact it had on his friend.

Yuji probably wanted this, she had kept people in the dark on purpose, but she knew now what it did, what a life that was only good on the outside led to. Years of feelings where pulsating in her body, and she could see that the same happened to him. They where a strange mix, from worlds that for the naked eye was miles apart, but they had the same problem. 

That's why we can help each other, if there was something that was real, it was that. No matter how different their lives where, the thing that was going on inside them both was the thing that was going to keep them connected. An invisible bond, one that had formed as soon as they had looked each other in the eyes that first time.

She knew now that it had changed everything, and perhaps on some level she had understood then as well. That singe look had been the gateway to the world she was in now, the world that would make or break her life for good. 

"Thanks", she spoke before she had even thought about doing so, and for a moment Yuji seemed confused about what she said. He didn't say anythimg though, simply looked at her quietly. "Thanks for saving me".

That was what he had done, even if he wanted to blame himself for the incident he too understood that if he hadn't shown up when he had she might not be alive anymore. It was a scary thought, but looking into his eyes made it a little easier to bare. She could feel it again, re-live it, the unexplainable relieve that she had felt when she had heard his voice.

"Don't mention it", he tried to sound nonchalant, like it didn't really mean anything to him, but she saw clearly that it did. Somewhere inside she had the feeling that there wheren't a lot of people that had every thanked him in the past. It was sad, a part of the riddle that was his life and a part of the hole she wanted to fill for him.

"I will not leave you know", she did not quite know why she said it, just that it felt rigth at the moment, and the look he gave her told her that she was right.

"Neither will I", he was dead serious, but still there was something warm in his words that made her smile even though it made her cheek hurt. He cared about her, enough to risk himself to save her, and he was going to be by her side. It was a promise even though he did't say so, and she had never been more grateful for something in her life.