It was hard to keep her condition a secret from her sisters, especially Amaya, who had the ever watchful eye. It'd been a few weeks, and she was successful so far in hidding it, and whenever she had to go to the hospital for check ups, she'd claim going somewhere with Rinnosuke, which wasn't a complete lie, since he did always come with her.

The medicine seemed to be working, too, which was a good sign. She'd been breathing much better, and most of the symptoms had started to recede. Today, though, she had no appointments, and the two were going on a much needed date.

Rena had just finished preparing when the doorbell rang. She called goodbye to her sisters, before exiting the house. Rinnosuke wore a plain black hoodie and T-shirt along with some jeans; the look suited him quite alot, and also Rena into a fit of blushing.

The street posts were lighting the sidewalk, and the sky was clear, giving an amazing view of the stars and moon. "Where are we going, Rin-kun?" Ever since her little accident, Rena had somehow made it a habit of calling him by his nickname.

He smiled down at her, and she felt her heart skip a beat. It was amazing how he could make her feel sometimes. "Where are we going, Rin-kun?" She questioned, and he chuckled silently. Her cheeks grew red from embarrassment. Of course he wouldn't be able to tell her. She felt like an idiot. He couldn't speak, for goodness' sake!

His eyes lit up in amusement, and brought her closer to him, untangling their hands. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close. It was different, but it made her feel so light, she could barely think. So, she wrapped her arms around his torso, burrying her face in his side. Another round of silenced chuckling revertabrated in his chest.

Finally, they arrived, and she gaped. It was some sort of patio, with tables sitting out on it and dim lights flitting about. She noticed a sign near the front, which read: Opening Week!

He led her inside, and she felt excitement and happiness bloom in the pit of her stomach, sending small shivers across her skin. He smiled gently at her and they sat at a table, facing one another. As usual, their time together was spent in a glorious silence, clutching each other's hands underneath the table.

When the waiter came to fetch their orders, Rena politely told him for the both of them, before continuing to relish in the peace his gaze held. Others may have seen their relationship as boring and uncaring, but the connection they both felt was no lie.

As for the food, it was heavenly. She was on a cloud of joy; she had everything she'd ever needed. Her friends, her sisters, and her love.

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Rena hummed quietly, cleaning a table. She'd decided on that peaceful Sunday, that she'd help Amaya clean the house. Their aunt was coming in little less than two weeks, and although the house was generally clean, their aunt paid close attention to small detail.

She winced, her hand rising up to her chest. There was an undeniable pain there. She rolled her shoulders back and shook it off, although her heart raced at the thought of it being her disease. That only worsened the pain, and she gasped.

It felt as if something was squeezing the air right out of her. Amaya stopped working at her and turned towards her older sister. "I'm fi–" She began, only to collapse on the ground. "RENA!"

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Rena awoke to see four worried faces peering down at her. She blinked slowly; why was she here. Two pairs of eyes were teary, one hurt, and one concerned. She gasped, as if searching for air to settle within her lungs.

"What....?" She began, only to be cut off by her sister. "Why didn't you tell us?" Her voice cracked, and she blinked away her tears to look at her elder sister in anger. "Ama-" She didn't get the chance to finish because the blunette stormed out of the room.

Kumi just glanced at her, no emotion visible on her facial features. She turned around and walked away. As Rena stared at her sisters' retreating backs, she wondered; had she done the right thing, not telling them? Amaya would have worried too much she'd eventually collapse herself, and Kumi would feel as if the pinkette were abandonning her.

Hisa threw herself into Rena's arms, sobbing openly. "I was so scared, Rena-chan!" She cried, hugging her friend so tightly she winced. Hisa slowly released her and smiled. "I'm not going to question why you didn't tell me; I'm sure you have your reasons." She looked at the clock, hugged her again and kissed her forehead before smiling.

"I'll come back later, 'kay? My parents are probably worried sick." She laughed nervously, hugged her again, and left the room, closing the door softly behind her. She slowly turned to meet the pair of black eyes. In a flash, his arms were wrapped tightly around her, pulling her close to him.

She burried her face in his shoulder, trying to blink away a few tears. She hated herself at that moment; how could she have made the people she held so dear so sad?

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It'd taken a week before Rena was discharged from the hospital this time; and she was a little worried. Her sisters still seemed angry with her – with all good reason, she knew – but she was also worried about how it would go at school – though not as much.

The minute she walked through the school gates, she was already pale, her hands trembling ever so slightly. She could feel the judgemental stares on her as she walked, and she desperately wanted to find Hisa or Rinnosuke and just not be alone.

By the time lunch came, she was near to hyperventilating. She huddled in a corner in an empty hallway. She heard footsteps approach and she tensed. She looked up and felt a hand rest on her head, until the figure sat down next to her.

She sighed in relief when she saw that it was only him. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You want to know something, Rin-kun?" He shifted slightly in acknowledgement and she closed her eyes. "Ever since you've come into my life, I haven't been quite so scared. It's as if I've been reborn."

A/N: I'm so sad ;-; Luckily, this isn't the last we'll see of Rena! Tell me what you thought of this in the comment section, and I'll get to work on the first chapter of the next book! I've already posted it, so I won't be making an update on here! Thanks so much for reading!