R I D I N [zhong chenle] ✓

F I F T E E N

"Here", Turning around, she almost didn't catch the item that was thrown to her.

"Spray paint?"

"Yeah, ever heard of vandalizing?"

"But, why here?", Xiu Ying turned around, noting the fact they were in an abandoned building.

"Sometimes, get chased by people isn't always that exciting. It's tiring", Adjusting his bike, he let the light shine onto a particular wall. "I get tired, but that doesn't mean I still want to do something illegal just for the thrill of it. So I took up this building and kinda made it my own, just to vandalize and have fun you know?"

Standing beside the girl, he looked at her and laughed a bit. "Close your mouth, a fly might choke you to death. A criminal getting killed by a fly doesn't sound so epic, does it?"

"You...drew this?", On the wall was a big skull, spray painted by the boy. It was almost twice his size, and took up a lot of the wall. "Yep, and now it's your turn. Do whatever you like"

Feeling a bit sceptical, she looked at him a bit more before he nudged his head at the wall, giving her permission.

And there she started, spray painting here and there. Adding this, adding that. This and that, here and there. She let her mind run wild, and smiled for the first time that night as she stood, proud of her work.

"A rose?", She almost forgot that Devil Rider was still there, just because she was so focused on her work.

"Mhmm, it's a reference to my name. A black rose, with dark red blood dripping off the petals. Blood Rose, makes sense right?", She explained, walking backwards until she eventually sat on the bike together with the boy.

They sat in comfortable silence, until Xiu Ying decided to speak.

"Hey, why is your name, you know... your name?"

"You mean why is my name Devil Rider?", She nodded.

"The Rider part is because of my bike, possibly the most prized possession in my life. Then the Devil is a reference to who I am outside this mask. I may look like an angel, but deep inside I'm also a devil", Chenle then pointed at the skull on the wall.

"Then the skull signifies that no matter who I am, angel or devil, I am still one person, with one skull. I'm just a human, after all"

"Woah...that's deep", Xiu Ying's eyes lit up in awe, slowly clapping. "You're really smart for linking everything so well like that"

"I know", He said cockily, pride taking over him for a bit. "What about you then?"

"Well, I think Blood Rose is pretty self explanatory. I'm a beauty trying to come for blood, or in this case just cause trouble"

"That's what I tell anyone who asks anyways. The true meaning behind it? Well I'm that rose", She pointed at the wall.

"It was once white, meaning I was once pure. But at some point it got corrupted, and it turned black. The purity died off, although it was still beautiful. The blood says it's now tainted, and the redness of blood could cover it's true colours and fool people. People could mistake it for a red rose, meaning love. But turns out it's a black rose, meaning death"

"Just like how I am. I show my red side, yet deep inside my black side still prevails", She finished. "Sad, huh?"

"But the black rose has another meaning", Chenle spoke up. "It means rejuvenation"

"I don't understand that word"

He deadpanned at the girl who only laughed, the sound filling his ears feeling contented that he was able to make her laugh again. Weird feeling bubbled inside him, but he quickly dismissed it.

"Rejuvenate, it means restarting. A new page. A reload from your old life"

"You might think your life is dead here, that your just going to continue on like this. But no, you still can change. Whether it's for the better or not, it's up to you. Because in the end, only you can change your ways"

"...Seriously so smart", She clapped loud.

"Thanks, I try", He shrugged playfully.  They stared at each other for a bit, before Xiu Ying's eyes caught onto something in the far back.

"Is that a car?"

[Face the newly rising sun, we're flying down the road]