Verstehen.
German. (n.) The concept of putting yourself in the shoes of others in order to see from their perspective and understand them.
x
The university library was silent as usual. It was on the third floor where most of the room use only books were more beneficial by content compared to those in the circulation section. That was the reason why he kept on visiting the third level of the library. Even he knew he couldn't borrow them, as long as it is useful, he'd turn to read books in there.
One quiet day, he entered the third level to read something about philosophy. He was getting interested with the subject after their professor in literature mentioned and discussed certain topics under the course. Even the said subject wasn't included in his course, he wanted to know something new.
Len occupied a table and read in serenity. It was unnoticed how long he has been reading but the wave of new thudding of shoes knocked him out of focus. The blond looked back to see where the sound came from. He caught a glimpse of teal strands vanishing between the shelves behind and the marching footsteps fainted. Back with reading, he huffed. The text printed on the paper felt like dancing and foggy, he's been there for who knows how many hours long, and he too, knew that he needed to take a break from reading. The book was closed and rested on the table for a minute long of silence. Its hardbound cover was still in a fine condition, pretty and glossy.
Idea or reality, which came first? Probably, that's what he understood from Plato. He snatched the rectangular book from the table then whipped around to return where he got the book. It was then he realized - when he looked on his watch - that he has half an hour before his next class begins, and he wasn't finished with his essay. Scampering, he immediately turned to a row of shelves with the other footsteps unheard, and - two life forms crashed on the ground.
The books they were holding were overthrown. Len quickly glanced at his foot and saw a lady rubbing her arm as she tried getting up from lying. "I'm sorry," he pulled her up and picked her book. "I didn't notice you, I'm sorry." The girl's lips were forming a straight line as she took the book and walked away.
Len picked his own book and returned to its shelf then ran out of the room hurriedly. Meanwhile, when the lady found a perfect seat, she realized that the book she was holding was not the one she got from the psychology section. Her eyes rolled back, blaming herself for not noticing that their books were swapped. Just why on earth, she thought. Just why on earth would she bump on a person she avoided almost all her life? The boy was gone so she would manually look for another copy of her book, or find where he put the book. The book she was holding will tell her where the psychology book was.
While looking for the shelf indicated on the book's number, she scanned the pages of the philosophy book she got. It was a surprise (she knew him since middle school but he may not know her) because she knew that he wasn't a bookish person. If she wasn't mistaken, he'd like to insult people rather than to read. She grimaced when a memory was recalled. Miku was one of his victims, that's why she loathed him. Her fingers flipped through the pages until a note stuck on a page caught her attention. "Len, 01-21. Idea or reality? Which came first. Plato." That might be his bookmark, she mumbled, slowly taking a new seat. The book was settled on the table and she read what the guy left unfinished. Half an hour passed and she was disturbed by her classmate who ascended from the circulation section on the ground floor.
"Miku, have you found the book?"
She stuck a new note where she stopped, in between pages 54 and 55, saying, "Platonic love. M, 01-21." She looked around to smile at her friend and rushed to the shelf where that philosophy book belonged. "Yes, Kaito. I put it somewhere here, wait a moment."
"Why would you put it in philosophy section?"
"I didn't put it here. Someone took my book by accident, I got his. Interchanged," she saw the psychology one soon and replaced it. She went to a table with her classmate and began discussing.
x
Three in the afternoon.
Len went back in the library. His next class will be an hour to go. Since he isn't busy or anything, he decided to continue reading what he left in the library. The book found his hands and he began killing time. It wasn't so long when he reached the page where a note was stuck, it's marking platonic love. Assuming that the one who left the note was a guy, he left a reply on the note; "If you're a man (since there's no way for me to tell your gender with M alone, other than it stands for male as well) I highly adore you. It was rare to see a guy reading something about a relationship with sexual desire suppressed. You know society today, songs depict women very sensual. Nice one." Len continued reading with delight, vanishing in the physical world as he indulged himself more with, now, Aristotle's views.
New students came inside the library, few paid attention to the blond at the corner who was reading deeply. Some whispered about his cuteness, however they found him nerdy or whatsoever. Girls tried calling his attention by walking near his seat but Len was unaware of his surroundings since his focus was on the book, not on the girls.
The hands of the clock made turns, the time for his classes today was over. Len was taking a walk to home under the orange painted sky. The cold breeze was numbing his face. Hands kept in the pocket, the walk was quiet but his mind was more than that. He was contemplating about the stuff he read. Yes, it was cool - for him, but, how did these people arrive with such view of things? He wouldn't know.
And then, he remembered the note about platonic love. He wanted to meet the guy and maybe they could be friends. When he got a temporary amnesia and his friends showed up and tried reminding him who he was and who they were, Len came to a thought that he might had have an awful life before. He refused talking to them, so now, he was left.
"Mom, I'm home." But so much for these stuffs.
x
Miku dipped herself in a bubble bath, long teal strands flowed down her shoulders to her waist. She was staring at the bubbles on her legs, each shines and shows an inverted reflection of herself. It was just silly for it was that Len who was running in her mind. She surely doesn't have a thing for him, he bullied her when they were eight. However, his weird gentlemanliness and silence wouldn't stop her mind reiterating his name as if it was whispered in her bathroom. His serious face as he read a book, she recalled, it was sincere, especially when he pulled her up. Those frozen blue eyes, they were pretty only if it wasn't him. Miku quickly covered her bare bosom when she imagined that he was staring at her, her face red in horror. "Why would I think of him while I bath!?" Her nails dug deep on her shoulders.
After that bath filled with thoughts of a bully in the past, Miku settled herself in front her mirror. Her hair was being combed as she gazed at her own reflection. There could be no way that this blond would notice her other than as a subject for ridicule. She wasn't so pretty and all - but why is she thinking this way again? Her face was like an apple again. "It annoys me how this Len is keeping my mind alive," she dropped the comb harshly on the table and jumped to bed with a wish that her dream wouldn't be about Len.
x
Rin was Len's weird twin, addicted much to fantasy. She was a fan of every fantasy movies and books that may have existed, she loved buying things that sometimes scare the freak out of Len. It was the weird necklaces and rings that made Rin look like a fortune teller. Dream catchers on her neck and wrist, bag and door of her room - Len wouldn't understand how their mother allowed this kind of addiction.
That morning, Rin knocked on Len's door to give him something before he goes out for school. It was a ring she called verstehen. It seemed to be an ordinary silver ring, no huge gems or hieroglyphics written around. "What for?" That was his question when he took it from her palm.
"I heard agonies last night, from someone far away, who was thinking of you - in a bad way then in a good way. I gave that to you so you could be at least...sensitive of people around you,"
"I am not hurting anybody Rin," Len shrugged and turned around. The time is running, he should get some breakfast now.
"Aha, that's why. You aren't aware of people's feelings around you. That wouldn't hurt, after all! It was said on the net that it allows you to see people's perspective, let's trim that ego of yours and humble you." Rin ran away before Len could hit her with his palms, so quick when he turned she was gone. The male sighed and put on the ring, he didn't believe Rin's weird inferences and the like.
Len, drained with Rin's bubbling earlier, walked in the library. He especially chose to go early today so he could escape Rin's premonitions and lectures about these and that. He was beginning to speculate whether his old self injured people or what. Being a bad guy wasn't someone he wanted to be. The ring Rin gave him was inserted on his right ring finger, lustrous and alluring. His sister wouldn't give something that would hurt, right?
"Watch out!"
The blond lifted his head, eyes widened instantly. There was the teal haired girl with a long skirt, balancing herself at the top of the stairs with books almost falling out of her arms. "Move! Away!" She yelled, cheeks reddening. Len did the opposite of her demand as he ascended quicker, just in time the girl lost her balance. The books fell towards his direction and Len stretched his arms to catch the girl falling to him. He wanted to laugh at her face, it was teary and blushing, but he was a gentleman. He held her hand so he could balance her where he stood, only to be pulled down with her momentum.
"No." His calm voice declared the most possible crap that could be brought to him by the Fates, he and she both fell down. Len made sure to protect the lady as they fall, and the last thing he heard from her was, "it's your fault."
x
Len blinked his eyes open, the white ceiling hurt his eyes with its whiteness. His body hurts, his shoulders and legs aches, he was beginning to think of a three-day rest because of his body pain. There was a sharp pain on his arm, it might be a small incision or what. The blond rose from his bed, his lower half was tucked under a white blanket. Infirmary? Ah, he and the girl fell down.
"What!"
There was a scream beside him. It was weird to hear that voice for he knew to whom it belonged. It scared him more than Rin's behavior. Slowly, he turned his head to the adjacent bed, there was a blond guy sitting on a white bed. Those familiar blue eyes and pale face gawked at him. Len was silent, he couldn't utter a thing - he couldn't believe his eyes.
"Why am I there? Am I dead?" The Len sitting on the next bed asked, fingers trembling as he pointed his fingers to him.
"What am I -" Len stopped talking, his voice didn't sound like his own voice. He sounded...feminine. He felt his body heat dropped as he lifted his hand to stare at it, slender fingers with a skin so soft...it's definitely not his. Len lifted the sheets and saw himself wearing a long skirt - the skirt the girl was wearing. "Oh no," Len looked back at himself-his body staring at him.
"Oh, Mr. Kagamine you're awake," the nurse came and smiled to the blond who didn't react.
"I am, tell me, am I fine? How do I look?" The real Len asked, pulling the nurse by her wrist. The nurse was surprised but smiled at him and replied,
"You are perfectly fine, Ms. Hatsune. I suggest you to rest because you fell too high. Good thing is that Mr. Kagamine lessened the possible injury you could have attained."
"I am Kagamine, miss." Len tried to argue but the nurse just raised a brow.
"I think you need to have some rest, Miss Hatsune. You should be fine after a good rest. You too, Mr. Kagamine." The nurse left the two. Len stared at himself, and the girl stared back at him...that was her.
"Oh, goodness, no. Please, tell me, are you seeing your self in me?" Len moved to sit with himself on the other bed.
"Yes, positive. Don't touch anything. Please. Will you?" Miku said (who was in the body of Len) as her face-no, his face reddened.
Miku's face (which was now Len's) reddened after such realization as he quickly lifted his hand to promise her that he wouldn't do anything sheepish. "Do you know what happened?" Len asked, watching himself to act so girlish.
Len wanted to faint so that when he woke up, everything would be normal now. But that was impossible. Len knew it wasn't and as he stared at himself, he knew that he got himself in trouble. The two of them were discharged from the infirmary, they were sitting on a bench along the open ground.
"What's your name?" Len asked, even he attempted to sound deeper, the voice was still high pitched.
"Don't you - don't you remember me? I mean, we're from the same middle school." She answered, her voice - which was his - depressed Len more. It's uncomfortable to watch yourself talking independently.
"I'm sorry, I got a temporary amnesia. I don't know people from my past," he answered, trying to sit properly and avoiding to spread his legs - stopping the usual way a guy sits. "I'm sorry, I really don't know how should I behave. I mean, how a girl sits or so."
"A-ah, it's okay. D-don't touch my knee!" She slapped her own hands from her knees. Both of them are uncomfortable with this weirdness. She pulled her hands to her and pleaded him, "don't do anything please! If you have to do something, tell me and I'll do it for you." Both of their faces are red with such thick awkwardness growing between them, but couldn't object.
"Len?"
The two looked around and saw a tall green haired guy with thick glasses. He was looking keenly on Len's hand holding the girl's, and coughed intentionally.
"Gumo, what's on?" Len asked, forgetting that he was in a female body.
"I'm sorry, miss. Do I know you? I haven't met you before, if you were Len's girlfriend." Gumo clarified, smiling politely at the girl.
"I am not his girlfriend!" Miku exclaimed, looking so agitated. "Why would I be?"
"Len? You are not, of course. You should be the boy friend." Gumo laughed. "Miss, pardon my guy. He really is weird."
"You think I am?" Len asked, again, confusing the shit out of Gumo.
"I didn't say anything like that," the guy raised a brow and looked at the two with doubt. "Are you two acting or something?"
"We aren't!" The two exclaimed.
"Miku, let me talk to him, okay?" Len asked, flipping the teal hair away from his face.
"And what would he think of us, Len? Crazy? He might be thinking of that already!" Miku argued pulling him away from the guy. "And I won't let you do that. What will people say if they saw me talking to a guy I don't know personally."
"Then how can we clarify things before it gets complicated, Miku? You don't want me to touch you and I surely don't want that too, I don't want you to feel like I'm disrespecting you, okay? But please - "
"What the hell's going on? The girl's kinda Len, manly. Len, you sound like a jelly bean, mushy and soft and conservative," Gumo inquired, heating Miku's head for such description.
"What jelly bean, four eyes?" Miku yelled. She was quickly pulled back by Len, scolding her to stop acting like a kid.
"Don't say that! He's a good guy, you know!"
"Whatever's between you. I just came here to ask if you're feeling better after the incident this morning, Len. Having a girlfriend didn't do good on you, you're as grumpy as my grandma." With that Gumo left with a shrug. Offended by the words of his friend against him-not knowing that it wasn't Len who was speaking.
"You should have not said that. The person is my mate," Len calmly pushed her to a seat. "Let me talk to my fellow because I know them better than you,"
"Len. Don't you understand, you are not you. They don't see you as Len but they see you as me, as Miku Hatsune. For them, I am Len. So anything you do will be accused to me, and not you. Do you understand?" She stood, face blushing again. "And I need to pee."
"What? Ah, you can go to men's toilet. Ah-" Len's face (which was Miku's) turned pallid.
"Of course, I know that! What will I do - that's what I mean!"
"No, don't go, don't look at my body or anything!" He tried to stop her from walking away, it's totally bashful.
"Len, I need to go now!"
"You couldn't!" His tight grip on her arms (or his arms) stopped her.
"I know, I don't want to! But I have to! Come with me! You do it with your own body!"
"Are you nuts? That's ridiculous! You wanted to be seen with me in a male's toilet? What stupidity, Miku." Len removed her hands on his arm. "I thought you didn't want to be accused or anything."
"Then take me home," Miku stubbornly said, arms crossing. "Bring me to your own toilet and do the honors since you're doing it."
"No, I can't do that. What will mom think of us. Deal with it, Miku."
"I thought you said I couldn't!? And still I wouldn't?! Get this done before I urinate in your pants, Len!" Miku yelled and ran away. Len, embarrassed to the fullest extent, chased her and pulled her towards the hallway.
"Fine, we're going home."
Miku blushed mentally, it was Len's face which was emitting the redness, as the thought of going to a guy's house was draining her life forces. She just let him drag her, even if it seems that it her who was leading the way - in other's perspective. So to shrink not Len's name, she squirmed out of his grip, and watched how her own face looked at her with surprise.
"I will not do that facial expression again, I'm so ugly," Miku noted as she held her own hands and walked at the same pace with him. "Pretend that I am your girl. Tell me the way because I don't want you to get a label around here in the campus," she whispered and walked ahead, ignoring the gazes they were receiving from the upperclassmen. They were quite a pair. Both good looking and toothsome, no one could deny that. It was just too brave to walk hand in hand inside the campus.
As they walked out of the university, they untangled their hands and it was Miku's physical entity who was leading the way. Len was asking questions along the way, stuffs that she does and experiences that are only for girls. It is awkward, she knew that. That's why she couldn't answer as straight as she wanted to.
"Do you remember anything the moment we fell from the staircase?" He asked, glancing at her. She remained quiet. There's no way she could tell that. She wouldn't tell him that they briefly kissed the moment they crashed on the ground - albeit it wasn't counted as one for her, their lips connected in the harshest manner possible. His eyes were closed that moment, she knew he already fainted when they were falling.
"Can I lie?" She asked as they entered a lawn.
"No. It isn't like something too magical that happened, right?" He countered, walking to a doorway.
"Yeah, nothing too magical and dreamy that we ended up swapping bodies." She retorted. "Nothing happened, sir. Just hurry and I want to pee."
"Fine. Now, knock and announce you're home." He instructed. She nodded and held the door knob. Pretense will now begin.
"Mom, I'm home! I have a friend with me!"
"Len? Who's that friend-oh! A girl friend?" His mom smiled brightly, clapping her hands in anticipation. Seeing the teal haired behind her son, the mother's eyes sparkled with sugar and spice. "You brought home a wife!"
"What!?" Miku exclaimed as she pranced her hands. "No, she is not, mom. We need to do something really important, okay?" Miku looked back at herself and signalled Len to walk ahead because she didn't know where was his room.
"Alright. Don't do something risky, Lenny."
"Mom, please." Miku yelled and entered the room where her physical being entered.
"You talked as if she was your mom," Len smiled at her and opened the door to his toilet.
"I got the feeling like she was like my own mom." Miku sagged and poked her head in his toilet. It was clean and it smelled like lavenders. "So, what now?"
"Are you sure nothing weird happened when we fell down? You know, that ring my twin sister gave me kept on glowing faintly. She's fond of magic crafts, yes. She gave that to me because she said she heard someone talking about me, in a negative way last night. It might have done something for us to swap," Len informed slumping on his bed, pushing the long teal hair away from her face. "Wow, your body feels so light."
"How could a ring do that?" Miku examined the ring, it's not looking like that or something, really.
"She said that through that, I would be able to see on other's perspective. Who knows if she meant that literally. So tell me, other than me, holding your hand in attempt to save you from falling, did we have some sort of physical contact? That may bring us back to normal, I theorize. It couldn't be the hands, we held hands our way here yet nothing happened," he was beginning to get used with a high pitched voice.
"Uh, well, I think we kissed." She answered, standing near his bedside table. "You were unconscious when we fell, I wasn't. I think we did, that's before I lost my consciousness." She held his hands and played with his fingers. Was she suggesting for them to try kissing? It was embarrassing!
"Okay." He said and leaped from the bed, arms stretched to her. She was unable to react, to move or dodge him, as he held his shoulders and they crashed on the carpeted floor with a loud thud. Their lips connected forcefully.
"Len!? What happen-! Am I interrupting you?" His mom stood absently from his doorway, staring at her son and his girl on the ground. Len's arms are wrapped around her head, his back facing his mother. He made sure that his mom wouldn't see their red faces.
"I know that this is humiliating, just don't move and pretend you fainted, okay?" Len whispered to her, Len as the real Len. She mumbled a yes and he began standing up. "Miku? Miku! Are you fine? Miku!"
"Oh no! Len, what happened?" His mother rushed to his side and helped him carrying the girl to his bed.
"I don't know mom! She just hopped from my bed then she said that she felt dizzy then she fell, I tried catching her." Amidst his lie, Len felt his need to go to a toilet. "I need to pee."
"Len! What did you do? Are you trying to crash her? What do you think of your room? A WWE mail event?" His mom scolded as she lightly tapped the face of the girl. Len ran in the toilet and began watering the toilet bowl.
"Of course not, she was hopping from my bed. She's crazy," Len washed his hands and went out of the toilet to see his mom worrying at the sleeping beauty on his bed. "Don't worry, I'll wake her up. Get back in the kitchen,"
"Len Kagamine, don't talk as if it wasn't serious, you could have caused a head trauma to this lady!" His mom glowered at him, eyes burning with threats.
"Mom! It wasn't me, okay? I know she'll wake up, I know her better than you. Okay? Chill and get a drink, she's fine." Len's ring was placed on the top of his bedside table as he sat at the side of her table, facing the sleeping Miku. He heard his mom sigh and retreat, and as soon as the door was closed behind them, Miku jolted up - crashing at Len's chest. He was maneuvering above her, his face evidently red.
"Kagamine! Are you trying to rape me?!"
"Of course not! What are you thinking?" He dropped himself to her and rolling them on the side of a bed, bear-hugging Miku with his arms and legs curling around her like a boa.
"Let me go or I will scream, Kagamine! You're behaved lately but what now!? You're untamed!" She squirmed from his arms and legs, she could feel him press his face at her back.
"I got my memories back, I'm sorry for what I've done before," his apology stopped her from squirming. "I did that because I really like you," this time, he turned her to face him. Both faces are like tomatoes. A chaste kiss was placed on her forehead and he asked, "please be my girl,"
Miku gawked at him. There it was, the heated scene, the glowing surroundings, only Len was the most beautiful thing she could see. But what was she thinking? She's thinking about Plato...Plato's view of poetry. Other words, this is an illusion.
Her foot found his stomach, she kicked him out of his bed as Miku yelled, "what do you think of me? A call girl? You and your attitude, Kagamine, you suck!" The girl ran out of his room while he was left laughing on the floor. He forgot that he liked her due to his amnesia, but at least, he got a chance to swap bodies with her. He knew she wouldn't like him...his feels while in her body earlier proved it so.
A/N: This is a product of randomness and I don't know. Ha - ha. Maybe, nobody's reading this. But that's fine. It's hard to write characters swapping bodies...I am confused myself. Sayonara sweeties.