Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid

I'd like to dedicate this story to Sychronicity girl (aka Rui-chan). I've had a lack of inspiration for Rin/Len fics, but her reviews got the ideas flowing again. Thank you :)

Rin glared down at her watch. How stupid, she thought, what am I even doing here? It had been two hours, the clock just now changing to 10:01 am. Technically, no, the person she was meeting wasn't two hours late... she had simply arrived early. Why had she arrived two hours early? She wasn't really sure, and it was definitely annoying her.

Their rendezvous was for 10 o'clock. Now, at least, she could be annoyed that the person she was meeting was late (by one whole minute...). And boy, was she upset.

"Sorry I'm late!" came a voice from behind her some minutes later. She turned, determined to give the speaker her fiercest glare.

"It's 10:10!" she scolded. "Why can't you ever be on time?!"

The time-challenged boy in front of her, Len Kagamine, scratched the back of his head nervously, ruffling the blond locks. "Sorry, I guess I just... lost track. Please don't hate me?"

Rin scoffed. But the look on his face, a mixture of pleading and guilt, was too much for her to continue being angry. So, very reluctantly, a smile crept into her features. "You're hopeless. But whatever; come on, we're going shopping, remember?" Len smiled and started off in the direction of the mall. Rin glared at his back, trying to follow his fast walking pace but failing. It made her frustrated all over again.

They arrived at the mall, where Rin immediately headed towards her favorite clothing shop. Len looked over at her curiously, seeing her face pressed against the glass. "Did you find something?" he asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer.

None came; Rin was absorbed in the pale yellow tank top and orange skirt ensemble on the mannequin. She had to have it. There was no color she liked as much as yellow, though orange was a close contestant.

Rin quickly shoved Len into the store with her, went up to the nearest clerk, shouted at the top of her lungs that she needed that outfit, and said that she wanted to try it on. The clerk, a sweet-looking girl with teal hair, was very startled and intimidated, so she soon ran off to get a copy of the outfit in Rin's size.

Rin glared at the girl's back, crossing her arms and tapping a foot impatiently. Len stood a little way away, not wanting to be associated with this rude, impulsive customer, And fearing for his life if he said anything. So they waited silently for a little over a minute while the clerk looked through their clothing selection.

"Here you go," said the clerk. Rin snatched the clothing from her without so much as a 'thank you' and strode off in the direction the changing room. Len was left with nothing to do but wait. The clerk turned to him. "Are you her boyfriend?"

Len quirked an eyebrow, a faint blush coming over his face. "N-no, not really..." he murmured. Suddenly, the mannequins seemed very interesting. He heard the clerk giggle.

"Ah, is that so. Well, let me know if you need anything." She walked back to her station behind the counter, staring out the clear glass windows at the people passing by. Len tried to look inconspicuous.

Then Rin stepped out from behind the curtain dressed in the new outfit. "How do I look?" she asked, a rare nervous expression coming over her face. A hand was playing with the hem of her skirt; the other was trying very hard not to fix her hair. When she got no reply, her knitted eyebrows moved into a distinct 'V.' "Well?!" she snapped impatiently. "Say something!"

Len blinked once, cleared his throat, moved a hand to the back of his neck, and averted his eyes. "Y-You look..."

"Terrible," she finished, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice. Len snapped back to reality.

"No, that wasn't what I was going to say at all! You look amazing!" He waved his hands frantically in front of him. Thank god for being one of those people who could blush without anyone noticing it. "It suits you." After a moment, he added, "Although, with such a cheery outift... your personality could use a bit of brightening. Maybe if you didn't yell so much?"

Rin obviously didn't like the joke, because she gave an angry huff and merely stomped off to pay for the outfit. She slammed down the cash so loudly that both the unfortunate clerk and Len jumped. Rin didn't pay a glance to her friend as she left the store. Len threw an apologetic glance at the clerk before following.

More than anything, Rin was confused. With Len; with herself. She couldn't understand why he had to be so mean all of the time - and right after he paid her a compliment, too! She never understood what was going through that boy's head.

But she understood even less what was going through her own. When Len had praised her, her heart had leapt, almost out of her body... and when he made fun of her, she felt like she was about to cry. Or hit him. The latter sounded far more appealing and therapeutic, so, once they were out of the store, she gave him a firm whack on the head.

"What was that for!?" Len yelped, rubbing the bruised spot. Rin simply glared at him. What else was she supposed to do about this odd feeling she had? It's all your fault... so don't look so innocent about it.

She managed to mumble something about lunch, and continued towards the nearest coffee shop. She knew this mall in and out. The idea of coffee was rather appealing at that moment as well; she could divert her worry away from her feelings, focusing instead on what to order. Rin was the type of person who never got the same thing twice.

By the time she got into the coffee shop, she already had her order planned out. She ignored Len's existence as she reminded the blue-haired cashier to give her extra cream, and sat down. She chose a small table with two seats and just enough room for their two coffees. The metal chair scraped needlessly loudly on the tile floor.

Len cringed as he heard the sound, interrupting his own order. He was one of those people who got the same thing every time, since he saw no reason to change a good selection. It made his life easier, as did the fact that it was most often something quick. Consequently, his drink was ready at the same time that Rin's was, so he took them both over to the table.

Rin still wasn't looking at him. The boy couldn't help a sigh as he sat down. What had he done? "Here's your drink," he prompted, hoping to start a conversation. Rin taking it silently didn't help. "Can't you stick to a single thing for a change? What happens when you don't like what you get?"

Rin glared over at him, making eye contact for the first time in the last ten minutes. "I go up the manager and yell at him for making something disgusting. Then I dump it on your head."

Len gulped, taking that threat rather seriously. Rin let out a barely audible sigh.

"Can you do anything but complain?" she said, sounding more annoyed than ever. Len was baffled. He was sure that he had told her she looked nice in her outfit earlier, so what was she talking about? "Never mind. Forget it. How much did you pay for the drinks?"

"$4.75 for yours," Len said. Rin's frown deepened.

"No, for both."

"Well, it was $1.95 for me... that makes $6.70. Why?"

Rin placed a $5 bill and two $1 bills on the table near Len, threw what was left of her coffee in the trashcan, and walked off. Len blinked.

Rin was in another clothing store, looking through the yellow themed aisle. Her hands leafed through the fabrics absently, her mind taken up by much more important matters.

Rin wasn't sure where this feeling came from, but she was sure that she wanted Len to say "I love you." She had been longing for him to say something like that for... she didn't know how long. And now, with him being a jerk... well, her dreams didn't seem likely to come true. She wasn't sure why it had to be Len that she liked, but it was only him that could make her heart beat like this.

"Hey, Len, what about this shirt?" she asked quietly, almost shyly. Len looked over.

"It's not bad," he said honestly, "I like the color."

Rin knew that already. They shared a favorite color - yellow - but that wasn't why she had asked. She wanted Len to know that she wasn't angry with him. She wanted him to know she valued his opinion. She wanted him to understand that she loved him. But Len seemed to not have gotten any of that, and it annoyed her all over again. She knew she had a short temper and that it wasn't attractive, but to be fair, his dense attitude was just as unattractive. She wished he could see these small hints she dropped. The hints that she loved him.

If you aren't looking out for them, though... you probably won't notice.

As the day ended, Len got thinking. He knew that Rin liked to complain that he made no sense, that she could never get what he was thinking. But if Len told her what he was thinking... if he let her know his true feelings...

I'd probably just creep her out, he mused as Rin examined a dress she liked. Really, the only reason Rin brought him along was to carry the bags of clothes and to occasionally get a second opinion so she could disregard it.

Even so, Len appreciated it. All of it. The fact that she put up with him, the fact that she took him along with her, the fact that she did little things like paying for their drinks... he liked that. He was sure that she didn't like him the way that he liked her, but he wasn't going to stop because of that.

Len watched Rin's face go from a frown to a look of worry, back to a frown, oh wait, no, she's nearly smiling now... he wasn't sure what was going through her head, but it was almost funny to watch. Taking pity on her, he tugged on the sleeve of one lime green jacket. "What about this, Rin?"

She blinked, coming down to Earth, and examined the piece of clothing. "I... Well, I suppose I'll try it on." Len raised an eyebrow. Well, at least she liked his selection, though that agreement was rather reluctant. Was she really so troubled by taking his advice?

I hope he noticed, thought Rin, that I took his advice. Even if it isn't the yellow I wanted because that was the color he liked...

In reality, of course, neither of them had understood the other, and both were left a little disappointed... about contradicting things. Nonetheless, Rin tried the jacket on, grabbing a peach-colored skirt to go with it along the way.

Len leaned against the wall in wait. He was getting up his courage to take a very large chance. He wasn't good at being honest with his feelings...

Once again, the curtain was drawn, and this time, Len was ready. Before Rin could even open her mouth to ask what he thought, he said, "You look spectacular, Rin. I couldn't imagine a better model for that outfit." A brief pause, during which Rin's jaw fell to the ground (non-literally, of course). "And the skirt you picked out to go with it is perfect. Nicely done."

With each word, Rin's face heated up further... until it was beet-red. "W-What are you saying, you i-idiot? Isn't that a little over the top?"

"Well, these are the tactics of love," Len confessed, watching how Rin took it. But hey, if she was blushing, that meant she liked him back, right? So he was willing to try... and if she didn't like it, they'd go back to just being friends.

Rin seemed to have almost lost all ability to think. "What are you saying?" she squeaked.

"I'm saying I love you. Despite all the times you hit me." Len smirked.

Rin glared, face still red. "First you compliment me, then you insult me. Isn't that just being mean now?"

Len shook his head. "No, not at all. Because I really do love you, Rin." He took her hand in his, squeezing it affectionately, and led her over to the cashier. "I'll pay for that, since it really is cute."

Rin opened her mouth to make a scathing retort, but then looked down at their hands. Well, you are holding my hand tightly... so I guess you have good traits, too.

The pink-haired cashier smiled at them, ringing them up immediately. They went out hand-in-hand. Len was still a little anxious, though, since Rin hadn't said she liked him back yet.

"So? Are you going to tell me how you feel?" asked the boy as lightly as he could with his heart pounding in anticipation. Rin titled her head downward to hide her blush.

"You're holding my hand tightly," she said quietly, "and you never get it."

Len took this to be a negative, and quickly released her hand. "Oh. I see."

But just as quickly, Rin reached out and grabbed hold of his hand with both of hers, raising her head to make eye contact. "I didn't say it was a bad thing! Don't be so negative! I r-really don't mind... It's just that you can be so dense, like when I asked you about that shirt because I wasn't mad anymore, and you didn't get it at all..."

Len raised an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to know? You never tell me anything straight."

"Then I like you. I like you. I really, really like you. I like you so much that I-"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Len sighed, holding up his free hand. "You don't have to be that honest." Rin couldn't help a smile.

"Well, you wanted me to be straight-forward. So I'll say it until you're annoyed. I like you. I love you. I love you with all of my heart! I love you more than oranges!" Rin grinned wider at the twitch of Len's eyebrows. "I love you so much that my heart could burst!" She kept this up for the next ten minutes of their walk home.

"Rin~ I'm annoyed now, so you can stop!"

She shook her head. "Even if you tell me to stop, I won't. After all, you ignored me when I tried to be subtle."

Len sighed. "Then let's work out a different system!"

"How about... a bell? I'll ring it to let you know how I feel."

"That'll be even more annoying," he lamented.

"Then I'll get a really small, quiet one! That way you'll have to listen super hard!"

Len smiled nervously, feeling resigned. "You won't give up, will you?"

Rin shook her head gleefully, cheeks light pink. "Nope! But if you don't listen to my Rin Rin Signal, I'll give you a red card!"

Len cocked his head. "'Rin Rin Signal'? Is that what you're calling it?"

"Yup! And saying 'I didn't notice' shall do you no good! You will suffer punishment!"

Len gulped. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

Rin shook her head, squeezing his hand. But if you give me a good excuse... I might forgive you.

Rin glared at Len as hard as she could with a delightfully sadistic smile tugging at her lips. "Le~en! You weren't listening to my signal! It's time for your punishment!"

"That's not fair, Rin! I was in the bathroom!"

"You just have to listen extra hard!"

"What's my punishment, then?"

"You have to call me 'darling' for the rest of the week!"

A long silence ensued, in which Rin's cheeks got pinker and pinker, and eventually, Len broke into laughter. "Oh, is that all?"

Rin huffed. "Yes, that's all, now get to it!"

"Of course, my darling."

Rin crossed her arms, averting her eyes from that flirtatious smile. "R-Right... well, listen more carefully in the future. If you aren't listening with all of your heart, you won't hear it!"

"Even if I don't listen carefully, I can hear it," said Len calmly, giving his girlfriend a hug. "I can hear your heart always ringing."

"...I love you."

"I love you, too, darling."

"O-Okay, maybe you don't have to call me that."

It's pure fluff, but I think Rin and Len can pull that off. Hope it was enjoyable, especially for you, Rui-chan!