The Cat Returns

Read the author's note below :3

"Thank you. For everything."

Len stepped forward and gave her a kiss. Kuro kissed back. When they pulled away, they smiled at each other and let Rin join them for a group hug.

The bus finally came. Kuro carried her two bags into the bus. She turned around one more time and gave the twins a huge grin.

"I'll see you around," she said. The twins smiled and waved in return.

As the bus drove away, Rin patted her brother's shoulder. "She'll come back," she reassured him. "Don't worry."

Len just gave his sister a smile. "I don't need to. She'll always be with me in my heart."

Oh, when was the last time he had said this? No more than two years ago no doubt.

Now, sixteen-year old Kagamine Len sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, as he walked through the streets of Sapporo. The blonde boy was just on his way home, choosing to walk alone, as his sister still had matters to attend to back at work. The darkness above matched his mood, for not only was he feeling frustrated, but the matter of no clouds occupying the skies matched his dull and expressionless face.

Len did not change much in the past two years. His hair had grown a little longer, but he kept it in its usual ponytail. He had grown a few inches taller, almost a full foot taller than Rin. He wore much more mature clothes, as now he wore but a jacket over his white dress shirt. Much has occurred in the past; but he was still the same, hard-working, talented young man that everyone adored and loved.

Ever since his album with 96Neko, Len had gotten popular.

"Asymmetry" was indeed a big hit. More people noticed both Utaite and Crypton Future Media's talent, and both companies began to upgrade. They'd received more producers, advance in technology, and had gotten more people to work for them. Some even auditioned to become the new generation of Vocaloids; and there were quite a lot of them. Mr. Hiroyuki could not have been any happier. And in the age he was living in, he knew there was no way doubt he could not worry about passing his business on to an heir. Things were just getting better for them. Since the album, people also began to have "shipped" Kuro with Len, and that was completely fine. They were, after all, a couple.

At least, Len believed they still were.

The blonde boy suddenly stopped as he came across a tapioca store. His eyebrows knit together. What a sudden coincidence. Tapioca, was of course, his girlfriend's favorite drink. At least…it was from two years ago. Len had to smile at the memories he shared with her; how much she would buy tapioca more than he would buy bananas, and would continue to complain that she could not get any more. Back then, he would've gotten annoyed at such antics. But the more time he spent with her, the more he realized he could've related.

Len found himself entering the small building. The clerk by the counter gasped when they noticed him. "Kagamine Len!" she squeaked. "W-Welcome!"

"Large, banana-flavored, extra pearls," he ordered. "Arigatou."

"H-Hai!"

Once he'd gotten his drink, he took one sip upon exiting the shop. Mm. The taste even reminded him of her.

It was hard to believe they had not come in touch with each other for two whole years. They never exactly had a proper reunion together, and they never exactly planned one. Maybe one had, but they had gotten bombarded with responsibilities, and ended up giving up on their ideas, just letting fate choose whether to bring them together once again. They just kept getting busier the older they got. There were so many things Len wanted to tell her, but never got the chance to. Once, he'd almost forgotten about her, and he hated himself for it.

But could you have blamed him?

The teen squinted up at the sun shining down above him, passing through his eyeglasses. Once again, he had lost his contacts, and was forced to wear the dreadful eyewear for the rest of the day until he got them properly replaced. He remembered when Kuro had first seen him with glasses, and complimented him rather than made fun about it than usual. Whether she had been genuine or not, Len pretended to get annoyed that time, but he was also secretly flattered. You don't always give compliments for being a "four eyes". Yet, Kuro did.

Len continued to walk home. He passed by busy citizens, in which some were working adults, who were talking on their phones and swiping through tablets, as they were too engaged in their gadgets to even notice their surroundings. No one noticed the posters on some alley walls like Len did. They stuck out like a ray of sunlight; probably because one poster was completely yellow. It featured the Kagamine twins on it, with words in Japanese writing encouraging viewers to listen to them. Len remembered having taken part in that poster during a photo shoot with his sister. They looked so close as siblings, and maybe something even more…

The boy ripped the poster off and tore it in two.

As he sipped his tapioca and hummed "Melancholic", he suddenly heard a familiar voice. His head whipped up and he turned to see he had come across an electronics store. Through the display window was a television, and what was showing on now was a recent concert from Utaite. His blue orbs widened slightly when he saw a certain shorthaired blonde, singing and dancing on stage like it was basically her life. As the woman performed to the sound to what sounded like "Alice in Musicland", Len had to grin madly, as he later then proved he knew the girl from seeing the cat-like ears on her head.

This was basically how they'd been seeing each other lately – through their own music. They could tell the other was or was not doing fine based from the song they would sing onstage. And thanks to Asymmetry, concerts were not a common thing for Utaite lately. Len wanted nothing more than to call or text her, ask for real how she was doing, but they would always lead to "the number you have dialed in currently unavailable."

Which made Len wonder sometimes. How was his girlfriend? What has Kuroneko been thinking? Two years ago, the boy had been so oblivious that he could not see her emotions for him through the series of glomping, slight flirting, teasing, and unofficial confessions. When he was the one that confessed in the end, she had laughed and accepted his feelings willingly. But now he knew she liked him, does she still do? Two years is as awfully long time. Through what he has gone through and what he has experienced, surprisingly, he encouraged himself to keep thinking of her. He never once made himself forget again. And he never thought of finding another girl to feel for again. His love for her never died.

Did Kuro's have?

'Oh, my heart…' he thought dramatically.

If the girl had seen him now…

His thoughts must have gotten him hallucinating, because now he was beginning to hear her voice; that lovely, boyish talented singing voice he had grown to love over the months he was brought to work with her. It rang through his head, as it combined with two others voices as they sang a familiar song.

…Wait.

Len knew then that such details could not define hallucination.

He tracked his ears to the sound of the group singing. The louder he heard it, the faster he walked. 'It can't be her…' Len thought, astonishment hovering his face. 'But oh, Kami, please let it be so…'

The boy was then directed to a small stage in the middle of a park. A large crowd seemed to have gathered around it, as the wondrous music blared out through the area. Len tried to get a closer look, but the large number of people only pushed him back, and they were still much lankier for him to see. 'Curse my old shota ways,' Len grumbled.

Then, he got an idea. He found a park bench just a few meters away from the stage, but it was good enough. Though some people were already standing on it, they seemed to give way when he decided to join. Now, Len got a pretty good view, and was more than satisfied at the view he was receiving.

Up and singing were three people. They all looked like boys, but Len knew better. One of the boys was a redhead and he remembered that he was vipTenchou. He was in the center of the stage, and seemed to be enjoying it, as by his side was a taller brunette man, and he looked much more "normal" than the former. But the boy Kagamine twin was focusing more on the blonde boy-like female. He knew her very well. He'd worked with that face. He'd dated that girl. Tears sparked in his eyes as he heard for the first time in two years, his girlfriend's voice not-so-up close, but still in person.

And though Kuroneko sang with two other men, for once Len overlooked that.

All: Hora kobushi wo tsukidashite
yaritai youni yacchatta tte
link ring link yagate ring link ni tsunagu
Yukai ni hora ratta tta tta
Netsu ni ukasare accha ccha ccha
Green green green SHIGUNARU no shimesu mama ni
Ima wo hashiritsudzukerunda

OMOCHA no juu wo uchinuku no da da da da!
Da da da da!

Tenchou: Mou ikkai!

All: Da da da da! Yeah!

Everyone clapped. Some cheered, some flat-out shrieked their lungs out; but Len just stood on that bench, wide-eyed and immobile. He just listened to Kuro for the first time in two years and she was better than ever. It was no wonder she was getting more famous than he was.

After the song, his girlfriend finally caught his eye and her blood red eyes lit up so much, they could've been the sun.

"LEEEEEENNNNN-KUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNN!"

The poor boy barely saw it coming. Once the crowd began to diminish, Kuroneko leapt off the stage, dashed over to the bench, and tackled Len to the grass behind him. His eyes widened when he suddenly felt the impact, and found himself yelling when they came in contact with the ground. Everyone that was just about to leave paused and stared at them, but the two didn't care. Len's screams turned to hearty tones of laughter, and so did Kuro's.

In the end, they both cut each other off with a kiss.

Actions speak louder than words. The two missed each other. When Len wrapped his arms around Kuro, he wanted nothing more than to keep her like that. They pulled away after a few seconds, and he buried his face into the crook of her neck, ready to start crying. He had never felt so happy…yet, he was so flustered and his face was bright red. So many things to tell her…so many things to ask. Yet all he did was sit there, continuing to hold her.

Kuro was hugging back as well, patting and rubbing his back every few seconds. She was sniffling, breaking into a few hiccups, as she awkwardly untangled his hair from her mouth chain. Len had to laugh; of course she still had that. It was amazing how he was never bothered by it anymore. The blonde girl finally pulled away and grasped onto his shoulders tightly.

As quick as lightning, she slammed her forehead against his.

"OW!" Len instantly jolted back, his hand flying to his face as he rubbed the spot she hit him. He wasn't exactly having an easy time enduring the pain, as he finally decided to glare at his girlfriend. "Kuro! What was that for?!"

Surprisingly, the shorthaired blonde began to laugh. "Now, there's the Len-kun I know~!"

This caused the boy to stare at her.

"I missed yooooouuu!" she cried out. You could almost see the anime tears in her eyes as she hugged him again. "Why didn't we ever meet? I don't get to see you!"

"I missed you too, Kuro," Len finally recovered, patting her head softly. "I'm sorry. We should've tried to see each other more. Guess we weren't that devoted…"

Before Kuroneko could say anything, the two men from earlier ran up to them. "Kuro-chan!" Tenchou cried out. One thing that definitely hasn't changed was his voice. He was wearing regular boy's clothes – hoodie, pants, and sneakers – but his tone was still those of a girl's. Len remembered when he used to be jealous of Tenchou over Kuro, but after getting to know him more, he realized the jealousy was useless. "Oh, Len-kun! So nice to see you again!"

"Hello, Tenchou," the blonde boy replied, smiling. But then he saw the other brunette man, and he was pretty much the tallest of all the four. Len frowned inwardly at how unlike Tenchou he was.

"So, this is the famous Kagamine Len!" he exclaimed. 'He even sounds like a regular man,' the blonde thought. The brunette held his hand out and smiled. "I've heard so much about you from Kuro-chan!"

"Really?" Len took his hand, as Tenchou took Kuro's, and they were both helped up. Kogeinu shook the blonde boy's politely and nodded.

"Yes! You two seemed so close, and now I see she was right!"

"Hehe~" Kuro smiled cheerfully. "Len-kun, this is Kogeinu! I've told you about him."

"Oh, yeah," Len remembered she mentioned him once. "You are Kuro's coworker?"

"Yup! Don't worry, we haven't dated once." The blonde blushed when the brown-eyed man winked at him. "I've been told how jealous you can be."

"I'm not jealous!" Len defended, his face getting hot. The three suddenly burst into laughter.

"I've also heard you can be quite the shota!"

"I'm not a shotaaaa!"

Kuro already had tears in her eyes as she put an arm over Len's shoulders. "Geez, Len-kun! Two years and you still haven't changed!"

The boy was blushing quite madly now.

The shorthaired girl then turned to her colleagues and smiled innocently. "Sorry, guys, but you remember why we're here, right?"

Tenchou nodded eagerly. "Of course! We'll see you back at the hotel~!"

"Don't stay out too long!" Kogeinu warned.

Kuro rolled her eyes. "Who are you, my dad?" Still, she grinned and nodded.

With a final wave, both men turned and walked away from the park.

"They seem nice," Len commented.

"Of course they are! I'm their friend."

The blonde rolled his eyes. "OK, fine. So, you haven't seemed to change."

"What are you talkin' about? Of course I have!" She patter herself proudly. "I've grown at least an inch!"

Len rolled his eyes playfully. "Oh, yeah. That's totally noticeable."

"It's because you've grown with me!" she whined. "We're practically the same height now, I think!"

The boy chuckled and patted her head. "Sure, Kuro. So, any reason why you asked them to leave?"

"Can't I have some alone time with my boyfriend~?"

"Kuro."

"All right, all right, I need to talk to ya."

They began to walk around the park. Len suddenly realized how chilly he was and was glad he was wearing a jacket. He then realized Kuro was wearing a red jacket over a black and white shirt. Her sleeves were rolled up, and she was wearing various colors of bangles and bracelets on each wrist. When Len looked at her, she saw the girl he once knew two years ago. It didn't seem that Kuro changed at all. Frankly, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"How are you, Kuro?" was the first thing that came to his mind.

This caused the girl to laugh. "Good! Life's been fine…but not so much without you!" As she pretended to cry, Len shook his head playfully. Of course she would say something like that.

"I still can't believe you're here…I mean, I've been wanting to see you but…"

'But there are still things I want to tell you but can't.'

"I'm here now, Len-kun!" Kuro smiled. "And I've got some huge news!"

"You finally earned a lifetime supply of tapioca?"

"Ha! I wish! By the way, I stole yours~"

"…Yeah, I figured."

"But this is even better!"

"What could possibly be better than a lifetime supply of tapioca for you?"

"Shh! Just listen. I spoke to the Utaite producers again!"

"Wait…again?"

"Yeah! Like last time. I'm the reason why we even had a collaboration album in the first place. Didn't you know?"

As a matter of fact, Len didn't know. He'd always assumed it was Mr. Hiroyuki who'd planned everything out. Who knew it was actually Kuroneko who suggested it all. Now that he thought about it, did she even know all along he was going to be her partner? Was their fate brought together because of her? It didn't matter now, seeing as they were at least here, and Len shook his head at her question.

"Well, I got them to let us do another one!"

The blonde boy's blue eyes lit up in excitement. "Another album?"

Kuro's eyes twinkled. "Yep! Only this time we get four songs this time since we added an extra two years ago. No more, no less. I'm thinking of calling it "Baby Cupid"…!"

"Not that it's not a horrible idea, but why that?"

"Because I'm thinking of making all of our songs love songs!" She grinned when she looked at Len again. "I already spoke to my boss and Hiroyuki-san! They already agreed, and they were thrilled about it! …Well, my producers were, at least, I've heard Crypton's took a while to give their reply and were rather reluctant about the whole thing. Dunno why."

'I do,' Len thought sadly. Whatever Kuro knew…well, she obviously didn't know it all. The boy was especially indisposed to tell her about anything at the moment.

"Anyhoo, we got our gig! Four songs should give us enough time to recollect and get together again!" She took Len's hands and stared into his eyes seriously. "I have struggled so much just to do this for us."

"Uh…are you sure you aren't overreacting?"

"…Maybe~ The point is, don't you want this too?"

Of course Len did. But if Kuro found out about anything else, who knew what could happen? But seeing Kuro look at him, he remembered how callous he used to be to her. He remembered that though Kuro didn't see it, he knew he was nothing but irritated with her every passing moment they shared. But after falling in love with her, he vowed he'd do anything to make it up one day. This could finally be his chance.

"Of course I do," Len then pulled her into a hug and held on tightly. "No hesitations. I believe we can do this again, and we'll do this better. I promise."

Just a little note, the song used in this chapter is "After School Stride" Kogeinu, vipTenchou, and 96Neko version :3

Hello readers, it's been too long. Two years, has it? More or less. Same number Len has been away from Kuro in this fic.

Regardless of what everyone thought, I still posted a sequel! What gave me the inspiration, I dunno. 96Neko and Len haven't been singing lately. But the first time I heard about the Baby Cupid album, my first thought was "Hey! Riduu and I should make a sequel to this."

We're not fond of sequels, yet we did one! Another little change, if some of you may have noticed, I'm a lone writer now. My brother gave up on writing a long time ago, but I haven't! By the way, really hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I do hope I've gotten better over the past years. I might edit my former fanfic as well!

Be prepared for more guys! Nine chapters to go~ Some of you might feel a little tense about what exactly Len is hiding from Kuro. Well, you'll find out soon! Just be aware for upcoming chapters! Once again, I might update a little late, but that's all right unless you guys are willing to wait.

To all new readers, hi! My name is Ridaa and I am a ridaa (reader). Once again, make sure to read my first fanfic before reading this one; it's called "Songs Can Change Everything" Go to my profile and check it out!

That's all for now, ridaas~ Til the next time I'm free! -Ridaa