Author's Note: I'm probably not going to have a lot of readers because this is RinXNero, but I don't care. This was supposed to be a MikuXLen fanfic, except the more I thought about it the more I saw Rin-Chan and Nero-Kun as the main characters, especially since the personalities of the singers really suit the two far better than Miku-Sama and Len-Kun. Besides, RinXNero needs the love more anyway. :)
Suki Kirai is one of my favorite Vocaloid songs, so writing this is a must for me. I really hope you guys enjoy this!
-Ray
Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid, Suki Kirai, or characters playing their trumpets as they walk through the school halls. I stole that last one from a Katytastic NaNoWriMo vlog, so Kat owns that character quirk. I just liked the idea so here I am using it. :P
It was the first day back at school after Christmas break. Rin tightened the hug she was giving herself in efforts to keep warm as she approached the entrance to the junior high school. Just because she lived in warmer climates in which it never snowed didn't mean she never found January freezing. It was cold, the air was moist, she had to wake up early after two weeks of sleeping till noon, she did almost none of her holiday break homework, and she found no reason whatsoever to smile and be cheerful. January is nothing more than the Monday of the months, and not to mention the day was Monday. Who even likes Monday anyway?
"Hey Rinny!" the boy who shared math, social studies, and art with her and always greeted her in the halls said as he flew past her. His shaggy dirty blond hair hung in his cheerful golden eyes as they shone at the sight of Rin. "Don't you just love Mondays?"
I stand corrected.
Lucky for Rin he was gone before she could answer. If anything, she was not in the mood for conversation. Especially with a hyperactive weirdo who just had to be cheerful and excited about everything. Homework included. Whatever he was, Nero Akita was not human.
"You didn't tell your best friend hi," Len said, intentionally annoying Rin. He knew she didn't like the boy, so naturally whenever Nero was around Len felt the urge to nudge his sister and say, "There's your best friend!" Any good sibling would do that, after all, and Len was the best any person could ever want.
"Put a sock in it," Rin huffed before running ahead of her twin in hopes to get in the warm building sooner.
Once inside, Rin removed her scarf and hoodie and stuffed them into her otherwise nearly empty backpack. She almost never carried her books anyway, so might as well make use of the thing. Len on the other hand always had all of his books with him, giving him an overstuffed pack to carry every school day. "Mock me now," Len had said once when Rin had called him a nerd, "but with all this weight I'm carrying I'm going to get super strong while you're still weak and girly." Rin had merely rolled her eyes and told her twin that no matter how strong he got she would still be stronger.
As if she had no reason in the world to care, Rin skipped to her first class of the day, Literature. Already present and saving a seat for the blonde was Miku Hatsune, Rin's best friend since the third grade. Miku looked so stylish in her black leggings and cream skirt combo, and her baby blue sweater helped to bring out the blue in her large turquoise eyes.
"Morning, Rin," Miku greeted as Rin plopped down next to her.
"Hey Miku," Rin returned.
"So, what did you think of The Christmas Carol?" Miku asked as she played with the ends of her French braid. Rin was always jealous of Miku's ability to grow such long hair while Rin's barely grew at all. Miku's hair reached her hips, and Rin's barely passed her chin. Even Len could grow his hair faster than his sister, a fact that has always annoyed her.
"That depends," Rin answered. "Disney's 2010 film is amazing, but I kind of like the live action adaption a little more. The musical is all right. Though my heart still goes out to the All Dogs Go To Heaven version because that's the one I grew up with." When Miku groaned and slapped the heel of her palm against her forehead, Rin forrowed her brows and asked, "Are you okay?"
"That's not what I meant, Rin," Miku answered with a moan. "I meant the freaking book. You know, the original novel by Charles Dickens? We were supposed to read it and write a book report on it for Literature homework during break."
"Well why didn't you say so?" Rin giggled as she unzipped the front of her backpack and pulled out a few sheets of computer paper covered in ink. "I wrote a thorough review on it, and I do hope that Ms. Megurine enjoys reading my critique on the classic."
"You little twit," Miku shook her head at the mischievous girl. "For a moment I thought you were getting a definite F."
"Even so," Rin smiled as she put her pack back under her desk, "Fs are easily changed into As." Not that the task would be necessary. If Rin Kagamine ever decided to actually do her homework, nothing about it was going to be done with only half the effort.
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He's at it again Rin thought when she heard the familiar toot of a trumpet coming from up the hall and slowly making its way towards her.
"No wonder Nero is the best trumpet player in the orchestra, he practices all the time," Len noted as he and Rin left their shared science class - a class where Rin and Len always shared a textbook since Rin could never be bothered to ever bring her own copy - and prepared to head to their last class before lunch.
"He's annoying," Rin retorted with disgust. "Why can't he save it for band like a normal person?"
"Maybe he doesn't care what people think," Len shrugged.
"That much is obvious," Rin mumbled.
"Or maybe he's proud of his trumpet playing ability," Len added.
"Then in that case he's a show off," Rin snorted at the same time Nero came into view. "I need to go," Rin said as she tried to move behind her brother.
"Then head in the direction of your next class," said the irritated Len.
"You don't understand," Rin began. "If Nero sees me-"
"Hiya Rinny!" the sound of the trumpet stopped in favor of its player greeting a certain classmate. "Wanna walk to math together? I can play you a song fit for a queen."
Great, now everyone who was present was staring at Rin. She was undoubtedly going to hear teases about this for the rest of the month. Why of all the people Nero shared class with Rin was the only one he ever had to single out? It was beyond embarrassing.
"Oh, uh," Rin tried to think of an excuse. "I would love to," the first lie, "but, um, I need to take a stop at the restroom," lie number two. "Go on ahead. You wouldn't want to be late to class because of me."
"Oh, I wouldn't mind," Nero shrugged, his playful golden eyes shining with mischief.
"Well, I, uh, have to find Miku and return her, um, favorite pen. She has a test in geography, and she can't do well on a test without her favorite pen to write with." Strike three, you're out!
"Okay, I see you have a lot to do before math," Nero said, finding nothing about Rin's excuses suspicious. "Don't be late!" he called over his shoulder before returning to his trumpet playing as he marched down the hall with pride.
When the boy was out of earshot, Len whispered to his sister, "Did you really have to lie to him? A simple 'no' would have sufficed. Besides, what could possibly be so wrong with walking to class with Nero?"
"What could possibly be so wrong with you that you actually had to ask?" Rin huffed. "He's absolutely annoying. Not to mention he's an idiot."
"How is Nero an idiot?"
"He just is!"
"Wow. With that reasoning, you should become a lawyer."
"Oh!" Rin rolled her eyes. "I just want to know why that stupid moron can't leave me alone!"
"It's not that hard to figure out," Len said.
"What's not hard to figure out?" Rin asked, raising her eyebrows.
"You really don't know?" was Len's surprised answer. "Geez Rin, you're calling Nero an idiot yet you're as dense as they come."
"I am not dense," Rin defended herself.
"Sure you are," Len sarcastically replied.
"Whatever," Rin mumbled before stalking away from him. "I need to get moving. By the time I get to class enough time should have passed for me to use the restroom and return Miku's favorite pen. If I walk real slowly, I should pull off the timing."
"You're unbelievable," Len mumbled. "By the way," Len called after his sister, "Nero already asked me in our last class if I was cool, and I told him he had all my support!"
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Rin asked, but when she turned around all she could see of her twin was his retreating figure. "He's probably just messing with me," Rin mumbled as she continued her walk to class. "Probably getting payback on me for eating his Christmas cookies. Well, it's his fault for leaving them out in the first place. The stupid banana brain."
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If only Rin could think of something to say to keep Nero from walking her to lunch. As she had sworn herself to no more than three lies a day - her way of trying to gather some integrity after a childhood spent lying like a politician - Rin had used up all of her strikes before lunch and now had to spend the rest of the day in honesty. What was she thinking, limiting herself to three lies a day? She needed more like three hundred with the roll back special.
"Could you please not play the trumpet on our way to lunch?" Rin had to suppress a moan.
"I could, but I won't," Nero replied, his classic goofy grin never faltering on his face. With that he again played his trumpet, the noise loud and proud for all to hear.
He's never going to get a girlfriend if he keeps that up Rin thought as she tried to hide her embarrassment as she and Nero walked to lunch. She knew she should have bolted out of the classroom the moment the bell rang. Now she was stuck with Nero as the entire school laughed at them both. It took all Rin had to not hide her bright pink face behind her backpack.
The second they passed through the cafeteria doors Rin's eyes scanned the crowd for a familiar face. Finding the turquoise hair she knew so well, Rin said to Nero, "I'm going to sit with Miku. Thanks for walking me here!"
"Any time!" Nero called after her sprinting figure, seemingly joyful that Rin even bothered to thank him at all.
Rin ran up to the seated Miku, doubled over, and began panting. "Do you know how embarrassing it is to walk anywhere with him while he plays that stupid trumpet?" Rin asked after she caught her breath.
"With your tomato face, I say very," Miku answered as her best friend sat across from her.
"I wish he would leave me alone," Rin groaned as she folded her arms on the table and lied her face on them.
"He's just being nice, Rin," Miku replied before taking a bite of the school lunch, pepperoni pizza. "I think it's very sweet of him to be so polite."
"You're kidding me, right?" Rin asked, her voice muffled through her arms. Sitting upright she added, "Please tell me you're kidding."
"Hate to break it to you, but I'm not," Miku said over her mouthful of food. Swallowing, she continued, "You know as well as I do that Nero Akita has to be one of the nicest boys in this entire school. The problem you have with him is you find his trumpet playing and overly friendliness to you annoying."
"Because it is," Rin responded. "Of everyone in this school, why am I the only one he singles out so much?"
Miku looked at Rin as if the blonde was just dropped off from another planet. "Now it's my turn to ask if you're kidding me. Do you seriously not know? Or at least have any clue at all?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rin said slowly, her brows furrowing together. First Len, and now Miku? What was it Rin did not know?
"Hey guys," Len greeted as he sat next to Miku and set his tray on the table.
"Hi Len," Miku smiled while Rin just waved.
Seeing how both Miku and Len each had their pizza slices for lunch, Rin began to stand as she said, "Well, I'm up to get my food."
"No need," Nero's voice said, followed by a tray of food being placed on Rin's spot.
Rin looked behind her to find Nero smiling at her before sitting beside her with his own tray of food. "Since you didn't head straight in line," he said, "I thought I would get a tray for you as I got my own."
"Um, thank you," Rin said as she looked at the food. Nero hadn't done that before. Then again, today was the first time he was so persistent in walking her to class and then lunch. Normally he would just ask, not find any reason to ignore Rin's excuses. When Rin thought about it, Nero was being kinder than usual.
It was annoying the hell out of her.
She tried to ignore the blond as he made conversation with the others. He and Len, sharing most of their classes, got along well, and he and Miku made decent conversation, but whenever he tried on Rin she only said as little as possible. I wish he would just leave me alone Rin thought as she sent a glare his way.
Every time he was around her Rin felt this weird mixture of emotions. It's as if her stomach was trying to twist itself into the most knotted up pretzel the world has ever seen. There were even times Rin couldn't get the annoying twerp off her mind she disliked him so. She really hated it.
Rin quickly stuffed down her lunch and excused herself from the table in favor of heading to her next class early. When Nero offered to walk her to that class as well, going so far as to promise to not play his trumpet the whole way, Rin turned him down as she was secretly grateful she could use the fact he hadn't finished eating yet as a reason to tell him no.
Once she was out of there Rin released the breath she had been holding. The school day was halfway over. She could definitely last for a few more measly hours.
What on earth could possibly go wrong?
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Where is he? Rin wondered as she waited outside the school, sitting on the steps, tightly crossing her arms, and impatiently tapping her foot. Len was usually never this late in getting out. Even Miku had left ages ago, so what was taking Captain Banana Breath so long?
"Hey Rinny!"
Oh gosh Rin sighed as she put on her best fake smile and turned her previously aimless stare in the boy's direction. "Hey, Nero," she lamely greeted.
"Glad you're still here," Nero began as he sat across from her on the steps. "I wanted to talk to you."
"I don't think you will have the time," Rin said, hoping her pathetic slow poke of a twin would pick up the pace and meet her at any second. The next two, if she wanted to be specific. "Len should be here at any moment." Come on Len. Where in Victory Road are you?
"Nah, I'll have plenty of time," Nero casually shrugged. "I told him to give me a chance before you two left for the day."
"A chance?" Rin questioned. "What are you talking about? A chance for what?"
As an answer, Nero stood again to his feet, kneeled in front of her, and boldly took both of her hands in his. Rin, blushing from the sudden contact, tried to rip her hands away from Nero's, but his grip was too strong for her.
"Rin Kagamine," Nero began. Taking a deep breath, Nero locked eyes with Rin and used all of his confidence when making his proud declaration.
"I like you!"