The Pocky packages were sprawled out all over her floor: Chocolate, strawberry, milk and green tea. She loved each and every one of them – almost as much as she loved oranges. Rin let a delighted smile play upon her rosy lips as she glanced down at the packages right by her bed, reaching down before she selected two sticks of Pocky (chocolate and milk flavour) and stuffed them into her mouth. She thumbed through the magazine before her, cerulean eyes following the lines of several interviews and other articles, but without actually reading them. For no particular reason, she grinned to herself, enjoying the very best her casual Saturday afternoon could offer... or, so she'd thought.
"Whoa! I thought you were going to clean up in here, not mess it up even more!" Len exclaimed in severe dismay, his widened eyes tracking his sister's little trail of Pocky from where he stood in the door case, to where she lied on her bed. He was standing with his hands placed on his hips, wearing a stern expression as he issued her a moody glower across the room. Rin would have giggled, because he just looked too cute like that, but she stifled the impulse. Instead, she flopped onto her side and responded by displaying her most superior aspect. She was a teeny, tiny bit older than him, after all.
"I got bored", she whined and placed another of the oblong biscuits between her teeth – green tea, this time – which she defiantly chewed through. "I just took a break. Relax already."
"You know, Rin…" Her brother paused, clearing his throat before he cautiously continued. "You'll get fat if you eat that much Pocky. In fact, I think you've gotten a bit chubbier lately."
Rin's body instantly tensed and she shot Len a furious look, her eyes smouldering with anger.
"Shut up! I am NOT getting chubby! You better take that back or I'll tell Kaito-nii that you were the one who ate his last ice lolly!" she screeched, hissing viciously in the end of her sentence, or rather, threat.
"Fine, fine, I'll take it back!" Len snapped, rolling his eyes at her feminine sensitivity. "But you should really start cleaning. Meiko-nee will be furious when she discovers this junk yard."
"You mean IF she discovers it. She's going to a bar tonight apparently. I'd doubt she'll even walk past my room before Monday morning. I'll clean it up until then", Rin answered complacently, humming as she turned to the next page in her magazine. Len's shoulders sagged and he sighed as if in compliance. Still, Rin figured he wouldn't recede that easily. She had to come up with a real clever plan to get away with this. A wry smirk curved her mouth. She'd already stumbled upon quite a suitable plan.
"Hey, Lenny… you know what we should do?" she said sweetly, batting her long, black eyelashes towards him in a smarmy fashion. Len's eyebrows bunched between his eyes, delivering her that confounded, inquisitive expression, which merely served to make his appearance even more adorable.
"What?" he wondered, uttering his words with caution, as if he'd already sensed how uncanny the mood had become. Rin gave him a mischievous grin and reached for yet another stick of Pocky.
"We should play a game. If you win, I'll clean up at once. But if I win, you have to clean up."
Her brother stayed stumped for a while, looking completely dumbstruck. Rin kept her smirk pasted upon her lips, keeping it sly, askew and even a bit... seductive. Or that's what she assumed, at least.
"Uh... are you suggesting what I think you are?" Len asked unsurely, his cheeks suddenly gaining in colour. Rin simply nodded at him and, somewhat subconsciously, licked her lips as she placed the biscuit between her lips. Len spun around, and for a brief moment she thought he was about to evade the room. But he all he did was to cast a hasty glance out in the corridor, before he closed the door and locked it. Rin hurried to sit up when he came wandering over with very light, nervous steps. The mattress underneath them shifted as Len settled down, clutching onto his black shorts with shuddering fists. He took a couple of long inhales and exhales before he looked up, an uncommon form of determination crossing his face. Somewhat startled by this, Rin came to realise that her heart had started beating like crazy. She and Len had always been extremely close, unnaturally close even for being twins. But during the beginning of their teenage years, she'd also noticed that some kind of tension had grown between them, causing them both to turn rather uneasy whenever they were alone together. Even now, Rin still found it difficult to put her finger on exactly what it was. However, she knew that the real truth was: She didn't actually dare to consider what the answer might be. It seemed better not to.
"L-let's do this then", Len said with shaky voice, and Rin nodded in return, feeling shy all of a sudden. Len shuffled a few inches closer to her, wavering for but a mere second before he engulfed the other tip of the biscuit with his mouth. Rin felt her cheeks heating up as she took a tiny bite forwards, locking her eyes with Len's while she waited for his next move. He hesitated again, but soon moved his mouth forwards too. This way, they proceeded, slowly cutting the distance between them as their anxious hearts pounded in unison. Their noses were nearly nudging at each other now, and Rin stared deeply into her brother's sky-blue eyes as she closed in with another bite. She had to lean her head to the side at this point and wondered, a bit suspiciously, why Len hadn't retired yet. His sultry, half-lidded gaze still lingered on her, as if he was caught in a trance, and her heart seemed to keep throbbing harder with each second. Since when did the atmosphere in the room turn so hot and heavy? This was just a game, wasn't it? They weren't actually about to cross any crucial boundaries in their siblingship, right?
Len dispersed her delirious thoughts by sliding the biscuit a little further into his mouth, stopping less than half an inch away from his sister's lips. This was it, Rin thought, letting her eyelids slide shut. Just one more bite and their lips would be connected. They were really about to do something so wrongful and shameless that it was frankly unspeakable of, and yet… and yet it seemed so incredibly tempting. Rin's mouth watered as she felt Len's hot puffs of air upon her lips. The thrilling enticement continued to become more and more difficult to resist, even though she knew it was what many would consider a sin. Len's fumbling hand slid across the mattress and clutched onto hers. Their fingers intertwined and Rin's eyes split open in order to take a curious peek at her brother. He kept peering straight at her blushful face, and somewhere deep within her, Rin felt how it urged her on. She drew a last, sharp breath through her nose, holding it as she engrossed the final piece of Pocky between them.
When their lips met at last, Rin's heart was thundering so loudly she could hear it in her ears. Len's lips were surprisingly warm and soft, gentle as they caressed hers. The peck lasted for no more than a passing moment, but as the glanced up and greeted each other's gazes, they both understood one thing: They wanted more. Len's lips crashed down on hers again, rougher this time around, and Rin answered by tightening her clench on his small hand. Before she knew it, she was lying on her back upon the bed, squirming and twitching while Len forced his tongue into the cavern of her mouth. They explored each other heedlessly, forgetting about anything else that might have mattered in that instant. Rin's delicate fingers thread through Len's hairdo, undoing his ponytail, while his fingers stroke across her bare stomach, making her skin ripple with delight. They gasped for air within each little pause they caught, but they were much too impatient to feed their lungs properly. They tumbled and shuddered, moaned and whimpered, burning with desire as their intimacy deepened until it became daring and even lewd. Rin shivered and sighed happily as Len's hands swept over her skin again, crawling upwards, in underneath her shirt, towards her chest and-… That's when she suddenly snapped out of it.
"W-wait, L-Len", she stammered and broke their kiss, unwillingly placing her frail hands on his chest to push him away. Their faces were now flushed dark crimson and their gasps fell heavy out of their mouths. It took around a minute or so before Rin had collected herself enough to speak.
"This… this is wrong", she breathed, her brittle voice quavering. "We're siblings, we shouldn't do this."
Len's eyes narrowed, growing sharp and dour with either hurt or irritation (or both).
"You were the one who started it", he said glumly, pouting while his eyes wandered away from hers.
"I know", Rin whispered and felt how a wave of guilt wallowed over her. "I'm sorry I lead you on but… we can't continue. Somebody might find out about this, and you wouldn't want that either, would you? I think… maybe it's just better if we stop now and pretend like this never happened. Okay?"
A leaded sigh dropped from Len's lips and he withdrew from his previous position, his face glowing with shame as he settled back down on the bed. He fell silent as death and did nothing but stare right out in the air for a long while. Rin came crawling over to him, a concerned frown crowning her forehead.
"A-are we cool?" she wondered, tenderly fondling his arm for comfort.
"I… I guess so", Len grumbled, but his words weren't very convincing. Rin pursed her lips, thoughtfully considering her next actions before she executed them. Gently, she wrapped her slender arms around Len's neck and pulled him towards her. He kept quiet and allowed her to proceed, raising no protests as she leaned his head against her chest and ran her fingers through his rich, golden locks again. But when she was about to brush the bangs out of his eyes, she nudged against his forehead and flinched as she came to a shocking discovery. Len's face was abnormally warm – it was feverish.
"Len, you're burning up! Do you have a fever?!" she exclaimed in horror. How come she hadn't discovered this before? This obviously wasn't just a mere blush!
"N-no… I'm feeling fine. I'm just a bit sleepy, that's all", he murmured and stood up, extending his arms as if to prove that his health was perfectly in order. "See? I'm al… I-I'm a-alright…"
Thump! Rin gave up a shrill shriek when her brother collapsed onto the floor, mushing some of the Pocky packages under his weight in the progress. She rushed over to him as quick as she could and knelt by his side, shaking his unconscious body while she felt the claws of panic ripping through her.
"Wake up Len! Wake up!" she yelled as she continued to rock him, even though she knew it was in vain. "Come on Len, wake up! This isn't funny! Wake up! Wake up already! Lenny!"
There was a dull knock on the door and Rin's head shot up at once. As far as she knew, there was only one person in the whole house who'd knock that politely (most of the others would've just tried to break in directly). She scrambled towards the door, stumbling and tripping on her clumsy feet, until she finally reached her goal. She pulled the handle down, but grew bewildered when the door didn't budge. Then she remembered that it was locked and fumbled with the key to unlock it. After what seemed like an everlasting moment of frustrating fiddling, she managed to flip the key the right direction, and instantly flung up the door to reveal the person that bided on the other side.
"Gakupo-nii!" she panted before the samurai had even gotten a chance to open his mouth. "Len fainted! I think he has a fever! I don't know what to do! What do I do?! Tell me what to do!"
A couple of seconds passed while Gakupo tried to figure out what her panicked rambling had actually meant. But his face soon lit up and he nodded in comprehension, placing a large hand upon Rin's shoulder to move her aside as he entered the room. He accidentally stepped on a package of Pocky as he made his way towards Len, but Rin didn't mind at all. She was just relieved to receive his assistance.
"Len-kun", Gakupo called as he shook Len carefully, but frowned when he didn't get any response.
"I've already tried that", Rin commented impatiently, chewing on her lower lip until it nearly bled. She observed her brother on the floor with frightened eyes, her heart racing wildly in her chest. He looked so small and pale down there, so fragile and pitiful. Oh, if she'd only been more attentive. She should've noticed that he was unwell earlier. She could've prevented things from getting this bad!
"Hold on, I'm going to get a towel and some water. He's probably just a little overheated", Gakupo explained before he marched out of the room, leaving Rin alone and helpless again. She wandered back to Len with uncertain steps, her gaze blurred by rueful tears as she glanced down on him.
If Len had only been just a boy and not her brother, she would've confessed her true feelings for him long ago. But her feelings were forbidden, so she'd kept them sealed up and concealed for their own good. And now, she was in grave despair, because she knew she'd crossed the line. Her past efforts had become futile, and it was all her fault. Once Len woke up, they'd be forced to discuss and figure this dilemma out; because even if he'd been smothering the same sort of affection she held for him… there was still no way they could possibly be together that way. Rin was well aware of that, and that's why her frazzled heart ached and trembled inside her – as if it actually was about to break. She sunk down onto her knees beside Len, stubbornly persisting to hold back her tears since she knew that Gakupo could return any minute. Len remained unconscious and withal unaware of her tremendous misery.
"I-I'm s-sorry, Len… I really didn't mean to… go this far", she whimpered softly as she leaned down and nuzzled into his chest, squeezing her watery eyes shut. "P-please just be okay… Please… wake up."
Suddenly, there was a hardly noticeable jolt beneath her, and Rin's eyes ripped open. She immediately fell at ease once she saw Len's eyelids flutter as he gained back his consciousness. Confused, he peered around him, his forehead deeply furrowed as he tried to make out the current situation.
"What… happened? Why am I on the floor?" he murmured, gaping at Rin with blank eyes. It was solely out of a pure reflex, that Rin picked up a nearby pillow… and slammed it right into his face.
"God damn you Len!" she cried and couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face anymore. "You scared the shit out of me! Don't ever do that again! I was so worried, you stupid idiot!"
She was about to ram the pillow in his face once more, and Len was already preparing to block the attack, when two strong hands grabbed onto her wrists from the back.
"Rin-chan", Gakupo said kindly, giving her a gracious smile as she glanced at him over her shoulder. "Let's calm down a little, okay? You don't want to make your brother faint again, do you?"
Rin blushed faintly and dropped the pillow in an instant. She quickly turned back to Len and shot him an awkward grin, feeling a tad embarrassed over her childish outburst.
"Sorry 'bout that", she apologised, wiping her eyes with her the back of her hand before she helped Gakupo lift Len onto her bed (even though the samurai would've been fully capable of doing that all by himself). Gakupo stayed for a couple of minutes and made sure Len drank plenty of water, gave him some medicine against the fever, and placed a cold, wet towel upon his forehead to cool him down. Despite that the reason to Len's sudden fling of fever remained unknown, Gakupo reassured that it probably wasn't anything too serious and that Len was likely to recover soon enough.
"Thank you, Gaku", Rin told him with a grateful smile. Gakupo bowed and smiled in return.
"Just call for me if you need anything. I'll be in my room", he said as he walked out the door, nodding towards the twins before he quietly shut it behind him. Rin felt like she could finally exhale. It was certainly securing to have an elderly brother figure like Gakupo. She admired how he always managed to seem so composed, mature and reliable… unlike another ice cream obsessed moron Rin knew of. She was a hundred per cent sure that Kaito would've been totally useless in any scenario similar to this one – if not done nothing but making things worse, which seemed more than plausible.
A light cough emerged behind her and Rin spun around, quite surprised to be faced by a very… peculiar aspect from Len. He gazed at her with some mysterious emotion dwelling in the depths of his eyes, titling his head to the side as if he was brooding over a quite complicated matter.
"You have a crush on Gakupo-nii", he stated all of a sudden. Rin almost stumbled backwards in shock.
"WHAT?!" she practically shouted, her mouth gaping wide and her eyes growing large as saucers. "Len, where the heck did you get that from? I do NOT like him that way! Why would I do that? It doesn't make any sense! How can you even say that after… after what happened before?"
Len's face instantly turned from amused to quizzical as he stared back at her.
"What happened before? What do you mean?" he wondered, sounding like he was honestly clueless to what she was talking about. Rin stood as paralysed, studying Len's expression until she decided that his obliviousness simply couldn't be fraud. An unsettling insight slowly dawned upon her.
"Len, do you… remember how you got into my room?" she asked hesitantly, breathless as she awaited her answer. Len bit down on his lips, scowling while he sunk into consideration for a few minutes.
"No, now that you mention it… I don't", he said at last, scratching his head in confusion. "My memory is all blurry… I don't really remember anything clearly since breakfast. It must be because of the fever."
Rin drew a shivery breath, fed herself the information and repeated it in her mind. Amnesia, she knew it. She'd sensed that something was out of place ever since Len opened his eyes. His gaze had been so dull and indifferent, as though nothing particularly significant had occurred within the latest hours.
"O-oh, okay then…That's what I… thought", Rin managed to stammer, swallowing stiffly. She couldn't help but to notice the sore sting of disappointment, piercing through her chest. Len looked at her with even greater confusion and a hint of worry glimmered in the corners of his eyes.
"Did I forget about something important or what?" he asked, spot on, of course. Rin started dithering and knitted her fists. This was undoubtedly a tough decision to make, but even if she loathed herself for lying to her beloved brother, the right choice was nonetheless obvious.
"No, nothing important at all", she said determinately, forcing herself to present the best, fake smile of her ability. However, she was pretty sure that she was weeping on the inside when she excused herself and wobbled out of the room. Her unsteady legs only bore her until the very instant she closed the door, and then, she delapsed to the floor. The petite blonde curled up into a tiny ball at the end of the, fortunately, empty corridor, and hugged her knees close to her chest. The tears had returned and stung hard in her blue orbs, but she wouldn't allow them to escape for even the smallest amount of relief. She soughed heavily and sniffled, but despite her heartbreaking grief, she was somehow able to pull herself together. She rubbed her reddened eyes and rose up at once, standing strong and stable outside her room as she began to repeat the simple, though harsh, facts in her head.
"Len and I are siblings. We are twins. It doesn't matter how much we love each other, because we can never be lovers. I love him, more than a sister should. But I can't do that. I have to shape up and stop being such a wimp. I have to love Len as a sibling, as my brother, and nothing else… period."
Rin closed her eyes and took a deep breath, carving those same lines into the core of her mind so that she'd never forget them. She smacked her herself on the cheeks and breathed out, letting the air surge through her mouth slow and steadily. An appeased grin cracked upon her face and she internally congratulated herself for eluding an emotional breakdown. Well, of course she had. She was Kagamine Rin dammit! This was a piece of cake and she could conquer it easily!
With a confident smile spread across her lips, Rin swung the door to her room open again, making her brother wince in surprise as it slammed into the wall. She skipped over to his side in a split second, instinctively reeling him into a very tight, affectionate hug which was bound to squeeze all the oxygen out of his lungs. Len squirmed in her excruciating clinch, desperately trying to force her away so he could fetch a proper breath. At last, Rin released him, flaunting a vivid grin as she took a small step back.
"Geez, what's gotten into you Rin?" he wheezed, sceptically raising his eyebrows at her.
"I just wanted to show how much I love you Lenny!" Rin chimed and giggled sheepishly. Len gave her a puzzled stare, looking at her with wonder before he sighed yet again.
"Don't you think I know that already?" he muttered, his gaze drifting down to his lap out of abashedness. Rin's smile faded and she shook her head ever so slightly.
"No", she thought to herself, "you probably don't. But, it's okay... That's how it's supposed to be."