Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own Vocaloid. Each character used belongs to the respective company that produced him/her; I merely borrowed them for non-profit entertainment purposes. However, I do claim ownership to the cover art and words below. Please enjoy.

Bored by her parents' conversation with the new neighbors and shooed away by the men carrying all the boxes from the moving van to the new house, six-year-old Miku kicked a red rubber ball around in her family's new backyard. The little girl chewed on her lower lip. New. New. New. There was nothing familiar to be found. Dad got a new job, the family moved to a new neighborhood in a new state, and Miku would be starting a new school with new teachers in the fall where she was expected to make new friends. The frustration in her tiny chest prompted Miku to kicked the ball towards the wooden fence that separated her yard from the neighbor's.

As she walked towards the fence to retrieve her toy, she was stopped by the voice of a girl shouting on the other side. Curiosity overcoming her, Miku pressed her ear against the wood and listened. A boy shouted back. The girl yelled even louder, sounding mad.

"If you don't stop that right now," she was saying, "the new neighbors are going to think we're weird."

"Then let them!" the boy yelled.

Filled with the desire to know who was on the other side, Miku ran towards the oak tree by the corner of the fence and, grabbing the knots on the bark with her hands and pushing upwards with her feet, began to climb towards the thick branches higher off the ground. Further up she went, the boy and girl's argument completely tuned out. She was so focused on getting higher that when Miku was finally able to see over the fence, she nearly fell out of the tree when she saw a boy sitting on a branch and staring back at her from a tree in his own yard.

He was toothpick skinny with hair the color of lemons and eyes like chocolate coin foil wrappers. His gray Sonic T-shirt was ripped down the sides, and his jeans had holes in the knees. After getting over his own surprise at seeing Miku, he said, "Nice to meet you! I'm Nero, and I'm seven-and-a-half. You must be one of our new neighbors."

Miku frowned. "I hate that word."

"Which one? Neighbors?"

"No. New."

Grinning, Nero adjusted himself so that he was lying on the tree branch instead of sitting on it. "What's wrong with the word new?" he asked. "It's a great word! You know, like new toys, new Pokémon, and new friends."

"Not with new house and new school," Miku answered as she, too, made herself comfortable in her tree.

"It can't be that bad."

"Yes, it can. I hate it here. I'm running away."

"Well let me know when you leave," Nero said as he ripped off a leaf and began tearing it apart.

Miku furrowed her brows and asked, "Why?"

"So I can go with you, of course," Nero answered, continuing to shred the leaf to tiny pieces. "I run away a lot, but I only make it three blocks before I get lonely and decide to go back home. We'll probably make it a lot farther if we go together."

"I can't go with you," Miku argued. "You're a stranger."

"Then let's be friends instead," Nero replied, his grin never once faltering. "What's your name?"

"Miku. I'm six."

"Well, Miku-I'm-Six, I hereby declare you my new best friend."

Despite herself, Miku smiled. The boy's wide, Cheshire grin was contagious, and his easygoing attitude made her feel comfortable around him despite their relationship barely being a minute old. She was about to open her mouth and invite her new friend inside for a snack when a woman's yelling voice interrupted her.

"Nero Dorian Akita! Get your butt out of that tree this instant!"

"I thought my stupid sister was kidding when she said she was telling Mom I climbed into the tree to see our new neighbors," Nero whisper loud enough for Miku to hear.

"Stupid's a mean word," Miku whispered back.

"Gotta go," Nero said as he pushed himself upright. "Bye-bye, Miku-I'm-Six."

"Bye, Nero," Miku replied as she watched the boy climb down the tree to meet his mother's scolding. It seemed that Nero tried to argue, but it resulted with his mother taking hold of him by the ear and dragging him into their home. An older girl with the same color hair smirked at the scene.

As the family went inside and closed the sliding glass door, Miku came to the conclusion that perhaps moving to the new house with the new neighbors wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Less than three?" thirteen-year-old Nero questioned as he knit his brows together.

"What?" Miku said as she sat on her front steps, Nero beside her, and put on her sneakers for her and Nero's weekly bike ride to the park.

"You know Lapis Aoki?" Nero began. "She asked to exchange numbers the other day, and just now she sent me a text saying 'Hi, less than three.'"

"Lemme see." Miku looked over Nero's shoulder and read the words on the screen. Snorting, Miku said, "Omigosh, you're such a geek. That's a heart emoji, stupid."

"Stupid's a mean word, Miku-I'm-Six," Nero replied as he playfully slapped her on the shoulder. "But why would Lapis Aoki text me a heart emoji?"

"Because she likes you," Miku sang, dragging out the word likes. "She's got it bad for you, y'know."

Nero raised an eyebrow. "Got what for me?"

"All right, now I know you're messing around." Miku stood to her feet and walked towards her pink and purple bike.

Following behind Miku towards his orange one, Nero asked, "What do I text back? Do I also text her a heart that looks nothing like a heart at all?"

Miku threw a leg over her bike. "Do you like her?"

"I don't know. Kinda, but I don't know if I like-like her."

"Than stick with a smiley face," Miku answered. "It'd be super cruel to make her think that you like her back when you probably don't like her that much at all."

As he put his cellphone into his pocket with the intention of texting back later, Nero replied, "Good thinking."

"You're not wearing that," Miku, sitting on Nero's bed, stated when she saw the I Mustache You A Question But I'll Shave It For Later T-shirt Nero pulled out of the closet.

"Why not?" Nero asked as he held the hanger under his chin. "This is a cool shirt."

"One, the shirt is stupid, and two, you're not wearing a freaking T-shirt to our eighth grade graduation," Miku answered as she fiddled with the Stitch plushy Nero usually kept on his nightstand.

"Maybe I should ask Neru to help me pick something out," Nero said as he put the shirt back in his closet.

"Your sister hates you."

"Which means she will let me wear whatever I want."

"Because your taste in clothes is that bad." Pointing with her finger, Miku said, "Hey, how about that black shirt? It looks graduation appropriate." When Nero pulled out said shirt, Miku frowned. "Never mind. It's missing a button."

Nero knit his brows together. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes, it's a problem." As Nero hung the shirt back up, Miku began, "So, Luki Megurine asked me to the dance."

"Poor guy," Nero replied, eyes still scanning his clothing options. "He doesn't know what he's getting himself into. Did he lose a bet or something?"

Cracking a grin, Miku told Nero, "You think he really likes me?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You're in the same math class."

"That does not automatically make us friends, Miku-I'm-Six."

Biting her lower lip, Miku asked, "I told him that I'd think about it. Should I say yes?"

"Do you like him?"

"Not really, but I don't want to go to the dance alone. What the? Nero, no, that shirt has leopard print."

"Come on!" Nero added yet another shirt to the reject section in the back of the closet. "You're so picky it hurts."

"I'm saving your life, boy. Here." Miku jumped off the bed, pushed Nero aside, and began rummaging through the boy's closet.

While his best friend tore through his clothes, Nero said, "I don't think you should go to the dance with Luki if you don't like him."

"Yeah, but he's the only person to ask me out. If I turn him down, I might not get asked again." Miku stopped searching through the shirts and froze in position. "Would you go out with me?"

Nero put a hand on Miku's shoulder. "Miku-I'm-Six, you're my best friend: I'm obligated to go to dances and such events with you if neither of us has a date."

"But what if nobody thinks I'm pretty enough to want to be my date?"

"Then screw them," Nero answered. "I admit, you aren't the prettiest girl in school-"

"Gee, thanks."

"-but you are easily one of the funniest, craziest, and most personality contained girls on campus. If no idiot can see that, then don't waste your breath on them."

Smiling, Miku continued her closet raid. "Thanks, Nero. I needed to hear that."

"Anytime." As if suddenly remembering, Nero added, "By the way, I'm going to the dance with Gakuko Kamui."

"Then I'm going with Luki so we can make a double date of it." After an irritated huff, Miku pulled away from Nero's closet and said, "This is hopeless. I'm talking to your mom right now and having her take us to the store today to get you something decent. Your clothes are a nightmare!"

"Hey, didn't you say you liked my Spongebob shirt?" Nero asked, following after Miku as she stalked out of the room.

"I love it," Miku answered, "but you should at least try to look somewhat civil for the ceremony, don't you think?"

"Dude, why do you always get to be Mario?"

"My Wii, my Mario Kart, my rules. Now shut the hell up."

"Hey, Piko," fifteen-year-old Nero said after taking a swing from his grape soda bottle, "maybe you should be Princess Peach."

"I think Nero's right," Lui said, smirking as he chose Mario for his avatar.

"You both suck," Piko replied as he chose to play as Donkey Kong.

When a knock sounded at the front door, Lui frowned and said, "I thought Dell wasn't coming."

"I'll get it." With that said, Nero jumped off the couch and ran towards the front door. When he came back, Miku, dressed in a Dragon Ball Z shirt and wearing her hair in a high ponytail, followed behind. Both Piko and Lui stared at Miku, prompting Nero to say, "It's cool, guys. Miku's with me."

Miku smirked for all her worth. "You girls ready to go down? I'm a master racer."

"It's true." Nero nodded.

"I brought Cheetos," Miku added, throwing the orange bag in front of the occupied couch and retrieving the player four controller for herself. "I call dibs on Browser."

Six races later, four of which Miku won, Lui asked, "So what's a cool girl like you doing being friends with this bozo?"

"Hey!" Nero protested, but he went unheard.

"He's been my best friend since we were kids," Miku answered, mouth full of the cheese flavored snack. "It's too late now. I'm stuck with him."

"Hey!" Nero protested again.

Looking at the dirty blond, Miku grinned. "Love ya, Nero."

Despite himself, Nero smiled. "Love ya too, Miku-I'm-Six."

"And then the jerkwad had the audacity to tell me that it was my fault for wanting to take my time!" Miku paced with rage, throwing her hands in the air and screaming between sentences. Nero all the while sat in the tree in Miku's backyard and snacked on a bag of pretzels. "I thought he was with me because he really liked me, y'know?" she continued. "If all he wanted was sex, then he shouldn't have made it seem like he was willing to wait for me. Ugh! And I was considering giving my virginity to this douche until I saw him with that girl. Man, I'm absolutely furious."

"You're taking this well, I have to say," Nero said as he munched on his salty snack. "You sure you don't want me to murder him? I think I've watched enough CSI and Blue Bloods to get away with it."

"Nah." Miku waved her hand in the air, wiping away the offer. "That moron is not worth the jail time if you get caught."

"He hurt you; seems worth it to me."

Without responding, Miku climbed the tree, sat next to Nero, and began digging her fingers into his pretzel bag. "I don't know why I keep putting myself out there," she said as she nibbled on a pretzel.

Nero pat his friend on the shoulder. "Your dad left when you were twelve. It's only natural that you're trying to fill that void by getting attention elsewhere."

"So that's what I'm doing." Miku didn't question it. To her, she merely stated something she always knew but never wanted to admit.

"At least this didn't end with you doing something you'd always regret."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I didn't waste any time." Miku sighed. "Nero, do me a favor."

"No, you can't have my pretzels." Miku punched his shoulder, and Nero laughed before saying, "Whatever it is, I'll do it. You have my word."

"Great, kuz I need you to slap me every time I think about entering another relationship." Chewing on the food in her mouth slowly, Miku pondered her next words. "I'm not in the state of mind to be in the dating pool. Shoot me if you have to, but don't you dare let me become somebody else's girlfriend, understand?"

"Perfectly, Miku-I'm-Six." Nero slung his arm around Miku and pulled her close. "You're a beautiful and independent young woman, anyway. You don't need no man to make you feel special."

"That's sweet, but totally not true." Before Nero could argue with her, Miku said, "I need you, stupid. You're the only person who's seen the worst in me and still stuck around to love and accept me anyway. Without you, I don't question that I'd be a lot worse off right now."

Rubbing small circles on Miku's back, Nero replied, "Hey, what are friends for? Besides, without you in my life to talk me out of doing stupid things, I probably wouldn't be alive to be there for you in the first place."

Miku chuckled. "Glad to see that this relationship is mutually beneficial. I'd hate to be a burden on you."

"You're never a burden, Miku-I'm-Six."

Instead of replying, Miku lied her head on Nero's shoulder and continued to eat the pretzels from his bag. After a few moments of silence passed, Miku straightened up and jumped out of the tree. "Okay, that's enough serious moments for this month. Wanna come inside and play Just Dance?"

"Absolutely!" Nero crumbled up the plastic bag before following Miku into the house. "I'm so kicking your butt in California Girls."

"Go to an away game with me," she said. "It'd be fun," she said.

It wasn't that Nero minded going to an away game with Miku despite his lack of interest in the school's football team, but he simply wished that girls would stop flirting with him. It had taken him over ten minutes alone just to get to the snack bar, and now the girl working behind the counter seemed interested in him.

"Why do all the hot guys not go to this school?" she complained as she prepared Nero's order of nachos. "I'm not a picky person or anything, but it's so hard to find a guy who not only doesn't look like a pot smoker but is also not taken. The popular girls are like vultures here, always hooking up with the most decent guy the second he becomes single."

I never said I was single. Eyes widening at the thought, Nero shrugged as if unaware of the girl's flirtatious intents and said, "And about that second set of nachos, I'm going to need extra bacon. That is possible, right? Because my girlfriend is a bacon addict, and God forbid I forget to ask for extra bacon in her nachos."

The girl slowed to a snail's pace as she processed Nero's words. "Your . . . girlfriend?"

Before Nero could say anything, somebody shouted his name. "Nero! What's taking so long? And did you remember to ask for extra bacon in my nachos?"

Praise bless! "Miku!" Nero waved her over.

Miku exhaled in relief when she saw him. "You were taking so long I began to get worried. I know you have no sense of direction, but I didn't think sending you to get snacks would be any trouble."

"Just got held up," Nero said.

"Is this your girlfriend?" the girl asked as she set Nero's order on the counter.

"Girlfriend?" Miku questioned. "Ouch!"

"Yes, this is my girlfriend." Nero noticed Miku glaring at him, unhappy with his pinching her side. "I remembered the extra bacon, sweetheart, but you really shouldn't eat that. It will clog your arteries, you know."

"I'll eat whatever I want whenever I want." Miku turned her attention to the girl. "Do you believe this? Most guys would love a bacon addict girlfriend, and this one has to complain. Oh well, I love him anyway."

"Uh, yeah." Brows furrowed, the girl rang up the order. "That will be $14."

"For nachos? Geez, y'all expensive." Miku retrieved the order while Nero paid. "Thank you so much!"

As they walked away, Miku said quietly enough to not be overheard, "She's really cute, Nero. Why'd you pull the girlfriend stunt? That's the third time this week."

"I'm not abandoning my best friend in her time of need," Nero replied just as quietly.

Miku rolled her eyes. "Don't not date because I want to take a break. I'm not going to feel like a third wheel."

"Who said you would be the third wheel? Miku-I'm-Six, we're so close that any girl who dates me will consequently be dating you, too."

"Yeah, please don't speak those words aloud ever again." As they returned to their seats in the bleachers, Miku frowned and said, "Stupid girl forgot my extra bacon."

Inside of Nero's bedroom, both teens lied on the floor with their heads on each other's shoulders and toes pointed towards opposite walls. They did this sometimes, lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, and listening to the other breathe. Whenever one said, "I want to lie on the floor with you," the other immediately knew that something was weighing heavily on the mind and that both needed to take a moment to mentally prepare for the conversation. However, this situation differed as both Miku and Nero said the magic words at the same time.

It was Miku who finally broke the silence. "You need to slap me."

"Why?"

"I think I'm going to break my no-boys swear."

"You know you aren't swearing to become a nun, right?" Nero asked. "Didn't you say you just wanted to take your time before dating again?"

"Yeah, but I still think I shouldn't jump on every pretty boy I see," Miku answered. "I'm a little clingy, aren't I?"

"Kinda."

"Crud." Miku ran her palm down her face. "I saw that new student today - you know who I'm talking about? - and melted at those pretty cerulean eyes. Not to mention the blond hair. I've never cared much for blond hair, no offense, but in that moment blond became my favorite hair color. I need you more than ever to keep me from doing something incredibly stupid to impress the new kid because I'm already considering some idiotic things that I know future me is really going to regret."

"Sure," Nero replied, "but the fact that you're hitting on the girl I have a crush on is already a big step in the direction of stupidity."

Miku furrowed her brows. "Huh? Nero, I'm not crushing on any girls. Didn't you hear me mention that this is the new student I'm talking about?"

"Yeah, and that's who I'm thinking about," Nero said. "She's super cute, so I'm not surprised you would be interested in her, too."

"Okay, I know he's pretty feminine looking, but this is taking the jokes too far."

"I swear I'm serious!" Nero swore under his breath and closed his eyes tightly to think. "I believe her name is Erin. Erin Kagamine. See? Totally a girl. Unless her name's actually Aaron with an A and she's really a crossdressing dude, in which case I'm now questioning my sexuality."

Mouth agape, Miku ran what Nero said over her mind again and again until she understood what he was telling her. At the realization, Miku began laughing so hard that Nero kept repeating "What?" even though it was clear Miku was in no position to reply. When she calmed down, Miku said, "I know the new student has a twin sister, but I didn't think they would look enough alike for you to be thinking of her." Seeing Nero's confused face, Miku explained, "I'm talking about Allen Kagamine."

It was Nero's turn to process what his friend had said. "Dadgum," he said as he laughed at the connection, "who would've thought we'd be crushing on a set of twins? Really, this Allen kid also has blond hair and cerulean eyes?"

"Yep, so I'm assuming Erin does, too."

"Geez." Nero chuckled all the more. "I never thought I'd see the day when we like the same things in people."

"Well we don't know them yet," Miku said. "For all we know, they're nothing alike. Our crushes will probably die once we get to know them."

"Or soar, but whatever. Still, a set of twins? Imagine if it all worked out and we ended up marrying them. Miku-I'm-Six, we'd be family."

"But we're already family!" Miku exclaimed. "You know as well as I do that it's neither blood nor marriage that makes someone your family. It's the love you have for each other."

"I know that." Nero smiled. "We will always be family no matter what. Anything that tries to change that is something I need to cut out of my life."

"Same here." Miku closed her eyes. "You're my best friend."

"Ditto." Nero hummed for a minute before saying, "Hey, if we're both still single when we're fifty, let's get married."

Miku burst out laughing. "Not gonna happen."

"But what's the point of having a best friend if you don't make an agreement with them to marry each other if the both of you are still single by a certain age?"

"Then I hope our crushes on the twins are a sign of fate because I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than marry you."

"That's cold, Miku-I'm-Six. Very cold."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, you will be. I'll be a total player when I'm fifty, anyway. You will be crushed by your strong desire for me with the knowledge that you can never tame me."

Snorting, Miku reached over and hit Nero on the chest. "Love you, dude."

Nero reached over and flicked Miku on the nose. "Back at ya, bro."