Sugar-Coated Accident
Chapter Two

"If It's One Thing, It's Zombies"


The streets were unusually warm that evening – or perhaps it was just the euphoria following their success which made it feel that way.

Their newest song had finally, finally, been recorded, and even the perfectionist Meiko said it was brilliant. A chart-topper for sure; but then again, when had any Vocaloid song not been?

For Kaito, it was a lot like same old, same old.

At least everyone else seemed excited.

Miku was perched awkwardly the graffiti'd handrail that lined the entrance steps to the recording studio. Her cell, studded here and there with pointless phone straps, was pressed to her ear, as she ran through every name in the device and did some serious speed-texting. She was probably planning a celebration party or something.

Len and Rin were stood together in a corner, having a pretty heated discussion – and there was Meiko, tapping her foot in time to some inaudible beat, and then – then, there was Kaito, who didn't look particularly festive. Rather, he was sat by himself on the bottom-most step, head tilted, buried by scarf and hair.

But it wasn't like anyone noticed.

"Aww, Lennn…" whined Rin, hands linked with her twin's. Almost identical, save for Rin's banana-yellow painted nails. "Don't be such a spoilsport! Come with us and celebrate!"

"No thanks," Len said firmly, though he wore a gentle smile. "Go shopping with you and Miku? I don't know if I'd make it out alive…"

"I can't guarantee that," said Rin, half-playfully, half-seriously, "but if you don't get your butt over here right now you may end up a few fingers down."

"You're proving my point."

Only someone a few fries short of a Happy Meal would think torture was a reasonable leverage point in bargaining. The prospect of going to the mall with a self-proclaimed maniac wasn't doing anything to comfort Len. And it wasn't like he was being selfish, either.

Len was just rather attached to his fingers.

"But Lennnn~ You'll ruin my day!"

"Not as much as you and Miku could potentially ruin mine."

"But I was feeling so happy!"

"So was I, and I'd prefer to keep it that way."

"But it's not just me'n Miku that are going!"

Len raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Rin nodded enthusiastically, hair ribbon bobbing so violently it almost went up the boy's left nostril. Fearing for his immediate safety, Len moved back a few steps – but Rin's strong grip didn't waver. "Neru's gonna come along, if she isn't asleep or recharging or in a coma or whatever that girl does in her spare time when she's not glued to a phone, and… And that silver-haired one, Haku! And Teto… And Meiko, too… Perhaps?"

Oh God.

Going anywhere, much less a crowded mall, with a bunch of squealy teeny girls would just be tempting fate.

Kind of like handing your worst enemy a loaded gun and saying "don't shoot me".

And it wasn't like Meiko would be clothes shopping, anyway. Not at seven in the evening. Rather, she'd be seeing how much sake she could consume (and, ultimately, how many innocent bystanders she could insult by shouting drunken abuse and/or nonsensical suggestions at them in too-loud, slightly slurred tones) and then, later on, seeing just how sick it was physically possible to be.

But that wasn't even the worst of it.

The cherry on the icing on the cake would have to be all those suppressed, potentially scarring memories of previous shopping trips with members of the opposite sex.

Being forced into a multitude of inappropriate, floral/pastel/ruffled/lacy/indecent/too-short-and-much-too-femenine party frocks sprang to mind.

If Rin wanted him to go shopping so badly, she was going to have to drag his dead, lifeless carcass along the pavement – and it wouldn't be very fun making a corpse cross-dress.

There would be less kicking and screaming involved.

Not like that would put Rin off, though. Her more brutal songs left Len with no doubt that she could, and would, use torture to get her own way.

"You have to come with me! If you don't I'll… I'll cut off your arms and plant them in my garden!"

…Just like that.

"No you wouldn't."

"I wouulddd~"

"That's called murder, Rin."

"Just a bit of light-hearted mutilation, really."

"It's still illegal."

"When I'm Queen of the World you'll have to what I say!"

"That'll always be the dream," Len smiled, pulling his hands away from Rin's with a little force. "For now, you'll have to be a plain old commoner, just like everyone else."

"But we just finished recording our new song! We worked sooo hard at it! Don't you wanna come enjoy yourself?"

Len grinned, and ruffled his twin's hair affectionately. "Rin. You may think going shopping is enjoyable, but for me-"

"-it's a big pain, right?" asked Rin, slapping Len's hands away from her hair. "Hmph. Have some respect." And, pouting, she began to flatten her blonde locks into something vaguely resembling a 'style'.

"Sory, your majesty." Len bowed, a smirk on his face.

"Shurrup."

"That's not something a lady should say," Len gasped, feigning mock amazement. "Whatever is this word coming to?"

"Fweh. Silly peasant," Rin said, hands falling away from her hair. She now resembled a mad scientist. Or maybe that was the point. Who knew, Rin could've been setting a fashion trend. Even though she obviously wasn't, given that she looked rather deranged and scary. "You were the one who looked like a lady last time we wet to the mall. Me and Miku dressed you up in such adorable clothes! Oh, you made such a kyuuttee Gothic Lolita – and then some random guy tried to hit on you!" sniggered the Vocaloid, counting off the catastrophes with her fingers. "It was fun."

"Don't forget the time Neru fell asleep in the changing rooms and we couldn't get her out, and that old lady thought she'd had a heart attack."

"Or when Teto had a tantrum 'cause this young kid had a pretty balloon and she wanted it."

"Or when Meiko got drunk."

"Meiko always gets drunk."

"It was worse that time."

"Oh," Rin continued to titter, flashing all ten fingers. "I've run out of space; I can't list any more."

"Use your toes, then. There are plenty more complaints coming."

"Okay, okay!" the Vocaloid sighed, throwing her hands upwards as though admitting defeat. "I get the point. You win. No shopping trip for Len-kunnn~"

"Thank you."

A pause.

"…But?"

"What are you going to do?" inquired Rin, curiosity painted across her pretty face.

"I don't know," Len shrugged, not having thought that far. Attempting to out-talk his sister and escape before Teto, Neru and Haku arrived had been the top-most priority, and from thereon afterwards he didn't have a clue.

What could he do, anyway?

Count the clouds in the sky?

Pick loose thread on his shirt?

Find out he was actually a God-like being from another space/time dimension and Rin was actually a very attractive, dues-ex-machina type android/alien who had maddd powers of distortion and shizz?

Or go home and get some shut-eye?

The last one definitely sounded the most appealing.

At least...

It had done, until Len caught sight of Kaito from the corner of his eye – and what a melancholy, heart-breaking sight it was.

He looked even worse than Rin's hair.

His skin seemed unusually pale, reminiscent of some sickly zombie that staggered round video games going "brraiiinsss" until some kind fellow with a gun put it out of its misery. And indeed, Kaito looked like he needed cheering up.

Desperately.

But maybe not with a pot-shot to the head.

There was one thing, though, that Len knew – just knew – would make zombie!Kaito happy; and this selflessness wasn't because he 'liiikeeddd' him, as Rin was so fond of saying.

It was because Len's day had been good. He'd told his twin as much. And he didn't want anything to ruin it. Not teenage girls, or shopping, or being kicked out of every fast food restaurant in Japan because Teto's voice was very loud and squealy and she had an unfortunate habit of stealing things from very young children on mindless, airheaded whims because 'it's sooo kyuutteee, nyaa~", or an upset Kaito.

Especially not an upset Kaito.

Because Len could deal with everything else.


a.n: a little bit of fluff at the end… maybe? xD but the next chapter will be all 'kyuutteee nyaa~" (i hope xD) so wait patiently for a bit? xP
& i picture teto as a silly-face airhead xD i think that personality fits her face~ she's also rather adorable, too ^^
&& thank you for the reviews! they made me smile =3 reviews are wonderful things –hinthintyhint-
;D

~renahhchen xxx