~Chapter 1~

Rin and Len had been gone for quite a long time; 6 years to be exact. They had worn the bracelets Miku had given them every single day; they never really took them off, not even when they slept. But when they heard their mother say that they were old enogh going back to their hometown on their own since they were 18, they were as excited as ever. They both immediately thought of Miku and hoped that she was still there. They had so much stuff to talk about! Both blondes quickly packed their bags and threw them into the car as fast as they could, willing their mother to drive as fast as she could to get there. Lily would leave after driving them.

They left at night again, but they fell bounced excitedly in the car on the way there. When they finally arrived at the house-they had surprisingly been able to keep their old house- they wanted so badly to go and bang on Miku's door and hug her 'til she fainted. But it was 3 AM, and Lily wouldn't let the twins go and see the certain tealette. So, they reluctantly went to bed, both hoping that Miku still lived in that same house to the left of them.

The twins woke up late, due to the lack of sleep they had gotten last night. Lily left as soon as they woke up, for she had to be home that night.
Len was still eating breakfast by the time Rin wanted to take a walk around their old neighborhood, to 'remember childhood memories' as Rin called it. Len told her that she could go; he would wait for her back home then go to Miku's together to see if she was still there. Rin agreed and left the house on her own, throwing on an orange tank and some random shorts she had dug around for. She slipped on her sneakers and burst out the door, running up their driveway and coming to a stop at the end. She decided to circle the neighborhood by starting right, saving Miku's house for last.

As she looked at all the house's mail boxes, they all had different names. The house that had read "Akita" in the past now read "Megpoids", and another that had used to read "Sakine" now read "Kasane". And so on.
As Rin passed all the houses with new names, her excitement faded. Her hope that Miku would still be in this neighborhood faded.
But that hope flared back up inside her when she passed Miku's house and the old, rickety sign read, "Hatsune," in peeling, teal paint.
Rin couldn't wait any longer as she ran as fast as she could, burst into her house, grabbed Len by his arm, and pulled him out the door toward Miku's house.
Len had protested because Rin hadn't let Len finish his breakfast, but he stopped complaining when he read the sign for the house. He eagerly picked up his pace and matched Rin's as they ran up to the front door and rang the bell.

The door was answered by a girl with cherry-red hair and a cowlick sticking up off her head. She was dressed in a simple black and white dress, and held a silver tray in her hands for some reason.
"Oh, excuse me, are you here to see the Lady and Master? Oh-wait-how silly. I'm Miki, and you are…?" The redhead asked the twins.
Hm. Funny. The twins didn't remember a maid or anything…
The blonds both shook their heads in unison as they introduced themselves as Rin and Len Kagamine, childhood friends of Miku's. "So…Can we see Miku? We left about 6 years ago, and we haven't seen her since. We'd love to talk to her again!" Rin explained.
Miki furrowed her brow for a minute, which looked like, in concern. "I'm sorry…do you mean Miku Hatsune? Surely you don't…?"
"Of course we do, who else would we be talking about?" Len asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Rin nodded. "I don't think there are any other Mikus or Hatsunes around here.
Miku bowed apologetically. "I-I'm sorry! But…Miku hasn't been…in the best state as of now…"
The twins tilted their heads curiously, their eyes asking 'What do you mean?'
The –apparently- maid sighed and hesitated for a moment before she spoke shakily. "I'll show you what I mean…" She invited the twins inside, her cowlick bouncing as she closed the door behind her and led them upstairs. The blonds followed her willingly, looking at each other in concern. What was wrong with their best friend?

Miki stopped at a basic white door that had at least four pictures at the top. Rin and Len recognized them as old drawings they had drawn a long time ago.
The redheaded maid sucked in a breath before opening the door, revealing a pale, thin Miku sitting in her bed upright, leaning against a huge stack of pillows so that she was sitting up. Her teal orbs were darting everywhere; from the door, to the wall, to the bookcase, back to the door-and so on.

"Miku?" Rin asked, concerned, as she slowly walked up to the bed and put a hand on her best friend's.
Miku's already-huge eyes widened even more as she pulled her hand away quickly, drawing her knees up to her chest and trembling. She didn't seem to speak, just dart her eyes everywhere and shake.
Len rose an eyebrow worriedly and looked at Miku. "What's the matter with her…?"

Miki frowned, still looking at the shaking, thin, frail girl sitting upright on the bed. "We don't exactly know….She doesn't communicate with anyone, really…"
The twins wore the same frown as they looked at each other, their eyes asking the other,

What had happened to their best friend?