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"I hope we can stay like this forever. Nothing should change between us." She held her friend's tiny hand in her own, caressing it gently.

"What do you mean?" A soft-spoken voice questioned tentatively.

"See, I trust you, Rinny. Only you."

"T-Thank you…! I-I feel the same!"

"I know that already, silly."

A comfortable silence lingered in the air.

"Please don't leave me all alone…"

Chapter 3: Rainy Days (End)

Rin P.O.V.

"Ahhhh! Ahhh!" I whimpered, clutching my head painfully and tugging at large, tangled fistfuls of my hair. I brought my knees up to my chest, my breathing erratic and strained.

It hurts. Hearing her voice hurts. Always seeing her appear in my dreams hurts. She roams around in my head, thoughtlessly following me with that assuring smile of hers as if nothing were wrong. But I'm wrong.

There was just so much blood. It was so scary. It was all my fault! My fault! I did that to her. I was the one who made her bleed and scream, her agony heavily apparent in her anguished screams. And my god, it was all because of me!

"K-Kagene! What's wrong?! Wake up already! You're scaring me!"

Wha- Who's this? Who's calling my name in such a panicked voice? Is it… you? Have you come for me? Why am I shaking so much? I'm so dizzy… It still hurts.

I clamped my mouth shut with a quivering palm and gulped, swallowing the big lump in my throat. W-Who?!

"Hello?! I know you can hear me!"

No… It can't be. You would never forgive me. You told me that yourself. Then who the hell are you?!

"Ka-ge-ne!"

Wait- I know this voice. The one that was always laughing and smiling… The one I was slightly envious of... Len Kagamine?

My eyelids fluttered open through a haze of tears I hadn't realized were falling. Hot moisture continued to slide down my cheeks for reasons I knew not. They just dripped out against my will, reminding me of the rainfall just outside the building. A vivid image of her standing in front of me with a beautiful, pure smile on her face replayed in my mind.

It was the same kind of familiar smile radiating brilliantly on his lips, gleaming white teeth and all. He squatted down to my level, relief easing his sharpened features. I could only stare at him in disbelief and silence as the tension he placed on my shoulders drastically wore down.

What's he doing here?

Frantically, I whipped my head around in a flurry of astonishment. We were cramped together in the dark, dusty janitor's closet; plenty of light illuminating from the door, which was still swinging back and forth. Various, sloppily-placed cleaning supplies surrounded us, barely leaving space for two people to occupy the closet.

"Oh! You're finally awake! You were having a nightmare or something!" His voice was raw with worry (I wasn't sure if it was genuine or fake) as he shook my shoulders twice more. He maintained eye contact with me, his gaze sharp yet curious. "Are you okay, Kagene? You're still crying…"

Being 'okay' would mean that I was lying. Nodding that I was okay would mean acknowledgement. Not answering would be plain ignorance. I went with the path I've been treading for a long time now.

I quickly averted my gaze to the empty, lower shelf beside me and tentatively, gently, brushed his hands off. The feeling of touching someone else's flesh seemed so uncomfortable and weird. He let them swing freely to his sides, standing up with a recovered smile I was already beginning to dislike.

Please, don't give me such a smile. Actually, why is he acting so familiar with me in the first place? We're complete strangers.

With an extended, inviting hand reached out in front of him, his obnoxious grin seemed to grow even wider. "Need some help?"

I merely whacked his hand away again, getting up by myself. He recoiled his hand in surprise, his mouth forming into an 'o' shape as he shifted awkwardly in his place. A blush formed on his cheeks, showing his embarrassment. "U-Um, sorry about that. I wasn't thinking!"

Go away, Kagamine. We're two very different people. There's no need to force interaction. It'll only lead to an irreparable disaster anyway. Well, that's what I've learned from my life.

After dusting myself off, I continued to ignore his obvious presence and kept my eyes on my clumsy, heavy feet. I wiped the beads of despair that dripped down and out of my eyes and sniffled as quietly as I could. The sound of his shuffling feet a few feet behind me echoed in the bright, empty corridor along with the dangling of the closet's key.

"Are you okay?" he repeated, his voice etched with some type of concern for my well-being.

Not that it mattered, though. It wasn't supposed to. I'm never hurting anyone like I hurt her ever again. I don't plan on breaking my vow anytime soon. If we were to be close in the future, I can't bear to know that I'd probably be the one responsible for killing his smile. That's what I always do.

I could only clench my fists and walk on, letting the silence linger over the thickened air. It was such a painful silence. And this is coming from someone who vowed never to speak again.

I shivered as we walked along the stairwell, the sound of rain hitting the pavement now overpowering all else. I let myself get lost in it, the comforting lullaby of thunder and the skies' cries and shouts of pain making me wince in emotion every now and then. It was better not to think of the person trailing behind me.

This awkward situation… I just want to be left alone. There's no use in interacting with him at all.

After sliding the door to classroom 1-A open, I nearly fell backwards in revelation. I gawked at the room, which was tidied up by none other than Len Kagamine himself. With a hard swallow, I realized that I had left him to do our job all alone. Wow, I'm horrible. No wonder he stayed back so late. I probably owe him now, though.

My narrowed eyes darted to the clear surface of my desk near the front of the room. My things were gone. Kagamine probably wouldn't have touched it, so I guess those girls had something to do with it. Maybe they burned it. I wouldn't mind.

Oh well, it can't be helped. There was nothing important in it anyway. I breathed out a light sigh. My mini umbrella was in there though. I guess I'll have to walk home in the rain then. I stole a quick glance of Kagamine over my shoulder, who was busy gathering his things across the room with a serene expression on his face. The rustling of books and such were all that could be heard.

It was suffocating, to say the least.

Tsk. I swiveled around on my heel, leaving him alone in the classroom. That is, not without hearing a cheerful, "See you tomorrow, Kagene!" from him.

Ah, I'm finally alone again. The walk here was so stifling, especially since I desperately attempted to keep my sniffling quiet. I stretched my limbs out, finally gaining the freedom to move. Maybe my tormentors would come again tomorrow and do much more than simply lock me in a closet.

Ahh… I just want to be homeschooled. But mom won't let me. She doesn't want me to keep running away forever. Speaking of which, I wonder if she's worried. Well, I usually don't get home until it's completely dark, so today wasn't any different.

What time is it anyways?

I increased my pace as I made my way down the stairs once again. I have to get home, or I'll never hear the end of her lecturing. The sound of the rain comforted me, my footsteps silent and posture rigid. Yet, right as I stepped into the battlefield of drizzling rain and muddy puddles in the soil, I couldn't help but look over my shoulder to see if Kagamine was standing there.

Len P.O.V.

"I heard a lot of screaming earlier, boy," Bruno remarked as I handed him his key. He soon added with a sigh, "But I was too lazy to check it out."

I swear, everyone around me is just so lazy sometimes (the image of my sister popped into my mind). He had appeared in the classroom soon after Kagene left the room. But speaking of her, she didn't have any things… Does she even have an umbrella?!

Actually, I hadn't really thought about it but what was she doing in the closet? Was she getting bullied? Is that why her things weren't there? Arghh, I don't even know. It's obvious she doesn't want to be involved with me in any way. I wonder if she hates me now.

But still-!

I laughed dryly, scratching the skin of my cheek. "W-Well, Kagene was locked in there and she woke up screaming."

The janitor cast me a suspicious glance, fiddling with the toothpick in between his teeth. "Don't tell me you tried to take advantage of her, kid?"

"N-No! What?!" I sputtered, incredibly flustered and taken aback. "I'm not like that!"

His voice boomed with amused laughter as he gave me a few hard pats of the back. "Uh-huh. So you didn't have any dirty thoughts when you looked at your sleeping classmate. Ha!"

"No! I didn't! Bruno!" I whined. There's no way I'm that kind of person! If she were some other girl and I were Kaito, the whole thing would've been different! Way different.

"Alright then boy," he sighed, slapping my back once more. Ow, that hurt. "Now get going before your parents get worried."

Worried parents? More like an overbearing little sister! I shivered at the thought of her sly smirks. I hope that lazy child is studying right now instead of waiting for me to come home and cook.

Actually, that might be exactly what she's doing.

With a nod, I slung my bag over my shoulder and left the classroom, only to be greeted by the constant tapping and murmuring of rain. I breathed out another exhausted sigh, tearing my jacket off my arms and throwing it over my head as I prepared to make my way outside.

For a while, I was walking in boring silence, making my way to the cubby with my outdoor shoes. It reminded me of being with Kagene a few moments ago, who was keen on ignoring me and walking ahead as if I didn't exist. Oh well.

What kind of person is she anyways? Why doesn't she speak? Can she speak? What school did she come from? What made her the person she is today? Does she hate me? What does her voice sound like? Is it clear and soft? Raspy and deep? High-pitched and whiny? I have so many questions that need to be answered.

I don't think I've ever actually been this curious about a person before. Everyone else answered my questions for me if I'd ever thought to pry. Communication was the key to fulfilling curiosity. But this- this mysterious classmate of mine lacks that certain aspect…

And damn was I curious.

I chuckled lowly to myself. I think this is the first time in a while that I was outright rejected. Of course, the last time being when Miku rejected me in front of our entire grade but the past was the past. Maybe…

I pictured her bright smile, with shining, ivory teeth, that lit up with moon-round eyes that were a brilliant shade of viridian and the summer sky mixed together. She was always smiling, laughing, joking around, and just being herself. Blushing at the thought, I inwardly cursed for still harboring feelings for her after all this time.

Ah, the cruelty of unrequited love.

I stopped in my tracks, blinking a couple of times when I realized that my arms were cramping from holding the jacket up for so long. My uniform was drenched, the fabric stubbornly clinging to my skin, which was lined with lingering goosebumps from the cold. The thick jacket was helping just a little though. Hang in there, dear uniform! I shivered, trudging in muddy piles in the darkened weather.

The clouds that hung above were a thick layer of asphalt and grime. Rain pellets constantly shot towards the vulnerable earth, watering everything in sight. It cast such a gloomy aura over everything… People are sad on rainy days. They stay inside and sit in the comfort of their shelter. Some mask their tears with the rain. This is why I don't like it at all. It's too sad.

Blinking out of my daze, I realized that Kagene was walking a few yards in front of me. She was slouching, swaying along with the screaming wind. I tried to call out to her, yet it seemed she didn't hear me. Compared to me, every inch of her body was soaking wet. She slowly, meticulously lumbered on with no belongings or protection of any sort.

I rolled my eyes. This girl! How could she go out in the rain like that?! I mean, I did that too but just look at her! She was visibly trembling from the cold, with her arms crossed like that and her fingers clawing at the sides of her arms.

"Kagene!" I called louder, picking up my feet in an attempt to walk closer.

She spun around on her heels with a quirked eyebrow, gawking at my grinning face. Taken aback, her expression crumpled into that of bewilderment. She was probably wondering why I was bothering her.

I ran on my heels, the puddles on the cement splashing repeatedly under the soles of my outdoor shoes. As I stood within two feet of her quivering figure, I tossed my jacket onto her matted, sopping mop of hair and offered her a warm smile. "You can use it. You need it more than me. It doesn't exactly help much but it makes some kind of a difference."

Her pupils dilated at my gesture. Though it was subtle, she nodded in gratitude. She quickly turned her head to face the opposite way, lifting my jacket to shield herself from the persisting rainfall. Kagene never once looked at me again after constantly walking faster, disallowing us from walking closer than three feet.

I also continued walking faster, as we soon found ourselves increasing our paces until we were almost at a jog. I chuckled, realizing that this was almost like a game of tag.

Eventually though, she let me walk a foot behind her. Maybe it was her way of expressing gratitude, but I found myself grinning idiotically at this action. Does she not hate me after all?! With a prideful smile, I broke the silence with a thoughtful murmur, "I don't believe in those rumors at all. There's no way you can be what they say."

She abruptly stopped in her tracks. Luckily, I halted myself from bumping into her just in time. I stumbled backwards a bit, disconcerted.

"What is it?" My brows furrowing as I stared at her back.

After she turned around, I was left with my mouth agape at her expression. She was glaring at me with tears pooling over her eyelids (I could tell that wasn't the rain) and peach-pink lips pursed into a thin, firm line. Her cheeks were tinted a light red –probably from her sudden anger- and I honestly had no idea of what to do except helplessly stammer in my place.

"I-I… Um!" I really didn't know what was going on. I pat her head with an uncertain smile on my face. "If I did something wrong, I'm so sorry!"

With one last look of what seemed to be hatred and –err- guilt, she swatted my hand away, crumpled my jacket, and threw it back to me before running away. Her footsteps rammed on the concrete, puddles splashing and spreading. I watched, repeatedly blinking in confusion and holding my dripping jacket, as Rin Kagene faded into the veil of the blurred, flooding street.

My fists clenched, bony knuckles white with determination. I grinned, my eyes lighting up with joy. I let out a loud, relieved cry, only to have it completely muffled by the rain. Standing there looking dumbfounded and clothes soaking to the brim, I was grinning like the idiot I was from what had just happened.

This… is the first time someone's looked at me like they hated me!

That's- It's interesting! She's intriguing. All my life, I'd been accepted by others because of my friendly personality. It wasn't hard to make friends. I'd lived a normal life with tons of people I care about. No one has ever pushed me away this much before! Without even one word, I'm still just a little hurt.

Well, I guess I'll bother her tomorrow then. It doesn't hurt to find out more about her. *

"LEN KAGAMINE! YOU DUMB CHILD, YOU!"

I winced, muscles tensing as I was forced to listen to Lenka's lecturing. She towered above me after shoving me onto one of the dining chairs. We were in the kitchen, a line of water trailing on the bare floor where I had walked.

While walking home, the rainclouds were already beginning to part. I just hope tomorrow isn't the same.

I sighed, throwing my hands up to surrender. "Can't I just shower now? I mean- I walked home in the rain and it happens to be really cold." A shiver immediately coursed through me as if it were on cue. I was practically freezing, still dressed in my sodden uniform and wetting the floor beneath me.

"Achoo!" I sneezed soon after, the bacteria caught in my heavy sleeve. Rubbing my reddened nose, I stared up at Lenka's furious eyes and pleaded, "Just let me change first, and then you can talk about how dumb I am."

She shot me an intense glare, punching the wall beside her. "YOU! YOU COULD'VE CALLED TO ASK ME TO BRING YOUR DAMN UMBRELLA! YOU RETARDED BIG BROTHER OF MINE. I WAS WAITING PATIENTLY FOR YOUR DUMB BUTT."

Speaking of my phone, it was luckily shielded from the rain, hidden deep inside my bag.

I scratched the back of my head, a coy smile tugging at my lips. "It never crossed my mind."

Lenka groaned, ultimately face-palming herself. She wagged her finger around and continued, her expression softening, "Just… Just please take a warm bath and cook already!"

I smiled gratefully, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for being so stupid, sis. If I get sick, you don't have to take care of me."

My younger sister's frown curved upwards as she playfully ruffled my wet hair. "Of course I do. I'm your sister. Now start bathing so I can eat! I'll study later!" She stuck her tongue out with a giggle.

"Right," I sighed, glaring at the thirteen-year-old. "Food is all you care about, huh?"

"Of course! A girl's gotta eat! Yeah, yeah, don't give me that look. I love you too!"

Holy nutmuffins! I made Len have a crush on Miku! AGAIN. Why do I keep doing that in my stories?!

*coughs awkwardly* I suck at introductions. I guess some of you were anticipating their interaction and I'm so sorry for this. D: It'll get better with time though! I at least know that!

Next chapter will probably longer than this. I can finally focus on their classmates! YOSH.

Please review this chapter as well! Reviews are what keeps me motivated to keep writing! And constructive criticisms are welcome, too! I HAVE TO GET BETTER. Shall we aim for 15+? *winks shamelessly*

OH. And one more thing! I've recently been working on this other story's plotline called "Cinderella's Sorcerer". It's RinxLen and it was inspired by Mad Father. Should I follow through with it? If I do decide to publish it, it'll be soon or a few more chapters into UG.

*Len is annoying me tbh. xD I have no idea why. He's not as arrogant as you might think though.