Back again! Just so we're clear, the thing I think I struggle most with is letting characters grow within their defined personalities. I think I'm doing pretty well in this story, but if you have any tips or notice something a little off, let me know.

PAST PERFECT

"You can go first, of course."

Rin sighed. She had purposely held the door open so that Piko would go first, yet there he was, politely declining that offer. Reluctantly, she pushed the door aside and walked inside ahead of Piko.

It had been about a month. This was Rin's fifth lunch with Piko, the fifth time she had entered an establishment in front of him.

So far, Rin had learned three very important things about Piko. First of all, he was extremely polite. Secondly, Rin was pretty sure he used to worship the very ground she walked on. Third, he always put himself last.

It was agonizing.

To watch him avert his gaze if he felt like he had been making eye contact for too long, to listen to him stubbornly negate any criticism she gave herself over the course of conversation, to know that everything he did was intended to put anyone but himself in a better light.

Perhaps this was a good thing. Maybe Piko was simply a humble person who did all the right things and could be called the perfect gentleman. If anything, Rin could have at least tried to enjoy the fact that he always believed she was right, and if he didn't, he still managed to make it sound like she was the wiser of the two.

For some reason though, Rin just couldn't do it. This wasn't to say she couldn't enjoy her time with Piko. She did like the company. They had fairly normal conversations, most of the time. But the more they talked, the more Rin realized she just couldn't stand it.

She desperately wanted to make Piko angry.

To see some sign of self-respect, of pride, to see him become even a little indignant at being insulted. For Rin, this wasn't a matter of being mean or nice. It was a feeling of desperation, something that stemmed from a growing attachment that refused to allow this person to continue on in his shy, subservient manner.

So she had started by arriving late. Really late.

That had failed. There was absolutely no difference in Piko when Rin arrived, save for the fact that perhaps his smile was all the more grateful; Rin was certain he was telling himself in his head to be glad she had even showed up at all. Thus it was that Rin hid her chagrin and offered a silent smile as she approached the entrance and held the door open for Piko. It was a no-go there as well.

When they took their seats, Piko still said nothing. It was another trait Rin had noticed resentfully. Instead of growing more comfortable with each encounter, it was as if Piko was withdrawing more and more. The questions he had dared to ask in his first conversations with Rin were no more; rather, he seemed content to listen to Rin talk about whatever she pleased.

It had been awkward, at first. Rin realized that Piko felt perfectly comfortable with it, so on the second and third outings, she had worked to pull herself into a one-sided conversation for Piko's benefit, hoping he'd soon feel brave enough to help carry it on.

By the fourth Sunday, Rin realized this was not the case. The guy was absolutely clueless. She had tried pausing often, giving Piko time to offer input, but it hadn't worked. The only way she could get him to say multiple sentences at a time was by asking a question, and even that was the luck of the draw. He was also very quick to turn it around on Rin, making her wary of any more attempts. Still, she had to get the words flowing somehow.

"So how has this week been for you?" Rin asked. It was plain enough. There was no way to back out of this one.

"Good," Piko said. Rin restrained a sigh.

"Anything interesting happen?"

Piko shook his head, not meeting Rin's gaze.

Rin couldn't believe it. These conversations were the sole interaction of their week; they didn't text each other, they didn't call each other, and they didn't visit. Piko's hesitant shyness made sure of that. And yet Piko couldn't come up with anything interesting. She scanned her mind to come up with a story from her own week.

"Well, I went to visit my family this week. Yesterday evening, actually. I got to meet one of my niece's friends. Imagine that, hm? We were visiting at the same time. Anyways, I was telling her friend about my brother and his wife because of course Len lacks the proper storytelling skills," Rin started. She paused, hoping Piko might ask about Len or Miku, or even Hana.

Silence.

"Her friend was a funny kid. Didn't talk much. I liked him though," Rin said, thinking about her dinner conversation the previous night and smiling inadvertently. As she thought about it more, she began to realize how different she felt and acted around Len and Miku as opposed to Piko. It was then that she wondered if Piko had a different side as well. She considered herself again. Why did it seem so bizarre to place the Rin who laughed and chatted with her close family in the situation of the Rin who ate lunch with Piko?

Rin looked over at Piko, who seemed to be staring intently at his lap. She was surprised to see this. Usually he managed to maintain fairly consistent eye contact at least through the first five minutes.

"Do you play piano?" Rin asked, trying to get him to look up. "I just thought about it because I was playing for my niece last night."

"I used to play guitar sometimes," Piko said.

"Can you sing?" Rin asked, spurred on by the fact that Piko hadn't managed to turn his answer into a question meant for her to answer.

Piko quickly shook his head and didn't offer any other explanation. Rin's shoulders sagged. She couldn't tell if he actually couldn't sing, or if he just didn't want to tell her he could. Of course she understood that some people just could not sing, but the possibility that he might be able to and was hiding it disappointed her.

"Was there anything you were really good at when you were younger?" Rin asked, feeling that this was the only way to incite Piko's participation.

"Not really," Piko replied. "I was interested in computers. That's about it."

Rin had to mentally remind herself why she continued talking to this man. He was literally giving her nothing. He could be so likeable, and yet…Rin couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was like Piko didn't believe he was worthy of her presence.

Rin wasn't conceited. She wouldn't have assumed something like that about Piko earlier, but by now, she was fairly certain of it: Piko simply felt like he was inferior to Rin. And Rin would have none of it.

Despite her strong female persona, Rin was a strong believer in the idea that men still deserved respect, including respect from themselves. Perhaps it was because she cared so much for Len. When she was younger, in order to display their affections for Rin, fans would sometimes put down the other gender, or compare her to her brother, saying she was far better. She had never understood it, seeing the way Len became visibly discouraged. Why couldn't people praise one person without degrading another?

She brushed the thought aside, turning her attention back to Piko. Deciding to try something out, Rin sat up straight and changed her tone. "Really? Do you know a lot about computers? I've never been smart enough to really get technical with those things," she said.

"No, I never did difficult stuff; I'm sure you'd pick up on it faster than me anyway," Piko said.

There it was again. Rin bit her tongue and thought about her response.

"Is that what you work with now? Computers?" Rin said, choosing to ignore Piko's statement altogether. It was a fairly easy thing to guess, based on small hints here and there that Rin had gathered when it came to what Piko's job was.

"You could say that. I don't do too much, though. I'm a consultant, officially, but I don't think I help nearly as many people as you do, being a teacher and all."

"What kind of consultant?" Rin asked, pushing on, even though every response cut her down further and further. Reflecting on her situation from a neutral standpoint for a very brief moment, Rin could see how Piko's statements would be perceived as normal and acceptable to the innocent onlooker. To her, however, they only provided more evidence of a formula. Downplay self, elevate others. All with complete sincerity and, Rin suspected, unawareness of just how much he was debasing himself.

"An IT consultant. I don't think—"

"I'm sure you're very good at it," Rin interrupted, before Piko could put himself down again. He obviously wasn't confident in his abilities in this area, so Rin searched for something he either enjoyed or felt confident in.

"Do you like to cook?" she asked. She figured it was a safe question. Staying at home so much, he had to prepare his own meals fairly often. The question of the matter was whether they were refined meals or not.

Piko's visage actually brightened. "Yeah," he said. "Do you?"

Rin resisted the temptation to voice her relief but laughed instead. "I wouldn't say I'm bad at it; I just have a certain knack for butchering instructions, so recipes don't go over well with me." Rin found herself pausing, waiting.

At first she didn't know what she was waiting for, but then she realized. If Miku had said something similar to her, or if Rin had said it to Len, the statement would be followed shortly by a sarcastic joke, maybe something to poke fun of the other party. Piko wouldn't do that though. So she stopped waiting for the insult and prepared herself for reassurance instead.

"I could cook for you, if you want," Piko said hesitantly. "Instead of coming to a restaurant, you know?"

Rin was taken aback. She had already put it past Piko to say something like that, but apparently he was making a comeback. Trying to recover herself, she nodded. "I'd love that," she said, not thinking. She blinked in realization of her own words. "I mean, yeah. I like eating other people's food. It always seems to taste better than my own. Of course, my brother is one of the best cooks I know…" Rin began to trail off.

"I'm probably not as good as him…"

Rin sighed internally. She had known it was too good to last.

"…But how about next week then? We can have lunch at my house."

Rin found herself smiling at this sudden leap in confidence—never mind the fact that it was interspersed with doubts.

"I think that would be nice," she replied. In the next moment, Rin realized with slight guilt that she had been manipulating Piko, in a way, to get this response. She couldn't just let the conversation flow. She had to steer it herself. To be fair, there was no conversation to be had; if Rin didn't want to be monologing the entire time, she had to give her prompts some sort of direction. That was all there was to it.

Piko nodded, and where the average person might have quickly come up with another topic of conversation, he was content to drop back into silence. Rin pursed her lips before picking up the slack. "So, have you ever been out of the country?"

Piko shook his head.

"I've been to the U.S.A. a couple of times," Rin said, replying to her own question no less.

"I know," was Piko's response. "For concerts and stuff, right? Is it nice there?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Rin said. It was a start. "It's a little different, but I also went a couple years ago, to take some courses to help my teaching, and I got to sightsee a bit. There are some really beautiful places there, but then again, there are really beautiful places here too."

"Did you have a lot of fans there, too? That showed up to concerts?"

"Sure, I mean it looked like there were plenty of people there," Rin said. "I tried not to pay too much attention to—"

"I wish I could have gone to one," Piko said, and Rin bit her tongue. Of course the one thing Piko wouldn't stop talking about was her own past. Rin wouldn't mind talking about the past, if it weren't for the bitter taste that accompanied any mention of her success as a singer. It was like being reminded of competition, the competition she could never escape: a perfect Rin Kagamine.

"I don't know that the experience was all that exciting," Rin said, trying to downplay the topic with hopes that it might deter Piko from continuing.

However, it was with a sudden realization that Rin felt her shoulders beginning to sag. She was doing the exact same thing as Piko. The exact same thing.

Rin felt an irrational urge to cry well up within her. Sometimes she really hated herself, and at the moment, what she hated most was her inability to connect with Piko. Her interactions with Miku and Len were so much better than this. Rin never felt so frustrated when she talked to either of them. Why?

She knew why. They had all gone through it together; they understood each other's lives, and they all had the same respect for each other. Piko didn't stand a chance. And as the images of concerts and fans flew through her mind, Rin hated herself for it.

"No, if there's one thing I regret, it's never being able to attend one of those," Piko was saying. Rin's thoughts were brought back to the topic at hand. All at once, she gritted her teeth, her adrenaline rushing as Piko finished his sentence. "Well, that's not my only regret, but yeah."

"Piko!" Rin slammed the table as she stood up, and Piko's eyes widened. The dishes rattled slightly, and people near them looked around; Rin glanced at her surroundings briefly before fixing a glare on Piko. "Come with me," she demanded harshly, in a slightly lower volume.

Without another look at Piko, she marched herself out of the restaurant and a short ways down the sidewalk before whirling around; sure enough, Piko was right behind her, looking quite unnerved.

"I am not a celebrity, Piko!" Rin began again, raising her voice. "Stop wishing that you could be like me! You are not any different than me, you are not any less talented than me, you are not any less popular than me, and you are most certainly not below me! Wake up, Piko, and realize that I respect you for who you are!" Rin paused, but only for a moment. "I want to get to know you, and not from just watching you sit quietly—I like listening to talk just as much as you seem to like listening to me!"

Rin finally breathed, feeling the angry flush in her cheeks, and watched Piko's expression change from fear to shame, his eyes lowering to gaze at the ground.

It was only for a second, though, before those mismatched eyes flickered up again to meet Rin's stare.