Summary: Kagamine Len is a "freak". At least, that's what his parents say to him. He is at odds with his own gender identity, unsure if his a male, or if he's meant to be female. Everyone that should love him, treats him differently and shows no love, only regret in his "birth". Because of this, Len is so scared for anyone to find out what's wrong with him. So afraid he hasn't been able to make friends. He just doesn't want people to realise he's not like the other guys.
Warnings: BL/Yaoi. Transsexualism. Smut (in later chapters).
A/N: I'm sorry I have taken this long to update. Things... haven't been good. Been on and off all kinds of medication because of complications plus a nervous break down. I haven't written anything in ages either. Chapters might be slow, and I am sorry about that. I'll try to keep up-to-date. Anyways, I don't exactly remember everything that happened in this. I remember Gus (you'll find out who that is very quickly ;) ) and that this is Kaito's party. I might have to go back and re-read the story before I can pick it up again lol. Enjoy!
Chapter Nine
Len was surprised on how small Shion-senpai's place actually was. It was smaller than Aiko-san, but then again, Aiko-san had a large family; Shion-senpai was an only child. The garden out front was plain old grass that had been mowed in the last day or two. The drive way was fairly small, and the front was pretty dull compared to Aiko-san's place (why was he constantly comparing the two was beyond him). Then again, the apartment complex he lived in wasn't much better either. When he stepped inside, he felt like he was walking into a washed out place. There wasn't many photo's around the place; the odd one here or there, but that was about it. No plants, just plain furniture. A black leather sofa, two arm chairs, two bookcases, a decent sized TV and a game console on beside it. That was literally the living area. The dining area was… a slight improvement. The table was a warm wooden colour, being a lovely honey orange shade. The chairs were designed with pretty flowers on the cushion and wood to match the table. There was a bookcase there too with a few cookbooks and just random bits and pieces.
That was all Len saw before he was ushered out the backyard. It didn't change his view though. Who'd want to live in such a-
Len took a very deep breath when he saw the backyard. Comparing it to the house and front lawn, it was huge! So much space for entertaining and just… massive. To his left was the pool and what he believed was a spa bath; fenced off from the rest of the garden by long glass panels. The centre was the only grass area that also had a large washing line in the centre. To his right was where the business was. In the far left corner there was a small private seating area that wasn't exactly the easiest to see. The rest of the left hand side was a large undercover eating area, with a table big enough to fit about fifteen people at it. There was a long brick bench that had a fridge against the house wall and a large barbecue in the centre. It was decorated with lavish planets and lighting that told Len this was where the action was.
To be honest, Len didn't know what Shion-senpai's parents did for a living. Considering the way the area was decorated, the must often have parties outside.
Len turned his eyes back to the pool but was greet by a white fur ball that came racing towards him.
"GUS! NOOOOOOO!"
Too late. When Len finally caught up with reality, he was being slobbered over by this white fur ball thing that must have thought he was some interesting chew toy. When it finally sat back, pleased with its greeting, Len just stared at it. Now that he had a moment, he realised this fur ball was a dog. A very cute, white dog that wasn't too big, nor too small. It was probably about as big as his chest and torso. Then it barked at him, as if trying to greet him once again. For a minute, Len wasn't sure what to do until two pair of hands grabbed it, pulling it away. Next thing he knew, Shion-senpai and Aiko-san were staring at him, looking worried. "Are you alright? Did you hit your head?" Aiko-san said, offering a hand to help him up.
"N-No, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Aiko-san pressed.
"I-I'm sure."
Suddenly, Shion-senpai grumped and looked at the dog in his hand. "Gus, that wasn't very nice. You just can't tackle my friends. I want them to like you, you know."
Len looked at them both. "W-What dog…"
Shion-senpai grinned at Len. "He's a Japanese Spitz; we adopted him and another one a few years back. Normally Gus and Shin are shy, but clearly Gus really likes you," he winked then looked at the dog. "Gus, you have to apologize to Len now."
For a minute, Len thought Shion-senpai had bumped his head as this felt so strange when Gus suddenly gave Len the most woeful look and let out a small yelp as if he was seriously trying to say "sorry". Ok… maybe Len had hit his head too hard, because there was no way…
"Good boy Gus!"
Len rubbed his forehead and glanced at Aiko-san who looked equally confused. However, she was quicker to recover. "Anyways, Len better stay out the pool after that fall. We don't want him fainting or something," she said, still convinced he'd hurt himself. After what just happened, Len was pretty sure he did hit his head… unless Gus was just really, really smart and could speak.
Shion-senpai looked at Len, frowned then sighed. "Maybe for a little while. Just in case."
Katsurou swam up to Len, using the ledge beside him to push himself out the water before sitting himself by Len and the stair way into the pool. He stretched for a moment then sat back, watching the scene silently beside him. Len did his best not to glance at Katsurou who was so focused on everyone in the pool. His eyes were centred straight on Shion-senpai who was currently arguing with Hibiki about something stupid. Len hadn't paid much attention really, instead he watched the people around him interact with themselves and Shion-senpai. He made such smooth transitions from one conversation to another, and never stopped charming people with his bright smile. For a minute, even Len was charmed, though he was still recovering from the shock of Shion-senpai having a talking dog.
Then, Katsurou spoke. "I heard you saying to the teacher once that you couldn't swim… was that the truth?"
No, it wasn't the full truth. Len could swim, just not as well as the others. "I sorta can swim… just I have a tendency to sink."
"Ryu said you never went to swim class… isn't it boring just sitting here watching everyone?"
"I guess…" Len whispered, still unsure what Katsurou was getting at.
"If you want… I could teach you to swim."
"Pardon?"
Katsurou looked away, slightly embarrassed. Looking at his profile, Len was pretty sure the guy was blushing. Katsurou was pretty cute if there was a word to describe him. You wouldn't call him handsome, just cute. He was similar in frame as Len, being rather short and light skinned. His hair was a black-blue kind of colour which was the polar opposite to Len soft blonde hair, yet he had the striking blue eyes that were electric blue, a slightly more radiant shine to Len bright blue eyes. He was what you'd expect of a young athlete with the showing of a slightly muscular chest and strong shoulders. Len knew he was pretty pro fitness, though he never paid much attention to the sport he played. Clearly, he was beginning to work out what it was now.
"You're good at swimming?"
"I teach youngest to swim in my spare time," he said, as if leading away from Len's question. "I know a thing or two that could help you. Besides, when summer comes around, you're gonna want to be able to at least float if you… intend to survive swim classes."
The slight break almost made Len believe he was going to say impress the girls rather than survive swim classes. Almost, but he didn't say anything about it. "Well… I sorta can swim… isn't that enough?"
"Well… I suppose." Katsurou looked more embarrassed. "I-It was just an offer. You don't need to take it!" And in a panic, he jumped back into the pool and joined a group of people talking, laughing nervously to brush off what happened.
For a minute, Len sat there before Ryunnosuke came over, looking worried. "He wanted to know if I wanted swimming lessons," Len told Ryu as he and Chiyoko joined him at the ledge. "Is Katsurou good?"
"Good?" Chiyoko spluttered. "He's pro as Len. He wants to go to the Olympics and swim for gold. He's been training hard." Chiyoko grinned then swam off to say something to Aiko-san.
"Really?" Len asked.
"Yes," Ryunnosuke nodded. "He has been interested in it for a while. Chiyoko and him went to middle school together, though they never talked until meeting Shion-senpai."
Len watched him for a while. "Does he come off as being sheepish?"
"No, he's normally out going, why?"
"He just felt… that way. Like, all choked up and embarrassed."
"Maybe he was just unsure how to approach the conversation," Ryunnosuke replied softly. "He probably didn't want to make you feel dumb or useless because you don't swim as well as most people."
"Maybe…" Len whispered then looked at Ryunnosuke. "How did you get so good at Maths?"
Ryunnosuke gave him that sleepy smile he always had. "I asked Hibiki to help me."
And here Len thought Hibiki wasn't really that bright considering he slept through most classes. "So he's good at maths?"
"Yeah, though I wouldn't ask him to help you with anything else," Ryunnosuke smiled knowingly. "But he generally is good at maths. I'm kind of jealous."
"Me too."
Most of the night went along smoothly. Len found he had several people talking to him, though they were mainly short chats before they moved on. Twice, Katsurou tried to talk, but out of his own frustration or embarrassment, he ran away. Ryunnosuke sat with him for a long time, talking about middle school and about Miku. He was still surprised Len saw Miku from time to time, considering she was famous and all now. Chiyoko didn't really talk to him, only stayed close by whenever Ryunnosuke was talking to him. Aiko-san came over several times, asking if he was ok even though he promised he was. Eventually, he was coaxed into the pool.
And Shion-senpai? He was dragged all over the place, but he found moments where he and Len spoke. They discovered a few things, like how they both enjoyed the same genres of music and movies, and that Shion-senpai couldn't cook to save his own life… unless it was Pizza, which apparently he was a professional when it came to making them. Len found out why Shion-senpai had two dogs, and why they were called Shin and Gus. It appeared they'd adopted them from a friend who was a breeder. They were very small, considered runts, yet Shion-senpai wanted to keep them. Shin and Gus were their names already as the breeders were originally going to keep them. Len also found out that Shin and Gus had their own doggie beds in Shion-senpai's room, which was their favourite sleeping spots.
After a few hours, they all got out the pool, had cake and the night ended. Now Len was waiting with Shion-senpai and Aiko-san for Aiko-san's father, who was running a few minutes late.
"He always falls asleep moments before he has to pick me up!" Aiko-san grumbled as they sat in the living area of Shion-senpai's home. "Why does he always do this?"
"His shifts are always fluctuating, aren't they? You gotta cut him some slack," Shion-senpai replied, smiling slightly at her. "He doesn't mean to."
Len watched them as they talked, watching the way that Shion-senpai was completely relaxed, almost as if he was dozing off in the chair. Aiko-san looked tired as well, which was probably why she was cranky. Even Len felt a little drained, as the night had been rather crazy. After a tense silence, Len finally decided to break it. "I know it's rude to ask, but how did you two become friends?" He asked, hoping to lead away from the seldom mood.
"Hmm," Shion-senpai was thoughtful. "It was the opening ceremony right? Aiko was lost, and I just happened to be running late. It just sorta… happened."
"Yeah…" Aiko-san went silent. "I don't remember how we became friends with any of the others. It just sorta happened over time. That's what happens when you hang out with people, you get to know them and before you know it, you're classed as friends."
"So… there was nothing special?"
"No, not really," Shion-senpai shrugged. "I-" The sentence didn't finish when Shion-senpai's phone buzzed, cutting him off. He pulled it out his pocket, flipped it open. He stared at the screen for a split second, closed it, and returned to talking as if it never happened. "I try not to let my thoughts wander too much. They never end up anywhere nice anyways."
That Len could understand. He tried to think about things too much, as they left him frustrated more than anything. However, Len was an over thinker, and couldn't help but keep them buzzing around in his mind. However, that didn't really answer his question. Besides, why didn't he want to remember his and Aiko-san's meeting? There was something hidden in that sentence, but Len didn't know what. Why was Shion-senpai late that day?
Before Len had a chance to push, light flashed into the window and they all turned to see a car pull up. It looked like Aiko-san's father was finally here, so they could finally go home. And as they did, Len just couldn't help but wonder why the hell Shion-senpai was late that day? As far as Len could recall, he'd never been late to class before.
A/N: What is Kaito hiding? Hmmm...
