Chapter 11

The skies outside had already darkened by the time I got home. Hurriedly, I jammed my key into the lock, eager to get out of the cold. Thursday lectures were brutal, mostly because they always ended after the sun went down.

"Lily?" I tentatively called out as the door creaked open. No reply. All the lights were off and there was no sign of the blonde. Sighing, I kicked the door shut and felt around for a switch. The lights in the apartment flickered on rather creepily.

It was the third time this week that Lily had stayed out so late. Not that I expected her to be a model girlfriend or anything (in fact, it was absurd to even imagine Lily like that) but it was rather disheartening to come home so often to a dark and empty room.

"Might as well take a shower before she comes back." I grumbled as I dumped my heavy backpack full of textbooks and notes by the desk and sulkily made my way to the bathroom.

I tried to not think about it. I really did. I mean, it felt weird, even to me, to be so bothered by the fact that I seemed to see Lily less and less ever since we started 'dating'. As much as I hated to admit it, I was beginning to sound more and more like a clingy girlfriend…which was ridiculous since I didn't even have those kinds of feelings for Lily. In fact, our relationship hadn't changed a bit other than its title, I suppose.

I turned the water on and waited for it to warm to an acceptable temperature.

'Lily is an adult. She can do whatever she likes…stay out as late as she wants…' I reasoned with the now-steady flow of water. Yet just thinking these things made me wonder, was I concerned for her merely as a friend or did I… My head was starting to hurt from and my limbs were cold from standing around for so long on the tiled bathroom floors. Guiltily, I realized that the water had been running for a good fifteen minutes.

'It's fine. I'm just annoyed that she isn't showing much commitment to something she wanted…that's all…' I concluded in my head. Discouraging further thought, I stepped into the blissfully warm shower.

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By the time I stepped out of the washroom, Lily had returned from god-knows-where. It was about time too. I had been in there for almost two hours, after all. As soon as I entered the kitchen, I could smell the enticing aroma of take-out. Lily was already sitting at the table with white boxes full of what, I presumed, was our dinner.

"Hey Lu! Man, you were in there forever… thought I was gonna die of starvation out here." Lily waved to me cheerfully.

"At least one of us is in a good mood today," I muttered, as I sat down and glared at the thing closest to me, which happened to be the table.

"Ahaha…yeah…um. Oh right! Food. I bought all your favourites today! There's takoyaki, tempura, lots and lots of tuna and…" Lily seemed to pick up on my mood and began opening the packages of food and laying them out on the table.

"Thanks." I sniffed glumly, cutting her off, and continued glaring at the table which, in Lily's defense, was now piled with all sorts of dishes that made my mouth water. She had bought so much food that it took her a while to finish taking everything out of the disposable boxes. Lily then got up to throw away the used containers and wash her hands. I hadn't moved an inch by the time she returned.

"Luka?" Lily stared at me quizzically. I didn't answer. I couldn't. Of course, I understood her confusion. After all, I, myself, didn't even know why I was doing this. It was terribly childish but I just couldn't bring myself to look happy, to pretend.

"It's nothing," I sighed and picked up the chopsticks Lily set out earlier.

"It's not nothing!" Lily suddenly looked serious. She walked around the table and behind me, "I have to know. What could be troubling my dear Lulu…?" I felt Lily's arms around me as she pressed up to my back and whispered into my hair.

"I-it's just…you're home late a lot…y'know?" I suddenly felt flustered, "Just don't get into trouble alright?" I ended awkwardly, feeling like someone's nagging parent. Lily laughed and I could feel the vibrations through her chest.

"So you're worried about me, huh?" Her lips grazed my neck, sneaking in a kiss as she teased. Then she added reassuringly: "Don't worry. I'll be fine! Especially with you here to keep me in check." After only a slight pause, I nodded and leaned into her. Lily always had a strange kind of charisma that made me believe in her, or at least calmed me down.

Seeing as I was satisfied with her answer, Lily let out a sigh of relief. Keeping her arms around me, she nuzzled my hair and rubbed against me like a cat.

"Say, how about I make it up to you, Lu…" She murmured quietly and my mind went blank. It was impossible but I could swear that I felt my heart jump, even if just a little, at her words…her proximity…

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It had been all but two weeks, three gaming sleepovers and an emergency study session and they were already best friends, at least according to Rin. To Miku's own surprise, she reluctantly agreed with the younger girl's wild declarations, although she would never openly express such feelings like Rin did.

Their gaming sessions were becoming a regular thing, as the twins lived only a few blocks away although Miku had never seen either one of the blondes in all her years of walking to and from school. This was hardly surprising, however, as Rin and Len had a private driver, who had apparently been watching over them since their kindergartener years. The Kagamines were well-off, that was for sure. Recently, more often than not, Rin would walk home with Miku and the two would kill time for the rest of the afternoon, taking turns on Miku's various consoles or working through homework problems.

The first time Rin had successfully convinced Miku to let her come over had been earned at the cost of an entire day's nagging. It was well worth it, however, according to the ribbon-wearing twin. Most of Miku's video game collection was what Rin "could only dream of," as the younger girl had so eloquently put. Being rich came with strict parents, so it seemed. Despite her good grades and success with music, Rin was never allowed too many toys.

"But my parents love you." Rin had solemnly assured her friend when Miku questioned whether it was appropriate for s girl from such a disciplined family to be spending so much time at someone else's home. Someone she had met merely weeks ago, no less. But no angry reprimand ever came to confirm Miku's fears. It seems that the Kagamines weren't as scary as she thought. "Of course!" Rin had laughed when Miku brought it up again, "They're probably all secretly happy that I'm actually getting a little exercise in from walking with you."

Miku couldn't believe it either, just how comfortable she had become with Rin's presence. It almost felt weird to not have the twin around on the days that she had mandatory afterschool lessons, of which Rin would always complain to Miku afterwards. Rin just wasn't annoying like most people Miku had called 'friends' before. Despite her perpetual energy and positivity, Rin was more sensitive than she let on. She seemed to say all the right things and was able to recognize when Miku needed space. It was like they understood each other without words…or something like that.

Of course, then there were the games. Before meeting Rin, Miku had been firm in her belief that no one, at least not within a one-hundred mile radius, would ever know as much as she did about her favourite RPG's; not even her geeky brother, who would occasionally pick up a title or two. Who would've guessed that only two streets down, Rin was obsessing over the exact same things? Although the bubbly girl never had enough time to enjoy more than a few of these digital artworks, Rin was like a walking encyclopaedia when it came to trivia, which she seemed to have absorbed in any free time she had. One could say that Miku was impressed, which made it that much easier to accept the blonde.

Miku's parents were also more than happy to welcome the girl. They hadn't seen Miku talk so much to anyone since elementary school and were glad that their daughter was finally opening up to someone. On top of that, Rin's good grades were no secret. The Hatsunes secretly hoped that Rin's intelligence would somehow rub off on Miku, the same way that their daughter's video game craze seemed to spread to the twin. It was a fairy tale-like friendship that was almost too good to be true. Although, admittedly, it didn't feel all too magical to any of them at the current moment, as the blonde and her twin-tailed companion stared down at the monstrous stack of Math worksheets that had literally piled up during the week.

It was Thursday evening and their second last-minute study session. All of their homework was due on Fridays and the girls seemed to have learned nothing from the same struggle that occurred last week. The first time it happened, Miku had been surprised when Rin suggested that they go to the Kagamines residence, which was more like a mansion than a house, to 'study'. What ended up happening was a whole hour of Miku finding different ways to manhandle her pencil and Rin crying to the gods and lamenting their fate, followed by a three-hour long episode of 'copying Len's answers'. It was a close call, complete with allowance sacrificed for the sake of bananas with which to bribe their savior, but they had managed to get work done…only to arrive at the same crossroad a mere week later. Rumors, it seemed, were not to be trusted. They weren't the 'genius twins' as everyone had called them, but rather, 'the genius boy twin and his evil parasitical sister' as Len had christened the arrangement.

"Maaan, I wish we did more work yesterday. Arugghh. What am I saying? Th-the great Kagamine Rin shall not fall to…to…what even is this? University-level math?" Rin whined as she rolled around in her despair, dislodging a few pieces of numerical torture from the impressive pile. Miku didn't respond and kept staring at the offensive pieces of paper. In her mind, she was crying out dejectedly, right along with Rin.

"This wouldn't be a problem, you know, if you'd just finished them on the day they were assigned? They're actually fairly doable when you actually remember the lesson." Len commented nonchalantly, unsympathetic to the two girls' predicament. The male twin, who was curled up comfortably on the couch quietly reading a book, didn't even bother looking up.

"LEN! Lenny! My little Len-Len!" Rin suddenly exclaimed, a golden ray of hope had shone upon her for the first (second) time. Len startled with a look of pure terror on his face as Rin ran straight at him from her side of the room. Miku braced herself for the impact, which came with a painful scream of 'ArrhghhGetoffme' and an equally hysterical 'Noooo'. She secretly rooted for Rin as the twins wrestled on the expensive-looking couch. The ribbon-wearing twin was not to disappoint. Throwing Len's book aside, Rin fell into a well-practiced begging position while still straddling her twin.

"Oh great banana god, please bestow us mortals with your precious knowledge! I…I beg of you! (Not letting you go until you say yes, brother)," Rin cried dramatically as Len tried to recover from getting the air knocked out of his lungs.

"God…R…in. You…guhh…" Len wheezed as he tried to form a coherent sentence. Rin wasn't helping much as she started bouncing lightly on Len, further worsening his breathless state. Desperate to escape the wrath of his hyper twin, Len gave in. "Alrigh..t, alright! It's in…my backpack...please…" Having heard her cue, Rin immediately jumped off her victim and began digging through the papers in Len's bag. Miku winced as Len pushed himself up unsteadily and started coughing with the effort. "Rin, I swear! You're going to be the death of me…" Len grumbled as he retrieved his book from the floor. No longer interested in reading and eager to avoid his sister for the rest of the day, the boy shrugged into a hoodie. "Going for a run. Tell mom and dad if they come back, 'kay?"

"Of course! Love you bro!" Rin chirped happily at Len's retreating back, blissfully ignorant of the deathly glare her twin was giving her as he sulkily left the room. Miku felt a twinge of guilt at Len's ruined mood but answers were answers and she was most definitely desperate. The rest of the evening passed mostly uneventfully, a rinse and repeat of last week's 'study' session. By the end of it, Miku swore that she would never procrastinate again for the rest of her life.

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The next morning, Miku arrived at school early, only to find the classroom mostly empty. She saw Len in his usual spot but Rin was nowhere to be seen.

"Homework." Len explained, upon seeing Miku's questioning gaze. 'Didn't we get all of it last night?' She wondered to herself as she sat down.

"I-I see…" Miku nodded at Len, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. The boy had a stoic expression on his face and Miku hoped he wasn't still hung up over the events that occurred the night before. Miku didn't know what to make of Len. She'd never talked to him without Rin there before. Actually, she never talked to him much, period. Other than the fact that Len was quiet and the polar opposite of his excitable sister, Miku didn't know anything about the other twin. It was quite ironic, considering the amount of time the three spent together in the past weeks. Len seemed to notice her discomfort and his face softened into a warm smile.

"Don't worry, Rin will be back soon. Well. Soon enough, depending on how fast she runs." Miku breathed out a sigh of relief at Len's words. He wasn't angry with her after all. Although she still had no idea what her classmate was talking about. "She forgot her homework. Careless and just like Rin isn't it? To do that after what she made me go through yesterday too…" Len further elaborated, seeing Miku's confused expression. The twin-tailed girl still didn't know how to respond and the blonde didn't seem to mind as he continued talking. "She really likes you, you know? I guess I'll be relying on you too, to take care of her?" Len finally looked up and stared Miku in the eye. His last words were phrased like a question but spoken more like a statement. Miku nodded quickly.

"Of course. Rin…I like her too. She's the first real friend I've had in years and I don't plan to let her down." The words came out so smoothly and naturally that even Miku was a little taken aback. Since when was she this good at expressing herself? Len seemed to be impressed as well. He gave Miku a friendly grin and said: "I believe you," before turning around and staring into space.

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Class had almost started by the time Rin returned and return she did, in a manner expected of the energetic twin. Flinging open the classroom doors, Rin dashed towards her seat, scattering more than a few clusters of students in the process. The blonde girl had a wild expression in her eyes and her ribbon was lopsided from the rigorous activity that its owner had obviously just been subjected to.

"Rin, I told you to stop running in the halls." Len calmly reprimanded. He was clearly used to dealing with these scenarios.

"No - I-ah-You don't….ahahaha-" Rin suddenly started laughing, an action that her overexerted lungs did not respond well to, and it soon turned to spasms of coughing. Her fit lasted for well over five minutes, as Miku stared at her friend concernedly. Len simply eyed his sister with a bored expression.

"Was running to your house really that much fun?" Miku murmured as Rin's breathing slowed and the twin began to calm down. Rin, who had been doubled over the entire time, jumped up with renewed enthusiasm, as if rejuvenated by the comment. There was a mischievous spark in her eyes that Miku learned to be wary of, that Len knew screamed 'danger'.

"You won't believe who I ran into." Rin revealed gleefully and started her story. By the end of it, Len's eyes had also widened with unadulterated surprise.

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Not exactly a very romantic chapter but here you go :'D

I think I'm getting a little rusty since I haven't had to write much for a while but please bear with me! Thanks to everyone who's still sticking with this fic and special thanks for those who reviewed (I love reading them and they motivate me so much). My style's kind of weird now but I'm hoping that it'll get easier if I work on this story regularly.

This chapter was just a mess of everything, with a side of Lily x Luka (I'll get to the negitoro, I promise) but I really wanted to write more Rin. She's turning into my favourite character to write...which I did not see coming XD. Honestly, this fic is getting to be a lot more drawn out than I thought but I fully intend to finish, hopefully around summertime. Worst case scenario, within the year.

Again, thank you everyone and please keep reading and reviewing~

Love you guys 3