A Romance's Awakening
Just a Vocaloid Fanfic
By Eriol Ushiromiya :)
Chronicle Ten~
A year then swiftly went by, and Len, Rin, Neru and Yukari were now in their first year of college. After twelve long months of working their butts off trying to grab the highest grades they could, all four of them then managed to graduate with awards and honors, not to mention Len had also managed to change himself and his reputation as a delinquent...with a lot of help from Neru, of course.
Okay, so why did they make so much effort in a single school year?
Answer: they all wanted to enter the prestigous Tokyo University, each with their own reasons.
For Rin, it was simply because Mikuo was there, and she wanted to keep their romance intact. As for Len...well, Neru still did not manage to change the fact that Len was hopelessly obsessed with Rin, and so he decided on entering the same university to make sure no other guy grabs her...and of course, to take her back from Mikuo...
Ecchi-crazy Yukari, however, only wanted to enter Tokyo U because of a widespread rumor that the university was bursting with bishounen...and for Yukari, the world was nothing without guys, and as an additional bonus...she also made a goal to have her first time with a hot and loaded bishie from Tokyo U and gain the social status of a lady from a rich and famous clan, ignoring Rin and Neru's side comments and giggles while she babbled on.
Last but not the least, Neru's reason for entering Tokyo U was the fact that she was still extremely determined to capture Len's heart for herself and enter a blissful romance with him, which was something she kept secret from everyone. She covered this up by telling Yukari and Rin that she couldn't bear to think about being alone in a school filled with strangers, along with some fake tears (for additional charm and trust)...
Okay, so let's get the real show on the road.
[[ Author's note: Actually, this fic does not seem to be Rin x Len at all, huh? Maybe I should've placed it under the Any Character category...I am actually STUMPED on how to end this! :(
Wish me luck. For Len x Neru haters, quit! Onegai ne! This fic will most probably NOT turn out the way you want it to...I don't think I'll be able to handle deleting the inflamed reviews which would flood my email account...! (O_o)
-ERiOL UsHiRomiYa, currently sufferring from an infuriating Writer's Block. ]]
~o~
"Aww, dammit, Len...I really think you should be in another university...!" Rin pouted early one Wednesday morning as she walked along with Len towards a bus stop. "How am I supposed to enjoy my college years with you skulking 'round me all the friggin' time...?" The blond's frown became more pronounced as Len then cast her a mischievous smirk and chuckled evilly.
"Awww, dammit, Rin, we're cousins, ain't we? Cut me some slack...I'm the one who should be complaining that my cousin had to be an ugly, flat chested, loud and obnoxious girl like you, ya' know that?" Len laughed, looking around for the bus which would take them to Tokyo U.
"Ahhh, mouu~! You're copying me again, you dumbass! Baka baka baaaakaaa~" Rin replied, irritatedly sticking out her tongue at her male counterpart. "And besides, I'm notloud and obnoxious, and for your info, my chest has grown, and...and...I'M NOT UGLY! Maybe you are, since you're the one who said so!"
"Ahhh, mouu...you're too noisy, pechapai-chan(flat-chested-chan XD)...shut your big mouth up. I see the bus coming." Len drawled in reply, watching Rin stomping around in her childish infuriation around the small bus stop.
"I AM NOT FLAT CHESTED!" Rin shouted out loud, exactly as the bus came to a stop in front of her and Len, making a low whining noise and blowing dust from its wheels into the air.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, Pechapai. C'mon, the bus is here." Len muttered, tugging on Rin's arm as he walked towards the huge bus and dropped a few coins inside the fare box as soon as he got in. "I paid for your fare, so quit your blabbering. You're in college, you should act more like it...Rin Rin."
"You should talk. Teasing me all the time like we were in elementary school...it really ticks me off..." Rin huffed as she found a lumpy seat at the very back of the bus. Len then plopped down beside her and immediately plugged his headphones into his ears and turned on his iPod.
After a few moments, he began scooting closer towards Rin, who was busy chewing some orange flavored gum noisily and blowing bubbles with them. She then moved a bit more towards the window, grunting.
"What's up with you? I was only doin' that 'cause a lady just hopped onto the bus, and the seat..." Len began, but was shushed as Rin popped a stick of the gum into his open mouth.
"Chew this. That way, your mouth would have something more useful to do than distracting me." Rin grumpily muttered, turning her face back to the window to watch the slowly rolling city scenery. Damn, I also want an iPod. I'll probably get one soon, so I won't hafta listen to Len's babbling all the way to school...
Len then smiled sadly and began chewing the gum slowly, trying to focus on the song playing in his ears...
If only Rin could acknowledge me as a lover, I'd probably be the happiest man in the world...
...but probably, that would never happen. No...
No...I shouldn't give up so easily.
But actually, it's been years...
...and she already has Mikuo...
No, No, no...I still have a chance, don't I?
Dammit.
You're useless, you know that...?
Yeah...I do.
But that doesn't mean I can't change that, can I?
Maybe no, maybe yes...
"Len...heeeyyyy LEN!" Poor helpless Len was now being shaken out of his reverie by Rin. Literally speaking. (XD)
They had already reached Tokyo U.
This fine, sunny Wednesday morning was also their first day...
College, huh?
"Ahhhh~! I can already smell the scent of college!" Rin childishly shouted. This time, she was the one tugging Len off the bus. "C'mon Len, hurry up or we'll never get our class schedules!"
Len, unable to think of a reply, then stared off lovingly into Rin's joy-filled smiling face and her jolly voice...and thought...
How utterly...beautiful. I love her. Yeah, I do love her. Rin is MINE. She always would be. Of course, I have to erase a certain someone from her heart and this would be perfect...
I wish things really could be that simple...
"Hey there! Rin Rin! My oh-so-cute and lovely Rin Rin!"
Oh great.
"Yukarin! So you're already here!" Rin excitedly greeted the brunette, who was running towards her joyfully. "Where's Neru...?"
Neru. Oh crud. NERU...I forgot she was here as well.
"Neru-chan? Oh, she's here too...! Neru-chan...? Errrmmm..." Yukari nervously giggled, turning her head towards the spot Neru was supposed to be standing on. "Ummm...Neru-chan probably wandered 'round on her own...ehehee..."
Rin impatiently tapped her foot while frowning slightly at the giggling brunette. As always, her spirits were too high for her own good...
"Yukarin...by any chance...do you...?" Rin began, patting Yukari's shoulder lightly.
Yukari immediately opened a red flowery notepad which she held in her left hand. "C-class schedules? I've got 'em right here, Rin Rin...with this crowd which I had to dig myself out from, I figured you guys would have some trouble, so I grabbed them for you...even though we'd be taking different courses...from a guy in particular..."
It seemed like an attempt to make Rin change her mind about Yukari's irresponsibility...yeah, it probably was.
"Thanks, Yukarin..." Rin muttered, snatching the notepad from Yukari eagerly.
"She even wrote down Mikuo's new schedule for the year. How convenient." Neru suddenly piped out from behind Rin, making the blond, who was busy staring at her own schedule, jump slightly in surprise.
"N-NO! This notepad is Yukarin's..." Rin stammered, feeling Len's eyes on her. She thought Len hadn't been too attentive, and he could possibly get the wrong impression...
"Yeah, I know, Rin. Shut your trap." Len muttered, feeling anger welling up inside him for an unknown reason...
"Soooo, Rin Rin..." Yukari cooed, putting an arm around her bestie, "What do you plan to do now? Barge into his room while his classes are ongoing? Drag him into the gym storage room if there is one? Or simply wait for a good chance to go see the man of your dreams? Neeeeh~ tell meee~"
"Yukarin! I...need time to think about thaaat...l-leave me alone...!" Rin loudly complained, blushing crimson. Len then departed in a huff, having already written down the schedule inside the notepad.
"See ya' some other time, Mrs. Hatsune Mikuo." Len sneered, doing a cool little half wave, and running off before Rin could utter some kind of retort.
"O-Oy, Len...! What was that all about!" Rin loudly asked. However, Len was already a good distance away, and of course, he wouldn't have heard her.
"Mouuu...Len. Sometimes...you're such an inconsiderate jerk."
~o~
"Ummm...e-excuse me...? D-do you happen to know...where Building B's recreation lounge happens to be...?" Rin nervously asked a passing professor. Wanting to avoid Yukari's wisecracks and Neru's indecisiveness, she ditched them during her first vacant hour, which happened to coincide with Mikuo's.
"If you don't even know where the lounge is, you must definitely be a freshman!" The middle-aged professor laughed, patting Rin's shoulder. "What course d'you take, sweetie?"
Rin then felt shame rushing inside her, for she did not like being treated like an idiot. "C-Communication arts, sir..."
"Ehhh..." The professor sighed, smirking. "The Building B lounge, missy, is strictly for sophomores to seniors and of course, us professors. Anyhow, it's 11 a.m right now...guess security ain't so tight. Why'd you want to get in there, anyway? Don't think it's the right place for you..."
Confused, Rin could only reply, "I...I'm looking for s-someone...he's in his second year...he-he's my boyfriend from high school...a-and he said over an email that he's always hanging around there...p-pardon me for asking, sir, but why aren't freshmen...allowed inside the B building lounge?" while blushing furiously.
"Why, sweetie, it'll take forever to tell you...you'll find out for yourself when you get there. Hurry, get to your sweetheart as fast as you can! Anyhow, name him first, I might be one of his teachers, and I'll give him some advice 'bout sweet young romance..." The entertained old geezer sneered, staring at Rin intently. Kids nowadays...
"Erm...h-he's H-Hatsune Mikuo, he's 'bout 17, and he's taking the course Business Management...ahehe..." Rin chuckled, backing away from the professor slowly. Jeez, stupid old geezer! He'll definitely take forever to finish babbling! I wanna get to my Mikuo fast...
"Why, Mikuo-kun! Ahaha, that womanizer's the apple of the eye of every single chick in Tokyo U! He sweet talks them, helps them around, gains everyone's respect...yet, he's rejected every single babe who dared confess to him, saying that he's waiting for his girl...let's see...according to my last count, Relena Sukima's the 120th brave soul who went home crying like a baby..."
Womanizer? Why, this old geezer's got guts to call my Mikuo that...! Grrrr... Rin thought, clenching her fists in rage. Wonder how he deals with a prof like this...
"Errrm...Professor, I really have to get going...see you some other time, then!" Rin chuckled nervously, running off swiftly.
"Ahhh, Missy! The Building B lounge is on the second floor, you'll see the door as soon as you get there!" The prof called out, smiling widely. "Soooo sorry for keeping you!"
What a dork, Rin thought as she went out into the school yard and ran towards Building B's entrance. Hope he becomes senile soon...
~o~
Maybe, Rin thought, as soon as she got inside the Building B lounge with ease. That lousy old geezer was right 'bout this dump, after all.
The Building B lounge, if it could even be considered a "lounge"...looked more like part of an abandoned old building, complete with the musty smell of old, moldy wooden boards. Seems like the university, no matter how clean and well-maintained Building A's freshmen lounge was, couldn't be bothered about this one. Broken alcohol bottles littered the already dust filled wooden flooring, the walls had different kinds of food stains, the curtains were now reduced to small, tattered, smelly pieces of cloth hanging onto rusty, bent metal rods, and all sorts of discarded garbage like crushed soda cans, crumpled pieces of paper, old magazines, cigarette butts were scattered all over the floor and furniture. With every step, a soft crush could be heard, for there wasn't a single spot in the huge room without trash.
"What. A. Trashed. Up. Dump. Why in the world would anyone want to hang around here?" Rin sighed, irritatedly trying to unstick a lump of gum from her shoe using a piece of pink stationery she found lying around. Probably, it was a lousy love letter...truly meant for chewed-up gum and nothing else...but Rin didn't want to think about that. She wanted to find Mikuo as soon as possible...
With one last tug, the gum finally unstuck from her shoe, and at the same time, a soft thump and a moan was heard.
"H-Huh...?" Rin stammered, looking up from the floor. "Th-that sounds...utterly familiar...so there was actually another room in here..." She then noticed a door from behind an upturned, moth-eaten sofa a few inches away from her, and also about seven more from the other corners of the lounge.
Maybe they're the real lounges, Rin muttered to herself as she slowly progressed towards the source of the noise. The room's door was slightly open, and the nearer she got, the more audible the noises became.
"G-Gyaaa...n-no...don't touch me there..."
Rin then jumped slightly, gulping. Eeep! What the hell...is going on...?
"Oh c'mon...just this once..."
"N-No, get away...I can't do this...!
"Of course you can, you love me, right? Now it's 'bout time you showed me..."
"Kyaaa! You total pervert! D-Don't...hey, get your hands off! Kyaaaa!"
"WHAT THE HELLL?" Rin burst out, swinging the door open forcefully. What she saw...definitely wasn't what she had been expecting.
"H-Heeey! What the...? Oh..." A golden haired teen exclaimed, covering up what appeared to be a mini TV set and pressing the "open" button on a DVD player. "...it's just a freshman."
"Mi-Mikuo...and Nero onii-san...Kaito-nii, Gakupo-nii...!" Rin exclaimed, jumping back in fright. "W-Watching eroge! You total...nutheads!"
"Rin-chan? Is that really you?" Kaito, Nero and Gakupo exclaimed, taken aback.
"WHO THE HELL COULD I BE, THEN?" Rin loudly retorted, laughing. "And...errm...is Mikuo...?"
"Sleeping, yeah..." Nero chuckled, vigorously shaking the sleeping teal-haired boy. "Ooooy, Mikuo...sleeping on an eroge such as this...just what kinda wimp are you, huh? Wa-ke uuuppp...your Rin Rin wants you soooo baaddly, she's hurting at you-know-where and she's sooooo wet..."
"NERO-NII! I'm NOT...!" Rin began, but before she could continue shouting, Mikuo awoke and sat up briskly, looking around sleepily.
"Rin Rin's...nah, she ain't here...you're picking on me again..." The sleepy Mikuo muttered stupidly, trying to get back to sleep, but was given a painful smack on the back by Kaito, who sneered, "Idiot, she's IN FRONT of YOU! Get a grip! Wake up..."
"Mouu, Mikuo...still the same old sleepyhead, huh?" Rin giggled, embracing her half-awake boyfriend happily. Finally...
In an instant, Mikuo was fully awake. "Rin...so it really is you, huh...and I thought I was gonna have to watch more eroge...but now you're around, life's gonna be so much better..."
"Baaa-ka." Rin muttered, blushing, as Mikuo also put his arms around her.
"Eeew. Gross..." Nero piped up, making a sick face at Kaito and Gakupo, who then took it as a chance to guffaw out loud.
"Make fun of me all you want, but in my opinion, you dorks are just soooo jealous that I have a girl to love for the rest of my days, while you three would probably be spendin' your worthless and pitifully lonesome lives drooling over eroge gals who'd never, ever love you back...darou~?" Mikuo sneered, sticking out his tongue at Nero, Gakupo and Kaito, who made saddened faces at each other, apparently taken aback at Mikuo's retort.
"Gomen ne, Mi-ku-o-kun..." Nero muttered, trying to imitate a girl's charming voice while giving Mikuo an utterly convincing puppy-eyed stare which made both Kaito and Gakupo laugh out loud yet again.
"NOT THAT LOOK, Nero!"
"Dang, who knows, you idiot, what if Mikuo actually fell for you?"
Rin could feel herself blushing in shame. She kind of disliked being with Nero in the same room, for Nero, unlike his sister Neru, was loud, obnoxious, disgusting, and extremely perverted. He was also rumored to have had an incestuous relationship with Neru back in the past...which Rin never dared ask the timid Neru about.
"O-Oy, Nero, don't give me that sloppy stare, Rin Rin's getting all creeped out...neh?" Mikuo chuckled, patting Rin's shoulder gently. "Hey there, let's go find somewhere private...I know you hate this stupid gang of morons..." He added, giving Rin his usual reassuring grin. Whenever he did so, Rin could do nothing but nod and go along.
"O-Okay..." she murmured shyly, taking Mikuo's hand in hers.
"HEYYY! Your girl just arrived and you're leavin' us behind? Oy, Mikuo! Get your ass back in here!" Nero teased, stomping around the cramped room playfully.
"Some other time then, guys. I've got business to deal with. Nope, not really business, but personal pleasure...see ya'." Mikuo replied cooly, giving his companions a cool little half wave, which resembled the one Len used earlier.
~o~
"Sheesh, how totally boring."
Yes, a year had indeed passed. Len was in college, taking up the course Accounting along with Neru (who was quite skilled in Math, and still dying to be Len's one and only)...and yet, this part of him hadn't changed.
"Mouu, Len-kun, we have a 2-hour free period..." Neru sighed, smiling sadly. "Ummm...if you're bored...can't we try finding something to do instead of hanging around here on the rooftop?"
They were indeed on the A Building's rooftop, far away from the student body, and seemingly, from the world itself, where you could hear nothing but the steady blowing of a light breeze and the chirping of birds...something which Neru absolutely hated. Timid as she was, Neru liked being surrounded by other people, jostling crowds, laughter, smiles, children playing...for, deep down inside, she wanted to feel like she were actually part of them...
"Shut up, Neru." Len grunted, casting Neru an irritated glare. "So you'll have something useful to do...tell me where Rin is. That would give us something to do. No, I mean, give me something to do. Quit acting as if you were my girlfriend, for you are NOT and never would be."
Neru then smirked and replied, turning her face away from Len's, "So...since I am not your girl...you can't tell me what to do either. I do know where Rin-chan is...yet...I ain't telling you, jerk. Why not try asking Yukarin and learn how to deal with others for a change?"
Len immediately sat up (he had been lying down all this time) and grabbed Neru's shirt collar. "Oh, you're telling me...you really should. Otherwise, who knows what I could do to you? Mikuo's a man and I practically tore him to pieces. And you...you're a woman. A weak, defenseless, cutesy, flirty, and useless woman at that. Rin's the only woman in this world who actually lives up to my expectations. She doesn't depend on anyone, she stands up for herself and others, and she...she..." He then looked around, as if there was a clue on the rooftop about Rin's personality, apparently lost for words.
Quite used to Len's short temper and violent tendencies, Neru could only giggle nervously, and muttered, "Probably...if you weren't such an emotional, gullible, weak, useless, and brainless man...then the only woman in this world who you don't look down upon had been yours ages ago. Seems to me that you do adore incestuous relationships...your pea-sized brain still hasn't been able to register this particular fact: Rin's your damnated cousin. Cousin. C-o-u-s-i-n. How many times do I have to say it? All this time, she's been against you and your way of life...she'd rather be with a man like Mikuo who knows what he's doing and was impulsive enough to grab her first...!"
Before Neru knew it, she was on the rooftop's cement flooring, being beaten continuously by a livid Len, who was completely overtaken by the rush of his emotions and had absolutely forgotten about Neru being Rin's important friend...
Unable to will herself to scream, Neru opened her mouth and no sound came out, but tears were pouring rapidly from her eyes, as Len began punching every inch of her that he can reach. Flailing wildly, she hoped someone would come and save her. The world gradually dimmed as Len began smacking her head forcefully, and Neru heard a soft spurt as her blood came squirting like mad...
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" came a man's drawling voice from the rooftop's entrance. Mikuo...was it him...? It can't be...
"NERU-CHAN!" Rin. It was her. She's screaming...
"Oy, you bastard! Get OFF Neru! Neru's a woman, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Mikuo's pulling Len off me. Thank you...thank you so much...
"Let go of me! That bitch needs to understand...!"
"Understand what, you demon? Neru-chan...Neru-chan...she's bleeding so much...I...I can't believe I entrusted her to you...here I thought you've changed...!" came Rin's angry shouting from above Len and Mikuo's voices. "Damn you, Len! I HATE YOU! I absolutely hate YOU!"
Slap.
Rin had slapped Len so forcefully that he fell over towards the rooftop's wall, swearing under his breath.
"Rin. Fire against fire won't solve things. You were the one who taught me that..." Mikuo gently piped up, pulling Rin away from Len.
"I...I don't care!" Rin cried, breaking away from Mikuo's grip. "I won't hurt him any longer, but he needs to hear this..."
"Rin..." Len muttered weakly, afraid of what was about to come. Damn, what have I done? He thought, glaring at Neru's half-conscious body, which was lying on the ground a few inches away from him. Curses...
"Don't say my name like we're close. We never had been...you..." Rin muttered, glaring angrily at Len. "Why, Kagamine Len, you are, and always would be, nothing but an orphan. A poor, pitiful, worthless orphan who barged into my happy family, trying to earn yourself the right to have a place to call home and be my "brother"! Just who are you trying to fool?"
Len, who was definitely not expecting such harsh words from Rin, felt his mouth dropping open. And yet, he could not think of anything to say...as if he had suddenly lost the ability to speak.
"Ri-Rin...chan..." Neru suddenly piped up, weakly, from the spot she was lying down on. "It's...fine...I'm alive...you can leave Len alone..." Then she tried, with the last of her strength, to push herself up into a seating position. Mikuo, anticipating what was going to happen next, positioned himself behind her. And, as he expected, Neru flopped back down into a seating position, losing her consciousness.
"Neru...you idiot, don't try to talk." Rin muttered, approaching Len, who was still gaping at her, unable to believe what was happening.
This is all my fault, Rin thought. If only...I hadn't...pushed Mom and Dad to take Len in so long ago...then probably...this wouldn't be happening at all...I won't forgive neither him nor myself if Neru died...
"Okay then, cousin. So what are you...going to do now?"
Len's smug drawl then snapped Rin out of her reverie in an instant. So...what am I going to do...anyway?
"Rin, this is terrible. I'm taking Neru to the infirmary...tell me how this fight went later on, 'kay?" Mikuo weakly muttered, taking Neru into his arms and carrying her princess style out of the rooftop and down to the university's clinic.
"Hmmm...let's see. So...what to do...what to do..."
Silence now prevailed.
"Len, here goes."
Rin then sighed, as Len turned his face away from hers, anticipating the worst...
"You menace...ruining my life so much...getting into the way of my lovelife...hurting me and my friends...bringing shame into our family's name...I don't think...I'd be able to stand living with someone like you any longer. And this time, it's for real..."
She then heaved another great sigh, and continued, "Len..."
"Hurry up, just hurry." Len murmured, feeling the tears of frustration welling up in his eyes.
"I...never want...to see you. Ever again."
After these words came pouring out of Rin's mouth, a wailing breeze then blew, and the blue sky filled with the fluffiest of clouds turned a dark gray...as if nature was trying to blend in with the scenario.
And also, both the Kagamines ended up in tears...
Could this really...be the end?
What the effing eff...XD
Reviewers would probably be flaming me.
Anyhow, if you're still (miraculously) interested...
NEXT CHAPTER PLEASE~
-ERIOL-