Behold, everyone...THE EPIC CLIMAX OF THIS STORY! THE ULTIMATE ACTION-FILLED CHAPTER! :D

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Vocaloid.

Chapter 14

Len's POV:

"Mph!" IA's cries were muffled by the dirty handkerchief which our kidnapper had gagged her with. She had been struggling endlessly for the whole time. Finally, the alcoholic had been so annoyed with her screaming and kicking that he had slapped her, tied her wrists and ankles, and shoved her in the trunk of his car. The girl was not amused.

Unlike IA, the rest of us were crowded into the backseat, which reeked of alcohol, alcohol, and more alcohol. Staring out the filthy window, Miku drummed her fingers restlessly on her lap, occasionally glancing at Rin and me guiltily, as if expecting us to bite her head off for the situation we were in. Unshed tears were shining in her eyes, and she looked away every time I tried to make eye contact with her. I sighed and eventually gave up.

Rin, who was on the opposite side of me from Miku, was also turned towards the window. Muttering under her breath rapidly, she was hunched over something in her hands, a curtain of blonde hair hiding her face from view.

Sitting in the middle of the two girls, I was digging through my trouser's pockets to find anything that could be used to help the situation. The only things I had were a bottle cap, a candy wrapper, two coins, and an unraveled paperclip. Could the money be used for bribery? No, this was not some dumb cartoon show for kids. Perhaps I could use the wrapper to start a fire-maybe a signal fire. But without wood, it would be pointless. Bottle cap? Completely useless. The paperclip, on the other hand, wasn't much, but given luck, it could scratch or poke someone pretty badly.

The car stopped so suddenly that the three us of were jolted forward harshly. IA rolled forward in the trunk and slammed violently into the backs of our seats, judging from the sudden thud and the following groan.

The dark, tall figure of Meito Sakine appeared at Miku's window.

Miku immediately flung the door open, jumped out, and went to free IA, not speaking to him but making sure to roughly brush past him.

We were in another dark alley, yet it was larger. The moonlight washed everything in an eerie light, and the air was chilly. Goosebumps crept over my skin as I imagined what could possibly happen to us now.

After I stood up shakily, and, under Meito's harsh glare, reminded myself that he was armed and that it would be stupid to try to run away, I turned around to look at Rin, who was squirming as she hesitated to get out of the car. Meito frowned and, without warning, charged forward and dragged her out by her hair.

"Argh!" Rin gasped. Something small and hard had dropped onto the ground.

"WHAT'DYA THINK YER DOING, GIRL?" Meito roared.

I started to move forward, but Miku held me back. Don't move, she mouthed. IA, who was rubbing the red marks on her wrists resentfully, narrowed her eyes. Apparently, she also wanted to gut Meito and pound his head in, but all of us knew that, angry as we were, we didn't stand a chance against someone who was armed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Meito threatening Rin, who was standing above the now broken cell phone on the ground that she was texting on in the car. Smack. Trembling,Rin backed away from Meito, a purple bruise forming on one of her cheeks. Raising his hand, he prepared to smack her again, but instead, he was punched himself.

Breathing heavily, I looked up directly into Meito's insane eyes. "Don't…don't touch her!"

"Talk to me like that again, little brat!" He snarled. Lunging for me like a wolf, his fist came into contact with my stomach. Wincing in pain, I doubled over and coughed up a thin stream of blood that dribbled down my chin and down my shirt.

As Meito was about to strike again, a flash of white-blonde hair flashed past and I saw IA deliver a flying kick to the middle of Meito's stomach. As she dodged his furious punch, Miku kneed him between the legs.

"Kagane-san, Len, are you okay?" she panted, not taking her eyes off the man who had collapsed onto the ground, moaning in pain. Although she was initially reluctant to fight her unrelenting tormentor, I could tell that, since everyone was involved now, Miku wasn't going to back down. Even if it cost her her life.

Rin nodded, and we stood up simultaneously. Moments later, Meito straightened up, growling furiously. He swiped at Rin with his arm, but she quickly jumped out of the way, causing him to become further enraged.

Like the idiot I was, I took out the unbent paperclip from my pocket and, lunging at Meito, jabbed it sharply into his eye. Hearing a nasty squelching sound, I yanked it out. The paperclip was dyed in crimson now.

Meito's left eye was completely ruined; he would never see out of it again. It was swollen shut, but a rapidly thickening trail of blood streamed down his face. Even though it was for defense, I felt my throat constrict with guilt. I was so shocked, in fact, that Meito's wild swipe caught me straight in the chest, and I flew thought the air and collided with the pavement.

"NO!" Miku screamed. Her voice sounded like she was underwater. Several muted scuffling sounds followed, but that meant that my friends were fighting, right? Gingerly touching the side of my head, I pulled my trembling hand back and felt a warm, sticky liquid.

Suddenly, I heard Rin scream in agony. Forcing myself to stand up, my eyes widened when I saw her. Meito was holding a pocket knife which was dripping in blood. Rin was sprawled on the pavement, her right ankle twisted at an odd ankle.

All pain forgotten, I charged forward and slammed myself into Meito. He and his knife went flying through the air. Dazed from the impact and my head wound, I stumbled, but Miku grabbed me firmly by my shoulder.

IA was holding Meito's knife, while Meito was sprawled beneath her. Glaring fiercely, she stepped forward and pointed the knife at his heart. Her pupils were completely dilated with rage, and she gritted her teeth, hand shaking slightly.

"Brat. I was just getting started."

Suddenly, the tables turned. IA was on the ground, the knife having skidded several feet across the pavement, and Meito was holding a gun he had pulled out of nowhere.

I turned my head to meet Miku's anxious gaze. A morbid yet relieving thought occurred to me: Meito had a gun, but he hadn't used it from the beginning. Otherwise, all of us would be dead…

It came to me in a flash. In an instant, I was in front of Meito, crossing my arms and staring him up and down. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, making me grit my teeth. It seemed that this man wasn't as smart or stupid as I thought.

"Len! Stop!" Miku cried. She was crouching over Rin, inspecting her broken ankle. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Meito's lips curled back from his teeth like a wolf. Turning his back on IA, he raised his gun and pointed it at me, but I merely tilted my head defiantly. "Go ahead. Shoot me. Or are you too cowardly?"

He came closer, until I felt the cold barrel of the gun pressing on my chest. The hand trembled visibly. Then, the trigger was pulled. Click. Miku gasped in horror, but nothing happened.

I couldn't stop a triumphant smirk from spreading across my face. Meito's eyes clouded with an animalistic rage. Growling, he suddenly pulled out another knife from his pocket. Its blade shimmered ominously in the moonlight. I tried to back away, but it was too late.

"Ugh…"Scarlet blood splashed onto the ground, filing the air with a sickening coppery smell. Bringing a trembling hand up to my stomach, I winced and pulled it back, only to see that it was stained red. Slowly, everything started to black out, and the last thing I saw was Meito turning around and heading for Miku.

IA's POV:

"Len! Stop! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Miku screeched. Her voice cracked, thick with terror and despair. Lying on the cold, hard pavement, I took a shuddering breath and felt tears running down my face. My whole body felt numb, but when I tried to move, it felt like fire. This was probably only a fraction of what my best friend had to suffer daily. How could I never have understood what it was like for her?

Miku…how come I can't protect you? How come you're always hurt, even though I try so hard to stop that? We're best friends; we're supposed to always help each other!

Meito…how dare you hurt her?!

My hands clenched into fists as I was swept into the world of memories.

Miku…

10 years ago:

Rain poured down from the heavens, as if the sky itself was crying. Trying to hide under an abandoned picnic table at the park, a young girl shivered and curled up even more. Her white-blond hair, drenched despite her efforts to keep dry, hung over her face. She shook violently, crying like the sky.

"Hey…are you okay?" The little girl felt the rain stop. She lifted up her tear-stained face, and saw another girl holding an umbrella over her. Her lip quivered, and then she burst into a fresh torrent of tears.

The teal-headed child with pigtails closed the umbrella and set it gently on the ground. Then, she crawled underneath the table and put her arm around the bony shoulders of the crying girl. "Shh…don't cry…everything's going to be fine…"

Ceasing her tears, the blonde girl gazed into the kind eyes of the other girl who was comforting her. "S-sorry…I-I just…"

"Is it your dad? Is he pressuring you for your grades again?"

"Y-Yes…I-I ran away after h-he yelled at me f-for…for…" To upset and ashamed to finish her sentence, the girl closed her mouth and hung her head. Why couldn't she do anything right? If only she were as smart, beautiful, and sweet like her best friend! Then her father would never be disappointed in her ever again!

Smiling gently, the tealette softly rubbed the girl's back in soothing circles. "He's just trying to help you…I'm sure that he's also very upset now."

"D-does he, does he even love me?"

"Yes, I'm sure he does."

…

The first time we met, I was a sniveling mess and you were like my guardian angel. I was so caught up in my own petty problems, that I didn't notice that small bruise on the arm you hugged me with, or the cut on your face as you comforted me.

I will definitely help you out of this…

My eyes widened in horror as I heard Len get stabbed by Meito. Moving without thinking, I forced myself to stand up and flung myself over Miku. I wasn't one second too early.

"NO! IA!" I fell to the ground, oblivious to Miku's faraway voice. The blade dripped with crimson, having taken down two people now… Right before everything turned black, I heard someone shout, "There they are!" and saw two blurs of purple and pink.

Aaaaaand that's a wrap, people! :D

Luka and Gackupo next chapter!

Please review, everyone, and stay tuned for Chapter 15! Thank you!

~Rikasa