.x.X.x.X.x.

He's never gonna make it.

All the poor people he's forsaken;

karma's always gonna chase him for his lies

.x.X.x.X.x.

"Len Kagamine is such a great tutor, he always gets straight As!"

"He's so friendly and kind, it's awesome he's in our class!"

"I know! It's too bad Rin's in it too."

The words dig into her heart slowly, and Rin takes a deep breath.

The blonde, short hair bobbing around her oval face, clings to her books with her head down.

It's no surprise they're talking about him. They're always talking about him.

That smug asshole, her twin brother. Unfortunately synonymous.

He, the older twin by about five minutes, is the star of the class and an ace pupil of the school. Has been since they were in kindergarten, actually. He's always been three steps ahead of her in everything, math, language arts, gym. Len has always been the one who gets noticed, the one they praise.

The perfect little student, a model brother, a prodigal son.

Sickening.

Rin is his opposite. Never quite as fortunate, never able to keep up. Where he got As, she got Cs at best. Her physical health could be challenged easily while he could overtake her at an easy sprint. She needed glasses, he didn't.

She was pitifully behind him at every turn, and he knew. The divide has grown since they were children, with her envying his easy position of the favorite. Even their own parents favor him, leaving her to figure herself out while they guided him toward the best professions. She was ignored, and when she acted out from their lack of love and respect, it only backfired and made her more outcast by them.

The only problem was that she was expected to keep up appearances with him at school, even though he would make her life a living hell at every moment. The worst part wasn't that he was actively better than her, but that he played upon it like a great victory.

The better twin, the better child, the better student, the better person. If she hadn't been born, there'd be no challenge to him; but then again, there's none now.

What had once been two close siblings when they were young had grown into strangers with distaste and sourness between them, nothing more. It left a bitter flavor on her tongue every time she said his name.

"Len! Len!"

She raises her head when he steps into the classroom, as does most the class.

His uniform perfectly prim, his hair pulled back into a neat ponytail that fit school guidelines, his blue eyes glimmering with mirth and self confidence. A face that mirrors hers down to the minute details of their lashes and button nose. He languidly strides into the room, coming up right beside her and stopping to peek down at her with a smug grin.

"...Rin," he says smoothly.

She doesn't respond, instead turning to the table and placing her books down in front of her on the desk.

He slides into the chair beside her, unfortunately sharing the same desk space, and she catches the strong, cloying scent of some kind of fruit and musk mix. It leaves her a little lightheaded, and she leans away from him to get away from it and the proximity a little more.

The teacher calls the classes attention, beginning with roll call.

"Mirai Komachi."

"Miku Hatsune."

"Aya Drevis."

"Kaito Shion."

"Len Kagamine."

Rin is so busy trying to find something through the pile of books on the desk that she nearly misses the teacher trying to address her, yelping when a sharp elbow strikes her side and forces her attention front and center.

"Y-Yes?" she mumbles, while the man before them narrows his eyes.

"It seems you're physically present, but not mentally, Miss Kagamine," he quips dryly. "Is there a problem?"

"N-No…" she murmurs, but Len's soft chuckle beside her makes her snap a glare his way.

"I think she might be looking for her test," Len says clearly. "It appears as though she's left it at home, Mr Kamui."

Rin gapes at him in horror, while the teacher tsks and a small rumble of whispers begins amongst the other students.

"No, I- I had it, I swear I did. What do you mean?" she barely manages, her fingers frantically pawing through her book pages. "Len, what did you do with-"

"I think you left it on your desk at home, Rin," Len shrugs, cutting her off and giving her a painful pat on the shoulder. "I should've said something. That's really unfortunate."

"You need to be better prepared, Miss Kagamine," The teacher scolds her harshly. "That test was worth half your grade."

"I…"

The words die in her throat as she meets Len's dark ocean gaze, and with that she swipes his hand away and stares down at her desk, fighting off tears.

This isn't uncommon. Len likes to sabotage her, to make her into some idiot with half a mind's thought. She can feel the rage boiling in her fists, causing her to ball them up tight in her skirt to prevent herself from punching him on the spot.

Why couldn't I have a normal brother?

Why did I have to have you?

Your perfect, precious little life ruiner.

.x.X.x.

Halfway through the day, as Rin is heading to her next class, she's yanked aside into an empty hallway and pushed against a wall.

Gripping tight against her bookbag, she winces as her head collides with the brick wall, and when she opens her eyes again, her brother is reflected there. His once friendly and 'sympathetic' smile is gone, replaced with a look of pure disgust.

"...What do you want?" she seethes.

"That was really pathetic, Rin," he says, venom dripping from his velvety tone while he stares her down. "Class this morning, I mean."

"You threw my test away," she accuses angrily, hissing between her teeth. "I didn't leave it at home, I know I had it this morning."

"That's pretty funny," he says, his demeanor unfazed. "Because, when you ask everyone else, it just seems like you left it, or didn't even do the test. There's no good way to explain that, is there?"

"Let me go, I'm going to be late for class," she growls, trying to shove past him, but he presses his palm flat against her chest and shoves her harshly against the wall again.

"Now, what bothers me more is that you actually tried to pin your own lack of attention on me," he says, his voice picking up some sickening sweet malice. "Even funnier yet that you thought anyone would actually believe what you had to say."

"You're an asshole," Rin stares him down. "If you don't let me go, I'm going to scream."

A wolfish, menacing grin spreads across his face, and he reaches up and presses two tentative fingers against her cheek. It immediately makes her cringe away, like his fingertips hold poison.

"Do it," he says quietly, his hand digging into her cheek painfully enough to leave marks. "What will you do when they come? How much faith do you have in them that you think they'd choose you over me?"

His words stab deep into her soul, and she can't take his unbearable presence any longer. With a violent shove, she uses her shoulder to jab his chest to the side and move him, taking him off guard.

"...Leave me alone, Len," she scowls, before turning to walk away.

Before she can make distance, however, she feels his hand at her shoulder, a violent push that sends her into a nearby water fountain, the edge of the cold metal biting into her stomach and causing her to gasp aloud. Her books fall all over the floor, spinning across the tile.

"Oh, so sorry, Rin," she hears him say through a painful haze. Her eyes move upwards as he goes by her, not even bothering to throw a glance her way. "You should be more careful."

She chokes on air and crumples to the floor, while his lingering chuckle haunts her long after he's gone.

.x.X.x.

The day goes on like that.

Len makes sure that the rest of the school day is a living hell for her. Tripping her around a corner, stealing a book and tossing it in the courtyard water fountain, making sure she went to the wrong class. It's a series of avoidable mistakes that leave her drained and angry by the end of it all.

When it's all finally said and done, Rin is one of the last few to leave the school, choosing to enjoy the springtime air and let the grossness of her day ebb away. It's times like these that she likes to draw or writing in her notebook, letting her stress and emotions out in a more productive way than letting it fester. The fact that their school sides near a beach cliffside tends to help her calm down, too.

Len always leaves her with plenty of inspiration to use, after all. It keeps her busy.

As the day wanes, she's deep into a drawing and isn't paying attention to her surroundings. In a flash of movement, her notebook is swiped out of her hands, and she yelps in fear.

Len stands before her, dangling the pink covered book high above her head. He's only an inch taller than she is, but from her perch on the ground, he seems as tall as a mountain.

"...What's this?" he asks, taking a glance at it. "What are these drawings?"

"Give that back!" She lunges for it, but he backs up, letting her trip over her own two feet and get a faceful of dirt.

"These drawings… oh, is that me?" he asks, flipping through them callously. "You shouldn't have. Really, you shouldn't have; your drawings are terrible."

"Shut up!"

He starts to walk away, into the surrounding forest of the school, waving the book like bait.

"Well, come and take it if you want it; otherwise it's going into the ocean," he calls, and blind panic floods her entire being.

No, not that, anything but that!

"Len! Len, stop!"

She chases after him, her face scratched and the sun beginning to wane over the horizon. Somehow she loses track of him, screeching his name into the forest that, as it gets darker, sends more fear lancing through her form.

We shouldn't even be here. This place is offlimits.

The signs posted around the area are enough to indicate they're definitely trespassing on dangerous property, but Len likes to play these games so much he probably doesn't care.

She runs, her poor legs struggling to keep up, until she reaches a cliff overlooking the crashing waves below, where the jagged rocks below seem even more ominous in the oncoming night lights.

It's getting really late. Where did he go?

"Man, you really suck at this, Rin."

His voice makes her whirl around, her back to the vast ocean, to face her awful brother. The wind picks up hard, seidning her hair whipping against her cheeks, and even making his appearance a bit disheveled.

Actually, she's never seen him look so tousled. The romp through the forest must've been quite an adventure to make him seem so unkempt. It makes her a little happy inside.

"Please, Len," she asks, taking a step toward him. "Please give me back the notepad."

His brow raises, and he lets out a gut wrenching laugh.

"Wow, was that sincerity just now?" he asks through guffaws. "That was so pathetic! If you're going to beg, do it properly."

Violent rage becomes unbearable to hold back, and her face turns a bright shade of red. She can no longer hold back.

"Give it back! You stupid, selfish jerk!" she yells. "That doesn't belong to you!"

"Yeah?" he darkens a bit. "I think it does now."

"You can't just lay claim to it because it's in your hands. You can't just have everything, Len!" Rin growls out. "You have enough, give it back to me! You've ruined enough of my things."

Something changes in his eyes, something cold taking over the malicious mirth. The book lowers in his hand as he stares at her.

"...You think I have everything?" he asks hoarsely, blue eyes becoming a bit wild. "That's rich."

She can't help but gape at him, before moving forward to swipe at the book. He dodges quickly, before smacking her hand away and sending her reeling a bit off balance. She catches herself, breathing hard.

"Stop using me as your toy!" she screams. "Stop treating me like some plaything! It's bad enough I have to compete with your perfect persona every day while you make me look like an idiot. Just stop it, Len, stop it!"

Her emotions are clouding her vision and her words.

Len, however, grows more agitated.

"You have no idea how easy your life is, do you, Rin?" he accuses. "You don't have to worry about anything. You don't have to compete with anything. I outshine you in everything. I'm better than you. I'm so much better than you, but I have to work so hard to do it. You just get a free pass to be anything you want, do anything you want, and all the expectations fall on me. You're a terrible twin for leaving all of that on me!"

She can't help the shock on her features. "What are you talking about? You wanted this! This is all you ever wanted! I have nothing!"

"You think this is what I wanted? I would do anything to be in your place!" he cries back, taking a step toward her, her notebook crushed in his fist. "You don't have to be anything you're not. Every day I act perfect, I am perfect, because at any moment that I choose not to be, my world crumbles. I can't have anything that's not perfect, I can't love anything that's not perfect. The only thing standing in my way is you!" he runs a hand over his face with frustration. "I loved you, Rin, but you're not perfect, and you're in my way!"

"Len-!"

Before she can breathe, both his hands fly outward, slamming into her chest and sending her backwards off balance. She screams, her hands flailing outward to catch herself, but there is nothing to slow her descent.

Tumbling down, she smacks hard against a branch jutting out from the cliff face, her hands wrapping around it for dear life, the bark scratching her hands enough to draw blood. She clings to it desperately, a bare few feet from the edge. Just below, azure waves crash against dangerous jagged rock.

"Len! Help me!" she cries out, staring upward. "Len! Please, please, help me!"

Her begging draws her brother to the edge to look down on her. There's fear and horror mixed in his expression, and his ponytail has loosened so that his blond hair flows around his face like a dark halo.

His lips set into a firm, thin line.

"Why should I help you?"

Her eyes grow to the size of saucers.

"Len, you can't be serious! You can't leave me here! Please! Please!"

He turns away from her, tsking, on edge and nervous.

"I should let you hang there for a bit longer. Admit you're the worst sibling, and I'll help you. Apologize for ruining my life."

No.

No, this can't be happening.

Len, you-

"Len! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, okay? Please, I'm slipping! I can't-!"

She can't hold on. She can't make it. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

He's not even looking at her, his eyes trained on her notebook.

He won't help her. He's going to let her fall.

"Leeeeeeeeeen!"

Her long, drawn out scream is punctuated by the branch suddenly snapping off the rock. A bloodcurdling sound escapes her throat as she drops, her body bending to the wind as he whirls around, surprise and terror etched in his face.

"Rin!"

She can hear his voice, but only for a moment.

His pale face is etched into her retinas in that final moment, standing atop that cliff gazing down at her.

He's won.

.x.X.x.

"Mirai Komachi."

"Miku Hatsune."

"Aya Drevis."

"Kaito Shion."

"Len Kagamine…?"

There's a pause as the teacher of the class surveys the room, confusion on their face along with most other students. At the silence, the teacher moves on, albeit a tad stunted.

"Rin Kagamine?"

A pause, and a hand raises next to an empty seat. The sweetfaced girl stares straight ahead, offering the man a small smile.

"...Here."

.x.X.x.X.x.

It's just a game of waiting

from the church steeple down to Satan's karma;

There's really no escape until he dies.

.x.X.x.X.x.


A/N: Lyrics used from 'Outrunning Karma' -Alec Benjamin. (Dazai osamu remix best.)

Written at almost 3am. My birthday is in two days, so happy birthday to myself. Have some angst. No happy endings here.