The sight of people walking past in the cold winter air made Miku feel even worse than she already did. Smiles were shared; hands linked together, sides were pressed close, warmth gifted to their loved ones. It was sickeningly lonely on the bench she had made hers, surrounded by the results of Neru and Teto's obsessive shopping. The three girls who held sway over her currently were in a nearby shop. Miku could see Gumi's worried eyes hesitantly glance to her every so often, but she wasn't allowed to come keep the girl company.

These girls had a strange relationship. It must have been the beginning of high school, ninth grade. The new students still stumbled around school, wide-eyed and amazed. Their elders giggled at them, smirks applying to most situations. On that day, Miku was no different from any other person. Over the long summer, after an unfortunate "accident" (it was no accident, but calling it one made her feel better) in her previous year of school, Miku had new resolve. She wouldn't hurt anyone. She wouldn't raise her voice or growl or let sarcasm run off her tongue ever again. Hatsune Miku would be a perfect girl. No one could hate her for being good and nice, and as long as she could remain so, everything would be okay.

Her plans were almost instantly destroyed. Four older students, eleventh graders, had heard rumors about this new student. News about her past and the particular "accident" she had been involved in circulated to them, and there was no way these four would pass up a chance at a girl like that. They were tough, prided themselves on being unbeatable in a fight. If Miku was as they had heard, they would be forever admired for beating someone like her.

Unfortunately for both groups, Miku refused to fight. She ended up with a bruise or two, but before any real damage could be done, Neru and Teto had stepped in. Aside from Teto's insane introduction earlier (involving Gumi, if you have forgotten), Miku was unaware of their existence. It was a complete shock when Neru, a black belt in karate, and Teto, who was just plain crazy, managed to threaten the four older students until they left. This was around the time Gumi stepped in to patch Miku up. She had even applied makeup to the bruise that was yellowing and darkening around her eye, managing to cover it up fairly well.

But Neru was never one to be accused of generosity. There was a price for the help offered. Miku could remember the exact words said to her.

"You owe us, Hatsune-san. And there's nothing much we need. Unless you happen to like carrying around the shopping."

The beginning of a quasi-friendship. Miku supposed she could have been stuck with a worse group than the rag-tag few that made up the one she served. Although she didn't really have any real friends at school besides Piko, it seemed she could rely on Neru and Teto for protection if she really had to. It sometimes involved a lot of pride-swallowing, but Miku wasn't picked on anymore. And the three seemed rather protective, considering she was basically a servant. After a few incidents, guys at school no longer hit on her, and jealous rumors were never spread. Miku, at first glance, was a person to be jealous of. She was smart. Ranked #6 on the charts when it came to academics, which was impressive since there were around 300 students in her grade. She was pretty, maybe even cute, with a sweet, albeit fake, disposition. People tended to get jealous of her. Sometimes this made her laugh internally.

Oh, if only they knew the real me, was a thought often in her mind.

So that's what their relationship added up to. Three girls who held sway over the poor, bullied Miku. Maybe a friendship was still in the process of being built. But Miku always wondered, if they seemed to like her, particularly Teto, why had they never invited her over to their houses? Or just out for coffee? This led Miku to believe that they really didn't think of her as a friend; she was the girl who carried their shopping. So she would try to think of herself the same way. In a way, this was almost worse than anything she'd face without their protection. Imagine knowing the only people you interact with at school thinking of you as a modern day servant.

Yeah, that stung. And it was moments like these when she felt utterly separate from everyone else. When the three girls left her alone, it gave her a chance to sink her face into her hands and sigh.

People walking by occasionally gave the girl on her bench weird glances. After all, the shopping bags around her were an awful lot for just one girl. The thoughts on many people's minds were probably along the lines of Spoiled brat. No one needs so many clothes.

Miku wanted to ignore them, but there were so many people walking for such a horribly cold. That skirt had been a terrible idea. She should really-

"Hatsune-san?"

-consider buying skinny jeans. They were in style, after all. Who said girls like her only had to wear skirts? Skinny jeans were-

Wait, had someone said her name?

Miku glanced up, eyebrows instantly jutting across her forehead. It was Len, dressed in his usual girly attire. Miku was surprised to see him accompanied by two girls. One could be recognized from the concert. What was her name? Suzuki something. Aria, maybe?

It didn't really matter, anyway. She was once again faced with Kagamine Len, who she had no intention of being civil towards.

"Oh, do you know her, Lin-chan?" a girl with a rather odd hairstyle and a bland-looking expression tilted her head in mild interest. She was tall, maybe around five feet nine inches, with short purple hair and a thick jacket. Rabbit ears hung from the hood. Beside her, the Aria girl clung to her arm, a friendly smile placed on her lips.

"Ah," Len began, haultingly. His gaze found Miku's, which was her cue to stand and get straight in his face.

"Listen here, Lin-chan," Miku said the name with contempt, spitting it off her tongue like poison, "I have no intention of acting kindly to you, so bug off before I really lose it."

Len stepped back, staring down at the shorter girl who was shooting flames from her eyes. He had never seen such bottled-up rage. A bomb waiting to be set off. That was the only way to describe Miku at this point. The look in her eyes made him almost regret messing with her. Almost. Of course, it could just make everything more fun in the end.

He put on a fake pout that made Miku want to vomit. "Oh, Mi-chan, there's no need for such hostility."

Miku bristled. Mi-chan? What was that nonsense?

Miku allowed herself the pleasure of grabbing the collar of Len's shirt. Coat. Whatever.

"Here's an idea. It would be wonderful if I showed you what I got famous for a few years ago," she hissed. Len was clearly confused. Had he not held up his promise to find all her secrets? It appeared so.

"And you really don't want to learn about that the hard way," she growled directly in his face. His blue eyes widened a bit, but the surprise he felt was quickly covered up by a forced smile.

"Ah, Mi-chan, you're so cruel," he stated, a sigh breaking the air, "Whatever quarrel you have can be sorted out."

"No. No, it can't," Miku spat, gritting her teeth. She was once again in the verge of crying, and there was no way she'd allow Len to see her cry now. Or ever, for that matter. But God, she just felt so betrayed. It was like Kagamine Len's lies had polluted music itself. She couldn't stand to think that she had once been so impressed and awed by his talent. It was infuriating.

"So dramatic, really," he sighed again as if he were pained by the idea of drama.

"Excuse me, Hatsune-san, was it? I don't really know what's going on, but I think you should let her go," Aria put a gentle hand on Miku's shoulder. She was actually a bit short than Miku, but not by much. Height was important to the girl, so Miku usually noticed that first.

"Don't get involved in things that don't concern you!" Miku snapped, avoiding eye contact. She didn't like being rude to this girl. She seemed nice enough, but it was honestly just a reflex when Miku became angry enough. Aria jumped a bit, and the tallest girl in their group calmed her with a pat to the head. That was adorable, Miku had to admit.

"Mi-chan." That name. She really hated it. He shouldn't be allowed to ever call her that. "Mi-chan, you should calm down. Discuss this rationally," Len said, taking her hands in an attempt to remove them from his coat. Miku didn't budge, but when he touched her skin, her eyes narrowed as an electric shock was transferred. His hands, despite being gloveless, were warm and soft.

"Rationally? This is coming from you?" Miku demanded coldly, a sneer forming upon doll features, "I don't think anything you do is rational. Quite frankly, I don't think anything you do is human! You, Miss Lin, are a complete bastard! If I had the option, I'd leave you for the wolves! I'd let you rot in the most unholy, desolate reaches of the galaxy!"

The sudden shouts being blasted into the idol's face shocked him. Admittedly, he was both angered and frightened by these words that Miku screeched at him. But there was another feeling he couldn't seem to identify, and he didn't like it. The feeling made his chest ache and his heart race painfully. It prickled in the back of his mind, curling in on itself and ignoring his inner speculation.

It's pain, he suddenly realized as his eyes met Miku's. The feeling was reflected in Miku's eyes. He hadn't realized she was actually hurt. Her anger was a good cover-up.

"That's so childish," he scoffed, "It's a wonder you have any friends with an attitude and a temper like that."

And then Miku deflated. You could see it visibly. Her grip loosed on Len's clothes, her eyes dulled and eyebrows hung in a look of defeat.

Suddenly, a new hand was releasing Miku's fists from Len's coat, and the curious boy turned his head to see a new girl beside them. Miku recognized her, even if she didn't exactly care.

"Hatsune-san, it's best not to pick fights," Gumi scolded lightly, and was surprised when Miku pressed closer to her, as if asking for comfort. Len blinked in confusion.

"I apologize for her. I'm sure whatever reason she had for this is valid, but I'm sorry if you were inconvenienced," the green haired girl smiled shyly as Miku ducked her face out of sight, her back turned to Len as she leaned her head on Gumi's shoulder.

"Hey, Goomi-oomi! What's up with Hatsune-san?" Teto demanded as she approached the group, a vaguely annoyed Neru dragged behind, "Why'd ya leave the store? We were still in the changing room."

"It's nothing important," Gumi waved the girl's question away lightly, smiling back at the bouncy student. Teto accepted this answer and moved her gaze to examine Len. Miku saw all of this from the corners of her eyes as she was still relaxing her forehead on Gumi's shoulder.

"Yo, Len," Neru greeted, off to the side.

"Oh, hello, Neru. How are you?" he replied happily, turning his attention from Miku and the two strangers who were giving her far too much attention for the pigtailed girl's comfort.

This exchange caught the attention of the surrounding teens, who glanced over at the blonde pair.

"Ru-chan! Do you know her?" Teto asked from her position beside Miku and Gumi. She was stroking Miku's hair gently, and secretly Miku didn't mind, even if it was embarrassing.

"Yep. He's my cousin," Neru let a tiny smile appear on her face, a rarity that Teto found amazing.

"Ru-chan smiled!" she exclaimed happily, but a look of confusion crossed her face, "'He'?"

"That's right."

"What? Seriously?" Teto glanced from Len to Neru, then back again, "Ru-chan looks more like a boy than you do."

Neru clenched her fist. "Teto?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Teto smiled widely. "Alright!"

"Anyway, this is Kagamine Len, my cousin. Len, meet my friends. This is Kasane Teto and the other one is Megpoid Megumi. I assume you and Hatsune-san have already met," she gestured to each girl in turn, a bored expression placed on her face.

"Kagamine-!" Teto attempted to shriek before a hand was flung across her mouth. The hand belonged to Neru.

"Shh, you moron," Neru rolled her eyes, "You have no sense."

Teto issued a rare glare at the word "moron". However, she remained silent as Neru returned her attention to Len. "So, who're those girls? Friends?"

Len smiled in reply as he turned to the two girls he had approached Miku with. "This is Suzuki Aria and Yuzuki Yukari. They go to my school."

Gumi smiled warmly at the two. "Hello," she greeted, her voice shy and quiet. Despite the girl's clear discomfort, Miku refused to turn around and pretend she was fine. Nope. It wasn't happening. Even if Gumi felt weird, Miku was safe at the moment, and that's all she cared about.

"Hello, Megpoid-san, Kasane-san," the deeper voice of Yukari replied, and Miku shivered. That voice was very nice, actually. Sugar-sweet, but deep and serious, as well.

"Hi!" Aria added, happily. The two seemed so opposite. Aria was so bouncy and joyful, and Yukari was calm and collected. Or, at least, that's how the two had been so far.

"What are you doing down here? Shopping?" Len's question was directed at Neru, who willingly delivered an answer.

"Yeah. That major dance thing at our school is coming up, I guess. Gotta have some good outfits," Neru replied. Miku was confused, as she had no idea. When had this been announced?

"Oh? Really? When?" Len actually sounded a bit interested, "My school never has dances, so I would like to see what a school dance is like." So that's what it was about. Explains why he was even mildly interested.

"Around Valentine's Day. Lessee… Two weeks?" Neru shrugged, "I dunno. Teto's the one who's making me go."

"Tsundere. You totally want to go and have a romantic night with some boy," Teto exclaimed, poking Neru in the cheek playfully. Miku lifted her eyes a bit to see the reaction Neru had to this. To her surprise, Neru blushed ever so lightly, but covered her embarrassment with a cold glare.

"Not funny," she stated.

"Aw, Ru-chan! I'm just teasing!" Teto stuck out her tongue. Len snickered at his cousin's expense.

Gumi quietly tapped on Miku's shoulder as Len received a glare as well. Shyly, she whispered as to not draw attention, "Excuse me, Hatsune-san? I-I think you should probably move. You're acting a bit… odd."

Grudgingly, Miku lifted her head and turned to stand beside Gumi, gripping the slightly taller girl's arm, causing her to shift uncomfortably. It was nice knowing Gumi wouldn't scold her or insult her. Beside Gumi, she felt a bit safer.

"Where are you three headed now?" Aria asked, politely.

"We don't have any plans, really. Teto and I dragged Hatsune out for the day, and Gumi followed along," Neru replied, checking the time on her phone. It was a flip phone, which may be an older style, but she liked it, so there. Really, Miku learned not to talk about Neru's precious phone at all if there was any risk of insulting her "baby".

"It's 11:58, if anyone's interested in lunch," Neru blandly reported.

Teto clapped cheerfully. "Great! I think that would be fun!" She turned to look slyly at Len. "Besides, it will be so interesting to eat with an idol."

Aria agreed quickly and Len smiled his agreement, despite the almost hungry look Teto was giving him. Yukari smiled tightly at the exchange, and real amusement could be seen in her lavender gaze.

Miku wasn't exactly allowed to protest. Nor could she, as her throat still felt tight and constricted. Being around Len was driving her mad. Absolutely mad.

Miku tried her hardest to force a smile onto her face and turned to Teto and Neru, who were arguing lightly about how Teto should treat Len.

"E-excuse me, Kasane-san and Akita-san," she began, and the two turned to her, "I'm afraid I have to leave for a previous engagement. I promised my brother I'd help clean up around the house today."

"Alright," Neru shrugged, "See ya, then."

It almost bothered Miku how easily her exit could be brushed aside, as if they wouldn't miss her company at all. Well, they wouldn't, but it was still a bit painful.

"Bye-bye, Hatsune-san! I'll text you later and bug you, okay?" Teto offered cheerfully.

"Hm," Miku gave the best reply she could before turning away and heading down the street. She left the shopping on the bench, and she didn't feel bad at all. After all, those stupid girls could carry their own things.

Before she could be completely rid of the group, however, she heard the voice of Kagamine Len call her to a halt. Grudgingly, with a malevolent stare and stiff limbs, Miku turned to face the idol as he ran to meet her many meters from the other four who still stood by the bench.

"Mi-chan, listen," Miku flinched at the name, "I'm sorry, alright? Let's try to get along a bit, since you're friends with Neru. I guess I misjudged you. All of Neru's friends seem to have good qualities."

Miku couldn't help but knit her eyebrows in confusion. What was this? Len was certainly impulsive.

"Go die in a ditch," Miku retorted, earning a sigh.

"Maturity is something you lack, you silly girl. But I'm really serious. I just wanted to mess you a bit for being so difficult. Didn't think you were so sensitive," Len muttered the last sentence quietly, as if he really was trying not to insult her. Miku took it as an insult anyway.

"Fine. You're mostly forgiven. I guess," Miku snapped, pressing her lips together and folding her arms over her chest.

"Alright! But the original deal stands! I just hope we can get along better now. Fewer insults and such," Len smiled warmly, and Miku couldn't help but find the smile attractive. Yes, he was dressed as a girl, but Miku didn't really think of him as a girl at all. She could clearly see his idol self underneath the pigtails and the girl's outfit.

"Yeah, yeah. Bye," Miku finally said her last farewell and turned, trudging through the snowy sidewalks as she left Kagamine Len behind to enjoy his afternoon with the other girls. And, no, she was definitely not jealous at the thought of them having fun without her! What would make you think that?!

As Len watched her retreating figure, he couldn't help the fond smile.

"Oh, Miku,"he whispered to himself, "I really hope I don't end up falling for that silly temper of yours. But that secret you have, what could it possibly be? So intriguing…"

He really didn't know what prompted him to say it, but it seemed to enough. Honestly, he liked girls with a bit of a temper. Key word being girls. But that's a story for another time.

/

Yeah, Lenny likes girls. He wants a date with Kaito for a specific reason. Which will be revealed later. In an actual chapter. Not an author's note.