Disclaimer: What's this 'Vocaloid' you speak of? I don't own it...

Chapter 5: Crimson Ally

I groaned as we walked inside what felt like the millionth store, "Piko, I would appreciate it if you would stop acting like a girl about this."

He frowned and said, "If you were me, and Miki was Rin, you'd be acting like a girl, too!"

"Ah," I held back the urge to laugh. "So you admit it?"

I got him there. "Y-You… I hate you." He blushed.

I laughed and looked at a nearby rack filled with tuxedos, "Who wears a tux to a first date, anyway? Fancy, much? You guys are going to a café, for Kami-sama's sake! Can we go to OTHER stores?"

I knew he wouldn't budge, so when he shook his head, I slung him over my shoulder as if he was nothing more than a sack of flour (he weighs A LOT more than that, I assure you) and went straight towards the nearest mall. When we got to a small store that I've had my eye on, I put him down.

"LEN! WHAT THE HELL, DUDE?! NEVER EVER EVER DO THAT- HEY, I'M NOT DONE, GET BACK HERE, YOU JERK!"

As I tuned out his annoying, high-pitched voice, I started looking for something for him to wear. Hmm… Too bright, too plain, too much, and- EW, TOO LITTLE! How in hell do girls DO this? Argh, this is too hard and is taking too long. With a shrug, I blindly picked a random outfit and threw it at Piko's face. "Go try this on."

Grumbling and protesting, he did as I said and walked into one of the fitting rooms. I turned around and sat myself down on a nearby chair. Man, I wish this could go by faster so I can go back-

"KYA~ Rin, this would be SO cute on you! Go try it on for Miku-nee, ne? Pwease~?"

Shit… Why now-

"You have a seriously bad taste in clothes, dude."

I glared at him, but I also took a closer look at his outfit. He had a black leather jacket on with an orange v-neck shirt underneath and blue swim trunks.

Hehe… Oops.

"Ritsu," At the sound of the familiar voice, Piko tensed up and I smiled, "Can't you leave me alone this once?"

"Ahahaha~ A-Are you gonna go up to Miki dressed like th-THAT?" I tried to keep my chuckles in as I talked, causing the grin on my face to appear a bit shaky. This is just TOO good…

He blushed and glared at me, making it almost impossible for me to keep my laughter in. "YOU CHOSE THE CLOTHES, SHUT THE HELL-"

"Piko?"

When he heard his name being called out, he grabbed the nearest outfit and ran as fast as he could into the fitting rooms. I finally let my body roll on the floor as Piko's crush came up to me with an older girl behind her, "Len, is Piko here with you?"

Lie or truth? Pfft, the brat owes me after what happened earlier, "He's getting a change of clothes." Then again, I have made him suffer a bit too much today. I sighed and added, "You should go, though. It wouldn't be good for you to see your boyfriend's outfit before the big date, yeah?"

She blushed, "I-I wouldn't say boyfriend…"

"Me neither."

I looked at the girl behind Miki and raised an eyebrow, "You are…?"

She gave me a friendly smile, but her eyes said otherwise, "The name's Kasane Ritsu. I'm Miki's onii-san!"

I just stared at her with a puzzled expression. Big brother? I thought he was a gir- Wait, those clothes… OH. OOOOOOOOOOOOOH! He cross-dresses. Well, damn, one surprise after the other. Hmm, maybe I'm wrong and didn't hear her right. To make sure, I questioned it, "Big brother? Are you a cross-dresser?"

HE nodded with pride, fucking PRIDE, "YEP~"

Before I could let my mind wander as to why he had a chest, I saw Piko (Thank Kami-sama!) was about to step out. I did him a favor (that he WILL pay me back for) and shooed the Kasane siblings away. Once they were all nice and taken care of, I took a good look at his apparel. "Dude, this is WAY too much white…"

I wasn't even lying. The boy was wearing a white jacket with the sleeves rolled up towards his elbows, and underneath it was a simple white tee with a black tie printed on it. On his legs were knee-long white cargo shorts, and he wore white Vans on his feet.

He opened his mouth to retort, but I was too exhausted to argue about this, so I cut him off. "I really don't want to go to another store, so let's just grab this and get the hell out of here."

Those clothes look expensive though… But, pfft, who says we're paying? I looked around to see if anyone was around. Everyone seems busy with their clothes… Perfect. We crouched down and tried to sneak our way out of here. I may not have had an early education, but even I know there are security cameras in here. I pulled the hood of my hoodie closer to my face and hid under a rack of clothes. I signaled for Piko to follow me as I felt the all-too-familiar rush in my blood whenever I committed anything like stealing. All those years of living in the streets can guarantee you this:

You can get away with almost anything.

The exit was only a few inches away now, and when I double-checked to see if anyone's watching, we both made a run for it. When we were a good distance away, we stopped and walked, making sure to not look too suspicious. I turned towards Piko and asked, "When's the date?"

The moment his eyes settled on the silver thing, his eyes widened. "TWO HOURS!"

"That's plenty of time," I frowned, "what are you worrying about?"

Piko glared, "You're not the one on a date here, I am! You wouldn't understand."

"'Wouldn't understand'?!" Now he's just pissing me off. "Tell me, what it is I 'wouldn't understand'? I understand that you're over-obsessing over the most stupid things and I'm sick and tired of it all! YOU'VE BEEN DRAGGING ME AROUND TOWN FOR HOURS, MY FEET ARE KILLING ME, AND I JUST WANT TO GO TO THE NEAREST TOOL SHOP SO I CAN SMACK YOU WITH A THICK PIECE OF WOOD!"

Okay, I have to calm down. In, out, in, out… "… Look, I know this is important to you, but you don't need to be a worry-wart over it. Just dress nice, show up on time, and show that girl what you're made of, alright?" I tried to softened my look at the guy, "Now can we please go home?"

Piko smiled, "Thanks, man. And I'm sorry."

I sighed and slightly shrugged, not really caring 'bout it anymore.

"There she is, ready?"

Piko nodded, but I could tell he was a bit nervous, "As ready as I can be."

I gave him a supportive pat on the back and pushed him towards the table Miki was sitting in. Silently, I watched as they said their 'hello's, feeling a bit of pride as Piko didn't blush as much and as red as I thought he would. With that said, I turned around and decided to give the two their privacy. They earned it, after all, since Piko has worked VERY hard to try and give his affections out towards Miki.

… Man, when did I become such a girl?

Chuckling, I let myself wander for a bit. I don't really want to go home, seeing as I'll probably have to pick Piko up (but, if things go well, I might not have to). I spotted an alley nearby and decided to go inside and explore. There's no harm in doing so, but I feel as if I've been in this particular alley before…

I shrugged the bad feeling on my chest off. I'm probably just a bit nervous since Piko's a screw-up (not to mention a tad clumsy) and I left him alone with Miki, of all people. Either way, I'm Len and there's no way I should be afraid of something like an alley. Heck, I LIVE on an alley, so I don't see what I have to-

I suddenly felt a sharp pain on the back of my head. I groaned as I felt the pain spread throughout my skull. Argh, that really hurt…! I bend my knees and placed my hands on them, trying to just let the pain die out on its own.

But, I quickly regretted letting my guard down as another blow was sent throughout my body, this time centering on my back. The unexpected blow caused me to fall on the ground and I winced as I felt the hard cement meet the right side of my head. I refused to show any weakness, however, as I used my right arm to help me up. This action was useless, however, as a black boot caused me to stay rooted to the ground.

Another blow was sent throughout my body, this one slightly stronger than the others. My vision was slowly fading, and all I could make out was a blurry figure with red hair.

Of course, it had to be him.

"Bitch, you shouldn't have come through my territory."

I was in too much pain to sarcastically reply (as I should have), and my silence must have amused him as he said, "Speechless for once, Len? Didn't anyone teach you to show respect!"

Another blow, and this one must have done it as darkness slowly entered the corners of my eyes. A faint gasp made its way into my ears, and the last thing I saw before blacking out was a blurry streak of teal and the most beautiful angel I've seen looking at me with worried, cerulean orbs.

Colors started flooding my vision as I slowly opened my eyes. I blinked a couple times as I took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Ugh, my head, it's killing me…

I felt a headache, so I touched my forehead to rub the pain away. Instead of feeling my skin, though, I felt some kind of damp cloth on my fingertips. Using the rest of my fingers, I took the cloth off of my forehead and looked around for anyone that could help me. Speaking of help, what time is it? Man, I wonder if Piko made a klutz of himself by spilling a drink over Miki-

"Ah, you're finally awake." I turned around and saw Rin walking towards me with a small tray. She smiled kindly, causing me to feel a bit warm. She put the tray down on the coffee table and crouched down next to me, her cerulean eyes looking over me the same way a mother would when their child got scratched or hurt.

This action made me feel a bit upset, and the comparison I just made didn't make me feel any better. That said, I decided to ask the one question that's been on my mind, "Where am I?"

She smiled, and my headache seemed to have died down a bit upon seeing it, "You're in my living room." Her kind expression changed to a worried one as she forced me back down on the couch, "You need to lie down…"

I shook my head, "I'm fine."

Rin looked at me with a questioning look but she soon shrugged and got up from the floor. She put her hands on her hips and frowned, looking as if she was scolding me, "Now, what do you think you were doing wandering all alone in an alley? And it was Crimson Ally, no less!"

I scoffed. "Crimson Ally is filled with idiots who pick on people just so they can give their already-too-big egos a boost. It's hardly any dangerous."

My explanation seemed to have only worried her further as she said, "Then why were you getting beat up by the leader?"

Ugh, please don't remind me. Not only did it hurt my back, it also hurt my pride... I shrugged and tried answering her question, "Because I idiotically let my guard down, that's why."

I winced as I felt my headache getting stronger. Damn Crimson Ally... I silently watched as Rin's face brightened, almost as if a light bulb had gone off above her head. She reached into the pocket of the apron she was wearing and pulled out a small white box. She smiled and handed me the box, "Here, my mom always says that a couple of these could make anyone happy."

Raising a brow, I took the box and quickly opened it. I felt my eyes widen as I looked at what was inside. Oh my God, I just can't believe I was this lucky...

Rin's chocolates.

With slight hesitation, I took a chocolate out and popped it into my mouth. Her mother's right, these really do hit the spot... It felt like a wave of bliss had hit my tastebuds, and I honestly can't remember when was the last time I ever ate something so amazingly delicious. I groaned in satisfaction as I glanced over at the now smiling blonde, "These are amazing..."

A warm feeling in my stomach erupted when she blushed. "Th-Thank you."

As I made myself comfortable on the couch, I couldn't help but feel at ease. Piiko and Miki's date be damned, I feel so incredibly happy right now. I silently found myself thanking the leader of the Crimson Allies, for if it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't be here right now. That said, I let sleep claim me as I felt a smile creep up on my lips, not caring in the slightest if I sounded like a cheesy girl in love.

A.N./ Failed attempt at Romance is failed attempt at Romance. But, hey~! We got some RinxLen action, here! :D So, I hope we all enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sorry that I haven't been updating recently, it's just that I've been busy with school and all... And because of Halloween, I've been on a sugar crash... Apologies aside, let's get to the Review Replies~

MizuneMinamiki: xD I'm glad you liked that scene so much~ I'm afraid Len isn't one who would woo someone, seeing as he's a 'tough boy' *cough*debatable*cough* and he doesn't do anything TOO romantic. Piko's not suffering anymore... *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

IA-K1002: Len shall be evil 'cause I placed an evil curse on him! Ahaha~ ... XD Anyways, how much you wanna bet that Piko actually DID have a 'perfect' date with Miki? He could've, maybe, possibly screwed up something, but we shall not find out 'till next chappie~ Thanks for reviewing, IA fanboy! :D

B.L (guest): I'm glad you love it! ^u^ Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside... xD

Reviews are love~ ;)