Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid or the little ™ sign.
"Rin-chan?"
The blonde girl snorted, rolled over, swatted a few times in random directions before falling back to sleep, a dribble of drool trickling across her cheek.
"Ugh, Rin-chan, gross. Get up already, it's lunch time."
"Move over and let me handle this."
A hand grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her violently.
"Wake up, wake up, you lazy bum! Are you deaf or just really dumb?"
"Mou, Mikuo-kun, that's mean."
But it did the trick.
The blonde girl stirred awake and opened her eyes.
Or, at least tried to.
"Ahhh, my eyes won't open…" she mumbled, rubbing at her tightly closed eyes with loosely balled fists. "Why won't they open?" she whined, flailing around to try and find somebody.
Gumi was kneeling at her side and was smacked with one of the blonde's hands. "AH! Rin-chan, stop it! I'm right here so stop hitting me!" she cried, swatting fruitlessly at the offending appendages smacking her in the face. While the two girls were caught up in their silly antics, the teal-haired boy looked closer at the new girl's face.
"Rin…were you…crying?"
The blonde immediately stopped flailing and sat there, looking down meekly. "How can you tell?" she asked in a small voice.
Mikuo smiled humorlessly. "I've seen my share of crying girls." he replied, dropping his rhymes for the moment. "Well…one crying girl, but she cries enough for about twenty." Rin turned towards the direction his voice was coming from and made a sheepish face, poking her two forefingers together. The teal-haired boy sighed and put a hand on her head. "Come on, Rinny, let's go wash your face." She frowned sadly but didn't argue and allowed her new friends to guide her.
Mikuo glanced at the petite blonde girl and couldn't help but smile to himself. She was extremely adorable at times if not very strange as well.
Not many girls had the ability to capture the attentions of the two musical geniuses of Voca Arts Academy.
He might act like a joker but Mikuo Hatsune was far more astute than people gave him credit for.
From the very moment he had seen Rin, he had noticed the timidity she carried herself with. It hadn't been a very impressive first impression and he had thought little of her when she entered the room.
The rumors must've been wrong about her, he had thought to himself as he stared at the little blonde cowering in the front of the room. She wasn't anything like the Lily Jones he had heard about from years ago. This girl had none of her style, none of her grace and probably none of her talent as well. He hadn't been impressed at all. Well, that meant less competition for dear sister.
She had sat her little butt in the desk in front of him and cowered like a baby bunny. That's when Gumi had turned around with that large grin on her face.
He wasn't about to get one-upped by a goggle-wearing moss-haired girl so he had grabbed Rin's fluttering white bow and yanked. Hard.
That sure got her attention and she had turned around, big blue eyes wide in surprise and maybe even a little teary.
And BOOM.
He had to literally bite his cheek to keep from turning bright red.
She was…adorable.
Painfully, endearingly, gut-wrenchingly adorable. He had forgotten all his clever rhymes the moment she had set those big teary blues on him and he knew—he just knew that this small girl was going to be a huge hitch in his dear sister's plan. And to his as well.
It was an interesting if not unexpected twist to say the least.
But what his dear sister Miku wanted, she would always get.
So he pushed down his fascination for the blonde girl and conjured up his rhymes, plastering a seductive smirk on his face. Best to forget whatever he had felt for the sake of sibling loyalty (or lack thereof if he put himself in her shoes).
Later in the hallway, she had single-handedly broken down a part of his carefully built emotional wall and he had faltered for a second. He had weakened and bared his true vulnerable self to her, if only for a moment. But that was enough for him to realize that it really wouldn't hurt to befriend this small girl with the cute smile and odd mannerisms.
He watched from where he was leaning on the wall as Gumi scrubbed at Rin's face with a wet paper towel, prattling off about something while the blonde girl whined in a timid voice.
He was smiling before he even realized it. Turning his head to avert his gaze from the two girls, he stuck a hand in his pocket.
He couldn't shake the feeling that she really was going to bring a whole mess of change to Voca Arts.
He woke up to tightness on his cheeks and the bitter aftertaste of tears on his tongue.
He stared up at the ceiling for a few lilting moments before sitting up, almost robotically.
Putting a hand to his forehead, a fuzzy warm feeling engulfed him and despite the still throbbing pain in his heart, he smiled.
He had had such a happy dream.
It had been a while since he'd had one.
He closed his eyes and he swore he smelled oranges.
Breathing in deeply,his heart swelled in a strange way which was both puzzling and distressing at the same time.
Pushing back the covers, he opened the door and left the room, his footsteps echoing down the long hallway.
A kaleidoscope of light made mosaic patterns on the plain white bed as the door closed.
"Waaaaah but Len-kun~!"
"Sorry, sorry, Miku but I've got to go. See you later, alright?"
"Aww, fine!"
He offered one more patented smile and turned to walk away, one hand buried deep in his pocket, the other shouldering the banana-yellow canvas bag that served as his school bag.
He entered Suzume Hall—the acting hub of Voca Arts. It was crowded as it was lunch time and students of the theatrical art were bustling around, wearing the customary purple and black ensemble that separated them from music students or dance students.
And perhaps it was because he was wearing the black and blue that were reserved for music students or maybe it was because of the way he carried himself with that laidback but still somehow exuding that "better-than-you-and-you-should-bow-down-like-the- peasants-you-are" aura.
But it was mostly likely because he was Len Kagamine—idol and heartthrob— that people stopped to stare and whisper and freak out in general.
He, after all, was a legend of sorts. Singer, dancer, actor—overall super idol and perfectly perfect in every sense of the word.
But behind that ineffable charm and heart-melting face was a shroud of mystery. His past before his first year of stardom was a big empty blank.
No one knew who he was before he was Len Kagamine, international pop sensation.
Some said he was born a prince in some obscure European country and was sent to Japan to conceal his identity from foreign assassins.
Others said he had started out as a host in a high-end host club in Tokyo before making it big.
And there was the small percentage of people who claimed he was the street vigilante, Panda Hero, that had disappeared without a trace around the same time he had risen into stardom.
But no one knew for sure.
Len Kagamine before he was THE Len Kagamine was a mystery that would probably never be solved.
But that's part of what made him so utterly irresistible and despite the strangest of theories, he only became more and more mysterious and more and more famous.
He nodded his head to a few lucky bystanders before exiting through the grand arches that lead to The Lawn, the school's gardens and designated lunch time hub.
The moment he set foot on the smooth cobbled path, he was mobbed by fangirls and fanboys alike, a flurry that wasn't unlike that of a flock of ducks going after a morsel of bread.
He handled them with an expertise that was polished and perfected, leaving them with a suave phrase and another Len Smile™.
Making his way through, he ventured farther and farther away from the loud chattering of students and the heat of a hundred bodies until he found himself in a clearing.
Stopping, he sat down and heaved a big sigh, his blue eyes drooping in exhaustion.
He leant against a nearby tree before opening his bright yellow bag and withdrawing...a cluster of bananas. (?!)
Setting the many bananas gingerly on the grass, he pulled out a thick book that revealed itself to be…Shounen Jump. (?!)
He opened it up with ill-hidden glee and carefully peeled a banana before completely absorbing himself in magnificently ordinary teenage boy geekery.
Unbeknownst to his loyal and avid fans believing Len Kagamine the idol to be cool and charming, he was simply a normal boy with less than exciting interests.
Of course, this was his little secret and he would be hogswaddled if it didn't stay that way.
It would not to do wonders for his reputation.
So engrossed was he in his boy manga and potassium-rich fruit, that he didn't notice a suspicious if not blatantly obvious rustle of the bushes behind him.
It was already too late when he noticed.
A figure came barreling out of the shrubs and fell to the grass before him with a short shriek.
He jumped a good foot in the air just as the intruder hit the ground with a thud.
Disoriented blues met horrified blues.
"Len, what are you doing way out here?"
A confused if not slightly incredulous glance followed.
"And reading Shounen Jump no less. Hey! Is that a bushel of bananas? What gives?!"
Well…he was hogswaddled.
He glared at his female look-alike in a burning humiliation.
"What the heck are you doing here?! This is my spot." He jabbed impetuously, quickly shoving away his poor manga and bananas into his bag. "How convenient of you to get lost again. What? Don't have a map this time?"
Her cheeks reddened in a heady mix of anger and childish embarrassment, her white bow on end like two perky bunny ears. "Why I oughta—!"she huffed and stamped her foot. "You're such a butt!"
Despite the indignant irritation to being called a rear end, the corner of his mouth quirked up into the beginnings of a smile. And it wasn't just a Len Smile™- it was a genuine smile.
He shook his head. "Alright, what were you doing this time to get so lost, Gretel?" he joked, baby blues set on hers with an amused little smile.
She blushed. "I was heading back from the bathroom to meet up with Gumi and Mikuo but I guess I took the wrong path…?"
An alarm went off in his head and his eyebrows furrowed. "Mikuo?" he practically spat out. "What're you doing hanging around with Mikuo?"
She looked bewildered at the venom in his voice. Her eyes widened. "Well…we became friends? Is that a bad thing? Is it a bad thing for me to have friends?"
His face softened at the offended yet fearful sound in her sweet soprano. "Nah. No. It's just…I'm not that fond of that guy." He replied with a truthful begrudging grin. "He's sort of a jerk."
The blonde rolled her eyes. "Yeah, tell me something I hadn't already figured out within the first few seconds of meeting him."
He laughed and she froze because this wasn't a Fake Celebrity Laugh™—it was a real, honest-to-goodness boy laugh.
Her head tilted in curiousity.
"Mm, yeah but anyways. What's up with the Shounen Jump?"
He slapped a hand to his face.
"Am I not allowed a few lunch time moments of leisure reading time?"
"No, not boy manga stuff. That's truly lame, Len."
He smiled laughingly. "Your bow is lame."
She looked offended. "That was uncalled for, sir."
They looked at each other and laughed, uninhibited and carefree.
Len took that moment to look at her—truly look at her.
Her short blonde hair fell into her face, around her shoulders, against her cheeks like a frame to emphasize blue eyes that never ceased to show emotion in the most obvious ways.
She was an open book that begged to be read.
She was a shy, timid thing but right now in this moment, she was glowing with a personality that had him laughing.
A sort of refreshing sweetness surrounded her and it soothed him in a way that he had never felt before. And he appreciated it.
He was relaxed and for once he didn't have to carefully choose and pick the words he was about to say or smile in the right way or act like a gentleman.
He could be Len Kagamine the boy and not Len Kagamine the idol. For once.
A small pressure lifted from his chest and he smiled a bit before leaning against the tree once more. "So how do you like Voca Arts so far?"
She smiled bashfully back. "It's…nice. There are some pretty…interesting people around here."
He chuckled and brought his leg up to prop his elbow on. His hand cradle his cheek as he gazed at her.
"Oh, yeah? Like who?"
Her blue eyes widened. "Like those twins! Ted and Teto, I those were their names."
He snorted. "The Kasane twins? Yes, they're both bonkers."
She snickered. "When I left them, they were going on about octopus and Aunt Luka."
His head snapped to look at her. "Wait. Aunt Luka?!"
The blonde girl slapped a hand over her mouth. "Oopsh."
"She's your aunt?!"
She hung her head. "I only found out today."
The idol let his back hit the tree as he blinked in surprised. "Wow, you've had a pretty crazy day, huh, Rin?"
She smiled. "Try apocalyptic."
He replied with a teasing look and stood up, stretching his arms and legs. "Ahhh, well. We should get going. Lunch time is about to end."
She stood up as well, brushing off her skirt. "Yeah, I should go find Gumi and Mikuo."
"Have no fear, for we are here."
Rin's face lit up just as Len's fell and he slapped his forehead. "Ugh, there is only one guy who can come up with awful rhymes like that." He mumbled to himself.
He looked up again and smiled with fake friendliness. "Hey, hi, Mikuo! It's you! Haven't seen you in…a while. Really great to see you, man!"
The taller, teal-haired teen returned his greeting with a wry smile. "Yes, hello, Len. I haven't seen you in God knows when."
The blonde idol's eye twitched. "Yeah."
"Aww, c'mon guys! We should go! Lunch ends in like two minutes!" the ignored green-haired girl whined, hanging on Rin's arm.
Mikuo nodded once.
Rin turned to Len, a teasingly apologetic gleam in her eye. "Sorry I ruined your 'leisure reading time'."
The idol flushed then laughed. "You know what? I don't think I mind all that much."
She smiled once more before being whisked away in a flurry of green and teal and rhymes and chatter.
The blonde teen stared after her and let one more carefree little chuckle escape his lips.
No, he really didn't mind it at all.
And he packed up his bag and walked back towards the school, his façade building back up to face his world.
AbomiT: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand it's been quite a while, hasn't it, folks?
Much sorry's for the huge wait but I get writer's blocks often.
But hyeah!
Lots of perspectives in this one and plenty of Len action, eh, eh?
Next chapter should have more Piko and more appearances by other Vocaloids!
You can put into the reviews who you want to show up next as well as who you want Rin to end up with.
Wellps, thanks for reading and please leave a review!
Happy reading!