Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Vocaloid. Please enjoy the story and I would appreciate reviewing!
The rest of the week went by slowly, as the first week of school always does. Len and I talked every day. We connected pretty well and that awkwardness between us was starting to fade. Spending time with him wasn't like spending time with Gakupo, for instance, who liked to talk about himself or women or just seemed shallow. I felt like I could act myself with Len. Not like I had to act at school. The only thing was, he didn't know of my life with Miku. He'd probably be disgusted that that I was dating is my cousin. Miku was the only one other than me who knew what our relationship was like. And even around her, I couldn't act freely. Every minute spent with her anymore was like walking on a tightrope. These days, it felt like the tightrope was getting thinner and harder to balance on. I just can't make any mistakes around her. This cage she's put me in is inescapable.
And there's another thing. I noticed it the other day in PE. We were on the track and Len rolled his pants up to his knees to escape the heat. I slowed my pace to match his.
"What happened, man? Get mauled by a bear?" I half joked, a tone of concern in my voice that I tried to keep to a normal level. It hurt me to see his legs beat up like that for some reason. Like the feeling you get when you see a little girl drop her ice cream cone. It may not be yours, but ice cream is too delicious a treat to be wasted!
"Hahah, no." Len said through uneven breaths, trying to keep his pace.
"Hold on a minute, I have to tie my shoe." I said, having purposefully stepped on the lace a few seconds before. He stopped with me, hands on his knees.
"Keep running, boys." Gakupo shouted at us as he ran past, slamming a hand down on Len's shoulder, who was standing closer to the inside of the track than me. I heard him take in a sharp breath of pain. When I looked up, he was composing his face.
"What is it?" I asked worriedly, eyes momentarily flickering to Gakupo, who was to the bend of the track now.
"N-nothing, I just…" he rubbed his shoulder, trying to dodge my question. I stood then, feeling it vital to know what had caused Len pain. I put a hand on Len's good shoulder when he went to take a step back. I lifted his sleeve over his shoulder and found a large purple-gray bruise there.
"How'd you get this?" I asked, shocked.
Guiltily, he said "I fell down the stairs."
"You just fell?"
"I…I tripped." He admitted.
"Who tripped you?" I was inches from his face now, my eyes demanding. I could feel the anger tighten my muscles and Len shrugged off my grip, looking down. He seemed to have a change of attitude.
"I just tripped over my feet, okay?" he snapped, glaring at me and returning to the track.
I stood there for a moment, shaken by the unfamiliar harshness in his voice. I didn't ask about his black eye two days later or the bandages on his arms the day after that. After all, I already knew the answer, didn't I? Soon enough the weekend came.
When I woke up Saturday morning, I had a sick feeling in my stomach. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. After brushing my teeth and getting ready for the day, I went downstairs to prepare breakfast.
"Mm. Kaito, good morning." Miku said to me from the doorway of the kitchen with a yawn. She was still in her nightgown and wrapped her arms around me from behind.
"What was all that racket? It sounded like you got sick." She said, lacing her fingers on top of my chest.
"I did." I said, unlocking her arms and walking to the cabinet to remove two glass plates.
"You haven't been sleeping well. I can tell. I hear you talk in your sleep." My eyes widened. I didn't know I did that. She took joy in my shock.
"It seems you've been having nightmares. You make mumbling sounds and sweat. You're not feeling guilty are you? I hear people who toss and turn in their sleep like that are probably hiding something." She said, giving me a dangerous look.
In truth, I haven't been feeling well these past few days. Len and I have just gone on talking as normal but each day I notice another bruise, another cut. At this point, I'm letting it happen. I'm too much of a coward to stray from my cage.
"Well?" Miku asked impatiently, a bitterness in her always-too-sweet voice.
I turned to her with a goofy grin on my face. "Sorry, what? I wasn't listening."
"Kaito…" she growled, about to pounce.
"Oh, that's right!" I interrupted her. "We're going to the amusement park tonight."
Her shoulders slackened. "Who is 'we'?" she asked.
"Well there's Gakupo, Luka, Neru, Rin…Len." I said, naming off our friends from school on my fingers.
"When were you planning on telling me?" she asked, angry.
"Oh, during breakfast." I said, placing our plates on the table.
"No time! I have to figure out what I'll wear." She lightly ran up the stairs as I smirked to myself, happy to have avoided further interrogation.