Lost and Found

**First, let us take a trip to the near past...**

(( March 29th, 2016; 11:04 PM

I must have finished this back in February and forgotten about it. Oops. ^^" Well, here I am now, so have no fret! ))

**fast forwards to the present**

November 11th, 2016; 12:22 AM

...

So.

Apparently I'd already finished chapter 4 in February, forgot to upload it and wrote an author's note in March.

...

And then forgot about it again until eight months later.

You have every right to hate me. X'D

I really don't have much to say apart from the fact that I'm super sorry, and that the reason I found chapter 4 unuploaded is because I am about to start working on chapter 5. So, um, optimism? Positivity, yay? (Dodges tomatoes.)

On the bright side, at least you won't have to wait six months for chapter 5 to come out. I'll make it up to you, I promise. ;)

Chapter IV:
Awakening

Rin stared out the window. There wasn't much to see; grass, trees, apartments, tunnels, lots of tunnels. There wasn't much variety. The scene they were passing now looked just like the one they'd seen five minutes ago. Somehow, it all felt very bleak.

It was very silent, too. They'd been lucky enough to have grabbed the last train of the night, and most of the passengers were sleeping through the ride. Those that weren't sat reading, working, or daydreaming the way Rin was now.

She glanced at her company. He was slumped in his seat and staring at the ceiling, his blond hair hanging messily in his blue eyes. He looked as tired as she felt, but he wasn't sleeping. Like her, he was deep in thought.

She leaned against the red velvet and observed him. He really had such long lashes... and even though his lips were thinner than hers, they were really pink, weren't they? His chin had gotten a little sharper, like he was finally losing the baby fat in his cheeks. He was really handsome, though. Sometimes, he'd do or say something and she'd notice that about him, that he was really good-looking. She was proud of him. It wasn't like good looks were all that counted in a person, of course not, but it was an odd feeling to see the boy she'd grown up with look so adult... Though she'd always gotten really jealous if other girls had looked. Len was her brother, so he had eyes for Rin only! No girl could get between that.

...Or at least, that was the way things had been. Perhaps they'd be different now. After all, it wasn't like they were brother and sister anymore. The thought was like ripping off a bandaid; there was a sharp pain in her chest, throbbing, swelling, but she tried to ignore it. She couldn't think of those things right now. She had to think of anything, but that.

Feeling her stare, he looked over, those bright blue eyes meeting hers. "What?" he asked, but he didn't smile like he'd used to.

Without realizing it, she'd been expecting some sign of warmth. She was surprised at his dullness and all she managed was a "What?" in return.

He frowned, stared at her for a few more seconds, analyzing her. He was always good at that, reading her thoughts - but this time, she turned away, avoided him. She never did that normally; she usually encouraged him to focus on her, so he'd be able to solve whatever issue caused her grief. This time was different, she decided: How could Len solve her issue when the issue was him? Maybe that's why she turned away; maybe it was because she wouldn't let him read that part of her. Or maybe she just couldn't bear to look him in the eye anymore.

"...Hm." That was all he said. When she found the courage to glance over again, he was staring out the window. She wondered if she would regret having let that moment slip.

"Please standby as the doors are now opening. Please exit to your left..."

Rin considered nudging him but hesitated, as was quickly becoming the usual. "Len, this is our stop."

His head rose quickly, as though he hadn't even realized they'd ceased moving. "Right," he said curtly, grabbing his backpack. He handed the other one to Rin, who whispered a small 'thanks'.

And then they stepped into a new world.

This was very different. This was huge. This place was... shiny. No matter which way they looked, they were surrounded by skyscrapers. Everything was impossibly tall, incredibly crowded and so oddly new. Of course they'd been traveling before- they'd gone to Hokkaido once, for example -they'd never truly stepped into Tokyo before. Rin's mother had kept promising that someday soon, maybe next year, they'd go for a weekend shopping trip and explore the sights, but the twins quickly realized why their relaxed parents didn't appreciate the bustle of the city.

But to Rin, it was enchanting. For a minute she forgot about everything and gaped at the store windows, the escarpments blending into the night sky, the spotlights illuminating the dark like giant stars, how many cars there were despite the late hour... "Len, look at that! We have that same store back at home, but the one here is so much bigger! Look, it has two floors!"

He forced himself not to admire. If he were to look up and appreciate the sights, he'd want to learn more about them, see more, greedily touring a city he'd dreamed of. Right now was not the time. Besides, it was dark, it was dangerous... "This way." The word 'danger' made his skin prickle. He was regretting bringing Rin. Bringing danger upon himself, he could forgive. But what if he hurt Rin...? He tried not to think about it but it buzzed around the back of his brain, making him more and more anxious.

"...Where are we going?" He was pausing at every new turn, looking one way, then the next. Rin had a bad feeling he didn't know their destination either, was just taking guesses based on his instincts. And normally, that was fine, he had good instincts, but now... Now, her trust was a little thinner. She wasn't sure what to expect anymore.

He finally stopped, staring straight ahead. "Here."

Rin struggled to see in the dark but all she could recognize in front of her was... a wall. "What?" She watched him slip his backpack off his shoulders, rummaging around for another sweater even though he already had a hoodie. Watched him slip it on, watched him gesture for her to do the same. Watched him crouch down against the wall, watched him curl up...

Oh no. No way.

...Really, she shouldn't have expected anything else, but... They'd taken one of their parents' credit cards, right? So surely they could afford- but then again, the money would run out soon, so...

His blue eyes were watching her carefully. "It's not like we have any other choice." He seemed so fine with this, so... okay... It raised goosebumps. How could he be so nonchalant about sleeping in an alley? Watching him, he seemed like someone who'd done this all his life, like it didn't bother him one bit- He cleared his throat. "Could you sit down?" Oh. So he was embarrassed. Now he was averting her eyes, hiding his face. But... still...

She sat down beside him and for a while it was silent. She listened to the wind, the angry bleeping of late-night taxis, the meowling of a nearby cat. She looked up at the polluted sky (never mind Castor and Pollux, she couldn't see any stars here), at the tall buildings. She focused on anything she could to avoid complaining. But she knew he could feel her shock. "I told you it wasn't going to be a vacation," he grumbled, still avoiding her gaze.

"I know you did." She tried for a smile. "It's fine, really." Silence. "Mom is going to worry, though..."

"About you, sure."

"Hm?" She leaned forward. "You too."

"Not really." He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not even related to her."

Oh. He brought it up. She realized when she bristled just how passionately she'd been avoiding the topic. "...Right. Well... I don't think that really matters-"

"I'm not related to you either. Don't tell me that doesn't matter."

It took her breath away. Hearing him say it - she knew she should protest, tell him she didn't care - but it did matter. For years, they'd proudly held each other's hand, told the world they were a pair, an inseperable pair bonded by blood. There was something special about that, knowing they'd shared a womb together, been together since the zygote stage. From the moment they were conceived, they were together. And she'd been so proud. But it had all been a lie. They weren't special after all, just two people who'd held hands and tried to convince the world that they meant something. It was all a hoax.

He finally turned and looked at her and she could see how much her silence was hurting him. It hurt her too, but she couldn't say anything. She knew she had to speak - say something! - but she couldn't find the words to make it better. Nothing could make this better.

"It's fine." She nodded to the alley in a pathetic change of topic. "Really. I'll get used to it. It doesn't really bother me." She held her breath for his response.

"Mm." That was it. A pause, then, "You should try to sleep."

"You too."

"Mm."

In just one night, she'd become an only child. Now, she was homeless too. And for his sake, she had to pretend she liked it. She liked being homeless. No, really. Being homeless, it's quite... nice. It gives you a new outlook on life. The next time she passed a homeless person, she'd be sure to-...

...She was homeless. Never in a million years would she ever have seen this coming. Their family wasn't rich, but they had been quite wealthy. And maybe Rin was just spoiled. But the thought that this would continue, that she'd sleep on the same cold ground tomorrow and the day after and the day after that... Had they made the right choice?

No, no, she couldn't think like that. This was for Len's sake. Besides, it would only be a few days, right? She could do this for Len. Because she cared about him. Right, yes. She'd do this for him.

It would only be a few days.

(( March 29th, 2016; 11:07 PM

Eek, how short. Back in the day, this would have been unsatisfying; I would have counted this as one scene and forced myself to include at least three more. We can't get under 3k words, deary me, that shall not do! But alas, things are different now. I am afraid that if I don't post this as it is, I might never finish this. I'm sorry if its length is not to your liking. Please understand. ^^"

Anyway. We now have a pair of adorable twin hobos. Isn't that cute? I would love to take in a cute pair of homeless Kagamines, awww. This here is something we never saw in the original L&F. Homeless? Pssh, they were too spoiled for that. The Kagamines would not settle for less than a suite in a 'cheap hotel' (though goodness knows what they considered 'cheap'). With this remake, I've been striving for realism. In real life, if you run away from home, you can't afford to live in even the cheapest of hotels. And so, therefore, the Kagamines in this story will have to learn to live on benches. Hm. I wonder how Rin will enjoy that? And Len, he seems so very chill about it now, but let me remind you that he has been as spoiled as she has; surely it won't take him very long to crack either. Not to mention, after his recent trauma, he's already under a lot of stress. Who will lose their mind first, do you think? :) I'd love to hear what you think. Review and let me know, 'kay? ;D ))

**and now to the future again**

November 11th, 2016; 12:29 AM

...I'm still sorry. X'D

I feel super bad about this. I'm going to upload this right away, okay? No more stalling! So please try to forgive me. OTL

Happy Rememberance Day, btw, if you happen to be Canadian. :)

Yes, I will start writing chapter 5 immediately, no excuses, I know. TTwTT I promise I'll have it finished before the New Year. I promise!

Reviews are always appreciated.