A/N: I've had this on my computer for almost a month now but couldn't find enough time to update x( sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy this chapter full of goodbye's and maybe even a future hello~ I don't have enough time for a dedication so next time I'll do two, okay?

Once again I shall post links for both the music box and piano versions of "Tori No Uta" soundtrack of the beautiful anime AIR that plays a big part in this story~

Piano: /watch?v=nSKFtDgPDm0

Music Box: /watch?v=ZEYN3uM_gFo

So there it is people~ I feel so bad for feeling happy when people say they cry reading this :') because it means I'm doing a good job as an author! Thank you for sticking with me all this time and enjoy!

READ- ENJOY- REVIEW~! …. PLEASE? ( ^ w ^ )

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Tied by Fate

Chapter 5: Painful Distance

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Len's P.O.V

"Clothing?"

"Mhm."

"Toothbrush?"

"Yep."

"Toothpaste?"

"Yeah."

"Kaito's raise?"

"Ye-no..."

"Awww..."

I rolled my eyes and closed the suitcase. My blue-haired servant/friend plopped himself on my bed, "Ready for the trip?"

I nodded enthusiastically, "I might be able to see Rin if..."

"If?" Kaito asked.

"If she's still there.."

"Oh..." Kaito murmured and closed his eyes, "I wish I could travel all over the world and visit places like Europe. I've never been out of Japan..."

I smiled, "I'm turning eighteen soon and I'm not going to rely on my father's company for money. We'll make our own business, make lots of money, and then I'll take you everywhere!"

He smiled too, imagining the bright future, "That'd be nice..."

"If I could just find Rin..."

"You will." He insisted.

I sighed. He didn't understand my desperate forlorn yearning. He wouldn't understand what it feels like to have your one true love hundreds of miles away since he has Miku close. It's a feeling that slowly claws at your heart in a taunting manner... I don't think he truly appreciates how lucky he is to be near Miku... I would give everything to be him.

A sudden knocking broke my train of thought.

"Guuuuyys~! Mrs. Kagamine is waiting for Len. Hurry up!"

Kaito flew to a sitting position at the sound of Miku's voice. A smile naturally spread across my face. Geez, and the guy calls me a hopeless romantic.

I got up and excitement washed over me. Though I tried not to get my hopes up, the mere thought of being able to see Rin again made my heart explode with anticipation.

Kaito grabbed my suitcase and we both went downstairs. My mother was already waiting there. Father would arrive soon too.

"Kaito take those suitcases to the car."

My friend did as he was told and almost immediately after my father walked in through the door.

"Ready to go?" He asked us.

"Of course. The things are in the car already." My mother said and left to see that everything was ready for our departure.

Miku glomped me a goodbye to which Kaito frowned in confusion. I winked at him and nodded in the teal girl's direction. Maybe he'd finally have the guts to confess. Luka hugged me warmly and Gakupo ruffled my hair. I didn't understand what the big deal was; I wasn't leaving forever or anything.

I was about to get into the car when someone called out to me.

"Leeennn~!"

I turned to see Neru running to me. As soon as she caught up, she bent over, breathing heavily.

"You okay?" I asked her.

"Y-yeah! J-just ran from home" Neru huffed, "I-I just wanted to tell you something."

"Huh?" I questioned, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion, "You could've just waited. I'll be back."

"B-but... Things might be different when you return. I have a feeling it will be..."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know... I-I just wanted to tell you that I-I-I..."

I blinked rapidly. Neru is always so absorbed in texting that she only speaks so often. When she does speak though, it's in a very confident manner. I've never seen her stutter like this. Her face is all red too. Could she be sick?

I touched her forehead, making sure she was okay. The color flared on her cheeks and she slightly backed up.

"Hmm, you're not sick..."

"No... I-I-I um wanted to say that I... I like-"

"Len! Hurry up, we're going to be late."

"Coming!" I yelled back and turned to Neru, "What was that?"

She gave me a weird look and then blurted, "I-I'd like you to bring me a souvenir!"

"Oh," I replied, quite surprised she made such a big deal only for that, "Sure."

"Thanks!" She said and ran away again leaving me really confused.

I shrugged and got inside the car. As we slowly drove away, I waved to my friends who were standing in the doorway. For once, I'm glad to leave them...

✿.·°∴✿°· °✿

"We are now lowering onto our destination please fasten your seat belts."

I clicked my seatbelt into place and looked out the window as European lands became clearer and nearer. We were going to travel to one country specifically. Rin and I grew up in an orphanage in Switzerland. It would still be a few months before it began to snow. Right now the land was lush green dotted with flowers in certain places. Our plane lowered until the wheels finally rolled over the black pavement.

We had arrived in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. The orphanage was all the way in Ablaendschen, a small village part of the Bernese Oberland which is part of the greater five regions of the canton of Bern. It's complicated so I don't really know much besides where it's located. We never learned much German while in the orphanage but my mother had hired a tutor to teach me. Switzerland housed several different tongues so English was one of the few slightly universal languages. The nuns decided it would be better for us to learn it instead so we could be adopted by tourists.

My father would handle some business in Bern for about a day or two and then he promised me we could hike to some of the higher villages that hide within the Alps. With luck, Rin might be there...

Rin's P.O.V

I sat at the grand piano. I tentatively pressed my index finger against a smooth white key. The soft sound distorted the silence within the room. I placed both hands lightly atop the keys and took a deep breath. It had been a long time since I've played. Len was always the best when it came to the arts. He could weave magic from his fingertips and play wonderful pieces of music that could make you cry.

Recalling his teachings, I began playing "Tori No Uta," our favorite song.

"...We place in the distance the days of our childhood. We place in our hands hope that springs forth..." I whispered along when the part came and a silent tear dripped from my eye and traced a path down my cheek.

I slowly came to a stop, the overwhelming memories threatening to break my heart once more.

"That was beautiful."

I gasped and quickly wiped away the tears from my face as I saw Mikuo standing in the doorway.

"T-Thanks, but Len plays it better." I mumbled.

He chuckled and sat next to me on the bench, "Hey that was pretty good to me. I can't play it at all."

I giggled, "Well if you say so."

Mikuo's teal eyes searched the room and then whispered, "You still miss him don't you?"

I nodded slowly, a knot forming in my throat and I blinked rapidly to hold back tears.

"Hey now," he said and wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders, "Its okay to cry. You can't keep those emotions welled up inside yourself."

I balled my fists, determined not to cry. Yet, Len's memory lingered in my mind and soon, tiny salty rivers were decorating my face.

"I'm never going to see him again am I? I won't even be able to stay here where my memories of Len are stored! I'm afraid to forget... I'm afraid to get swallowed by my pain."

"...wait, you won't be able to stay?"

"No," I said, realizing I hadn't told Mikuo about my eighteenth birthday, "I can't stay past my eighteenth birthday. It's a rule."

His teal eyes widened an alarm, "Y-you're leaving?"

"Yeah."

"Well if you don't have a place to stay, I can offer my place." Mikuo said hopefully.

I shook my head, "If I leave, I'm going to leave the country and try to find Len. If that's impossible then I'll try to start a new. It might be difficult but..."

"...but not impossible."

I nodded, "Exactly."

Mikuo remained silent for a moment and when I looked up to see him I was shocked to see his teal eyes brimming with tears.

"Mikuo?"

He looked away and hastily tried to dry his eyes, "H-Hm?"

"Are you about to cry?"

"I can't help it okay?" He stated and then grew silent, "I... I'm losing my only friend."

I blinked rapidly and processed his words.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"So soon..."

"Yeah," I mumbled, "I should've been found later."

"You're going to become my Len then... You'll leave to some other place and I'll forever remain yearning for your company."

I looked at the floor, unsure of what to say. I never knew he, what's the right way to say it, felt that way towards me. I mean it's not a love confession but I simply assumed my teal friend had other people he liked to be with besides me. It never occurred to me that he could be just as lonely as I was.

Suddenly Mikuo got up, his back facing me.

"Mikuo?"

"Sorry Rin, I have things to do."

I didn't have time to say goodbye for he left as unexpectedly as he had arrived.

I sighed and left the room, ready to pack and leave this place.

Len's P.O.V

I breathed deeply, inhaling the fresh summer air that was perfumed with the scent of hundreds of flowers. My mother had set a blanket down and put out plates for food. We were going to have a picnic a few yards away from a large hill with a tree on top. The tree that held so many of my memories... To think that just beyond that hill could be Rin..

I shook my head. Even if I somehow managed to edge over there my mother would never let me enter the orphanage to seek Rin.

"Hey Len, wanna play soccer?" My father asked, "I may have gotten a bit rusty over the years but I doubt you could beat me."

I nodded, glad to be offered a chance to clear my mind. My dad got the soccer ball and kicked it with pretty good strength but I still managed to stop it. I kicked it back and he easily stopped it with his chest and flung it right back. I looked over head as the ball soared through the sky, over the hill, and beyond our view. He wasn't kidding when he said he had skills.

"Sorry Len, looks like I over did it!" He apologized.

"It's okay," I replied and looked towards the hill, "I'll go get it..."

"Alright sport, I'll wait for you here."

I nodded and started jogging towards the hill. I slightly began panting as I ran up the grassy hill, for I had never become an athletic guy. As I reached the top, I closed my eyes, my heart leaping in anticipation as I knew what was to come. I slowly opened them and the air I had been holding gushed out. The orphanage lay there, just as I had remembered. My hand traced the rough tree bark and I stared at the view for a long while, trying to burn the image into my mind. The soccer ball I had been sent to fetch was a few feet away. I went to get it and stood in front of the tree so my mother wouldn't see me. I wanted with all my might, with every fiber of my being, to run down there and burst through the door. Then I'd find Rin and embrace her with all my strength and never, ever, let her go.

My muscles twitched, ready to act on their own and run. My family was waiting down there... I don't have paper or a pen to leave a note just in case she is still here. Thinking quickly, I grabbed a sharp stone and jammed it against the rugged tree bark. Carefully, I carved a heart into the tree and did the most cliché thing ever. I put an L.K + R.K in the center and sighed. I kissed the tree, trying to implant all my sentiments into the wood and stepped back. Then, taking a last look at the orphanage, I ran away. Though tears threatened to spill from my cerulean eyes, I no longer felt empty inside... Though I hadn't seen Rin, I felt like she had been with me. I felt her memory grow stronger than ever and my insides grew warm. I could almost feel as if she were calling out to me, giving me her love and comfort...

I'll never forget her.

Rin's P.O.V

I walked towards the door, dragging my feet as if they weighed a ton. I pulled my suitcase along slowly, wanting to stretch out the moment as long as possible. The children gathered around me and waved their tiny goodbyes. Orange stayed behind with them to keep them company. The sisters hugged me and even cried a little. I blank back tears and forced a smile on my face repeating, "I'll be okay" over and over again. I hugged the little ones over and over again until I knew that I was on the verge of breaking down.

The sisters ushered the kids inside, sensing I needed to be alone. I walked up the hill, my suitcase behind me, to take one last look at the world that had seen me grow up. Yet even when I still had a bit to go in order to fully reach the top, I saw something that left me breathless. I dropped the suitcase and ran towards the tree, my arms outstretched until my finger tips touched the cool bark. Over and over again, I traced the figure that had been engraved with my fingers. It was all too much for me and I began to cry as I observed the heart with Len and my initials in it. Then something occurred to me. Had he...?

I knelt down and my heart stopped as I found freshly cut wood chips on the floor. My head snapped up immediately and my wild eyes searched the land below. Len had been here... I can feel it in my heart, he was here...

He's still close.

I ran down the hill with all my might, not caring if I got scratches or tripped on the way. I had about ten minutes before the train leaves Ablaendaschen... Ten minutes to catch up to Len.

I heard someone call my name but I didn't dare stop. To stop would mean to give up on my only chance of seeing Len. I exerted all my strength to my legs, not slowing down for a moment. Len, I'm almost there, wait for me!

I pushed people out of my way as I ran across the town square, yelling apologies as I moved along. From a distance, I saw the last people file into the train. My heart beat fast for my legs were beginning to wear out but I couldn't give up, not now.

By the time I got there, the train had begun its slow cumbersome trip back. Yet it moved slow enough for me to catch a glimpse of him... Len was among the crowd of people, sitting next to the adults I recognized as his parents, smiling gently.

"LEN!" I shouted with all my might, trying to somehow get his attention.

His mother took him away somewhere away from the window and I stood there, unable to stop the train from moving away. Soon, it was just a tiny thing in the distance. I felt my heart, which had been filled with hope, get pierced by the knife of reality and loss. I clutched at my chest. It hurt to breathe... It hurt to live without him. I had him so painfully close and now...

"Len..." I mumbled as I crumpled to my knees, "If only..."

"Rin?! Rin where are you? Ri- oh..."

I remained on my knees, using my hands for support and my tears splattered daintily on the cold ground.

Mikuo placed a hand on my shoulder and slowly helped me stand up. I clung to his chest and began crying uncontrollably, ignoring the people who were staring at us from afar. They'd never understand...

"Rin, what happened? You ran away and left your suitcase behind."

"L-Len..."

"Hm? What about Len?"

"H-he was here, I saw him!" I said and my arms embraced the air, "He was so close..."

"Maybe it was someone who looked like him..."

"No!" I exclaimed and pushed him away, "I felt it in my heart that he was here! If only I had been faster! O-or if I would've yelled sooner, o-or-"

"Enough!"

I stopped my desperate rant as Mikuo spoke unexpectedly.

"There's nothing you can do now is there? So deal with it! Move on with your life! Are you simply going to cry and lament not being able to catch up to him or use it as an incentive to search for him?!"

I blinked rapidly, processing everything he had said. Surprisingly enough, he was absolutely right.

"I... I'm sorry..." I mumbled.

"Ah geez, don't apologize or you're gonna make me cry!" He said and turned around, "Let's go back."

I nodded and we walked back together, but in my mind I had already formed a plan.

✿.·°∴✿°· °✿

We walked all the way back to the orphanage, neither of us willing to speed up our hesitant steps.

Mikuo retrieved my suitcase but I ignored it and kept walking straight towards the orphanage.

I opened the door and Sister Mary looked surprised as I walked in.

"Rin?"

"I need to talk to Mother Superior."

"But Rin-"

"Please?"

Sister Mary nodded and pointed to the office.

"Thank you," I said, hugged her, and then ran to the office.

I knocked rapidly on the door, my hand trembling due to my frantic heart. If Mother Superior denies me this request...

"Come in."

I turned the doorknob and entered slowly. The nun was hunched over her desk, her reading glasses resting on her small nose. She looked up and her eyes widened when she saw me.

"Rin? What are you doing here? If it's about letting you stay longer, I'm sorry but-"

"No, I know I need to leave and my things are outside. I just need you to tell me something and I'll be on my way."

Mother Superior took her glasses off and folded her hands, "Ask child."

"Please... I need to know where Len is."

She frowned and slowly shook her head, a gesture I had been fearing.

"I'm sorry Rin but it's protocol that I can't tell you. It's confidential information."

My vision blurred and I fell to my knees, my only ray of hope destroyed by the darkness that slowly clouded my heart.

"P-please," I pleaded, "Len is the only family I've had... If I can't find him... I'll die... I need to see him! Please, you must tell me!"

The nun considered my desperate plea and sighed. She got up from her chair and went to a filing cabinet. There, she took out a folder and studied it.

"Japan."

My eyes darted hopefully at her, "He's in Japan?!"

She smiled and looked away, "If they still live there, a certain boy might be in Karakura, Japan. Not that I'm giving away information about any past orphans, simply saying random facts."

I couldn't stop the wide grin from spreading across my face. I rushed to my feet and ran to hug her.

"Thank you, thank you!" I exclaimed and though at first slightly shocked, Mother Superior returned the embrace.

We said goodbye to each other and I walked out, extremely content. Mikuo was waiting outside.

"Oh I'm so sorry Mikuo!" I exclaimed, "I forgot you were waiting for me!"

He grinned, "It's okay, I'm gonna miss this place anyway."

"Miss this place? Are you leaving as well?" I asked, surprised he hadn't told me anything before. That's when I noticed a black suitcase next to my orange one.

"You don't expect me to leave you alone do you?" Mikuo asked, his teal eyes were dead serious, "You'd get lost easily and I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing you could be lost somewhere."

I blushed and felt touched that he cared for me so much but didn't want to show it, "I can live by myself!"

He rolled his eyes,"Do you even know how to leave Ablaendschen?"

I blinked rapidly, "You take a train out?"

"And then?"

"U-Um..." I mumbled, not knowing what came next. I gave a frustrated groan and hung my head in defeat.

Mikuo chuckled, "See? You need me."

"Fine..." I muttered, not going to say anything else.

"So do you have any idea on where you want to go?"

I smiled, "Do you know how to get to Karakura?"

"Karakura? Sounds Japanese..."

"That's because it's in Japan."

"Japan? Wouldn't you want to go to a closer country like France?"

"Len isn't in France."

Mikuo face-palmed, "Should've known..."

I giggled, "So are you in?"

Mikuo gave me his signature grin, "I may not know exactly how to get there but we're going to Japan."

A/N: So that is it for now my friends. I'll try to update soon but no promises! Ugh, I am in the process of writing another chapter for another story but I enjoy writing so no problem~! I am very happy with the success I have been able to get as an author and it's all thanks to my loyal readers… I love you all!

ENJOY~! READ~! AND REVIEW~!

Review Responses:

Xitlalit123: Thank you very much! And mwahahaha they shall meet~

Asianchibi99: Heh, and you do a very good job at doing it :) Hehehe has Len gotten tired from being your stool?

Splendence: Well not exactly as long as six months like last time so it was faster, ne? Yes, the ending is far away still~ Drama up ahead! And thank you very much dear~ I really enjoyed and appreciated your comment~

Kattochi: Yes thank you! And sorry for the wait~!

Rinny300: I am very honored by your tears :') I feel awesome though I'm sorry for making you cry :') thank you

Jello-is-awesome-123: Ahh thank you for noticing that and I fixed it! And I'm glad you found this story

LunaLapis: Ahh no! I'll never abandon a project without publically announcing it! I may take a while but I'll update in the end~ Yes… I have a tendency to add MikuoxRin in my stories unintentionally . thank you!

SoulsOfTeardrops: Ah thank you for the honorific~! Hmmm… what shall happen next? Only I know mwahahahaha~!

STORM: I will continue them, no worries and I'm sorry I try my best I really do ^u^

1: Sorry for the wait and your comment was really long and entertaining :3 thank you~!

KagamineLenLover: As I stated in my A/N I feel bad for feeling proud at your tears… it means I'm actually writing well :') thank you!

MercilessSpirit: Thank you and yes I like it too w

Rinnykinz: Here you go ^w^ thank you!