Rin: Alright, track 15 is up!

Miku: Hey Rin-chan, have you seen Len-kun? It's his turn to narrate.

Rin: Oh he knows, don't worry!

Miku: Oh good. *ahem* Elise-sensei does not own Vocaloid; she just writes stories about us.

Rin: Enjoy! ^^

I still can't believe I'm doing this. I'm standing right in front of Rin, with as serious an expression as I can muster, about to confess my feelings.

"Rin," I say, "there's something I have to tell you. It's kinda crazy, but…"

"Oh? What is it?" she asks.

I open my mouth, about to say those three words that I so badly wanted to say, when a voice in my head stops me. "You do realize she's your sister, right?"

"Y-Yeah, but…" I reply only to get cut off.

"You shouldn't feel like that around her," another voice says.

"She'll never accept you."

"That sort of relationship is forbidden!"

"Society will consider you a freak!"

"You don't want to lose your precious sister, do you?"

Clamping my hands over my ears, I squeeze my eyes shut. "No… Stop! Stop it!" I shout, falling to my knees. The voices keep talking, and tears slide down my cheeks. "Please stop…"

…

"…Len? Len, wake up! You're dreaming!"

"Ahh!" My eyes snapped open and I immediately sat up, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" I turned to my right to see Rin standing by my bed, clad only in her short nightgown.

"…I'm fine Rin, it was just a nightmare," I answered, avoiding eye contact as my cheeks heated up.

"You sure don't seem fine," my twin said, sitting down on the edge of my bed. "You were tossing and turning like crazy."

"I'm fine!" I snapped, falling back into my bed. Turning away and pulling the covers over me, I continued, "Really, I'm okay. Just go back to sleep."

Rin was silent for a minute. "…Okay," she finally said before I felt her weight leave my bed.

I felt a little bad about pushing her away, but I just couldn't face her now. Not when the nightmare was about her and my… *sigh* Okay, I admit it: I have romantic feelings towards Rin. As crazy as it sounds, it's true and there's absolutely no way I can risk losing her by telling her.

…

I woke up to the sound of loud music blaring through my ears. I looked to see a smug-looking Rin, already dressed and holding my mp3 player. After a few more seconds, she turned off the music and removed my headphones. "Wow, this is a first," she commented. "Usually you're the one waking me up."

Giving a small smile, I replied, "Good thing we don't have school today, huh?"

"Yeah, but we do have work, sleepyhead," Rin reminded as I rubbed my eyes. "Want me to make break-?"

"I'll do it!" I said quickly, hopping out of bed and about to dash into the kitchen. However, my foot got tangled in my sheets and I ended up falling flat on my face. "Ouch…" This had long day written all over it.

Rin giggled as she kneeled down to help me up. "That looked like it hurt. Need a hand?"

"No, I'm okay," I answered, shrugging her hand off my shoulder. As I'm sure you've noticed in previous chapters, I've been a little nervous about almost any kind of physical contact with Rin. In fact, since I hugged her after Miku had rejected me, I had barely touched my sister or allowed her to touch me.

"Well, are you still bothered by that nightmare?" she pressed.

Shaking my head and turning my back to her, I replied, "What, that? Nah, I don't even remember what it was about." Liar.

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Rin folded her arms. "Len, you've been acting really strange lately. Is there something you wanna tell me?"

I hesitated to answer. "…No, nothing at all. I just didn't get enough sleep, that's all."

"Well, you're the one who said we gotta get used to it," my twin said, walking past me and out the bedroom door. She then stopped and glanced back at me. "Hey, I don't know what's bothering you, but you should know by now that you can always tell me about it. We're siblings, aren't we? You can trust me."

I felt a slight pang in my heart from her words, but I managed to say, "…Yeah, I know. Just give me some time, okay?"

Rin didn't say anything for a minute. "Alright," she said with a nod. Leaving the doorway, she called back, "I'm gonna go put my make-up on. Don't hurt yourself getting dressed!" It seemed she was back to her usual energetic self.

"Ha ha, hilarious," I shot back as I walked over to my closet and pulled on a t-shirt and jeans.

…

I finally left Crypton Records once I was done with work. I glanced at the apartment building before deciding not to head home right away. I was still a bit uncomfortable around Rin, and I was barely able to concentrate on my work. I needed to clear my head.

Is it really so terrible that I love her? I thought as I slowly walked down the street, not really paying attention to my surroundings. Maybe… Before, Rin and I were always close. We shared almost everything together, and were rarely apart. We were so happy back then. So why… why did these sort of feelings have to appear?

Suddenly I ran into someone, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Oof! Sorry…" The voice sounded familiar and when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a light blue scarf. I looked up to see Kaito standing in front of me. "Oh, hello Len-kun."

"…Hey," I replied quietly.

"Are you okay? You look pretty tired," the blue-haired man commented. "Why don't we go inside?"

Before I probably would've turned him down, but I no longer held any feelings of jealousy towards him, so I answered with a shrug, "Sure."

We ended up going into the café I've been frequenting lately, where we sat down by the window. Kaito ordered a large bowl of chocolate ice cream while I got my usual banana split. "So, what's troubling you?" the older man asked, quickly digging into his dessert.

C'mon Len, don't be stubborn! He's trying to be nice to you, just talk to him, I thought, picking at my food. "Um, Kaito-san? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," Kaito replied with a smile.

"Well, have you…" Taking a deep breath, I asked, "Have you ever been in love?"

Letting out a soft chuckle, he answered, "Of course! I think everybody falls in love at some point. Is this someone I should know about?"

"Uh no, not really," I lied, taking a bite from my banana. "But… *sigh* what if that person is someone you're not supposed to like?"

"Eh? Is this some kind of 'Romeo and Juliet' situation?" Kaito inquired, a slightly confused expression on his face.

Nodding, I told him, "Yeah, something like that. Well actually, it's more of a 'Magnet' situation." There was absolutely no way that I could tell him who the object of my affections was.

His blue eyes widened, as if his mind just made a connection. "Ah, I see. Well I myself am very open-minded, so I'll support you no matter what."

"Really?" I asked, leaning forward.

"Yes," Kaito nodded, his expression serious. "If you want my opinion, it doesn't truly matter who you love, as long as you make these feelings clear to that person. Don't let the criticism of others deter you, Len-kun!"

I couldn't help smiling. Kaito was actually a pretty cool guy. "T-Thank you, Kaito-san."

"No problem," he replied with a grin. "Oh by the way, you can call me 'Kaito nii-chan' if you want."

"How bout just 'Kaito-nii?'" I suggested with a light laugh.

"That works," the blue-haired man said before eating another spoonful of ice cream. "Anyway, let me know how things go with this guy, okay?"

"Sure," I answered before realizing what he just said. "Wait a second, did you just say 'guy?'"

"Mm-hmm," Kaito replied before removing the spoon from his mouth. "Why, did I get the wrong idea?"

And that was when my forehead hit the table. "Aw fer cryin' out loud, I'm straight!" I groaned.

"Oh. Well, uh… this is kinda awkward," Kaito muttered, his cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment.

Sheesh! First Meiko, and now this guy! Do I really come off as gay?! I thought, my cheeks flushed. Needless to say, it took me a minute before I could face Kaito again.

After that bit of confusion, Kaito and I talked a little longer before the older man stood up first. Somehow he had finished his ice cream long before I had finished my smaller banana split. "Well good luck, Len-kun!" he said with a smile as he walked out the door.

Once Kaito was gone, I finished my dessert before standing up and leaving, my food having already been paid for by the older man. Talking to him actually made me feel a little better, but I still wasn't sure about going back to the apartment just yet. Instead, I walked down the street and eventually ended up in the park.

After wandering around the park a bit, I found an empty swing set and sat down in one of the swings with a sigh. I may as well hang around here for a while, I thought, staring down at the ground.

Soon the sound of someone giggling caught my attention. I glanced up to see a young couple walking together, holding hands and chatting happily. As I watched them, an unwelcome thought came to me: On the off-chance that Rin did accept my feelings, we would have to keep our relationship a secret. We wouldn't be able to go on dates, or at least, we couldn't be too open about our love.

A drop of water hit my hand and I glanced up to see that the sky was cloudy. "Damn, of all the days to not have my umbrella," I grumbled as the rain began falling. Rolling my eyes, I stood up and for lack of a better idea, decided I may as well head back to the apartment.

I walked slowly, not caring that I was getting drenched by the rain. People around me were pulling out umbrellas or running for shelter, but I simply kept walking. With so much on my mind, I just didn't have the energy to do anything else.

When I reached the apartment building, I trudged up the stairs until I reached the second floor. I walked right up to apartment 202 and opened the door, walking in. "I'm home."

"Len! Where have you been?!" Rin shouted as she ran over to me. "Omigawd, you're soaked! You need to get out of those wet clothes right now!" She then proceeded to push me toward the living room.

"Okay okay, I'm going!" I shouted, moving a little faster to stay ahead of her.

"So this is Len Kagamine-kun," a voice piped up. It sounded kinda familiar, and I glanced to my right to see a certain silver-haired boy.

My eyes widened when I recognized him. Piko Utatane! I had to quickly remind myself that as far as he knew, the two of us had never met. "You must be Utatane-sempai. It's… very nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," he replied with a small smile.

"What brings you here?" I asked, trying to sound casual even though on the inside, I was a little irritated at the fact that he had been here alone with Rin.

"Well your sister needed help with her math, and I told her that if she needed tutoring then she could give me a call," Piko explained. "You don't mind, do you?"

Come to think of it, I do remember something like that, I recalled, suddenly remembering that I had made that agreement with him while disguised as Rin. It would be kinda weird to go back on it now. "N-No, I don't mind. I'm glad you're helping her, she needs all she can get- Ow ow ow ow ow!"

It was then that Rin started pulling my ear. "Wet clothes. Change. Now," she said through clenched teeth.

"Yes, highness," I mumbled, rubbing my sore ear as I walked toward our bedroom.

I heard Piko ask, "Highness?"

"Yeah, it's an inside joke…" I closed the door as Rin proceeded to explain.

I took off my soaked clothes and changed into a tank top and sweat pants before slipping out of the room to grab a towel for my hair. Just before I reached the bathroom, I paused and listened to Rin and Piko talking. "…seems like an interesting guy," I heard Piko say.

"Yeah, but he's been kinda distant lately," Rin said. "He won't even look at me when he talks to me. He was recently rejected by a girl he liked so I can kinda understand it, but…" She then sighed sadly. "I feel like he's pushing me away, and I don't want that. I want him to realize that he can trust me, like he used to. I know it sounds selfish, but…"

"I don't think it's selfish at all," the older boy interjected. "You're just worried about your brother. Give him some time, I'm sure he'll come around."

"I hope so," Rin sighed, and I suddenly felt terrible. Of course I still trusted her, but with the way I was acting I could now see where she was getting that impression.

Shaking my head, I quickly headed for the bathroom and would've slammed the door if I hadn't stopped it (painfully) with my foot. Grumbling a string of obscenities, I grabbed a towel to place around my shoulders and then sunk to the floor and just leaned back on the door, waiting for Piko to leave so I could talk to Rin.

…

"Thanks for the tutoring, sempai," I said, showing Piko to the door.

"Oh, it's no problem at all," the silver-haired boy told me. "I hope you settle things with your brother."

"Yeah, me too," I muttered, glancing at the floor.

"Well, have a good night," Piko said, patting my shoulder before leaving the apartment.

Waving to him, I replied, "Good night!" as he walked down the hall. Once he was gone, I clenched my fist in determination thinking, Tonight for sure, I will get Len to tell me what's going on!

But before I could do anything, my stomach suddenly growled. "Whoops, I forgot I haven't had dinner yet," I said to myself. "Len's probably not up to making it, so maybe I'll just have instant ramen…" And with that, I headed for the kitchen.

When I managed to find a cup of ramen, I decided I might as well get one out for Len, too. As I started boiling some water, my twin finally showed himself, his hair unbound and a white towel hanging over his shoulders. "Hey, whatcha doin'?"

"Making dinner," I answered simply. "Sorry, instant ramen's one of the few things I can make."

"That's fine," Len said as he sat at the table. "But one of these days I'm gonna have to give you some cooking lessons. I'm surprised that water hasn't burned yet."

"Ha ha ha ha ha," I replied sarcastically. "That joke got old years ago." It wasn't long before the ramen was done and the two of us were silently eating.

About five minutes later, the silence was killing me. C'mon Rin, talk to him! my inner voice urged, and so I finally spoke up. "So, uh… where did you go after work? I couldn't reach you on your phone."

"You tried to call me?" Len asked, glancing up from his food. "I didn't hear anything."

"Aw man, seriously?!" I groaned, facepalming myself. "Did you forget to turn the sound on?"

"Probably. You know I always switch my phone to silent mode during work," he explained. Still, it wasn't like him to forget something like that. Len then gulped down some of the broth in his cup before speaking again. "You didn't tell me Utatane-sempai was coming."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Yes I did. You were spacing out during breakfast," I told him. I then downed all the broth in my cup before standing up to throw the Styrofoam cup away, still talking as I moved. "I've been meaning to say this Len, but… you're really worrying me. You've hardly spoken to me these past couple of weeks, and I feel like you can't seem to trust me anymore."

Len's eyes widened and he stood up suddenly. "Of course I trust you! What makes you think I don't?"

"Everything!" I snapped. "Lately all you've been doing is pushing me away. You won't even make eye contact with me!" The instant he glanced away, I pointed out, "See? You're doing it right now! What happened to you, Len? Did Miku-nee's rejection really affect you that badly?! I can't take it anymore; I want you back, Len!"

"Rin!" he shouted before suddenly pushing me into the wall, causing my heartbeat to speed up. Staring deep into my eyes for the first time in days, Len told me softly, "It's not Miku-nee who's affecting me." He cupped my cheek in his hand, and then ever so slowly he leaned forward, his eyes slipping closed as he softly kissed me on the lips.

My eyes widened in surprise and I couldn't help the little gasp that escaped me. Len, my own brother, was kissing me… again! And this time he seemed well aware of what he was doing. My whole body was trembling, but for some reason I just couldn't push him away. In fact, all reason seemed to fly out the window as I closed my eyes and kissed him back. We shouldn't be doing this, my inner voice told me. But at the same time… I don't want to stop.

Next time…

Rin: Miku-nee, Miku-nee!

Miku: Rin-chan, what's wrong?

Rin: It's Len. He's gone! I don't know where he is!

Miku: Ehh?! This is terrible!

Luka: Don't worry Rin-san, we'll help you find him!

Rin: Len… I hope you're alright…

Next time: Track 16 – Regret Message

Author's note: I know I'm awfully focused on Rin and Len right now, but I wanted to go ahead with this story arc. Please be patient! ^^