Meiko: Track 17, aka the final part of the Kagamine arc, is officially up!

Miku: Here's hoping for a happy ending for Rin-chan and Len-kun.

Luka: I agree. Elise-sensei does not own Vocaloid; she just writes stories about us.

Kaiko: Enjoy! ^^

After reuniting with our friends, Rin and I walked quietly back to our apartment. I hadn't planned on coming back so soon, but I was actually really happy to see Rin. Of course once we were inside, I had to summon up every last bit of self-control to keep myself from kissing her again.

Finally, the two of us sat down at opposite ends of the coffee table on our living room. As much as we didn't want to admit it, we had to talk about a couple of things. Taking a deep breath, I spoke up first. "Sooo… what should we talk about first?"

"Ugh, I dunno where to start," Rin muttered, shaking her head. She then pulled out the letter that I had left her two nights ago. "I guess I should really ask you about this. This… is it a love letter?"

"Yes," I answered without hesitation. "I meant every word I wrote. I love you, Rin."

"… Not as a sister?"

"No."

"A-And you're serious about this?"

"Very."

Clenching her fists, the blonde girl asked, "And how do you expect me to respond to this?"

"How about you love me back?" I suggested, although I had a feeling it wouldn't go that smoothly. After all, she probably still considered us siblings.

Rin started twirling a strand of hair around her finger; she always does this when she's thinking hard about something. "… Okay. In that case…" Pausing, she moved to my side of the table and sat down next to me. "I suppose I can love you back."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You-You really love me?!"

"W-Well that is, I… I'm not gonna lie, you're a really good kisser and while that surprised me back there, it's not like I didn't enjoy it…" I couldn't help smirking; the girl's face was bright red and she was rambling like crazy.

But I was so happy; she actually returned my feelings! I cut off her ramble with a quick peck on the lips. "Love you too, Rin," I told her before kissing her again. There was that heavenly feeling again, the same one I felt when I accidently kissed her in my sleep a few weeks back. I was on cloud nine, and there was no bringing me down.

…That is, until Rin broke the kiss and gently pushed me back. "Whoa, boy! I appreciate the enthusiasm, but there's still one thing we have to take care of."

"What's that?" I asked, tilting my head.

Placing a hand on the back of her head in embarrassment, the girl said, "Weeeell… I sorta kinda told Mom that you were missing and I haven't told her that we found you yet, sooo we need to do that. And while we're at it… we should probably tell her about us."

Okay, I didn't see this coming. In fact it was the one thing I hadn't considered: our mother. My mind suddenly went into panic mode. "T-Tell her? Are you serious?"

"Len, we can't hide this from her," Rin told me firmly. "And besides, you're usually the level-headed one of us."

"Apparently not when it comes to romance," I cut in.

"The point is, we have to tell her," she pressed. "I'm sure she'll be… understanding, at least. If I know her, she'll hear us out and then help us figure out what to do. It'll be fine!"

"Rin, we're siblings – twins, in fact – and we've fallen in love with each other," I said, staring into her blue eyes. "How do you think any rational person would respond to that?"

"She's our mom, she'll love us no matter what!" the blonde girl retorted. "Love isn't supposed to be rational, whether it's between family or lovers. Just… promise me you'll talk to her."

"Rin…"

"I'll be right there with you, don't worry!" she reassured me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. Then she looked at me with those pleading blue eyes. "Pleeeeease?"

No way outta this, apparently, I thought with a sigh. "Fine, we'll go see her tomorrow."

Grinning, Rin embraced me and planted a kiss on my cheek. "Thanks, Len." Despite that, I really wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.

…

The next day, I entered my classroom only to be practically swarmed by my classmates. They had all been worried about me, even those I didn't really talk to. But my returning to school was the easy part; there, it wasn't necessary to tell them about my feelings towards Rin. Deep down, I was dreading having to face Mom later that day.

But I couldn't escape it forever, and eventually I was standing in front of my old house. My hand trembled as I slowly reached for the doorbell only to hesitate. Then I felt Rin's hand squeeze my shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm right here with you."

"Thanks, Rin," I told her with a small smile before finally ringing the bell.

The door opened, and there was Mom standing there with wide eyes. "Len-chan!" she cried as she hugged me. "Thank god, I was so worried!"

"Yeah Mom, I'm okay," I replied, hugging her back. "I'm home."

Soon, the three of us were sitting at the kitchen table with some freshly-brewed tea. After Mom had calmed down somewhat, we just chatted for a while about various things: work, school, the older Vocaloids. She seemed to find it funny that Meiko was now my self-proclaimed older sister.

But then Mom said, "Well I'm glad to hear you've been well, but… why on earth did you run away like you did?"

Sighing, I knew I couldn't beat around the bush here. "Uh, about that… Mom, no matter what I do, you'll still love me right?"

"Of course," she replied.

"Okay, then… I have something to tell you," I started, taking Rin's hand in mine under the table. Taking a deep breath and bracing myself for any repercussions, I looked my mother straight in the eye as I declared, "I've fallen in love with Rin. As crazy and wrong as it sounds, it's true. I love her."

Rin nodded, as if to confirm my words. "And I'm pretty sure I feel the same way towards Len, Mom. I'm sorry."

Mom's eyes widened in surprise, and she just looked at me in stunned silence. Suddenly, several different scenarios started playing in my head: she could be disgusted and disown us, or she could force us to seek mental help (which I myself actually considered at first)… there was so much that could go wrong!

But instead, she gave a small smile. "I thought that would be a possibility…"

"Come again?" Rin and I asked, equally confused.

Mom then looked over at the small shrine dedicated to our dad, who died in an accident years ago. "I suppose it's time to tell them, huh dear?"

"Tell us what? You're not making sense, Mom," Rin commented, her voice taking on a worried tone.

Turning back to us, Mom stood up and said, "Follow me." Then she walked upstairs and, after exchanging worried looks, Rin and I followed her.

The three of us climbed up a ladder into the attic, and Mom led us to a particularly dusty cardboard box. "Perhaps this was something I should have told you earlier," she said, pausing to blow the dust off the lid. "But now that you've developed such feelings towards each other, this is as good a time as any."

"What are you trying to say? And what exactly is in here?" I inquired as we sat down to open the box. Mom carefully lifted the lid and Rin and I peeked inside.

Rin smiled when she saw an old photo album. "Huh, our baby album. Haven't seen this in a long time!" Reaching in, she pulled out the album only to reveal something hidden underneath.

"Is that a manila envelope?" I muttered, taking out the envelope.

"Inside are your birth certificates, along with a few other documents," Mom told us. "Up until now, you've never seen them… and your father and I had a reason for it. Open it and take a look."

Doing as I was told, I opened the envelope and carefully removed the papers inside. The first one I saw was Rin's birth certificate with our parent's names and other information on it. But something seemed off. "Uh, Mom? Don't birth certificates for twins have a time of birth next to the date?"

"That's right," Mom confirmed with a nod.

"But my time of birth is missing," Rin observed, pointing to the date of birth.

"I'll explain in a minute," our mother reassured. "Now look at your certificate, Len-chan."

Moving Rin's certificate aside, I found mine right underneath… and I was shocked when I saw it. On the certificate, my name read "Len Kagami." My mouth suddenly went dry, and I could barely speak. "This is…!"

"What the-?! Len, your surname's different!" Rin exclaimed before pointing to where my parents' names should've been. "And look, there's only one name there: Rena Kagami." Looking over both certificates again, I noticed that only the date and place of birth were the same, and once again there was no time of birth.

"Mom… what's going on?" I whimpered, gazing at her and hoping for answers.

"You're sharp Len-chan, I'm sure you've gotten the general idea," Mom said before gently placing a hand on my shoulder. "But I'll tell you. You… You were adopted into our family shortly after you were born."

I swear my heart stopped beating for a second. "Wait, we-we're not twins?!" Rin said, her voice almost squeaking.

"… Explain" was all I could say as the blonde girl looked at me in shock.

Mom began telling us the story. "Rin-chan, you are in fact a twin, but… your real brother was stillborn. That's why there's no time of birth on your certificate: if one twin is liveborn and the other stillborn, then the live twin's time of birth is not added to his or her certificate."

"Oh my god…" Rin whispered, placing a hand over her mouth as her eyes teared up. I really couldn't blame her; finding out that her real twin died was quite the revelation, after all. By pure instinct, I pulled her into my arms and rubbed her back as she buried her face in my shoulder.

Mom moved closer so she could also hug us. "I'm so sorry, Rin-chan," she whispered, and I could hear the sadness in her voice. Even after fourteen years, she was still in pain from the loss of her child. "Do you want me to stop?"

Shaking her head, Rin pulled away from my shoulder and wiped her tears away. "N-No, I'll be okay. Keep going," she sniffled, her voice still cracking a little even though she put up a brave face. Maybe I was starting to rub off on her.

"Alright. Well if this gets to be too much for either of you, just let me know, okay?" Mom told us.

"Of course," I answered, my hand still rubbing Rin's back. "So… where do I come in?"

Mom sighed before continuing her story. "The same day Rin-chan was born, another young woman gave birth to a boy. But there were complications during the birthing process, and… she passed away just after she named the baby."

"Rena Kagami," I muttered, trying to stay strong for Rin even though I could feel my eyes watering a little. "My… my real mother."

"Yes," Mom said with a nod. "The boy was you, Len-chan. No father had come to claim you, and with no other known relatives, you were going to be sent to an orphanage." She took a shaky breath before continuing; I could tell the story was bringing back painful memories. "Your father… my husband heard about the situation through one of the doctors, who was a friend of his. He knew how much I was hoping for two children, and so he told me about you. I made a decision right then and there; I wanted Rin-chan to have a brother, so I told the doctor that we would adopt you. Your surname was changed to Kagamine, and we took you home along with Rin-chan."

I didn't say anything. Instead, I remained silent while my mind was processing all this new information. Finally I spoke up. "… This is a lot to take in. But wait, then why do Rin and I look so much alike?"

"That's one thing we never figured out," Mom answered. "Your outside appearances are similar, but your DNA is too different. It's probably just a coincidence. But… I used your similarities to tell people that you were twins and even raised you as such." She then wiped an escaping tear off my cheek. "But listen, Len-chan: it doesn't matter where you come from, you will always be my son."

"Mom…" I whispered, still calling her mom out of habit, as I squeezed my eyes shut trying to blink back tears.

Rin touched my shoulder again. "Len? You gonna be okay?" An odd question, considering what I had just learned, but I knew Rin was trying to be supportive.

"I-I think so," I replied. "I feel… surprised, a little sad, but mostly… I feel so relieved. It's like a huge weight has been lifted."

Chuckling softly, Mom said, "Funny, but I think I feel the same way. I hadn't told that story in a long time; it felt good to get it out there."

"Ohh, time for another group hug," Rin said, wrapping her arms around me and Mom. I finally just let the tears fall, because at that moment, I didn't care if I was adopted or blood-related or if Rin was or wasn't my sister… either way I was home, safe among family.

Once I had calmed down, we put everything away and went back downstairs. "Are you sure you two will be alright?" Mom asked, worrying as usual.

Nodding, I replied, "I'm okay now, thanks. Rin, you okay?"

"Yeah," she answered. "It's a little… strange, knowing that my twin died, but I think I'll be alright."

Smiling, I said, "Good." Then without thinking, I gave Rin a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh yes, about that…" Mom cut in, and I quickly realized that we still hadn't resolved that particular issue.

Crap! Forgot all about that! I thought, my brain going into panic mode again.

"Calm down Len-chan," Mom told me before continuing. "As… strange as this situation is, seeing as I've raised you both as my children… I will concede that the two of you aren't blood-related. It's not going to be easy, you know. Many people still consider you siblings, and those who find out may not take kindly to the idea."

"We know," Rin and I said simultaneously before glancing at each other and letting out a sheepish laugh. Since when did we get embarrassed about that?

Gripping Rin's hand, I reiterated, "But I still love her, and I'll always be there for her."

"Same here," the blonde girl said. "I love Len, too."

Mom gave one of her gentle smiles. "Well then, you two have my support. Either way, I want you to know I'm very proud of you."

A few seconds after she said that, my knees turned to jelly and I collapsed in relief. "Heh… ha ha… Hahahahaha!" Before I knew it, I was laughing; I just couldn't believe that I was so scared about it earlier.

"Mom, I think you broke him," Rin commented with a giggle.

"No, no," I managed to say in-between chuckles. Luckily I was able to calm down before continuing. "I'm just… I don't know what I was so afraid of. Thanks, Mom."

After we finally left the house, I felt much better about the whole thing. Mom had given us her blessing, so as far as I was concerned, Rin and I could officially be a couple.

Then Rin turned to me as we walked. "So, think we should tell the other Vocaloids now?"

"I don't see why not," I answered. "They are our friends, after all. And besides, after talking with Mom, telling them about us should be a piece of cake."

The two of us made a couple of calls and pretty soon, Miku, Luka, Kaito, Meiko, Kaiko and Gumi were all in our apartment listening to our story.

Once we were finished, Miku was the first to say something. "So… you two really aren't twins, huh?"

"That's right," I said with a nod. "And now, we are in love with each other."

"Wow…" Luka muttered. "You two have gone through a lot these past couple of days."

"Well, now I see why you had a hard time talking to me before, Len-kun," Kaito piped up. "But I meant what I said then; I'm an open-minded person, and you have my support, at least."

"Yeah, same here!" Kaiko added. "I could tell you two were close before, but you'll make a cute couple." That comment made me blush a little, but Rin just giggled.

"I'll support you too," Miku said, walking over and hugging both of us. "You guys are my friends, after all."

Luka also came over and told us, "If you two have any troubles, you can always come to us."

"You guys…" Rin whispered, her eyes getting teary again.

"Thank you so much," I finished, practically overwhelmed by the support. I never dreamed I could have such amazing friends.

"Aw, c'mere you two!" Meiko said as she pulled me and Rin into another one of her hugs. "I couldn't be happier for ya!"

"T-Thanks, Meiko," we replied, our voices muffled by her breasts.

When we finally pulled away, Gumi caught our attention. "Well after all this, maybe the two of you could use some time off?"

"Are you sure?" I asked before getting elbowed by Rin.

"Len, when's the next time we'll get time off? We should just go for it," she reasoned.

"Well… I guess we could use a couple of days off," I conceded. "Thanks, Gumi-san."

Next time…

Meiko: Hey Kaito, do you remember the first time we met?

Kaito: Heh, how can I forget? What brought this up all of a sudden?

Meiko: I dunno… just feeling a little nostalgic, is all.

Next time: Track 18 - Flashback