a/n: I actually never suspected that people would hate on Len so much... O.o I didn't intend for him to act like such a jerk, just a troubled, moody and maybe slightly cold kid (but not to everyone...tsudere, maybe?). Anyways, it's perfectly fine! Everyone has their own opinions :)) ^.^

My longest chapter yet...! Enjoy!

Chapter Nine: Shutdown

Len couldn't believe that he just a told a stranger how Rin died. And the fact that he did it with such emotion and clarity made him question who he really is. He was never the type to meet new people or speak with them, without hyperventilating awkwardly. It was mainly because of his newfound confidence at school...his popularity, so to say.

Len was glad that it was raining today. That way, nobody questioned his tears as he made a hasty retreat home. If he was to find Rin, home was the place to start.

After avoiding going home for almost a month, walking through the door felt strangely normal. He always felt watched and agitated whenever he returned, making him spend his days outside. He never used his laptop anymore, in fear of the electric angel. Instead, everyday at the internet cafe he just worked ahead in math. Now he had completed every page in the textbook, with no more math homework for rest of the year. And that was only in February.

The dim air pressed on him as he walked up the stairs, noticing a slight creak on the sixth step for the first time. He reached his bedroom, slowly pushing his door open.

Rin was not there. With each step as soft as snow, he explored the room. Not burnt marks, no binary codes, nada. Eventually, Len approached the mirror.

Call him a girl, but Len loved having a mirror in his room. He never believed in the Bloody Mary tales, and didn't care that people said that they were passages to the dead.

The blond teen peeled off his wet coat, and changed into his bumblebee sailor suit, one that matched the electric angel's slightly. He sat in front of the mirror, surveying his face. His red, swollen eyes stared back at him, making him realize how awful he looked.

Ignoring that factor, his eyes were a beautiful blue colour, just like Rin's. His features were fair, yet strong, but also gave off a look of innocence. Golden locks framed his face, ending at his shoulders. He gave a small smirk, and was stunned that it didn't look so bad on him. In fact, it looked...hot?

It was in that moment that he realized that was how he looked to the other kids. The new Len Kagamine.

He stared at the other Len in the mirror: Attractive, popular, funny, and confident. It came upon him that he didn't even know the Len staring back at him. Right now, he couldn't recognize himself.

But then he tied his hair up. Took out his contacts, and put on his thick-rimmed glasses. Then he forced his face into a melancholy mood, one that was lonely and aloof. It struck him now that the Len he was before really DID look like a nerd, an outcast. That's right, he just called himself an outcast.

He switched between the New Len and Old Len. One was a heartthrob while the other was a loner. He didn't realize that the boundary between them was so thin, he couldn't understand himself anymore. Which face to switch to, which personality should he take on?

"Playing dress-up, Onii-chan?"

The voice didn't startle him. Rin's reflection appeared behind his own, smiling. Her eyes were still as red as roses.

Len didn't turn around. He spoke to her reflection: "Not really. Just seeing how much you had changed me."

He was now back to the current Len, the one that he would never imagine in becoming.

"Oh! And what do you think? Do I get a thank you out of that?" She laid a hand on his shoulder, which felt SOLID.

Solid? No, it can't be solid. She can't be that powerful.

"Rin, you're malfunctioning." He stated, calmly. His glare never left her eyes, in the mirror. Rin ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm not malfunctioning. I'm just having fun. You know, being a human again."

"You'll never be a human."

"Indeed, not." She sighed, smirking at him. "But there's always a good side to it. I may never seem like the Rin you knew before, but at least I can have this."

Len gasped, as Rin pulled out a razor. The one she had practically sliced herself with.

"It feels wonderful to hold this little guy again. Did you know, that the only time when I felt control over myself when I was holding this in the bathtub?"

"Stop, Rin."

Rin just leaned closer, whispering coldly into his ear. "I didn't stop until I saw the blood. And once it came, I wanted it all to come out."

"No! Shut up!" Len finally turned around to face her, agony written on his face.

"You shut up. You know exactly how it feels." She reached downwards, grabbing hold of his arm. She lifted his black arm warmers, revealing his own scars.

He pulled away. "That was a long time ago. I didn't want to end up the same way as you did."

"Oh really?" She grinned, the inhuman smile spreading across her face like a doll's. "Then Lenka will."

It took Len several seconds to realize what she meant by that, then his face twisted into a look of horror. By then, Rin was out of the door, giggling.

"Don't you dare!" He bolted after her, bent on getting to Lenka's house before Rin did. He chased her into the kitchen, and finally saw that she was fettered to something else. Something much different.

Rin was fettered to the Kokoro necklace. The one that was previously Lenka's, before the incident at the strip club. Rin was wearing it around her neck, making her completely mobile. She had the freedom to go wherever she wanted, and when she wanted.

"Heheh~" She laughed. The angel was clearly enjoying this.

Rin floated down the street, high in the air. Len followed her to the park, and then past the alley where he had encountered Ted's gang. He didn't dare stop running, although the lack of sports was tiring him out quickly.

"Leave...her...alone...!"

He nearly ran into a little kid and his mom who were strolling down the sidewalk. The boy pointed at Rin with extreme fascination.

"Look, Mommy! An angel! And that boy is chasing her!"

All she saw was a crazed-looking teenager running through the street. "There's no angel, dear."

"But Mom-"

"I'm sick of all your stories! Now be quiet, will you?"

The boy nodded, miserably looking at the ground.

Meanwhile, Rin was right outside of Lenka's mansion. She knocked on the door twice, turning to him and placing a finger on her lips. Then she disappeared.

"Rin, if you dare lay a finger on her-"

The door opened, the second he arrived at her doorstep. Lenka answered, and screamed once she saw him there.

"Len Kagamine! What are you doing here?! Go away!"

She slammed the door, but his foot moved forward to block it before it closed. And with the colossal oak French doors, this move was very painful for him.

"Lenka...please listen..." He fought to hold back tears from the door.

"If you're asking for forgiveness, let me just tell you one thing Len Kagamine-"

"No, not that. My sister is going to kill you."

"You're crazy, Ponytail."

He ignored the fact that she used Ted's insult on him. Before he could burst into an explanation, he saw Rin in the doorway. Right behind Lenka, she held the razor to her neck. She smiled, nicking it.

"Ow! What the hell? Why am I bleeding?"

"Lenka! Get away!" Len ran into her house, grabbing Lenka by the wrist.

"I demand an explanation from you! I'M GONNA CALL THE COPS IF YOU DON'T UNHAND ME-"

Len didn't answer to her, sadly. He dragged her into the basement, one of the only places without electricity. He remembered that the lights down there weren't working, so it was the safest place.

"I'm so sorry, Lenka."

It was extremely difficult to ignore Lenka's banging and cursing, as he walked away. As Rin came to the door, he could feel her energy weaken. She backed off.

Rin turned to Len, her eyes flashing with anger. With a unearthly scream, all the lights in the house went out. Rin flew into him, knocking him over. Her hands dug into his chest, as she pinned onto the floor. Her eyes grinned maliciously, before Len rolled over and out of her grasp. Panting, he dodged her as he went for his throat, her slender hand cackling with static.

"If I can't be the one to kill you, then everyone else will!" Rin gripped the razor, and went out of the window in a flash of sparks.

This was crazy. It must all just be a dream formed by the mind of a disturbed teenager, borne from empty corners where his insecurities lay.

But whether or not it was a dream, there was no waking up now. He had to stop Rin.

Without hesitation, he ran after her. He knew that he would loose Lenka for good after this. No matter how much it hurt him to leave her there, he had to stop the angel from harming anyone else.

"Catch me if you can!"

Rin traveled through the telephone lines, the streaks of electricity the only sign that she was there. Each time she passed a house, the electricity there went out. At least a dozen families screamed as Rin absorbed their energy, leaving the city in darkness.

They passed the school. The building that caused him so much torment went up in smoke.

"RIN!" He screamed. How could she do such a thing?

She smiled. "Good thing it rained today."

Len felt hatred and rage overcome him. The anger made his eyes light up with fire, and he soon became unaware of his actions. His lungs were about to burst, as well as his brain. All he wanted was for it to end. The electricity surrounding Rin was increasing by voltage, her wings doubling in size. They spread out like an eagle as her shadow crossed the city.

Len didn't know what he was doing. His body had a mind of its own, and it couldn't be stopped.

The non-athletic blond ran up a parking car, and jumped. He latched onto Rin's necklace with success, surprised that he actually completed a feat like this. And he was lucky, too- it was the only part of Rin that wasn't flashing in thunder shocks. If he had grabbed somewhere else, let's just say that would be the end of him.

"What are you doing?!" Rin yelled at him. As he looked into her eyes, he could see that they were flashing like flares. In her right eye, the words "MALFUNCTION" were blinking in tiny letters. From far away, they looked like pupils.

His weight brought her down, as her majestic wings flapped frantically to keep them up. He fought to hold on, suddenly noticing that he was twenty feet up in the air, feeling the wind caress his cheek. He thrashed, knowing that staying would result in his death, but letting go would as well.

"Get off!" She shrieked. The chain dug into his palm, but he didn't give in. Even when Rin electrocuted him, he didn't forfeit. The necklace broke off of Rin's neck, sending Len falling down to the dark city below.

He saw lights. He saw laughter. He saw thousands of snowflakes swirling in a beautiful mess, and one lonely boy crying amidst all of it. When he crashed through the the roof that was their house, Len thought of the sound like "chains of life breaking."

The necklace was still in his palm, and he grasped it tightly. Just like how he held Rin's hand, as they lay together in the snow. He fell through the ceiling, landing on Rin's bed. How coincidental, he thought. He had once again escaped death.

Rin, being attached to the necklace, went down with him. She loomed above him, her "heart" pulsating. The yellow power symbol was glowing brighter with every second.

But this time, she didn't make a move to kill him. She floated, crossed legged in the air, head bowed down. Her wings curled in, and Len could see that she was crying. Real, human tears ran down her face, as her eyes continued to flash "MALFUNCTION."

He looked at the necklace, the heart charm with "Kokoro" engraved on it. Len reflected on what Rin had said, long before this mess had happened:

"It's because of you, Len. Your love, and your songs give me energy. Each time you talk to me, each time you use me shows me how important I am to you. That makes me feel happy and loved. And I live on love, Len-kun. Remember, my sprite in Vocaloid became clearer and clearer each day, right? That was part of it. Thanks to YOU, I've been running this whole time."

She ran on his love. That's why she was fettered to the necklace, the one she picked out. She ran on Len's love for Lenka, and Iroha. She gained power when he said he loved it, even though it was expensive. And lastly, it was in the shape of a heart. The Kokoro.

Len knew what he had to do. How to put her to her final rest, one that he will join her in eventually.

He took the razor, which Rin had left on the bed, and smashed the heart with one fluid motion. His love was now gone.

And soon Rin will too.

True to his thoughts, the second the necklace broke apart in pieces, Rin gasped. She knew what was happening, but made no move to stop it. Instead, she stared at him pleadingly, innocence returning to her once evil eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off. Her eyes lost their life to them, and slowly started growing limp. Her wings lowered as well, the look on her face indicating betrayal.

He felt like the biggest jerk in the world.

But was it really that easy? After hurting for all these months, was it really that quick?

Suddenly, a timer appeared on her heart. Five minutes left. Rin wasn't gone, not yet. The angel was in idle mode, and after the amount of time in her heart, she will finally shut down.

That gave him one last thing to do. His skin was frying, but it didn't slow him down. Trembling, he took out a USB.

Len promised to program her with all her life events, but left out her death. Now that he had finally completed it, he wanted one last chance to communicate with his sister. To give her the true story of her short yet sad life, that she had shared with him.

"My gift to you, Rinny. Please, please don't forget me.

"You'll always be in my heart."

His eyes were blurred with tears as he inserted the USB into the angel's neck. Then everything exploded in light, and he passed out.

It was happening.

Or, it had already happened. Len had entered cyberspace.

The blond male opened his eyes to find a typhoon of numbers and javascript. Computer terms and lingo, electronic code and symbols that may never be deciphered. In the nothingness, there was language that he knew and loved floating around him like one messed up mother computer. And he felt like one of them, living in a place where time collides with space to form a new type of intelligence. This was Cyberspace.

He couldn't feel his injuries anymore, but just the brisk sense of freedom. He wasn't tied down by wires or computer chips, as he freely floated through the computer world. Was this how Rin felt, when she was in the computerized reality?

"Rin..." He whispered, pleading to see her.

Then the world broke apart. He closed his eyes, feeling the mass of words break down upon him. He realized the situation he was in: The computer was searching up "Rin" for him.

"No results." The motherboard reported back.

Len squeezed his eyes shut. "Search '_r3b00t_'."

His exact request appeared in computerized text in front of him. Cybernetics sent his request, processing the information.

"1 result found. Extracting recipient to desired location."

With the androgynous computer voice giving the order, Len was sucked deeper into the dimension. He felt the particles in his body spin as he dissolved, reforming like pixels after he stopped.

The atmosphere had changed. He was standing on solid ground, in a calming, yellow light. There was a distant thump thump sound, and Len was wondering where on earth he was. But looking closer, he saw that there was a massive screen in front of him. And squinting, he could see a figure in the distance.

"RIN!" He called out, in happiness. And it wasn't the electric angel. It was just Rin.

She turned at his call. He saw, for once, her true eyes. They filled up in tears, as the twins ran towards each other...

...only to collide into the monitor. Rin was still in the computer, and she gazed sadly at him from the other side. Her mouth was moving, but no sounds came out. It must be soundproof. His fist only bounced off effortlessly as he pounded on the monitor, and his knuckles were bleeding by the time he stopped.

Len has already been through so much, and finally realized that after all this pain, he still never got a chance to embrace his sister. It was all he wanted, and he wept because of that. The blond knelt at the monitor, his hand pressed against it as he cried. Rin joined him, her fingers matching his exactly. A stupid piece of glass was separating him from his beloved sister, he thought.

Up above, the timer was attached to the glass. There was only three minutes left, before Rin would shut down forever.

"I'm so sorry. I could've prevented it. And I shut you down because of this."

Rin shook her head apologetically. She breathed onto the monitor, causing condensation. With a finger, she began to write:

"It was all my fault. Don't be sorry. Just be Len."

She smiled at him, and Len wanted nothing more than to cross over to join her. If only he had died as well, all of this may never had happened. "I love you."

"I love you too." She wrote.

He had so much to say to her, but the only thing Len managed was those three words. He leaned his forehead against the glass, as if push hard enough would cause it to break.

Rin tapped on the monitor to get his attention. She condensed some more: "Len, look up."

He did.

And what he saw was a pop up. Since Rin was technically in a computer, a message appeared above her.

"Vocaloid . exe is not responding. Continue?"

Len reached over and tapped "Yes".

"Vocaloid . exe has stopped working. Please select one of the following. (Reboot) (Abort)."

"Abort?!" Len panicked. What type of request was this? He noticed that under each option was an info box. He read the outlines for Option One:

"Reboot: Upon selecting this command, program would attempt to reboot. Information aquired before this choice will be permenently deleted, and subject will restore to default mode. Whatever complications or flaws will be wiped out, however. If the command meets your requests, please select 'Reboot'."

This would be the most obvious choice at first, but as Len thought about it, his opinions were weighed differently. If he chooses to reboot Vocaloid . exe, Rin would start up again. But then she will forget everything that has ever happened to her, including Len and her own identity. But in a way, it was like restarting to the beginning when Len first met _r3b00t_. And that was all he wanted, right?

But then he saw the look on Rin's face. His sister looked remorsefully at him, but then smiled. She sighed behind the glass.

"If I reboot the Electric Angel, then Rin wouldn't get a chance to rest." She would have to go through all that, have her memories wiped out, and reduce her being into the computer once again. All Rin wanted was to finally rest in peace. She had given that blessing up, so that she could be with him. And now he is about to turn her back on, just so she could repeat that process without ever seeing what heaven looks like?

And what Rin desired is more important than anything he wished for. He didn't press the first choice, and turned to the second.

"Abort: Upon selecting this command, program will cancel and uninstall. All computer functions will be rendered normal thereafter. Any trace of the program will be deleted until the user has decided to reinstall the element. If you wish to stop 'Vocaloid . exe', please select 'Abort'."

His heart sank. Aborting the Vocaloid program would cause everything to uninstall. Rin would disappear from the living world, and ascend to the final rest. But then he would be left alone, guilty for the damage that the electric angel had inflicted.

Len gulped, as he knew what he had to do. He turned to Rin, and gave her a smile. She gasped.

Her brother closed his eyes, and made the final choice.

"Request confirmed. Please stand by as program is undergoing uninstallation process."

His sister's fate was in his hands, and he didn't want to bring her back to life to entertain him. He had to move on, and with the Electric Angel's help, he found the strength he needed. Rin deserved so much more than just him. Yet he was still surprised how much selecting "Abort" hurt him.

But then he realized...maybe the choice wasn't so painful after all.

The glass smashed apart, in brilliant shards of colour. Len's hands flew in front of himself, but nothing hit him. Light streamed out in rays, and through it came white smoke.

"RIN!" He yelled, anxious to see his sister. He ran through the gaseous monitor, energy all around him. Len looked up, but didn't see anything as Rin's body rammed into him.

"LEN!" Finally, he heard his sister's voice. All this time, he was holding in tears. His bonds had been broken, and they spilled over.

The embrace was warm. It smelled strongly of oranges and scented laundry detergent. It was Rin's smell, one that was pure from blood.

"Thank you, Len." She whispered, and stared into his wet eyes. "My chains have been broken."

He knew what she meant when she said "chains". "The cable?"

Rin nodded, smiling. "You're right. Do you know where we are? We're in my heart. I was thinking of you everyday, and trying my best to understand my new form. Of course, you being with Lenka made me jealous. Because my system was weakened, a virus penetrated my defenses and I turned into something evil. I'm so sorry...everything was all my fault."

He just hugged her tighter, never letting her go. "It wasn't something you could control. But I still love you for that. For everything you had done to me. You taught me what it means to be living, and smiling."

"And it makes me so proud that you acknowledge me for that. But Teto's change was something that YOU had done. No electric angel could get into the way of that." Rin ruffled his hair, and the twins laughed.

He wanted to stay as equals. Len hated for her to disappear, to leave him as the only twin. He wished that he could take this moment and freeze it, remaining here until time ended.

But that wasn't possible. He only had one minute left, before Rin would uninstall and shut down.

"Even though I may not be with you, I'll always be in you heart. I know it's cheesy, but it's true!" She smiled, wiping away his tears. Her appearance became weaker, her body fading with each sentence. He knew it was happening.

"I'll never forget you. Please don't forget me...?"

"Never in this world, and others."

Thirty seconds left.

"Len, can you do me a favour? As you return to the real world, prove that I have lived. Put back up all those pictures you had taken down after I died. Speak to your friends about me, and how we had lived as siblings. And remember...share my life to everyone who ever felt like giving up, like the world has nothing better to do than to crash down onto them. Give them hope, with your story. And mine's."

"I...I will."

She kissed him on the forehead.

"I'm counting on you, Ponytail."

Five.

Rin started glowing, but Len never dared to let her go. Her skin were vanishing like butterflies taking flight after a winter's long rest. Yeah, it was happening. And soon it will be over.

Four.

"Hey Len-chan, can I ask you something?"

Three.

"Anything, Rinny."

Two.

"Tell me. What are the quantum mechanical properties of an electron?"

One.

"...the ability to unite me with my sister again."

Zero-

"Uninstallation of 'Vocaloid . exe / _r3b00t_ / 8473928746372-99328' is successful. Have a nice day."

Whenever something was wrong, Iroha was always the first human to feel it. It's not ESP or clairvoyance, but love for Len. After the Kagamines had entrusted the twins to her several years ago, it was like the three were connected. Well, now was just the two of them.

The last time Iroha had this gut feeling was the day Rin died. Unfortunately, on that day she was away to an important business meeting. The next day, when she visited, the twins weren't home. And then the neighbours told her what had happened...

But on this certain occasion, the dreaded feeling of something calamitous wasn't a presence of impending doom. Instead, it was like a sign. An alert that something had blossomed to life.

Whatever it was, Iroha Nekomura intended to find out.

"Len better not be dead or dying..." She thought a bit morbidly to herself. The pink-haired lady pulled up in front of the house, and the sight was chaos. Smoke was coming out from the roof of the house, and two girls were on the porch, yelling to each other. Their actions showed that they were keen on breaking through the door.

"HOLD IT!" Iroha was a sensible, sweet woman. But when the situation gets tight, she knows how to use her voice. Iroha dashed up to the door, her heels clicking on the steps. Up close, she could see who the two teens were: Lenka what's-her-name and an unrecognizable red-head in navy blue attire and curly pigtails.

"IROHA!" Lenka flew up to her, clearly out of breath. "OMIGOSH THANK GOD YOU CAME YOU HAVE TO HELP US!"

"OKAY, OKAY!" Iroha pushed Lenka away, who was hopping up and down in front of her. She turned to the other girl.

"What happened? Why are you guys here?"

The sixteen year old looked up at her with sullen eyes. "I just wanted to thank Len...he made me realize how much my brother loved me, even in death. It seems though, he isn't answering the door."

"Oh, so I guess he's being all sweet to YOU now!" Lenka pointed at her accusingly. "Teto Kasane, I warn you. Len may seem adorable and all, but be locked me in the basement! And turned off all the lights!"

"ENOUGH!" Iroha tried the door handle, but it didn't budge. She didn't bring her keys, so that left her with one choice.

With one powerful high-level karate kick, the door fell open. Teto and Lenka stared in awe and reverence.

"Something is wrong with Len. And I intend to help him, whether or not you two continue blabbering." Iroha ran up the stairs, calling Len's name.

The two girls stared at each other, and with no further ado, followed suit. As the three females arrived at Len's smoke filled room, they were stunned into silence at what they saw before them.

Len Kagamine lay on the ground, curled on his side. His skin was covered with electrical burns, with wisps of smoke arising from his injured body and hair. The male was cradling something glowing, a content smile present on his face. Tears ran from his eyes, as if he couldn't be happier.

"LEN! Oh Len, what happened to you?" Iroha immediately dropped to his side, taking his head into her lap. Genuine concern was written over her face, as she checked for his pulse.

But as she did so, Iroha discovered something strange...something magical in his arms.

"Is that a..."

"Heart?"

Indeed, it was. A mechanical, steel-clad heart was beating in his arms. A power button is seen on the front, pulsating in yellow light. And Len was guarding it, embracing it with his life. As if it was the only thing that mattered to him in the world.

"Len! Len, are you okay? Please tell me you're ok. Oh God, Lenka call the ambulance! I don't think he's-"

The boy stirred.

"Don't worry, Iroha. I'm okay."

The wide smile showing through his wounds told the world that he was happy. And no amount of words could narrate the story he held within his eyes...

"No...I'm better than okay."

His pulse weakened, and then he was out.

a/n: This fic's not over yet! Just one last chapter :) Thank you again for supporting me thus far, I know it may seem like nothing but it still really means a lot xDD heheh~