DISCLAIMER: I don't own Vocaloid. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, HUH?

Chapter 7

Len's POV:

"Okay, here's the plan! If we start shopping right now, we might be able to buy enough gifts for Luka before lunch. Then we'll beat Gackupo to it!" Neru said, clutching her bulging purse like a weapon.

It looks like someone is going to have to borrow money from me for a while, I thought. Neru was good at managing money, but Luka was still better. Which was also why everybody else's birthday celebrations were much more elaborately planned than the birthday of the person who actually did most of the planning.

Luka-nee's birthday was the next day. My sister wanted to throw a birthday party for her, as well as give Luka more gifts than her fiercely devoted boyfriend, Gackupo. The two teenagers were now in a fierce competition to see who would buy more gifts for the lucky pink-haired girl.

And somehow, Neru managed to drag me into this battle.

Scanning the immense shopping list, I sighed in utter defeat. We had exactly two and a half hours to buy forks, plates, napkins, cups, a cake, jewelry, books, an umbrella, a horror movie, new pairs of shoes, jeans, a computer, a cell phone, a cell phone cover, a play station, hair accessories, stuffed animals, tuna fish, and about a million other useless things. It looked like Gackupo had it in for him this year.

Right after thinking that, I felt my cell phone vibrate inside my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw that it was a text from Gackupo.

TO: Kagamine Len

FROM: Kamui Gackupo

Tell Neru to surrender. I will buy more and better gifts for Luka this year, and conquer the world. MUHAHAHAHA!

Yes, according to him, buying good gifts for his girlfriend was the same as conquering the world. I rolled my eyes inwardly and stuffed my phone back in my pocket.

As Neru and I were walking down the last aisle of the final shop we were buying gifts at, an awkward silence came. Both of us were impatient for lunch, and Neru's purse was alarmingly empty. Even more worrying: I also brought my wallet, and now I actually might have to use it.

Being dragged around by my sister like this wasn't new. Neru had always been obsessed with shopping, amusement parks, and cafés, ever since she was a child. She would always drag the two of us around everywhere she went.

The two of us…no, Len, don't think of that.

If he was still alive, would Neru be different? Back when Kasane Ted was still alive, Neru loved him with all her heart…

Out of the corner of my eye, I felt Neru study me intently.

"Len, are you okay?"

"Yeah…I'm fine."

"Hey…after all this time, are you still feeling guilty about Ted?" Neru asked abruptly.

Raising my head up, I locked eyes with my sister. Her amber-gold eyes gazed piercingly at me, and it almost seemed as if she could see straight through me into my soul. I could never hide anything from her. It was almost as if my sister could read my mind.

Feeling a trickle of sweat run down the back of my neck, I turned the other way, so I wasn't facing her anymore.

"…"

"…"

"Len, why do you blame yourself? It wasn't your fault! I'm sure that if he were still here, he wouldn't want you to think this way," Neru put a hand on my shoulder and turned me back around.

I opened my mouth, and then closed it again. My voice wouldn't work.

Kasane Ted and Neru were so happy together. Unlike most teenage couples, their relationship, unexplainably, seemed more…stable and deep. One could tell, just by looking at them, that they would always love each other. If only Ted were still alive, he and Neru would have so much potential to their future lives together. But he was gone now. Thanks to me…

I clenched my fists at my side, to hide my trembling.

Neru seemed to notice my anguish. Just as she started to say something, I suddenly smelled smoke in the air. Apparently, she sensed it too, and looked around confusedly.

RING RING RING! All of a sudden, the fire alarm started blaring, flashing red lights across the shop. Then came the panicked murmurs of the shoppers.

"Attention, everyone! A fire has started in Aisle H, and is spreading rapidly. Please proceed quickly and calmly to the exit, near Aisle A."

Neru and I locked eyes, and paled. We were in Aisle N. The air was already starting to heat up and become smoky already.

At the same time, my sister and I buried our noses into our shirts and started to sprint toward the exit, but we were too late. A large cabinet fell over, blocking our progress. We instantly turned around and tried to find another way toward the exit. But, by now, the fire had gotten so large that smoke completely blocked our view of anything farther than a few feet away.

Before Neru and I could go any farther, more cabinets fell down around us. They formed a sort of cage, trapping us in as the fire spread closer and closer.

"We can't get through!" I yelled over the crackling of the fire, choking because of the thick smoke.

"Try to find an opening!" Neru shouted back, and then started coughing. "If you look carefully over there, there's a small gap over there!" she croaked, pointing behind me.

I turned around and saw that, indeed, there was a narrow opening between two fallen shelves. It was extremely small, though, and it was doubtful that we could get through.

"You should go first. You're shorter, after all," Neru urged.

"But-"

We both jumped as a cracking sound filled the air and more beams started to crash down around us. I hurriedly clambered trough the opening, and then helped Neru through. Coughing uncontrollably, my sister was slow to climb through, and narrowly missed being crushed by collapsing shelves.

Now, the smoke was so thick that I could barely see my own hand. With horror, I realized that a cabinet had fallen and blocked the exit that Neru and I tried so hard to get to.

We scrambled around frantically, using our hands to feel for a gap. After a few moments, we managed to push a small cabinet out of the way and created a small opening. However, this time, it was only big enough for me to crawl through.

"N-no…" I mouthed silently.

Neru placed her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes.

"Len," she said, voice hoarse from coughing so much. Taking a deep breath to steer herself for what she was going to say next, my sister went on. "N-no matter what happens, remember that I'm always with you. I-I'm your sister, I'm proud of it, and I will always love you. So…don't blame yourself for anything that might happen. Live on!" her voice cracked, from emotion or from smoke, I couldn't tell. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, but she smiled a brilliant smile and gestured for me to leave.

Gingerly getting down on my knees, I climbed through the hole. It was a tight fit, but I managed to squeeze through. As soon as I got to the other side, I straightened up, then immediately bent over with a fit of raking coughs.

The air was black with smoke now, causing my eyes to sting painfully. The fire was getting close. And Neru was still trapped.

"Neru!" I screamed.

"The hole's too small! I-I can't get through!" my sister's voice said, interrupted by a series of hacking coughs.

"Try again!" I insisted.

The sound of something heavy crashing down near Neru's location caused me to flinch terribly.

"Neru! NERU! NER-"

I received no answer.

The air blackened, and I choked on the smoke. Eyes watering, I clutched my stomach in pain and gasped for air. Slowly collapsing to the ground, I whispered, "Neru…."

The last thing I remembered before losing consciousness was someone yelling, "This kid! He's still alive!" and large, heavy hands lifting up my limp body.

Me: *munches casually on some delicious potato chips* What?

Neru: *dies*

Len: *cries*

Me: Oh, please. It's not even that sad.

Neru: ...

Me: *ahem* Fred Sirius Lupin Hedwig Dumbledor Snape Tonks Moody James Lily *ahem* Everyone in Hunger Games. Everyone in Mirai Nikki. Abd Attack on Titan.

Len: ...

Me: Anohana! Your Lie in April! ANGEL BEATS! CLANNAD! THE FAULT IN OUR STARS! TITANIC!

Please review, everyone, and stay tuned for Chapter 8! Thank you!

~Rikasa