He couldn't say that his life after what happened in Christmas was better. Nor could he say it got worse.

...Mostly because there's nobody to share it with.

So far, the only ones who knew of his and Rin's relationship were a) her and b) that hot, stupendous, fantastic, amazing, fun, sympathetic, glorious, attractive, sexy, strong, tall, big, muscular, gorgeous guy with the greatest smile and bluest eyes you've ever seen. He's just so loyal and understanding: What a nice friend.

There's a good-looking man who looked just like him who had similar problems. And hey, look at that, they have the same names—Len Kagamine...

"Ugh..."

Kaito sighed next to him in pity. He probably was too huge to fit in the seats, moreover he was already bending a bit low that it looked like he'd better off be standing because he almost hit the ceiling, but he remained in his chair, awkward—looking and lanky. Beside his depressed pal, who was in there for days on end without so much as moving a bit in his favourite chair and muttering low grumbles of bemusement and could've been mistaken for a drowning corpse, Kaito didn't stand out, strangely. If it were anywhere else, he was sure Len wouldn't. Though, as this was only an ice cream shop...

"Don't take it personally, Bud, but I don't want you scaring the kids outside," the blunette said, scratching his head casually. "I've got a business runnin' here."

Len's head was raised for the first time in all the hours he'd been there: He looked nothing more than a college student again—and that wasn't a good thing. Clearly he didn't maintain himself the past few days, either he didn't find it in himself to, or it was his way of punishing himself; his face was utter death, in addition to that, you could look past his hollow eyes and see nothing there. "You think I'm here to sabotage your job?"

"Naw, Man! It's just my frequents are freaked by you." Len cursed under his breath. "You have to admit, you're not looking too hot right now."

He buried his head in his arms again and groaned. "That's what she said!"

Once more, Kaito exhaled. "You know what, I'm sick of your stupid moping. If that's all you'll ever do, Hailey'll dump you for good."

Confused at first, Len squinted his eyes at Kaito, then remembered. "O—oh yeah. Her."

Of course he couldn't tell Kaito. What'd he think of him? Even if he did tell him, he doubted he'd have some idea how to help him. Sisters weren't actually Kaito's best topic, as his had an accident that scarred him for life—yeah. It was horrible.

What he'd relayed to his best friend was an ambiguous, doctored truth he knew he was gullible enough to believe. The parts he did change weren't too big to free him of too much guilt of having to lie to him: He met Riley—or was it Bailey?—a few months before. She was doing her afternoon jog down the zoo, taking her usual route, when she bumped into Len. She was drop—dead gorgeous. At this, Len mad a little more alterations. She was five foot eight, had a huge bust, and was a redhead. So maybe it wasn't a lie to say her butt was cute (totally true in the case of Rin.) They didn't immediately fall in love, Len remarked, but something was there. After they exchanged their names, they went for some coffee. Then, he was like, it only takes a spark to light a bonfire, you don't need to use a torch. After that, they left. The next meeting Len saw her at the same place, only she brought a dog along with her. (You could just guess who this puppy could be.) He was a cute little Pomeranian with a fluffy tail. Day after day they took him on walks, together. ("What's the dog's name?" Kaito had asked. "Oh, he's Bone." "...What's it short for?" "Boner.") After a while, Len had summoned the balls to ask her out. She said yes, and she'd been wanting to date him for a long time. Then, after making out, Len finally got laid. (Kaito had smashed the ice cream bowl he had been holding the second he'd heard this.) It went on for a while longer, their constant...activities...when her goddamn ex showed up to give her her Christmas present. Actually, it was him who gave her Rint—BONE. Gave. Her. Bone. Ever since he came to their doorstep, Ri—Cassidy was refusing to romance him whatsoever. I mean, Bailey. Len missed Rin. Too much he couldn't live with himself right anymore: He also felt so guilty for being so rough on Kyo, when he should be the reasonable one between them. He missed every fibre of her. When she distanced herself from him, it felt like a part of Len was torn apart and left with her.

At first, Kaito hadn't known what to make of it. Then he guessed stuff like that happen for the most of everybody.

"I honestly think you're going too fast in the relationship," admitted Kaito. "Girls are turned off by guys like that. Rushing. I mean, would be, too, but Meiko's good! Ain't no finer girl in town. You screwed her too much, Pal."

Len groaned.

"She's most likely tired of hearing you sound like that, too."

"But I miss her, Kaito, I really do," grumbled Len, pouring his heart out in whatever way he knew how. He played with his melted ice cream on the bowl. "I don't know—I have no idea what to do anymore. I miss her skin, I miss her eyes, I miss her touch, I miss her voice, I miss her pretty blond hair, hell, I even miss her flat—"

Len stopped himself, his mouth hanging agape. He stared at Kaito, who idly wiped his counter clean with a cloth. He didn't seem to have noticed his mistake. Did he? Didn't he? He thought he couldn't breathe until his breath hitched. Bailey was a redhead—crap no it's Hailey—HAILEY—freaking Hailey. She had hair that was red red red red red red red red red ret ret ref ref rep rep rep red red red rem rem rem ren ren red red rid rid rin rin—Rin—

Without another second, he passed out on the counter.

"I don't know, Len," Kaito was saying, cocking his head to one side. "I think you're losing too much sense. That's enough banana split from you."

...

Len adjusted his necktie, gulping down his nervousness. He combed down his hair and approached the house's door, hesitant. He didn't know how dressing up was going to solve things, but still, it was worth a try. Rin may have been stubborn, and that she wanted some space for herself, but he couldn't let it go. He wouldn't let her go.

He saw that the occasion at hand now seemed desperate, so he borrowed a tuxedo that had once been taken to Kaito's prom: Admittedly, no size of Kaito's would fit Len, nor any other man he knew of. Thankfully he had kept what he'd worn to his Junior Prom, and that Len was almost exactly his size in his seventeen—year—old form. Meiko had prepped him up for this, so he wasn't going to tuck tail and run away, not when he knew he'd have to go back to them empty—handed.

Also...

"What're you waiting for?"

They came along with him.

The agreement was they'd let him borrow Kaito's suit if he let them watch.

Len did say he was desperate. To the point of guiding them to the wrong house in a different direction from his own, where Rin currently was. So an imaginary girl would be inside a stranger's house, to which he led his best friends in an attempt to ward them off sight and run to where his house was. They were freakishly tenacious and resolved to follow him to no end. As he couldn't tell them he was going out with his own sister, he had to trick them into stalking him in a different house.

That's where Len was now.

Strapping handsome in a suit with his hair combed for God knew who awaited beyond the door of a house that he didn't know whom belonged to.

He was completely lost. Although he did know his house was at the end of this lane.

Meiko and Kaito were hiding in the bushes, which did no good as the streetlight starked them to sight.

He was grateful for their help, really—it's just...he wished he could tell them it was Rin and they'd be off in his house instead of fixing a problem that didn't exist.

"I...I think she isn't home," Len hissed back.

Just then, the lights went on upstairs.

"See?" Meiko sounded too impatient. "Come on, Kagamine!"

"H—Honey, you don't need to..."

They were arguing again. How great.

He couldn't just knock on the door of a house of someone he didn't know! It'd be so scandalous! Then again...ugh.

With stiff joints and wobbly knees and sweaty hands, Len marched to the doorstep. One. Two. Three. Four—four, move it, Len! Five...Six...

He was finally there. Not wanting Meiko to cause any more ruckus, he rapped on the door. Twice.

A muffled silence blew past them that made Len think time stopped. At that moment he wanted to fly past Meiko and Kaito and back to Rin, wishing he didn't bother to ask them for advice in the first place, when the door opened.

It opened! The bastard opened!

...And out came a hideous hairy man.

Inside, Len's heart twisted into a knot and sunk in the depths of his stomach to boil itself dead. Behind him, he thought he heard someone scream in horror, or it could've been his imagination.

The stench was overwhelming: Not the least bit like bananas! He had two teeth poking out of his lower lip, enough to scare the crap out of a kid Rinto's age. For that reason alone he was almost convinced that this wasn't worth it. Nu—uh.

He was about to turn around when the living shit spoke. "Whachu doin' 'ere?"

Suck it up, Len, suck it up!

"Uh..." Thinking those words that encouraged him for so long on different situations seemed to do the opposite now that he heard himself say it in his head in front of this human caterpillar. "Uh...Is—is there, by any chance...Is your daughter here?"

One potato two potato three potato four potato left hand goes here right hand goes there his breath smelled bad six more down pass it around—

He scratched his chin. (You would NOT want to know what grew in there.) "Gen's around."

Len could imagine no girl of any relations to him would be pretty, and dreaded the thought of seeing a female being that resembled him. Asking him if he had any relatives was both stupid and suicidal: Your mind would get busted if you so much as think up the dreadful images, even if he would say he didn't have any.

"Gen?" he croaked. The gargantuan troll nodded, grunting. Before Len said anything else, he—no, it barked behind it, "QUIT SITTIN' AROUND ON YO FAT ASS! SOME FREAK SHOWED UP, YA HO!"

What? You're the freak here you idiot! His—its deep voice was like an earthquake, but boomed like lightning. Len felt like his eardrums exploded!

Len didn't know if he was hearing right, but he definitely heard a vague, "I'm coming!"

The ogre snarled, nodding revoltingly at Len, and muttered, "Hope y'ain't doin' nothin' kinky ya tuxedo pimp."

Like hell...Your face alone has everything anyone'd need to freak the sperm out of them.

As Len was checking if he had his hearing right, he saw a woman in front of him.

A really pretty woman, if he had to say so himself. She was only a few inches shorter than him, but was well—endowed. She was wearing what seemed like a plain white shirt that stuck to her skin from the sweat, only covering her midriff, and wore tight shorts that showed too much skin to a guy who wanted to keep his fidelity to his sister. He couldn't understand how she could live under the same roof as that vulture bait. And—

Oh shit.

She had red hair.

"Hi..." she said demurely. "You know my brother?"

Oh my God—you're related to that thing?

No—no—no—what matters is, you're a redhead. Yeah, yeah! This could work! You look exactly like how Emily should be! Or Hailey!

Len almost forgot what he was there for, but now...He didn't know what was Plan B. He didn't even know how Plan A should end at all: He didn't think he'd go this far into his stinking plan! Not knowing where else to look at, he distracted himself by looking everywhere.

"No," he said as quickly as he could respond.

The good—looking woman raised an eyebrow, amused. "Do you know me?"

"N..." Len cut himself off.

He saw a car that passed them by, almost running Kaito over—he didn't know how...—and thought that the driver had strange hair colour...

Green hair...? No, blue...?

Len was absentmindedly playing with the gift in his hands that was meant for Rin, and Gen caught sight of it.

"Oh, who's that for?"

Teal. It was absolutely teal hair.

The car went on the houses Len thought it'd stop by, but didn't: It just continued on...on...

"Excuse me...Have we met somewhere before?"

Len felt the heavy burden of dread grip his heart.

It stopped. It stopped...

...there.

The woman sounded a little annoyed now. "If this is some sick joke—"

Len took off, saying a scrambled, "Sorry!"

He ran and ran and ran—he wasn't sure he heard Gen shout another time, but he didn't care—it's just a block away—

"Len!"

It should've been that both Kaito and Meiko had followed after him—there was so much worry and confusion in their voices—but—

Len couldn't hear anything—he shouldn't, or else he'd slow down—he had to catch up to it—he had to—

As he sprinted the darkness of the evening wrapped him in cold breezes, his sweat turning fast into coldness that coated him dry. His shoes clicked on the pavement, and he didn't care how wet Kaito's tuxedo had gotten: He had to get to his house.

He felt like a part of the sky now, running in the wind's direction. He couldn't breathe—he was in one with the breeze—he was slowing to a walk...he was close...

A guy was in front of his house—he was only a few yards away now!—with unmistakably teal hair. Nine steps...!

"Hatsune!"

Rin's ex-boyfriend wheeled around at the name. He looked as punkish as ever. This jerk...

Mikuo scowled, eyed Len up and down. Len stood as high as he was, but couldn't outscale him in the height category: Mikuo was two years his senior, making him that much taller.

"Rin not around again?"

Len glared at him. "Again?"

For a second's worth of time, Mikuo ducked and swore. "I've been comin' round lately."

"You have." Len couldn't find anything else to say to make him sound intimidating, for it had been his fault that he didn't stay in the house enough to notice Miku patrolling if Rin was present. He was here, and for as many times as possible while Len was gone. Except who he's here for was smarter than to answer the door.

Mikuo shoved something in Len's hands: It was small, and felt circular.

"I've been cleaning up the flat, and I found this," he said, though Len was busy wondering what he'd been given: Mikuo slapped his wrist. "Don't touch it. Once she comes back, give this to her." Mikuo turned his heel and made to get away, back to his car.

Len was stunned. Just like that, he'd leave?

He opened his car door, when he stopped and hung his head, then shook it.

"And when you do," Mikuo said, loudly, "tell her I'm...tell her I'm sorry."

Both men were silent for a few moments, Len standing frozen on his feet, shocked. Not bothering to say goodbye to him—not that Len would return the favour—Mikuo shut his door and revved up his car. Before long he drove it up the street, to where he couldn't see beyond the dark horizon.

With him gone, Len listlessly, automatically, looked at what he'd given him.

His mind was blank.

And yet it was heavy with overflowing thought.

The stars were his company for a few seconds, providing him the space he needed to think clearly. But...now that he safely could, emptiness filled him instead.

He didn't process that Kaito and Meiko were already catching their breaths, and catching up to him.

Meiko punched him in the shoulder. Hard.

"WHAT THE HELL? What! The! Hell?"

"Meiko, just hakuna your tatas!" Kaito pulled his wife back.

"What's the damn stunt that he pulled? What the hell was it for?"

"I'm sure he ran away for a good reason."

"Ran away my dad's fractured—" Kaito shouted something like "DANDELIONS!" to block out the word. "You ditched her, you asshole!"

Len, who edged away from the two, shrugged. He only vaguely registered their quarrel. That punch shook something inside of him, though...He got back his senses, clutched the present for Rin and her wedding ring, and dashed to his house's door.

"Len, are you even listening to me?"

He had to give this to Rin, he thought, his brain a void of scrambled thoughts. Apologise to her—make things damn right and the way they should be!

Right now he was standing at the exact spot where Kyo had the Christmas night, where Mikuo had just now—were they all feeling the same resentment? Guilt? Suckishness?

"Don't you dare turn your back on me, Kagamine!"

They weren't so different from him after all. That must mean he's a prick, too, though saying he wasn't wouldn't fix things as much as confessing he was.

Len stuck in the key and turned the knob. The door swung open, and he stepped inside with unease and deathly anticipation. He combed the kitchen—the living room—

"Len, you couldn't just leave her!" He heard Kaito's voice from the front door, but chose to ignore him.

"Rin!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Rin, you home?"

Silence rung. He was at the foot of the stairs. Rinto was probably up at his room, sleeping: The kid was always a deep sleeper, though Rin wasn't. So if she was snoozing anywhere in this house, she'd likely have been disregarding him.

He tried an alternative. "Sis! Sis! Where the hell are you?"

Kaito and Meiko stood in the hall, watching him as he frantically walked past them to the guest room downstairs. She had to be there.

Len pulled open the door: The room was unlit, but Rin was there—at least, that's what he thought she was. Her silhouette glowed brighter than anything else that reflected the light bouncing off the moon from the window. He didn't know how much fear grappled him to near insanity when he felt a rush of relief wash down his worry.

It was too dark to see clearly, so he clicked the switch.

"Rin! You wouldn't believe—WHOA!"

Apparently, the lights weren't the only things that were turned on.

Rin, sprawled tangled in the bed sheets, stretched in a 'ready' pose in nothing but her lacy underwear.

Len involuntarily snapped his eyes shut. Then, remembering they were in fact, dating, he squinted them open a tad so he wouldn't forget the matter at hand. He felt like his whole body thrilled with the sight of his sister almost naked, annoyed to see her not in nothing yet, excited to see how things would play out if he did exactly as Rin wanted.

Much to both his amusement and humiliation, she slid off the bed in the most provocative manner—Len wailed longingly in the inside—and was walking toward him, swinging her hips.

"I've been waiting for you..." she purred in a husky, low voice. Rin raised an eyebrow at him, then smirked. A part of Len twitched. "I suppose the same goes for you. It'd be a shame to tear that suit off you..."

"Oh my God, Rin. Now's not the time for this." He fumbled backward to close the door, but Rin held his hand and he found himself freaking immobilised. "Sure, any other day, but—"

He couldn't see anymore—oh crap—how many buttons was she unfastening? His vest slipped past his shoulders and fell to the floor. "Stressed, Lenny?" She trailed her fingers up his chest.

"Jesus—don't do that! G-get your clothes back on!"

"I'm not sure your friend wants me to go just yet~" Rin played with him and was beginning to put her hands where Len was itching to be touched.

...Until Kaito decided at the worst possible moment to come into the room.

"Holy shi—"

Meiko slapped her husband in the mouth, but looked equally flushed and distressed.

The twins froze in their spot. Even Rin seemed to have looked scandalised. Len didn't want to meet her eyes right now.

"LEN. RIN." Meiko's eyes darted from one face to another, then, her face an equal shade to her favourite colour, she spluttered. "W—we're just gonna...leave you two...alone..."

"..."

"..." Everyone had gone quiet.

Meiko clapped her hand to her head when words failed her. "Mother of God...I need to get some wine." Kaito followed her without another word, rubbing on his sore cheek.

As soon as they were out of sight, far enough where Len could barely hear Meiko's answer to Kaito's "Why'd you do that?", he turned to Rin, who buried her face in her hands and moaned into them.

"Rin?" Len reached a hand out to hold her—"Ow!"

Thump—thump—thump—thump—

Rin hit his chest with closed fists.

"You jerk! I couldn't believe you!"

"It's bad timing, that's all! OUCH! DAMMIT, WOMAN!"

"Why didn't you tell me they were coming over?" It was almost a whine.

"I did! I did! I tried!" And he did!

"What is WRONG with you?" she screamed, redder than—use-something-better-than-tomatoes—apples. Nice sweet juicy apples. She wasn't really doing much in all her ounce of power, Len guessed, though thought it deadly to say it aloud. She was freaked. "It was so EMBARRASSING! How the hell did they get in? Is that why you're all dressed up?"

Rin was a wild one—it was starting to pelt at his skin now—it's beginning to hurt.

"Ow! OW—quit it!" He flailed his hands futilely in the air to grope for her wrists. "I'm sorry! I didn't know you—"

When your girlfriend's punching on your bare chest clad in nothing but something resembling lingerie, it's hard—stop the innuendos—not picturing a fantasy out of this.

"What, didn't know I what?" Rin said, with the familiar venom in her voice that reminded Len she really was his sister, exempting godly appearance. He wouldn't cower now, however, being the mature one, he tried maintaining his power over himself before he'd do anything he might regret upon looking at Rin.

"I mean, look at you. Look at what the hell you're wearing! No, wait." He gestured at Rin. "What you're not wearing!"

"Well, I thought I was being a saint trying to actually fix things!"

"Saints don't look like that!"

Rin's hands flew to the air. "So maybe I'm a nice exhibitionist! So damn what? What've you been up to?"

"It's a long long story I have to tell you later when you need to make fun of me, but something came up—"

"Don't tell me what I wanna make fun of, Len—"

He grabbed both her shoulders and shook her. "I wanna prove if my hunch is right—will you let me?"

Not wanting to lose all the attention, Len immediately dug inside his pockets, ignoring Rin's appalled face close to his.

Feeling the round rimmed object, he fished it out and, reluctantly and eagerly at the same time, showed it to Rin.

It was a ring.

Rin's wedding ring.

The ring Kyo gave her in his proposal.

And Rin left it...at Mikuo's house.

Len didn't know what to make of Mikuo when he had it. His mind was a swirling pool of confusion dipped with cold want to know. "Familiar?"

Rin's face was blank. She wore a mask of a face.

Seeing as she didn't want to talk yet, he said, "Mike—Mikuo...he wanted to return this to you. Personally."

Still, Rin was motionless.

After a few moments, she finally parted her lips. "...I saw Kyo earlier."

Len irately ran his fingers through his hair and groaned. Rin watched him with wide, scared eyes.

"I don't wanna know if you two met—what I do wanna know is what Kyo gave you for Christmas, and if it has anything to do with your wedding ring."

Like before, Rin's eyes were glassy with guilt.

...

IT'S SUMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER! XD

Special thanks to:

YellowFluffiesForever22

Kurone Ryu

I3Len

Emperor in Exile

Kagamine-RinCV02

Guestthe2nd

Sorry for being slow! No promises on next time though!

F.A.C.T.S.

I actually had to research about twincest on this chapter

I left this for two weeks empty and typed 1000 words within 1 hour of my continuation

Mikuo's most likely a one-time character, and I'd prefer to keep it that way O,o I mean, Rin's already got LEN, and not to mention her inadvertent ex-husband KYO, so it'd be a bother to let Mike in on them, too. He'd probably make another cameo, but that's about as much as a plot tool I could make him into

As mentioned, I SUCK AT DRAMA. I TOTALLY DO. I'm sorry if this was anticlimatic, but the projects killed me, and so did the exams.