NOTE: I do not own Vocaloid, Hatsune Miku, Megurine Luka, KAITO, the song Acute/ReACT. All I own is this fan-made threequel to the Acute saga (Made by Kurousa-P) The story contains quotes from the Acute music video, lyrics, and manga.
Prologue
I had thought everything was going to be okay…
The rain outside thundered and shook the windows as Miku stood by the doorframe, her face as dark as the storm clouds outside and her teal pigtails and black dress drenched and dripping with rain.
"I won't forgive you…"
The blade of the knife she was holding in her small hands shone as she raised the tip towards Luka.
"The one who broke our promise was also you…"
The lightning outside flashed and the thunder seemed to shake the room.
I felt a sharp pain sear through my abdomen. Looking down, I watched with horror and shock the knife that had penetrated into my stomach. My knees buckled underneath me as I collapsed to the floor.
"KAITO!"
I heard Luka yell out my name as she rushed over to my side and knelt down, applying pressure to my wound. Blood was gushing out and spilling over her snow white skin. "Please, hang on!"
In my fading and flickering vision, Miku stood over me, her black dress and knife now stained with blood. Her expression completely blank.
"He's mine, now we'll finally be together…"
Then she raised the bloody blade of the knife and placed it to her throat.
"I will take away everything from you… Him … Precious Memories … All of it."
Tears were spilling out of Miku's eyes as she painfully chuckled, her fingers wrapped around the knife.
"I love you…"
"NO!"
"Swish!"
The last thing I saw was Luka's horrified expression before everything around me faded to black and burned and crashed down to the ground.
Kaito POV
"Gah!"
Panting, I sat up on my bed, my eyes scanning the familiar surroundings of my bedroom while they adjusted to the darkness. I listened to my heavy breathing until it slowly died down a little. I looked down at my chest, which was heaving up and down crazily. Beads of sweat were dripping down my forehead and my white night-shirt was drenched in sweat.
"Ugh."
I leaned my back against the bedframe and dipped my neck backwards, clamping my right hand over my abdomen. A sharp pain was searing through the stitches and staples from the sudden motion.
"Kaito!"
Luka turned around in the bed next to me, her beautiful long pink hair trailing over her shoulders as she sat up next to me, leaning on her elbows. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
I didn't immedietly answer. I paused to catch my breath and looked ahead, trying to focus my vision to the wall in front of me. I felt Luka's soft fingers on my chest.
Luka gently pushed me and made me lie back down. Then she got out of bed and left the room, her pink hair and white nightgown trailing behind her. I heard the rushing of water. Soon Luka returned with a wet towel, which she folded up and gently placed on my forehead. The cool, damp, wetness of the towel managed to calm my racing thoughts. The searing pain in my stomach and my heavy breathing eventually faded away.
Luka climbed back under the covers and turned to face me.
"Kaito."
Her aquamarine eyes were etched with worry as she looked at me.
I sighed as I looked up at the ceiling.
"Just a bad dream." I stated almost matter of factly. I closed my eyes. It had almost been one year since the event, although I still remembered it as if it were yesterday. I had been discharged from hospital a few months ago. Although my physical wounds were healing and turning for the better, my mental wounds were still etched deep into my memory.
I turned my head towards Luka. Her eyes were filled with sorrow. I looked down. The same things must also be haunting her.
"You know, it's almost been one year." I whispered.
Tears were forming in the rims of Luka's eyes.
"Miku…" she whispered. A brief flashback of me, Miku, and Luka playing together in the park during elementary school flashed in front of me. A tear flowed down Luka's cheek as she lay next to me.
I gently turned around and shuffled myself over. I then gently placed an arm around Luka, using my free hand to wipe her tear stain off her cheek.
"Luka, you need to stop blaming yourself." I said as I cupped her cheek gently in my palm. I sighed. "My heart hurts more than my stomach every time I think about this." My sapphire blue eyes met with Luka's aquamarine ones. "I'm sorry I've been such a burden for you in the past months." I whispered.
"Kaito!"
Luka pulled herself in closer. She looked up at me, tears were flowing down her face. "You're all that I have left Kaito, so please don't say something like that." She buried her face into my collarbone as I hugged her tighter.
"Don't worry, I'll always be here besides you Luka." I whispered as I stroked her hair. I planted a quick kiss on her forehead.
"I love you Luka." I whispered into her ear.
"I love you too Kaito." she whispered back.
The scent of strawberry from Luka's hair drifted into my nostrils as we both slowly drifted off into sleep in each other's warm embrace.
3rd Person POV
Miku stood on the cliff balcony on the top of the mountain overlooking the vast valley below her. From here, the houses were like little matchboxes dotted across the green fields and you could see the streams snaking it's way from the mountain into the village. Miku's teal pigtails were flying in the wind. She closed her eyes. It's been a month since she was discharged from hospital. Since Rin was discharged and went home with Len, Len had written to her every day, then every other day, then every week. Surprisingly, law enforcement said nothing about the events of Acute. She had then taken a train out of town to stay with her parents. She stroked the ring on her finger, a present Kaito had bought for her in middle school. She smiled sadly and closed her eyes and felt the breeze against her face.
"Kaito-Kun, Luka-Chan." she whispered as she clutched the ring in her other hand tighter.
Miku would never forget the look of horror and surprise in Kaito's sapphire blue eyes as she plunged the knife in, and the hurt in Luka's eyes as she reached out to Miku before she slit her own throat. A tear formed in the rim of Miku's eyes.
"I hurt them, how could I have been so stupid? I lost everything…"
Suddenly, Miku heard the pounding of footsteps on the stone stairs leading up to the mountain. She sharply turned around, half expecting it to be Kaito or Luka.
Mikuo POV
"Miku!" I yelled before stopping to catch my breath.
My sister turned around, her eyes cold as stone and her face blank.
"What do you want?" she replied coldly.
"Miku…"
My sister's cold reaction shocked me. Was this really the cheerful, energetic, teal haired girl I once knew?
Miku turned back around to stare at the vast emptiness in front of her.
I cautiously made my way over to her.
"Why are you always up here anyways?" I asked curiously, gently placing a hand on my sister's shoulder. She reacted violently against my touch and I immedietly jerked my hand back.
"Miku." I whispered.
"Don't worry about me." she whispered. She forced a pained smile on her face. "What's happened has now happened."
"Well, I am worried about you!" I thought inside.
Miku gently pushed her way past me and walked down the stone steps.
I watched my sister's teal pigtails trail behind her. Sighing, I looked at the view beyond the balcony. I was on my work break and decided to go home and visit my parents, who ran a guest house in the quiet Japanese countryside where I grew up. Two days after I arrived, my little sister suddenly also showed up. I almost didn't recognise her. She looked like an old, grey, faded picture of her past self. She refused to talk more than she needed to to me, Mom, and Dad. My parents were worried sick about her, but everytime we asked. She would just smile and shake her head sadly. I sat down on a stone bench under a pavilion.
"She seemed so happy when she was playing with her two friends, that blue haired boy and pink haired girl." I thought. "I think their names were Kaito and Luka?" Her eyes would become are sparkly and excited every time she talked to us in the past about her two friends. There was a photo of her in my parent's room posing with her two friends. They looked happy together.
"Miku's suffering right now, she needs emotional care and support. That's what friends are for right?" I looked up at the sky. "Kaito, Luka, this is the time she needs you two the most, isn't that so?" I looked down at the ground.
"So where are you guys?"
Luka POV
"Kaito, I'm going to remove the bandage, alright?"
"Yea, alright."
Kaito rolled up his shirt and exposed the white bandages wrapped around his abdomen. Carefully, I unwrapped the bandages, revealing the red laceration on Kaito's stomach. I gently stroked the wound with my fingers.
I picked up a cotton ball and a small brown bottle.
"Alright Kaito, I'm going to sterilise the wound." I said
Kaito nodded.
I dipped the cotton ball into the brown bottle and brought it close to the wound.
"Hold on, it'll sting a little."
Kaito nodded. "Do it." whispered Kaito.
Kaito closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and winced as I rubbed the cotton ball around his wound.
"We're almost done." I whispered, listening to Kaito growl gently.
I dropped the yellow cotton ball into the trashcan and screwed the brown bottle shut. Then, I took a fresh bandage out and wrapped it around Kaito's abdomen.
"There we go." I said. Gently patting the bandaged wound. I stood up and Kaito gave me a small smile.
"Thanks Luka."
I walked over to Kaito's side, and wrapped my arms around his. Kaito gently shook his head no.
"Hey Luka, I can do it myself now."
Kaito pushed himself off the couch and gently rose up to his feet. He clutched his wound and stumbled a little. I reached out to help him, but he again shook his head no. He let himself recover for a few seconds, and then he slowly stood straight up and let go of his stomach. He turned around to face me with a victorious smile on his face and placed his hands on his hips.
"Wow, after months of lying on a hospital bed and sitting in a wheelchair, this feels wonderful, like a blind man seeing for the first time." said Kaito as he looked around the living room.
I gently smiled. This was the blue-haired idiot I loved, always pushing himself and telling others not to worry about him. Kaito slowly made his way over to me and hugged me.
Kaito POV
"It's almost ready Kaito, sit back down." said Luka in her pink apron, stirring a large pot with a wooden spoon. The smell of porridge drifted into my nostrils.
"Oh come on Luka, you've taken care of me long enough, here let me help." I said. I gently took the wooden spoon from Luka's head and stirred the bubbling porridge in the pot. "I can do more things on my own now, I don't want you to push yourself too hard for me." I brought my nostrils towards the rising steam. "This smells good." I said.
"It's the same porridge me and Miku made for you when you were sick that day." said Luka with a sad smile on her face.
"Right…" My mind flashed back to when I was in Ninth Grade. I had just caught a nasty tapeworm infection and was bedridden for a week. Luka and Miku came to visit me,
"Say Ahhhh." Miku's voice echoed through my head as she brought the spoonful of porridge close to my face.
"Ahhhh." I had happily obliged as she stuck the spoon through my lips. It was the sweetest, most delicious thing I had ever tasted, as it contained the love of Miku and Luka, the two people that meant the world to me.
The bubbling porridge brought me back to reality. I realised that I had stopped stirring the porridge. I looked over at Luka, who was also staring at the counter-top in silence. We remained like that for a couple of minutes, with only the sound of porridge being gently stirred being heard.
"Luka?"
"Hmmm?"
I grabbed Luka by both her shoulders.
"We need to go see Miku."
"What?" Luka's eyes widened. "Are..Are you sure?"
I looked down, but Luka's eyes were met with my firm gaze.
"I was in a bad condition, and you were busy taking care of me." I said. "But, now that I've recovered, I think it's time we draw a close to all this." I pursed my lips together. "I'm tired of running away, pretending that it never happened. I want to see Miku." I brought my face close to Luka. "Will you join me?"
Luka turned her head slightly.
"Kaito, I…I don't know. This…is all so… sudden."
"Luka, remember that we promised that we would always stay together? We both promised we would protect Miku." I saw the fear and uncertainty in Luka's eyes. "I don't want to deceive myself any longer. Miku's still important to me, and I know she is to you too." I paused and stared into Luka's eyes. "Please Luka." I said. "Do it for Miku, for me, for us?"
After a few moments, Luka's aquamarine eyes turned around and locked with mine.
"Alright." she said. "Let's go find our Miku." Luka placed her hands on my waist. "Once we do find her, what are we going to say?"
"I don't know." I admitted. "But I'll figure it out." I pulled Luka in and hugged her. "Look, no matter what happens, I'll always love you Luka, please remember that." Luka nodded gently and wrapped her arms around me. I felt her warm body press against me and her warm breath against my neck as I held her close.
"I love you." I gently traced those words on Luka's back.
A loud rumbling coming from the pot caused us to break apart.
"The Porridge!"
White glops of porridge began to ooze out of the shaking pot lid and drop onto the counter as white bubbles foamed out from the sides.
"Oh shoot!"
Scrambling across the kitchen, we rushed and worked to try and save our dinner.
Kaito POV
"Sigh."
I sighed and hung my head dejectedly. Luka gently shook her head.
"She's gone." said Luka.
"It's like she's vanished off the face of the Earth." I mumbled. "Miku's phone number was offline. We visited the hospital and were told she was discharged about a few weeks ago. She had moved out of her apartment, and someone else had moved in.
"Don't worry, just because we still can't find her doesn't mean it's all over." said Luka.
I nodded. "Right." I looked at the sky as I stood with Luka outside Miku's old apartment. "She's left a wound, a void, and now she's gone?" I thought. I opened my wallet and looked at the photo the three of us took together at the amusement park a year before the incident. "All I have left is this…" I slipped my wallet back in and clenched my fists. "I'm going to find you Miku, no matter what it takes." I vowed in my mind in a totally not creepy way.
"So she's moved out huh?" a voice behind me said.
"Huh?"
I spun around. A blonde haired boy was standing there, looking at Miku's apartment. His hands were in the pockets of his white jacket. He wore a pair of white headphones around his neck.
The blonde haired boy looked at us and gave us a small smile.
"She hasn't been responding to the letter's I've sent her recently, now I see why." he said. He walked over to us and stuck a hand out. I shook it. "The name's Len." he said. Len stepped back and studied us with his blue eyes and tilted his neck to the side a little. "You must be Miku's two friends."
"We are indeed." said Luka.
"How do you know Miku?" I asked.
Len smiled as he looked towards the sky. "I met her in the hospital when I was visiting my childhood friend, Rin." he said. "I recognised you two from the photo she kept near her hospital bed." He looked away quite awkwardly and stared at the sky again. "She's had quite a traumatic past…" he said. He let his words trail off.
Awkward silence followed. "He must have a general idea about the events of Acute." I thought.
"Do you know where she might have went?" I suddenly blurted out.
Len turned his head around and looked at me.
"I've written Miku letters, but I haven't seen her after Rin was discharged, I was busy taking care of her to visit." Len paused. "Although, she did mention she was going to go visit her parents."
My eyes lit up at that source of information.
"Her parents…"
I grabbed Luka by the wrist.
"Luka, I think I might know where she's hiding, let's go!" I led Luka away, but I turned back towards the blonde haired boy.
"Thanks." I said.
Len nodded his head. "No problem, once you do find her, tell her that Len and Rin say hi." He smiled. "Good Luck." He slowly turned around and walked off into the setting sun, his shadow getting longer and longer before he became a dot in the horizon.
3rd Person POV
Sounds of furious typing on the keyboard filled the room as Kaito scanned the student directory list of the high school Miku used to attend.
Kaito's eyes lit up as he scanned Miku's student bio.
"I found her parent's information, it says that they live in Akaigawa, Miku must be there. Kaito slammed his laptop lid shut. "A train going there is leaving in thirty minutes, we can catch it if we hurry!"
Luka smiled as Kaito rushed out of the room to pack his things.
"Hang on Miku, we're coming." Luka whispered. "This time, we won't let you go."
Luka POV
It was almost midnight when we arrived at our destination. We stepped out of the lobby of the small train station and the cold hit me immedietly.
"Brrr, it's quite cold here." I said as I clutched myself.
Kaito immedietly unravelled his light blue scarf and wrapped it around my neck. "Here." he said smiling.
I smiled back at him. "Thanks Kaito."
Kaito looked into the darkness.
"I can't believe the train only arrives once a day."
I looked around. "It's quite late, we should resume our search in the morning and find somewhere to stay for the night." I said.
Kaito nodded in agreement. "The stationmaster told me that there should be a lodge in that direction, it shouldn't be too much of a walk." said Kaito as he looked towards the right. Kaito took a small flashlight out of his pocket and flicked it on, the small beam of white light penetrating through the darkness. He held out his hand to me.
"M'Lady." said Kaito as he tried to do a English accent. I chuckled, he failed, but it was still cute.
I clutched him by his arm tightly.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you from the dark." said Kaito. I smiled and nodded. Pointing his flashlight on the narrow winding countryside road, we walked past the darkened fields towards the specks of the light in the distance.
After about ten minutes of walking, we arrived at a guest house located at the foot of a mountain.
"Looks like we're here." said Kaito as he clicked the flashlight off. We saw that one light was still lit in the guesthouse. We walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. After a few moments, the door slid open, revealing a teal haired boy. He looked only a few years older than Kaito at most.
Mikuo POV
"The killer, so it was you!" the police inspector said weakly as he lay on the floor, blood trickling down his chin as the killer stood over him, his knife gleaming in the moonlight.
The ringing of the doorbell made me jerk my eyes up from the murder mystery manga I was reading.
"Who the hell could it be?" I thought as I groaned. I exhaled deeply and flipped the manga over on the table, pushing myself up. "Coming, coming." I thought to myself, my feet clattering on the wooden stairs as I made my way down to the front door. I slid open the door, revealing a blue-haired boy and a pink-haired girl.
"Is it possible to get a room for the night?" asked the blue-haired boy.
I immedietly recognised them from the photo; Kaito and Luka, Miku's childhood friends. I smiled and stepped aside, pretending I had never seen them before.
"Please come in." I said. I asked them to follow me and brought them to the main dining area in the guest house. "Have a seat." I said. "I'll be back with tea."
"Thanks."
I made my way over the kitchen and began preparing tea. "Your friends are here for you Miku, maybe they will melt the ice around your heart?" I thought as I poured the swirling hot tea into three cups. "They seem like nice enough people." I brought the tea over on a tray and placed it onto the table. I kneeled down on the tatami mat and gestured them towards the tea.
"Please." I said.
I waited for them to take a sip of their tea before I began talking, continuing to feign ignorance as I did so.
"So what brings you two here?" I asked. "We usually don't have people here this late at night."
Kaito set his cup down.
"We're looking for a friend of ours."
I raised an eyebrow, pretending I was interested. "A friend you say?" I said.
"It's complicated…" Kaito's voice began to trail off and I saw hints of sadness in both his and Luka's eyes. Kaito looked back up at me and gripped his cup tighter. "But the past is the past, right now, I just want to fix our broken relationship, we promised we would always be there together, and I'm going to keep that promise!" Kaito uttered the last few words with steel in his eyes. I smiled gently on the inside, although I did not show it on my face. I nodded and sipped my tea.
"Such good friends you both are." I said. "I feel happy for this friend your trying to find, and I hope you do find him or her." I looked away and cast my eyes towards the corner of the room. "You know, my sister used to have two friends just like you two. They grew up together as children. I was at a boarding school in America, so her two friends were like a brother and sister to her." I smiled as I said those words. Remembering how happy Miku looked in the photo with Kaito and Luka. "My sister's suffering right now, something from the past is tormenting her, yet for some reason, the two people that mean the world to her aren't by her side." I slowly got up and exited the room, ignoring the long stares Kaito and Luka were giving me. I slipped the picture of Miku, Kaito, and Luka out of the picture frame and returned to the room. I sat back down and placed the photo on the desk. I avoided eye contact with the two, only imagining the bewildered expressions on their faces as they stared at the photo.
"That's my sister in the middle." I said. "She looked so happy, so different to the person she is now…"
Before I could finish my sentence, Kaito had grabbed the photo in both hands and held it up, his eyes wide open in shock. Luka's eyes and mouth were also wide open.
"Miku!" Luka whispered loudly.
Kaito lowered the picture down, his shocked gaze meeting with my emerald green eyes. I smiled at the two and clasped my hands together.
"My name is Mikuo Hatsune, older brother of Miku Hatsune." I smiled once more. "It's about time you two showed up, Kaito and Luka."
Kaito POV
"My sister used to have two friends just like you too…"
"Something from the past is tormenting her, yet for some reason, the two people that mean the world to her aren't by her side…"
"My name is Mikuo Hatsune, older brother of Miku Hatsune…"
The teal haired boy's words continued to echo in my head as I stared into his emerald green eyes. No wonder, I could see the resemblance. The hair, and the same sparkle in the eyes Miku used to have when she was with us.
I literally leapt across the table and grabbed Mikuo by the shoulders, almost knocking over my tea. My mind was swirling with about a million questions and thoughts.
"Where's Miku!" I managed to utter out.
Mikuo raised his hands. "Woah buddy, calm down."
"Kaito!" Luka whispered fiercely.
"Sorry."
I released Mikuo and sat back down on the tatami mat. Mikuo collected our cups on the tray. "She's asleep right now, and I think you two might want to rest as well." He stood up. "I'm glad you two came though, no matter what we try, she won't talk to us. Maybe you two can make a difference." Mikuo slid open the door of the dining room. "I'll show you to your rooms, please follow me."
Soon, I was lying on a futon next to Luka, staring at the ceiling in the dark.
"Kaito!" Luka whispered.
"Hmmm?" I said as I turned my head towards her.
Luka squeezed my hand. "I'm nervous." she said.
I smiled. "Don't worry, I'm nervous too. Let's just get this over with, and we'll all be friends again, okay?" I whispered.
Luka nodded. "Okay, hope it goes well."
I gently squeezed Luka's hand.
"Goodnight Luka."
"Goodnight Kaito."
I looked up at the ceiling before my consciousness slowly started to fade away.
"How is she?" I asked Mikuo as we sat down at the table.
Mikuo sighed and shook his head. "She's eating fine, but she talk to us and she also refuses to see anybody." He looked at me deep in the eyes. "I don't know what's happened, but I hope you can break though into her."
I looked down at the table. I was supposed to be angry, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to feel like that at all. Instead, all I felt was just sadness.
I looked up and nodded.
"We'll do our best, she's our Miku after all." said Luka.
Mikuo nodded. "She should be coming down soon…"
Suddenly, the sliding door abruptly slid open.
3rd Person POV
"Hey Mikuo, is breakfast ready?" said Miku sleepily as she slid open the sliding door. Her eyes froze of the sight in front of her. The two people she least expected to see, Kaito Shion and Luka Megurine, were sitting ten feet in front of her. Silence filled the room as the three ex-friends stared at each other. Not knowing what to say, not knowing what to do, not knowing how to act. Miku's body started trembling violently and tears stared to form in the rims of her eyes.
Kaito abruptly stood up.
"Miku…" Kaito reached out to Miku.
"GET AWAY!"
The screen door slammed shut, followed by heavy pounding on the stairs.
"Miku! Wait!" yelled Luka.
Mikuo stood up. "Come on! We have to go after her!
Following behind Mikuo, Luka and Kaito immedietly stood up and rushed out of the room.
"What are they doing here? wondered Miku as she ran up the stone steps.
"MIKU!" her brother's voice rang off in the distance, but Miku kept running.
"I'm glad Kaito-Kun looks like he's recovered, I was worried that he was a goner." thought Miku.
"Miku!"
s
"Please." Miku said softly as she continued running, tears dripping down her cheeks. "Just leave me, I hurt you both, I'm going to hurt you again, please, just go."
Kaito POV
"She's probably going up the mountain, that's where she usually goes." gasped Mikuo.
"Kaito, is your stomach holding up?" Luka asked while running.
"Don't worry about me, we need to get Miku." I said.
We pounded up the stone stairs one by one. My legs muscles were burning and pain was searing through my lower body through my stomach. I ignored it and kept pounding up the stairs. I needed to see Miku, we weren't going to let her go this time.
"Woah!"
I stumbled on a stone step and almost tripped and fell, but Luka caught me.
"Careful!"
"Thanks!"
My panting got heavier and heavier, and I clutched my stomach. Luka saw me and slowed down, but I shook my head no and kept going.
"Kaito!" she yelled, and pulled my shirt.
"We're almost there, I see the top…" I said while gasping for breath. "I'm not going to stop." I said firmly. In the distance, I saw the place where the stairs stopped. It got closer and closer as the steady pounding of footsteps resonated in my ears.
Mikuo slowed down as we neared the top of the mountain.
"Mikuo!" I said.
Mikuo smiled.
"I'll let you take over from here!" he said. "I think it's best if I don't interrupt." Panting, he gave us a solemn nod of the head. "I wish you luck, now go! Make sure this stubborn sister of mine doesn't do anything stupid"
I nodded, grabbed Luka's head, and rushed up to the peak.
"I feel happy for you sis." thought Mikuo as he watched the backs of Luka and Kaito going higher and higher towards the peak. "You have two great friends watching over you, and they came after you even after you decided to close yourself off from the world." Smiling, Mikuo headed down the steps.
3rd Person POV
Bursting out through the stone steps towards the peak of the mountain, Kaito released Luka's arm and put his hands on his knees, panting and gasping for breath. Just ahead, her back leaning against the balcony railing, was Miku, her eyes wide open and her mouth agape as her teal pigtails flew in the wind. The three ex-friends who have been separated for a year stared at each other.
"Miku." thought Kaito and Luka. Kaito noticed the ring he had bought for her was still on Miku's hand. Miku immedietly hid that hand behind her back once she saw Kaito looking.
"Kaito seems to be much skinnier than I remember." thought Miku. Tears were freely flowing down her cheeks. She placed a hand on the railing.
Kaito took a small step towards Miku.
"Stay away from me!" yelled Miku as she flung one leg over the balcony. Kaito immedietly stopped in his tracks. Straddling the balcony, she looked at Kaito and Luka. "I'm a monster, I hurt people, so just stay away from me!" said Miku as more tears fell down her cheeks. "I don't want to see more people hurt because of me…" said Miku as the sight of Rin holding the knife to her throat on top of the hospital roof, just like she had once done one year ago flashed through her mind, "May the two of you be happy together…" Miku slowly released her grip from the railing.
"Miku! Please don't!" yelled Luka.
"MIKU!" yelled Kaito. Miku froze. "We miss you Miku, we just want to see you!"
"Miku." said Luka. "Without you, life has just never been the same." Luka burst into tears. "I'm sorry Miku, it's all my fault, it's my fault you turned into this."
"Luka!"
Kaito rushed over and hugged his sobbing girlfriend.
"It's my fault." said Luka between tears. "I-I broke-broke the promise." Luka looked up. "We promised we would always be together, forever and always, didn't we? Miku! We're sorry we couldn't keep that promise to you!"
"You and Luka mean the world to me, and I promised I would cherish you both forever." Kaito said as he stepped forward. His face was filled with determination, but tears were also forming in his eyes. "I was too weak, I failed to protect you." Kaito pursed his lips. "I'm not going to run away anymore. There will be no regrets." Kaito slowly edged towards Miku, but stopped when Miku stared to recoil back dangerously off the railing. Kaito reached a hand out towards Miku.
A flashback played instantly in Miku's mind. It was back in elementary school. Miku was in fourth grade and Kaito had just graduated elementary school. Luka had to go to a doctor's appointment, so Miku was walking home alone. Three boys from her grade saw her and decided to harass her. Bullying her and laughing at her hair color. One of them pushed her to the ground, and she sat on the ground crying as the boys jeered.
That's when Kaito walked by.
Kaito was nice person, and usually acted in a cool, collected, manner. Miku had saw a different side of him that day. She had never seen Kaito look so angry before. Without a word, Kaito clenched his fists and dropped his backpack, and took out the heaviest textbook he could carry. He walked over, and swung it at the head at the boy who pushed Miku down. The next thing she knew, the three boys who were bullying her were running away, escaping from the hailstorm Kaito threw at them with fists. Kaito then turned around and reached a hand out to Miku, smiling as he did so. Miku stared up at Kaito, tears still hanging in her eye rims.
"I'll always protect you Miku."
Miku noticed that Kaito had cuts and a giant bruise under his left eye. His knuckles were also red and raw. Kaito noticed her looking.
"It's okay, I'll be fine." said Kaito as he gently massaged his bruise. "I'm just glad your okay."
The 6th grade Kaito translated back in her mind to the Kaito standing in front of her, reaching an hand out.
"Miku, both me and Luka love you. Your like a little sister to me." said Kaito. "No matter what happens between me and Luka, we'll still love you the same. That will never change." Kaito smiled. "We promised…"
"Kaito Onii-Sama! Your leaving?" said Miku as she hugged the arm of Kaito.
"Miku, i'm just leaving for a math competition." said Kaito. He let go of his suitcase and rubbed the head of Miku.
"Be safe… okay?" asked Miku worriedly as she looked up at him.
"Miku." chuckled Luka as she hugged her. "Kaito isn't disappearing, he'll be back."
"Promise?" asked Miku.
Kaito smiled and pulled her and Luka into a hug.
"The three of us will be together, forever and always, okay?"
Kaito's voice faded away and flashback ended in Miku's mind with a flash of white. More and more tears will spilling out of Miku's emerald green eyes.
"I thought they had betrayed me, but I really just betrayed myself…"
Thoughts and more flashbacks of happy times resonated and flickered through Miku's mind. The wind blew across the peak of the mountain, throwing up Miku's pigtails, Luka's hair, and Kaito's scarf.
"It's just like when we first met…" thought Miku. She looked up and stared into Kaito's sapphire blue eyes and Luka's aquamarine eyes. "Luka … Kaito … I …" Miku tightly gripped the railing she was sitting on and pursed her lips, trying to stop the tears from flowing.
After a few moments, Luka stepped forward.
"Miku, do you want to be with us again?" said Luka as she gave a small smile.
For the first time in what seemed like forever, Luka and Kaito saw a smile appear on Miku's face. Slowly, Miku began to edge her way off the balcony railing.
Kaito gently squeezed Luka's hand.
"We did it." thought Kaito as he smiled.
"Miku, you've come back." thought Luka.
Suddenly, Miku's foot caught on the railing as she tried to pull her leg over. Losing her balance, she watched in horror as she fell backwards towards the abyss below her.
Luka's eyes opened wide in horror.
"MIKU!"
"Ahhhhh! Engggg!"
"Gotcha!"
Miku looked up, seeing Kaito's firm hands grabbing her by her wrist. She looked down, her feet were dangling over air, and a few rocks plitter plattered down the cliff into the valley abyss below.
"Kaito!" screamed Miku.
"I got you, don't worry!" yelled Kaito. "I've got you Miku, and I won't let go, I promise." thought Kaito. Luka grabbed Kaito around his waist. Grunting, Luka held Kaito steady and he pulled Miku up from the railing.
Reaching over, he wrapped his arms around Miku in a bear hug.
"I'm going to pull you up, okay?"
Miku nodded as she grabbed tightly onto Kaito's shirt. With a final grunt, Kaito hoisted Miku over the railway as they both fell to the floor. Panting, Miku landed on top of Kaito.
"Miku!" Luka rushed over to Miku's side. "Are you okay!"
Miku blinked hardly for a few times before answering. "Yea." Miku felt Kaito pushing her off.
"Miku…" Kaito winced in pain. "My stomach…"
Miku realised her knee was sinking deep into Kaito's abdomen. She quickly pulled her knee off and pulled up Kaito's shirt, revealing the white bandage underneath. Tears once again began to flow down Miku's cheeks.
"Kaito! I'm sorry I'm so so sorry!" cried Miku as she buried her face in Kaito's chest, sobbing. Kaito reached up and patted Miku on her head. "It's okay, I'll live, doctors say that it's not permanent damage."
"Here, I'm going to make it better." said Miku. She gently caressed Kaito's wound with the soft tips of her fingers. "How's that?" Miku asked.
"It already feels better." said Kaito as he smiled. Luka knelt beside Kaito, and Miku immedietly wrapped her arms around her.
"Miku, I've missed you so much." whispered Luka as she stroked Miku's teal pigtails while Miku hugged her tighter, like Luka might disappear right in front of her.
"You still have your scent of strawberry Luka-Chan." murmured Miku as she smiled. Kaito sat up and wrapped his arms around Miku and Luka.
"Kaito-Kun, Luka-Chan…" whispered Miku.
"Hmmm?"
"Stay with me? Please?" whispered Miku as she closed her eyes.
Kaito and Luka looked at each other and smiled. Could they do that for her?
"Of course Miku, I'll always be right there for you." said Luka.
"As long as I'm still alive on this Earth, I'll be there." said Kaito.
Miku smiled, sandwiched between the two people she loved in a group hug. The sun was setting on the three newly reunited friends on the peak of the mountain. They continued to stay like that,
A happy tear flowed down Miku's cheek as she clutched on tighter.
She would never let go.
AN: A long haul flight, boredom, and sheer determination was what gave birth to this story. A fan made threequel to the Acute saga. So why did I name this story ThreeSixty? Well, in math, an Acute angle is an angle that is smaller than 90 degrees (smaller than a right angle for you Non-Math nerds). Add an obtuse angle (angle that is bigger than a right angle) to an Acute Angle, and you get 360 degrees. A full circle, a complete end for the events of Acute, a happy ending for all of the characters, and a period (which is round and circlely) that marks the end of suffering between the three friends, reunited in a group hug (which is a circle) under the setting sun.
I hope you enjoyed reading ThreeSixty.
Love
-Flash
