Hello, everyone! It's time for a brand new story! I have to write about this after seeing an advertisement of a new car with Hatsune Miku on it. To clear some things up, in this story, Hatsune Miku is a real person, not a hologram. Her age has been changed to 19 to match Runo's age. Also, Julie works in her café (for reasons explained in this chapter), and the bakugan is there to add humor. That means no battles! Apologies to the people who were expecting them. Each chapter is inspired by a song Miku does either by herself or with other Vocaloids. Enjoy!
This has undergone many changes, so to the people supporting this story, I give to you the final product.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers, nor do I own Vocaloid. This is purely fan work. Plot belongs to me!
Album 1: World is Mine! Part 1.
A crowd of people is cheering at the top of their lungs as the concert begins to start. Backstage, a girl is talking with her parents.
"Mom, I'll be fine," she says to her mother, who shakes her head. "Are you sure? This is your first concert. We're just here to make sure you don't choke on stage." The plump woman nudges her husband, who is busy staring at the technology in awe.
"Of course, Runo. It would be terrible if you mess up," he added, still distracted by a particularly colorful monitor.
Runo smiles at them, expressing her gratitude in that one facial gesture. "Don't worry. I've worked too hard to botch this up." She goes and hugs her parents. A loud voice, predominately female, starts to rouse the crowd with the announcement of the long-awaited event.
"Well, I'm up," Runo whispers as she pulls away from her parents' embrace. As she walks into the elevator that will lead her to the stage, the novel idol turns to see her parents wave her good luck.
A small smile is ignited onto Runo.
"Everyone, I hope you enjoy the show!"
Earlier that week in Bayview…
A boy with brown hair, a plain red jacket, black jeans, and red sneakers jumps out of a boat. He slightly teeters as he adjusts to solid ground. Behind him, the city's lights sparkles, brightening the surroundings and chasing away the darkness. The boy stretches as he stares at the place that he had left behind. He takes a deep breath and sighs in relief.
"We're home, Drago," he comments over his shoulder. A red ball then bounces up, opening up to reveal a familiar friend.
"Indeed we are, Dan.
The next morning…
"Mom, I'm going out!" Dan shouts over his mother's daily morning exercise. Before he can slam the door shut, he hears his mom's usual statement,
"Be home before dinner."
Some things never change.
Dan Kuso, 19 years old. His flamboyant attitude is still burning strong inside him, and with his trusty partner, Drago, by his side, it seems that his adventurous side will not die down just yet. After a year-long tour around the world, he has decided to permanently settle down in Bayview. Part of his reason was the homesickness he felt during his trip, constantly thinking of what his friends are doing.
His bike speeds down the streets, the wind blowing against his tousled hair. Drago jumps onto his shoulder.
"So, Dan, where are you going?" he questions with his usual gruff voice.
"Well, I may as well drop by Julie's café. The rumors around here say she got the job again," he answers as he rides his bike down a nostalgic road.
Meanwhile, at a local café, a blue-haired, twin-tailed girl grabs the vanilla shake on the table and takes a sip out of it. She exhales a content sigh, quietly expressing her love for the sweet drink. A white-haired waitress skates up to her satisfied friend, offering a bright greeting.
Runo Misaki, 19 years old. She has grown up considerably, with her womanly features finally showing. While she may not be as big as Julie, she certainly has "them." Her neon blue hair, which is still kept in her trademark pigtails, is much longer now, the tips almost touching the ground. Currently, she is clad in a sleeveless white shirt held together with a row of buttons down the front and sides with a quaint purple bow replacing the top button. Her hands are covered with black woven gloves that reached just below her elbow. The black pleated skirt went halfway down her thighs, and her matching black boots hid the rest of her legs.
For the most part, Runo's hot-headed personality has toned down considerably. Instead of acting on impulse, she does take the time to evaluate the side effects of her actions.
That doesn't mean she always listens to the reasonable side of herself.
As for Julie, she is working at her old café simply because she doesn't have a job at the moment. Marucho did decide earlier that year to remodel the stadium for a while, which means she has no battles to report, meaning she has no paycheck. That didn't stop her because as soon as she asked for her old waitress job back, she was instantly rehired under the condition that when the stadium reopens, she would have to leave.
"Hi, Runo! How's the shake?" she asks. Runo sighs happily, exclaiming how amazing these shakes are. Then, comically looking to her left and to her right, Julie scans the nearby area before sitting down in an empty chair across from Runo. She leans over and blocks one side of her mouth, indicating that what she is about to say is only for Runo's ears alone.
"Hey Runo, I think I saw Dan last night. I was walking down his street, and I could have sworn that I saw him talking with his mom."
Runo flinches at his name. Her legs bang against the table, causing her shake to teeter wildly and a few heads to turn in her direction. She laughed nervously, waving her hands in an attempt to push away the unwanted attention.
"You're joking, right? What could Dan possibly want in Bayview?"
Julie shrugged her shoulders. She added, "I don't know about that, but he looks like he's staying for good. Isn't that great?"
Runo lets her expression fall into a bored one, absentmindedly twirling the straw in her shake.
"Didn't I tell you to stop with that? It's obvious where his heart is..." she trails off.
"Well, stop moping when his name comes up!"
"You're the one who said it in the first place!"
"That's only because I'm looking out for you! You can't afford to get distracted now!"
Runo huffs at Julie's last comment. Sure, she can't go off-track now, considering that her first concert is a week away, but bringing up Dan is going to do more harm than good.
"Hey! Waitress! Can you take my order?" some random customer calls out.
"Be right there!" She gets up from her chair, grabbing the tray from the table. "I'm sorry, Runo. I just can't help but think that maybe this time...he'll come around." The twin-tailed idol shakes her head, offering her friend a small smile. "It's okay, Julie. Maybe you're right. But for now, I have to focus on my career more." With their fight resolved, Julie reciprocates a smile and heads off to serve her customer.
Runo goes back to stirring her rapidly-melting shake.
"He's back huh...well, it took him long enough."
She spends a few more minutes sipping and stirring her vanilla drink. Just when she is able to focus on the sounds of the cars, she hears a familiar voice calling to her.
"Hey, Runo!" shouts Dan.
She feels the wind first. It blows her twin tails wildly, and they whip against her face. Shifting her view up, she sees the infamous Dan Kuso waving frantically at her.
He sure is approaching her quickly…
Wait, he is.
His bike is in full throttle, approaching the outdoor café with no intention of slowing down. The pedals are spinning furiously, and his feet are doing a terrible job of stopping them.
"Damn, I'm going to crash!"
In a last attempt to save himself (and others) from major bodily harm, he slams his feet onto the pavement. Screeching sounds jab the sitting people's ears, and they cover their ears in reflex. Runo, who was sitting at the table on the far left, opens her mouth in terror. She stands up and grabs her shake as she prepares to run from the hurtling combination of machine and human.
He does manage to stop his bike.
The vehicle skids to a stop just next to the outermost table, but Dan is sent flailing into the air. He hits Runo, his head over her shoulder. They land on the ground in a loud THUD, and Runo groans at the pain.
Everyone awkwardly looks in their direction.
The first thing Dan senses after he recovers from the pain was the softness of Runo's body. His body is pressing down her slim figure, making him well aware of the one physical feature that has not been there until now.
"What is this?"
Above them, Julie watches Dan lift himself up with a nerve-wracking frown. She panics even more when he refuses to move away from her friend. Instead, he chooses to stare into her eyes, succumbing to the beautiful tinge of blue and green.
"So...umm...hi, Runo," he trails off in a quiet voice. The girl under him gulps, well aware of the practically nonexistent distance between them.
"Hey! If you two are just going to stay there, get a room!" Julie cries.
Runo snaps back into reality and screams in terror. She pushes Dan to a nearby table (her table) and clutches her rapidly-beating heart.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she yells. He groans at the pain his head acknowledged. "Geez, Runo. I see you haven't lost your strength after all this time." She huffs at his statement and looks away.
"And you haven't changed a bit, Kuso."
He flinches at his last name. Since when did she address him by his surname?
"Runo, is there something wrong? If it's anything I can-" he is cut off by the sound of Runo's ringtone. She swears under her breath as she searches for her phone. Once she finds it, she answers it with a curt greeting. A few nods later, she hangs up.
"Julie, I have to go! I'll put the money on the table!"
Runo digs into her purse on her chair and places a few bills onto the table. Once she straightens herself, Runo grabs her drink and bag, tells Julie her thanks, and heads off towards the big city.
Dan stares on in disbelief.
"Uh...what just happened?" he slowly lets out. Drago chooses this time to make his appearance.
"I think...you've just been left behind, Dan."
Scene Change to Vocaloid Productions:
Upon arriving at the iconic building, Runo bends over and clutches her knees as she struggles to regain her breath. The structure towers over the small businesses in the vicinity. Letters decorates the left side of the skyscraper, spelling the word "VOCALOID." Runo smiles as she stares at the top of the building.
She can clearly recall the day she was scouted…
Flashback Sequence:
"Damn that Dan Kuso!" Runo shouted as she raged over his absence. It's been a year since Dan Kuso decided to embark on his secret journey, and Runo was reaching her last straws.
"I need a new way to relieve this," she groaned. Entering her house, she ignored her parents' greeting and headed up to her room. Once she sat down at her desk, she whipped out a pen and paper. Staring intently at the blank sheet, she began to write lyric after lyric of frustration, doubt, and sadness. When she wrote the last word, Runo collapsed onto the wooden surface.
The next day…
"Umm...Julie, are you sure this will attract customers?"
"Of course!" Julie exclaimed, looking up, down, and around her uncomfortable friend. Runo clutched the front of her skirt tautly, subtly glaring at the energetic waitress. Oblivious to her rage, Julie continued in her fantasy land.
"I bet we'll pick up some nice guys, and maybe, we can even gather a crowd!"
Runo spun around to disagree to the notion again, but Julie already grabbed the microphone plugged into her portable speaker.
"Everyone, you're in for a real treat! See, my friend here needs feedback on some of her songs. Will you stay and enjoy the show?" Her announcement started a chain of whispers. Runo panicked at this, but in an instant, the customers all gave their encouragement.
"Come on, Runo! You can do it!" Julie shouted.
The pig-tailed girl nervously grabbed the microphone from her, standing in the middle of the tables. She took a deep breath and began her very first performance.
Unbeknownst to the two girls, one woman at an isolated table observed Runo's performance.
She saw how she picked up the crowd easily, and how she had the perfect stage presence. Some people even stopped to listen.
She had just found the right person to launch a new kind of music…
"Thank you! I hope you've enjoyed that!" Runo's gratitude was responded with a loud cheer from her miniature crowd. She blushed as she processed her audience.
"Wait, there weren't that many people before," she thought.
A clap independent of the rhythm of the crowd's momentarily paused the festivities. Runo spun around to find the one lone woman smiling a friendly grin.
"Your performance was wonderful. It's been so long since I felt so moved. Say, did you ever consider performing for a living?" She asked. Runo shrunk back a bit, but she shook her head at her question.
"Shame. Maybe you should. You have the talent for it," the woman offhandedly suggested. She placed down extra tip on a nearby table, along with a business card, and dispersed into the crowd.
Runo picked up the card she left behind. Peering over her shoulder, Julie read aloud the contents.
"Vocaloid Production...huh," Runo muttered.
End Flashback.
Runo opens the front door and is instantly greeted with her annoyed manager.
"Runo, they need you in the studio now. Your headphones are in your room."
The idol knows her scolding would come after recording, and she mentally groans.
Kea Ridges. 28 years old. She was recently promoted from errand boy to manager of Hatsune Miku. While she seems like a strict professional doing her job, she has a bit of a shy side. Her promotion was a bit of a chaotic story. After working several weeks getting coffee for everyone, she discovered that the recruiting team was hitting a dead end. The people the company picked up just didn't have the right appeal. And so, using errand-running as her excuse, she surveyed the surrounding areas for potential candidates. The rest was history.
Kea rubs her temple, internally sighing at her co-worker.
"What was she held up by now?"
...
Dan Kuso is trapped. He is trapped by a creature so merciless, even his partner of all people is pouring out cold sweat. It is menacing, it is cold-blooded, and it is screaming at him in an ear-piercing cry that threatens to make him deaf.
"Dan Kuso! Couldn't you think of a better way to make your entrance?!" screeches Julie.
"I'm sorry! My bike got carried by the wind and I couldn't stop it!"
The waitress huffs at his excuse and turns away from him. "At least clean my place up before my manager sees!" she commands, her mood instantly shifting to an apologetic one as she tries to reassure the customers that this was not a common thing.
"So why did you come back, Dan? Your journey can't be over yet, right?" Julie points outs, setting down a chocolate shake for him to drink. Drago makes himself comfortable, landing onto the table and staring at Julie with blood-red eyes.
"Ah, yeah...about that. I got a little homesick…" Dam mumbles as he stirs his shake the same absentminded way Runo did not too long ago.
"Somehow, I don't believe you."
Dan lets out a bitter grin. "That doesn't sound like me...huh? I guess I finally realized what I wanted." He takes a sip out of his drink and instantly brightens at the taste. "Ah, this is the life! I really miss this place," he sighs out. Julie turns away from him and grits her teeth.
"No, you didn't…" she whispers. No one hears her, for they still pay the most attention on their individual activities. Dan frowns at her behavior.
"Julie, did something happen? You're acting…" He stops. Julie still has her back to him, but she was visibly shaking. The tray, unable to stop the shivers from coating its shiny surface, in her hand trembles with her. He watches, conflicted over what to do, as she lowers her head.
"Dan, I don't normally say this, but I think you should leave."
Her words hit him with a force he does not expect. He feels the wind getting knocked out of his lungs, and he instinctively clutches his chest. "What? Julie, I don't-" He cuts himself off again when Julie whips around to face him, tears pouring from her eyes.
"Get out of here!"
Her words crush him. A wave of fierce, negative energy assaults his head, making it hard for him to breathe. For once, he is stumped as to how to respond to this. And so, Dan Kuso, for the first time in his life, does the one thing he has never done before.
He flees from his friends.
Quickly placing money onto the table, Dan clumsily stumbles over his chair upon exiting. His heart still beats frantically, and he feels panic overriding his other emotions. As he makes his exit, Drago looks at Julie, with her tear-stained face and trembling hands. She looks like she will unleash all of her anger if he stays any longer.
With a solemn promise to find out the truth, Drago follows his partner.
…
"Man, what was that?" Dan asks, rubbing his head as if someone threw something at the back of it.
Drago remains quiet.
Pouting at his friend's response, Dan turns his attention away from the former brawler's behavior to his own problem. "I really feel homesick...I wonder why. I've never felt this way before," muses Dan. Drago stares back at him with an unreadable expression.
"I guess one way to alleviate the pain is to check up on our other friends, right? Let's go see Marucho." At Drago's suggestion, Dan smiles back.
"Yeah, let's do that."
…
"Is it just me or is his house...bigger than before?" questions Dan, looking at the top of the building, a sweatdrop appearing on his head. Drago stares too, amazed at the sheer amount of wealth Dan's friend has.
"I remember someone staying that his house at Bakugan city was under construction, but this...is just ridiculous," Drago comments.
"Yes, yes it is," Dan says as his shoulders slumps down.
"Master Dan, is that you?" The mentioned man looks in front of him and sees a familiar butler bowing down. "Ah, Kato, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" The old man takes Dan's greeting as a sign to stand straight.
"Why are you here, if I may ask?"
"Ah, we're about to see Marucho. Is he inside?" Kato is about to answer his question when a flash of orange pops out from the side of Kato's head.
"Kato, is something the…" Mira trails off after she sees Dan, who also has an astonished look on his face. "Dan…" she trails off and starts to feel tears form in her eyes. She shakes her head in an attempt to regain control of her emotions.
"Welcome back, Dan," she says. Dan smiles and greets her. Mira clutches the device in her hands, relieved that her comrade has come back safe and sound.
"Are you looking for Marucho? He's inside working on reconstructing the stad-" she cuts herself off, as Dan hurriedly says his thanks and runs off into the direction of the long corridor.
"He never slows down, does he?" Mira comments.
"Miss Mira, this is bad. Has he encountered Miss Runo yet?"
"I sure hope not. I don't think she can handle it."
…
Dan stumbles down the hallway, dragging his feet as if it was being dragged by a pair of strong hands.
"Hey, how long is this hall? My feet are killing me," grumbles Dan. Drago sweat drops at his discomfort. "Maybe you should have asked what room he was in..." Dan glares at his bakugan. "Well, excuse me for getting excited," he retorts.
He opens the next door he encounters and sees his blonde friend talking frantically to a few older men with glasses. They seem to be arguing over something displayed on the huge board, but Dan doesn't pay attention to it. Instead, he breaks into a grin and shouts at the top of his lungs.
"I finally found it!"
Everyone turns to face him, and Marucho rubs his eyes in disbelief. Nope, Dan Kuso is there in front of him, smiling that ridiculous smile and jumping up and down in glee.
"Dan! W-what are you doing here?!"
Dan rubs his head as he speaks. "Well, I decided to end my journey and slow down a bit. Do you have time to talk? I want to catch up on stuff." His friend turns to his colleagues, but even they stare in awe at Dan. He sighs at the sight and absentmindedly allows them to leave for the day.
"Let's find a different room. I'm sure you have questions," Marucho gestures, his expression unreadable. Dan frowns at him, not knowing why Marucho is suddenly acting cold and indifferent.
He leads them to his conference room, where Dan takes a seat in one of the many couches present. Marucho sits across from him, glaring at the coffee table with a fiery passion, as if he's practicing that gaze to use on Dan.
"I hope you're well aware what an impact you've made on us when you left. We did try our best to recover, but some of us didn't take your departure that well."
Dan feels the guilt that was nipping him since he left Julie grow exponentially. "I'm assuming it's Julie, right? She didn't look too happy when I saw her…" Marucho pounds the table, causing Dan to flinch. He is now utilizing that glare at the pyro brawler, tears streaming down his face.
"It's not just her, okay?! Runo, Mira, me...all of us had to pick up what you left behind! And you...you didn't even look back!" Marucho is shouting now, even standing up and pointing at Dan's hurt face.
"I-I...I don't…" Dan is definitely speechless now. How can he justify his craving for adventure? Leaving the top to someone else? Wanting to get away from it all? All of these flees from his mind as he continues to look at his friend's enraged expression.
Marucho moves to grip Dan's shoulders, shaking them as he speaks. "Please, Dan! Do the one thing I know you can do and repair the damage you have caused! Please...don't leave without us knowing again…"
Dan clutches the hands crushing his shoulders, nodding affirmatively. "I will. I'm really sorry for leaving you all...but never again. You have my word." Feeling as if a heavy burden was lifted, Marucho collapses into his seat, wiping his eyes of any remaining tears.
"Thank goodness…"
Drago bounces onto the table, popping open with a snapping sound. "Marucho...will you tell us what happened while we were gone? It would help us in the long-run."
Marucho shakes his head and grabs a random cookie from the tray on the coffee table. "I'm afraid I haven't been in touch with the others lately. Shun disappeared on me, and Runo and Julie refuses to speak to me. Mira is the only company I had in the past year," he explains.
"Oh, is that so…?"
They sit quietly, awkwardly looking at each other. A few intense minutes passes. Just when one of them was ready to burst from the tension…
"Oh Marucho, Dan, this is where you disappeared to."
Mira, having already opened the door, enters the room with an exasperated frown. Two tickets flashes in her hand, and she swings them around to show her frustration and disbelief.
"I swear, you have a knack for winning contests. It's like you rigged it or something like that. First, that limited edition Miku figurine, and now this! It even comes with a backstage VIP pass," Mira sighs out, handing the tickets over to Marucho. His face changes instantly.
"Yes! I've been hoping and praying for this very moment! Mira, you have to come with me!" Marucho then tugs on Mira's arm, comically pulling on it like a child asking for ice cream. She only shakes her head. "You know I can't go. My brother is visiting soon, and I want to surprise him." At that moment, she abruptly raises her head. "Wait, I know! You can take Dan, as a way for him to make up for lost time." She glares at Dan, and he gets the message.
"I can't back out of this, can't I?"
"Sure, Marucho. I'll go with you," he sheepishly responds. Marucho forgets everything he was talking about with Dan and clasps the returner's hands with vigor. "Oh thank you! This is going to be great!" Dan grabs one of the tickets in his friend's hand, intrigued by the cover art.
It features a girl with neon-blue pigtails, held up by two bands of floating metallic ribbons. Her gray top and blue tie shows off her slim body, but her arms are mostly covered by black armguards. Her skirt is black with trimmings the same color as her hair. Her legs, like her arms, are mostly concealed, her black boots coming up to her edge of her skirt. A tattoo featuring the number "01" in red sits in direct contrast of her color scheme.
His eyes widen in shock. For a moment, his attention is on the girl on the ticket. He looks at her in a daze, his mouth hanging loosely in awe.
"Umm...Dan?"
"Hey, Marucho...who is this girl?"
The room falls silent. Mira instinctively covers her ears, anticipating the explosion that is about to occur.
"What?!" Dan leaps at Marucho's shout, mimicking the same position Mira is in. "Who is she?! She's only the new upcoming pop idol who hit the world by storm! Her first concert was sold out in the first 40 minutes it was announced! And I...I'm going to be able to attend with these!"
While Marucho babbles on and on about Miku, Dan, Drago, and Mira all stare at him, each of their mouths and eyes forming thin lines.
"The only other person who made him this excited was Jewls…"
Dan stares at the ticket while Mira attempts to bring Marucho back from his daydreams. The girl locks into his brain again, and instantly, a wave of energy crashes into him. He blinks, looks around, and turns back to the ticket.
"Wait a minute...Hatsune Miku...why do you look so familiar…?
A.N. Thank you everyone for your support and devotion. I'm happy to say that this chapter is officially finished! To those waiting, I deeply apologize for the delay, and I hope that this serves as a better way of telling my story. Leave a comment about the new change. Until next time!
Preview:
(Dan narrating)
Dan here! Marucho sure is crazy about this Hatsune Miku idol, and it looks like I'm coming along for the ride. She seems like a nice girl, but I can't shake off that there's something more to her. An unfortunate turn of events leads to a new beginning. The fated meeting between Miku and I will finally appear! See you next time on Runo's Alter Ego!