I sat there, staring at a computer screen, reading an announcement article. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed.

"So, what do you think?" a man's voice asked from the speaker of my cell phone.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, trying to find my words. I took a deep breath and muttered, "interesting, to say the least."

"Interesting?! It's goddamn amazing!" the man shouted.

"Y-yeah. I guess I'm still just wondering why," I sighed.

"Well, forget your wondering and get your ass to the arcade!" the man shouted, immediately hanging up. I took my phone away from my ear, staring at the screen, reading "Taniguchi, Call Time 5:32".

I set my phone down and slid my chair away from my desk, standing up and walking toward a dresser. I opened a door and grabbed a black hoodie from it, staring out the small window next to it. Dark clouds were beginning to roll in, thunder rumbling softly in the distance. I glanced around my room quickly as I stepped toward my desk to grab my phone and wallet. My walls were covered with posters for movies and games, the walls themselves painted a cream and aqua color, a white stripe running horizontally along the middle of the walls separating the two colors. On one of the walls stood a floor to ceiling bookshelf, completely full of books, spanning many genres and all literary periods. The center shelf held my most precious books, complete works of playwrights, the works of Edmund Spencer, and a multitude of different prints of Lovecraft's works. Against bookshelves sat a curved television stand, tucked into the corner of my room. Below where the television sat were game consoles and controller, a smaller bookshelf next to it housing the games, organized by console and title. Around the television stood some small figures from a few of the games.

I bent down to my desk, placing my phone in my pocket and reaching for my wallet. I placed my hand on my mouse and put my computer into sleep mode, hearing the soft fans die down, the light on my case turning off. The case was a pure white, square, one side glass, allowing the LED's of the white and black motherboard shine through. On the top of the desk sat the mouse and keyboard, as well as a few portable consoles I would play at my desk, the games in cases next to the consoles. As I slid my wallet into my other pocket, I turned off the monitor and stepped out of my doors, pulling it shut, a foam, oval sign reading "Warning: Zombie Feeding Area Ahead" lightly rapping against the wooden door. I walked through my empty house, throwing up my hood and opening the door to the breezy, chilly spring air.

Chapter 1

I slammed the first button on the arcade machine about ten times and the rest of the assortment of pixels on screen exploded, the words "Level 58" appearing with a little jingle. As soon as enemies started appearing, I began to hit the fire button.

"Can you believe this?!" a man shouted following a gunshot from his game cabinet. "Four of the biggest internet artists are here?"

I glanced over to the man from the phone, rolling my eyes and sighing. He was in a bright green shirt and tan khaki pants. His shoes were black and white high tops, the logo of a star on the ankles. He was standing at a fighting game cabinet, slamming inputs crazily fast.

"I mean, the Hatsune Miku, here. In this backward-ass town?" the other guy said, laughing. "It's almost like a dream come true."

"Yeah, almost," the man at the other cabinet said. I remained silent, concentrating on my game.

"C' mon, Kame," the other guy said. He draped his arm around my shoulder and nudged my ribs. "Aren't you a little excited that Kasane-san is here?"

I tried to hide my emotions. "Nope," I groaned, finishing my level, the words "Level 59" appearing on the screen.

"Liar," the guy said and turned toward the other person. "What about you, Natsu?"

The man at the fighting cabinet chuckled. "Unlike Kame over there, I am ecstatic about Miku being here."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, rolling my eyes and finishing my level. "Go back to shooting your zombies, Kazuto."

"Whatever," he chuckled.

"Yo, Kame, want to play me in a few matches of Street Fighter?" Natsu asked.

"Sure," I said, stepping away from the cabinet as I stood watching my ship die three times in a row, and the high-score screen popped up, all with the initials "JSL". I slowly walked over to the Street Fighter cabinet, hearing the television near the entrance of the arcade turn on, and a news channel host start talking.

"Earlier today was the concert of Hatsune Miku, Kasane Teto, and Kagamine Rin and Len. They will be stopping at the small town of Shingu, in the Wakayama Prefecture for a small vacation before departing for their tour, with the final stop at Morioka," the news host said.

"Still don't understand why they're stopping here of all places," I said as I cracked my fingers, placing them around the joystick and on the cabinet's buttons.

"This might be a blessing in disguise, man. Don't question it," Natsu said as we selected our characters.

"I guess," I replied as the words "Fight" appeared on the screen. The arcade was filled with the noise of the buttons and joysticks as Natsu and I slammed our hands into them, pulling off combos, maneuvers, and attack relentlessly. After a half minute of fighting, the words "Player 2 wins" appeared, and Natsu groaned and cursed.

"In related news to Shingu, there is a large, severe storm moving through the Wakayama prefecture. Expect to be seeing heavy winds and power outages over the course of the week," the man on the television stated.

"Round 2: Fight" appeared on screen, and the echoing of our buttons and joysticks filled the room again.

As I attempted to pull off a move, I noticed a small raindrop appear on the window next to the cabinet. As I glanced over at the window for a second, the words: "Player 1 Wins" appeared on the screen.

The rounds of the game continued, with me winning the next two rounds, winning me the match. I stepped away from the cabinet, cracking my knuckles and stretching my arms.

As we started to input button combinations, the light shut off, that cabinets making a static sound as they powered down. A flashlight clicked on and scanned around the room. Rain lightly began to patter against the windows and quickly picked up in pace. It was pouring within a few seconds of starting. I quickly pulled out my phone, checking through the news and power outings.

"Bad?" the arcade owner asked.

"Yeah, it's a town-wide power outage," I answered.

"I should head home, make sure nothing spoils in the fridge," Natsu said, walking toward the door.

"Same," Kazuto added, slowly making his way to the door too.

"I guess I'll do that same," I shrugged, stepping out after them.

The rain was puddling in the streets already, and it was showing no signs of stopping. The sound of the rain slamming against the roofs and ground echoed through the streets and created a heavy layer of mist in the streets. The three of us sighed, nodding to each other.

"Shoot me a text when you get home!" Kaya shouted at us as he jogged down the street to the left toward his house.

"Will do," Tani yelled back. He started toward his home, behind the arcade. "Make sure you do the same Kame!"

"Yeah, yeah," I waved, throwing my hood up. There was a rumble to the left of me, and my heart jumped. "Goddammit," I muttered, taking deep breaths, feeling my stomach twist and churn. I began to flip a small coin around in my pocket, my heartbeat slowly calming.

As my heartbeat returned to normal, I stepped into the rain, feeling the cold drops land on my hood, quickly soaking through the fabric and coating the top of my head. I shivered a bit and thought the coldness and sound of the rain were almost calming. Another rumble of thunder, closer this time, knocked me back to my senses, and I jogged toward my home, to the right of the arcade.

Halfway to my house, I broke into an all-out sprint, mumbling under my breath and trying to make it home as fast as I could, the rumble of thunder growing louder and louder, my heart beating faster and faster, my pace only slowing to a stop as I arrived at the front of my house.

I raised my arms over my head, sighing and coughing. I stepped up onto the porch of my house, and slowly slid the keys into the lock. As I turned the key, I heard a footstep in a puddle from a good way down the street. I slowly unlocked the door and glanced down the street further.

A silhouette was wondering down the street, looking up at the houses every now and then, looking for something. I slowly reached into my house, grabbing an umbrella and stepping off my porch. I started toward the silhouette, the umbrella at my side, ready to offer it to the person if they needed one.

As the person came into view, they looked strangely familiar. Their hair was done into twin drills, now sopping wet and drooping, and she wore a vest and a skirt, with knee-high boots. I slowly opened the umbrella, feeling like this person was harmless, and stepped closer. Her outfit was black, except the trim being a bright red. Her boots had a single red stripe on the outside each boot, and her hair was the same shade of red. She stood, staring up at a house, not hearing me step closer.

"U-um," I started, and I saw her attention shift slightly, holding the umbrella above her head. She looked over at me, and her eyes lit up.

"T-Thank you," she said, shivering. Her voice seemed slightly robotic but was beautiful and calming. "I've been l-looking for s-someone all night since that storm hit."

"Yeah, I just came home and saw you on the street," I said. I blushed, looking away and trying to hide my excitement.

"Could I come in for a while? Just to dry off?" she asked, looking up at me with her red eyes looking up at me.

"Yeah, I live just right over here," I said, holding the umbrella above her, making sure she wasn't getting any wetter. I led her to my house in silence, my heart racing with excitement. I opened the door to my house, letting her in and placing the umbrella next to the door. "I'll get you a change of clothes and get a shower ready for you," I said, walking into my room, grabbing a sweatshirt, a t-shirt, and a pair of athletic shorts. I laid them out for her with a towel in the shower room, turning on the shower for her. I lit a candle in the shower room, placing it as far away from the shower as possible.

I slowly stepped out of the shower room, seeing the girl standing in the center of the living room, looking around at the walls. They were decorated with more posters for games and bands, more of the ones my parents liked. Against one wall was a large flat-screen television, multiple older game consoles hooked up to it, their games sitting on shelves on each side of the television.

"The shower is ready. I hope it's okay, but I laid out some of my clothes for you to wear, so they might be a little big," I told her, gesturing toward the bathroom.

"That's fine," she said, bowing deeply. "Thank you."

"No problem," I chuckled, rubbing the back of my head. She went into the shower room, closing the door behind her as I sat down on the couch, sighing.

I couldn't believe it.

I went into a closet, grabbing a spare towel, and using it to dry off my hair. I went into my room, changing into a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and pair of shorts myself.

As I grabbed a candle from the kitchen and began to light it, I heard the shower turn off and a soft humming. A few seconds later, the girl came out and stopped at the edge of the living room. I looked toward her while lighting a candle, smiling. I moved the table out from the couch and stood behind one side.

"F-Feel free to sit down," I said, smiling, and gesturing toward the other side of the table. She slightly bowed as she stepped toward the table, kneeling on the opposite side of me. I slowly sat down as she did, captured by her beauty. Her slightly wet hair fell onto her shoulders, the sweatshirt falling below the shorts, only her legs showing, and the sleeves slightly too large for her. Her fingers only slightly peeked out from under the sleeves, and the slightly faded red nail polish was beautiful.

I forced myself to speak, breaking the silence.

"M-my name is Joel," I started. "Joel Longe. Twenty years old." I bowed as much as I could.

"K-Kasane Teto," she said, smiling.

My heart raced. I smiled, my eyes darting back and forth between the tv behind her and her face.

"I'm sure you've heard of me on the news," she said. "And the internet," she added a second later.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered, "I have. I'm kind of a fan. I've listened to quite a few of your songs." She giggled.

"You're kind of a fan?" she asked, raising one eyebrow and smiling.

I sighed but chuckled. "You're probably one of my favorite artists," I said, looking at the table.

She giggled again. Her laugh was cute. A few seconds passed of silence.

My head jolted up. "D-do you want something to drink?" I asked.

"Tea would be fantastic," she said, smiling.

I slowly stood up, hurrying toward the kitchen, but as soon as my foot touched tile, I slipped, barely catching myself on the counter and fridge. I slowly opened the slowly warming fridge, grabbing a pitcher of tea out and pouring two glasses. I grabbed a plate, taking some bread that we had bought a while back and cutting it up in slices. I carried everything out to the table, setting it down next to the candle.

"Bread? Thank you," she said, smiling and clapping her hands together. "Thank you for the meal!"

I smiled and chuckled, saying the same thing and grabbing a slice of bread. I slowly glanced up from the table, seeing Kasane-san smiling and slowly eating the bread. I couldn't believe that Kasane Teto was sitting in front of me. I couldn't help but smile.

My smiled slowly fell away, and I was able to calm my emotions. A few seconds later, she began to hum. It was a simple tune that I was very familiar with. As she slowly began humming, I looked up at her, blushing and smiling. She looked up and at me, a smile slowly starting to form across her face. I felt something deep inside me flare up. A burning feeling, something I hadn't felt before. I was captivated by the girl sitting in front of me. Her smiled made me smile, her laugh made me smile, the way she sat there made me happy.

"Sorry," she said, stopping her humming and looking up at me.

"It's fine," I quickly said, waving my hands back and forth. "It's just, that was beautiful," I said, looking away and rubbing the back of my head. She giggled and pushed her hair behind her right ear. I glanced over at my phone, the time reading nine-thirty. I slowly stood up, not making eye contact with Kasane-san.

"If you want, instead of sleeping on a futon out here you can use my bed," I said, jolting upwards.

"You don't have to-"

"I insist, Kasane-san. I'd rather you sleep comfortably than on a futon." I shot her a quick smile, and headed into my room, fixing up the sheets and making the room more presentable. I stepped out from my room, Kasane-san was pulling out a futon, lay it out with sheets and a pillow. She heard my door squeak and her gaze shot straight up to me.

"I just thought it'd be a nice gesture since you're letting me use your bed," she giggled. She stood up, dusting off her knees and stretching. She gave a small little squeak of a yawn and giggled. "Good night, Joel." She said, stepping toward me and wrapping her arms around me. I placed my arms on her back, feeling her grip tighten and her head nestle up next to mine. My heart started to beat faster and faster until she let go, smiling and stepping into my room.

I slowly shook my mind free of any thoughts I had and stepped toward the futon, slowly sitting down on it and sliding under the blankets, lying on one side, facing away from the television. I closed my eyes, feeling myself slowly drift off to sleep. As I almost faded into a deep sleep, there was a loud clap of thunder. My heart skipped a few tens of beats and reactively, I threw the blanket over my head. I laid there for a good half hour, the thunder clapping loudly, every rumble making my heart beat faster and faster out of fear.

As one clap of thunder echoed, I felt a light touch on my shoulder but chose to ignore, it closing my eyes tighter and tighter, wishing to fall asleep. As the echoes of thunderclap faded, the blanket was pulled down a bit, revealing my eyes and nose to the outside world. I turned around, opening my eyes, being greeted by the knees of a crouching Kasane-san. I looked up and saw her looking down at me with a sense of concern in her eyes.

"Is everything okay?"

I smiled and sighed. For some reason, seeing her face calmed me. "Yeah. I just suffer from an irrational fear of lightning."

She reached out, placing her hand on my chest, making eye contact with me. She moved her hand away from my chest and smiled, standing up and walking off. I sighed, and closed my eyes again, making another attempt to fall asleep. As I almost drifted off, I felt the covers move again, this time in a large motion and felt another weight on the futon. I turned my head, seeing Teto sliding under the blanket next to me, a big smile on her face.

"K-Kasane-san? What are you-"

She put a finger to my lips. "I don't want to see you having such a big panic attack," she whispered. She crawled up close to me, her arms wrapping around my body. She lightly placed her hands against my back, one right underneath my shoulder blades, the other above it, near my shoulders. Her fingers were soft and cool, barely applying any pressure. I felt my face grow hotter and hotter and my heart pound against my chest.

"Your heart is beating so fast," she whispered.

I just chuckled. It was all I could do.

"You don't have to be so nervous," she giggled. Another clap of thunder and flash of lightning and Kasane-san held me tighter. I slowly and carefully put a hand around her shoulders, rubbing her arms.

"K-Kasane-san?" I whispered.

"Just call me Teto, Joel," she giggled.

I swallowed. "T-Teto," I began, not knowing what to say afterward. "I, just want to let you know that I think you are beautiful."

We lay there for a few seconds in silence, my anxiety overtaking and my mind racing, with no signs of slowing down. I saw Kasane-san slowly sit up, and giggle. Her head slowly turned toward me, and I saw her smiling and start laughing.

"You really do?" she asked.

"Y-yeah," I said, my stomach twisting itself into knots. "You're beautiful, your voice is beautiful, and everything about you is beautiful."

What did I get myself into?

Her giggling slowly died off and she laid back down. I slowly turned my head to look at the ceiling. As I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, I felt a light touch against my cheek. Her lips were soft and perfectly moist.

"I think you're quite handsome," she whispered. I slowly looked toward her and saw her smiling, mere inches from my face.

I smiled awkwardly and chuckled.

"I've had an amazing night with you. Having a 'dinner' by candlelight, lying here with you. It's been amazing," she whispered, her hand resting on my chest again.

"I-It's been amazing with you," I replied. "I've enjoyed every second of it."

Thunder shook the house again, and I felt Kasane-san's grip tighten around my shirt.

I took a deep breath, and placed my left hand on her waist, and saw her blush and smile. I turned toward her, completely facing her, lying on my right side. Her hands were against my chest, her face close to mine.

"Your heart is still beating so fast. Do you like this or somethin?" she giggled.

I chuckled. I stared into her eyes, for a few seconds before she closed them. I stared at her flawless face as I began to hear a soft hum. She was humming the same song before, just softer and even slower.

I felt my body begin to relax, my stiffness fading away, and my eyes slowly begin to close. I quietly yawned, and I heard Kasane-san hold back a giggle. She pulled herself closer to me, her hands tracing the outlines of my spine and shoulder blades over my shirts, my arms wrapped around her back.

Her head nestled right up to my chest, her ear over my heart, hearing it thump.

"T-Teto?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"C-can I kiss your forehead?" I asked, feeling myself blush.

She giggled. "Yes," she answered, leaning her head back. I looked at her forehead, slowly and gently moving her bangs out of the way, pressing my lips against the smooth skin of her forehead. As I pulled away, I heard her giggle and felt her foot slowly cross over mine.

Her head returned to my chest, where I could feel her giggling.

I chuckled, and closed my eyes again, only to feel her lips press against my cheek, staying there for a few seconds, before feeling her lips against my neck, and then her head against my chest again.

"Joel?" she asked.

"Y-yeah?"

"Do you mind if I stay here before our trip north?" she asked.

My heart slammed against my ribs and I began to sweat.

"Y-yeah, definitely," I answered, smiling uncontrollably.

"Great," she whispered, and she returned to humming the song.