Ahh! Finally writing again, after forever and ever!

Hello, lovelies. First of all, thank you for reading my fanfiction. I truly appreciate it.

Second of all, Before you close the tab/window, please hear me out: I know this will be a little confusing at first, for those who are unfamiliar with the Vocaloid program and who only want to see . But, have patience. I promise it'll make the story better in the long run, and maybe you'll even pick up a new interest! I know this first chapter seems like I'm trying to force you into an AU story, but it'll blend into something more familiar next time, I promise. (akjfhkasfjh; I need to quit apologizing and just write already ;-; ) Also, I don't know crap 'bout science, son. If something's off, don't even bother. xD

Third, while this isn't in the crossover section, it is a bit of one, and though you don't need to know much about Vocaloids to understand the story, it helps to know a little. The Vocaloids are a group of different voices for a voice synthesizer program. Each voice has a character or mascot with likes, dislikes, a basic personality (usually chosen by the fans) and a physical appearance. You can enter in a note and syllable into the program, and with a whole bunch of these together, you get a song! Sung by a computer! Here, the Vocaloids are robots themselves, with voices, personalities and emotions.

Fourth, I'm sorry this is so loooooooong and confuuuusing. Really. I sincerely apologize. But, hey! That means some really long, awesome adorable chapters, too! I promise I'll do my best to explain. You can email me if you have specific questions. My address is on my profile.

Fifth, stop reading this rambling and get to the story! :D

(I also don't and never will own Portal 2. ;_; Unfortunately.)

"...Ah, mia bella!

Ah, mia cara!

Ah, mia cara!

Ah, mia bambina!

Oh cara, cara mia... "

The woman ended her song, sighing and folding her hands in front of her chest gracefully. Both the melody and the lyrics were unfamiliar to her, yet something about them caused her Creator to wipe at her eyes as if she were crying. [1]

"Chell," Meiko asked quietly, "Are you alright?"

The Vocaloid knew better than to assume her singing had displeased her Creator - She knew Chell looked at the androids she'd created and saw not robots, but a family. Some of the younger ones, Rin, for example, would be more susceptible to that fear. Yet, what was wrong?

Chell nodded her head and smiled, her dark hair falling into her face. She looked up at Meiko, the corners of her lips still turned up in pride. Meiko smiled as well, her eyes closed as she patted Chell on the shoulder on her way towards the door.

"Well, if you need me, I'm here to talk. Whenever you're ready."

Chell nodded. Meiko knew she was capable of talking, just not when she was in a mood like this. Her voice was the only thing left to her when she had spent those long days in Aperture Science; it was the only part of her or anything she had control over, and she hadn't been prepared to give it up. [2] She had only been tempted to talk to one particular robot, yet she hadn't. When she'd escaped that place - or rather, was released - she spent days in the wheat field, simply breathing and speaking and singing and laughing. She was free! Finally, after countless tests and betrayals, she was free. Chell had wandered around in the golden field, watching the way the sun and moon lit the skies, chasing each other. With the Companion Cube as, well, a companion, she'd breathed air that wasn't filtered, eaten whatever she could find, and pushed the events that had occurred out of her mind as she tasted life beyond Aperture Science walls.

It had been a wonderful few days of happiness, but all too soon the memories of what had been returned from the corner of her mind they'd been banished to. This had spurred her on, keeping her moving through the endless field, towards whatever she could find. Eventually, Chell stumbled upon a city - and though it looked like it had been destroyed by brutal warfare, it was inhabited by kind people who took her in, calling her one of the 'survivors'. At first she'd wondered if these, too, were escaped Test Subjects, until she realized from bits of conversation that a terrible war had ended recently. The millions of casualties had been the price of the people's 'freedom', and while the people who had survived had many emotional scars, they had plenty of resources and the community lived in a tentative peace. In a way, Chell had thought, these people were a lot like her. She'd fought her own war, and made her own mistakes, and won her freedom. Unfortunately, the consequences were different for her. Trusting him-

"No." Chell silenced her thoughts verbally, hoping her mind would follow a spoken command. This worked to an extent, yet flashes of memories and a sinking feeling in her stomach caused her eyes to blur as she stood.

Chell sighed heavily, looking around the room. A huge monitor sat in front of her, with two keyboards laid out next to one another. She tapped a few keys quickly and turned the computer on, smiling at the desktop background. It was a picture of herself and her makeshift 'family' - Chell, who had been sitting quietly on the couch with a book, had been ambushed. The picture was of the moment of said ambush, which is why Chell had such a surprised expression on her face. The only reason she'd kept the image (Even Chell suffered from the common fear of seeing oneself in pictures; she'd always brush off compliments to them with a shrug or a brief comment about her expression being too 'this' or too 'that) was because of everyone else's happy expressions. Chell was the only human in the picture, yet the Vocaloids she'd created seemed so real, as if they had souls all their own.

Miku, who was created to look sixteen, had thrown herself onto the couch; her ridiculously long, aqua hair was flying about everywhere. Chell pondered why Miku would want to keep it that long. She hadn't been programmed with any likes or dislikes, only a basic personality, just like all of the other Vocaloids.

Yet, somehow...

Chell sighed, returning the the image. Not too far behind Miku were Rin and Len, the blonde twins. Rin had laughed hysterically, her bright blue eyes closed, as she'd flung her arms around Chell's neck; Len had simply sat down next to her, crossing his legs and holding Chell's hand; his floppy hair was falling to his chin and sticking out every which way. Len was often shy, and referred to Chell as his 'mother', clinging to her and his sister. Rin was the most mischievious of the Vocaloids (complete with a perfect 'innocent' face), and her brother was often the butt of her pranks and jokes. Though they were as different as right and left, Rin and Len truly cared for each other.

Meiko was next; she'd simply walked up behind Rin and grinned, her short, light brown hair and matching eyes complemented by her red sweater. She also had a drink in her hand; probably something alcoholic that was burning away her artificial stomach. Chell paused on that thought. Surely, adding human-like qualities to the Vocaloids wasn't very practical, but she felt closer to them that way. It had only been a matter of months, once Chitose had gotten interested, to find a way to artificially turn food into energy for different uses. This had been very good for the town, yes, as leftover or waste foods could be converted into electricity, but Chell often wondered where the line between human and robot was supposed to be. She shook her head. Why bother? If there was a God, He or She or It had abandoned her long ago. She wasn't playing God, she was doing science.

Luka had squeezed into the image next to Miku, her pink-blonde bangs curving gracefully around her face and accentuating her pale blue eyes. Luka was like a sister to Chell, and were her hair not that bright pink, her patience and warm presence would've made it almost impossible to believe she was anything but a human.

Kaito had popped in at the last second, and was fervently attempting to get "the last of the last of the ice cream" out of his empty container for the millionth time since he'd finished it. His blue eyes were squinted at the empty carton, searching for a drop, somewhere. Chell smiled warmly. The only time he was ever serious was when it was about his ice cream. [3]

This was her family; the personalities she'd shaped in the computer, and the bodies she'd crafted all on her own. They may not be human, but they had emotion and they felt things - it was her time at Aperture Science that caused her to believe an android could feel, and she didn't give up until she found out how that happened. When Chell gave someone a song to sing, they'd feel it and understand the emotion behind it, and give the words a voice she wasn't ready to offer yet.

Chell turned her eyes back to the picture, remembering the photographer. She was a very kind woman; generous and intelligent with a knack for empathy. Her name was Chitose Hibiya. [4] She had been familiar with humanoid computers, to the point where she'd built them - emotions included. When Chell had found her way to Domus, the city that would coincidentally become her home [5], Chitose had been the one to take her in. She'd given Chell a home and a new life, and Chell repaid her by helping rebuild and refine the city, and by offering companionship. Soon, Chell had claimed a small building as her own, and upon finding a computer system in the basement, Chitose had offered to teach Chell all she knew. Eventually, the city had become quite comfortable, and Chell had gained enough knowledge on robotics and computers to rival her teacher's. She would never admit the reason behind her interest, especially on the subject of robots having emotion, but while Chitose had wondered, she hadn't asked.

Chitose, while taking the photo, had accidentally let one of her fingers slip in front of the lens, but Chell preferred it that way. Her entire family, all together. It was beautiful, and more than she ever would've dared to hope for. Yet, when she'd taken on the project of creating Meiko, she couldn't help but think that she wanted to bring something new to the community; some kind of hope that the future held something for them, just as it did for her.

Chell sighed yet again, stretching. Reminiscing was tiring, and her mind kept trying to travel further and further back, as if a piece of herself were still missing, waiting to be found. She knew what - who - it was, and for the longest time had blatantly refused to accept the urge. Soon enough, though, she found that more and more of the songs she wrote for Miku were turning out like sappy lost-love pop songs, that Rin and Len's melodies always ended in betrayal and tragedy, that Luka was singing of regret and longing, and that she was calling Meiko in to sing the turrets' farewell song more and more often.

"Who am I kidding?" Chell spoke to herself in a stern voice. "I'll..."

What will I do...? she thought. Go back?

She shook her head for what seemed to be the millionth time. Her mind was much too active; there were too many memories crowding her at once. For now, she'd enjoy her family. Perhaps she'd visit Chitose, and bring her some leftover cake. Chell quickly shot that idea down; as much as she loved her makeshift "mother," she loved cake. A lot. In an almost inhuman way. And if Chitose offered to share, Chell would end up inhaling it all. That was not what she needed to do.

She'd just go see Chitose. They'd talk. She'd stay for dinner.

Tomorrow she'd go to the wheat field, and when she found nothing, she'd feel better. Chell would be able to return to her life, finally, with no more stupid longings or worries.

She left the lab and took the stairs two at a time, headed for the door.

[1] If you didn't know, this was the Turret Opera. Lalala.

[2] I've read a few books in which teenagers in stressful, uncontrollable situations just stop talking. They become mute in response to what is going on. It takes a hell of a lot of control to not talk, ever - trust me. I feel that Chell would've wanted one last thing to hold on to, and her tenacity would allow her to never, ever, ever talk, until she had her life back.

[3] For those of you who haven't heard of the Vocaloids, or want a better description, simply search the name of the character with the keyword vocaloid on Google. For example, just look up "Luka Vocaloid" on Google Images, and you'll see what she looks like. I found that the voices of most of the Portal characters reminded me of Vocaloids, so that's where I got my idea. Plus, it ties into the rest of the storyline. You'll see!

[4] WHOA WHOA CHOBITS RIP-OFF. Just kidding. Yes, they're the same Chitose Hibiya. Or, maybe an alternate-dimension one. Tsubasa, anyone? It isn't necessary to understand this reference. You'll get the story just the same. Chitose Hibiya, in the anime/manga Chobits by CLAMP, was (spoilers?) the wife of the creator of persocoms, and created two of these humanoid computers with emotions and the ability to love. (See how all of this maaay tie in to itself? Ohoho.) She won't play a huge part in the story, and neither will the Vocaloids. They're simply a backdrop. It will mainly be Chell and Wheatley, once I get there.

[5] Domus is the Latin word for "home" or "household".