Hello again! I hope everyone is having a good holiday; while mine's been a bit lackluster, it had its good moments as well.
This is a story I decided to start on a whim; originally I had planned on making it a very long one-shot, but I figured that it might work better as a multi-chapter story. I've not abandoned A Tale of Two Cats! The second chapter is currently in progress, and I'm working on it now, since I've finished up this first chapter.
This story will be based on a series of songs, duets with Miku and Luka and some not. As the title suggests, the story itself is based on the concept of "a love that lasts a hundred years". It's quite beautiful, really! One of my personal favorites.
I hope you enjoy this, and I hope some of you can guess which chapters are based on what songs! This first chapter should be easy.
Happy reading, everyone!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words written here.
They first meet in the streets of Cryptonia, bumping shoulders and someone drops their bag of groceries onto the ground from the impact.
Hastily the young woman, with her teal hair tied up in pigtails, crouches down, apologizes sincerely under her breath and tries to gather her items of food, but her hand brushes against another's and she looks up timidly. She meets with the face of a woman with pink hair that frames her features nicely, with eyes that are just as bright - if not brighter - than the sky's blue hues.
A blush paints her cheeks, mumbles something under a breath that sounds like a quiet "thank you", and carries the rest of her items in her arms.
"You have much to carry back home," she hears the other woman say, "Would you allow me to help you take them back home, miss?"
She isn't one to turn down a favor, especially when she's aware that she needs the service, but the thought of a stranger helping her so suddenly makes her nervous. Reluctantly, she shakes her head, "If... you could, then please. My house is on the other side of town. I'm sorry it's a far walk from the farmer's market."
Carefully taking some of the vegetables and fruits into her own arms, the woman with pink hair smiles kindly and nudges her head in the direction of travel. "Not a problem, think of this as an apology for not watching where I was going. Shall we be off, then?" she asks her.
"Ah, yes... Um, I don't believe I know your name..."
"That's quite alright, forgive me for being rude. I'm Elluka. And yours?"
"... Elluka?" the name rolls off of her tongue nicely, as if it's natural. She nods in return. "My name is Michaela."
Elluka nods and, Michaela swears her heart skips a beat. She looks down into her armful of food, hiding her embarrassment. She steps off into the direction of where her home lies.
She doesn't have to turn to look to know that Elluka is following, walking side-by-side with her.
With her eyes downcast toward the ground, Michaela smiles faintly.
見つめ合うのは魅かれ合っているからでしょう
From when our eyes first met, I knew that we were attracted to each other.
Their love grows from small sparks that, eventually, grow bigger and bigger and soon enough they become something like a surge of lightning.
They meet at dusk, usually, when the sun is setting and there's not as many civilians on the streets to see them. Where they meet is at the foot of the bell tower; Elluka and Michaela give each other fleeting glances, before they clasp hands and they wander away to the manor the taller, pink-haired woman lives in.
They exchange kisses, from light flutterly ones to the passionate ones that leave both of them breathless. Sometimes things escalate to something more, sometimes they don't. All the while, they give each other a look that simply says:
"I love you."
生まれ変わっても 巡り逢えるの
If we are to be reborn, then surely we will meet again.
It's never occurred to them that they would be enemies. They fall more and more in love with each other that it's never been brought up. Considering their professions, it isn't normal for either of them to bring the topic up.
Evidently, the topic brings itself up on the request from her familiare that Michaela seeks to end Elluka's life.
They meet, for a last time, in a field of flowers.
Michaela's arm is shaky, her grip on her gun is loose. She knows that she must do this, knows that disobeying the orders of her superiors would only end in dire consequences, but at the same time... She knows that she cannot simply pull the trigger and end the life of the woman she loves so dearly.
Similarly, Elluka's rapier is drawn, pointed in the direction of the teal-haired girl. Just as her equal, standing before her, the grip she has on her sword is loose and could easily be knocked away. She knows that leaving the request of her familiare unfulfilled would only bring dishonor and shame to her name.
Perhaps it's in their eyes that they see that the other cannot do what they need to do. Michaela seems hesitance in Elluka's grip; Elluka sees reluctance in the barrel of Michaela's gun.
Approaching closer, the point of Elluka's rapier touches the nape of Michaela's neck. Michaela's gun, in kind, rests against Elluka's temple.
"Do you believe in the idea of the red string of fate?" the pink-haired swordswoman asks, quietly in a hushed voice.
She shakes her head in response, "I've never truly thought about it, to be honest. Why do you ask?"
"Since the moment I met you, Michaela, I believed that... we are destined to be. Something that pulls me closer and closer to you every time a second passes between the two of us. I'm sure you realized that, after spending so much time together, where you go, I go as well?" Elluka pauses, looks directly into the sky that lies behind her beloved's back. She dares herself not to look at Michaela's face, fearful of the tears that may spring from her eyes.
She watches her nod, and then continues. "I believe that we're tied together by this string. That we're fated to be. May I ask you one more thing?"
"What is it, Elluka?"
"Do you believe in the idea of reincarnation?"
Michaela offers a soft smile. "Not until now."
In return, Elluka's lips curve up and she nods. "Because we're tied together by this string of fate, I believe that... After today, after we end our lives here, we will still be together in our next life. I will find you -"
"And I, you," the teal woman interrupts quietly.
"And then, I'm sure... I'm sure that we will remember our time together. We will be by each other's side again."
Adjusting her sword, Elluka bites the inside of her cheek, watching as the thin blade creates a slit of blood along Michaela's neck.
"That is the reason for why I hold no hesitance now. I know that we'll meet again."
Michaela's gun feels cold against her head, but Elluka finds it refreshing. She can hear the soft click of the gun, and sees Michaela's lips smile at her. It makes her heart flutter.
"As do I, Elluka. As do I."
In a moment, the trigger is pulled, the sword makes its slash.
Two bodies fall to the ground, one on top of the other, a mess of pink and teal in a field of, now, red flowers.
Foot Notes
- familiare is Italian for "clan"; in this sense of the story, it's implying a mafia family the two of them belong to.
- The names Elluka and Michaela are from Mothy's "Evilious Chronicles".