Foreword

Hi everyone. It's sure been a while since I last published something haha. I wanted to get this done sooner but between family things over the holidays and other miscellaneous things, it's been pushed back until now. Hopefully, this is something I can continue to work on in my free time since it's a story that I really want to share. As for my other Vocaloid fic, I think I'll end up discontinuing it in favor of restarting from the beginning. There's just too many small details that I either wrote inconsistently or didn't do as I would have liked so please bear with me as I go back to retell the story of Gakupo and Luka. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this new story. I'd love to hear any opinions on it.

Chapter 1

Attack

"Hey, come back here witch!"

Fleeing from her pursuers, a teal-haired woman garbed in black and white robes ran through the streets. Behind her were several men in armor. Desperate to escape but unfamiliar with the city, she took a sharp turn into a back alley. To her dismay, she now faced a dead end. Turning around, she watched the men inch closer, swords drawn.

"We've got you now!" one said, slightly out of breath.

"Come with us quietly, witch!" said the other.

"And no funny business!" the third one added in.

The girl backed up further until her back touched the cold brick wall behind her, "I-I told you. I'm no witch!"

The men ignored her and started to close in.

Suddenly, a purple-haired man dropped down from above and landed between the men and the girl, "Now, now. Why don't you men leave the young lady alone?"

The armored men looked shocked for a moment before one of them noticed the armband worn by the newcomer, "Stand aside bounty hunter. This witch is of no concern to you."

"Witch?" The man looked over his shoulder to the young girl cowering behind her, "When I was younger, I had been told that witches were terrifying hags that terrorized the innocent and caused chaos wherever they went. This girl here hardly fits the description. I'm inclined to believe that you men are simply harassing a young lass out of boredom."

"Tch, I told you to stay out of this!"

Without further warning, the man lunged forward with his blade. The purple-haired man immediately drew the blade at his side and parried before punching the man in the face. As the man fell to the ground, his two companions moved into attack but were quickly dispatched in a similar manner.

After a few minutes of fighting, the three men slowly backed away and sheathed their swords.

The leader glared at their opponent, "Curse you, bounty hunter! Don't think you won't be punished for this you dog!"

After that last remark, the three men turned and fled.

Sheathing his blade now, the purple-haired man turned towards the one he had protected, "Are you alright?"

She nodded timidly, "Y-Yes I am. Thanks..."

"Gakupo," he answered, "The name's Gakupo."

The girl smiled, "Well, in that case, I'm pleased to meet you Mr. Gakupo. The name's Miku. Hatsune Miku!"

"Ah, it was nothing. I have a bad habit of sticking my nose where it doesn't belong. I'm just glad that this time, it actually helped someone. Any idea why they were chasing you though? The guards in this town aren't the... most chivalrous of men but I doubt even they would stoop low enough to harass someone for no reason."

Miku averted her eyes, "Well, I guess it's because they thought I was a witch or something… Are burnings a common occurence here?"

"Burnings?"

"At the stake."

"Oh. Well, I suppose not. Then again, I don't think the guards here have ever actually caught a witch. Such... duties are usually assigned to bounty hunters looking to make some gold."

"Like yourself?"

"Mm, I suppose. I don't usually take on such jobs though. At least, I make it a habit not to blindly chase money."

"Oh. You're pretty different from all the bounty hunters I've met until now."

"Have you met many?"

"Not particularly. Just a handful. They were all greedy ruffians though."

"That's unfortu-"

"Miku!"

At the entrance to the alley stood a tall, pink-haired woman wearing a long black dress.

"Luka!" Miku called out as she ran past Gakupo and hugged the woman named Luka.

Luka hugged her back and stroked her hair, "I was worried about you... You seemed like you were in trouble."

Miku looked up and nodded, "For a while, I was but luckily, this man here helped me out."

She let go of Luka and gestured towards Gakupo.

Luka smiled politely at him and nodded her head a bit, "You have my thanks mister..."

"Gakupo."

"Gakupo. Pleasure to meet you. The name's Megurine Luka. Again, thank you for coming to Miku's aid"

"The pleasure's mine. Anyways, it was nothing. As I told her, I have a habit of sticking my nose where it doesn't belong. It just so happened that this time, it was to the detriment of her pursuers."

"Is that so? Well I suppose I have fortune to thank then-"

Before she could continue, Miku whispered something to her.

She turned her attention to Miku, "Is that so?"

The girl nodded.

"Mm, I see. In that case..." Turning her attention back to Gakupo, she continued, "It seems like Miku trusts you. Do you think you could help us out?"

"Help you out?"

"Getting into the castle."

"What."

There was a hasty knock at the door.

A blue-haired knight seated at a work desk looked up, "What is it?"

"I-I have something to report sir!"

The knight sighed, "Very well. Enter."

The door slowly opened and three men shuffled into the room. All three of them briefly saluted before one of them spoke up, "We were chasing down a witch earlier-"

The knight cut them off, "Chasing a witch? In town?"

One of the men nodded, "Y-Yes sir."

The third man stepped forward now, "And we were just about to catch her when some bounty hunter came out of nowhere and defended her!"

"Is that so...? Well first, how did you three know she was a witch?"

"We saw her use magic! She appeared in town in a flash of light. It startled quite a few people too."

"Mmm... I see. And do you have any idea who this bounty hunter was? The one that defended her I mean."

"I've seen him around but I don't know his name. He has long purple hair though."

The knight sighed again, "Damn it. It's probably Gakupo causing trouble again. Very well, I'll look into this. Just go back to your stations and for the last time, stop trying to chase down witches."

The three men all saluted and replied in unison, "Yes sir!"

"So tell me why you need help getting into the castle."

Gakupo, Luka, and Miku were all sitting in a dimly lit tavern eating lunch.

Luka took a sip of her drink before replying, "Because I must warn them of the coming danger. An attack has been planned on the castle. They seek the castle's precious treasure that's been safe-guarded by the royal family for generations."

Gakupo was skeptical, "And how would you know something like that?"

"Divination," she answered simply as if that were an everyday thing to say.

"Wonderful," he replied back sarcastically before standing, "As much as I'd love to help you two ladies, I'll need to confirm this. I'll just be a moment."

Without giving the two women a chance to say anything, Gakupo walked off to speak to the bartender.

While he was gone, Luka looked over at her companion, "Are you sure we can trust him?"

Miku nodded, "Yes, of course! You should have seen him earlier. He swooped down from above and took out those rowdy men without even breaking a sweat. If anybody can help us warn the royal family, it's him."

"If you say so..."

After a few minutes, Gakupo walked back to the table and took a seat, "Alright. It seems like what you said is true. Since that's the case, I'll help you. Before we go breaking into the castle though, we need to visit a friend of mine. He definitely needs to know what's going on."

"And we can trust him, I suppose?" Luka asked.

"Of course we can. If anything, he's a hell of a lot more trustworthy than I am. If you two ladies are done eating, we should get a move on it."

At the castle gates...

As the group approached the castle, a guard standing watch approached, "Halt. The royal family has stated that they will not be seeing anybody today."

"Why not?" Luka asked.

"Special guests arrived earlier today. The royal family has asked that nobody be allowed inside."

Gakupo sighed and took a step forward, "Well, we're not here to see them. I just need to speak to your captain."

"Captain Kaito?"

Gakupo nodded, "Yes, him. There's something urgent that we must discuss with him. If we can't enter the castle grounds, can you at least call him out to see us? It's very important."

The guard stared at Gakupo for a while before eventually shrugging, "Very well. Stay put. I'll be right back with the captain."

After the guard walked away, Luka leaned in close to Gakupo, "Hey, this is our chance to sneak in!"

Gakupo shook his head, "That won't do us any good. If what he said is true, the place will be crawling with guards. We won't be able to just sneak in."

"Fiiiiine," she replied while pouting.

After a few minutes, the guard came back with Kaito in tow.

"What's up, Gakupo? You said you needed me?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Someone's planning an attack on the castle."

"What? Where'd you hear this from!?"

Gakupo gestured towards Luka, "Her."

Kaito looked at the pink-haired woman standing beside Gakupo, "And who's she?"

"Luka. Megurine Luka."

"And how do you have this information?"

"Divination."

Kaito looked at Gakupo who shrugged, "I know, it sounds ridiculous but I checked it out with a contact and she seems to be right."

"Sir, you must believe me. Someone evil is plotting to attack the castle and steal the royal family's treasure!"

Kaito sighed, "Alright, alright. Let's head inside. If what you say is right, we probably shouldn't be discussing this he-"

Before he could finish talking, a loud explosion rocked the ground. He turned around quickly and saw a pillar of smoke rising from the castle.

"We were too late it seems," Luka mumbled, "the attack's begun..."