StarryEyedRin's Author Note:

Hello! We are glad to present to you, "Beneath a Brewing Hate," a 4,410 word oneshot revolving around my two favorite vocaloids, Miku and Rin. If you're guessing right now, this is a collab story with VocaTouhou. My goal for this story was to show that relationships can show up in unlikely places~ you can find that sometimes people can hate each other, and not really mean it. Sometimes, even, there is a surging love beneath that pile of hate, and that love will one day overcome it all. Even if this only occurs in anime and manga, it's still logical, right? xD

If you remember back a little in the summer, when I wrote "Villain x Hero" this story can share the same type of relationship that Miku and Rin wore in that story, notably called "Foe Yay" by Tv Tropes. (And if you don't know what that is, be sure to check it out! ) However, it's not nearly literally Foe Yay as that story is, but still fits under the trope.

I should note here, that I control Rin, and VocaTouhou controls Miku. Basically, anything Rin says, is written by me, and anything Miku says is written by her. :)

Anyway, I hope you guys will like this story!

*EDIT*

Replies to anonymous reviews:

Shinji: LOL no, we're just online friends. We don't even know each other in real life, so it's virtually impossible for us to be a couple. xD This was written purely for fun, not because we're expressing love to each other. xDDD So we are crazy good writers, in other words. Lmao.

Basically, we're writing this on whims of a romance described from Miku and Rin's point of view. The story is about them, not us. Nothing to do with real life in anyway.

Hope that clears things up a bit~

-StarryEyedRin


Beneath a Brewing Hate

The forest was dense and thick, and the trees seemed to go on forever. A certain moistness hung in the air, and played games with her throat. The trees were so dang tall, that Rin could barely handle it. Being one of the first to come out... the trees felt like they were distorting her sense of reality, as if she were the only one here. She shook slightly with the wind. Forests had always proved a little distasteful to her, but the feeling of being vaguely interested also accommodated with her feelings. And then... a stranded feeling clung to her. She quickly shook it off, remembering there was a trail leading to the campsite from which they had come from. Rin gazed at the trees, feeling a feel of wonder. Curiosity, even. And a little melancholy. It vanished quickly as soon as the rest of her class gathered.

It only took one look to make her stop. She stopped dead in her tracks, and looked up. Miku.

Quickly, she moved to the other side of the class. Already was she feeling the feel of being caved in. Miku and her soon stood on separate sides. Miku appeared equally irritated just to see her face. She kept her head down as the teacher began speaking.

"Ok, class, I'm sure you've come prepared for our overnight project." Their teacher, Mr. Hiyama, rambled. "Please take note of the location we are at right now; this will be our campsite, and it's important none of you get lost." His words faded to background noise as Miku gave an irritated sigh. She really didn't want to be here right now. Miku could handle isolation, in fact she was used to living in it, but being in the middle of a forest was a bit much. She'd camped when she was younger before, and all she remembered was a swarm of bugs, lots of small wild animals that wouldn't shut up, and her hair being a complete mess waking up the next morning.

"You know, you wouldn't have to be here if you hadn't failed Science 1." The boy standing beside her, Piko, smirked.

"Shut up." She hissed back. She wasn't even sure why she considered him her friend; probably because he was the only one who was willing to talk to her.

"Now that you know the location of the campsite and our basic mission, to collect soil samples from deep in the forest, I'm going to divide you into groups of two."

"Hopefully I'm with Piko." Miku thought, unable to bear the idea of staying with a random girl in her class that probably didn't even know she existed.

"The groups will be decided by gender, since you will also be spending the night with your partner."

"Dammit." Miku muttered, feeling the hope that this trip might be slightly tolerable shatter before her. Mr. Hiyama held up a clipboard.

"Here are the partner assignments. When you're called, please come get a map and then head out so you can return before dark. We're going to have Teto with Lily, Piko with Leon..." Miku watched as each girl and boy paired up, collected their map, and went off into the forest. The group of her classmates got smaller and smaller. Miku began pondering her options.

"I hope I'm not with Iroha, her voices annoys the heck out of me. It's too bad, I probably could have dealt with Teto, but then again she's so jittery I would shock her by just saying hi..."

"Finally, we will have Miku with Rin." It was a simple sentence, spoken in such a calm voice, and yet the moment it reached Miku's ears she felt like her whole world came crashing down.

Rin was equally reluctant, it seemed. Miku and her, paired as a team. That was the last thing she had needed. She hated the girl so much, loathed her even. Why would the teacher dare pair her up with her, and then say it in a calm voice? Why? Just... why? It seemed like he was purposely trying to get her to be hated! But, it's not like he knew about the situation she faced.

Before she could stop herself, she found herself walking up to Miku. From the tip of her toes to the height of her head, was she pieced with rage and anger. Miku seemed unsuspecting as she stood right in front of her, as if trying to blatantly ignore her. Her fuse was on the edge of breaking, her feelings high; she was about ready to lose it, and it had only been the first day.

She took a breath to relieve herself, but her temper only got worse.

Soon she found herself stomping her foot and yelling;

"Miku!"

Miku's head snapped straight up, but she still ignored her.

"Miku, how dare you be my lab partner! I'll make your entire existence miserable if you don't pay attention. We're in a group, and you're going to do what I say, got it?"

Miku purposefully refused to meet her rival's gaze. She clenched her hand into a fist.

"I'll do what I want." She replied stiffly. "Besides, do you really think I wanted this? You're the last person I'd ever want to be partnered with, and you know that." Rin eyed her coldly, and Miku felt her rage rise. And yet, she truly appreciated the fact Rin was paying her attention again, even if it was negative. Ever since the...incident, back in middle school, Rin refused to talk to her and they proceeded to be enemies, rivals that never spoke and yet always knew they shared a mutual hate.

"You know what? Fine. I'll bet fate thinks this is hilarious, making me do this. But if we're going to work together I say we make it quick." She glanced out into the forest.

"Then again, before we start, I think it's fair to get out my hatred now." She glared back at Rin.

"Rin Kagamine, I absolutely hate your guts. In short...if you were a boy and everyone in the world was destroyed, I wouldn't date you if the whole future of earth depended on it." She sighed, tucking a wisp of turquoise hair away from her face. "Well then, miss leader, what's your brilliant plan?"

"Shut up, and just listen to me. Let's get the map from the teacher, and just go. I want this to be over as soon as possible, so I don't have to deal with you anymore." Rin growled. " I hate you so much, I wouldn't care if you got eaten by a bear! In fact, I would enjoy every minute of it!"

Miku scowled at her, but said nothing. She nodded her head, and the two went over to collect their maps.

"Good luck, you two." Mr. Hiyama told them with a sickly sweet smile, oblivious to the tension brewing between the two girls.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Rin muttered under her breath, giving dagger-eyes to Miku. The teacher had a curious look on his face, but said nothing as she clutched the map in her hand before Miku could get it. With a smirk she tried to conceal, she eyed Miku and said;

"I'll be the leader of this group. You dare touch this map and I'll rip you to pieces. Let's get this over with. So, first things first, we're looking for some sort of soil. Forgot what, so let's just get any type of soil. Capeesh?"

"Anything to get this over with." Miku muttered. After a few more harsh glances, the two began making their way into the forest depths. They had arrived fairly late in the afternoon, and the sun was just starting to set. Miku followed Rin with a good distance between them, occasionally joking to her, "You'd better not get us lost, Kagamine."

"It's not like I'm going to." Rin spat. She held out her map, purposely not showing her where the location was. "You get the dirt, I'll just stand here and watch."

"Why do I have to be the one to collect the dirt?" Miku replied hotly, crossing her arms and refusing to move. "I don't want to get my hands all muddy. In fact, I'm still not sure why I let you be the one to hold the map. Knowing your navigation 'skills', this probably isn't even the right location to get it."

"And you think I want to get mine dirty? Well then, Hatsune, let's see your navigation skills. I bet they're worse than mine. I've got way better skills in navigation then you will ever in a lifetime!" Rin shouted, giving a hostile glare.

"Oh yeah? Let me see that map." She reached out and grabbed it, growing impatient when Rin refused to let go. "Come on, give it to me. Or are you afraid of me proving you wrong? Let go of the map!"

"Why should I?" Rin taunted. "Why should I trust you?"

Miku pulled further, and Rin still refused to give it up. The two tugged on it, fought over it, and pulled it until the pressure caused it to rip in half.

Rin's heart exploded with rage.

"Now look what you've done!" Rin cried. "You idiot! How are we supposed to get back to camp?!"

"You're calling me the idiot?!" Miku retorted. "This is all your fault! I don't even...you know what? Fine. If you're navigation skills are so good, go ahead and lead us back to the camp. I won't say a word." She pursued her lips tightly, implying that she was giving Rin the silent treatment. She gestured forward, encouraging Rin to 'lead' her.

Rin laughed coldly.

"You know what. Fine! I'll lead you back to camp." She hissed. "Maybe then you'll finally have something to congratulate me for."

It really was all her fault, wasn't it? All of it. Every bit of it was Miku's fault. Every time Rin saw her, she knew she was nothing but trouble. Every since Miku had pulled that stupid prank on her, and her world was turned upside down... that cursed boy manipulated her... the same boy, that happened to be Miku's friend. She hated it! Hated it all!

Miku was nothing but a selfish, ignorant fool. She refused to help her even in this dire situation, which just proved how selfish she truly was. She hated people who cared only for themselves and no one else, so she hated Miku.

She was positive Miku hated her too. Which was perfectly fine. She didn't have a care if Miku hated her. Everyone else did too. Her brother especially hated her. Everyone at school could care less for her. She didn't give a crap what others thought of her. She simply couldn't.

It was a hopeless cause anyway.

They were going around in circles. She'd seen that same bush for hours. The trees all looked the same, and she knew she couldn't do anything about it. It appeared they were lost. She gave a cry of despair. If this kept up... they'd be dead!

Just as Miku had suspected, Rin was getting them lost. But she refused to speak up about it and taunt her, since Rin would probably tell her to lead and, frankly, Miku had no idea where they were either. She found herself watching Rin at one point, thinking back to when they were younger. They had sort of been friends, at that point, or at least Miku thought they were. Sure, Miku played pranks on her nearly every day, but Rin always reacted and payed Miku the attention she craved. She bite her tongue, willing herself to say silent as they proceed further into the unknown.

Rin desperately tried to walk in one direction, but she only came out the other. Miku still refused to help her, keeping quiet the whole time. Rin could hardly stand her silence. For once, she really wanted her advice. She really wanted her to tell her what to do. She really wanted her to listen.

Soon, it grew dark, and the sun set between the mountains. Everything grew darker slowly, until it was almost pitch black. Rin's heart thumped more and more, but stopped when she heard a scream...

Miku stood completely frozen in place. Rin turned back to her with a questioning look.

"R-Rin," Her voice trembled as she broke her pact of silence. She quickly walked up to where Rin was, getting so close their arms practically touched and lowering her voice to a nervous whisper. "I-I think I just heard something!"

"H-heard what?" Rin's voice was filled with horror. She kept her voice low as well, hoping to not catch the attention of what Miku had heard. Miku looked up at her with a look of paranoia. Suddenly Rin heard a growling sound, and instinctively threw her arms around Miku. Miku hugged her back, the two of them trembling with fear.

There was another growl, and the bush in front of them rustled. Miku tightened her grip around her former enemy, craving the security of having another person next to her. Suddenly, the bushes gave out and a small black bear wandered out into the path. It noticed the girls and growled again, pawing at the ground and keeping it's eyes locked onto them. Miku gave a tiny shriek.

"I-It's going to eat me!" Miku cried, burying her face into Rin's chest. She barely realized what she was doing as she continued to speak: "D-don't let it eat me, R-Rin!"

The moment Miku said that, something within Rin stirred. Instinctively, she grabbed a rock and pelted them at the unknowing bear, yelling at the top of her lungs, trying to scare it away. When it darted back into the bushes, she hugged Miku in relief, but realizing what she had done, pulled away in disgust.

Miku gave a sigh of relief. Realizing she had just hugged her rival not once, but twice, she quickly wiped her hands on her uniform as though they were dirty. Of course, she had watched Rin save her from the bear with admiration, but she'd never admit it in words. The two continued a little further into the forest without many words, until they found a circular clearing to stop and sit down at. Miku sat across from Rin, her gaze glued to the ground.

"Anyway," She began, trying to forget that the previous event had even happened, "It's getting really late, and there are probably animals like that all over here. We really need to get back...I mean, we'll be able to get back at some point, right?" She paused, not sure if she even believed herself. They were stranded in the middle of an unknown forest, without any food or water, and the campsite was probably miles away. "We'll get back and they'll have food...and water...and we won't starve, or die of thirst, or..." She stopped herself, realizing she was driving herself into a panic. What if they couldn't get back? What if they were going to be stuck here forever?

"What if we don't make it?" Rin asked. "What if... we don't survive? I'm so dehydrated... if we don't get back soon-" She stopped, feeling tears come out of her eyes. "What if we die, Miku? I don't want to die..." Unable to stop the tears from pursuing her, Rin started to cry. Her tears tasted salty against her cheeks, and poured like drinking water. Rin had lost it, and was falling further into a realm of melancholy. And she knew, Miku wouldn't comfort her. Why would Miku comfort her? She hated her, just like everyone else... everyone always hated her. And now, she was going to die here. Alone. With her worst enemy.

Miku instantly stiffened when she saw Rin start crying. In all the pranks Miku had ever pulled on her, Rin had never cried. In fact, Miku was shocked the girl was even capable of tears. But there she was, her worst enemy, sobbing helplessly. Miku felt her heart fill with sympathy. She longed to comfort her, somehow tell her everything would be ok...even if she didn't believe it herself. After all, that's all that Miku had ever wanted, all those times she'd cried alone, her parents too busy with their own lives to even notice her. She crawled over to where Rin was sitting, slowly putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey...Rin?" She asked softly. Rin just continued crying. Throwing caution to the wind, Miku carefully wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, holding her close.

"Hey...it's ok, Rin...don't cry...we'll be o-ok..." Miku didn't believe anything she was saying, fighting her own tears, but she just wanted Rin to stop crying. She held her for a while, whispering somewhat reassuring words in an effort to stop the tears.

Rin sniffled, but eventually took a deep breath.

"I-I guess you're right..." She whispered. "We'll be okay... eventually, right?" She paused, mumbling something that was unhearable by Miku.

"What did you say?" Miku pulled back for a moment, trying to look at Rin.

Rin bit her lip, then regained enough confidence to look Miku in the eye. She slowly told her; "I meant to say... um... in the past, L-Len's been... Len's been tormenting me. That's why... That's why I get so much negative attention."

"Len torments you?" Miku was surprised. "I never knew that! I mean, I know you tend to get bullied at school, but your own brother does, too?!"

"At least she gets attention." A voice in the back of Miku's head reminded her. Miku hung her head, giving a sigh.

"Rin...um, I'm not sure how to explain this..." She looked back up at her partner.

"Look, I'm really sorry for all the pranks I put you through when we were in middle school." She paused, taking a breath.

"I don't really hate you, Rin. I never have, even when I played pranks on you. Honestly, I just wanted to see you react. I know I should have tried to be better friends with you, if I wanted your attention, but I'm not very good at socializing. The thing is, I'm...well, I'm actually kinda jealous of you."

"You really don't hate me? I always thought... I always thought you were just like all the others." Rin sighed. "My brother, he always told lies. He always told me, that the world hated me. I don't know why he likes to harass me, but I guess it's for his own selfish reasons. That's why I hate people who are selfish. But..." She paused looking Miku in the eyes. "Miku, you've really proved to me that you aren't like the others. I can actually relate to you. You, get no attention. I, get negative attention. Sometimes... I think it's better that I get no attention, then negative attention, so why don't you feel the same?"

"I've always craved attention, even if it's you yelling at me about the pranks I would do. I have parents that work nearly all hours of the day and a house full of nannies and tutors coming in and out by the hour. That's why I did those pranks. I tried to keep them little things, like tripping you in the hall or stealing your pencil case when you weren't looking. All I really want is someone to notice me. I know it's sounds a bit cliche...but it's really all I've ever wanted. But sometimes, I think I bring it too far. Like with Piko." She stopped for a moment, watching Rin's reaction carefully. "That prank was Piko's idea, you know. He's always sorta had a crush on you, so I told him I'd trick you into getting his number without telling you who the "mysterious boy" was, and basically hook the two of you up against your will. I know, it was cruel, and when you stopped talking to me after...it was painful. I'm really, really sorry."

"Piko... I hated him. He... you don't realize what happened when I invited him over right? He tried to kiss me. Forced me to. It was inhumane the way he did it... he tried to harm me to get me to kiss him. He wanted to go further, but I managed to get him out the door before Len got home from soccer practice. I don't like him and I never will... but... I forgive you."

Miku sat back, shaking her head. "I don't know why I'm friends with that jerk. I guess it's because he's the only one who's willing to even half-listen to me. God, I feel so awful about what he did to you...I don't deserve your forgiveness." She let her gaze drop. She wanted to cry, but she knew she had to stay strong, at least for Rin. "And now...does your forgiveness even matter? We have no food, or water...I told you we weren't going to die earlier, but now...I think we might. But you know what's weird?" She managed to smile through her sorrow. "I'm glad I'm with you right now, Rin. You've actually listened to me, and forgiven me when I don't deserve it. If I die...at least I know it will be with someone who actually listened, for once."

Rin looked at the girl with her teal eyes, and wavy teal hair, and for once, her heart skipped a beat... she could feel her heartbeat steadily increase as Miku continued speaking. Suddenly, Miku was no more her enemy. She knew it firm and well. She almost wondered if the hatred they had shared was really hatred, or if that was just the icing on the cake. Perhaps she really was mad at her, but she also... she didn't know how to describe it. This feel rising inside of her. It felt... strange. Like she was floating in midair. A breeze passed by, and soon she was falling. Falling... into those deep teal eyes. Even if hatred had once been between them, why did Rin feel so... different all the sudden? Something with her clicked.

Beneath a brewing hate surges a powerful love.

Rin caught herself staring at Miku with wild disbelief of the sentence that had just appeared within her head. But then again, she knew it. Rin knew it all. She loved Miku. She loved her, because she needed someone to love her... deep down inside, she was a nice person. This night had made her really think differently of her. Differently of the girl who had ruined her life. Yes...

Rin realized something more. If Miku and her were going to die, she knew one thing: Let it be out of love.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And she knew the situation was desperate enough to give her the chance of a lifetime... to kiss her former enemy and rival, and feel her love.

After all, that's all she ever wanted, right?

"You know what, Miku?" Rin started. "If we die... I want it to be out of love."

"Love?!" It was such a strong word to Miku. And besides, wasn't love suppose to be between a boy and girl?

"Maybe Rin means friendship love." Miku thought, but as she stared at the girl beside her Miku began wondering if that's what she felt back. Miku never did have a boyfriend, and had watched the few relationships people in her class had with boys with disgust. The boys were always very aggressive, saw the girl as an object, and abandoned the girl when she least expected it. And yet, staring at the girl in front of her, Miku knew she would never treat her that way. Rin had the potential to love her, with the kind of love Miku always wanted. And it's didn't seem to matter what society thought of such relationships, if Miku was going to die. Rin was really pretty, and such a good listener, and protective of her...

"Rin..." Miku started, looking her in the eye. "I think...I think I'm in love with you."

Suddenly, Rin's world exploded. She eyed Miku with shock, and felt that blush creeping along her cheeks. Miku... loves her? How could this be? But... she knew... she knew if she wanted to survive, that it'd be out of love. And Miku, how she loved her. Even underneath the hate, there was a boiling, powerful love. And it just became more powerful as it swept her under her feet and took her astray. But, it wasn't like Rin wouldn't allow that to happen. She knew that somewhere, deep within her, was a growing love for the sixteen year old before her, and it grew all the more as she looked her in the eye, full of confidence.

"I think... I think Miku, I love you too." She told her. "If we die, let it be out of love. The truth is, Miku, that behind a boiling hate, surges a powerful love, and I think that if we love each other, that there will be a way out. We may be desperate, but it may be our only escape. Love is powerful enough to defy all logic."

"Y-yes!" Miku nodded, feeling her cheeks get warm. "If anything can save us from this bleak, deathly situation, it's love." The two stared at each other for a while, saying nothing. Then, Miku slowly inched herself closer to Rin.

"I shouldn't do this... I'm a girl, she's a girl, what am I doing?" Miku thought for a moment.

"It's weird. I won't." Miku decided, stopping herself and looking at the ground sheepishly.

"Miku." Rin softly whispered. "If I die, I want to at least feel your lips, right?"

Miku started to blush terribly, her previous course of action being voiced.

"You shouldn't be afraid of it. I don't care if we're girls, I love you." Rin put her hands on her cheeks. "If we die here and now, at least I can die happy. At least we can die happy."

And then Rin pressed her lips to Miku's.

Miku felt like time had completely stopped. One moment Rin was talking to her, then holding her face, and now her lips were on hers. Miku closed her eyes, cherishing the incredibly warm and loved feeling that coursed through her veins. Slowly lifting her own hands and weaving them through Rin's hair, she returned the kiss, completely forgetting about where she was or what was going to happen to her when the kiss was broken.

"What ever you do god, don't make this stop." Rin thought, It felt so good for Miku to run her fingers through her hair, and kiss her. Her love clearly showed, and Rin enjoyed that. It felt so good... so so good... to finally feel love. After her brother tormenting her, and Piko betraying her, it just felt... right... to finally feel her touch, and feel the energy between them. Miku was just right for her, she knew. No one could have been better than Miku.

Needless to say, good things don't last forever.

Out of nowhere, a classmate shrieked. Rin and Miku both whipped their heads around, staring at Teto Kasane who had just happened to make her way through the bushes to meet them.

"Oh, my god... Miku and Rin! W-wait, I thought...I thought you hated each other! That's so... wait, so this was like a love-hate relationship? And aren't you both girls?!"

"Ahh..." Miku and Rin were speechless.

"That's so...that's SO FREAKING COOL! I didn't know we had girls in our class that swung that way!...Hm, I should see if Lily would be willing to do the same with me..."

"W-wait, that's not..." Miku started, but gave up at Teto's expression. She was already bright red in the face from having her "final moment" with Rin interrupted.

"Hang on, Teto, how did you even get here?! We're lost! And the campsite is miles away, and we don't have any food or water, and-"

"What are you talking about, Miku?" Teto asked, tilting her hand. "The campsite is right over there." She pointed past the trees, to a dimly lit bonfire only a few meters away from where they were sitting.

"Wait...WHAT?!" Miku cried. She wasn't even sure it was possible to get more red than she already was.

"Yeah. Mr. H wanted me to come get you guys, since he thought you were taking a while." Teto replied casually. "You missed dinner, by the way."

"WHAT?!" Rin cried out. "That's... impossible! We were gone for hours! We were so lost and-"

"So? You obviously didn't go very far, did you?" Teto asked.

Rin eventually gave up.

"I guess not..." As her eyes started to focus on the ground, and her cheeks filled with their own reddish tint. "But... we're still lovers!"

"That's great and all, but the teacher really wants you back to the campsite now." Teto replied, clearly now bored with the news of the two girls' relationship.

"I suppose we should go back..." Miku muttered, when suddenly her head shot up in realization.

"Crap! We forgot!" She cursed.

"Forgot what?" Teto questioned. Miku glanced to her new girlfriend, knowing Rin was thinking the exact same thing.

"Soil samples!"


Vocatouhou's Note:

Hey guys, it's Vocatouhou :) Hope you enjoyed our story! As Starry mentioned, we based it off of the tv trope "Foe Yay", a relationship favorite for both of us :) Also, she drew the lovely cover for this, so artwork is by her. Anyway, we had a great time writing this, just as I hope you had a good time reading it! Reviews are always appreciated~