Hello, all! This is going to be a pretty long fic. I've got the plot all sorted out, but might not update regularly. So just keep your eyes open and you'll be okay! Quick note-there won't be any pairings in this. Just tons of fluff family bonding and vocaloid babies helping each other. Some scenes might seem shippy if you squint really hard, but nothing serious.
This is kind of going off the 'What if vocaloids were actually experiencing the things they were singing' idea. I really wanted to know if there were long term consequences-stuff like PTSD or flashbacks. And I wanted to see how they all would take care of each other and fight back when Maaster kept messing around with that.
Hope you enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated!
The flyers were gone when he went to bed, but they were there when he woke up.
Crypton was an elusive company to say the very least. You saw them both everywhere and nowhere at all. The brand name was printed in almost every iPod and headphone, each instrument. They produced nearly all the songs on the radio, completely dominating everything there was to own in the music industry. But, they kept to themselves.
No one knew who was really at the head of it, where it was that they worked, or even who worked there. They just...Showed up. Just like the flyers had.
Len was no government conspirators, and didn't harbor much suspicion at all towards the mysterious company. He walked to the small school in his neighborhood on his first day with little expectation. He considered himself very generic. He was blonde and blue eyed, and rather quiet when it came to unfamiliar crowds and unknown places. In class, he always chose the seat at the back and stayed there, never raising his hand and only speaking up when he was called on. Len was the sort of boy you could blink and miss. And honestly, he didn't mind. Sometimes he liked pretending he was some kind of super-spy on a top secret espionage mission that nobody could ever discover. Childish for a boy of fourteen, sure, but it helped make things a bit better.
Of course, singing did too.
He only really did it when nobody was around, and even then he would keep his voice awfully quiet. But Len loved music. He always had some kind of notebook or notepad on him where he could scribble notes when he felt inspired, and when he heard a song he liked, he'd sit up straight and listen intently.
He reached the school after a short walk and entered the homeroom he'd been assigned, only to find all the desks abandoned. The wasn't to say there wasn't anyone in the room, but all the students seemed to have been clustered around a wall in the back-right near the desk Len had his eye on. Taking a deep breath, he walked to the seat and set his things down, hearing snippits of conversation as he did so.
"Wooow...I didn't know Crypton was even hiring!"
"Auditions, huh? So they're looking for singers.."
"That's so neat! Are you gonna try out?"
Len perked up a bit at that, his eyebrows raising at the mention of Crypton. That was an enigma in itself. THe company was well known, but they definitely never had broadcast themselves so widely before-let alone actually request that people come and audition.
Ah, well, he dismissed the matter with a small shrug. He certainly wasn't going. He wouldn't get in anyway.
The rest of the day proceeded just as he thought it would. He ate lunch alone, as always. He made no friends, as always, and he was the last to leave just like he had been last year. Len was never really in a hurry to get out of the door, especially with the torrade of students all fighting to get out of school at the same time. It was always better to just wait it out and see if the crowd would pass on.
He slipped his notebook into his bag. Aside from his teacher, he was the only one left in the room, and the older woman behind the desk seemed to be more focused on tidying things up herself rather than notice the small ponytailed boy at the back of the class. However, once he did stand up and prepare to leave, a flash of blue caught his eye.
It was the flyer, now separate from the mass of people hogging it earlier. Now that he could see it clearly, he found that it was indeed a light blue color, the Crypton insignia emblazoned in futuristic lettering.
Crypton Co. Now taking auditions.
Do you love to sing? Do you love music?
You might be able to do what you love for a living! Crypton Company is now seeing singers between the ages of thirteen and thirty. Must have basic knowledge of music and music theory as well as a distinct personality and style, as well as a willingness to be subject to technological testing.
Please come prepared with one song. There are seven slots available.
Selected winners will have all of their financial needs paid for, and will dwell under the Crypton Companies hospitality.
All their financial needs paid for? Dwelling under a super rich companies wing? It all sounded like a dream come true to Len, whose parents always seemed to be either a work or too busy or tired to talk to him. For a minute, he wondered how many video games he could get with that much money-
"Are you going to audition?"
Len jumped about a foot in the air as a young, bright-sounding voice sounded from behind his shoulder. Turning around quickly, he was startled to see a girl about his age who must have been reading over his shoulder. He'd probably been to lost in his own thoughts to notice her.
She observed his shock with a little laugh, her teeth glinting. "Sorry, there! I didn't mean to scare you." she said.
"That's, um, that's fine." Len replied, woefully unused to being addressed directly. The girl seemed to have no qualms about his social awkwardness, though-if anything she smiled with even more amusement.
"Gosh, you sure are a jumpy one, arent'cha?" she teased, still giggling a bit. "No worries, I don't bite people I don't know! So, what d'you think? You gonna go get famous?" she asked, excitement seeming to mount in her voice. Len was utterly lost in how to respond.
He was meant to observe, not interact-and much less with such an excitable girl. "I'm actually not sure...I don't think I sing too good. Plus I bet auditions will be crowded-"
"Nonsense nonsense. You can't be that bad, or you wouldn't be interested! C'mon, let's hear a few notes!" she demanded, looking up at him with expectation.
Len blinked, astonished at suddenly being asked to perform so quickly. "What?"
The yellow-haired girl rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. "I said, you should sing a little for me! You've gotta sing in front of people, otherwise you definitely won't make it to Crypton."
"I'm not even sure I-"
"No more talking! C'mon, sing blondie!"
You're blonde, too, Len thought stubbornly. Clearly, though, there was no getting around this odd stranger that seemed so interested in his singing voice. She'd probably pester him all day long if he didn't.
Obediently, he opened his mouth, took a deep breath, and began to sing.
"Fure, fure koyuki, boku no sugata, tsutsunde kakushite ite hoshii.."
With just a line, Len shut his mouth again, stubbornly refusing to go on-but the odd girl appeared satisfied.
"Heyyyy, you're pretty good, huh? What song was that?"
"I, uh.." He cleared his throat. "I made it up. It's just about snow."
The blonde girl clapped her hands together in a little round of applause, practically bouncing where she stood. "You're voice is really neat! Not super-duper strong and macho like most guys. I mean, you can tell you're young, but it works great!"
"Uh...Thanks?" Len said, not entirely sure he appreciated the fact that you could tell from his voice how young he was.
"In fact, I think your range compliments mine almost perfectly! How high can you go?" she asked suddenly.
"Pretty high I guess. I got to an F on the staff once, which is high for boys….Or, wait, was it an E/ I can't remember." he sighed.
The girl laughed again. "That's alright! I can go wayy up there, so you definitely don't have to worry about that! I take care of the high notes, and you take care of the low notes, and together, we've totally got this!"
"But I didn't even want to audition!" Len protested.
The girl heaved a dramatic sort of sigh, crossing her arms. "And what, you're just going to let your voice go to waste? Seriously, what is there to lose? You get in, great! You don't, and that's okay too. That's what auditions are all about!"
Len tilted his head slightly. She seemed to have done this before. "Hey, do you have a name?" he asked.
He looked confused for a minute before laughing. "Oh, jeez, I totally forgot! Sorry, my head kinda ends up bouncing everywhere and I end up forgetting what's up and what's down." She grinned, holding her hand up to her brow in a mock salute. "Rin Kagamine, at your service!"
Len quirked a brow at the last name. "I'm Len Kagamine...D'you think we're related?"
"Eh?" she said, looking thoughtful. "Not that I know of...But that would explain why I think our voices would fit each other. But hey, who knows! What if we were twins that were totally kidnapped at birth, brought by the tides of fate and the winds of change to meet here once again!" She exclaimed, her voice going to high-pitched with excitement that Len winced.
"I...Kind of doubt that." he said. "But it's nice to meet you either way. Will you be auditioning?"
"Of course-but now I think about it, I think I'll only show if you do."
"...Sorry, what?"
"It's the twin thing!" Rin replied. "Now that I've found my long-lost brother, I've got to make sure I don't get separated, right? Oh, man, this is just like this one soap opera I was watching last night-"
"Um, I don't think I'm your brother-"
"So!" she cut Len off sharply, clasping her hands together under her chin. "You're going, right Len-bro?"
A flash of slight disapproval crossed his face at the nickname, but with a sigh, he gave in.
"...I guess so. Like you said, what have I got to lose?"