"Are y'all ready?! Come on now, are y'all ready?!"

Her green wig fluttered against her soft features as she twirled on the stage, exciting the crowd even more. Mikasa's dress glittered underneath the lights, and the crowd awed in approval. She was immersing herself into her "stage" persona, effectively persuading the crowd that she was some green-haired preteen named "Gumi". She curtsied and smiled for her fans while holding her goggles and posing for the cameras. She nodded in approval when the crowd awed. Of course, no one knew her real identity. Many artists, especially child stars, had a fake stage persona to keep their real identities secret.

Thanks to Mikasa, most of the stage personas were dubbed "Vocaloids". Mikasa started this with her persona Gumi, creating a pop culture phenomenon. People loved the idea, and had taken it by storm. Companies, with Mikasa's consent, created toys and outfits, among other merchandise, in the likeness of her character, "Gumi". In return for Mikasa allowing this, she insisted that the companies had to donate an average portion of their profits to music programs. Most of the companies hastily agreed because the market for Vocaloid merchandise was ever rising, especially for Mikasa's Gumi persona.

By the time Mikasa was five, her parents had discovered that she had a natural-born talent of singing. Her mom was a skilled pianist while her dad was an excellent opera singer, and together they raised their child through love and music. Naturally, they prepared her accordingly, teaching her everything they knew in music. Mikasa enjoyed her childhood on the farm so much; after chores she would come home and recite whatever she had been practicing for the day. They worked like this until Mikasa was able to match pitches and chords naturally without much instruction.

Mikasa practiced day and night, perfecting her skill with the help of her parents. Later her family would compose songs together, and create wonderful trios and duets, just the three of them. Mikasa fondly reminisces about the time they spent together by the fire on those cold nights, singing Gregorian chants to each other. Yes, they had endured a time of poverty, but during that time they bonded even closer together. Being put through hard times like that shapes you, and can either make or break your family. Her mother and father would snuggle Mikasa between them, and sing like that together next to the fire. Eventually, they made better money, but still, those are the memories that Mikasa is most fond of.

Just for fun, they created the song Candy Candy. It was inspired by Mikasa's unhealthy desire for sweets and candy. Her father created the verses, and her mother followed it with chord progressions and harmonies. Mikasa's uncle, Hannes, heard her sing Candy Candy one day, and knew it would be a big hit. He pulled some strings with some of his contacts in the music industry, landing Candy Candy a spot on a prime-time radio station, and ultimately helping escalate "Gumi" to fame. The song was number one on the charts for months in both America and Japan. Mikasa began her first tour at the age of twelve, and was now at the end of her second tour by thirteen. The fame Mikasa received helped pull her family out of debt, and helped them grow even closer together. Her parents helped her practice her dance routines, arrive at her concerts on time, and everything else that accompanied being a famous musician.

Mikasa wanted to give her family privacy, so she pretended to be her imaginary friend from early childhood, "Gumi". Gumi had short, cropped green hair and yellow goggles on as a head band. Her outfit would change normally, never staying consistent for too long. The final touch was the yellow contacts, which normally irritated her eyes but later on she would grow accustomed to them. Mikasa created a background story that Gumi was a digital girl who only wished to be real, and the only way for her to feel real was when she sang. As "Gumi" incited a pop culture phenomenon, Mikasa prevented the press from banging on her door and kept her family's identity a secret as well. No interviews were conducted without her costume on, and she was only in costume when arriving or leaving a performance. This kept them safe and under wraps.

Following in the wake of Gumi's popularity, many musicians created similar personas, creating the Vocaloid phenomenon. Some of the more famous ones included Miku, the twins Rin and Len, Miki, Luka, and others, pushing the Vocaloid movement further. Although Mikasa was one of the leaders for the "Vocaloid" trend, many musicians before her created stage personas to hide their identities as well, such as the three founding members from the famous Wings of Freedom Orchestra. These three musicians included violin soloist "Scout", cello soloist "Regiment", and flute soloist "The Scientist". They became noticed for their spectacular musicianship recently, and have begun performing the many pieces they composed themselves across the globe. Scout, Regiment, and The Scientist began the orchestra during their early adulthood, and practiced together in a friend's basement. None of them went to college, but gained expertise in their fields through lessons from either previous instruction, or through the help of others later on in their careers.

Eventually, the Wings of Freedom group gained members outside of the original three, and continued to grow into the Wings of Freedom Orchestra. Rumors sparked that a tragedy had befallen the orchestra, but they gave no comment on the matter during the pressing interviews. Just like Mikasa, no one knew who they were, and from the looks of it they intended to keep it that way. Mikasa's mother and father listened to them quite often and had multiple copies of their albums scattered around the house. Sometimes, Mikasa would pick whichever album she found first and put it in the CD player. Her parents would listen with her, and sometimes that's how they would spend an entire afternoon, making up for the chores around the farm in the early hours of the next morning.

The crowd chanted her stage name, "Gumi, Gumi, Gumi!" with a roar of thunderous applause to accompany it. Mikasa smiled while waving her hands to the cameras, her cheeks squeezing her eyes shut as she did so. "Gumi" danced around the stage, rallying the crowd up more for the last night of her "Candy Tour". The bass boomed, preparing for the first song, and was shortly followed by fireworks bursting behind her while rainbow stage lights pranced everywhere. People all over the world came to hear her voice and the music she had to share with them. This was the last performance for her second tour run, all the rows were filled, and people were running over each other just to see her.

Mikasa apprehensively raised the mic to her lips, focusing on the screen overhead. She saw herself, the outfit and glitter pronouncing her childish features. Mikasa became mesmerized, and memories of hard work flickered through her mind. Her father taught Mikasa how to sing, and her mother taught piano. Everything they taught in their lessons helped mature Mikasa's musicality to what it was now. Mikasa turned to her parents and mouthed, "I love you guys!" Mikasa's parents appreciatively nodded their heads with knowing smiles and mouthed back "We love you too!"

Mikasa raises her hand in the air and shouts, "All right guys, let's go! Candy! Candy! Candy, candy, caan-dyy! "

As the intro to the song, "Candy, Candy" began, the crowd roared with excitement. She skipped across to one end of the stage, her poofy dress galloping along with her. Mikasa dipped her gloved hand and ran to the opposite end while high fiving her fans. Her pink boots squeaked along the floor as she raced to the other side.

"Tsukue, toka poketto toka, Kaban mo naka ni mo ne!"

The crowd sang and chanted the sounds along with her while waving their neon glow sticks to the rhythm. Mikasa's ribbons fluttered along with her dance and she pretended to eat candy, continuing the song.

"Itsudatte wasurezu aru yo, Nani wo erabou kana!"

This was Mikasa's last "Candy Tour"; there was no going back after this.

She scanned the crowd while posing, pointing her hand to the crowd from left to right. The stage was brightly decorated with oversized, inflatable candy. Mikasa made her way to the big Jolly Rancher and pretended to take a large bite out of it.

"Chotto, chotto honno chotto de, Shiawase wa umarete!"

She shook her head and smiled; they really loved her - her fans loved the music she fed them.

"Amai kuuki ga fuwafuwa punpun shinakute sumu desho!"

Mikasa twirled her skirt once more as all the lights fell on her, producing a diamond-like glow from the glare of the glitter.

"Candy! Candy! Candy, candy, can-dyy! Sweetie! Sweetie! Girrrrlllls love! Chewing! Chewing! Chewing, chewing, chewing! Cutie! Cutie! So, candy lov-"

It was instantaneous. A firework exploded on stage, snagging an electrical cable along with it. The cable whipped around the stage angrily as the explosion started a fire on the back drop curtains. Stage runners rushed to defuse the electric cable while others ran from backstage to try to extinguish the fire. The chanting stilled to an eerie silence as the stunned crowd watched. Another cable snapped, cutting a stage runner's arm off. The cameras were capturing everything, the cable slicing the young man's arm off, the growing flames devouring the backdrop curtains. Something clicked in the audience's collective minds, and the stunned silence instantly transformed into full-blown panic. People began screaming, tripping over each other as they ran to the emergency exits. Children were crying with their moms and dads, while others fell and got trampled over- heels, shoes digging into their backs and heads as the eruption of panic overwhelmed the crowd. Mikasa watched blankly as humanity left the room. Those people, they only cared about themselves.

I thought… I thought... people were loving creatures?

Mikasa gawked at the sight of selfish people hurting each other to save their own skins. They didn't care who got in their way; they would watch them die if it meant surviving. The fire swelled and engulfed the entire stage in flames. Time seemingly came to a standstill, and all that Mikasa could hear was the screaming of her fans. She grimaced as she watched people push aside children to increase their odds of making it out alive. Her stance faltered as she continued to stare at her fans. She was transfixed; she couldn't look away. Everything she worked for was unraveling at an alarmingly fast pace, and she could feel her grip on reality loosening. Her fingers loosened as well, allowing the microphone to slip and slam against the ground. An ear-piercing screech erupted from the audio systems, adding to the devastating feeling of the situation. She covered her ears and fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably as the fire continued to rise. People were dying out there, and there was nothing she could do about it… And that's when it hit her. Her parents were back stage.

"Mom! Dad!"

Mikasa stumbled as she hastily got up, and darted to the back stage. The young musician shielded her eyes and face from the fire as she ran in, and briefly panicked when she realized that her dress was on fire. She screamed as she quickly ripped off the dress, fighting the urge to go into full-panic mode. She hastily stripped to her shorts and under shirt but kept her boots on to step over the embers. Thick, black smoke was smothering the remaining stragglers, causing Mikasa to start violently coughing. People were running everywhere, either to safety or to try and stop the fire. It was getting hard to see past all the smoke, and the scorching heat accosted her eyes even more. The beams of the stage were beginning to stagger and seemed close to giving way. Tears welled up in Mikasa's eyes again as she ran her fingers through her hair wildly while screaming, "Mom?! Dad?!"

A stage runner passed by and Mikasa grabbed him by the arm. Squinting through the smoke, she realized that it was her uncle and shouted, "Have you seen my parents, Uncle Hannes?!"

He nodded while shielding his eyes from the oppressing smoke. "Yes, they were helping people evacuate. They've probably made it out by now, you should get out of here!"

Mikasa shook her head vehemently. "Not until I know for sure they made it out!"

With an exasperated sigh, Hannes picked her up and began running further backstage. "Right, let's go find them then." He carried Mikasa like a baby as he ran around searching through the places he last saw her parents, some too hot to pass through safely. The beams and pillars continued to moan from the fire's heat and the debris that had piled on, adding weight to the crippling structures.

"Mikasa, this doesn't look too good. We need to leave, now."

"Not until we find my parents!"

Mikasa tried to contain an uncontrollable cough while hitting Hannes, and managed to distract him from making them leave too soon. He stopped to hand her a towel from his back pocket. "Alright, but only for a little longer. There isn't much oxygen left, we have to hurry."

"Right", she weakly nodded. Moments later, Mikasa and Hannes noticed a couple running towards them with three others following behind them.

"Mikasa!"

Mikasa's eyes lightened and a small smile formed as she left Hannes and ran, arms wide open to them. Her parents ran towards her, ready to embrace her and take her away from this catastrophe. Hope had lingered just a bit longer for her family. Mikasa could almost feel their hugs, their warm kisses and praises of 'I love you'. She ran hard; she was so close now. Suddenly, the moans and whines from the stage grew louder as the faulty metal framework finally gave way, crumbling and crashing against the ground. Smoke and debris cluttered the air as Mikasa's ears were deafened by the sound of metal scraping against metal; the pungent smell of burning flesh and rubber permeated the air and threatened to suffocate her. The unfortunate souls who did not escape from the cluster of burning pillars and beams were crushed beneath. Blood and fire intermingled as the victims moaned and tried to crawl out from underneath the pillars like a mouse would from a cat's paws. Those people were doomed, and no one could save them. Even if someone were able to raise the pillars and beams off of them, their crushed and burnt bodies would be unable to survive the ride to the hospital, if their bodies were even still intact at all. The survivors left the others behind, not bothering to see if they could try to help them. Hannes clasped his hand over his mouth and turned around to vomit the dinner he had earlier that night, the horror and stress of seeing the dying people making his stomach swirl. Mikasa twisted and turned her head wildly, looking at each gruesome face of the dying victims. It was then, with complete despair, that Mikasa saw her dear parents trapped amongst the others.

"Mom, Dad, NO!"

Mikasa ducked underneath the burning debris to crawl her way to her parents. The gloves she was wearing caught fire, so she had to throw them off. Her hands and knees were burning, the heat effectively raising blisters on her skin. She was so close to them now, within arm's reach, but that's as far as she could get. Her father's torso was crushed under the pillar, his eyes almost devoid of life. Her mother was only crushed from the waist down and was alive and alert, aware of their impending doom.

Why is this happening? Why?!

People were thrashing wildly as they caught fire, their skin peeling in layers. They were screaming and praying for God to save them, but God had left. Mikasa shut down, watching helplessly as the people surrounding her died, slowly coming to the conclusion that the same fate would befall her family. Before she slipped into hysteria, her mom touched her cheek while her dad softly clutched her scorched hands.

"Mikasa…we love you. Don't forget that. Live your life. We believe in your strength."

Mikasa's dad weakly chirped in, "Baby girl, we will always love you, no matter what."

"Hannes will take care of you."

Mikasa's tears came full throttle. "No! We're going to make it, as a family! All of us! I can't do this without you! I can't! Mom, Dad! Don't leave me, please!"

Mikasa lowered her gaze, sobbing while her parents cooed her. Her dad kissed her hand, as did her mom. Firemen, along with Hannes, started pulling Mikasa away, out of the fire. Hannes held Mikasa, but she kicked and screamed, begging them to let her stay there and die with her parents.

"I want to stay with Mom and Dad!"

Mikasa's Dad was now lifeless while her mother reached out to the fire fighters. "Please, get her out of here and safe!" The rest of the firemen went to help the victims trapped under the pillars as Hannes ran with Mikasa to the safest exit. Her heart clenched as she realized that her parents were were going to die in there. She could not see the future without them; she couldn't fathom how she was supposed to live on. Everything had crumbled, every emotion was dead inside her.

Look at the destruction my music brought, she thought. If I had never sang, my parents would still be alive. This despair and agony, it is al my fault... I killed my parents.