An alarm blared in the room, echoing between the walls. A woman groaned as she moved to turn off the offending machine, but the outstretched hand only managed to make the device fall to the ground. The person cursed under her breath, the word muffled by the covers. She tried to retrieve the still yelling object, and finally managed to turn it off.
She sighed tiredly, unwrapping herself from the covers. Her room was warm, but she still had thick blankets to protect herself from the biting cold outside.
January 30; it's one of those middle-of-winter, pain-in-the-butt days, but this one is more or less special; it's also known as her birthday.
Luka sighed again, sitting on the edge of her bed. She stared at the floor, mentally preparing for the long hours to come.
How was she going to spend such a special day?
Alone, just like last year.
At home, she used to celebrate her birthday with friends and family. But once she was 18, she departed for Crypton. In one short year, contact with her family and her old friends dissolved, as if they had never met. When she turned 19, she painfully realized that that year, she wasn't going to have the party she was so used to. Not even a cake, or a 'Happy Birthday' letter. Nothing.
It pained her in more ways than one. First of all, it showed that whatever she had before leaving was gone. Completely gone. Her parents had seen her off, never to speak to her again for unknown reasons. Her friends had waved her goodbye, without the promise to keep contact.
Second, the ordinary-ness of the day pained her. Despite her age, her mother and father would celebrate the next year she succeeded to live, and give her presents of all sorts. She would protest, insisting that she was old enough, but now it was gone.
Third, her new friends, other Vocaloids, never spoke to her about the subject. She was practically alone in this house.
Kaito, a tall, handsome man with a scarf and ice-cream fetish, had Meiko, a woman who liked to drink more than a few glasses and loved to party all night long. They spent their time together all the time, may it be her pummeling him, just talking, or just sitting side-by-side. Luka vaguely wondered if they were romantically attached.
The twins, Rin and Len, spent their time together the whole time, along with Miku. That trio was inseparable. They would always play, yell, tickle, destroy, play again, then talk calmly like civilized people before Len gets smashed by a road roller because he said something Rin didn't like.
So, that left Luka alone, in her little corner. The others barely knew her age, or even her name, it seemed.
She didn't blame them; she was always a little distant and a bit nasty when shy. So the first meeting hadn't gone so smoothly…
Luka sighed again.
Such a normal day this has become…
With a slight groan, she got up and walked towards her closet to change. Once she was ready, the isolated star walked downstairs.
Miku, Rin and Len were already eating. Rin was eating some oranges with orange juice, Len was having cereal with slices of banana, and banana milk, and Miku was having some toast with black tea.
Luka hadn't even thought about greeting them good morning; she never did, and the same in the other way. Her entries and exits throughout the house always went in silence. But, when Rin, as Luka was pouring in some of the leftover tea (this was one of the lucky days when Miku forgot to clean up or when she made too much, so she didn't have to start a new pot), greeted her, Luka nearly burned herself with the herbed water.
"Ah…good morning Rin" she wished back. She wondered if she should say the same for Len and Miku, but she had the feeling that it would be awkward of she did so. Also, she had the biggest difficulties talking to Miku in the eye.
Once again, she was shocked when Len followed his sister with a jovial tone, and Miku as well wished her a pleasant morning.
Luka, slightly at loss, barely managed to reply coherently without stutters. She took her tea and sat as well, avoiding the others' eyes.
Strange, that they decided to greet her. Did they maybe know it was her birthday?
Luka scoffed mentally; she had had similar hopes practically every day of her life, but of course, those hopes were foolish. How could they possibly know?
Right then, the trio started talking under their breaths, so that the pinkette couldn't hear. This wasn't the first time, but it only started occurring recently. The past days, whenever she was near, they would whisper, and Miku would scold them every now and then.
It was insulting and it hurt at first, but she got used to it.
"Good morning, world~!" greeted Kaito, still in his pajamas. His arms were stretched above his head, eyes shut tight as he felt his spine snap. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and smiled. "Good morning, Luka"
Luka couldn't believe it. After returning the greeting, she realized that the trio had gone silent when Kaito had entered, and the two blondes were now in a chorus of snickers, while Miku just scolded the twins.
She shrugged.
Meiko entered then, but to the contrary of Kaito, she was practically dragging herself toward the kitchen.
"Gah…" groaned the brunette. Miku laughed.
"Were you drinking again?" she asked, with a teasing voice. Meiko looked at her somberly, but then with a concentrated gaze.
"Wait…I should do something…you remind meh that I have ta…" she trailed off. Luka had absolutely no idea what the brunette was talking about. She wanted to look at the twins or at Miku to see if they knew, but they were all facing Meiko, away from her. And apparently, a lot was going on on their faces. Then, Meiko lit up.
"Riiiight~!" she said drunkenly, as if she remembered. "Haha…" she laughed. The woman made her way towards Kaito who was scanning the fridge for ice-cream, and started rummaging the cupboards for a morning drink. The brunette than made her way towards the table, under Luka's confused gaze and the trio's urgent stares.
When Meiko sat down next to Rin, Luka was appalled to see that Meiko was drinking WATER. Water, for crying out loud. Meiko was practically ALLERGIC to water.
"Good morning, Luka" she greeted.
Ok, there was something up. Luka could tell. But after returning the greeting, and after the twin's snickering, Miku's scolding, Kaito's and Meiko's smiles, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Luka soon forgot the whole thing, and quickly finished her tea to go back upstairs. They all showered, got dressed, and went to work. Rin and Len had to go to school, though. But Miku had a day off, so she went with her older companions.
When they arrived at the studio, Luka immediately went to work. She sang, wrote, composed, corrected, talked with superiors, posed for photo shoots, and had a few interviews. Her days were almost always like this; always work, work, work. And…she was alone.
As the day progressed, she felt more and more alone, like her last birthday. Nothing special happened. No wishes of a good year, nothing. She didn't even see the other Vocaloids, making her feel even more alone.
It was a special day for her, and she was working.
Luka retreated to the bathroom, wanting a small break after lunch. The other three weren't there at all, leaving her to eat in silence.
The woman splashed water on her face, cleaning herself from sweat and hiding signs of upcoming tears.
She didn't cry. Luka wouldn't cry for something like this. Though it hurts and it she had difficulty breathing past the lumps in her throat, she didn't cry. Instead, she sat on a small bench that was there, and thought, taking advantage of her few minutes of freedom.
She wondered why the youngest trio was snickering under their breaths these past days. That morning's occurrences didn't come back to her; they were unimportant. But the twins' laughing and Miku's scolding face always came back to her.
Were they making fun of Miku? She doubted that. They had been buddies like pigs* since forever. But it was strange. Luka tried to remember when it started.
Luka easily remembered the morning it started. It was a morning much like every other one, at breakfast, and the twins just started snickering. Luka doubted that they reason would have come overnight. Rin was such a deep sleeper; her own road roller wouldn't wake her up if it rolled over her.
Luka smiled faintly remembering the day before. It was one of those rare memories from the Vocaloid household that she treasured for whatever reason.
She was stepping out of one of the studios, going to her room when Miku ran into her. Luka didn't fall, but by reflex grabbed the girl in front of her by the arms, stabilizing the runner. After only a few milliseconds, Luka smiled weakly and said 'you have to be careful, you know'.
Luka would have used the phrases like 'time froze at that moment' among others, but it wasn't true. Miku only froze, most likely from the shock, apologized longer than necessary and walked off, departing from the pinkette's arms in a quick walk.
Luka knew that the scenario was a favorite for romantic novels or movies; maybe that was why Miku had been so red and flustered as she apologized. But Luka had to admit that there were no romantic bonds between them whatsoever.
For some reason, that thought made her feel heavy in the stomach. More than once, she had dreamed that the little accident had gone differently, and Luka was more or less shocked that it almost always finished with a kiss or a hug.
Was it that she felt just THAT lonely in the Vocaloid household? Miku running into her had been the closest she had been with anybody in over a year. If it went to the extent of dreaming of embracing with a girl was slightly mind-occupying.
Luka wasn't homophobic; she just never imagined that she would be even close to 'swinging that way'. She had had a boyfriend…whom she had never even kissed.
But the memory still made her smile. She had felt so warm with Miku in her arms; it could have been her own blush or just the shock, but it was a warm she didn't dislike.
Luka woke from her memories when she realized she was originally trying to figure out why the twins were acting suspicious. Luka had had the time to observe that they only did that when she was there.
Luka shrugged, vaguely trying to remember how she had gotten from that subject to more or less inappropriate fantasies following a more or less fortunate accident. As she did that, she wondered if there might have been a link between the two.
Nah, impossible. Miku was as straight as a pole. She had dated Len and a boy in her school for a few months. Nothing ever happened, Luka remembered with more relief than she thought she should feel, but still; no girlfriend on the record.
"Ah, Luka, there you are!" called a deep voice. Luka looked up, seeing her manager. "I've been looking all over for you! The magazine 'Vocaloid565' wants to interview you!" Luka raised an eyebrow.
"Why me?"
"Your last song, 'Lie', has been a success! Fans want to know about it!" answered the tall mad with a smile.
"But…they always interview Miku-"
"Rin and Len, I know, but they want to do something exclusive!"
"Fine…" sighed the woman. With slow, neutral steps, she followed the man to the room where the interview would take place.
Luka stepped in the main lobby, vest on and scarf tightly wrapped around her neck. The winter cold was biting in the evenings.
"Ah, Luka!" called the familiar voice. The singer turned around, once again seeing her manager. "Kaito, Meiko and Miku have already gone home. Do you have any problems going home on your own?" he asked.
Luka felt a familiar pang in her stomach. She felt it whenever one of the Vocaloid did something new that hurt her. Normally, they always waited for her. But now…
She wondered how much more transparent she could get.
"No, I'm fine, thanks" she replied, her heart a bit down in the dumps.
As she walked towards the garage, Luka, as whenever something hurtful happened, tried to imagine reasons to why they would do that. She couldn't help it; her mind was now her only refuge, and it was trying to comfort her with reassuring stories where everything always ended well.
Luka sighed, walking up to her car. Normally, they drove in two vehicles, simply because Kaito had a small, powerful car. Luka preferred a bigger car, so Kaito ended up driving Meiko to work, and Luka would bring the twins and Miku.
Luka was appalled when she saw that her car wasn't there. Glancing around, she saw that Kaito's still was in its parking space. She walked up to it, and was shocked seeing that the key was in the lock of the door. A paper was wedged in as well.
She took out both car and paper, and unfolded the sheet.
Sorry I took your car, Luka. But mine is a two-seater, and Miku is one too much. Feel free to use mine to come home.
And I hope you found this before some other guy did… Hey, if you're not Luka, get lost! This car is bugged!
Eh, anyways, sorry for leaving early.
Kaito, Meiko and Miku.
Luka chuckled a little.
'Apologized, Kaito' she thought. He almost never let anybody but himself drive his previous little car. It was, as Kaito said, a two-seater, and still had locks in the doors (Kaito insisted that it was better than those remote-control locks; what if the battery emptied?), but it had a hell of an engine and could outrun any mob of fans.
She sat in the driver's seat, immediately noticing that the seat wasn't as comfortable on her feminine back is her own seat, in her car.
Shrugging off the minor nuisance, she closed the door, started the car, and left.
As she drove, she couldn't help but let her mind do the usual; drift off. She never let her eyes stray from the road, and she was by far alert enough to drive, but the daydreams and thoughts played in the back of her mind.
Why? Why was she so lonely all of a sudden? Why didn't her friends call, e-mail or come up to her? Why did her family disappear from her map? Why was everything so strange?
She sighed, holding back tears.
The world seemed to cold, all of a sudden.
She drove and drove, knowing where she was going, but still up in the clouds that were raining.
Millions of lights reflected off the windows. Thousands of people saw her speed by. Hundreds of buildings stood tall and proud, corners neat and walls perfectly vertical.
Everything seemed as if in a distant dream, a movie, an anime. The only thing that was missing was the rain, or sad music, but there was snow and an old, broken radio Kaito refused to have replaced.
Luka swallowed past the large lump in her throat. She knew exactly where she was going; not home, not to a friend's, and not to the Vocaloid household. She wasn't wanted in any of those locations, it seemed. Where else would she go?
Luka parked her car in a public parking spot, paid, and walked towards the large tower in front of her. This tall, proud tower had inspired the song. It was true; the lights really were bright up there. Luka had never seriously thought about suicide, and still didn't, and never will, but this tower still had an important place in her.
Really, nobody ever knew she ever was up there. It was a gorgeous place, a perfect place to drown away sorrow and stay alone for a while.
She went up the elevator, all alone. The elevator music that played was scratchy, and the cold wind was getting colder as she climbed.
When finally the doors opened, she stepped out without hesitation. She headed for the railing, gazing over the buildings, the people, and those magnificent lights. This world was too beautiful, and yet too painful. It made her feel like she wanted to live forever, but in a secluded, gorgeous area like this one.
She inhaled deeply, feeling her sorrow and loneliness disappear.
"Hey" Luka turned around, seeing that a woman around her age was leaning against the railing right next to her. Her blue eyes were gazing over the lights with curiosity, and her long blonde strands were falling over her shoulders.
Luka didn't really know what to say; it wasn't every day that a complete stranger walked up to her and greeted her.
At the moment, the woman turned towards her, blue eyes reflecting golden lights.
"You're Megurine Luka, right?" Luka nodded, not speaking a word. With the answer, she turned back towards the city. "I'm Lily" stated the woman.
"Nice to meet you" Lily chuckled at the answer.
"Eh, maybe not…" Luka was at loss for words at the peculiar answer. "Trying to get away from the world?"
Luka's breath stopped, reminded of why she was here.
"Yes…"
"I see…" breathed the blonde. "I also see that you're seriously down in the dumpster" Luka smiled sadly.
"I guess I am"
"Eh, you don't have to tell me anything, I'm only searching for somebody to talk to"
"You're lonely?"
"I'm guessing you are"
Luka immediately saw that this 'Lily' was a strange individual, as if from a movie.
"Why are you lonely?" she tried. Luka knew it wasn't any of her business, but she could see that Lily probably wouldn't care.
"Eh, I don't like the world that much. And the world don't like me" she looked back at the singer. "You?"
"I'm alone, simple as that…" Lily smiled.
"Ah, I can tell that there's more than that to the story!" she leaned back, still holding the railing. A bright smile adorned her face. "So, what's the shindig, if you don't mind me asking?"
Luka surprisingly realized that she didn't mind; in fact, she felt as if she was waiting for this moment.
She could finally pour her heart out and have her feelings known.
"I know it'll sound childish-"
"Nothing is. Whenever there's a feeling, there's a reason. Now, start over" interrupted the blonde. Luka smiled.
"It's my birthday today, and I'm being treated like a shadow like every other day" Lily raised a brow.
"Huh…you live in the Vocaloid household, right?"
"Well, I am a Vocaloid"
"True…so, why the shades?"
Luka explained everything. She never revealed anything too personal, but enough to feel immensely relieved when she was finished.
She couldn't' believe that she had just trusted a stranger. But Lily had listened to the whole thing, expression never changing, still leaning from the railing.
When Luka was done with her little story, Lily clicked her tongue.
"That's actually a sad little story…" she breathed. "What do you really want?" she asked standing straight.
"Pardon?"
"I can tell; you want something. What is it?"
Luka was at loss of words.
What did she want?
Probably recognition, to be with her old friends and family, and really be a part of the Vocaloid household; she didn't want to be a shadow, a reflection.
"Don't tell me, though" interrupted the blonde before Luka could speak. "Though I feel that there's something you didn't tell me, I'm pretty sure you can fight through whatever's biting your backbone"
After that, the duo remained silent. Luka gave up waiting for an answer after about twenty seconds, and continued to stare out over the city lights.
"It's my first time up here" stated Lily. Luka hummed in response. "It really is beautiful…"
The sky was getting pitch black, making an even more attracting contrast with the bright lights. The city sounds seemed so far away to them, making everything completely silent.
"I bet they are missing you, you know" Luka turned towards Lily.
"Pardon?"
"Your family, your friends; I bet they miss you. Hell, even the Vocaloids should miss you right now" Luka rolled her eyes looking away again, bitterness swelling up inside her.
"Please; they won't even speak to me"
"That's the problem; you're waiting" the singer turned back towards the stranger. "You're waiting, waiting, waiting for a miracle" Lily turned to her as well. "Trust me; miracles don't happen except with love and folly. You need to stop waiting, and just jump in. Call you family, visit your friends, and talk to those around you. They can't hurt you more than you already have, can they? And…if it works, you got yourself a great birthday present!"
Luka stopped thinking for a moment.
Take the first step?
She never had before.
Lily seemed to see this, and laughed.
"Hey! Life is only worth living if you live it! Come on, grow a spine, walk over to your fellow Vocaloids and tell them how you feel! You told me without a seconds' delay with without a stutter, I'm sure you can do the same again!"
Luka still felt hesitant, despite the encouraging words. Lily calmed down, and smiled warmly.
"Hey, just in case it doesn't work, and even your dear little Miku turns you down, then you can meet me here whenever"
The singer gaped.
"What-?"
"Ha, come on, you're as easy to read as a book! Just the way you say her name makes it easy to find out!"
Luka's jaw tensed.
Did…she really like Miku? Could she really walk up there, and confront them? Wouldn't she screw up? And what would it change?
But Lily was right; she was right about the waiting, she was right about living, and she was right about herself.
She inhaled deeply.
"Very well…"
"That's the spirit…well, not exactly, you could have been more enthusiastic, but oh well. Go to that elevator, press the button, step in, wait, step out, walk to your car, open it, step in, drive to that mansion, step out of your car, walk up to the doorstep, don't even THINK about ringing the doorbell, march up to your comrades and say 'I EXIST'!" Luka smiled
"Thanks!"
"No problem!" replied the blonde.
As Luka turned away, still a little hesitant but her mood incomparably better, she felt a hand on her wrist.
"Ah…I nearly forgot… Could I have an autograph?" Luka smiled.
"I'll be glad to give you more than a hundred of them!"
Going down the elevator, driving towards the house and almost barging said house was exactly what she did.
But once she got to the door, she froze.
What would she say? What would they do? Doubt was filling her mind, numbing her senses.
What…is going to happen?
A question she had asked herself multiple times in her past, never getting the answer until it came to her. Unfortunately, she could never tell what was going to occur in the coming moments. What would she do if she knew?
Luka then remembered Lily's encouraging words; and suddenly wondered. Was it really an ordinary girl? Was she maybe a spy, or a journalist? She could have been hiding a recording device.
But Luka refused to give up; the words were true, they made sense.
Or, they were there simply to trap her in an unfortunate future.
Luka inhaled deeply.
Was he going to gamble, and step up? Or was she going to flake out, and never know what could have happened?
She sighed, releasing the pent-up breath. Why weren't things ever easy?
She turned the doorknob, slowly. A click sounded and the door moved inwards a little. She let herself in, quickly closing the door behind her.
She suddenly realized how cold it had been outside; the warm air infiltrated in her jacket, under her scarf and filled her gloves, drawing a relieved sigh from her lips. But the doubt and upcoming fear was still swimming around in her mind and settling in her stomach.
She hung her jacket, put her gloves away and put her boot in their place on the rack, replacing them with warm slippers. She noticed that all the Vocaloids were home; all other slippers were absent and all boots were there. A pair of school bags lay neglected on the floor, and jackets had been hung up messily, as if in a hurry.
Luka looked around; all lights were turned off, leaving only the outside lights as a guide.
This was odd; normally Kaito, Meiko, the twins and Miku would still play a few games or watch a movie at this hour. Yet…no there was absolutely nobody.
Luka looked around, searching for the light switch.
What was going on?
Luka chuckled somberly, entertaining the idea that they would have prepared a surprise party for her. The thought made her feel bitter on the inside; that would never, ever happen.
Luka grumbled, her self-reassuring mind elsewhere, trying to find the switch. It was here, somewhere… she couldn't believe it; she had spent nearly two years in this house, and could find a little switch!
When her fingertips grazed the hard plastic surface of the switch, she sighed in silent victory.
The next second, as she flipped the switch, she swore that the world exploded around her.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY~!"
Luka stumbled backwards nearly falling against the closet, away from the deafening sound of yells, trumpets, and small explosions.
"Huh?"
She peeked between her fingers and saw that Kaito, Meiko and the two twins were standing behind a couch, a chair, and a kitchen counter respectively. All were wearing bright, slightly ridiculous party hats, smiles, little trumpets, and Luka swore that there was confetti flying through the air.
"What?" Luka was completely baffled. This HAD to be a sick prank. Meiko laughed.
"Please, don't make that face! We tried so hard this year!" she said playfully. Kaito smiled.
"After all, last year we failed miserably…"
"WE FORGOT, DOUCHEBAG!" yelled Meiko, covering her forehead with her hand. The twins laughed.
"Happy Birthday, Luka~!"
The singer had to catch her breath.
A surprise party…
"Wha…?" Kaito interrupted her, smiling with all of his teeth.
"Come on!" he gently took her arm, and pulled her towards the living room. She followed without resistance, still getting over the shock and trying to calm down her racing heart.
A birthday party…
She entered, and saw that the fireplace harbored a large, warm fire. The other lights were turned off, bathing the room I a comforting glow.
Nostalgia hit Luka like a bus. This was how her parents set the room for 'present time'.
She couldn't help back a smile, memories coming back like a wave on the sand; noticeable, yet soft and relaxing.
She was sat down on the couch, and the others sat around her.
"Here!" cheered Len, offering her a box. Rin pouted, hiding something behind her back. Apparently Len had won a bet of some sort, letting him be the first to offer the gift.
Luka smiled, before laughing softly.
"Thank you…" she took hold of the small wrapped box, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
Everything from earlier had escaped her mind. Her loneliness had dissolved; evaporated. Who cared if this would last a day or a week; this was going to be remembered for as long as she would exist.
Despite the nostalgia, and the comfort, she realized a few things weren't as they should.
She looked around, finally noticing an important detail.
"Wait…where's Miku?" she asked, puzzled. The twins started laughing, while the older two chuckled. Kaito and Meiko got up, going after the twins who had run off, leaving Luka puzzled. Meiko turned towards her.
"Wait here~!" she said. It dawned upon Luka that the brunette was completely sober; explaining the glass of water that morning.
The thought warmed her heart. But the current situation was still puzzling.
She nearly jumped when a loud thud was heard around the corner where the four Vocaloids had disappeared. A few muffled protestations were heard, but it was mostly covered by the twins' laughs.
Kaito soon appeared, empty-handed and smiling.
"Well, before anything happens, I feel like we need to explain a few little things…
first off, I'm so happy that you're the one who found my car; had it been anybody else-"
"KAITO, GET APOLIGIZING FOR US!" yelled Meiko. Luka smiled while Kaito pouted, running a hand through his hair.
"Very well…
Last year, we COMPLETELY forgot your birthday. So, so sorry…we called your parents that day after, just to make sure, and of course, felt as guilty as…Meiko used a proper term, earlier…"
"WE FELT AS GUILTY AS LEN WHEN HE UPSETS HIS SISTER, ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE BRINGS OUT THE ROAD-ROLLER!"
"Right, well…
So we planned to make it EXTRA special this year~! Sorry if we seemed a bit distant, but…yeah, we don't have an excuse for that, do we…"
"NO WE DON'T! HURRY THE HELL UP!"
"So, this year, again, we called your parents, learned that you liked fires, etc… And we also learned an interesting little thing from Miku~!"
He re-disappeared behind the corner, leaving Luka with an unwrapped present and mixed feelings.
They called her parents? She didn't know how to feel towards that. They never called her… Well, as Lily had said earlier, she never took a step herself. She should feel too bitter.
Once again, there was a bunch of commotion, and Miku still wasn't in sight. Luka felt extremely puzzled.
Right then, Rin, Len and Meiko pushed Miku into the room. The girl was blushing furiously, and the others chuckled friendlily.
Luka realized with a start that Miku had a bow wrapped around her stomach, and from her left shoulder down to her right hip.
'WHAT?'
"Here's your first present~!" cheered the twins, huge smiled on their faces.
Luka rose slowly, eyeing the tomato-faced Miku with curiosity.
"Haha, Miku told us of your little dump in the halls, some time ago~! Miku hadn't really heard your voice before that day (well…beside in song; you were always so quiet), so we pestered her a little this morning...before we ambushed her!" explained Meiko. "She is SO cute whenever she hears your voice, Luka! Especially when the twins start teasing her about it!"
"I'm right here, you know" mumbled Miku.
"And you're as red as a lobster. Come on, don't be shy~!" Meiko shoved the blushing star forward. Miku stumbled a bit, playing with her fingers and observing her shoes with a new-found passion.
Luka smiled.
"What a wonderful present~" she teased.
Was it the comforting word from Lily? Was it the fading and returning memories? Or was it the sudden feeling of recognition, of being, of living with other beings, and not a ghost town?
She didn't know, but confidence she forgot she ever had returned, unburied from years ago.
Miku's blush only intensified, seeing Luka's suddenly confident smile. The others were in half-shock; they had never seen Luka speak so openly.
Luka laughed. For the first time in two years, she laughed. Pure joy, freedom; she felt as if all the auto-inflicted solitude had locked away most of her being, and now everything was just right to let it free again. A heart-to-heart talk, familiar surroundings, friends, practically family, talking and explaining things they thought they had done wrong. Good feelings of being appreciated, a familiar pattern brought back to life, contact with others that she desired to know.
It was the best day of her life; she felt as if she was being born again.
Luka finally managed to calm herself down, and opened her eyes to see five mildly surprised Vocaloids. This pulled out another chuckle.
"Sorry…I'm just so happy" she explained.
Miku then pulled her in a friendly hug, which Luka gladly returned. The others joined them without delay and with cheers, making the perfect snapshot.
This was the best birthday Luka had ever had.
One month after Luka's surprise birthday party (during which Len gave her a few Albums, Rin a new pair of headphones, Meiko a book 'Know Your Drinks', and Kaito a tracker for her to put in her own car), things seemed everything but absolutely, spotlessly perfect.
Luka had called her parents and friends, and had met after a few days, bringing along the other Vocaloids for a late introduction. Though the five other singers mostly left Luka alone with her past to let her catch up and have fun. They left for home very late that day, and Luka promised to call and write whenever she could; her relatives were afraid to catch her in a bad time, or when she wasn't at home.
Two weeks after the party, Luka found Lily back up at the tower. The singer had convinced the blonde to come home with er, and introduced the not-so-stranger-anymore to the others. Lily seemed to be a huge fan of them, timidly asking autographs. But otherwise she was a lively character, if sometimes a little peculiar and suspicious (how the hell does she know these things?). Not long after, she was hired by a rivaling company as a singer. They then acted as if at war, but every week-end they met back together and talked.
And, somewhere throughout all these fortunate happenings, something a little more secret developed. Though Miku as Luka's birthday gift was more for fun and teasing, it seemed that Miku really had developed feelings for the older singer since their more or less brusque encounter. Luka couldn't deny that she felt the same, and after a week of sorting feelings and agreeing with themselves, they started dating.
Luka smiled; this had been the best birthday of her life.
Yay~, Happy Birthday, Luka~!
Ok, happy, cliche ending, but I love how this turned out. I could have added more skin to this, but I like the simplicity...and Lily. She's a great Vocaloid, by the way.
I wrote this in...three hours. D8 Ah, well. It was hard at a few moments, but who cares?
Happy Birthday Luka~!