The glass frame beside her shattered with the force of Luka's hand against the wall upon which it hung.
"Why?! I've done everything for you, so why do you not love me!?"
Frightened blue eyes peered meekly up at her, apologetic and sorrowful, and she hated it and at the same time loved the girl to bits and pieces.
It was a love so deep and strong as to be overwhelming- all-consuming to the point of insanity.
She wanted- needed- those eyes to look only at her. She needed that voice to speak only to her.
But for her most precious person to even be speaking to that blonde-haired witch Lily...
Was unforgivable.
If Rin could be turned away from her so easily, then she was better off dead. Then, no one could ever take her away.
Before she was fully aware of it, Luka wrapped her hands around Rin's neck, not even caring that the younger, smaller girl wasn't even struggling. As far as Rin was concerned, this was a routine thing. But Luka just didn't get it yet.
Those slim, pale hands squeezed, crushing her windpipe and cutting off her airway.
Rin's vision faded, spotting before going completely black.
There was a kaleidoscope of color then, reds and purples and blues, and then she was on a staircase of white marble in the middle of a red void. At the top was Meiko the fate, dressed in her favored red armor, clutching her golden longsword in her right hand.
"So...they've done it again, haven't they?"
Rin nodded her head and walked slowly up the long staircase. "Yes, they have."
Meiko hummed thoughtfully.
"Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka...the highest of the elves and the queen of the Fae...you know, most mortals would consider themselves most fortunate to earn their love..."
The brunette licked her lips to moisten them.
"I wonder why you do not..."
Rin paused in her step momentarily, realizing.
"That's why I've never been able to pass on, isn't it?"
Meiko smirked.
"Yes. Clever girl, you are. However, I, too, have grown attached."
Rin hummed and finally reached the top, coming to stand before her.
"Will you now allow me to pass? I grow weary of dying for every slight offense, and though I do love those two, I wish not to die by their hands again."
"Is this truly what you wish?" Meiko asked, tilting her head, "Will this make you happy?"
Rin nodded her head.
"Yes. Allow them to pursue if they so wish, but allow me to leave this world and pass on to the next, and the one after that, and so on, till they realize their mistakes- I implore you, Fate!"
Meiko nodded and stepped to the side. She swung her sword to the opposite side and watched as The Gate opened, the blue void contrasting beautifully against the red and white of her domain.
"I will not be able to guard you as carefully as I could here," she warned, "but I will ask my other variants to do what they can for you."
Rin stepped forward, the Gate casting its majorelle glow across her pale face.
"Now, go. Go and be safe. I will see to it that Miku and Luka follow after you."
With one last, thankful look towards Meiko, Rin stepped through The Gate.
OooOooOooOooO
It's...white.
Rin woke up to a white ceiling, darkened in places untouched by the morning light shining through the window beside her bed. This was something familiar to her, but only vaguely. It had been a long time since she'd been in the modern world.
With a groan, she rolled out of bed and examined her surroundings further. Right next to her current spot on the floor was a low coffee table, and to the left of that was a bookshelf. Across from her was a short hallway leading up to a door- presumably the front door. She stood up and saw that atop the coffee table was a vase of daffodils, and beside that a mobile phone. She began walking and found that right around the corner of her bed was a small kitchenette, and then a half-bathroom, with only a sink and toilet. Across from that was a tiny closet with only a couple coats and a purse.
An apartment.
It'd been many years since she'd seen the inside of a modern apartment.
Suddenly nostalgic, Rin walked over to the bookshelf and grabbed a random book. She turned to the latest entry and began silently reading.
August 4th, 2015
It's been a few years now since Gumi-kun and I started dating. In hindsight, it's a little funny how that happened. Or maybe 'cliché' is a better word. I still have the love-letter she sent me hidden away in my purse. I like to read it to myself every now and then, when she leaves me alone to go to her classes. It's comforting. She's going to come over tomorrow to walk me to work, and even after so long, I can barely restrain myself just thinking about it! Aahh, what a wonderful way to begin my first day of work!
A diary.
Rin flipped back to the first page.
March 23rd, 2015
Hello again diary.
Though you're new-to-me, and I'll probably continue where the last diary left off, so I'll re-introduce myself.
My name is Kagamine Rin. I'm 22 years old and I attend a university in Hokkaido. My girlfriend Gumi-kun says I'm usually very cheerful and cute, but I'm not so sure that's true.
Well, that's all I have for now. I'll write to you again tomorrow night.
Till then, diary.
So, she was replacing this world's version of herself...?
Strange as it was, she couldn't think of any other way for this to work. It'd only be troublesome if there were two Rins running around.
The phone rang (a very cheery and upbeat chime, Rin noted, or maybe it had just been too long since she'd been around such things) and Rin quickly got it, noticing that the screen (which lit up as soon as she touched it) displayed a new message.
From: Gumi-kun
Ohayou Rin-chan! Are you up yet? I'll be there in an hour, and if you're still sleeping I'll mercilessly tickle you awake!
An hour...that should be enough time to get ready, right?
Except...Rin didn't know what she was required to wear to work. There wasn't anything resembling a professional uniform in the apartment, so either she hadn't gotten one yet, or she was expected to change once she got there.
In either case she supposed it didn't matter too much what she wore. The Rin of this world seemed to dress nicely all the time. Silently praying- to all the fae and elven gods as well as what human ones she remembered- for the day to go well, Rin changed into a white dress shirt and black slacks. She slid into a black sweater vest and tied a yellow ribbon around the collar of her shirt. Figuring she wouldn't have time for a big breakfast, Rin combed her hair and tied a floppy white bow into it, then grabbed an apple from a fruit basket in the kitchen and began eating it.
She woke up instantly, feeling more aware as the natural sugars of the apple juice rejuvenated her system.
There was a knock on the door, and Rin remembered what she read in the diary.
My girlfriend Gumi-kun says I'm usually very cheerful and cute.
Then all she needed to do was try to act cheerful, right? It wouldn't be good for this 'Gumi-kun' to find out her Rin was being temporarily replaced. Not only would Rin herself feel bad, but Gumi might also try to hurt her out of fear and worry for this world's Rin, or else think she'd lost her mind and have her committed into an asylum, and that wouldn't be good either.
No...no...don't panic...not now. Just...stay calm. Stay calm and act cheery, so she doesn't suspect.
She opened the door.
OooOooOooOooO
"You killed her again!?"
Miku's voice was angry, and for just a split second, Luka felt guilty. She brushed it aside.
It's all Lily's fault! She knew Rin belonged to me!
Miku was still glaring at her, but Luka noticed half her attention was on Rin's corpse, lying still in the bed.
"It's fine, Miku. It was all Lily's fault anyway, trying to take her away from me- from us. I had to make her think Rin was dead so she'd leave her alone."
The faery queen's gaze intensified.
"Then why hasn't she come back? It's taken a full day for me to get the news, and then another two for me to get here. Meiko usually has her back in a few hours, at most! And never more than a day!"
She was really angry now, and a small part of Luka felt glad to induce such an ugly emotion.
"If she's still not back," began Miku threateningly, " then it's not likely she ever will come back! Don't you get it!?"
She took a menacing step forward, raw, unadulterated magic crackling at her fingertips.
"You. Fucked. Up. You fucked up royally, and now Meiko's taken her away for good!"
Luka huffed, hardly phased.
"Then all we have to do is get her back, right? We're both immortal anyway, so we can just pop on in, grab Rin, and come back. Easy."
Miku stilled.
"It's not so easy," she bit out.
"We'd be facing the embodiment of fate, Luka! Or have you forgotten? She's responsible for bringing her back to us every time she dies at all!"
Luka tsk'd.
"But Miku, we're immortal, or have you forgotten?" Her tone was mocking, " we still have preordained futures, but death was never written in our fates, and Meiko knows that. So," she raised her hand a drew a tri-pointed star in the air, "let's go already. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get Rin back and apologize for being so careless." Again.
Miku humphed but mirrored Luka's hand gesture. "Fine. But this next week, she's staying with me."
A hole opened up in the fabric of space, exposing Miku the Fae Queen and Luka the Elfin Bereth to the red void that was Fate's domain.
As they entered, the void closed, leaving no trace that anything had happened.
Miku and Luka walked together up the white marble stairs, determination in their steps and fire in their eyes. At the top, they witnessed Meiko snip a thin, silvery thread from the end of a golden spinning wheel. She was still dressed in her red armor, and her longsword was sheathed and strapped to her hip, angled against the floor as the deity knelt before the wheel.
"Miku. Luka." She addressed them without turning to face them.
"I've been expecting you."
"Then you must also know why we have come," Miku stated curtly.
"Yes, I know exactly why you are here, but..." they could hear the smirk in her voice, " humor an old spirit. Why have you entered my domain? Have you really missed our weekly tea parties so much?"
Luka growled. She'd forgotten how much Meiko got on her nerves.
"What have you done with Rin?!" She demanded, her voice echoing around them.
Meiko gave a dismissive wave of her hand, her brown eyes only half-sympathetic.
"I did what she asked of me. I opened The Gate and allowed her to pass on to another universe." Miku and Luka both heard the italics in that statement, though Meiko's tone wasn't exactly emphatic.
"Explain," Miku ordered, before Luka could go off.
"She was tired of you two-" her voice was very emphatic now "-killing her in your horrific temper tantrums. So she asked me to grant her travel through other universes so you'd learn your lesson."
Before either of them could make some angry remark, she continued, " you may follow her if you wish, but she won't return to you so willingly."
Luka was eager.
"So we can still get her back then? Great! Let's go!"
"H-Hey! Hold on, elf! Didn't you hear? Rin might not even want to come back with us!" Miku argued.
"Of course I heard, Queenie. I never said she'd want to- but I want- no, I need her back by my side, so I'm gonna chase after her and drag her back to the Othrond kicking and screaming if I have to! Come with me if you want!" She took three large, determined steps until she was staring down at the back of Meiko's head. The woman already had her hand on the hilt of her sword.
"Meiko!" Luka barked. "Open The Gate!"
Once again, Miku heard the italics despite the lack of emphasis in Luka's tone.
Meiko chuckled.
"As you wish, Elfin Bereth."
She stood and drew her sword, and Luka stepped back to avoid getting cut by the blade. Meiko swept her sword to the side and the blue void- The Gate leading from one universe to the next in an infinite cycle- glowed across the pink-haired elf's face. Luka jumped through it without hesitation, and Miku waited a moment to make up her mind before following.
Meiko watched them and sighed as The Gate closed.
"...A goodbye would've been nice...or even a thank you..."
But the soul she'd severed from the mortal plane had automatically been sent to Gumi for judgement, due to her automated system.
There was only the silence of the red void.