The hero you knew
There is a sharp pain in her left arm as she continued running on that deserted alley. Face pale, sweat dropping, she rushed away to find a possible escape in this hunt. She isn't a prey. She is not a hare, a mouse, or a fish to be hunted down. Nevertheless, this very fact never helped her undo the chains that everyone believed, that she is worth sacrificing.
She gawked in disbelief seeing the figure standing at the end of the street. His tall, brusque silhouette couldn't be mistaken as someone else. Her heartbeat sped up, her mind went blank, as she spun around to run back and find another route... only to see another man blocking her way. It is impossible, she believed – or so, she convinced herself to believe that. It is impossible that there is no way out. There should be some way out, she couldn't let them get her and retrieve the confidential information handed down to her after these people eliminated her partner.
Time's up for you, Ms. Cornelia.
A fist slammed against the computer desk, shattering the monitor and surprising the unsurprised game player. She ended going on the wrong route that the other players were talking about on the online community. It is unfortunate to get cornered in an unlikely place, when in movies those types of places guarantee a haven for the actors.
"Hey, Miku. Stop this already," the redheaded guy protested, his face nearing to the computer screen of his friend. She switched on a tab connecting her to the online community of that game, and began posting her experience about the said route, warning them about the cliché fate that waits if that alley is to be taken. This simulation game is eating her up.
"Miku, will you please eat your lunch first? Your brother is not stopping to bug me just to have you down there! You perfectly know that I'm a busy person, right?" he tried persuading her to take her lunch, and fortunately, he is the only one granted with the special skill to make her detach herself from her computer.
She smiled and shut her desktop down when the litany was posted. When the screen was off, that was the only time she looked at him, her blue gaze met his russet ones.
"Hi, Fukase! I'm glad you come over today!"
"Shut up. I can't believe that you have to act that oblivious to your brother. He is yelling down the kitchen. Maybe you should stop playing computer games, it don't do you goo–"
Pallid slender fingers collared him, gripping so weakly, it won't even make him pee in his pants with dread. These fingers are just good on the keyboard and mouse, or on any handheld techy device, or a pen and paper. She's no more than a geek shut inside her room. Nonetheless, she is still his best friend. A perfect epitome of klutz for him.
"You don't say that, Fukase! That is my job! You're not going to stop me from earning!"
His palm hovered on her face and pushed her away, as he shrugged and passed by her. This kind of drama won't work on him anymore, he is fooled innumerable times by those blink-blink-adorable-eyes of hers.
"You can find a lot of better job out there. Stop living asocial. This won't even contribute on your resumé if ever you decide to find a legit one."
Fukase ran downstairs and went to the dining room with the girl tailing him. Her frown can be represented by the coordinates of X and Y axis with the way it curved, as she glared at his back. Sometimes she likes him, sometimes she does not. He is being nice on certain occasion but most of the times, he is not. Fukase can be an assertive jerk who'd convince her to get a real life beyond the walls of her room, or the screen of her computer – but again, she won't blame him. She is really living an unlikely lifestyle. But that doesn't mean he is allowed to boss around her - he isn't her father.
"I know that. But I still earn better than being a bank clerk. Did they give your wage yesterday? I bet it's delayed again." She teased as they sat on their seats, her older brother, Mikuo, served them the meal. Mikuo was ranting himself, annoyed with how cumbersome Miku could be when she is running beta games as an all-nighter. This isn't healthy and this and that – he ranted endlessly but none of the two listened to him, for they already memorized his speech.
"Is it a déjà vu?" Fukase asked, "I felt like I heard that before, Mikuo. This scenario looks familiar, too, Miku." His sarcasm was replied by a glare from Miku as she began pounding on her lunch. Her childishness gets in his nerves every now and then. It's like she hasn't outgrown their junior high school. They are freaking adults now, at the age of twenty-six, they need to get a real deal. But Miku looked no more than a kid trapped inside a lean model-type body, only if she is taller. And Fukase won't look at her more than that.
They are like a family.
Miku and Mikuo are the children of the Hatsune household. Their parents were business-minded people who worked abroad when the two came to a legal age. They did not fail to support the two in their living, but their presence was absolutely missed by the siblings. Though it didn't affect them like it would on other people, Miku and Mikuo rather lived an independent life.
Fukase, on the other hand, is Miku's best friend since middle school. They are from the same class that time, and he often sees the girl operating her gadgets at study hall. At first, he thought of her as a happy-go-lucky kid with the budget to buy the latest game gadget, never caring on her classmates. She seems to be someone who pretends listening to the class, though she helps others when assigned on group work. That's how Fukase thinks of her until the grades came at the end of the semester, Miku happened to be the topnotch student of their grade. While he, he was on the 70th rank – not bad out of hundreds of students.
He met her one time when he was on his way home. She was looking at the muddy track that wasn't a good road to walk on to get to the Town Square. It was an abandoned old street bordered by the trees of the adjacent little forest, rumored to be a hideout and escape route of criminals.
"What are you doing there?" He asked her, standing beside her – trying to stare at the passage.
"Someone walked in here. He's with a boy, they're laughing, like a son and a father. This road is desolated for a long time, right? Why would they go there?" She asked, bending down to gaze at the conspicuous footprints left on the uneven road.
Fukase admired her that very moment. He wasn't sure why so, might be because he had watched Detective Conan a lot or some TV show empowering observant kids. Miku simply appeared to be someone extraordinary to him. Whether the people she saw are from their village or not, he wanted to divert her attention and avoid her probing the muddy tracks, so he spoke, "do you want to play with me on my Nintendo?"
She rose from her feet with a bright smile he never had seen displayed on school grounds, as she nodded intently, "yes!"
Miku Hatsune is your average geek. Whether 'geek' refers to someone expert in technical field or someone antisocial, Miku qualified both. Fukase remembered the high school prom traumatic because his best friend ruined it. She was hiding behind him all night, kidnapping his coat and all. Thus, he missed dancing with the girl he had his eyes on.
'But that's the best friend rule!' She told him at the end of the event, 'you need to ditch any other social party just to aid your ally - best friend!'
'Miku, please,' he pushed her away because she's clinging too much, 'stop playing combat games! Okay? You have dark circles 'round your eyes! It's unattractive!'
'Ah, Fukase. Don't shit on me,' she chortled and ran ahead of him, standing like a mighty pop star, 'is that girl with red hair attractive to you? I bet showing off a little skin means attractive to you,' she pulled her long gown up, revealing her legs - which he agreed to be better than the girl on the prom, but you don't want a best friend for that.
Embarrassed with what she is doing, he rushed to her and carried her on his shoulders - afraid that their other schoolmates might recognize them. 'Stop acting like a stripper!' But she just laughed all their way home. The next morning, his upper body was in pain, she was a glutton after all. Carrying her was the worst idea that had sprung in his head.
"I'm leaving," Miku rose from her seat as soon as she finished her lunch, wiping the soap suds on her hands after washing her own plate. Her cold comportment resurfaced in a jiffy, her bright eyes were replaced by cold ones. At least at that moment, her eye color matches its connotation. She casted a glimpse on the two, then jogged upstairs to her room. This shouldn't feel weird but until lately, Miku somewhat changed.
Whether that change is good or bad, Fukase can't tell yet. He exchanged stares with Mikuo, a sigh escaping his lips. The older brother never looked worried at all when Miku acts that way. The plates clattered as the two men continued eating; they surely lost their appetite when the pig finished her meal too quick. Their silence, however, was broken when Miku descended from the stairs,
Carrying a leather jacket and a sling bag, the lady ran down as though she has to attend a very urgent matter –she was rushed with all her movement. Fukase's eyes almost bulged out at the sight of his best friend leaving her house – again, his best friend leaving her house – dressed casually. Miku ran to the front door, only to run back at them, looking at them from the corner.
"Mikuo, I'm leaving." Her voice was scary, eyes casting her older brother's back sharp looks. So sharp that if it wasn't an adjective it could slice Mikuo into three. Her eyes were vigilant and narrow, as if conveying a secret message confidential to her best friend. Then, her eyes darted to Fukase, the wary narrowed blue orbs were replaced with glee. "Fukas, see you later!" She smiled and waved a hand, leaving the house into a dreadful silence.
"Mikuo! What's that? Where is she going?" Fukase began cleaning the table while the older guy brought his soda pop to drink. He seemed relax and unworried, contrary of Fukase's discovery.
"She is an adult now, why should I interfere with her business?" Mikuo sneered and pushed Fukase away from the kitchen sink, telling the redhead to get home and leave the work to him. "Thanks for calling her down, anyway. She always says that she wants to eat lunch with you. With that, I'm sorry. She grew up with you, y'know."
His hands were kept in his pockets as he nodded and replied, "No worries, Mikuo. Anything for Miku." Fukase grinned ear to ear and waved the older guy a goodbye. His house wasn't far from there; it's just a street away. But he wouldn't mind walking, what bugs him was Miku's deal that day, what could it be?
Or maybe, Mikuo was right. They're all adults and they don't have to mind each of their universes.
Right?
Right.
'Gauss, no. I can't help it. It's Miku after all. A shut-in like her won't have the nerve to get out of her house and leave her computer,' Fukase wanted to slap himself right away. Didn't he tell her to get a real life? Now that she is (maybe) trying to get one, he can't stop worrying. It isn't like she is trying to get into random dates and get drunk. But she isn't going to group meetings of those games, right?
Right.
'No, Gauss. No.'
At this rate, Fukase would have his red head blown up.
The sun is scorching hot. The shade an umbrella offers won't save someone from this kind of heat, sun block creams too. This season is pinning her down on the crowded streets of the Town Square. Why did she choose to believe those people, anyhow? Even if wearing her dark sunglasses, it still hurt to look around. It is as if the place is grilled. And what on earth is her purpose of bringing a leather jacket?
Miku couldn't understand how can these people stand the summer sun, it was unfriendly and yet, they keep their cool, still. The heat was depriving her muscles with the energy to walk; she wanted to faint as soon as possible. She was sweating to the bones; her world was turning in an angle already. To summarize it all, she did a wrong choice to get out of her house for a little adventure.
Miku lost her balance in front an arcade around the downtown. She managed to get through the sea of people in front a boutique on summer sale, but surviving that wave of people exhausted her more than she imagined. The ground looked hard, she mused as she approached it. Luckily, someone caught her before she could crash at it – but to be honest, she wished to collapse instead.
"Miss? Are you fine?"
The personification of summer is looking down at her, how annoying. Her limbs felt weak and jelly, she wouldn't make it to stand at least. The bright summer sky resized to fit as the eyes of this stranger –lapis lazuli, she named his eyes– and his hair falling above his eyes, glowing like the golden sun, and it looked so…just like the season, hot.
'This might be a delusion already.'
Miku tried getting up, only to fall back on his arms. It wasn't polite of him to laugh at her as he assisted her to nearest bench, him carrying her things. Their proximity enabled her to sniff his distinct perfume, a familiar scent she had encountered somewhere. When the cool air from the trees sheltered her from the mad sun, she sighed in an exaggerated manner. Her claim about the weather was loud and vivid, attracting attention from the bystanders. An unlikely scandal, though. Or maybe she was fretting because of this guy.
"Here, drink. You nearly fainted." He smiled at her; it is as blinding as the sun, and he offered her a bottle of cold water.
"Thank you, Summer." She shamelessly stole the drink from the baffled stranger; such name confused him even better, but looked please with her demeanor. The bottle was half-empty but she didn't mind at all.
"I'm not Summer," he chortled and eyed her kindly, smiling sweetly as if luring her. She looked at him with confusion written all over her face as she studied the place where they are. A lot of people shared the same physical characteristics with him, walking along the busy streets.
"He is summer. She is, too. That one as well. You have the same hair like the sun." Saucer-eyed, she looked at him like he was some imbecile who ran to her.
"The sun doesn't have hair(s), in fact." His straight white pearls blinded her as he smiled, and her reaction was to back away from him on that bench. He wondered what's up with her, did she see someone suspicious or what…?
'Crap. Don't you know figurative language and such?'
"Don't smile at me! It hurts! Go away, Summer! You're melting my muscles with your rays! Leave me alo-" his hand covered her mouth as he neared his face to her, that closeness enabled her to study those lapis lazuli of eyes, perfect whether lighted or not. It was brighter than hers. In fact, it was the brightest shade of blue she had seen on a human being. Its blueness told her a tale indifferent to the somewhat innocent and gentlemanly person before her. However, it's also too early to jump to conclusions when you just met people.
They remained like that, faces are hairbreadth away. When he realized how close he has been, he flushed and let her go. His face reddened, and she saw a glimpse of it as he shy away from her eyes. "I'm s-sorry. You're just a-attracting t-too much people o-on us."
"Are you being followed?" She asked as she kept her phone when done sending a message to her brother. Her question was dead serious, laced with curiosity. No mediocre would ask such type of question upon the first meeting, for sure. He jerked on his seat and wavered, explaining that he was just a shy person.
Why would someone like you go out if you're shy? – No, she wouldn't ask that, her motives were surfacing. Instead of doing the deal without clarification, she would move around the downtown as planned.
"Okay, Mr. Summer! Thank you for helping me out. I need to go," she waved him a goodbye and ran away.
Miku kept herself away from the direct sun rays. She lurked on the shadows of the stalls aligned on the street, walked behind the tall people to block the light for her. Yet, after all her weirdness done in public just to avoid the overwhelming brightness of the day, it was the heat that hindered her proficient work. The impatient lady sat under the shade of a large tree at the center of the Town Square and slouched. Her work assigned with the sun up wasn't fun at all.
As she rested her back resigned against the bench, the image of the guy she met earlier flashed in her head. There is something in those eyes speaking to her—something mysterious like a cipher. Her sigh is more like a groan, a disgusted one, as she found it disappointing that she is thinking about a person when she is not interested to anyone at all. She is not mistaken with what she felt that short time she was with him, it was excitement. And yet, it is a curious mystery why she felt so excited.
Footsteps halted with hesitation. Fukase stopped and gawked at the sight of his best friend licking an ice cream on his favorite bench. Her face never looked pleased—never—as her brows almost stitched together with that wrinkle. She was mumbling something every after lick, then she would shrug and go back licking the ice cream.
"Miku?" Her head snapped to his direction, her face was crinkled and puckered maybe in distress.
"I hate summer."
The two stayed under the shade and watched the passersby as they ran their errand, the two left killing the time. Fukase was quiet, but was keeping an eye on her. It was out of Miku's norm to go out of her house and wander in a crowded place. He couldn't possibly accept her excuse that she felt like she wanted to see the Town Square. He has been thinking about this all the while. Too worried, Fukase?
"Then, what makes you hate it?"
His question made her smile widely, but he had seen better than any of those fake smiles of hers. It was a flashy smile that she replied, but his question was left unanswered. When she answers that way, the only choice left for him was to stop probing, lean somewhere and watch her from behind. There were some things that were kept as secrets even if you're best friends with someone. That's reality. His red gaze settled at her shoulders falling and rising in deep breaths, in shrugging and sagging.
"Ah!"
In all of a sudden, she straightened on her seat when a stranger stood before them, his shadow showered them. Fukase watched Miku gawk in a dramatic way, still and stiff as if she suddenly transformed into a mannequin. She dropped her ice cream on the nearest bin as she stood, straightening the wrinkles on her shirt. That was an awkward smile she gave the stranger, nonetheless authentic. The redhead wondered what could this dreamy aura blooming around the two. Seeing Miku hooking up with a beautiful stranger – just shit, he thought with bitterness.
"Oh, it's you again. Hi," says the blond stranger as he scratched the back of his head, a pathetic laughter resonated from that gorgeous long neck. Baffled, Fukase quickly pulled Miku to look at her weird mesmerized face, and then snapped his head at the blonde's surprised one. The blond stared at Fukase, equally surprised like the redhead. If there's someone who should display the questioning look, Fukase should be that person. He never knew Miku was capable of talking to a guy aside from him and her brother.
"Miku!" The redhead yelled at the woman's ears, beating the star struck shit out of his best friend. That exclamation demands story.
The blond was invited by Fukase in an ice cream parlor—of course it's the redhead's treat even if Miku is the acquaintance. The redhead thought he could hear a pleasant explanation on how these two knew each other, but it isn't like Fukase is jealous or something. Miku is being weird, that's all – his thoughts remained silent and misplaced when he is the one actually left out of the conversation. A whole hour is consumed with the talk sticking on Gate Orielle alone, a game the two mutually liked. The game Miku played earlier that day.
"There's a meet up with the makers today!" Miku chimed with excitement, as the two chirped and blabbed all the cheats and possible ways of finishing the game. As his best friend and her acquaintance were caught in a deeper conversation, Fukase lost his place in that parlor. Seeing her wide smiles and cheerful eyes, the redhead knew that the beautiful stranger could keep her company. He watched them for a few more minutes, though he paid more attention on his ice cream bowl – stirring it aimlessly as he lost track of their conversation. The laughter of the two resonated and he was brought back in his senses, his purpose of going in the Town Square was recalled – Mayu. He looked back at the two, eyeing how she tapped the blonde's shoulder when a familiar experience from the game was mentioned. The blond exchanged friendly gestures as well, and so, Fukase was convinced that he could leave Miku with the amiable stranger.
"Miku, Len, I'll be leaving now." Fukase rose from his seat and left the table, quite uncomfortable with the sound of the stranger's name rolling out of his tongue. But before he could totally depart from the gamers, slender bony fingers wrapped around his wrist. From the coldness of that palm circling his wrist, he knew it was his antisocial best friend.
"Won't you come with us in the convention?" Those blink-blink-begging-eyes of hers again were using its charm, he'd better refuse. Online games weren't his thing and Mayu may skin him alive if ever he arrived late on their meeting place.
Fukase winced and smiled, then left the ice cream parlor with a ding. That was some wordless refusal from the garrulous guy Miku used to know. She watched him fade from the pool of strangers walking passed by the window seat of the ice cream parlor with a forlorn look that she was clueless why was it being expressed by her face.
When Fukase left, the two decided to find the meeting place of the Gate Orielle players to watch the conference, but arrived too early for the event. Resting on a bench while waiting for the time to elapse, Miku prompted queries about the blonde's identity. Soon, she learned that he wasn't from their place. They continued talking for some hours until the guy began firing questions about her identity. She saw something new from his eyes, some sparkling interest evidently expressed only for her. Was he too easy to read or that was what he wanted her to believe? Time drifted like the blink of an eye and she realized how much he knew about her – all the filtered truth she muttered to him. His hand was bravely holding out hers and she did not mind that. The fiery excitement she could not name was still blazing inside her, thrilling her with no end.
"Len," she rose, letting his hand slip away as if he realized how intimate he's been acting. "I'll go find a restroom. I'll be back after 10." With that, she ran away from her company to search for a restroom. It surprised her how the crowd remained on the streets at the high noon, ignoring the heat wave. She used her leather jacket to shield her from raging sun—realizing that that was the sole purpose of her jacket, and soon found a restroom with few people inside.
Cold water splashed on her face, washing away the dirt stuck on her skin after exposing herself in an urban environment. Staying out of the sun for too long—or staying out alone, was bad for her. Her pallid skin was no longer acquainted with the heat of the normal days as she grew accustomed with her air-conditioned room. Thus, her reddening skin was not questionable. Water droplets ran down her chin as she gazed at her reflection, she wasn't sure if she could still play the game. Her own azure eyes reminded her of Len's lively ones, orbs of bright cerulean, and she found herself drowning with the thoughts of him since they met. Details shouldn't be set aside albeit how disturbing it was to sit so close to him. His looks were something she was uninformed. If she would let her focus go because of her sudden intimacy with him, she would be blamed with their failure. The faucet was shut and the sound of the draining water subsided, her façade was on again. After all, interacting with people abruptly was draining all her life force just like how the summer sun dehydrated her.
Convinced that she looked refreshed, a smile painted her lips with deceit of being genuine. It hurt her to drive Fukase away, but having him around will complicate the things she need to do. Moreover, Gate Orielle is far from his liking and she just can't persuade him to play it with her. But she admits, wholeheartedly, that when Fukase kept himself reserved while they're still in the ice cream parlor, it felt like her chest was pinched and twisted. Lying to her loyal friend will be her last resort. When this day ends, she will make sure to smile at Fukase with honesty – a genuine smile she showed him many years ago.
The warm breeze brushed against her bare face as she walked back to the place where she left Len. People quadrupled in a sudden as huge stereos were placed around the Town Square's open ground, an open party would begin a little sooner. The increasing number of people worried her; she couldn't lose sight of her purpose of being there. Her brows furrowed in deep thought and eyes flitted in cautious examination of Town Square, as she took her time walking back to Len. She was approximately 20 meters from him when she saw him talking to someone on his phone. The awkward smiles and vibrant eyes of his were gone, his face was plain serious, as he looked around while muttering something on his phone. Miku felt her lips curve into a sly smile as she began hurrying her pace in excitement.
'I like his face better that way. How genuine,' she thought to herself – such thought fueled her slender legs to reach him as fast as she could. As if on cue when he turned to her direction, she saw how surprised he was as he covered his lips before dropping the call. The phone was kept in his trousers' pocket as he flashed a toothsome grin to her. Her excitement died away, her triumphant sneer faded. When she finally found how to like this stupid adventure by amusing herself with his serious expression, he dismissed it soon as if he was afraid of her discovering his pretentious bliss.
He chortled at her when she reached him; she was told that her moping face was funny. Her glowering eyes lingered at him for a whole wordless minute before she sighed and slouched back on their bench. Seriously, the bench is not theirs. Even so, her action suggesting him to sit with her didn't tame the beautiful blond.
"You know what," she looked up to him with amusement written all over her face, "I like your face better when you don't smile. No, not that stupid clueless expression," she pranced her hands in the air when he stared at her, afraid that he didn't understand what she meant. The excitement won her rational thinking as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him down to her, whispering, "I like your serious face—or 'self' even better."
She freed his wrist as soon as the words were uttered, then she stood leaving him stumbling on the bench. The weird expression he saw on her eyes and heard on her voice was gone when he looked up to her. He eyed her warily as she glanced on her wrist watch and on the arcade, then he averted her eyes when she looked back on him.
"Len?" she called—voice indifferent to alluring Miku earlier. "Are you alright?"
His acquiescence made her smile, encouraging her to drag him away from that bench. Things are getting interesting for Miku as she tagged with him, the Gate Orielle conference will begin in a short while. Her triumphant sneer found its own way to reclaim her pink lips, creating the illusion that she has an alternate personality.
It is already eight in the evening when Fukase barged in the Hatsune residence. The older Hatsune is preparing the dinner on the kitchen, cooking some steak for that night. The entire house is colder than usual; the air conditioner reads some degrees Celsius departed from summer—something Fukase is unprepared of. The redhead scampered to sit on the counter and watched the older man with his task, and Fukase – unaware – sighed in a depressed manner, attracting Mikuo's attention. A resonant laughter broke Fukase's musing as Mikuo served him the steak.
"Aha, why is Fukase lost in deep thinking?" Mikuo smiled insolently, eyes suggesting jest. Fukase rolled his eyes as he pulled the plate and placed it on the dining table.
"My, my, Fukase. You rarely dine with us unless Miku forces you. Eh, don't tell me that you're sulking because your date with Mayu has gone awry?" Mikuo's arm dangled around his neck, probing an issue that Fukase wanted to forget now.
The redhead tried pushing the older Hatsune—who did nothing better than to tease him and advice him unnecessarily—but to no avail since Mikuo is more built than him. The way Fukase felt Mikuo's muscle when he attempted to escape his grip, he knew that this guy spent a lot of his time in a gym. But Mikuo's lean body never made that fact open and shut.
"Mikuo! Let me go! This is not your business—man! Enough with being a love guru! Get a girl friend first!"
"Aha, Fukase. I'm more experienced than what you think."
"Not interested at all, so enough. Mikuo, let me gooo~!"
Fukase managed to escape Mikuo and he ran to the living room, hiding behind the couch. His frown declared his disgust to Mikuo's unfriendly attempt to console him—it didn't help, it wouldn't help—and the overjoyed older lad smirked at him from the other side of the house.
"Aw, Fukase. Givin' up on girls already? Mayu needs a little sweet talk from you, my friend—"
"I'm home."
A worn-out Miku entered from the main door, her cheeks were blushing with the most vivid color the two boys had seen from her whiteness. She looked wistful and (slightly) enamored as she dropped on the couch, face down, murmuring incoherent rants. Fukase and Mikuo looked whimsical as they gazed on the woman lying on the couch like an undead, stiff and still but shoulders heaving.
"Yo, what's the matter?" Mikuo asked, mystified with Miku's odd behavior, given that the girl was naturally peculiar.
"Did something happen?" inquired Fukase, more concerned than Mikuo's inquiry. This time, she rolled over to face the ceiling with an arm placed on her forehead to shield her eyes from the bright light. Her cheeks are bright and clear, flushed with a natural blush, and that made her look more feminine.
"Have I ever told you that I have been kissed by someone?" she asked.
"Why, no." Mikuo and Fukase chorused.
"Well. I was kissed a while ago."
"I congratulate yo—"
"What?!" Fukase's voice echoed for miles with that vivid and loud yell. Two pairs of suspicious azure eyes glared at him after disturbing the serenity well preserved inside the Hatsune household, causing Fukase to grin sheepishly. He was surprised with his own reaction.
"Is it really that surprising?" Miku rolled her eyes and walked to the dining room, ignoring Fukase's stupidity.
"It's unlikely – of you, of course. Is it Len?" Fukase and Mikuo trailed behind the lady – Mikuo was holding back his laughter. 'That was stupid and mean, y'know.' Mikuo mouthed to the redhead.
"Yes, it's him."
The three sat on their respective seats and began the silent dinner, with the talk about her first kiss dropped. If Fukase was leading a tragic love affair, it seemed that Miku was heading on the exact opposite. The redhead was more than surprised in hearing that news, especially that he was pondering about Miku and Len the whole while he was with Mayu. He secretly glanced at Miku who was seated across him, she was eating on a slow pace—which is unusual. Her eyes flitted from her food to the ceiling, to Mikuo and to the table, until she surveyed the entire vicinity. She was distracted or thinking in the deepest manner—his inferences were premature yet accurate. He knew her for God knows how long, and his observations about her mannerisms and peculiarity could not disappoint him unlike his assumptions with dating Mayu.
He picked up his glass of water and gulped the cold liquid, but eyes were still settled on her. She was lazily stabbing the meat with her fork, and stuffing the meat in her mouth. Her eyes were a mixture of exhaustion and enticement, but her features generally proved her tiredness. She was done with dinner soon, that he didn't realize that he was eating much languid than her. When he jerked from his seat after seeing her rise, Mikuo burst into laughter unsuppressed—and these happenstance confused Miku, who had her mind flying in a parallel universe.
"Is it me again?" she turned her back to them and went straight to the kitchen sink to wash her dishes. As if unheard, Mikuo continued laughing for some rounds together with a loud clattering of the plates, Fukase was speed-eating.
"No, sis. It's Fukase. He's been looking you all the while."
The redhead choked on his food, coughed to death even, only to be relieved when Mikuo slapped his back with an inhuman strength. Miku watched them with her half-closed lids as she dried her hands with the towel on the counter.
"I am aware of his discriminating stare, Mikuo."
"Gdhischrimhinachinng?!" Fukase's overstuffed mouth muffled the label Miku gave on his stare, such action generated another laughter from the older Hatsune. "How come that's discriminating?" he swallowed his food and gulped on his drink, then went back finishing his dinner.
"You're thinking that I am in love and tired, aren't you? Those are the things I am unlikely to become in your eyes. Am I correct?" her voice was sleepy and her yawn proved her fatigue. Fukase did not agree with her exact deductions but that caused nothing on the side of the girl. She just clapped on his shoulder when she passed by him. And without a word, she ascended upstairs to rest.
When the whole house was filled with stillness after her footsteps hushed, Fukase let out another sigh that made Mikuo burst into laughter. He was almost crying while doing so.
"Mikuo, nothing's funny. Stop laughing."
"You might be that disappointed to sigh like that. Miku having her first kiss is actually good news itself. That shows that she is not a pure-blooded antisocial, right?" Mikuo's face gleamed with a smile—not mocking—as he stood to gather the left plates on the table.
Fukase stared blankly at the table, reflecting on Mikuo's word. Is it as simple as that? Surely not. Breaking someone's norm is as hard as liking Math when you loathed it ever since you are introduced to calculus. Change is something that will not occur over night—or upon meeting a charming stranger, in Miku's case. Something is dubious with this strange event and Fukase found himself engaged with it. Miku's behavior today is far from normal.
"Don't brood yourself over her private matters, Fukase. You and I—or generally, the entire male population—know that women's thinking is bizarre." The older Hatsune's hand on his shoulder brought Fukase to reality, and that reality includes the fact that he has nothing to do with Miku's personal affairs.
They locked each other's gaze for some seconds but Mikuo withdraw first, claiming that Fukase is not his type—he is after beautiful, brainy girls.
"I don't like you too. Don't worry!" Fukase and Mikuo sprang out of their seats, laughing from a silly joke of bromance. But Mikuo was formulating a deduction far from being silly.
"But that doesn't mean you like Miku, yeah?" Mikuo's gaze hardened against Fukase's saucer-eyes, the redhead was surely taken back by that question. There were no traces of ridiculousness seen on his face as he left those words lingering in the thick air.
"No—I mean, yes—no! Is that question a trick? She is a best friend of mine and I like her no more than that, Mikuo. I won't date Mayu if I have my eyes on Miku alone."
"It isn't like I am against with that though. Okay, okay—go home and good night. Expect my call tomorrow if Miku refuses to eat her meal on time again. Bye!"
Fukase was literally pushed by Mikuo out of the Hatsune residence. He was not to complain at all, albeit he had paid regular visit to the two when he got free time. Giving the two-storey house one last glance, he walked away confirming that Miku was asleep. Her blinds were shut and the light was turned off. Fukase left their house and walked his way home, following the street lights illuminating the dark alley. Silence was his company as he was preoccupied by his meditation.
'Miku surely acted strange today.'
'Yeah, but Miku was already weird,'
'No. That's strange—she, going out and kissing a stranger.'
'Girls do that.'
'Yes, that's true but not for Miku. She's not that kind of girl.'
'Aha. Of course, of course, you know that. She isn't that kind of girl. But change is something you can't dictate to people.'
'That's too eerie for change, I can't accept that.'
'You don't have to concern yourself with her personal affair. She is someone you can't control.'
'But I am her best friend. I should have a say in her stuffs.'
'Yes, you are. You are Miku's best friend—you claim.'
'See? That's why I know something queer is going on with her. Mikuo usually doesn't bug her with her business—save her meals—but why does he approve of it?'
'Again, Fukase? Enough. She's old enough to get a husband.'
'Husband? No! Why husband—'
'People engage themselves in romantic relationships for that purpose—settling down.'
'No. She is not interested with tying the knot—'
'Who are you to say? You aren't Miku.'
'Yes, true. But I am her best friend, I knew her enough to say these things!'
'Yes, exactly. You're only a best friend.'
His steps halted when he reached his house, but he was not aware of that. The finger resting on his chin froze when realization hit him. Chill ran down his spine as he rushed ahead—only to run back when he saw that he was heading to another alley. Mikuo was right. He was correct since the beginning.
The door of his room slammed behind the redhead as he jumped on his bed, pulling out his phone. His hand was trembling, scared of his own conclusion, but that was ignored when Mayu picked up his call. Taking a deep breath, he asked;
"Mayu? Can we talk about something? It's really important."
Mikuo entered his sister's room. Her face was illuminated by the monitor of her computer; her fingers tapped ceaselessly on the keys. He knew that she was aware of his presence but her attention couldn't be pried away from her work.
"He's suspicious, confirmed." Stated he.
"Tell him to stop poking his nose on things off-limits." Her voice was hushed.
"He's your best friend."
"That's not the big issue. I can do what I want. I will do whatever it takes, so do as you are told, brother. This is our job."
Mikuo held his tongue before he may blurt out that he wouldn't tolerate her cold shoulder to Fukase. But he let it go, understanding that Miku was doing what she thinks is the best for them – and for professional purposes, most importantly. He assented and left her when she answered a call from the person she called Len.
Sweet nothings filled Miku's night. She rested her tired body on her bed, watching her monitor blink as it shut down. Len was talking on the phone and she was paying no attention at all. His nonsense smooth-talk entered from one ear and exited on the other. She knew how to play this game with a guy, so she wouldn't lose it against a petty excitement.
Half-closed lids.
Late night talks.
False flattery.
Loneliness.
Promises.
Longing.
Lies.
'Enough.' She thought as she rolled over her bed. Everything seems to appear ambiguous to her. These are all lies and she knows it well. These are lies, nothing more than lies that seek truth through persuasion. As Len continued whispering to her with that familiar stuttering of the façade he put, she felt frustrated. Those eyes that remind of her the bright summer sky—she saw it before, Len's eyes aren't the first.
"I miss you," she mumbled albeit it wasn't for Len. Her drowsiness mixed her conscious and unconscious mind as she continued talking. "I miss you, please come over."
"Miku? Are you okay? You sure you want me to come now?"
"Please, I'll get them." She dropped her phone as she snuggled to the pillow closest to her.
It was almost two in the morning when Mikuo decided to relieve his tensed shoulders by lighting a cigarette on their lawn. Smoking early in the morning? Quite stupid of him. He exhaled a cloud of smoke as soon as he stepped out porch—but his fingers holding his cigarette stopped halfway towards his lips when he saw a figure leaning on against the railing on their lawn.
"Who's there?" he yelled, and the figure turned to face him. The light from the street post lit his face. From a distance, Mikuo clearly saw his blond head. "Who are you?"
"I'm Len. Miku's friend. She asked me to come over."
"What the fudge. Are you serious? It's two in the morning sir. Why will she say that?"
"Is that so? I thought something happened for her to beg me like that. You can ask her," Len peeked over the iron bars—sounding desperate, looking desperate—as he begged Mikuo to call her for him. The stern older brother, on the other hand, wanted to chortle with this guy's stupidity. Was this guy seduced by his younger sister's womanly charms? Scratch that, Miku was far from being a woman.
"Go home, you're not Romeo, she isn't Juliet."
"I can't do that."
"Why? Are you disowned by escaping your home this late? One thing I assure you, young man, my sister is not going to elope with a brat like you."
"Elope? No, that's something I definitely won't do. But, I won't leave as long as I can't see her. If she really is fine, then I'll go."
Mikuo sneered at his brave declaration of irrational love. Stupid, folly, fabricated feelings. He knew as much as Miku, and he couldn't stop feeling the excitement Miku mentioned before he left her room. There was this certain feeling like excitement whenever she would see his bliss-deprived face. Something like unmasked, she remarked. Mikuo saw how interesting things would turn out, and if his supposition wouldn't fail him, things shall be enlightened this very day. At the breaking of the dawn.
"Alright, alright. Youth nowadays," he stepped on his unconsumed stick of tobacco and entered in their house, running straight to Miku's room. The girl was dozing to a peaceful slumber, but things should work out if he would ring her to wake. He sneaked inside her freezing room—her air-conditioner felt like it was set to its maximum—and shook her by the shoulders. She flinched away from his hand and cuddled to her pillow, but he shook her again, forcefully this time, to bring her to senses.
"Miku! Wake up! Your lover is out there!"
"F—you, Mikuo. Stop screwin' 'round with your filthy mouth. What shit lover, ah-ha-ha." He couldn't believe that she is half-asleep while saying this, it is as if she is awake.
"Get your butt out of your bed because Len Kagamine is waiting on the lawn."
She instantly rose from her bed, eyes wide opened and bloodshot. Dark circles hung low as she gave her brother a hostile look that will hunt him in his dreams. "You're not kidding?"
He nodded slowly with a sly smile tugging the corner of his mouth. Miku quickly pulled her curtains apart and glanced down the lawn and proved his brother telling the truth. Cursing repeatedly, she pulled out her braid since her hair was already disarrayed; looking pleasant is the last thing in her mind. Her rant about Len going in their place this early was answered when Mikuo prattled that it was her who invited him.
"Don't give me that shit, Mikuo. Why would I do—"
"Aha, I was wondering if you talked to him until you literally fell asleep." He cocked an eyebrow, provoking his sister to erupt like a mad dormant volcano. In the end, his attempt was not wasted.
"Ah, the fu—"
"Fudge. Don't curse, Miku. It doesn't suit you. Well, my dear little sister, don't let your guard down because I'm letting this guy in our house. Prepare the sleeping bag for him, or the futon. Let him spend the night with you."
She gripped on his hand before he left her room, eyes glimmered with angst. "You can't do that."
"I got 'em wired, sweetie. And I did all the necessary precautions before waking you up. You should settle things on your own, I will not interfere. Is that understood, Miku?"
She nodded.
"Don't break anything in your room. I don't want bloodshed."
"I will avoid that."
Miku went out of the porch with her hair tangled in every direction. She wanted to laugh out loud when she saw how Len looked relieved when he saw her coming his way. Petty, fabricated shit—she quoted her brother's description of it. Her chest heaved when she reached him, running downstairs and up again after changing computer set was no-good for an exercise.
"Len! I'm sorry, I am half-asleep when I said that!"
He chuckled and ran his finger across her cheeks – she honestly wanted to flinch away, but yeah, she is a mushy woman right now, keep up the pretense.
"I thought something bad happened to you. Is your brother treating you fine?"
That question was absurd, she thought. Instead of saying that, she winced and smiled, mimicking those idiotic girls on the Japanese cartoons she saw on a cable channel. Mikuo would never mistreat her as any sibling would do, except for someone she knew.
"Come in, come in. Spend the night, okay?"
He agreed with her generous offer. Len admired how tidy Miku's place was as he blindly followed her upstairs. The air inside the house was sticky and heavy, gluing itself with his skin. He stood behind her while she unlocked her door, and the blond was not mistaken with the cold air seeping through the gap between the floor and the door. Heavily air-conditioned, he noted this time glancing at her slim bony shoulders and then to her laid back hair.
Len initially cowered the moment his face came in contact with the heavy air. The freezing coldness disgusted him as his eyes darted all over her room, nice set of gaming computer caught his eyes. 'Is she a geek?' he followed her and stopped walking when he felt a soft material beneath his feet. Mattress.
She sat on her bed with an apologetic smile, gesturing him to use the mattress she set on the ground. Her silhouette concealed her honest facial expressions, failing Len's evaluation of her character. When the lights were turned off, he liked her better that way—mischievous. He was beginning to realize now why courtship among opposite sex should be taken seriously. Their love affair was rather fictional, because honestly speaking who would fell in love at first sight? Hooking up looked more realistic than this.
"Sorry, can't share my bed with you."
"Aw, I thought that I can still have that chance." Len chuckled and sat disappointed on the futon, the corner of his lips were pulled down in a half-comical distress. Her computer set sat still on a corner, dark and inanimate. The secrets of the game she loved to play—he wanted to know that.
"I have an idea. Let's play Gate Orielle, Miku. Are you still sleepy?"
"Ah, I don't like that idea, Len. Mikuo will scold me if I open—"
"Please? I'll kiss your drowsiness away."
Fuck that shit—what the heck was that? Miku scowled at his nonsensical sweet-nothings. She glared at his hands on her knees as he puckered those thin lips in begging. Her mind went mad with his words for she felt like she was being treated like a teenager. They were in their mid-20s, so what's with his way of flirting? The image of Len suffering flashed in her head, hence she restrained herself from doing something bad. Not yet, at least.
"Ah-ha-ha," her laughter was obviously forced, "if you want to play that, then play. I'll sleep here." She lifted her legs and laid on her bed, tucking herself beneath the sheets. The urge to crush those hands that touched her knees—she dismissed it. Len was quiet, observing her heaving shoulders. He crawled up to her, breathing behind her ears.
"Alright, good-night, love."
He went straight to start up her computer, glancing at Miku from time to time, checking if her back is still turned to him. Len's long fingers tapped on the keyboard, rummaging her files to see the only thing he needed that might be in this girl's possession. He opened the Gate Orielle on the other tab as well so he could easily switch on there if ever she interrupted his search. It took him an entire hour to ransack her files but found nothing suspicious. Irritated, he opened the game instead.
Len was never a fond of online computer games. For him, it was an absurd addictive leisure that would ruin his priorities, even though he would be the next head of their company, a leading game developer – The Corporation. His enthusiasm on these kinds of stuff died a long time ago the moment he learned the dirty tactics of The Corporation to outscore other game developers. His direct engagement on this shady business led him to a corrupted secret of his own family.
He played the game in the stillness of the night, enthralled with the flow of the game he never had played. His talk with Miku in the ice cream parlor was just a hoax—it was not his own gaming experience, he was just fed with the information about the game his company developed. That was the only way to get the lady's trust and he was not mistaken with the approach he used.
"Huh? What item? What retrieve? Eh? Oh, crap. The main character vanished." Len stared sleepily at the screen, eyes bored of the short film flashed after the other character he was controlling suddenly vanished.
'The woman gawked in disbelief seeing the figure standing at the end of the street. His tall, brusque silhouette couldn't be mistaken as someone else. Her heartbeat sped up, her mind went blank, as she spun around to run back and find another route... only to see another man blocking her way. It is impossible, she believed – or so, she convinced herself to believe that. It is impossible that there is no way out. There should be some way out, she couldn't let them get her and retrieve the confidential information handed down to her after these people eliminated her partner.
'Time's up for you, Ms. Cornelia.' "
The blond rose from his seat, kicking the chair away as he sidestepped. Miku stared blankly at him as she stood there—behind his chair that was now thrown on the other side, surprised with Len's reaction when she breathed behind his ear. He chortled and walked towards her, putting his arms around her and throwing the two of them on her bed.
"Hey, get off—!"
Len buried his face at the crook of her neck, his embrace tightened around her. "You scared me there, Miku."
"Sorry. Hey, let me go. What if brother suddenly walks in—"
"Let him. Isn't that funny, 01?"
Miku stopped squirming in his arms; a smile lit her fake expression. His weight pressed above her never bothered her when he spoke those words. So, he knew it as well. Miku pressed her foot against her bed and pushed the two of them out of the bed, Len fell on the mattress with her above him. Her excitement ignited, enabling her to escape his firm grip.
The masks fell clattering on the ground.
Real motives resurfaced.
She jumped off of two feet, turned in the mid-air hugging her knees close to her, and heavily landed on the mattress where Len laid. He had rolled on the other side when she was about to land, because he knew that he better avoid all her attacks.
"My, my, what an action-packed night it is, Miku." He stood, sliding his right foot a quarter-meter behind his right food. He brought his arms level to his shoulders, fists clenched. "I am not informed that you are a fighter,"
"For The Corporation to send their best murderer and heir to finish me, they might be that desperate." She smirked, standing gracefully away from him. It was a battle she anticipated for some months already. The fire inside her blazed, couldn't wait to end all of this. . . especially him, to end him.
"Ah, wow. I just realized why you have this high ceiling. You're a good gymnast." He smiled. "This is Tricking, I assume?"
"Len Kagamine, twenty-six, legitimate son of The Corporation's CEO. Raised in mainland China, learned Bajiquan, killed The Corporation's lead game developer—02, or known as Rin Kagamine. Nice to meet you, sir." She ran to him and leaped, landing beside him. She quickly dodged his punch by bending herself down and kicking his knees. Miku rose by pushing herself up, her feet kicked his chin, and the two of them were on the opposite sides.
"You must know how I hated you. You killed my partner. So, I expect you to do the same to me—if you can." Her knitted brows displayed eternal hatred.
"I wouldn't do that. I liked those lips of yours, but I would like it better if you'll use that to tell me where you hide the file containing 02's discovery."
"Access denied. I refuse."
"Then I don't promise being gentle to you."
Len manoeuvred to her, but her pirouettes to move away from him were graceful and quick. His punches and elbow attacks missed her, as she missed kicking him too. The blond sent a fist aiming her shoulders, but he paused as he read where she would move to dodge him. She would dodge him just like earlier, moving to the east. So, he advanced his foot at that direction, making her stumble on the bed.
Len hopped and strangled her by the hips, holding her wrists above her head. He wouldn't kill her – she's too pretty to die in his hands. Hr wouldn't kill her, not now that he grew a special liking to her lips, and her sly smiles.
"I won't repeat this again. Just hand me the file 02 made and I won't harm you."
"You speak lowly of her. Is it because she is your half-sister? Is that also the reason why you killed her without batting those eyes? You're soulless, Len. So, expect nothing from me. 02 never discovered anything." Her attempts of escaping him was wasted, he was stronger than her. His unfriendly eyes stared down at her, annoyed. Nevertheless, the image of her struggling beneath him was entertaining.
The shadows made his slanderous expressions ghastly, like a predator to its prey. He sees her as a delicious appetizer that will lead him to a successful mission. His smirk brightened, thinking whether he could claim her as his after she finished the mission The Corporation assigned to him. But he knew he couldn't, because she was a part of the opposition.
"Want to know some of my family secrets? 02 is my father's child to his mistress. And he wouldn't let the public know that. She is accepted to work in the company without letting anyone to know her origin. But she is an ungrateful brat who tried publishing her discovery of the company's underground businesses. My father never liked how she knocked on his office door that day to confront him," his breath washed over her face as he told her the truth. Miku knew this even before he spoke it.
"I don't see that valid. Killing her is still—! Let me go! Pervert! She developed games that kept your company known!"
"I thought you're smart enough. The Corporation won't run on innovations alone. Hand me the file and let's forget that we met." He grazed his lips on her cheeks, leaving her skin scorching with his kisses. His tongue licked her tears away, pleasured seeing the real Miku suffering from his half-sister's death. These tears tasted like wine, it's his pleasure to taste the lament of an Intelligence.
"The informants found that you're the last person 02 contacted before I killed her. I assume that you received the document from her, so be a good woman and give me that. I can show you mercy by doing that, 01. Forget your partner and come back in the company to finish your projects." He nibbled on her lower lip and continued teasing her—until she bit his lips, causing him to push himself away.
"You and your informants are idiots," a handcuff was pulled out of her pocket, locking it on his wrists and kicking him away from her. "You're findings are erroneous, that's what I guarantee. I am the one who discovered The Corporation's transactions, and I made the file. I told Rin about it but she never laid her eyes upon the document that contained more of your corruption she never had known."
Len's laughter was laced with bitterness as he hopped and stood, flashing a toothsome grin. "What a confession! If you told that earlier, then maybe 02 is still alive."
"Aha, want to know the truth? The file is leaked on the game itself. Going on that route you just ended up on the Gate Orielle is the actual ambush you made to Rin—but you missed the first person who handed down the secrets to her. I am that vanquished character. If players continue playing despite entering that route, the secrets of the hideous murder and connections in the black market of The Corporation are bluntly displayed there. Other words, the secret is on the internet all the while, Len." She lifted her foot and hit his jaw with a hard crescent kick.
Len fainted with that blow. The door opened as Mikuo entered, his face was sour and crinkled. Saying nothing to Miku because he heard everything crystal clear, he busied himself in pulling the unconscious man on his shoulder. He carried the blond downstairs as Miku trailed behind them, eyeing the unconscious face of the blond as he hung from Mikuo's shoulder. She couldn't hit him hard enough to take away his life—that face, those eyes, it all reminded her friend and partner, Rin Kagamine. The excitement she felt all the while with Len, has faded away. Maybe, it would be too late to name the feeling, but she recognized it-it was vengeance.
"Will you still work for the Intelligence, Miku?" Her brother asked, placing Len inside their car.
"Yes."
"But you know that what you've done right now is completely against the standard procedure. You get too personal in accepting this mission by taking your revenge for your old partner in The Corporation." The siblings exchanged frozen stares but none of them were cowered by each other's eyes.
"At least, I did it in a legit way. If the intelligence wish me to torture him to gather more information about the Black Pearl, the bank robbery, the Cheats, I will accept it. And you won't stop me, brother."
"Tell Fukase."
"He's busy eating up her girlfriend. Let's go."
Unable to understand what she said, Mikuo shrugged and rode their car and went straight to the Intelligence. At the back seat of the car, Miku leaned towards Len's ear and whispered, "Time's up for you, Mr. Kagamine. I won't show mercy."