Me: So I made another story~
Luka+Miku: And we are the main characters of the story!
Haku: Congratulations on your own story Miku-san Luka-san
Neru: Yea congratulations both of ya did work hard for this anyway
Me: True but technically Neru and Haku both have bragging rights for getting a story first before all of you
Miku: That's true but I don't mind Haku-chan and Neru-chan need more love
Luka: Miku is right you know both of you work really hard for your own story
Me: And it's really fun working with you two and I hope I can continue to work with you guys!
Neru: *Blush*Th-This praise won't let ya gain anythin from me!
Haku: *Smile*Th-thank you…but we should start the story now shouldn't we?
Me: We should but I think the main characters should do it, Luka-nee? Miku-nee? Care to do the honor?
Luka+Miku: Gladly! Setsuna owns nothing and we hope you readers will like the first chapter of this story and will continue to read it as it goes on!
Royalty Means Nothing Without You
Chapter One: Luka's POV: A Day In Royalty and Mischief
"Ugh! I don't wanna go to the meeting! It's too boring and I don't wanna talk about the same thing over and over and OVER again!"
I started to wine to my fellow member of royalty who was my best friend but also my adopted younger sister. Since there wasn't much of an age difference we didn't bother with the formalities with one another. With her bright blonde hair tied in a side pony tail which made her honey golden eyes pop and since she was slouching on the chair by the window the light of the sun shining through made it pop even more. Her face showed how irritated she was as she gave out a long sigh most likely due to my whining early in the morning. But to my surprise her sigh wasn't to complain about my constant whining.
"For once I'll give ya the benefit of the doubt here Luka I also can't stand bein' in those meetin's either"
"Right! It's always about marriage and nothing else! Why do we have to get married anyway!? We're too young for that I wanna live my teenage life to the fullest so I don't wanna deal with marriage! I'm only eighteen and you're only a year younger than me Neru! So why do we have to do this!? Couldn't we wait until we're like I don't know maybe thirty?!"
"As much as I agree with ya there we don't have that option cause sadly we're royalty so we're bound to get married with some prince from another kingdom or some royal guard heck as long as it's someone with status we'll get married to `em whether we like it or not"
Neru's voice came out sour when she mentioned 'prince' or 'guard' and I knew the reason as to why so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I was going to say something but I heard a gentle knock on the door so I stopped and got up from my bed to answer the door. Opening it I was greeted with one of our maids that work around the castle. She was the clumsiest out of all of the maids but she always gave it her best. Her snow white hair was always tied in a low pony-tail that was tied in a small white ribbon. This complimented her ruby red eyes but with her long bangs it was hard to get a good look at it in which I thought was a pity since she was very pretty. The white haired maid was also the slightest bit taller than me which bothered me at first but I'm fine with it now.
"Um your highness the queen would like to meet with you before breakfast is served in the dining room"
"Very well would you be escorting us to her?"
"Ye-Yes your highness!"
"No need to be so tense around me Yowane-san here you can wait in my room until we're ready to go meet the queen"
I motioned for her to enter my room but she stayed standing outside the door shaking her head 'no'.
"Thank you for the offer your highness but I can wait out here"
"I insist plus it's better for you to stay inside my room or you will get yelled at if you're just standing outside and I don't want you to get in trouble"
"Yes your highness pardon the intrusion then"
Yowane-san had entered my room shyly and the once slouching Neru was now sitting up straight 'reading' a book. We both did this so other people wouldn't go and complain to our parents saying we laze around the room and do nothing royalty like. Thankfully the plan works so we get away with being lazy most of our time alone. I pulled up a chair for Yowane-san to sit so she could rest a bit and she did take a seat but she was still stiff around us. I looked over at Neru to tell her the agenda for the morning but I caught her glancing over at Yowane-san while a light blush covered her cheeks. I found it amusing that Neru had a crush on Yowane-san but every time I would bring it up Neru would always deny it. I felt happy for Neru since she found someone to love but also sad for her. Since father would oppose the idea of marrying a 'commoner' in anyway shape or form. So the idea of letting Neru marry Yowane-san our maid was going to make him furious if we ever brought up the thought in conversation with him. I guess in his words it would be 'No commoner has the right to marry either of you they are not worthy to ask for your hand in marriage!' so Neru's love for Yowane-san has now turned into forbidden love or unrequited love.
"Neru come on we have to get ready to meet the queen"
"Hm? Why do we gotta meet mo-ahem the queen why do have to meet the queen so early in the mornin'?"
"Your guess is as good as mine Neru but come on we can't keep the queen waiting"
Neru nods setting the book down then getting up from the chair she once sat at. I walked over to my wardrobe and Neru walked towards the main door of my room to head to her own room. Of course she managed to say a 'Good-morning' to Yowane-san before she left. But that didn't mean her attempt to be nice to Yowane-san worked. Neru's voice came out forced as if she didn't want to speak to her in the first place so I'm sure Neru is beating herself over it right this second.
"Ah! Do you want me to bring in the other maids to help you change your highness?!"
"Hm? Oh no need I'm just going to wear something simple anyway but that's beside the point how are you doing? Are you doing fine around the castle?"
"Hai! It's a very nice place and it can be a lot of work but I'll do my best!"
"It's nice to know you like it here Yowane-san"
"Hai!"
After changing into my clothing a few minutes later Neru had returned to my room fully changed into her white and yellow attire. The yellow fringed shoulder pads matched her hair and the yellow design on the ends of the blazer matched perfectly. Neru's blazer was fully buttoned up but the last two at the very top of her blazer were undone. She wore black pants and knee high boots and around her waist was a belt that held her sword. Since we both had a habit of dressing in male attire since it was more comfortable then the dresses mom would make us wear every now and then. So my attire was mostly the same but there was only one key difference my attire was in white and pink instead of white and yellow.
"Are you ready Neru?"
"Yes shall we get goin' then?"
"Hai, Yowane-san you can take us to meet the queen now"
"Yes your highness right this way please"
Yowane-san stood up from the chair she was sitting at and walked ahead of both me and Neru. We walked down the large hallways for a while until Yowane-san took us to the back garden. There we met the queen who was standing on the walk way smelling the roses. When we got near the queen her attention turned to us as she smiled to us. She was wearing a long silky light pink dress and her hair color was like mine that was slightly held back by a hair clip.
"Ara you're here already?"
"Yes your majesty do you need to speak with us?"
"In fact I do need to talk to you girls Yowane-chan you can go ahead and go back inside the castle"
"Yes your majesty I'll take my leave then"
Yowane-san left right after both I and Neru gave her a thank you for escorting us as when she left to go back inside the castle. I glanced over at Neru and her eyes followed Yowane-san as she disappeared through the castle doors. Also a goofy grin started to form as she gave a love struck sigh. I looked over at the queen and she had a big all knowing smile on her face as she was looking at Neru.
Ah~ her face says it all…looks like mom knows…
"Neru-chan I think you should keep your love for Yowane-chan on a minimum or at least don't make it obvious when we're in the castle ok?"
"Yea…wait I don't love her! It's just admiration that's all! "
"Is what you say but for what exactly Neru, her beauty? Ever since she started to work in the castle you always follow her with your eyes and don't try to deny it either"
"…S-So…?! So what if I l-love her…! It's not like it can come true anyways…"
Neru's once annoyed face turned into a sad expression as she looked off at the direction Yowane-san went. I was going to comfort her and tell her it'll work out somehow but mom beat me to it. Mom held Neru in a close embrace as she lovingly stroked her hair while running her fingers in Neru's hair. While Neru stayed quiet and sunk into the embrace of mom's loving arms returning the hug and I think it was just my imagination but I saw Neru's golden amber eyes fill up with tears.
"There, there my little Ne-Ne-chi it's going to be alright"
"Ma…ma…I never thought something like love could hurt so much…"
"I know sweetie I know…and I'm sorry you have to go through such a painful thing especially with all these marriage meetings your father is arranging"
It's harder on Neru since she already love's someone I on the other hand…
"Mama…I don't wanna go to the meetings today…can I stay here with you…?"
"Ne-Ne-chi…I'm sorry you know what your father would say if he knew you were with me at the time of the meeting"
"I know mama…it was just wishful thinkin' in my part…"
"Then…if we can't be with mom why not go into town before the meeting starts? We'll go incognito so no one would recognize us"
When I had said my statement Neru and mom both looked at me a bit shocked about what I said and I couldn't blame them we weren't kids anymore. But I also needed a break from all the meetings just last week out of the seven days six of them involved a talk about marriage. So I was beyond ready to take a break from them and if I go to one more meeting about marriage I swear I was gonna lose my sanity.
"Lu-chan you're not a little girl anymore there's no way you can sneak out the castle like you did back then even so your father let it slide since you were mischievous back then but I don't think he would if you did that now"
"Ma's right y'know there's no way we can leave the castle discreetly at this age we should've planned this a while back so we don't mess up"
"And if I told you I already was…what would you do…?"
"Lu-chan! You shouldn't go planning your escape from the castle when you're upset!"
Ah a mother really does know their children best…
"I'm sorry mom I really am! But…I can't stand another one of those marriage meetings any longer…plus I can argue about how we've been locked up inside the castle walls for so long and I just wanted some fresh air that's all"
Mom still looked mad at me but she gave a soft sigh and looked at me again with an expression that said 'alright'. I always liked the way how mom never forgot how it was to be a teenager and how it was to be able to cause mischief. All the while being caring and loving mother she wasn't mean or cruel to us because of the status she holds nor did she let it get to her head.
"But if both of you gets caught up in something and word gets to your father I'm not going to save either of you ok?"
"Thanks mom! Come on Neru let's get into town!"
"I don't wanna leave ma's side!"
"Ara, Ara"
And this is why I keep saying you're a mama's girl! And mom stop looking like you enjoy it!
"Come on Neru! We don't have much time we have to go now!"
Mom gave a soft chuckle when Neru had started to hold mom even tighter when I complained about our tight time schedule. Because there was literally no time to be arguing about this yet here we are arguing about it. I groaned in frustration and I was about to leave Neru behind at this point when mom managed to convince Neru to come with me. Although I would say it was quite sly the way mom managed to get Neru to let go of her.
"Come on Ne-Ne-chi if you go into town with Lu-chan you might be able to find something to give to Yowane-chan"
"Can I really buy somethin' for her ma!?"
"Hai just try not to make it too flashy ok? Also please don't spend all of our money"
Once mom had said Neru could by a gift for Yowane-san her eyes lit up and she gave mom another hug then she faced towards me. The glint in her eyes said it all so I gave mom a hug and we both ran back inside the castle to our room's to find an outfit that wouldn't make us stand out. When I entered my room I basically broke down the door to get to my wardrobe. While rummaging through it I found a shirt I bought a while back for this very day. It was a light blue lace up mercenary shirt and when I found it I was super happy since no one had found in my wardrobe. Then I pulled the money I've been saving for the longest that was a total of 839,625,000 yen (7.5million US dollars). I took 8,596.80 yen (80 US dollars) so I'd have enough for something if I wanted anything in town. I stashed it in my pocket I then quickly started to undo the buttons on my blazer but I heard someone enter my room. So in a panic I turned around and hid the mercenary shirt behind me.
"LUKA! I HAVE A PROBLEM!"
"Neru! Mou don't scare me like that! I thought I was going to get caught by someone!"
"Right sorry but that's beside the point I don't have anythin' to change into!"
"And you tell me this now?! Ugh alright let me see if I have another mercenary shirt lying about my closet"
"Wait why do ya have a mercenary shirt in your closet?"
"Oi, Oi didn't I tell you I've been planning this for a bit now? Ah, here we go! Here Neru you can where this it might be a bit too big but its fine like that"
Neru took the shirt and looked at it in a disgusted way granted I couldn't blame her green wasn't really gonna suit her. But Neru took it anyway and started to head back to her room when she stopped mid way since we were greeted by someone at the door.
"Father!"
"Dad!"
"Good morning girls' hm?"
Dad looked at us from head to toe and gave a huge sigh then he looked at us in a serious manner. His crystal blue eyes went dim as he started to ruffle his hair a bit. When he closed his for a second me and Neru took the moment to throw the mercenary shirts elsewhere. At the moment our train of thought was 'As long as he doesn't see them it's fine' so we basically didn't care where it landed. When dad had opened his eyes again he gave another huge sigh then looked at us in the eye.
"What did I tell you about wearing male attire? You both know better than that I even told your mother to speak with you girls about this habit of yours before breakfast was ready"
This morning? But mom never told…us….anything….Oh; I get it now it's our chance!
"Oh yes dad mom actually talked to us about it and we were just about to change but I had a bit of a hard time deciding what to wear so I asked Neru for help and we got into a bit of an argument that led us to where we are now"
"Is that right Neru?"
"Yes father…I'm helping onee-sama pick her clothing"
"I see well feel free to call for the maids so they can help your sister but I should head back I still have my responsibilities as king oh and if you find your mother anywhere tell her sorry for not being able to join you for breakfast"
We both nodded as the king took his leave but then the worst timing happen once dad opened the door to leave. As if on cue Yowane-san bumped into my father and fell backwards hitting the floor with a loud thud. Dad looked at Yowane-san and walked off to where he wanted to go in the first place glancing over at Neru she was burning with fury. It was my first time seeing Neru as angry as she was now the scrawl on Neru's face was undeniable. I grabbed Neru's arm so she wouldn't do something too rash thankfully she didn't but she did mumble something under her breath. I let go Neru's arm once I knew she cooled down a bit and once I did she dashed towards Yowane-san's side helping her get on her feet.
"Thank you very much your highness and I'm sorry for the inconvenience"
"It's never an inconvenience to help someone especially if it's…"
Is she going to say it?!
"If it's…"
No way!?
"If it's…someone as hard workin' like ya…"
NERUU! AND YOU WHERE SO CLOSE TOO!
I mentally face palmed as to not hit Neru on her head for reasons that are as obvious as the sun. I walked over to Neru and asked if Yowane-san was ok and she was. I was glad Yowane-san was ok because if she got hurt god knows what Neru would have done to dad. Doesn't make it better that she wasn't on good terms with dad either especially since that one incident.
"Thank you for worrying for me your highnesses"
"Not at all Yowane-san I'm glad you're not hurt but if you don't mind me asking what brings you to my chamber?"
"Oh right! I came to tell you that your majesty the queen asked me to bring you this"
"Hm, what's this basket for if ya don't mind me askin'?"
"Oh um"
Yowane-san looks around and asked us if it was ok to talk in private. I looked at Neru as she nodded so I stepped back and motioned for her to come in the room. I closed the door right after checking if there was anyone around. Once I gave the 'ok' Yowane-san spoke once again.
"Well actually your majesty asked me to take you two into town for a bit of fresh air since you felt stuffy in the castle"
"So she told you? But-"
"But that doesn't explain what's in the basket y'know?"
"Oh right she asked me to prepare lunch for you your highness so you can eat outside"
Eh~ Guess Mom really has her way with words huh?
Both I and Neru nod and start to look for our mercenary shirts mine had landed on top of my wardrobe while Neru's had been thrown under the arm chair. I honestly don't know why or how Neru managed to get it under there but hey as long as it wasn't seen it's fine. Taking off my blazer I was left with my under shirt so I put on the mercenary shirt. I tighten the lace around my wrist and the one on my chest I didn't bother with the small belt that went around my waist since I didn't need it. Neru had done the same instead she wore the belt and an extra one to hold her sword but didn't bother with tightening the lace around her chest.
"Ready Neru?"
"Yea but we ain't actually going just like this right? As much as we haven't gone outside in a while at least a few people will recognize us"
"Oh I have something that can help with that here your majesty asked me to give you two this"
"Oh sweet we get robes! I call the blue one!"
"I'll take the red one then"
Before I put on my robe I grabbed a hair tie and tied my hair in a high pony tail then I put on the robe. Although Neru just put on the robe already having the hood on. Once we were all ready to take our leave I had explained my plan to the both of them. Yowane-san had it easy in leaving the castle she can just say she's out to get some stuff for the castle. Neru and I on the other hand had to incognito it out of the castle. It was that or option B that leans more into the escapist route.
"Ya do know there ain't no way of leavin' the normal way right? Or at least there ain't any way of leavin' this place without runnin' into one of father's royal court guards' y'know?"
"And lately the guard Kamui-san the one with purple hair has been appearing around the castle more"
Geh! You got to be kidding me!?
"Well looks like plan B it is then"
"Plan B?"
I pointed out the window and it looks like they both got what I meant without needing to explain it. It's not impossible…from the ground floor or the floor above that. But from my room floor it was beyond impossible not to mention all the towers around my room.
This would've been a lot easier with one person…oh well
"Wait ain't there a ballroom that we don't bother usin'? Let's go through there!"
"But it's on the ground floor right? Won't it be hard to get there without going past your majesty's room?"
"Actually there's a secret passage way in my room to get us there with no problem"
"Hold it since when did you get a secret passage way?! Is there one in my room?"
I went and enthusiastically started to push all the bricks on the walls thinking one of them would open a secret passage way. I kept doing this until Neru and Yowane-san had called out to me telling me they were leaving. So I ditched the idea of continuing to press all the bricks in my room but I made a mental note to continue doing so when I get back. After I did so I ran to catch up with Neru and Yowane-san before they got to Neru's room. We were only like three rooms away when we herd distant chatting so we hurried over to Neru's room. Luckily we got to Neru's room but…
"Shit! Why is it locked?! And now of all times wait till I get my hands on the idiot who locked my room door!"
"Neru keep your language and voice down to a minimum or whoever it is down the hall will hear us!"
If it's dad we're all screwed here!
"Well sorry! But ya could at least give me a hand here!"
I growled at Neru's nagging but I helped her anyway. We both had a hard time in getting it to open ourselves so we decided to break it open. On the count of three we both ran into the door at full force and managed to get it open. Of course the success of opening the door was awesome BUT this was excluding the loud noise that came out of opening it.
"OI! WHO GOES THERE?!"
SHOOT!
"…Get in the room…!"
"Don't gotta tell me twice come Yowane we gotta go!"
"Ah!"
"STOP THIEVES!"
We all rushed inside Neru's room and once we were inside I hurriedly closed it grabbing a chair to prop the door shut. I rushed over to where Neru and Yowane-san had been which was at the corner of her room by Neru's wardrobe. Opening it she moved all her clothing to one side then started to look for something at the back of her wardrobe. It looked like she found what she was looking for but then a loud 'BANG' had made us all jump. I put my hand on Neru's shoulder and shook her in a panic shouting/whispering to her to hurry it up.
"Hurry up! We're going to get caught at this rate!"
"Shut it Luka I know but it takes a bit for it to open!"
"THERE'S NO WHERE FOR YOU TO ESCAPE THIEVES! NOW OPEN THIS DOOR!"
"That sounds like Kamui-san your highnesses I'm sorry for the inconvenience but can you please hurry!"
If that idiot catches us we're all gonna go through hell and back!
"Neruu! Hurry it up-!"
I was going to complain even more but something soon opened inside Neru's wardrobe. It was a dark passage way that led to a stairway at the very end. It was very dim lighted so there wasn't much to see but the bits and pieces of the hallway and staircase.
"Quit your complainin' Luka and get in!"
"Right Yowane-san you go first"
"Yes your highness"
"YOUR MAJESTY THEY ARE THIEVES IN ONE OF THE PRINCESS'S ROOMS! SHALL WE BREAK THE DOOR OPEN?"
I heard dad's voice right before cracking from the door that's getting broken down. I hurriedly went inside the passage way as Neru followed closing the entrance while at it. I noticed Neru held something in her hand and I was going to ask her what it was but my curiosity was soon satisfied. Neru walked off to one of the fire torches and held up the item in her hand. She carefully grabbed some of the fire to light her lantern.
"Let's go but keep your voices and footsteps at a minimum this place has a huge echo and any loud noise can be heard from outside"
"Hai!"
"Shut it Luka…! Now let's go before they open-"
*BANG-CRASH CRACK*
"WE GOT YOU NOW THIEVES EH-! Your majesty there not here…! Tch they've escaped while I was on watch! It's unforgivable I'm sorry your majesty I'll take responsibility feel free to give me any type of punishment your majesty…!"
'Tch' is my line! Out of any of the many royal guards it's you!
Yowane-san tapped me on my shoulder than pointed towards Neru. Then Neru motioned to follow her and we both did but very quietly. As we headed towards the stairs which seemed farther then it seems and as we headed further down the hallway. I felt as if I've seen this path way before it was a very eerie feeling. But through closer inspection it looked like an old version of the hallway that leads to mom's and dad's room. We all headed down the stairway and the very bottom of it we hit a dead end but soon Neru reached out towards the wall. It looked like she pressed something before the wall started to move as light soon shines through the cracks.
"Well we're here! Luka go open the window while I hide the lantern and close the 'door' oh and open the one farthest from here ok?"
"Not gonna ask why but cool is it locked?"
"Since I last been here it honestly shouldn't be locked or maybe…"
As I walked over to the farthest window I didn't open it until Neru had confirmed weather it was locked or not. Since it sounded like Neru pondered over the questioned Yowane-san had spoken up before Neru did.
"I don't think so us 'housekeepers' or 'maids' as the common term we don't go near this part of the castle mainly since we were never told that there was a room like this!"
"You seem very impressed and excited about this why is that?"
"Oh well I always liked fairy tales and this reminds me of when 'Cinderella' went to the ball and found her 'Prince Charming' I found it romantic"
Aaand I feel horrible for tainting her innocence with my presence
"But would a 'Prince Charming' go as far as a 'Romeo'?"
I was shocked by what Neru said and it looked like Yowane-san was too but then I felt concerned for Neru. Doesn't make it better that I can't see what's Neru's facial expression at the moment and I didn't want to expose her in anyway so I didn't say anything. We all stayed quiet and the sound of the wall fully closing echoed throughout the room moment later Neru turned around.
"What's with the awkward silence? We gotta go before they get anywhere near here"
"Oh right…here I'll go out first so Neru help Yowane-san down also keep an ear out for a Blue Jay"
"Right…y'know ya was always the weird one outta the two of us"
I gave Neru a cheeky grin then jumped out the window and since the window was still a little high I landed on my feet with a soft thud. Looking around to see if there was anyone nearby and thankfully there wasn't I imitated a Blue Jay call. It looked like Neru got the message and sent Yowane-san out the window. I caught her before she landed and gently put her down so Neru doesn't kill me then came out Neru who no joke looked like a bandit. Once we all confirmed none of us left anything behind Neru grabbed a large stick and tried to close the window. It sort of failed but Neru did manage to close it but not completely.
"Ok I think that's it"
"Neru the window isn't fully closed"
"We gotta get back somehow right? I did it on purpose ok? Now let's go I wanna head into town I wanna get….mom…something…"
She's still aiming for that…?! Wow…'love' really is something…but then again I shouldn't be so surprised
"Hai, hai well Yowane-san you know the route better then both of us lead the way"
"Yes your highness"
Neru and I both followed Yowane-san so we don't get lost but a few minutes before we got to the front gate of the town Neru brought up a good point. Also the gate wasn't much of a gate it was more of an arch way with our family crest at the center to show it was a part of our kingdom. Plus the name of the town that was right below it.
"I don't think ya should call us 'Highness' or 'Oujo-sama' when we're in town it'd blow our cover y'know"
"Neru does make a good point and calling us by our family name is a definite no so on that note I'm Luka the elegant beauty and that's Neru"
"Oi, Oi at least give me somethin' to brag with or give yourself a proper introduction if ya ain't!"
"Sorry Shorty but I got the good looks and the body you just got aura that you mess up with your hot headedness"
"Bite me-!"
Both our arguing stopped after we heard a soft giggle and our full attention went towards Yowane-san. Who was now bursting with laughter I looked over at Neru and she did the same that's when we cracked a smile. Then our attention went back to Yowane-san and that's when all three of us laughed together. We stopped our laughing after a bit and that's when Yowane-san went bright red and franticly started to look for a response.
"S-S-Sorry I just thought you two get along really well and well-"
"Ahaha its fine plus I told you to relax when you're with us before right?"
"Ah hai Lu-Luka…san"
"There we go! Now let's go sightseeing it's been forever since I have!"
"Since we BOTH had I live with that oh so majestic elegant beauty have ya forgotten Luka-sama?"
I laughed nervously since Neru's voice was in a sour tone on that's when I knew to back off knowing Neru she'd probably murder me in my sleep if she could. As Neru and Yowane-san walked pass me and I soon followed them walking over to Yowane-san's side. When we entered the town I finally put on the hood of my majestic blue robe. I looked around and I felt as if I was at a different place. All the different smells of food filled my nose immediately and even the sounds of chatter from the people around us filled my ears. I'm pretty sure I looked like a toddler who came into town for the first time. Glancing over at Neru and it looks like she was enjoying the smell of food and the different scenery as much as I was. Both of us frantically looked around getting mesmerized by everything we saw. We went and saw everything from the food shops to the blacksmith store and we even managed to go into a clothing store. Most of the clothing was simple but very stylish and it didn't come in a lot of colors but it was nice breath of fresh air from what me and Neru wear. While walking around the town I managed to over hear some people talk about a festival that's being held around here.
"A festival…?"
"Oh that's right your high- um Luka-san you don't know about it do you?"
"Nope not a clue right Neru?"
"Speak for yourself Luka I already knew bout the festival that'll be held around here right Yowane?"
"Correct it's actually not that far from here would you like to go?"
"That's an obvious yes Luka ya coming?"
"Hold it! I don't know about this festival yet! What's it about? And yes I'm going why wouldn't I go?!"
"Well the festival is really just to celebrate the coming of spring it started yesterday actually so today is the last day of the festival"
"Yea so we lucked out really hard for today so let's go see when the Haru Matsuri will start"
We went around asking when the festival would start and they all told us it would start around five in the evening. But we all decided to go towards the street where the festival would be held and to my surprise it was really crowded even if the festival hasn't started.
"Wow this place is still pretty crowded"
"Yea but it's filled with mercenaries so watch your back Luka"
I'm not THAT dumb!
"Oh ha-ha very funny Neru but we look like one of them so it shouldn't be in too much trouble"
"Famous last words y'know"
"We should get going…Luka-san…Neru-san you two are making a scene"
"Let's just look around I still wanna buy something for…mom…"
I nudged Neru with my elbow a bit right after she had said it was a gift for 'mom' and I managed to get her to blush a bright scarlet. She suddenly walked off a bit and Yowane-san and I had to chase her a bit granted we lost her a bit. The crowd was too much for us and we really lost her so we started to ask around if anyone has seen a short blonde with a red robe on.
"How on earth did we have to lose a short blonde with a BRIGHT RED robe on?! And in a huge crowd none the less!"
"Well…Neru-san is short so…not that I'm making fun of it! It's just…it's like finding a needle in a hay stack…again I'm not trying to poke fun because she's short!"
My god…she just dragged the hell out of Neru…THAT'S HALERIOUS!
"I get it just…don't say that in front of Neru…her uh she'll blow up she never liked it when people made fun of her height…"
And if you of all people make fun of it she would be depressed about it for too long to deal with or for it to be funny anymore
"Ha-Hai…but we should keep asking for help…should we split up to cover more ground?"
"Yea it probably would be for the better where should we regroup? Since you know this place better you should choose Yowane-san"
"Then…the bakery that's near the entrance from where we came from"
"The one next to the blacksmith Neru wanted to go see?"
"Yes that same one"
"Then we'll meet there before noon and if you find her wait in that spot and don't look for me it will be more confusing and troublesome that way"
"Hai I will go this direction then see you then Luka-san oh actually before I go here the queen gave this to me but I wasn't allowed to open it she only told me to give it to you"
"Hm? Oh sure I'll let you know if it's anything important Yowane-san"
Yowane-san nods and heads off towards the opposite direction from where I was. As I lost sight of her I made sure no one had hurt her or try anything funny. I didn't want my sister's happiness to be damaged in any way possible. I also made a mental note to check what was in the bag Yowane-san got from mom but I can guess what it was.
I wish I can find that special someone like Neru soon…
Walking around the town I tried to think of places Neru would go to and since she kept on wanting to get Yowane-san a gift. Or should I say 'mom's' gift? But I went around trying to find of places Neru would go to get a gift or places gift like things were sold. I passed by over ten shops but neither had a short blonde walking around and neither had seen one. Eventually it was about an hour until noon when I came across a small shop that sold an array of different things like hair pins, chairs, lamps. I thought the variety of stuff was weird but the sign at the top of the store made it disappear.
"A miscellaneous shop huh? Maybe I'll find Neru here"
Walking into the store I was greeted by two children who were bubbling with energy. I say children but one of them looks about my age and the other looks about fifteen-ish. The young fifteen-ish blonde girl was wearing an orange skirt length dress with a stripe of white going down the middle. The laces made an 'X' pattern down to her abdomen. The sleeves of the orange dress were quite long it went a little further than the young girl's skirt. On the top of her short bright blonde hair was a huge bow that was held on an Alice band and her bangs where held up with four hair pins that were white. The other girl had on just about the same thing but the sleeves were a lot shorter and the length of the skirt was to her knees. There weren't any laces around her chest but instead around her waist and arms her hair was shorter too. More messy and it looked like it was a light reddish blonde color.
"Hiya! Want anything from the store? Rin can help! Like I helped the other blonde girl!"
"Wait was that blonde short? And had on a red robe?"
"Yeah? Why are you friends with her?"
"Yes! Have you seen her?! I lost her in a huge crowd and I've been trying to find her!"
"Well she's about as short as Rin-chan here so I can't say I've seen her"
"OI! What the hell did I say bout my height! And blue-eyes ya never helped me once ya just left me locked up in a room!"
Neru's voice was heard though out the room but she was nowhere to be found. Then a flash of red came through the window as it shattered. Neru landed in front of the blue-eyed blonde and grabbed her dress looking like she was about to murder her. I knew when to back off when Neru got super pissed off. But sadly at this moment in time I had to step in and do something or else all hell would break loose.
"Neru I don't think you should kill one of the employees"
"Stay outta this Lu-!"
"Wait hold it time out employee?! I maybe short but I'm the owner! Well one of them at least Len-Len is the other owner"
"I don't give a dam if you're the owner or not ya ain't got any right to lock me in a room!"
"Well you said you wanted help right and Rin did help! I locked you in a room that had the most beautiful things in the store!"
"I call bullshi-!"
"Neru that's enough! Mom told us not to get into trouble and I'm not gonna let you disobey mom's word!"
My voice came out stern and louder than ever before and Neru's shocked expression showed it. Everyone else around me was just as shocked as Neru but my attention wasn't on them it was on my sister. I kept my stern look as Neru slowly let's go of the blue eyed blonde's dress and stepped away from her. Neru looked at me and them dropped her gaze towards the floor and didn't make a single noise. I calmed down after a bit and then spoke in a slightly annoyed manner.
"You herd mom Neru she wasn't going to help us if dad caught word of what you did out and about in town and doesn't make it better that you're not on good terms with him"
"Technically it wasn't my fault for what had happened that day but-"
I glared at Neru and she got the message and stopped speaking all together. I covered my face with my hand to calm down faster and took a few deep breaths. Finally gaining composure I apologized to everyone in the room for losing my temper. They were quick to forgive me and I appreciated that they were. But I still felt bad for it so I offered to repay for the shattered window and they kept saying it was fine but I insisted until they accepted my offer.
"Anon what's with the racket?"
"Onee-chan ohayo~!"
"Anon…it's not morning anymore…"
"Rin what disaster did you cause now? Hm? Oh, we have customers sorry for whatever my sister has done to you two"
"My sister as well she can be super hyper active but she can be an air head sometimes sorry about that"
"No not at all it's just my younger sister here was about to murder one of the owners here"
"I can't let that happen but I can let you get a hit on Rin here"
"Don't say that Neru will take it too far"
"No I ain't I'm just gonna…right….I won't do anythin'…"
I only glared at Neru and she got the message backing down I told the blue-eyed blonde boy it was ok. But he did start to argue with what seemed like his sister while the other apricot haired girl looked worried for her own sibling I'm assuming. Neru tugged my sleeve and started to pull me aside to talk in private making sure no one herd us we whispered.
"What now Neru? If is to ask for permission to hit the blonde girl over there that's a no"
"What? No! I wanna ask how much money we have to spend. I think I found the perfect gift for Yowane!"
"Eh~ what is it~?"
"Hm! Uh well y-ya ain't gotta look at me in a teasin' matter!"
"Oh come on~ siblings do this~"
I kept on teasing Neru about her gift until she gave in. Granted by the time she caved in her face was bright red from my constant teasing. While the arguing in the background from the other siblings sounded like it escalated pretty quickly. But I ignored it and it looked like Neru did too.
"Fine! If I tell ya will ya stop teasin' me?!"
"If I'm satisfied with the answer I receive then yes if not then no"
"Son of a-!"
"Language"
"…Biscuit…why'd ya do this to me…"
"What can I say? I drive a large bargain but come on what's the gift?"
"Come're follow me to the back of the store"
Neru starts to walk to the back of the store and I followed. We stopped at a small table were hair clips were at. I looked around and it seemed like the most expensive items were kept in the back. While I was looking around a bit Neru had tugged my robe again and showed me a hair clip from the table in front of us. It was a nice golden hair clip with a beautiful rose design on it in the middle of the rose was a small ruby like gem. I had to give Neru a lot of credit since I never thought Neru would be able to pick out something as beautiful as this. Giving Neru a reassuring smile I patted her head and told her it was a great gift to give Yowane-san. She smiled and started to get really excited about getting it and giving it to Yowane-san.
"Do you think she'll like it?"
"I'm positive she'll like it I mean who wouldn't it's a really pretty hair clip I'll give you credit for following mom's requests of not making it too flashy"
"Well…that's the first request…not so sure `bout the last one…"
"You're right…let's go see how much it is then I'll go complain on how expensive it is"
Neru gave a swift nod then grabbed the hair clip with great care as if it was a new born. I smiled to myself as we headed towards the owners. When we saw them however it seemed like the fight had cooled down but both blue-eyed blonde siblings were mad at each other to even look at each other. We walked up to the long haired apricot girl who had a side pony-tail like Neru.
"Uhh…excuse me but how much does this hair clip cost?"
"Hm? Oh sorry about the racket the Kagamine twins have caused is there anything you want help with?"
"Yea do ya how much does this hair clip cost?"
"Oh this! This is actually our most expensive item in the store it's 7,637.86 yen ($68.25 US dollars)"
Holy crap that's expensive!
"Geh…! Wh-Why's it so expensive…?"
"Well this type of design is hard to execute in general even so on this type of metal plus the red gem in the middle here is quite rare because its hand crafted by the person who made this so it's basically a collector's item in a way"
So why was it on a small table in the back with no security what so ever?
"But why's it- never mind can we buy this?"
"Sure follow me to the cash register"
Neru and I followed the side pony-tailed girl and we paid for Neru's gift at the cash register. I was impressed by the girl's mathematic abilities and it looked like Neru was also. She bagged it and warped the hair clip neatly and carefully so it wouldn't brake. When the green-eyed girl was done she handed us our purchase with a smile and we took it we both shot back a smile. Before we left I made Neru apologize once again for both her behavior and the window she smashed.
Oh that's right the bag!
"Excuse me but how much does it cost to repair your window?"
"Oh you don't have to go that far! It's fine really we've been meaning to replace it anyway"
"Is that so? Then let me pay for your new window it's the least we can do"
"No it's fine-"
"I'd advise ya to accept the offer cause this one here won't take no for an answer y'know"
"Who's the idiot who broke the window in the first place?!"
Neru backed down then said nothing else throughout the rest of the conversation. The green-eyed girl gave in a nervous laughter and told us she'll contact us when she needs the money. Since I couldn't give her our actual address I told her find a girl with white hair and ruby red eyes. She seemed to get the message and gave a nod. After that whole scenario we left and we both headed out to find Yowane-san. I told Neru were we had planned to meet at and Neru insisted we ran to get to her faster. I gave in so we ran towards Yowane-san when she was within eye shot I saw she was quietly standing by the blacksmith playing with her bangs. Neru looked happy to see her but she got really nervous when reality hit her and I was going to tease her again but decided not to. She hid the bag that held her gift for Yowane-san and made sure it wasn't noticeable to her. Then Neru called out to Yowane-san and she looked up at us and she seemed relieved to see us.
"You're back Luka-san and it seems like you found Neru-san!"
"Yes…it seemed like she got lost somewhere over there"
"Oh did Neru-san get lost while trying to find a gift for the que-ahem your mother?"
"Yeah and it seems like she couldn't find anything"
"…Yea I couldn't find anythin' for ma so I'll see if I can find anythin' for her later…"
Good she followed up with something even though her face is bright red…right now would be the perfect time to tease her…but let's not
"That's sweet of you! I wish I could give my mom something"
"Oh sorry Yowane-san did your mom…?"
"Oh no, no it's just she lives pretty far from here and I don't have to many breaks around your household"
"I see…"
"Well won`cha want to see your ma again? Or at least see her around the holidays? We can arrange somethin' for ya if ya want?"
"It would be nice to see her around the holiday and I would love to see her again in general but both my mom and I knew what I got myself into when I decided to work for you and your family so it's ok you don't have to arrange anything for me"
Yowane-san smiled and didn't seem bothered by it but I felt bad for her in every way. I couldn't really grasp the meaning of not being able to see your own mother for a while. Even though mom would go out to a different kingdom for meetings and stuff we would always see her again. Also who knows if Yowane-san's mom knows if she's safe or not let alone alive and healthy. I glanced over at Neru and she felt the same way I did but we both said nothing to Yowane-san. But we both knew what we wanted to give to her as a gift for all her hard work if needed to.
"Shall we go look for a place to eat? Cause I'm gettin' kinda hungry"
"Oh I found a really nice area with a really pretty view shall we go there?"
We all agreed to let Yowane-san lead us through the crowd to a place a lot less quiet with little to no people around us. We took seat at the top of a hill and started to eat our lunch as we bask in the scenery. We stayed sitting on the hill relaxing for a while longer Neru decided to take a nap while Yowane-san and I played a round of 'Shiritori'. By the time our first round of 'Shiritori' ended the sun getting ready to set.
Jeez I never knew Yowane-san was so good at 'Shiritori' she gave me a run for my money
"That was fun Luka-san but if we don't wake up Neru-san we won't make it to explore the festival"
"Yeah but Neru's a heavy sleeper…oh, I got an idea!"
"Hm?"
I asked if Yowane-san can lend me her ear and she nodded I whispered to her to do something and she was super embarrassed when I saw her face. She wanted to protest but I told her it would surely wake up Neru. That's when she caved in and went by Neru's side doing what I told her and to my amusement Neru shot up sitting straight then dying of embarrassment. Her reaction was better when she saw what Yowane-san was doing so I was dying laughing throughout the entire ordeal. But I did feel slightly bad for Yowane-san since she was beat red and looked like she wanted to go hide in a hole and never come out.
"Pfft AHAHAHAHAHAHA! The look on your face Neru is priceless! And then you-AHAHAHA!"
"You little-! I get ya back for this!"
"If you can catch me that is~!"
I ran away as Neru got up from the ground and was ready to chase me. I instinctively ran further into the woods that were near where we were at. Only slowing down when I had lost Neru but the cause of it was me getting lost in the words.
"Now I've done it! Where on earth am I?"
Hell I need a miracle to get out of here since everything looks the same…
"Excuse me are you lost? I can help you find your way back if you are"
I turned around towards the sound of a sweet soft sounding voice that came from behind me and I was met with teal eyes. A girl with a pale red robe but it had a small golden design on it she wasn't wearing the hood so I got a good look at her teal hair that was tied up in twin tails. Her dress was skirt and it was a turquoise color and she had on a pair of brown boots with black stockings on. She looked younger than me and she was shorter than me but not as short as Neru.
*Doki-kyun*
Hm…? Why did by heart just skip a beat…?
"Excuse me?"
"Huh…? Oh yeah um who uh are you if you don't mind me asking"
"Oh that's right sorry I'm Hatsune Miku feel free to call me Miku! And you? What's your name?"
"Oh mine? Oh um I'm Me-Mekurine Luka"
I managed to save it somehow…I have to tell Neru to make up a family name or go along with mine
"Then…Luka-chan! Nice to meet you Luka-chan!"
"Hai nice to meet you…Miku-san…"
Miku-san gave me a huge smile and started to lead me outside the forest. I don't know why but I felt comfort and at ease just walking by her. Then my heart would beat so fast when she would call my name. Even just hearing her voice made me feel like I could sleep to it but I didn't know why it did never falling in love was hard. Granted mom knows but said it would happen naturally but dad would force me to meet people and see if I like them or not. I really hated it so the whole marriage thing doesn't fix my bitter feeling for it.
Ugh…I should stop thinking about the arrange marriage nothing good will come out of it…I should also ask Neru what this feeling is…that is right after she kills me…
Me: There that's the end of this one folks what'd ya think? Took forever but I think it turned out ok
Luka: Mekurine…? Really…*sighs*well it is not as bad as I thought…
Miku: *Giggle*I find it funny so I like it but why do I only appear at the very end? I thought I was a main character too!
Me: Well it is your first encounter with each other so it's only natural right?
Miku: *Pout*I guess so…
Me: Oh living up you'll get all the screen time next chapter since it's yours
Luka: Setsuna-san is right Miku plus*Soft smile*I know you did a good job with your chapter
Miku: Luka-chan…*Sly grin*can I get a reward for all my hard work~?
Luka: Should you now?
Me: Can we finish before everyone reading this starts to play 'Magnet' furiously in the background?
Luka: Hm? Oh yes we should sorry Miku but your reward will have to wait
Miku: Aww…but I can wait as much as time as long as you give me my reward
Me: Well shit it's too late now but before we leave readers turn down the music and listen to me readers this chapter and next chapter will be the only chapters for a while that the covers will be different the third chapter will be the main cover for a good while until I decide to change it so enjoy the cover of this chapter and next chapter if ya like it enjoy it while it lasts!
Miku: *Grin*and I hope you continue to read the next chapter which is my point of view!
Luka: Right we hope to see you readers next time
Luka+Miku+Me: Sarabara~!