The Forest Chase
Summary: "Hey there little Red, that basket looks heavy and you look lost," he mused, circling her with hungry eyes. "Do you, perhaps, need some help?"

I felt the need to make a Fairy Tale themed fic. I didn't want to do Len x Miku for some strange reason seeing how I always write about them (with the occasional Piko x Miku) and I didn't think Miku fit the part of Red with her being teal. Then I thought about Meiko, but that didn't seem to work out in my head. THEN I remembered, oh yeah the other Vocaloids need some spotlight!

Also, I notice that Miki is mainly paired up with Piko or some other female Vocaloid. Yes I did see some Gakupo and Kaito ones, but it was "some".

So here we go for a Miki x Mikuo pairing! (Sorta happy to be the first person to make a fic for this pairing)


Chapter 1: Meeting the Wolf

There were a million thoughts that ran through her head.

Firstly, she was supposed to stick with the group during the nature hike, but wandering was a natural habit of hers. However, she silently blamed her cousin, Piko, for not keeping track of her when he was told to do so. He was probably distracted by the presence of that annoying school idol, Hatsune Miku.

Seriously, Piko - and the rest of the begging dogs - were terrible whenever that teal-haired siren was around. It's not like she hated Hatsune Miku - it was just the opposite - but the teal-haired girl succeeded in almost everything. She practically transferred here - it was really a few weeks ago - and she had everyone wanting to be affiliated with her.

It downright annoyed her.

Secondly, there was the fact that her wanderlust also came with a bad sense of direction. The least she could've done was stuff the map of all the trails into her backpack just in case she decided to go astray. Actually, she blamed her cousin once more. He usually put some sort of map or compass in her pack.

What was she going to do with him?

Thirdly, she was tired, and the bag wasn't doing much good for her. It was heavy, and full of nothing that would help her return to the group or guide her back to their campsite. This was a sarcastically fantastic way to start out the field trip. Three days in the mountains and this is where she might be sleeping tonight!

Cell service wasn't that great and she cursed her luck when she didn't think about buying some message bird. Maybe she could train a bird.

Yeah right, she didn't have the patience.

Fourthly, it was getting dark, and it looked like there was going to be a light rain. All she had on was a white and blue dress with sports shorts underneath, white boots, and a red rain coat to keep her warm. She cursed her luck and prepared once again for not grabbing any pair of pants during their hike.

It was a simple nature walk, looking at all of the plants, spotting animals, and not going hunting on the first day.

Oh that's right, she screwed up simplesituations and replaced them with difficult, convoluted nonsense...

Yeah, she's gonna stop right there.

No point in bringing the worst into what's already a bad situation.

Man did her feet hurt!

Fifth... Okay so maybe she didn't have a million thoughts running in her head, but it felt like it because she was getting tired just roaming through the forest, woods - whatever you call an area in the mountains full of trees with no civilization - without proper guidance.

"At least I brought a snack or two..." she muttered helplessly while looking for a place to sit. Tree after tree after rock...oh look a rock! Yeah, she could sit there and wait for animals to be attracted to her small and non-filling meal!

She fell onto the boulder, sighing in relief as she ripped open her bag and dug into it for a bag of chips or at least some cherries. Anything that would give her something to do. During her search for a snack, she felt the touch of plastic and happily plucked out whatever she had in her bag. A bag of potato chips, how nice.

The girl pulled it open and munched handful after handful, enjoying the crunching sounds and the lack of need to be polite. No one to bother her about her manners - cough her cousin cough - and no one to share it with - again her cousin. She brushed back her long pinkish-red hair and decided to try to think of something.

Something that would help her out of this predicament and get her back to civilization. Or at least something moderately close to civilization like the camp.

As she finished, she crumpled the bag into a ball and shoved it into the mouth of her bag.

No littering!

Oh if only she could bask in that accomplishment with other people.

She sighed. If only.

"Alright," she started, hopping off the boulder and closing her bag. "I should just retrace my steps and hope that I find something familiar in this place." If only she had the mindset her cousin did, at least she would be able to have thought of this sooner.

She picked up her backpack once more and started traversing through the tree-infested area. Her boots crushing twigs, crumpling leaves and whatever kind of gravel, leaving remains in her wake. Her legs and feet were screaming for a break and her shoulders weren't being such soldiers either.

"Where am I?" she screamed, wanting to know the answer as she stopped and dropped to the ground. It was such a stupid idea to go on this trip in the first place! Nothing good was going to happen and she didn't even like being outside in nature!

Oh right, it was because she needed the credits.

"Stupid school system," she mumbled pathetically while lowering her head, her eyes gazing the trampled land beneath her. "Stupid camping trip." And more importantly... "Stupid Piko for paying Miku more attention instead of me..."

She was so pathetic.

It's not like she hated Hatsune Miku, it was quite the opposite. She admired her and wanted to be friends with her for so long. However, it slowly, very slowly, grew into a jealous admiration when her cousin began liking the teal-haired girl. No, the red-haired girl didn't have a cousin complex, but she did love him and enjoyed the times they hung out together. He was like the brother she always wanted and admired.

Then he started paying attention to the teal diva, which in turn, made her feel deflated.

"I thought brothers looked out for their sisters?" she mumbled while staring intently on the ground then scowled. "He probably didn't even think about me like a sister; probably more like some annoying cousin he has to see every day."

To her that made perfect sense.

Then her ears perked. There was someone else here. The sound of leaves and twigs snapping in bits and pieces made her look up and scan the area around her. Her heart began racing and she felt dark clouds loom over her.

Why, just why did rain have to come in now? It felt like one of those terrible movies where the monster was about to strike the pretty heroine during a lightning storm and the hero would show up.

Instead, she was that heroine and she didn't think of herself as pretty and no doubt that her cousin wasn't the hero. She saved Piko, Piko didn't save her.

The sound came closer and closer, almost as if it came from different directions and it scared her like crazy.

Apparently a new thought came into her head that would probably branch a million others, so maybe she did have a million thoughts running in her head.

"A-Am I going to die...?" The words breathlessly escaped her lips as her body trembled and her heart rate raced at an insane pace. It was as if it would jump out of her chest, sprout legs, and win a marathon around the world.

Then her head snapped to the east and there stood a rather tall young man. He had a playful look on his face as he bent over to her, grinning with all his teeth showing. She almost fell back to the ground, but tried keeping a firm position; as firm as it was going to get since she was on the ground already.

Her face was flushed from both embarrassment of being found in such a disheveled state and the fact that the guy looked incredibly - dare she say it? - hot for a stranger. Oh sheesh, did someone like this even exist?

Wait. He could be some sort of rapist that took refuge in the mountains. Or some serial killer. Thug. Robber. Poorly made fictional character that somehow made millions of fans?

...Okay she was seriously tired if she thought up that last one.

Or he could be a God send.

Her crazy heart was really hoping on the real last option.

"U-Um..." she stammered, feeling anxiety and heat making her tumble over her words. Her eyes analyzed his appearance without her orders and she felt her face heat up even more.

He was tall - as said before - thin, but looked strong enough to hold his own. In a nutshell, he looked like a male model who was lost in the woods. He had on a gray hoodie and black skinny jeans (or maybe they were just tight jeans?) along with black combat boots. He had short teal hair with evidence of sea green, and mysterious sea green eyes. He had a healthy complexion, so he probably was some sort of model, and if not, probably some figment of her imagination.

Then as she took closer inspection, she gasped in fright. Apparently at the top of his head were...

"W-Wolf..."

His eyes glimmered with mischief and she felt the need to crawl into a hole and hope that she fell into Wonderland, China, school - anywhere but here!

It didn't make sense though. Seriously, wolf ears? Was she that tired?

She shook her head, wanting this migraine to go away and never come back.

The young man chuckled as he straightened himself out and began looking over her body. She felt the sudden need to cover her body with her bony arms. She did by the way.

"No need to be afraid, Red," he chuckled, finding pleasure in her response. "I'm just here to lead you back to grandma's."

What kind of sick joke was this?

Piko warned her about guys like him, even though she knew better than to get involved with these kinds of people.

The girl struggled to get up, feeling her body shake as if the ground was crumbling beneath her.

"W-Who... What..." She shook her head, finding the nonexistent moment of peace to sew her words together. "Are you some kind of killer?" she blurted out, finally standing on her feet. She brushed off whatever debris caught on her dress and sadly, her boots paid the price of getting smudged.

The light veil of rain began to fall.

The boy just chuckled once again. His eyes still checking her out. She felt her face heat up against the cold drops of rain.

"Hey there little Red, that basket looks heavy and you look lost," he mused, circling her with hungry eyes. "Do you, perhaps, need some help?"

His voice was...seductive, and she felt her body melt at his hot breath as he circled her. How pathetic was she?

"I-I just want to go back to the camp..." she confessed then slapped her hands over her mouth. Why did she say that? He could be some insane killer, ready to massacre innocent students who have nothing to do with these mountains! She'll be leading everyone - including herself - to their immediate deaths!

He had a flash of curiosity, but replaced it with a pleasurable nod. "I could bring you there, little Red." His voice made her heart throb inside her chest. This was happening too fast. Much too fast.

She didn't want to be seduced so quickly and especially by someone who's out of her league. Someone like Miku would be a perfect match for him! They'd be the idol couple of the century and she'd be in the background, admiring from afar just like before.

"Why do you keep calling me Red?" she spat out in distaste. It wasn't like she had the guts to say it, but her swelling frustration got the better of her. Was she that jealous of a mere thought?

He cocked his head to the side then stopped behind her; his circling routine terminated, and grasped the hood of her raincoat. He brought it up to his mouth, his head leaning to her back and in a hush he finally spoke, "...Because a girl dressed in red traveled to the forest and met the big bad wolf." She stiffened.

"Little Red Riding Hood?" she questioned and felt his head brush against the back of hers. She winced. "I'm not that little girl, I'm Miki!" Again she slapped her hands over her mouth. What was this creep doing?

He chuckled, released her hood, and finally walked around to face her. "I'll bring you back to grandma's cottage, Red." He offered his hand, but she didn't take it. He merely shrugged and the ears on his head twitched.

"...Are those real?" she questioned, pointing at the wolf-like ears on his head. She originally thought that they would be the same color as his hair, but for some reason they were black.

The boy pawed at the ears and nodded. "Why wouldn't they be?"

Because it's against human nature?

Miki shook her head. There was no use talking to this guy!

"I'll lead you back, but I'll hold the basket."

"No way!" she screeched, protectively holding the bag in her arms.

"C'mon little Red, feed the wolf," he mused, making gestures to signal his covet for her property. Miki shook her head.

Piko gave her this...

"I-I don't even know you!"

"Is that all?" he asked as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "My name's Mikuo, the big bad wolf."

"...Stop playing games with me!" Miki screamed in a flustered mess. For some reason, this Mikuo guy looked completely adorable when he asked the question; well as innocent as he could be with those weird-looking wolf ears dressing his head.

Then she took a step forward, wanting to push past the so-called wolf boy, but flinched when her left foot took a turn in the walking.

"For the love of it all!" she hollered, dropping her precious bag and leaned down to inspect her leg. A cut? When did that...

"Looks bad." Mikuo's voice brought her back and she jumped away from him in a flustered mess. The jerk looked up her dress! ...Well she did have sports shorts underneath...but still! It wasn't proper to do that to a lady!

This guy...this stupid guy!

"Well it looks like I'll have to carry you!" he said with an exciting grin. Oh dear...oh dear God please help her now.

"N-Now just wait a minute!" she started with a very poor tone. Was she that scared and embarrassed? Must be the rain affecting her. "I never said we'd be traveling to- Whoa!" He lifted her up with her realizing it and grabbed her bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

"You're really light," Mikuo commented as if it was the most surprising thing in the world. Did she look fat? Maybe she should cut down on those potato chips...

"You're really annoying," Miki shot back. Apparently, her mouth had energy to move on its own.

"But you're attracted either way," he spoke as if to inflate whatever sized ego he had. She shut her mouth, and then opened it, but nothing came out. "I was right? That's weird, I'm pretty sure that Red Riding Hood was supposed to be afraid of the wolf."

Oh believe her, she was terrified of him. She just couldn't voice it.

"Just take me back to the camp!"

"Oh sure, I mean it's not like it's cutting into my time or anything, Red."

"Stop calling me that."

"Nah," he paused. "You're the cutest Riding Hood, by the way."

She blushed and slapped him. "Sh-shut up!"

He froze, and then began walking while chuckling with every step. What was so funny? Actually, was he that easily amused or something?

"Why are you helping me?" she asked after long silence. The rain still drizzling in the mountain air.

"It's because I want to eat you." ...What? What somewhat sick, twisted, guy was Mikuo anyway?

She strained a laugh. "Y-Yeah right..."

"Oh I'm not kidding, you smell delicious. You look tasty too, albeit, too skinny for my taste." She cringed at his tone. What a sicko!

"That's disgusting! That's a sick, disgusting-" She struggled in his hold, but felt it was futile. "joke!" After meaningless minutes of struggling, she couldn't break free, then the familiar chatter of teenagers filled her ears. No way... He actually brought her back! When...

Was her mind tired? The walk couldn't have been that long.

"I'll wait 'til you're ready for eating," he whispered in her ear while letting her down to her feet. The pain somehow disappeared and she squeaked when he licked her cheek as if he was a dog. "Pretty tasty, just not seasoned enough." Mikuo then grinned at Miki who dried her cheek with her raincoat. Her face heated up with embarrassment.

He didn't just do that, did he?

...He did! Oh that was so disgusting! So very disgusting! At the very same time, it was kinda... Ugh gross...don't tell her that actually kinda turned her... She stamped her feet on the ground in frustration. No way! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts!

"I'll be seeing you around, little Red!" Mikuo hollered as he dropped her bag beside her, turned tail and ran. It was at that time, Miki spotted a furry tail at his behind and her eyes widened.

"H-He... No way... He couldn't be..."

Then it hit her.

"I was saved by a freaking wolf-human-creature! I'm crazy! I'm delusional!"

She frantically paced around beyond the bushes that surrounded the clearing where the students camped. Her hair was in a complete mess and she felt completely drenched. Her clothes were dirtied because of the times she broke down and took a break from getting lost and probably reeked of that wolf boy's scent.

Wolf boy.

She shook her head furiously. There was no way that guy was a wolf. He was probably pranking her with a bunch of guys and laughing about it in the forest. Did wolves even exist in this area?

Then she huffed and knelt down to pick up her bag. It was time to get back to the camping site and get lectured by her teachers...

As she grasped the strap of the bag, the sound of a howl echoed through the forest. Her heart skipped a beat.

No freaking way.

Shrugging off the howl that somehow resonated in the back of her mind, Miki trudged through the bushes and looked around to find tents getting pitched up by various students. Girls were complaining about the strange weather change while guys were running around, yelling some random nonsense that blurred in Miki's ears.

"I guess no one noticed me..." Like always.

"Miki! Oh man Miki!" someone screamed and she was embraced by sudden impact. She knew it was Piko and turned her head to find him practically sobbing into her shoulder. What a motherly cousin!

"H-Hey I'm fine!" It was also embarrassing to know that her malecousin was the one crying. Sheesh, Piko was such a girl. Although... It made her smile to know that he realized she was gone.

"I tried looking for you when everyone went back! I got so worried, but Len forced me back here while the teachers looked for you!" he pathetically cried out while releasing her and struggling to dry away his tears. "You're such an idiot for randomly leaving! I should keep a leash on you!" he commented in a scolding tone and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Hey, who do you think was more scared out there?" she barked and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure that the animals were more afraid of you than vice versa!" he recoiled with a grin as the tears stopped falling.

Oh he had no idea what kind of animals lived here! Instead of saying that, she smiled and nodded. "Look I'm really hungry and tired and in need of a shower."

"Ah! Of course!" He grabbed her hand, leading her to what seemed like a random tent. "Lola-sensei said that this'll be your tent just in case you came back without one of the teachers." She nodded, taking note of that.

"I guess we part ways here?" she questioned, restraining the sadness in her voice. She wanted to be comforted and attended by her cousin.

He shook his head. "There's still dinner," Piko pointed out happily and that brought a grin to her lips. "I'll stop by here later. I still need to work on our tent and Len isn't the greatest at it."

"I could tell," Miki commented, glancing behind him to the boys' area, watching the blond struggle. "Too bad his sister was the one with the outdoors' genes." They laughed and the white-haired boy left to attend his fellow camper.

Watching his figure disappear through the darkness - a bon fire was their only source of light, along with some lanterns - Miki journeyed into her assigned tent and sighed in relief at how spacious it was. Surprisingly only one sleeping mat was there, and to her even greater surprise, Miku sat there with a creepy look on her face. Could that be possible seeing how beautiful the teal-haired girl was?

"Hey there Miki," Miku said in such a dulcet tone that Miki felt intimidated. She didn't think the school idol would even know her name.

"H-Hi..." she stammered pathetically.

Then Miku's eyes widened for a second and she coughed. "S-Sorry..." Well this was surprising; she didn't expect Miku to randomly apologize for scaring her. "I'm not used to socializing with people and well... I umm... I haven't been camping before." Dare Miki say it, but a stuttering Miku was about the cutest thing she ever saw, that is, until Mikuo's face appeared in her head.

She was not going to go fangirl about this on her blog any time soon.

"It's fine!" Miki assured while dropping her things and settling down on the ground, ready to fix her sleeping mat.

"Umm..."

"Hmm?" Miki looked up at the flustered teal-haired girl.

"That white-haired boy..."

...No freaking way.

"You mean Piko?"

She nodded. "I-I just wanted to thank him for..."

Miki grinned, feeling a pang of jealousy. "We can talk to him during dinner. He'll be saving me a spot."

Her eyes brightened at this as she nodded. Then it grew silent between the two girls while the red-haired one grabbed her sleeping bag and began fixing it on the floor. The tent was pitched up splendidly and she was sure that Piko was the one who did it. He probably jumped at the chance to help the famous teal siren. She silently rolled her eyes at the thought; Piko was kind, he would've done that for anyone.

A wolf's howl broke her thoughts, and Miki looked up for some reason.

It was like it was calling her.

Then she shook her head. She had been reading too many books, playing too many video games, and watching too much TV.

"Hey Miki," Miku called out, after the howl ended.

"Yeah?" Miki answered, resuming fixing her space. Miki's stuff was positioned closest to the tent's opening whereas Miku was pushed to the back of it. It didn't look like the two brought much. When she finished, she plopped down onto her red sleeping bag imprinted with cherries and reached over to her other bag that was filled with her clothes, necessities, and entertainment.

Her hand grasped what she was looking for and an inane grin splashed over her lips. In her hands was a PSP and she was finally able to continue the game she started on the bus!

"I was wondering..." Miku trailed while Miki switched on the game console. Colorful lights fluttered around her face as her eyes sparkled at the chance to finish the quest she started.

"Yeah?" Her mind getting warped and entranced by the game.

"Do you like the story of Little Red Riding Hood?" she finally finished.

Miki dropped the PSP at the mention of the title and looked at Miku who gazed at her with a serious look.

"...What?" Then without missing a beat, she burst out laughing. All the fear and anxiety she tried hiding until now somehow morphed itself into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "Th-That was really random, Miku!"

Miku had a confused look on her face, but shook her head, deciding that it was the wrong time to ask. "Silly me, I just thought someone else appreciated the story."

Miki flushed in embarrassment. Did she unintentionally insult the Hatsune Miku?

"U-Um, actually!"

"Dinner!" the teachers called while ringing several bells outside.

"I-I guess we have to go!" Miki informed with relief as she switched off her PSP and scrambled out of the tent.

This was one heck of a day.

...And it wasn't even over yet!

Newest thought: Reread the story of Red Riding Hood after the trip was over.


Okay I saw that there was a Little Red Riding Hood themed fic on here that's Len x Rin, but I have never read it, nor was I influenced by the recent remake of Little Red Riding Hood novel and movie. This randomly popped into my head because I wanted to write something like this and have an excuse to try out a new pairing.

...As I typed the Author Notes I just realized that a good choice wouldn't been Yuki Kaai if I were to write Little Red Riding Hood, but this is a young adult remake so meh.

On a side note, for all my usual readers, I'll be posting up a story status board since I've been seeing that around on others' profiles and it'll be easier to inform everyone.

Let's see if I could bring some love for this pairing?

~Ventus