INTRODUCTION TIME:

Happy birthday! Whose birthday is it? Mine. That's right, I made it a whole sixteen years without jumping off a building or tripping and falling down the stairs, and I expect a review from every one of you.

Mountain97, if you're reading this, why aren't you writing Kill the Rabbit chapters? But seriously, thanks for supporting me all this time.

I hope you all enjoy the story while it lasts. Because I have a terrible habit of not finishing these:

Meiko's bus was blue, green and white. It was about 10 years old. The old man who drove the bus before her died this year, and now it was she who drove it from Hajima station in Rasetsu, to Torinoko station in Senbonzu. There were a lot of stories circulating in Rasetsu about the old man's death. They say he died suddenly, the official word was of a heart attack, but in Rasetsu, they said he died of unnatural causes. Supernatural causes even. The old man had no family, and in his will, he wrote only one thing. Shut down the bus route on June the 1st. That was his sole request, and it was ignored. This was Meiko's first time driving on the infamous June 1st. Last year, she was sick and one of her friends drove for her. Meiko wasn't afraid. She didn't believe in the supernatural and she needed this job. She wasn't going to run off because of a creepy story.

The bus system existed mainly to take people through the wood. The woods lay between Rasetsu and Senbonzu, and had been there since before anyone could remember. They were large, and easy to get lost in, but because they were one of the few old forests left in Japan, they were not destroyed, but instead, a road was built through them, and a bus route established. Anyone who chose to walk through the woods on their own was definitely crazy. Just like the death of the old man, the woods were shrouded in legend and unpleasant mystery. But the woods were much older than the old man, and so were the stories.

There were a few bus stops in Rasetsu, but most people were gone by Nichibotsu station, the last one before the long road to Senbonzu. On this particular June 1st, there was one person left when Meiko reached Nichibotsu station at sunset, a girl with short green hair sitting in the very back, wearing a green hoodie, white on the inside, that matched her hair and a blue tee shirt. The first people to get on at the station were three regulars, the yellow haired Kaganime twins, Rin and Len, and their best friend, Hatsune Miku. Miku was wearing her blue hair in pigtails today, along with her school uniform. Meiko noticed that her skirt was hemmed so that it was a little bit shorter, a common practice amongst the girls of Miku's school. Miku was a cute girl, adored by pretty much the whole town. Meiko didn't know as much about her as she did the twins, but she heard things. Miku was 16 and the town's diva. She was known for her voice, but she wasn't stuck up about it. After every performance she would always express the wish that she'd done better. She bounced on board and bowed to Meiko. Meiko smiled and waved back.

After Miku came the twins, who Meiko had known since they first starting taking the bus from their home in Senbonzu to their middle school in Rasetsu. Both were now 14. Rin greeted Meiko with a squeal and a hug, which Meiko was used to by now. Rin wore a bow in her hair and had a bubbly personality, which was a mild way of putting it. The girl was fond of pranks, which Meiko didn't mind, but it got her in a lot of trouble. Len, Rin's brother, greeted Meiko with a shy dip of the head. He was more mature and reserved than Rin, but still very much a child at heart. Together, the twins were considered delinquents. The first Meiko heard of them was a local story about the twins: when they were both ten years old, Rin and Len found their way into a roadroller and "accidentally" mowed down a building.

The two met Miku when they were all thirteen. Miku was already something of a celebrity, performing regularly at a concert hall in Senbonzu. Rin tried to dip her pigtails in black ink. Meiko had never been told exactly how, but that incident blossomed into a friendship.

The happy trio went to their usual seats near the front of the bus, sat down, and began to pour over Miku's phone. Miku was probably texting with her boyfriend.

The next two to get on was a couple. Meiko recognized the man, his name was Kaito. She had a crush on him when she first moved to Rasetsu. It never amounted to anything. Kaito had blue hair and the kind of face you'd hear described in a fairy tale. He always looked a little sad, even when he was happy. From what she heard, he had a whimsical personality. Now he was engaged, she heard, so the woman next to him must be his fiancée. She had beautiful long pink hair, and a face that matched Kaito's in its beauty. A couple out of a catalogue. Meiko was happy for Kaito.

She waited a minute to see if anyone else was getting on, and when no one showed, she floored the gas and zoomed off into the wood. Kaito and his girlfriend looked nervously at each other, unused to Meiko's driving tactics, but the Kagamines and Miku were unfazed. Anyone who took the bus knew that Meiko drove like a drunk woman even when she wasn't, but she always got everyone to the other side of the woods.

A girl with short green hair sat in the back of the bus. She was quiet, not because she was sad, but she knew no one on the bus and was bored. So she looked out the window at the spread of watercolor flying past.

"Hey," The green haired girl looked up. It was Miku. "Are you ok?"

She was caught off guard. Miku was genuinely concerned. She nodded.

"You look lonely, you should come sit with us," Miku motioned to where the yellow siblings awaited her return. "I'm Miku, by the way. Hatsune Miku." Miku held out her hand.

"Gumi." the green haired girl answered simply.

"Hey," Miku said when Gumi turned her attention back to the window, "It isn't good to be alone."

"You don't want me with you."

"Yeah we do."

Gumi looked up. Miku was still there. So Gumi got up, took her bag, and went to sit with Len and Rin.

The sun was setting. Kaito had the pink haired girl asleep on his shoulder. He poked her head gently. "Luka," he said, "wake up."

Luka opened her eyes. "What is it?"

Kaito pointed out the window with delight on his face. "The sun, it's gone."

"Whut?"

"But it's still light out. They call it the golden hour." Luka didn't say anything so Kaito could tell she was mad at him for waking her up. "Now would be the perfect time to take a picture." Kaito prompted,

"Oh right!" Luka took her camera out of her bag and removed the lenses cap. "We should ask someone to take a picture of us," Luka said, "It will turn out better that way."

"It turns out really well when you take the photo yourself." Luka blushed a little at Kaito's praise.

"Excuse me," Luka said, getting Miku's attention.

"Huh? What is it?" Miku asked,

"Can you take a picture of me and my fiancée please?" Luka asked, holding out the camera.

"Sure," Miku said, "can I ask why you want your photo taken in a bus?"

"We're going on vacation, and we're making a photo journal of our trip," Luka explained, "It's important to show some of the parts where your traveling, not just all the landmarks you see."

Miku didn't really understand what Luka was talking about, but she took the photo without any further questions.

The photo didn't turn out. The faces in the pictures were blurry. No matter how many times Miku retook the photo, the faces were always blurry. Luka blamed it on the bus' movement, and the drivers inability to drive in a straight line.

Gumi was still quiet, because she was unsure how to act, but that didn't make things awkward. The Kagamines and Miku did all the talking for her.

"Did he text you back yet?" Rin asked Miku,

"No," Miku bit her lip, looking down at her phone's blue screen, "I still can't believe he said that."

"I know, right? What a jerk."

"Maybe you should dump him," Len suggested,

"Not until I've given him a chance to apologize," Miku said, appalled, "You really don't know how this works, do you?"

"I know enough," Len said,

"Are you getting reception?" Rin asked. She had her phone out and was staring at it with frustration, "I'm not getting reception."

"No, I'm not," Miku frowned, "This usually doesn't happen."

"Maybe it's because it's the first of June! Woooo!" Len said the last few words with a wavering spooky voice and wiggled his fingers at Miku,

"Stop it!" Miku giggled, "Open the window Len it's too hot!"

"You do it,"

"I don't have a window seat stupid."

Len rolled his eyes and opened the bus window. The wind ran its fingers through his blond hair, making it look like wheat in summer.

"What about you Gumi?" Rin asked, still upset about the phones, "Are you getting reception."

Gumi blinked, surprised to be drawn into the conversation suddenly. She was distracted by Len's hair. Gumi pulled out her phone, and checked it. No reception. She shook her head and Rin groaned,

"Meiko!" She called, "I don't have reception!"

"Not my problem," Meiko sang back, "you might have to actually have a face to face conversation on this drive."

"You say it like I can't have a face to face conversation," Rin pouted, "I have tons of face to face conversations. Gumi." Gumi looked up from her phone and found herself suddenly face to face with Rin, "Why are you going to Senbonzu?"

"Um," Gumi looked down at her hands, then over at Kaito and Luka, who were asleep on each other's shoulders.

"You don't have to answer us if you don't want to," Len said from right beside her.

"No," Gumi said, "I'm fine. Sorry." She smiled. It was the first time they had seen her smile, and it was short lived. "I'm going to military school."

"Military school?" Miku asked, "How old are you?"

"16. My parents say I have discipline issues. It's just a fancy way of saying I don't do what they want all the time."

"Woah" Rin's eye's widened, "You're going to Uramote Keisatsu right?"

"Yeah, that's the place. Do you know it?"

"Me and my brother live in Senbonzu," Rin smiled, gesturing to herself and Len, who was putting headphones on. "We know where Uramote Keisatsu is. It's the building we demolished when our mom threatened to send us there."

"You what?"

"We mowed it down in a big roadroller," Rin said, acting out the glorious memory as she told it, "Broke in, started the engine. Then... Boom! They had to build a whole new building, and then they didn't want us there anymore."

"Well, it wasn't exactly like that," Len said, lifting up one of his headphone ears, "They were planning on demolishing the building anyway, and it was really an accident. We didn't demolish it on purpose. The rest is true though."

"Maybe I'll see you when I'm there," Gumi said,

"Maybe," Len said, "I hear they keep going through most of summer, we'll probably be around a lot then. We'll visit you."

Rin hopped up and down in her seat, "Yeah, you wont get bored, not on our watch."

"I don't think I'll be bored regardless," Gumi said, "This isn't my first military school. I have a pretty good idea what it'll be like."

"You don't seem too excited about this military school, Himitsu Keisatsu, or whatever it was." Miku said. There was a pop. Rin was opening a bag of chips. Meiko allowed food on her bus unlike some drivers.

"No, I'm not," Gumi said, "I don't like military schools. They're confining."

"I'm sorry," Miku said, expertly snatching two chips from Rin and offering one to Gumi,

"Thanks," Gumi said, taking the chip and munching it.

Miku bit off the end of her chip and chewed pensively.

"Hey! What was that?" Rin was looking out the window and she saw something.

"What is it Rin?" Miku squashed into the seat with Rin so she could look out the window too, "What did you see?"

"It was like a big dog thing!" Rin said, obviously spooked,

"Maybe it was a ghost," Len said, implementing the spooky voice and fingers again, "Woooo!"

"I'm serious Len" Rin said with complete sobriety, "It was big, and running alongside us. I'm going to warn Meiko."

Rin never got to warn Meiko. There was a shout from the drivers seat, then a screech and a jerk that threw everyone backward. The lights went out.

So that was Chapter 1. Please review. Also, tell me what you want. What vocaloid characters would you like me to shoehorn into this fic? What common fannon characteristics do you want me to use? I take your advice to heart.

ALSO! And this is important. I'm completely not satisfied with my crappy title. If you can think of anything better, let me know.

More to come.