A/N: Well, I guess there's a little fluff.
Disclaimer: the story is still fictional, and I still don't own Vocaloid.
Gakupo sat on the couch, filling out yet another Sudoku as he waited for someone to come home. His sigh filled the quiet living room. I should've stayed and helped her finish all that work, he thought sourly. His decision to give her some room and not seem over-protective was seriously beginning to annoy him. I don't want her to resent me, though. This is for the best.
For the past few months, ever since he'd laid eyes on the pink-haired woman whose family he was coming to join, he'd been trying to get her attention. However, any show of affection was met with a cold glare, and any attempt to help her out was absolutely unacceptable in her eyes. He was sure she was completely capable of taking care of herself, but how could he resist trying to make her life a little easier? He wanted to be there for her.
As he penciled in the remaining number in the upper-right box, the shrill ring of the telephone pierced the suffocating silence of the empty house. Gakupo sighed again, walking over to the kitchen to answer it. Probably Miku calling to tell me they'll be home late, he thought tiredly.
"Hello?" he said lethargically into the phone.
"Ah, who is this?" asked an unfamiliar voice.
"Gakupo Kamui, this is the Vocaloid residence. Why? Who is this?" he asked, a little annoyed. Wrong number, maybe?
"Well, I'm Teto Kasane, a woman just came into my café and said she was attacked on the street. She gave me this number to call…" answered the woman. Gakupo bristled. Gangs these days… these streets are getting more and more dangerous at night… he thought as he heard the woman ask someone for her name. "She said her name was Luka Megurine."
The moment he heard that, Gakupo's heart stopped. The phone slid out of his hand and banged loudly on the floor. It took only a second for his entire world to crash around him.
NOT LUKA!
He dropped to his knees and found the phone on the floor, from which Teto's voice was calling "Hello? Hello, Kamui-san?"
"IS SHE OKAY?" he shouted into the phone, raw panic in his voice. Where? "Where is she?"
"It's okay, sir, she's fine. I'm calling from–" she recited the address of the café.
Gakupo only had time to blurt "I'm coming over!" before he hastily hung up the phone and scrambled out the door. Shoes! I need shoes! He said, noticing the slippers he was wearing. A jacket wouldn't hurt, either. He pulled on black shoes and the first jacket he grabbed, and as he was fumbling with his car keys he noticed the red car beside him. Luka's car. Stupid! Why didn't I remember she walked to work this morning? I'm such an idiot; I let her walk home alone! This is all my fault!
The anxious ride to the café was excruciating. The cars in front of him were too slow, the traffic lights too cruel in their sluggish, taunting cycles. His knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so hard for the longest ten minutes of his life.
He was tempted to ditch his car on the side of the street and just run, fly down the street, anything to get to her faster. Luckily, a reasonable voice in his head reminded him that he would need some way to bring Luka home when he finally got to her. He gritted his teeth. If I ever get my hands on the bastards that did this… a stream of poisonous thoughts ran through his mind, things he'd never imagined himself capable of wanting. His heart pounded in his ears, his bloodstream flowing hot with fury, hatred, and pure cold fear.
He finally reached the café, the surrounding street now lit with the flashing lights of two police cars. He parked the car unevenly on the side of the street and didn't even bother locking it as he dashed inside. He hastily slid through the open door, and as he was surveying the room filled with small booths and a tidy counter, a man with bright red hair pulled into a low ponytail approached him.
"Are you Kamui-san?" he asked in a low voice. The entire room seemed hushed, the police officers even talking in whispers over in the corner.
"Yes. Where is she?" he said quickly, unable to hide his anxiety.
The man motioned to the corner where the police officers were talking. "My sister is taking care of her."
Gakupo walked over quickly but silently, as if his feet automatically sensed the quiet and were striving not to shatter it. He noticed a bit of salmon-colored hair, and his heart skipped a beat. He stood next to one of the officers and looked anxiously down at the mess of the woman he loved.
She was wrapped up in a brown blanket, but she still shivered as she laid curled up on the booth seat with her head on Teto's lap. One of the officers was sitting across from them and asking her questions, most of which she answered in a low, calm voice. Her eyes were red and teary, and her cheek had a long red scratch that looked to be from a brick wall. Her beautiful long hair spilled out on the red booth seat, the ends filled with dirt and grime. Her shredded stockings had been removed, and she had tattered red slippers on, hiding the raw skin on the soles of her feet. She kept closing her eyes as if she was falling asleep, and each time it took her longer and longer to open them again.
As she stumbled to answer one particularly hard question, her eyes darted around and focused on the purple-haired man standing at the end of the table, holding his breath. Her eyes filled with tears, and she managed the smallest of smiles.
It was the most beautiful thing Gakupo had ever seen.
"Luka," he said, choking on tears that were finally spilling down his face. The standing officer moved aside, and Gakupo sat down on the booth next to her feet as Teto helped her sit up. He locked eyes with her, two tear-blurred gazes connected, then he pulled her forward to embrace her. Heavy tears that Luka had been denying started running into the shoulder of Gakupo's jacket. He pressed his lips against her hair, crying silently as a million different emotions thrashed against his heart. It was a long while before he could muster up the strength to say anything.
"I bet you fought them off, didn't you?" he whispered, his voice thick from the tears. She nodded without moving away. "I'm proud of you," he said, a little chuckle escaping his lips. He started running his hands through her hair soothingly.
"Based on the information she's given us," said the seated officer gravely, "we've been able to capture five of the men. Two of them were out cold."
Gakupo chuckled again, but it wasn't from humor. It was one of those things where one has been through such turmoil that relief makes one giddy enough to laugh when it's over. He'd never doubted her ability to defend herself. However, one thought was eating at him, scratching an endless line of pain in his heart:
I should've been there for her.
"It's all right," he said, resting his head back on the top of the seat and swallowing his tears. He said this as much to convince himself as the woman shivering in his arms.
Shivering. Luka couldn't stop shivering. She wasn't even cold anymore, but now that she was safe her body refused to accept it. She felt Gakupo's hands rub her back and shoulders, trying to warm her up. It was pointless, but the action itself made her feel a little better, at least.
After a few long minutes relaxed in the warmth of Gakupo's arms, she pulled away so she could wipe the tears off her face. She felt his gentle fingers on her cheeks, replacing her rough sleeve to wipe the moisture from her skin, and subconsciously her shivering started to waive.
Gakupo suddenly realized that there were several pairs of eyes trained on the heartwarming scene between them. From their point of view, the two of them probably looked like lovers. He didn't mind… his focus right now was comforting Luka. What their audience thought of their exchange didn't matter. Gakupo was just glad that he could be there for her… even if he hadn't been able to help her before. Bittersweet thoughts swirled in his mind.
"C'mon, Luka, I'm going to take you home," he said tenderly. She looked up at him, and a little smile graced her lips.
"One last question first, sir," said the seated officer. He turned to face Luka. "I understand this will be hard for you to answer, miss, but could you try to describe… what they did to you?"
Her jaw clenched, and she stared into the distance past the officer, her gaze hardening dangerously. It was almost a full minute before she could answer. "You could probably very well guess," she said tightly and grimly, "but I got away before they could finish."
Gakupo's hands were clenched into tight fists, but he felt trickles of relief seep through him at this news. If those men had actually gotten to her… he thought darkly.
He was saddened to see the darkness in his eyes reflected in hers.
"For the record," began the standing officer, "you did an excellent job of staying calm and utilizing defensive techniques, miss. These men will serve a long, hard sentence in prison."
Luka nodded her head numbly. Her eyes fluttered, the exhaustion of the night setting down on her.
"I'll drive you home," Gakupo said quietly. Luka nodded, sinking into his arms. He scooped her up and stood, holding her princess-style.
"Wait… do you want this back?" Luka said sleepily to Teto, holding up the blanket still wrapped around her.
Teto shook her head solemnly. "Keep it." A flood of relief washed through Luka's weary frame; she really didn't need Gakupo to see how torn her clothes were.
"Thank you," she said weakly but meaningfully. She closed her eyes, relaxing into Gakupo's calm warmth. He exchanged a few words with the police officers that she didn't catch, then carried her out to the car. He set her down in the front seat, and a wave of panic struck her at the absence of his relaxing presence before she realized he was just walking around to the driver's side door. She sighed at her own irrationality. It was probably just the relentless fatigue setting in.
He silently began driving home, brooding in his own dark thoughts. She curled up in the seat, vacillating between closing her eyes and watching him drive. When she closed her eyes, the horrible sense of dark encasement began brewing in the corners of her mind; when she left them open, his silently thinking profile calmed her a little. She settled on leaving them open.
"Hey, Gakupo?" she said quietly as something occurred to her.
"Yes?" He'd forced himself to compose his voice so she wouldn't be able to sense the cloud of fury hanging over him.
"We can't let the twins know. Or Miku, or Gumi," she said, her voice filling with panic at the thought of the younger Vocaloids learning what had happened to her.
Gakupo clenched his jaw. "I agree. What about Meiko, Kaito, and Kiyoteru?"
She sighed. "You can tell them. I… don't think I could."
He stared coldly at the road in front of him. They came to a stoplight, and he closed his eyes, forcing his anger deep inside him. He noticed his hands were tightly clutching the wheel again, and he removed one of them to caress her face gently. "Okay."
She sighed in relief, leaning into his hand. With that weight off her chest, all she really wanted to do was sleep. She needed a shower, though. She wondered if the rest of them had returned from karaoke yet, and whether she'd be able to sneak past their suspicions.
They pulled into the garage, and discovered Meiko and Kiyoteru's cars still missing. Another sigh of relief; another weight off her chest: they hadn't come home yet. She uncurled herself from the seat and opened the door. Before she could stand, however, he was standing in front of her, blocking her way.
"Oh, no, you don't," he said, with a joking smile. He only meant to lighten the mood by carrying her inside, but it was soon clear that it was a mistake. Luka flashed back to a few hours before, when she was surrounded by men wearing those dangerous grins. Fear flashed across her eyes, and she instinctively recoiled back into the car.
Gakupo's smile disappeared, replaced with a face laden with worry and concern. He kneeled on the ground in front of her, so he was just below her eye level. "I'm sorry," he said gently. "It's okay, I just forgot…" He trailed off, grimacing at his own stupidity. Luka had recovered by then, and apologized quickly, embarrassed by her reaction. He glanced up at with penetratingly sad eyes.
The next moment, he had composed himself and scooped her up again. "Hey! You don't have to carry me!" Luka complained quietly.
"Both you and I know very well that you would fall on your face on the very first step," he said slowly, a small smile urging its way onto his face. Luka pouted, but didn't try to struggle. It was very true – in fact, she wasn't sure if she could've made it to the stairs at all. She resigned herself to becoming comfortable in his arms.
He set her down in her room. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, his forehead creased with concern.
She raised an eyebrow. "I can make it from here."
He smiled at her, and hugged her briefly before walking out of the room. He glanced at her once more before closing the door.
He'll be worrying about me all night… Luka thought guiltily. Sighing, she carefully walked over to her bathroom. It was times like these that she was incredibly thankful to have a bathroom connected to her room. She turned on the shower, heating up the water, and cautiously dropped the blanket that had remained draped over her shoulders.
Her clothes were a complete mess. Her shirt had been torn to pieces, not just eliminating the buttons but nearly destroying it at the seams. Her skirt was tattered at the ends, and the knees peeking out from beneath it were scratched and bloody. She pulled off the shirt, and grimaced in pain; something hard and sharp had caught her skin on the back of her right shoulder. Teto had washed and bandaged it, so hopefully it wouldn't get infected, but Luka made a resolution to clean it again after her shower… which she knew she was going to forget. She removed the rest of her clothes, and piled them all in the trash bin. She didn't dare look in the mirror for fear that the disheveled face looking back would disgust her.
She showered slowly, enjoying the way the hot water sedated the lingering shivers, but wincing as it stung her wounds. After she had washed herself three or four times at least, she turned off the water, and the shivers immediately resumed.
Lying in bed in the warmest pajamas she could find, Luka expected to fall asleep immediately. But however tired her body was, her mind was still reeling in circles and refusing to settle down. She struggled to keep her eyes shut for an hour before she heard the rest of the family enter the house. The silent building suddenly exploded in sound; the Vocaloids, after all, weren't known for their ability to be quietly tranquil. She heard Gakupo's low voice say something along the lines of "Luka had a hard day at work, so she went to bed early," and from then on the racket was accompanied by equally loud shushes. Luka sighed quietly, smiling to herself. As annoying as they were, she truly loved her family.
For the next hour, the younger Vocaloids failed at being quiet as they got ready for bed. After the general din quieted down and quiet breathing could be slightly heard throughout the house, she heard low voices coming from the kitchen. As time went on, they became increasingly panicked and angry. Gakupo must be talking with them… Luka thought numbly. Telling them what happened. She truly hoped he'd convince them she really needed her sleep, because she didn't want to face any of them at that point.
Another half hour or so passed, and although some feet lingered at her door, nobody entered Luka's room. Finally, it must've been after midnight when the hall light turned off and relative silence fell over the Vocaloid house. It took a long time for Luka to relax her mind; in her exhaustion her thoughts trailed off into incomprehensible nonsense. When she did eventually find sleep, it was only for a brief time; nightmares which had been brewing silently within her rose readily to devour her unconscious mind.
As dawn approached, she considered asking Gakupo to sleep in his room, but immediately rejected that idea. It might stop the nightmares, but she didn't want to give him anything else to worry about – she pictured that little line between his eyebrows creasing, which always accompanied a sad, angry, or concerned look in his eyes. Besides… it took her a moment to think of what the "her" twelve hours ago would've said. I don't want to give the pervert any ideas. She almost laughed at herself.
Eventually, she fell into a numb, exhausted daze just as the sun was peeking up over the ocean in the distance. The night of horror and pain was over, it was a new day, and Luka was completely insensible to it all.
A/N: Twas was the chapter that never ends! I couldn't get to a good stopping point, orz Well, I'll have the next chapter up ASAP, as soon as I figure out what to write... ^^" I hope you liked it, though~
Vacillate: to waver between two choices. It was a vocab word in class the other day, I couldn't resist ^^""