Chapter 2
Silent Promises
Lady Val's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! I was honestly kind of surprised to get any. It was a pleasant surprise though. :) I spent pretty much all day writing this chapter. Hope you enjoy!
...There is a huge possibility of this containing spelling errors and such considering I only reread it twice...
It didn't take long for everyone to ambush them upon their arrival…
"Luka!" Miku exclaimed, peaking her head out from around a corner with a large ladle in her hand that was covered in brown liquid. The teal haired girl dropped the ladle on the ground upon noticing Luka's pale appearance and gathered her up in her arms. "You're freezing! Your hair is soaking wet too! What happened?" she interrogated, looking slightly panicked.
Luka sighed an airy sigh, already tired of panicked expressions. Len thankfully stepped in and explained to Miku what had happened. Although his version was a bit more angry than Luka's probably would have been by including a few profanities directed towards the taxi driver.
"I'm fine though," Luka told her when Len finished her story. "Len found me and now I'm all bett-"
"LEN!" exclaimed a high pitched voice belonging to no other than Rin. "What took you so long? I was starting to worry. I tried calling you but of course you wouldn't pick up your cell…and why is Luka soaked?" Rin asked, directing her attention from her brother to Luka.
"I'll tell you later," Miku said to Rin just as Kaito appeared in the foyer.
"Hey you two," the tall man remarked, eying the both of them suspiciously. "Why are you-"
"Don't ask. Miku will tell you what happened," Luka interjected, clearly not enjoying all the attention focused on her.
Len walked over and handed her soaking wet jacket to Kaito who was standing there dumbfounded. "Do you think you could dry this for Luka? I don't want it getting moldy…" he asked and Kaito nodded in agreement, taking the jacket from Len and disappearing through a door at the end of the hall.
We all stood there in silence, not knowing what to say next.
"I should get back to cooking dinner…" Miku muttered, walking over to where she dropped her ladle and picked it up. "Do you want to take a bath before dinner, Luka? You look like you'd enjoy one right about now."
The thought of immersing her cold body in hot water sounded heavenly. "I don't think I'd like anything more than that right now, Miku," Luka said with a smile.
Miku returned the smile with one of her own. "Your room is the last door on the second floor. It's on the right. Len's is right across from you and I'm right next to you. Go take a bath now. I'll have one of the boys bring your stuff up to your room while you're taking a bath."
"Thanks," I said and she nodded and went around the corner back into what Luka presumed to be the kitchen. She turned to Len and slipped of his jacket, immediately missing its warmth.
"Thanks for letting me borrow this. It was a huge help. Sorry it's a little wet," she said, handing him his jacket back.
He let out a small chuckle and took the jacket from her. "Anytime. I'll go find the dryer and dry it as well. It's not a problem. Go take your bath now. I'll see you at dinner," he said, smiling at me before entering the same door Kaito went through.
Luka stood in the foyer, remembering his smile for a moment. She shook her head to clear it, completely confused as to why she was recalling such a thing. It was just a smile. You smile at your friends. There wasn't anything special about it. She tried to convince herself of this as she bounded up the tall mahogany staircase.
When she reached the second floor, she saw that the staircase continued up another flight. She briefly wondered what was up there, but figured she'd find out later.
She turned her attention back to the hallway in front of her and found that the floor was made of mahogany wood as well. The walls were made out of a similar wood that she didn't recognize. There were five doors on each side of the hall right across from one another. A long decorative rug laid upon the floor and a few paintings hug upon the wall, mostly consisting of mountains and lakes. The lights shone above her on the ceiling, illuminating the hallway well.
Luka walked briskly down the hall, eager to get to her room and take a shower. She reached the last door on the right side of the hall and turned the cold golden knob. She opened the heavy door and her mouth dropped as she saw her room.
First of all, it was huge. Second of all, her bed was huge. She imagined that the bed could fit six people in it. To her right she saw a door leading to her bathroom, which she figured would be large as well. She shut the door behind her and wandered her room a bit more.
It had a red and brown color scheme which she enjoyed. Her blankets, pillows, and curtains were all a dark red which complimented the soft brown carpet nicely. She walked over to the electric fireplace, her feet sinking in the carpet with every step, and flipped the switch. She watched as a fire lit and began to fill the area around her with warmth. She smiled to herself and went into the bathroom.
Luka opened the door and felt along the wall for the light switch, when she found it and flipped it, she was not surprised by the continuing red and brown color scheme which seemed to be prominent throughout the room.
She had two sinks with lots of counter space which she was happy about. Luka had a habit of getting her stuff everywhere. She had a shower which she figured she probably wouldn't be using as much as her huge bath that could fit three people. She eagerly stripped off her damp clothes and filled the tub up, adding some of the bubble bath solution she found provided for her.
Luka stepped into the warm water, letting it envelop her whole body. She let out a small sigh of pleasure and closed her eyes, trying not to recall her long trudge in the snow. She could already feel her legs aching from the walk.
More than anything, Luka was just happy to be away from work with her friends. She loved singing more than anything and it was her passion, but she couldn't help but get tired of fame every once in awhile. Her fame was quickly on the raise as well. Almost everyone who knew of Miku knew of Luka. And that was saying something, considering that Miku was easily the most popular out of them all.
Luka smiled at the thought of Miku. She became her best friend when she joined Crypton. They had a hard time getting to see one another though because of their schedules. Despite this, they called frequently and Luka was looking forward to spending time with her.
Luka dipped her head underwater, making sure to get it nice and wet so she could actually wash it. She used vanilla shampoo and conditioner on her long hair before draining the tub and washing it all off in the shower.
When she finished, she wrapped a soft brown towel around her torso and went back in to her room where she found her large suitcase at the foot of her bed. She opened it and grabbed a comfortable bra and panties. She also grabbed a white tang top and beige formfitting sweatpants.
She quickly put everything on and was applying some deodorant when there was a knock on her door. She recapped it and set it on he dresser before shouting "come in!" to whoever was at the door.
The door opened to reveal a red cowlick, then a smiling teenage girl who appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen. She had light red eyes and long, striking red hair. She wore red and blue stripped thigh high socks, white cotton shorts, and a dark blue t-shirt. On her feet were light red fluffy slippers. Luka already knew the girl from TV and a few magazines.
"Hey, Luka. I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Miki," she said walking up to Luka and extending her hand which Luka politely shook.
"You're one of the newcomers, right?" Luka asked and Miki nodded bashfully.
"I've been a fan of yours for quite some time, Luka," Miki admitted, her face turning a light red which match her hair quite well.
Luka smiled at her, feeling like she was talking to one of her teenage fans. Which really was the current situation, but she wasn't used to living with one for a week.
"I've heard some of your songs. You're really talented. I absolutely loved Triangle Love," Luka admitted, recalling hearing her latest single on the radio on her way to work.
Miki's eyes lit up at the compliment. "Did you really like it?" she asked, looking positively ecstatic. "I think it's my best song so far. I kind of had a rocky start without a defining song, but I think this one will do it for me," she told Luka, determination ringing in her voice.
Luka laughed at her enthusiasm and nodded her head. "It's great! In fact, I downloaded it on my Ipod after hearing it," Luka admitted, walking over to her suitcase and pulling out her Ipod. Miki leaned in closer to get a look as Luka scrolled down to the song. She pressed play and the room was filled with the upbeat intro of "Triangle Love".
"I love the beat," Luka told her, turning up the volume a bit more.
"I do too. I can't believe that you of all people listen to my music," Miki said in disbelief.
The two girls were interrupted as there was another knock at the door. They both turned their heads in the direction of the door. Luka turned her ipod off and the door opened. There stood a handsome man who looked a year or two than Luka with brown hair and glasses. Unlike Miki, the two had already met a few weeks ago when they were introduced to one another by Miku. They had lunch together and had gotten to know each other a bit better before the vacation. Luka remembered that the first thing she registered about him was that he had a kind smile.
"Hey, Kiyo," Miki said, smiling at the older man.
"It's time for dinner, you two. Miku asked me to come get you," he told them, his voice gentle. "It's good to see you again, Luka," he told her and Luka recalled how much she liked meeting him. There was something genuine about him.
"It's good to see you again as well," she agreed and walked out of her room with Miki behind her.
The three of them went downstairs and into the huge kitchen. Luka noticed that everything about the house was huge and extravagant. All the appliances were top of the line and there was enough counter space for twenty people to cook. Miku stood at the oven wearing a white apron, dishing out soup from a large pot with her ladle.
"Go sit down in the dining room, you three. I'll serve dinner up in a minute," Miku instructed, waving them out with her free hand.
"Are you sure you don't want me to help?" Luka offered and Miku shook her head. "Alright then…" she said, giving in.
Luka followed Miki into the next room which she found to be the dining room and the living room in one. A fireplace was roaring in front of two large sofas and two arm chairs. Next to the fireplace was a large bookshelf staked with books that made Luka make a mental note to look at later. Next to her and behind the sofas was a large wooden table with ten chairs where everyone was taking their seats at.
Kaito sat at the end of the table on the left, the spot next to him occupied by Meiko who Luka saw for the first time since arriving. Meiko smiled at her and she smiled back, looking forward to talking to her later. Kiyoteru took the seat across from Kaito and Miki sat next to him. Rin sat next to Miki and across from Len.
Luka caught Len's eye and he smiled, looking from her to the empty chair beside him. She sat down next to him, clearly understanding his eye signals.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
"Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better now that I took that bath," she told him and she could see the relief rush over his face.
Miku entered the room, carrying a huge metal pot. A cute girl with short brown hair tied in pig tails with yellow ribbons stood beside her. She appeared to be around nine years old. She was carrying nine bowls stacked on top of one another with nine spoons at the top. Luka recognized her as Yuki, the youngest singer of her agency, AhSoft.
"I hope you're all hungry," Miku said as she sat the pot on the table. "We have bread in the oven that's almost ready as well," she informed them, looking proud of her hard work in the kitchen. "Since we have no one here to serve us, we'll take turns cooking dinner in pairs. Yuki is my helper tonight and it's Kaito's and Meiko's turn to serve dinner tomorrow," Miku said with a smirk as Kaito groaned. Luka was well aware that he'd much rather eat than cook.
Miku began serving the soup which turned out to be beef stew. She filled a bowl and handed it to Luka to give to Len who continued to pass it down.
Luka nearly dropped the first bowl as she passed it to Len. His fingers grazed hers which sent a shiver down her spine. His fingers would touch hers every time she passed a bowl down and she had a hard time convincing herself that it was all just a coincidence.
Dinner was going well and Miku's stew was absolutely delicious. It surprised Luka, as Miku wasn't exactly the best cook. She was known to add too much leek to pretty much everything that called for it. Just like everything else Miku made, the stew had a lot of leeks, but Luka didn't complain; it was still good. The bread was soft and golden. It melted in her mouth. If it was one thing she missed, it was a home cooked meal prepared by someone who wasn't actually a chef.
Everyone at the table was laughing and catching up a storm when Yuki, who was sitting next to Luka, poked her shoulder. Luka turned to look at the young girl who was holding her bread out to her.
"Do you think you could help me butter my bread?" she asked, her voice soft and sweet.
"Of course I can," Luka said, smiling at the young girl and taking the bread from her. "May I have the butter, Len?" she asked the boy sitting next to her who had just finished using it.
"Sure thing," he replied, his fingers brushing hers once more as he passed her the butter.
"Thanks," Luka muttered, trying to keep her voice steady. He nodded and took a large bite of his stew, clearly hungry.
Luka took her knife and sliced a small piece of butter off for Yuki and spread it across her bread. "Here you go, Yuki," Luka said to the small girl and handed her the bread.
"Thank you, Luka!" Yuki exclaimed, taking a large bite of her bread and chewing contently.
Luka finished everything in her bowl and was stuffed by the time dinner was over. Everyone else was finishing up as Miku and Yuki started cleaning up, which was also part of kitchen duty.
Everyone started to go their separate ways when Len turned to Luka.
"What do you think you're going to do now?" he asked, rising from his seat.
"I don't know. I'm kind of tired. I think I'll go back to my room and go to sleep. I've kind of had a long day," she said, also standing up.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Len said with a laugh. "I think I'll do the same. Come on, I'll walk you."
They walked together down the hall and past the kitchen. Luka had an eerie feeling that somebody was watching her. She turned around to see Miku eyeing her as she went upstairs with Len. Was there something weird about going upstairs with Len? She was just going to sleep. In her room. Alone. There wasn't anything strange about it, so why was Miku looking at her like something suspicious was going on?
Len continued walking up the stairs, not noticing Miku watching them and Luka walked a little faster to catch up. He walked her to the end of the hall and turned around to face her, a serious look on his face.
"Why didn't you keep in touch, Luka?" Len asked her, his light blue eyes piercing hers. Deep sadness reflected in them and Luka felt like she was going to throw up her dinner.
The question caught her completely off guard. It was a good question though; she couldn't deny that. Two years had past and they barley talked. Luka remembered them being extremely close during their first vacation. He was so much fun to be around and they did almost everything together, making his sister extremely jealous that she was no longer the primary female in his life. After the vacation was over though, she focused on work and only work. If Miku hadn't of been so persistent, she probably wouldn't have remained friends with her either. After only a few phone calls with Len that grew shorter and shorter each time, they drifted apart.
After that, Luka went out of her way to avoid being reminded of him. She turned the radio off when one of his songs came on, flipped past pages of magazines featuring him, and only looked at him briefly when they happened to be together at agency events. She didn't know why she kept him so distant. All she knew was that it was painful to see him when they weren't close like they used to be. Instead of trying to repair their relationship, she tried to move on.
Luka looked down at the decorative carpet on the ground, the design making her eyes hurt and her head dizzy.
"I don't have a good reason, Len," she admitted, her voice filled with remorse. "I was just starting out in my career then and I was so focused on only that. I'm sorry. I'm so extremely sorry," Luka apologized, feeling hot tears well up in her eyes.
To her surprise, she felt Len wrap his arms around her and pull her close. She slowly lifted her arms and wrapped them around his torso. She rested her head against his chest, wondering to herself when he got so tall. She listened to his heart beating and breathed in the sweet smell of cinnamon.
"I missed you, Luka"
"I missed you too."
After a minute of holding her, he let her go and disappeared into his room, leaving Luka standing in the hallway; standing there wondering if that had even happened.
She turned around and headed into her own room. She turned off the fire place and all the lights before slipping out of her sweat pants and tang top. She crawled into bed, feeling extremely guilty about going so long without talking to Len. She made a silent promise to herself to never do it to him again.
Yay for the end of chapter two! :D
Sorry about this chapter. It was kind of the "meet the characters and get situated" chapter. Had to be done. Luka pretty much got to talk to everyone but Meiko. It was hard having everyone make an appearance. I'm not going to lie though...I enjoyed the ending. I get excited writing my own drama. Yes, I am indeed pathetic.
So if you do read this, reviews do mean the world to me. Even if it's just to tell me "Yes, I am indeed reading this". Just that would be enough. :)
Knowing me, I'll probably have chapter three up within the next few days.