As a child, Miku had grown up surrounded by vanity and fame. Vanity was something she couldn't live without, but the fame followed her from birth. Unlike a few of her other siblings, Miku's fame stemmed from a far darker root, and it was shared equally between her and Neru.

Mr Hatsune had no interest in either her or Neru, but both their mothers had been twins and Mr Hatsune had fancied the idea of marrying two women at the same time. His love towards them was enough for him to ship them durable clothing, a decent sized abode and one or two expensive meals.

Then it came to a stop when his attention span was averted elsewhere. Mr Hatsune was never one to stay with one woman for long.

However, Miku had gotten used to such an easy life. And so had Neru. So when the debt increased as the food shortened, they had made a pact to put on a play.

If their father craved excitement, then they would serve it on a silver platter.

Maybe it was the desperation, or the Hatsune blood running rampant in their veins, but both Neru and Miku had pledged themselves to a lifetime of kin rivalry. What started as a game became real, and the winner would be prized well.

Only a few years ago did Miku find out she had far more siblings than she expected, and some weren't even aware their biological father was a wealthy, powerful man.

Miku was never one to get her hands bloody, nor did she bother phoning up hit men. She would rather play mind-games than have another finger in another aspect of Life's darkness. The illegal weaponry company she owned was enough guilt to gnaw at her stomach.

But the guilt wasn't enough to overcome her love of money, because in the end it would be something alone the lines of…

Destruction of the weaker siblings through deceit was the key to their father's love, or something worded in a more fanciful manner. Miku obviously didn't care as long as she could add another diamond ring to her lovely fingers.

. . .

Miku Hatsune watched the sleeping man with barely any interest. He was indeed handsome, if one was to wipe the grime and sweat from his face, but Neru had forbidden anyone to go anywhere three feet near him.

This bothered Miku. She was used to such behavior, but she was unused to actually following them. It felt weird having Neru loom over her shoulder, smug at the fact that her little, rebellious sister was forced to sit still and watch while she prodded the unconscious man with a foot.

Part of the reason for her seclusion from the unknown man was because Neru had wanted Miku to conduct research.

Miku had coolly said, "No," because it was an invasion of privacy, but she had done it anyway to settle her own curiosity. Miku wasn't going to share even a tidbit of information with her elder sister. Either way, Neru had the last laugh. After all, even if she was forced to dig up information herself, Miku had done the task.

Miku swore Neru was cackling maniacally inside.

"Kaito," she snapped. "Are the papers ready?"

Kaito nodded, untamable blue bangs swaying left to right. Miku despised how chaotic they looked. She had half a mind to grab a scissor and start snipping away. "They're still warm," he said contentedly. Miku glanced at his snug smile from the corner of her eyes warily.

Kaito Shion was her father's main bodyguard, a man of strength despite his lanky build. "Do you still want the papers?" he questioned, handing them to Miku.

Miku grabbed them quickly. She didn't want anyone knowing anything about the stranger who had mysteriously popped in one fine, dark night. Well, she didn't want anyone knowing before she did.

Name: Dell Honne
Age: Eighteen
Career: Bartender
DOB: 13th July 1994

These were pretty generic facts.

At this, the tealette grabbed a nearby chair and sat down. Propping one leg over the other, she eyed the paper for any unique traits. His only redeeming quality was a small boxing hobby. Sighing, Miku folded the papers into a few paper planes and launched them into the air.

She grinned when one hit Neru's rigid image in the small television set.

"Hey Kaito, do you know why Neru doesn't share the Hatsune family trademark?"

"What's the trademark?" Kaito wondered.

Miku grinned ear-to-ear. "It's our unique dark hair."

At this, Kaito's curiosity increased. He was just an ordinary man, she noted. There was no need to be wary of him. Kaito Shion was just another of her father's worthless dogs. If she wanted to, she could scrap him right then and there.

"How come Neru's a bright-haired blonde, then?"

Miku's grin widened.

"She's not. She just dyed it."

. . .

Miku wasn't looking forward to discussing Dell Honne with her father. She was far more concerned if the man had already woken up. Miku wanted to see his reaction to such a fine, deluxe room with a platter of delicious food laid in front of him.

If Dell were like Miku, Dell would gladly chomp down.

Miku had figured out his character easily. He was stalking her sister in an attempt to steal her and take her for ransom. Then he had set his sights on her – a more beautiful, kinder, lovelier woman than Neru – and switched targets.

It was all so easy to plan out.

Miku cleared her throat, adjusted her black tie and rapped the door gently with her knuckle.

"Come in," a curt voice answered.

Miku obliged, forcing her face to contort. She wanted to be poker-faced in front of Mr Gakupo Hatsune. Miku had long since stopped the affection when she called him father. It used to amuse him, but as everyone knew, his attention span was incredibly short.

"Miku," he shot up from his seat and pulled her into a bear hug, grinning happily. "How's my favourite daughter doing?"

Miku eyed him strangely, but hugged back regardless.

"You know you're my favourite, right?" Gakupo withdrew from her, instead choosing to traipse idly to a low coffee table and snatched a donut from Mikuo, one of her younger siblings. "Wow! This donut is delicious," he praised. "Want some?"

She shook her head, sickened at the chocolate fudge dripping down his lip and sodding his suit's collar.

Gakupo cocked his head. "You sure?"

Before Miku could reply, Mikuo spoke far ahead. "Gakupo," he said with low eyes, "That was my lunch. Mother packed it for me."

Gakupo turned to his son and eyed him strangely. "Who was your mother again?"

Mik caught the angered flash in Mikuo's dull teal eyes. "Her name's Anne Al. She's twenty-three and very ill. She wishes to see you."

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

"No can do~" he cooed. "I've got a, errm," he twisted on his heel and turned to Miku with a wide grin. "Miku, what do you call sexual intercourse in a child-friendly way?"

"Conference meeting," she bluntly replied.

He turned back to Mikuo. "Yeah, I've got a conference meeting."

Miku watched her younger brother suspiciously. She understood his reasons. If her own mother was dying and held a longing to see Gakupo, she would fight tooth-and-claw for it, but her mother wasn't sick nor did she want to ever see the purple-haired sadist.

There had to be another more stressing reason. Was the money running low? No. It couldn't have been that. Mikuo, out of the rest of his seventeen known siblings (including Miku), could cope on his own. He had the independence and the smarts. Maybe that was why Miku detested him so much. He was everything she wasn't.

With slightly tearful eyes, Mikuo shot from the seat to face his father boldly. "Please, she doesn't have much longer to live. If you could just come by, even for a second… No- if you could just call her and say you love her, that will be enough. I will never ask of anything ever!"

Gakupo arched an eyebrow, his grin falling into an emotionless line. "You would abandon money and power to please a dying woman?"

Mikuo's adamancy faltered. Miku could see the wavering hesitation in his teal orbs. "Y-Yes," he said. "I would."

"Do you understand who keeps you full during the day and night?" Gakupo wondered. "Or who it was who pays for the clothes you wear?" He shook his head slowly, deceitfully.

"Didn't you hear me the first time? I will."

"You're no fun," Gakupo sang. "I feel ashamed to have fathered such a child."

Mikuo was about to snap a retort before he wisely shut his mouth. Unnecessary comments would be unnecessary.

"I'll see her. She better look at least decent."

"Of course! Mother used to be a model. That's how she received the title Sweet in her name. Sweet Anne."

"Whatever," Gakupo sniffed.

Then he turned to Miku and the sly grin was lifted back on his face. "So what shall we do to Dell Honne? I never gave permission for his sudden appearance in my premises. Who is to blame for this?"

"Neru," was her immediate reply.

His eyebrows crinkled to a frown. "Her? Well isn't that a new thing! I change my mind completely. She's my new favourite. I just love rule-breakers."

Miku cursed inwardly. She had wanted Neru to take the blame. This wasn't going the way Miku had wanted it to go. And at this, she cursed once more. There had to be another way to receive his attention once more.

Having Neru as a rival was, in short, hellish. If there were anyone Miku was afraid of facing, it would be Neru. A close second would be him. Her damn elder brother whose name itself left a stinging sensation in her tongue.

"What's wrong, darling?" he cooed. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah."

Miku walked over to him hastily, her wind was working over ideas quickly over what to say about Dell Honne. The man didn't strike her fancy. Miku already had her eyes set on someone else, and his name was Len Kagamine. She repressed a smile when a brief image of his face flashed in her mind. Len Kagamine was a taken man, but he was to be hers whether he liked it or not. That was part of her deal with Gakupo.

Gakupo Hatsune was- no, is a rich man. He knew the way things worked, and he could get under your skin like an indecent bug. He was also a manipulator, and a damn good one at that. There was nothing he didn't know, nothing he didn't understand, and nothing that could protect you from his whispers of sweet desires and dreams.

Yes, Gakupo Hatsune had promised Miku Hatsune the man of her dreams in exchange if she ever won the rightful title of heiress against her other half-siblings. Knowing Miku, he had probably given her a higher percentage than the norm. But Miku had other, more deceitful siblings who had inherited more of his blood than she did.

The stakes were high, and past the sly first glance, the favours were more or less against her.

"Well speak up, Miku," he grumbled, dropping the kindness.

Yes, the odds were definitely against her.

"Dell Honne is someone I wish to know," she blurted out.

Mikuo's head snapped to her direction, and Gakupo took a step forward, cupping a hand to his ear- as if he hadn't heard a single word properly. "Come again?" he wondered.

"I wish to know Dell Honne."

Shit.

There was no coming back now. Miku had saved the man without his knowing, and this had better be worth it. "He seems like a very… interesting character," she seethed silently. The words felt so cliché in her mouth.

Gakupo snapped his fingers and Mikuo hurried to his side, handing him a piece of paper.

Had Mikuo been holding that all this time?

Slipping glasses on, Gakupo leafed his eyes quickly through the paper. "There's absolutely nothing interesting about this Honne fellow. Aside from the fact that he looks a lot like…" Then a familiar glint sparkled his lilac eyes and he stared down at Miku.

"Doesn't he look familiar?"

"No," she answered truthfully.

"Ah, I see."

She didn't like the look he was giving her, because it meant he knew, or was aware of something she didn't know. This caused an inner time bomb to go off inside of her. Gakupo had no right to keep information about this man! Hell, she had saved him. S-A-V-E-D Dell Honne.

"Sure. You can keep him if you want. Better yet, employ him as a bodyguard alongside that Megurine girl. You need a strong man beside you, and why not him?"

Miku couldn't help but chuckle. Her father had such dark humour. "Father, you can't be serious."

"Oh I am."

"But he's not fit for this job. He isn't fit for turning rotten from the inside out." Nobody is.

"So?"

She could hear the menace in his voice.

"You-"

"That is an order, Miku Hatsune," he said dryly. "I will not raise a hand against my child, but the consequences towards you will not be light. Just because I favor you over several of my other children doesn't mean you can run away scot-free. You are aware I call you my 'favourite' just to spite Mikuo or Neru, but you aren't my favourite. Someone else holds that title."

Miku was aware of it, but hearing it come from Gakupo's mouth was something different entirely.

"Whatever you say," she sighed in defeat. "Whatever you say."

"Good," he cheered. "Now hurry up and wake Mr Honne. I have some more things to discuss with Mikuo. Go on now, chop-chop! I don't have time to amuse you much longer. I have many more appointments to clear."

Begrudgingly, Miku softly opened the door and let herself out.

Chapter two of Stalk and Shadow. It was more votes on my Poll than any other fanfic, so I've decided to update this. June's already started and my qualifying exams are really close. My progression will come to an even slower level so, uhh, sorry.

Gakupo wasn't initially supposed to play the part as one the antagonists, but I felt it suited him well. Thoughts on characterization are appreciated, but no bahsing! I take tidbits into consideration as well.

Next chapter will be through Dell's point of view.

To clear things up, Dell's more "good" than Miku. So if this is considered "depressing and fired by both anger and deceit", then the next chapter will be "humourous, light and fueled by innocent."

Dell = Good. Miku = Bad.

Get the drift?

- Vic