Track 03: School Girl Sorrow

Hey, hey, Lily!" A blonde girl leaned over Lily. "What is your new song?"

Lily rolled her eyes. She picked the short blonde off the bench and she dropped her on the floor. From there the preteen-sized Vocaloid did not tower over Lily. The room was lined with benches, all facing lockers. Almost like a real school's locker room. Yeesh, these guys like to drill a theme into our heads. Once the smaller blonde girl started tapping her foot, Lily stared down at her. "You should know Rin - chan. You're singing this 'Secret Time After School' nonsense with me."

Rin pouted, her arms folded. "You know what I'm talking about! Ryuto – kun says you've got a new power! What is it?!"

"The power of 'Nonya.' As in, its 'nonya business,' Orange Girl." Lily turned away from the small android and then swung her locker door open. Her eyes widened. "Aw come on!"

"Serves you right for being rude," Rin jumped on the bench again, her eyes fixed over Lily's shoulder. "Your uniform's not all that bad. Mine's cuter though."

"I really hate sera fuku." Lily griped. "And why are we all wearing different ties and ribbons and crap if it's supposed to be a school 'uniform'?"

"Obviously for fan service, reality always takes a back seat to rule of sexy." A pigtailed brunette, one that was even tinier than Rin, answered. She didn't skip a beat even as she put a third red ribbon of another girl's carroty bangs. "Seriously, you're not the newest newbie anymore. You should've picked up on these things, silly Lily."

Lily glared, thinking that maybe Yuki was as evil as Ryuto claimed.

Yuki suddenly ran off, towards the room where the set was. "Wait right there Iroha – nee – chan! I got some lipstick to match these hair bows!" She exclaimed as she left the dressing room, squeezing past Meiko, Miku, Gumi, and a womanly android with long pink hair.

"Lipstick?" Rin questioned the redhead, who added a red headband with cat–like ears to Yuki's ribbon madness." The producers never said we'd need make-up for the video!"

"We don't, but that has never stopped Yuki – chan from bringing some." Iroha said with a laugh. "To be fair, she never really puts the lipstick on my lips, mostly on my face. The tube is her paint brush and my checks are a canvas. I could tell her to buzz off but she has those big brown eyes." Iroha pouted. "She looks like this and says: 'Onee – sama, you aren't mad at me are you?' I can't say no to that!"

If Yuki – chan paired that with Ryuto – kun's persistence and Gumi's smile, she'd rule the Vocaloids. Then Japan, then the world… Lily thought. Outwardly she shrugged and said: "Sounds like she's trouble for you guys at the AH Software House."

Iroha shook her head. "She's really not that bad, Yuki's make – up is better than Miki – nee - chan's hugs."

"Hey I like Miki – chan's hugs!" Miku skipped over to Lily's locker and into the conversation. She was already in the white dress lined with red plaid. Red ribbons were wrapped around her arms. She had a tartan bows around her twin tails and a matching ascot unlike the rest of the girls. "I mean, I usually need a Tuner afterwards but Miki – chan is so sweet and nice and…"

…dumb as a rock and painful as a rock. Lily mentally finished. Last time we talked she nearly took my arm off with that handshake of hers!

"…she just has problems with her strength." Miku suddenly stopped smiling. "Where is Miki – chan by the way? Everyone's here besides her and the boys!"

"Teru – sensei said he'd drop her off on the way to an Ice Mountain gig. She hit the 'deep snooze' button in her internal alarm clock." Iroha shook her head, sighing. "Yuki – chan and I gave up trying to wake up. We shook her, dragged her out of bed, and put her on the lawn for ten minutes. The only change was that she snored even louder. I'm almost impressed!"

"Hmm, well, since I'm in costume already I'll wait for her out front of the studio." Miku grinned again and looked at Lily. "If I'm not back in ten minutes I hope our Schwarzgazer hero comes to rescue me again."

"What the – hey Miku – chan! Come on!" Teal pigtails bounced out of sight before Lily could finish griping to the most famous Vocaloid. "'Schwarzgazer?'"

"'Schwarz' means black in German." The rose – haired girl, who came late and was only clad in her undergarments and the horn – rimmed red glasses that came with her costume, added. "If you're a 'Schwarzgazer' then you gaze into black. Miku might have been referring to the Viruses since they're usually black or dark colors." She smiled, Lily blinked. "You stare them down as you fight them without fear."

Damn, wouldn't expect that kind of talk from Megurine "Miss Stoic" Luka. I'd blush if I could. Lily grinned back. I'm glad she really didn't hate me after all.

"Ah! I almost forgot! Thanks Luka – nee – chan!" Rin pounded her ribbon – wrapped fist in her bare palm. Blue eyes – but not the same blue as Lily's, Rin's were more greenish – narrowed and she pointed. "You distracted me! What's your new power?!"

Lily opened her mouth to growl at the girl but Gumi cut in. "That's a secret." She said. She did not look at Lily when she spoke. "She hasn't told anyone in the house what it is."

"It's a surprise." Lily grumbled. "I don't want to show it off with some Virus possibly watching. I mean, they literally know where we live."

"Alright." Gumi answered. Lily knew Gumi could be a great actor if she wanted. The verdette could go from school girl to sniper in a beat. But since Gumi made no attempt to hide the glum deadness in her usually sweet voice Lily knew she was hurt.

Maybe I should just tell her. Lily thought as she buttoned up her own white dress. The surprise isn't worth it if she's mad at me anyways. "Hey Gumi, about the song –"

"Ooh," Meiko jumped in the air. "It's a hit!" Lily couldn't even hear herself over Meiko's squeal, so she doubted her Internet Co. mate would. The eldest Vocaloid grabbed Gumi by the arm and shoved her face into the candy red laptop she brought over. "A lot of hits actually: 'Life Cheating Game' got half a million views on Nico Nico Douga! This one'll be in the 'Hall of Fame' in no time! Congrats, you make your senpai proud!"

"Ah," Gumi's smile was shy. "T-Thank you Sakine – chan. The producers said I'm doing an official video for it soon. We just need a model to play the Joker..." She stared at the screen for another minute. "But wow! I was amazed when I made the Hall of Fame for the first time with 'Cowardly Montblanc!' You'd think the shocked feeling of getting a song there would go away after the first couple but…" Gumi beamed, Lily couldn't help but grin with her. '…I'm glad it doesn't! My fans are the best! They surprise me every time!"

She's feeling better. Lily thought happily, she didn't notice Rin gaped when Lily put on a hair ribbon with a smile instead of her trademark grimace. Now's definitely the best time to tell her. "Hey Gumi!"

Gumi finally tore her eyes off the screen to look at Lily. But green and blue eyes only connected for a second since in the next moment the loud clank of metal doors being open distracted them both. Yuki winced as she skidded on the floor. Meiko ran over and caught the small android girl. She then glared at the blackish monstrosity that singed entrance as in came inside the locker door.

"Everyone stand back!" Gumi had a revolver out before anyone could blink. "Lily you've got to call the others!"

"No I don't, not for this." Lily smirked. The Virus roared at her in reply before tendrils stretched across the roof and dove towards the blonde. "Great timing!"

"Lily – san, shouldn't you –" The rest of Luka's speech died as Lily pushed her back. The Virus Hunter closed her eyes but didn't move away. The smoky threads came closer to her.

"Earth to Yuri - chan! Please come in!" Meiko exclaimed. The older Vocaloid backed away with Yuki in her arms. "Did you forget that those guys really, really hate your mechanical guts or something?! Where's the song?!"

"I found it." Lily began to sing:

"Behind a secret, faraway place

Crying and exhausted, is my loneliness

Just stuck in that place

Bound and biding its time…"

"That's!" Gumi breathed. "That's 'Vestige'!"

Glowing white music notes surrounded and spiraled out from Lily to meet the Virus tendrils an inch away from her face. The tendrils sunk back. The white notes enclosed the creature. It writhed and wailed but couldn't get away from the ring of music. Finally the notes melted, forming a milky white, translucent dome. The Virus could still be heard, pounding and pounding on the semi – circle's walls, but the creature remained unable to break free.

"Oh." Rin said. "So that's it?!"

"Yup." Lily nodded. "Admittedly, even I thought simply trapping a Virus was a pretty boring power. My insufferable genius of a Tuner reminded me that cutting off a Virus from humans who fear gives it strength is pretty helpful. Also, the Virus is also cut from any Vocaloids it can try and control." Lily took one large breath before singing her much more familiar song:

""Am I distorted?

I'm distorted

But I still want to breathe…"

More notes, bright and golden ones left Lily and wafted through the barrier of white. The Virus growled more but even those became mute as it disappeared and Lily's music got louder. When she was finished, the white dome and the golden notes faded as well.

"I told you I wanted it to be a surprise. I chose 'Vestige' because it's a part of our song series. The one's we're doing together."

"Like 'XI' and 'Beatrice' I understand now," Gumi sighed but this one, since it ended with a smile that spun Lily's own gears with happiness, was a relieved one.

"You all are cute, but we don't have time for your Romantic Two – Girl Friendship!" Yuki whined.

"Pipe down you little...the Viruses got your arm!" Lily just noticed the sparks that spurted out of wires in the Yuki's sleeve. "You tried to fight them back didn't you?"

"Not really." Yuki said. Her soft voice was full of rage. Lily had almost forgotten the small android was supposed to be an elementary student till tears streamed down her checks. "I-I had to fight Miki – nee - chan!"