Summary: We've always been together, but something changed when you left. Momo and I are scared, Teto. What happened to you? What happened to us?

Disclaimer: I don't own Yamaha, Crypton, Vocaloid or any of the characters associated with it. Nor do I own UTAU, which belongs to Ameya-P. Or Sugarcape. And then, each UTAU to their creator. And of course, each song to its writer.

Notes: Yes, I do know that not all Vocaloids are from Crypton. Thus the mention of Yamaha. The orange-haired UTAU at the beginning is Fuuga Koto. On Momo's calling her brother "Tarou": His real name is Momotarou (her genderbend). It's the same idea of my cousin calling her brother Kristopher, "Tofer". And about that tablet thing in the Karaoke box? I don't know what it's called, I've just used it. Also, futon=roll-up bed in Japan. Not like a fold-out couch futon at all.

Songs in this Chapter:

Please Rate + Review my story!

Without further adieu, enjoy~

"Mmmhhmmm…"

"Rise and Shine, De-fo-KO~!"

I looked up to find the owner of the voice I had just heard. When I saw the pink drill-tails in her hair, I put my head down again. Last night I hadn't gotten much sleep, so I really didn't have the energy to deal with her right now.

Poke.

Poke. Poke. Poke.

"…Stop that." I whined, looking up at Teto.

"Well, the least you could do is attempt to look like you're listening." She huffed, flipping a drill-tail with her hand. "Anyways, I have some really exciting news!"

"…Exciting news?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. The pigtailed girl nodded.

"You'll listen, right?" She asked, although something told me that was more of an order. I would be toast if I said no.

"…Ok." I consented. "But this better be worth waking me up after I got two hours of sleep last night."

"I knew you'd listen!" Teto smiled. "Let's see here, how to start…about the tryouts last week…" I leaned in to listen closer. "I got a letter from Crypton today~!" Teto beamed, and several pairs of eyes shot up around the classroom.

"No kidding?" I asked, wide-eyed and surprised. I knew Teto had made it to the finals, but we hadn't found out whether she had won the scholarship or not. I looked at the envelope in her hands. "Have you opened it?"

"No—" Teto began, but was cut off by a classmate.

"What are you waiting for? Come on, open it!" The orange-haired girl shouted excitedly, nearly leaping onto my desk. Teto and I sweated.

"Well, I—" Teto began again, but was once again cut off, this time by a whole chorus of classmates. I could see that she was getting flustered, particularly when she nearly crushed the envelope. "…OK! I'LL OPEN IT! JUST ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!" she burst. The classroom fell silent. Gingerly, she peeled the envelope open and pulled out the contents. "Greetings, Teto Kasane." Teto began to read. "Congratulations on your excellent performance during this year's Vocaloid Talent Search Contest. We are honored to inform you…" She gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. "…of your acceptance to CRYPTON ACADEMY!"

Teto and I exchanged glances. Then, in unison, we squealed and jumped around the room. The whole room seemed to explode with excitement. After a few moments, another classmate calmed down and asked, "Does it say anything else?"

The excitement died down in eagerness to hear what the rest of the letter read. "On behalf of the faculty and members of Crypton Academy, we commend you for your accomplishments and musical talent you have proven. Furthermore, we are pleased to notify you of being awarded ¥700,000 in scholarships. To reserve your place among other students in the Vocaloid program, please send a ¥10000 enrollment deposit along with the enclosed form as soon as possible providing you have determined Crypton is the best place for you. Again, congratulations on your achievements and acceptance to Crypton Academy. We look forward to seeing you at the enrollment date one February 1st."

Teto put down the letter and took a breath. "That's it."

"Next month?" I asked incredulously. "Teto, that's only a week away."

The pink-haired girl stared at me blankly. "…You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. Today's January 25th. You'll be starting next Monday." I explained. Talk about short notice. Did Teto simply not check her mail or something?

"But…that means I won't get to be in Pop Show with all of you guys…" Teto mumbled. "And we worked so hard on that song, too…"

"It's ok, Teto. I'm sure we can still finish it—say, we visit each other on weekends. And you don't have to do this if you don't want to—"

"That's not it! I really do want to go to Crypton…" She sighed. "It's just going to be different, Defoko." I could agree with that. We'd been in the same class since we were kids, and saw each other almost every day of the week. Suddenly we wouldn't, and it'd just be me and Momo, while Teto would be off on her own.

"That's true, but…" I looked at the floor, trying to think of something to say. "Look, Crypton may be a boarding school, but it's not like a jail, right? It's not like we won't see each other."

"…Yeah." She replied, a grin returning to her face. "Ok, then. This is gonna be so awesome!" The mood lifted a little, and I couldn't help but crack a smile.

Everything is going to be ok.

"WHAT?" Momo asked, eyes wide. Teto and I sighed. We had expected this.

"I said we only have a week until I have to leave for Crypton." Teto repeated herself. "So, we really ought to make the best of this week before I get really busy."

"You're serious." Momo asked again. I slapped my forehead.

"Yes, she's serious." I replied.

"For cereal." Teto grinned.

The green-eyed girl looked from me to Teto, then back to me. "I can't believe this. It's so short notice!"

"Ehehe~" Teto stuck out her tongue. "About that…I didn't check my mail until this morning~"

"Ah…" I noted. That explained it. It could have been sitting in her mailbox for weeks.

"…But what are we going to do about Pop Show? You can't compete for a school you're not attending, you know." Momo pointed out, looking lost. I swear I saw some of those normally perfectly straight pink hairs pop out as frizz.

"I'll be singing for Crypton, but Defoko thinks we can at least finish the song on weekends." The pigtailed girl assured her. "Isn't that right, Defoko?" She turned to me and winked.

"Yeah, that's right. Supposing that we keep weekends open, and that none of us get too busy." I replied, scratching my head. "We should probably plan some stuff to do this week, though."

"Ooh, I have an idea!" Teto clapped her hands together. "Let's have a sleepover!"

"A sleepover?" Momo and I asked in unison. We stared at each other for a moment before Teto jinxed us.

"Isn't that kind of—" I began, but Teto cut me off.

"No talking! I caught you guys first, so neither of you can talk. Unless you'd rather buy me a soda?" She asked sweetly.

"I'm practically broke—" I began, but Teto waved a finger at me. "…Fine, what kind of soda?" I replied, defeated.

"C.C. Lemon, please~." Teto smiled. When we came back, she sat down and opened her drink. "So, as I was saying, I thought a sleepover would be a good idea. I mean, we haven't had one in ages, and maybe we could have a kind of girl's day out." She explained, slurping on the soft drink. "You know, shopping, karaoke, that sort of stuff."

"Sounds good, but I think we'd have to do that over the weekend. Maybe Friday? I don't have anything to do." Momo added.

"Hmm, well I'm leaving Monday morning, so that should work for me. I'll have to check with my parents if it's ok." Teto mused. "What about you, Defoko?"

"I'm free all weekend." I answered. "Whose house? I don't really have room, plus Koe never cleans up after herself."

"Well, we could stay at my house…" Momo thought for a moment. "But Sumomo isn't the most organized sister ever, and Tarou doesn't exactly keep his things to himself, either."

"Double for Ted." Teto sighed. "Siblings make everything hard…" We all "hmmed" in unison with disappointment.

"Alright, I'll ask my mom." Momo piped up. "My brother probably has soccer practice, anyway."

"YAY!" Teto jumped and did a fist pump.

The week went by a lot faster than any of us expected. It was Monday when we had discussed the sleepover, but when I sat with my friends Friday afternoon for lunch, it felt like just this morning we had made our plans. Only a few more days until Teto was going to Crypton…no one could decide if we were happy or a little bit sad. Still, as I ate my burned lunch (Koe had gotten up early, so I had gotten distracted and overcooked the egg) the reality of splitting up began to set in. By the time we met up after school, I was a little out of it.

"Hello? Earth to Defoko?" I blinked and found Teto waving her hand in front of my face. I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't heard what she had said.

"Huh?" I wondered aloud. The drill-tailed girl sighed.

"I said, 'What do you want to do first?'" Teto shook her head. "You've been so out of it today."

"Sorry, I was just thinking." I brushed a strand of purple hair out of my face. We were at the train station, trying to figure out how much we needed on our tickets. "What do you say we go do karaoke first?"

Momo looked up at the sign. "Well, the closest one is Karaoke King…it's ¥230 to get there from here."

"Alright! karaoke it is!" Teto shouted, pulling some coins from her pocket.

"That's too much, Teto—" Momo pointed out, but Teto motioned that she was wrong.

"This one's on me!" Teto gave a thumbs-up and winked. I couldn't help but laugh a little. She was always so full of energy.

The train ride was, fortunately, not very crowded. Once we got off at the station, it was only a matter of finding the Karaoke box.. We split the cost and then went upstairs to our room.

"What first?" I asked. Momo and Teto began looking through the search tablet.

"Well, there's always Miku songs…" Teto flicked her pen. "World is Mine is a classic."

"Or there's Interstellar Flight or LION. Those are fun." Momo added. When both of us looked at her surprised, she replied, "What? I don't watch the anime, I just like the music."

I relaxed a little with relief and waited for them to figure out which song to sing. "Ok, I'm singing World is mine." Teto announced, tapping the tablet's screen. It appeared on a list on the TV, followed by Melt. The machine took a moment to load, so Teto took the opportunity to stand up and find space to move around. Finally, the familiar melody poured out of the speakers as the lights dimmed. A squeal filled the room momentarily as Teto tested her microphone, then she began.

"The Wo-rld's number one princess!
Know how to treat me like that….
Ok?

First thing, notice when I have a different hair style from usual
Second thing, be sure to go as far as looking down at my shoes properly, do I make myself clear?
Third thing, for every single world I say, reply with three words
If you understand that there is nothing in my right hand, then do something!"

Teto's voice fit in perfectly with the song as she watched the screen. Clearly, she was getting into it, as she couldn't help but move her free arm a little.

"The world's number one princess!
Realize that, hey, hey!
Keeping me waiting is out of the question
Who do you think I am?
I want to eat some French bread already!
Go get it immediately!"

French bread…? I took a double take and tried not to laugh. There were practically sparkles in her eyes as she imagined it.

Check 1, 2!
Aaa!

My fault? Let's call it a cute mistake
Complaints are not permitted
Well? Are you clearly hearing what I am saying? Come on
Ah, and what about this? A white horse, isn't that needless to say?
Come and take me away
If you understand that, take my hand and say "Princess"

I'm not really saying anything selfish
But you know, it's alright to scold me a little?

My very own prince in the world
Realize that, look, look
Our hands are empty
Reticent and blunt prince
Come one, why! Just notice it soon

You definitely don't understand! Don't understand...

Anpan filled with delicious red bean
Melon bread coated in cookie dough
Everything, everything, I will hold myself back from it
Don't think that I'm a selfish girl
I can act proper too
You will regret your words!

It's natural! Even for me

The number one princess in the world
See me clearly okay, shall I go somewhere?
Suddenly I was held tightly, it was so abrupt, eh?
"You should be more careful" So saying that you turn away
...I think you're more dangerous though

Aaa!

She did a twirl and bowed as the song came to an end. Momo and I clapped at her performance before Momo took the stage, and began singing Melt.

I stretched as we walked down the stairs. "Well, that was fun."

Momo nodded, but before she could say anything, Teto interrupted. "Are you kidding? That was AWESOME! It was the highest score I've ever gotten at a Karaoke box!" She beamed. I had to lean back slightly as she was very much in my personal space (I'm guessing she was so excited she didn't notice).

"So…where to next?" Momo asked, looking down the street. "Looks like there's some shops around here…"

"Ooh, look there!" Teto pointed. Following her finger, I saw a brightly lit animated sign.

"…Spinz?" I asked. "They do have some interesting clothes there."

"Yeah! There's this really neat shirt I saw a while back, and I want to see if they still have it." Teto gave me the puppy-dog eyes. "Can we go there? Please?"

I exchanged glances with Momo, who simply shrugged. "I'm ok with it." She smiled.

"Well, you really don't have to ask me for permission, then." I told Teto. She jumped for joy.

"Alright! Let's go!" Teto's pink drill-tails bounced as she led the charge. As soon as we got there, we split up within the small boutique and began sifting through the racks of clothes.

"This one's pretty nice." Momo held up a knit sweater with a black ribbon. "I think it goes well with my hair color, don't you think?"

I took a closer look. It was very Momo. "You sure are a sucker for collared shirts."

"You really think so?" Momo held it up with a slight frown, then sighed. "Now that I think about it, that's true…it's so cute, though."

"Well, what do you think of this one?" I held up a t-shirt with polka dots. The pink-haired girl stared for a moment, then shook her head.

"Polka dots just aren't my thing." She explained. Suddenly, she gasped. "Defoko! It's so you!"

"What? What's so me?" I asked excitedly, and my friend whirled around. She was holding a white sweatshirt with some writing in English on it. I sweated.

"Isn't that…a little big?" I replied, noting that the sweatshirt looked like its size was at least an extra-large. Momo checked the tag, then put it back on the rack.

"And that was the only one, too…" She pouted. Secretly, I felt a little relieved. Usually, Momo had good taste in fashion, but I don't know what happened there…

"Hey Defoko! Look over here!" Teto pushed through the crowd. "You should try this one on." She held up a half-sleeve shirt with black sleeves, waving it around excitedly. I contemplated this for a moment, then decided to try it on. When I stepped out of the changing room, I noticed Teto had also changed.

"Well? What do you think?" The twin-drilled girl asked, hands behind her back.

"I like it, but…you're not going to buy that, are you?" I scratched my head. She was wearing an identical shirt, except with red sleeves.

"Sure I am! We can be matching this way! Except there was no pink or green for Momo…" She motioned to the pink-haired girl, whose expression revealed that she agreed with me. But, as there was no arguing with Teto, we gave in. Teto and I stepped into a line for the cash register, and were about to buy our shirts when...

"How come I didn't see those before?" She asked, and I looked around.

"What didn't you see before?" I asked, still unsure of what she was talking about.

"Those berets over there. I want one of those for sure!" She grinned, and walked away from the line. I followed her, and Momo was soon behind us.

Teto held up a hot pink beret. "I really like this one for myself. And they're so cheap…you two should get one, too."

I began digging through the pile of multi-colored hats. When I put a dark purple one on my head, Teto immediately gave me a thumbs up. "Purple suits you, Defoko." She told me, and I took that as a compliement. After some more digging, Teto frowned. "There's no light pink."

"Why do you need light pink?" I blinked, confused.

Luckily, Momo seemed to understand what she was getting at. She found a dark green beret, and tried it on. "How is it?" my friend asked, fixing her hair.

"I think it looks good. It brings out your eyes a little more." I replied, and Teto nodded in agreement.

"So it's settled then?" Teto looked at me, then Momo.

"I believe so…but how much are these?" The pink-haired girl rummaged in her wallet.

I looked at the tag. "They're on sale at ¥500 apiece. Not too bad…"

"I have plenty then. Enough to get home, at the very least." She put away her wallet and motioned for all of us to get in line.

We walked out of Spinz wearing our berets. Although I didn't like the whole idea of matching, I had to admit, we all looked nice with them (I had stopped to check out my reflection in a window to decide If I really liked my beret or not). We shopped around some more before we decided to catch the train home. After all, Momo's mom could be waiting for us. I did want some ice cream, though, so we made one final stop before heading home.

Momo's house is great. First of all, it's a house. Y'know, houses are pretty neat whenever you're in an apartment and you share a room with your sister. I can't deny that. And her mom is really nice, too. I don't think I've ever seen her angry (though, if she's always happy like that, I'd be afraid to see her angry). About Sumomo. Sumomo is just as obnoxious a little sister as Koe. Which is to say, she's the most adorable thing you've ever seen, but will take advantage of that to get what she wants. On the other hand, Momotarou is a relaxed, laid-back kind of guy, but he's got a competitive edge for sure (that probably comes from soccer). He's the spitting image of Momo's dad, who seems to have a similar personality.

Getting back to what we were doing, Ms. Momone had made curry and rice for dinner, my favorite. Did I ever mention that I really like rice? And action movies, but that's unrelated.

I would have helped Momo wash dishes and clean up, but she told us we didn't have to, and her mom backed her up on that. So instead, Teto and I set up the futons for us to sleep on.

We stayed up really late that night talking. Not that Teto would let us sleep even if we wanted to. Still, it was hard to stay quiet after everyone else went to bed.

"Ok. So. Truth time. Is there anyone that anyone here likes?" Teto asked mischievously, twirling her now-untied hair.

Momo and I sweated. "Uh…" I mumbled. "No one…really?" In reality, I was thinking of a specific red-haired boy, but I would never tell her that!

"I don't have anyone I like, either." Momo said quickly, but she sounded like she was trying to hide something.

"Are you suuuuure?" The red-haired girl drilled us. I motioned a "no" and Momo followed suit. Teto sighed. "You guys are so lame."

"Gee, thanks." I spat sarcastically.

"Well, how about you, Teto?" Momo asked, a spark of curiosity in her eye.

Teto blushed. "I…" Momo and I leaned in closer to hear. "I like Lenny-kun."

"Lenny-kun?" I turned my head to one side. "Who's that?"

"You mean you don't know? Len Kagamine?" Teto asked incredulously.

"Oh." Was all I could say in response. "So you have a crush on a person you've never met?"

"It's perfectly normal to have a crush on a celebrity, Defoko." Momo informed me, and I shot her a you're-not-helping look. She gave a small "oops" before turning to Teto.

"It's not a crush! He is my one true love. I swear upon that." Teto stood up in mock-passion. I laughed.

"Hopefully you'll be civil enough that he won't ask for a restraining order against you." I smirked, and Teto fell on the floor. We had a good laugh before helping her up.

All of the sudden, Teto looked serious. "Hey, guys…" She began. "Is it really ok with you…y'know, that I got in to Crypton, but you didn't?"

"It's fine, Teto. I don't have a problem with it." I consoled her.

She didn't look convinced. "But didn't we say we'd get to the top together?"

It was Momo's turn. "We'll all get there someday. It's just that you're getting there a little sooner than the rest of us." She smiled, and she meant it.

"Then if you're ok with it… I guess I'm ok with it, too. G'night, Defoko, Momo." She rolled over and snuggled into her blanket. Momo and I exchanged glances. Since when was Teto this somber? After Teto didn't get back up, Momo sighed and got up to turn off the light. I rolled over in my bed, alone with my thoughts. I could understand how Teto was unsure of what to do. I would probably act the same way if I was her. It would just be…so different.

I heard Momo pull up the blankets and shift around. "Good night, Teto, Defoko."

"Good night to you too." I whispered.

"Good night."