Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid, nor do I own the songs Imagination Forest (composed by Jin) and glow (composed by keeno). I do, however, own the fictional musical, Winter Flowers and its equally fictional characters.
Chapter 5
Gakupo usually did not approve of cast members bringing outsiders inside the main theatre, but he was intrigued by the one who tagged along his teal-haired muse. She had a slender figure and very pale pink (almost white, prism-like to be exact.) She shared the same look of awe Miku did as she observed every nook and cranny of the theatre. She marveled at the stage like a couple would marvel at the perfect home. There was wonder in her eyes, and a sense of childlike innocence radiating from her aura. He felt something from her, but he did not know what.
A familiar sharp fingernail tapped at his shoulder. When he lifted his head, he saw Luka, who nudged him to greet the two girls coming to him. He rose from his chair and straightened the lapels on his coat. He walked towards the girls with open arms, cheerfully greeting them with a hearty "Hello!"
Miku greeted him back and introduced him to her companion. "This is my best friend, Ia Hoshino." She gestured to the prism-haired girl beside her, "And these are the directors of the musical, Mr. Gakupo Kamui—" she motioned to Gakupo, "—and Miss Luka Megurine." She nodded at the beautiful pink-haired lady next to him.
"It's very nice to meet you both." She gave a courteous bow and beamed at them, showing off her array of pearly white teeth.
"The pleasure is all mine," Gakupo crooned, taking Ia's hand and pressed his lips unto them. Beet red and not knowing what to do, Ia turned to Miku for help. The teal haired girl grinned and gave a shrug.
Luka thought she ought to step in. She cleared her throat. "Gakupo, enough. You scared the girl."
Gakupo let go immediately after he was scolded by his partner. "I'm sorry for frightening you, miss."
"No, no, it's perfectly fine." She smiled, but took a step backward and positioned herself a few steps behind Miku. Funny, her actions said otherwise.
"Does she wish to witness our rehearsals?" Gakupo inquired. It would be a problem if an outsider leaked information about the musical to the newspapers.
"Yes, I do." Ia replied. Gakupo knit his eyebrows, his smile a few seconds before turned into a frown.
"S-she won't tell anyone!" Miku gripped Ia's hand and defended her friend. "I know she won't."
"Unfortunately, we cannot assure that." Gakupo sighed and put one hand on his hip. Miku's grip on her friend's hand tightened. He looked for an alternative so as to not upset her teal-haired muse.
"I should get the twins," Luka suggested, "we can have them chaperone her around the building." She walked past the two girls and rushed to the door.
"The twins?" Ia asked her friend in a hushed tone.
"You'll see them later. I'm sure you'll love them." She patted Ia's hand, soothing her. Miku preferred to keep the "Left Wing Welcome" phenomena a surprise.
Luka soon returned with the twins at her side like bodyguards. Their aprons were tainted with paint and there was still a strip of tape on Rin's index finger. Len's bangs were combed back and held still by a headband, presumably by his sister's request. Rin was as sprightly as ever, and Len was still his smooth self as he strutted down the aisle.
"Miku!" Rin tackled her teal-haired friend to the ground with a suffocating glomp, startling Ia.
"Hey, you guys." Miku croaked. She was crushed under the debris that is Rin Kagamine. She slowly removed her hands from under Rin and gestured to Ia, "This is my best friend: Ia Hoshino, by the way."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Len Kagamine." Len flashed a small wave to the prism-haired girl standing behind Miku.
Len's blonde twin removed herself from her victim and introduced herself with a small salute, "Hey, Ia. I'm Rin Kagamine."
Ia gave a shy smile. "I'm pleased to meet you both."
"Now that we're all introduced," Gakupo split through the silence, "I'd like you two to bring Ia to the left wing to amuse her." Gakupo emphasized "amuse" with suspicious eyes that made Ia feel quite nervous.
"Okay~" The twins said, both of them grabbing Ia's arms from one side. Rin grinned, holding onto Ia's arm tight.
"I promise," Miku gave a reassuring wink, "you'll love it there." Then, the twins blasted Ia off to possibly another one of their paintball assaults.
The twins were gone, the outsider was escorted outside, and the stage was set. And with that rehearsals commenced.
Gakupo sat down on his iconic director's seat and set his beloved megaphone on his lap. Luka was on her regular position as well: hand on the back of Gakupo's seat, standing beside him like a guardian.
"I'd like you to sing Phoebe's first solo song," The purple hair director commanded her, voice amplified by the megaphone. "I presume you memorized the song already?"
Ah, about that… Miku wanted to say, but didn't have the courage to. She wasn't able to memorize the entirety of the song because of that left wing incident and because Ia stepped into the picture at a very unexpected time.
Instead, she fixed her expression and lied to her director's face, "Of course I did!"
The purple-haired director nodded and walked over the piano nearby. His fingers were placed gracefully above the keys. "Are you ready Miss Hatsune?"
"Yes, I am." Miku had her hands behind her back, her fingers rubbing against each other. Gakupo began playing the first bar; Miku never knew Gakupo could play the piano so eloquently.
Miku breathed in deep and braced the note on which she should enter.
"Furisosoida tsumetai ame… Aoi kizu wo tokashitetta…" As Miku began singing, Gakupo could sense unease in her voice. She was guessing the notes, and there was a slight delay on her lyrics. It wasn't the same confidence he heard during the audition.
"Itsuka miteta yuugure sora no… Sumikko de warau dare ka ga ita…" So far, so good. Miku thought, she could still remember the lyrics until the chorus. After the chorus, though…
The chorus came shortly after; Miku struggled to remember her lyrics.
"Yuugure no namida ga tasou na aka…"
"Watashi no naka no kimi wo-" Miku stopped abruptly, unable to continue. Oh, crap. What was next? She rummaged her bag for the script. Gakupo pressed a number of notes, a dissonant chord amplifying his annoyance and stopped playing.
"What happened?" Luka frowned, her eyebrows furrowed. She treaded over to Miku, who seemed to be searching her bag for the script.
"Miss Hatsune, don't tell me…" Gakupo's fingers were massaging his temple in irritation. "I told you to memorize the songs beforehand!" He scolded, bolting himself up from the bench.
"Yes, I did… and a lot of things got in the way…" Miku muttered, gripping at her script. Crap. I screwed up bad.
"I hope you realize, Miss Hatsune," Luka's tone was harsher than usual, "that this little mistake can cause the removal of your position for the role." She crossed her arms; her eyes were staring directly into Miku's. It was then that Miku realized Luka was much more frightening than Gakupo. She just knew how to hide to well and had the patience of a monk.
Miku bowed her head. Holding the script, her hands were clasped behind her. She whispered, "I'm really, really sorry."
"But, of course, we will not do that." Gakupo told her, stealing a glance at Luka. He watched as Miku's eyes lit up again.
Luka smiled sweetly, completely reversing her expression from just a minute ago. She added, "Fortunately for you, Gakupo still believes that you can still do great things."
"Let's go over that again," the purple haired director paced back to the piano and opened the lid, "with the script this time."
xoxox
There were good and bad things that Miku displayed during the rehearsal. Luka was kind enough to point out the good things: As usual, Miku's voice was magnificent; she carried the tune with emotion with correct characterization. Gakupo politely told her the bad things: She needed to memorize her lyrics, and vocalize more.
Miku slipped her script back into her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. She was ready to leave, but Gakupo had an errand for her. He gave her a piece of paper and told her to go to a woman named "Meiko" in the costumes room. Miku surveyed the paper, expecting to find a map to the room.
"Uhm, may I ask?" Miku looked up after reading the contents of the piece of paper. "Where was the costume room again?"
And so, Luka and Miku headed for the costume room.
"I'm sorry you had to do this for me." Miku mumbled, scratching the side of her face with her fingernail.
"It's fine," Luka told her. Awkward silences seem to be common when it's just the two of them.
"So," Miku tried to spark a conversation, "there have been rumors saying that Gakupo likes you."
Luka looked at her with wide eyes, her face getting redder by the second. Miku stifled a giggle.
"W-well, t-that's hardly a rumor," Luka stuttered, her line of eyesight suddenly focused on the left side of the ceiling.
"But do you like him?" Miku quickened her steps and stood in front of Luka, walking backwards. Her expression right now was of a cat's: curious and devious.
"I could ask you the same thing with Kaito." Luka rebutted in a split second, a smirk visible on her lips. Miku's ears were salmon pink, her lips visibly quivering to find the right words.
Miku held her hands up in defeat, "Fine, fine. You got me, Miss Megurine."
"Please, call me Luka." The pink-haired directress requested kindly.
"Alright," Miku nodded. She winked and raised her index finger, "call me Miku, then."
They had shortly arrived to the costume room. It was more spacious than any of the rooms in vicinity. And, not to her surprise, it was lively. Not as lively as the left wing, but the sort of lively you'd expect a factory to be. Mannequins were arranged in a straight line, incomplete fabrics of dresses pinned unto them. The workers were running around, spinning the different types of fabric around the mannequins while others were sewing diligently using the sewing machine.
"Is Meiko in here?" Luka asked, nearly shouting.
"Over here!" A voice seemed to say. The workers pointed to a shelf of rolled fabrics. The teal-haired actress ran to the shelf of fabrics, observing the intricate patterns on each of them. It took a while to find the end of the shelf, but they found a woman on top of a ladder struggling to get a red, satin roll of cloth.
"Meiko, you okay there?" Luka inquired to the person on the ladder, leaning on a bunch of well-arranged fabric.
"Luka, is that you?" The short-haired brunette woman replied with a question, "No, I'm not okay. Give me a hand here, will you?"
"Alright, I'll go look for another ladder." Luka said strutting off to find another ladder. Meiko stole a glance at Miku, who was still busy observing the blue velvet cloth that was clad in swirly, floral patterns.
"Hey there, missy," Meiko chirped, before jumping (JUMPING!) down the ladder. She held out her hand. "The name's Meiko, head costume designer and seamstress."
"Hi," Miku took the brunette's hand and shook it, "I'm Miku Hatsune. I'm pleased to meet you!"
"You're our Phoebe huh?" Meiko rubbed the bottom of her chin, eyeing Miku from head to toe. "Yes, yes! Our costumes would suit you nicely! Gakupo choose well."
"Aha…" Miku laughed awkwardly, yet her smile wasn't at all fake. "Thank you."
Luka returned with her own ladder, and with her help, Meiko finally got her hands on the red fabric she was so desperate to have. She said it was needed to add more layers of ruffles.
"So, what brings you here anyway?" Meiko asked, patting the dirt off her pants.
"Well, Director Gakupo asked me to bring you this…" Miku handed her the piece of paper Gakupo had given her earlier.
"What?!" Meiko exclaimed, startling the workers around her. "He didn't like Isabella's winter costume? But I thought it was a masterpiece!"
"Gakupo has other ideas, Meiko, please understand." Luka told her, patting her back. Slouching, Meiko gave out a tired sigh. Suddenly, there was a beep coming from Luka's pocket. She took out her cellphone and opened the alert.
"Sorry, guys," Luka apologized, both of her hands folded about her face, "Gakupo has another errand for me." The waved goodbye and left the costume department.
Miku looked around the costume department, her eyes wandering up and down, over and below. The sheer amount of fabrics fascinated her, and the fact that she was going to wear something of that level of intricacy made her feel flattered.
"I've got ideas," Meiko said, snapping Miku out of her trance, "Can you be a darling and give them to Gakupo for me?"
"Oh," Miku blinked, looking back at Meiko, "Yeah, sure."
"They're on my desk. Come on." Meiko led the teal-haired girl to her cluttered desk. There were designs of clothes on the desktop, ask well as bottles of sake. "I'm not an alcoholic, mind you." She winked, and put the bottles inside the trash bin beside the table.
She picked up a manila envelope with sheets of papers in inside. "Give these designs to Gakupo, will you?"
"Okay." Miku obeyed, taking the envelope. She spun on her heel and went for the exit. "See you later!" Miku waved goodbye to Meiko.
She shut the door behind her and tried to recall where the main theatre was. She didn't remember them going left or right, so she should assumed to go straight. As she was retracing her steps, she bumped into someone.
"Sorry! I wasn't looking and—" Well, it had to be the last person she expected. His blue eyes were gazing at her, those blue eyes that Miku had been thinking of for the past week.
"Hey there, Miss Hatsune!" Kaito grinned. Miku fumbled with her words. She gripped the envelope tightly, creasing the papers inside.
"Hey, there, Mr. Shion." Miku stammered, giving a timid wave.
"Please, call me Kaito." The blue-haired actor requested. "Where are you headed?" He asked her, bending down to meet her eyes.
"The main theatre," The teal-haired girl replied quickly, averting her eyes from those attractive blue eyes. Agh! Her face was revealing too much! Eyes aside, Kaito's aura seemed… different… than during the audition. It exuded a more… lighthearted, carefree feeling. "And you?"
"I just came from there," Kaito informed her, standing straight. "I was about to go grab some ice cream from the cafeteria. Wanna come with me?"
"No thanks," Miku politely refused, "besides, we aren't supposed to be ingesting cold things, Kaito!" She said his name. She unintentionally said his name. She used it to scold him. She scolded him! Miku's mind was in total disarray.
"I find ice cream quite soothing to my vocal chords," Kaito mused, his hand caressing his throat.
"Well, don't blame me if you suddenly get hoarse on opening night." Miku told him, her edges of lips tugging a smile.
"Aww man, don't jinx me!" Kaito, in an exaggerated manner, made a dismayed expression and slouched. Then, he laughed. It almost made Miku swoon. His laugh was as melodic as his singing voice.
"I better go now," The teal-haired girl said, pointing to the route to the main theatre, wherever it was.
"Well, since I can't treat you to ice cream," Kaito put his hands inside his pockets, "have dinner with me."
Time stopped for Miku. Did she really hear that right? Dinner. With Kaito.
"B-but if you don't want to it's perfectly fine!" He added, stuttering.
"I-I'd love to." Miku spoke in a hushed tone. She was mumbling her words, her eyes hidden behind her bangs.
"Great! I'll meet you at six… no, make that 7pm. We'll meet at the lobby." Kaito announced; his smile as wide as hers.
"Okay." She squeaked, barely able to contain her happiness. She waved goodbye to the blue-haired actor and skipped happily to the main theatre. She was about to open the door when she heard someone singing. Of course, there was nothing strange about hearing singing in a theatre, especially if the production was setting up a musical. But she heard a familiar voice…
"Me o awasenaide!" The singing continued on, she pressed her ear to the door.
"Katamatta kokoro, hitoribocchi de akiramete…" It sounded like… Ia! Miku opened the door, trying her hardest not to make any noise.
"Me ni utsutta mono ni ando suru hibi wa…" Ia was onstage, auditioning for Gakupo.
Miku had dearly missed the sound of Ia's voice and it had improved greatly over the years. Her tone was better, her voice was sweeter and she could hit the high notes without the slightest hint of strain. Without a doubt, Ia had evolved faster than her. Miku felt a small pang in her heart. She, who used to pride herself at being a better singer than her, was witnessing Ia confidently owning the stage in front of the directors.
She only saw Gakupo's back, but from the ease in his posture, she knew he was pleased. Who wouldn't be?
"Monogatari no naka de shika shiranai, sekai ni sukoshi akogareru…" The prism haired girl sang her heart out, snapping her fingers and tapping her feet to the rhythm. Despite being a fast song, Ia's diction was crystal clear.
"Koto kurai yurushite kuremasu ka?" Ia put one hand on her chest and another she raised up. She found herself skipping the beat of the song, despite having no accompaniment.
"Nee nee, toppi na mirai o, souzou shite fukuramu sekai wa kyou ka ashita demo…" She hit the high note perfectly, not losing volume, nor increasing volume. Her falsetto was more sublime than her head voice.
"NOKKU shite kurenai desu ka?" She finished her audition with a confident wink to the directors, who gave a hearty applause.
"Well, that was amazing," Luka remarked, "what do you say Gakupo?"
"I think," Gakupo began, a smile forming on his lips, "we may have found our Isabella."
-end of chapter 5-
A/N: Ia is my babu, she's so cute. Also, I might make a bonus chapter on Ia's stay at the left wing. Feedback is always the best, good or bad!