Woohoo a chapter that is actually ON TIME! Okay, it was a day late. Blame my parents. Apparently it's bad when I'm up past eleven typing fanfiction. Oh well.
I got all 13 reviews that I asked for within a week, I feel so loved~~ ^_^ so there will be no limit this chapter, and I will just update hopefully next weekend.
Also all review replies will be posted at the bottom this time. Unfortunately, I did not PM everyone who reviewed, so I am leaving my replies at the bottom ^_^
Another thing, sorry about not giving out previews this chapter. I did not have one written, and by the time I did I would have updated in two days, so it was pointless to send it out; forgive me and I promise I will have one this time around~~
There's nothing much here to say, so let's just move on to the disclaimer:
I don't own Vocaloid, and chances are I never will.
And let us begin!
Rin's POV
Ah~ Back to the world of overly-sized objects that are way too expensive than any sane person would pay for. Unless they were some rich Bill Gates type person, which Yamaha probably is. The lobby alone was probably twice the cost of my house if you included the furniture and the other stuff in there. By "other stuff," I mean stuff like statues and mirrors that probably cost a fortune just to buy one. A burglar could get rich in here.
Not that I'm getting any ideas, but if I was a burglar, I would target here. You know, except for the state-of-the-art security cameras and guards posted at every exit. Those guards seriously freaked me out.
We would be meeting in the same rooms that our tryouts were on, and would be figuring out all of the stuff we needed to know. All of that formality junk that would probably be pretty informal considering Lily was my manager. Lily doesn't particularly strike me as a formal person for some reason…could be the fact that she mentioned it in her letter, or her abnormal greeting at my interview, who knows.
As there was no way in heck that I was going to be as close to being late as I was last time, I did not go with Miku to her room, because chances were she would grab her arm or something with her super-human strength because she'd want me to meet Leon and then I'd be late and all that good stuff. I know Miku too well; I know her every move and thought (jeez that makes me sound like a stalker. Not my fault I've known her since before we could walk).
This elevator ride was spent in blissful loneliness; thank goodness I didn't have to deal with an awkward silent person this time, I'd probably just explode. Which would make me pity the janitors, having to clean Rin-goo off of the walls and perfect shiny mirrors. Ugh.
Now that I thought of it, I wondered if I'd see Blondie here. He was on this floor last time, so maybe I'd see him again and be able to figure out who he actually is, to need all of that high-tech security on his door.
I walked through the hallway, and my footsteps echoed on the pristine white floors. The walls were bare, all in all creating a lonely atmosphere. If I had any say, there would at least be some pictures or paint, because this uniformity was just plain depressing. There wasn't even any color! Just white and beige, white and beige, white and beige.
Come to think of it, the lack of change in color is probably why I got lost the last time I came here in the first place. Maybe if there was some change in scenery; like a statue or something…if they're so rich here in Yamaha, can't they just buy some paint or something? Is that too much to ask?
I continued walking, counting the tiles as I stepped, clutching my bag. The room was on the far side of the building from the elevator, if my memory served me correctly. Which it usually does.
A right, a left, a right, a right, a left, straight, a left, and a right later found me….
In another blank hallway.
Okay, so maybe my memory isn't always right.
I checked the numbers on the doors. Eight-six-three-seven and eight-six-three-nine were on the right while eight-six-three-six and eight-six-three-eight were on the left. That would mean that my door, eight-six-four-three, would be just past the intersection ahead.
I rummaged in my bag as I walked, searching for an orange. As Miku had dragged me straight from school to Yamaha, I had not gotten a chance to eat the snack that I usually do after school. Thankfully I carried an orange in my bag at all times for emergencies like today.
I walked to the intersection, my eyes glued to the inside of my bag for a flash of orange.
Unfortunately, I never saw that orange. Instead there was an impact, a flash of yellow, a sense of falling, stars, dizziness, and I found myself lying on the floor, cradling my head. My bag had flown out of my grasp and the contents were scattered across the tile.
A boy sat across from me, holding his nose. He looked up, and my eyes widened, for lo and behold, I had just head butted Blondie. I hoped he didn't get a concussion. I'd been told I had a hard head (in more ways than one).
"Sorry," I said. I don't usually apologize to people, but I didn't really know this kid and it was my fault. Plus, I did hit him pretty hard from the look of it.
I stood up and brushed the imaginary dirt off my skirt (these tiles were kept way too clean to have any dust on them. The janitor must either be OCD, or he gets paid way more than other janitors do). I held out my hand to him to try to help him up. I might as well try to make a good second first impression on him, though I had no idea why I was even making an attempt to be 'friendly.' I was not usually 'friendly,' if you hadn't noticed yet.
He removed his hand from his face and glanced at my hand. His gaze slowly trailed up my arm to my face, and his eyes hardened. He suddenly raised his arm and slapped my hand away and stood up himself. I stepped back two paces and narrowed my eyes at him. Who did he think he was?
"Who do you think you are, to knock me to the floor like that?" He accused. Okay, so it may have been my fault, but I didn't 'knock him to the floor like that,' as he put it.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I didn't see you there, and you obviously weren't paying attention either. So you can just get lost, and I'll be on my way, because I have an appointment today." Needless to say, I wasn't very happy at the moment.
He drew himself up to his full height, which wasn't much taller than me. Actually, I had to give him a hand for not shrinking away or avoiding my gaze. He was either really brave or a conceited idiot for being able to do that.
He glared at me and said, "Well I'll have you know that I am Kagamine Len, and you should treat me with respect! Plus, any of my appointments would be far more important than yours, with my status."
Ahhh, so that was the rumored famous pop-star who was so awesome and shared the same surname as me. I would have expected him to have a better attitude than that.
My patience with this kid was wearing thin. I grabbed his collar and pulled his face close to mine, giving him my best glare. "Okay, you listen here, Len-kun. I don't give a crap about how wonderful or famous you are. You have absolutely no right whatsoever to treat me like that. And you know what? Your oh-so-amazing appointments can be blown to heck, for all I care!" I had used the informal honorific 'kun' just to spite him. I shoved him hard, and he stumbled backwards a few steps, pin wheeling his arms for balance.
His gaze suddenly focused something immediately behind me, and he grinned evilly. He shoved past me, knocking me to the floor. Then, he did the unforgivable. Remember that orange, that one I had been looking for that was the cause of this whole episode? Yeah, that one. It had rolled out of my bag along with all of my other stuff.
He stepped on it.
That complete jerk stepped on my orange.
The skin popped open, and the juices flew everywhere. Some pulp got into my eye, and immediately began burning. It splattered my school outfit, staining it, and the whole time, Len laughed.
"My orange!" I cried, outraged.
He crossed his arms with that horrible smile on his face and held his boot to my face. "If you like them that much, then how about you lick it off of my shoe like the dog you are?"
That was the last straw. My face hardened, and I began to push myself off the floor. If I had reached my feet, I would have punched him in the face and probably broken his nose. Then I would have probably gotten sued and all of that junk, but it would have been worth it for what he just did to my orange and I.
Unfortunately, I never managed to stand up. Len planted his foot on my back and pushed me back to the floor. In weight standards, he ranked somewhere up there with Miku. I was going nowhere.
He then knelt next to my face and raised my chin with one of his hands. "If you expect to get anywhere in this business, I suggest you be a bit nicer to me. You realize that having me on your side could make your rise to fame so much easier? Good luck without it, sweetheart."
My response was to try to bite his fingers, but unfortunately the little jerk pulled his fingers back before I got a hold of one. Too bad, I could have started my own garden. (A/N Reference to Fear Garden by Rin. Watch it if you haven't, I like it)
"Like I would ever even accept help from an idiot like you," I said through clenched teeth.
He smiled self-centeredly. "Have fun cleaning up your mess. I'm going to go get a new pair of boots. You just ruined these. Ja ne." And with those parting words, he strode off.
I glared at his retreating back, and then sat up to look at the mess surrounding me. The orange had gotten everywhere, including my music and schoolwork. Unfortunately it had also already dried on my clothes, and I had no spares.
I sighed. The least I could do was to clean up the mess in front of me. I picked up all of my papers and shook the pulp off them. I grimaced at their sogginess as I shoved them back into my bag. At least the bag itself was orange, so any juice that got on it wouldn't make it off-color.
Thankfully there was a bathroom in the adjacent hallway, so I didn't have to travel far to clean it up. I grabbed a handful of paper towels and returned to the mess. I got on my knees and picked the pulp and peel off the ground, and then began to scrub the juice off the floor.
Five minutes and some wet paper towels in the trash later I sat back and observed my work. I hadn't been able to get rid of the stickiness, but I had done my best, and it looked considerably better than before. My only regret was not being able to actually eat the orange.
I slung my bag back over my shoulder and went to observe my appearance in the mirror. The outfit was splattered and stained all over, and smelled like a souring orange. I wrinkled my nose. I looked horrible; definitely not the way I should have looked during my first real meeting with my manager.
Oh, well, there was nothing I could do about it now. I decided just to tell her a suitable lie. Maybe that I fell down while peeling my orange and I feel on top of it, causing it to explode all over me. There was no point in telling her that it was Len that did it. I doubted that she would believe me anyway. My word versus a pop idol, who would win? It wasn't enough to make a big deal over…I could deal with him myself when I had the time.
I sighed resignedly and headed to the room where I would meet Lily. At least I had refused to walk with Miku; if I had there was no doubt that I would have been late.
I opened the door to reveal Lily sitting in the same black leather chair that she had been the first time that I met her.
"Am I late?" I asked in a flat tone.
She checked her watch. "Actually, you're five minutes early. How considerate of you."
I rolled my eyes, clearly showing that I was not in the mood to be messed with. Not that I wanted to take my anger out on her; in reality it was just the opposite. I respected this lady, but at this point I was just too annoyed to care anymore.
"Well, how about we move this conversation into another room? There will be a lot to cover today, and we might as well be comfortable. I, for one, am not a fan of sitting stiff-necked in a hard chair all day." Lily tactfully changed the subject.
I nodded. "Sure, though I wouldn't mind an epic leather chair like that myself."
She laughed a bit. "Yes, they are quite comfortable, but I am afraid I have only one, and the papers that you need are in a separate room."
She led me into a different room than last time, one with a coffee table and two sofa chairs. I collapsed into one, sinking into the cushions.
"Before we begin, do you mind telling me what happened to your uniform?" She questioned.
I looked down and winced as I imagined how I must have looked to her. Probably like a ragged teenager that couldn't care less about her first meeting with her new manager, which couldn't be farther from the truth.
"I just accidentally fell and crushed my orange while I was peeling it, so the juices got everywhere, and I didn't have time to return home for a spare set of clothes. I just cleaned everything up off the floor and continued here." I half-lied smoothly.
She nodded respectfully. "At least you are responsible enough to clean up after yourself. I respect that in you."
Score! I got some respect! At least some people in this building have it.
"Thanks," I said. "Is Neru going to be here later?"
Lily shook her head. "No, I thought that it should just be the two of us today. I will be meeting up with her tomorrow to go over everything."
"Ah." I nodded my head. I then looked at the coffee table in front of us. There were papers with typing and music and scratch marks and lists and everything you could imagine, all jumbled and spread out in an inconceivable mess in before me. On the edge of the table were two sets of keys, with about 4 keys each on them.
I sweatdropped. And she was looking at me funny for being messy. I have nothing against her in terms of tidiness.
"And what is all this for?" I questioned, gesturing in the direction of the papers.
"Oh, that," She said. "It's all the stuff I went over with the other person I'm managing to choose whom I would be accepting."
Wow. She went through this entire mess in three days? Amazing. It would've taken me weeks to sort that stuff out.
"Speaking of the other person I'm the manager of, he should be here any minute. He's already late, actually. He was supposed to be here to greet you with me." Lily continued.
Right as I opened my mouth to reply, the door opened behind me. "I'm sorry for being late. My shoes got dirty, so I had to change them before arriving."
…After this afternoon, I would know that voice anywhere.
I turned around to reveal none other than Kagamine Len framed in the doorway.
He smiled, much differently than he had been just fifteen minutes before, but his eyes betrayed his real intentions. He swept into a bow and said smoothly, "I do not believe we have met before. My name is Kagamine Len. I look forward to working with you in the future."
Well, that was fun to write. I was laughing evilly the entire time I wrote Rin and Len's encounter. I am so mean. :P
So, Len and Rin finally meet (DUNDUNDUN) but he is nothing like he was the first time they met! What does he mean by acting like this? Why isn't he like he was the first time he met? Why does he act entirely differently around Lily? These are all questions that you have to read to find out ;)
And if you want to find out faster, REVIEW PLEASE! Those are my inspirations to continue writing!
…I've just realized my chapters are getting longer and longer each time O.o Haha
Also, even though there was only Rin's POV this time, there will hopefully be more POVs next chapter XP
Okay, the guest replies will work differently this time, mainly because they're not just guest replies, they're also non-guest replies, because I didn't manage to PM everyone who replied, and I forgot who I thanked and who I didn't, therefore I'm going to reply to everyone. If you have an answer, or something you want to say, just leave it in your review down there, and I'll PM you back this time, I PROMISE!
Prism Stream: Haha thanks a lot~~ I'm glad to be updating in a week; hopefully I can continue this though I probably won't be able to! Sorry about not giving you your preview, but the chapters out now so no hard feelings, nee?
Prisim Stream (Chapter One): Haha maybe the three month anniversary, was it?
ColourfulxLove: Thanks for your review! And as you can see, she did meet him this chapter, but he's totally different now, isn't he :O
Kryn hoshi: Yep, thirteen is an awesome number. Got enough of Lily and Len this chapter? Did Len surprise you? And I'm back and…hopefully back again next week!
KagamineRin02: Thanks! And yes, I was laughing like an evil genius whenever I ran her into the door, so I must be more of a sadist than you ;) I suppose I am just naturally good at comedy? I highly doubt I could pull off a serious fic. And now that it's been a week, we chatted yesterday O.O so we're good in the chatting aspect, no?
Saphireillusion: Haha, "in a good way," I liked that. Thanks ^_^ please continue to read XD
Dragonroses- Yeah, it gets tough to find the time to update, but I'll do my best! Thank you, and now you've seen ;)
Guest: The long letter almost killed you? Think about how it must have been for poor Rinny there :O …leeks will rule the world? Rethink that, I believe that ORANGES will rule the world!
Ali: Really? Thank you so much~~ Please continue to read ^_^
Jaz Kagamine: Beginners luck? Must you insult me so? No, it must be my COMPLETE AWESOMENESS that allows me to write a fic as good as this! :P Just kidding, maybe so O.O but I like to think that I'm just talented at writing perchance. And thank you, hopefully there will be soon, kindofish I'm sure there will be. I just…don't exactly know when due to current developments in the plot. Just please stick with me, nee? I promise there will be eventually!
Snowflake: Thank you much~ I'm glad you like it! Here's your chapter
13: Haha thanks…but I never got your PM…just leave it in this review or something :P okay?
Name Here: You forgot -.- I know you forgot, because I reminded you ¬¬ I totally didn't see it. Thanks, the 13 reviews was kind of a personal count for me I guess you could say…Yep, Miku is pretty much as crazy as she acts. Lily has always been cruel…and who is this 'other woman' you are talking about? It couldn't be Roppi or I, could it? I probably would have written it longer, but I couldn't think of anything else to type ehe…:P I'll be sure to keep it up, but…..peachy and lovely? O.o never seen that before.
Another1270: Well, you traumatized me into updating not really let's just pretend you did so here it is! Do you forgive me now? Yes, Minami is kind of a common last name, but I don't read or watch Naruto so I wouldn't know…anyways thanks for your review, as you made 13 so here is your chapter within two days XP
And that's it for today guys, just review and make me happy ^_^
Minami Ren~
