Chapter 8: He Makes Me Happy
Hi everyone! *walks, waves, slams into computer chair* Ouch. I always do that nowadays! Anyway, this is my last update before I go away on holiday. I`ll be away for a week and a bit so you`ll have to wait ever so patiently my readers until I return!
Recap: We met the lovely little blonde named Rin who is LenLen`s twin sister and Miku and her are getting along fine. Luka has met Len and she likes him! And Meiko is planning something against Miku-chan…
Reviews:
Writer-chan: I couldn`t ever think of Rinny as an enemy! And it just wouldn`t work if LenLen was with Miku and Rin was standing there for some reason jealous or something. No, that`s horrible! You`ll find out soon enough what Mei-chan is going to do to Miku-chan. Thanks for your review!
Superstitious-chan: Yup, Meiko is one of them. That sounds like a brilliant idea Superstitious-chan! (Can I call you that?)
Arisugawa I'maGhoul Alice: You shall have your Lenku moments Alice-chan. I don`t like to think of Neru as the bad guy as I actually like her and portray her as one of Miku-chan`s best friends in my other story So This Is Love?. Sure everyone thinks NeruxLen is cute but I prefer Neru as a friend and MikuxLen. Yes Meiko is the bad girl. Here is your chapter! Thanks for your review!
Awesome-chan: I like LukaxMiku but definitely prefer LukaxGakupo and MikuxLen. Well most people can`t tell the resemblance of the two as siblings and therefore there is the horrible ship RinxLen, no offence to those that like it. I will try my best Awesome-chan! Thanks for your review!
: I`m glad you like my story! Here`s your update! Thanks for your review!
Rolling-chan: It`s so good! I do ship Miku with a bunch of other Vocaloids too, but shipping her with Len is definitely a hobby of mine! Rin-chan is going to appear a lot in this story. The order of main characters technically goes Miku, Len, Luka, Rin… I can`t finish the order without ruining the story plot ideas for you! Sorry. Thanks for your review and I`m glad you enjoyed the last chapter!
Tyrannosaurusrex-123: I`ll consider that idea Rex-san (Can I call you that? I call every reviewer something like that). Thank you for that idea. And thanks for your review!
I`m glad to present this chapter of OPAC and let you enjoy the miracle that is LENKU! Enjoy and see you soon!
…
"C'mon Len, we`ve gotta get home!" Rin tugged on her brother`s sleeve. They had been here for more than an hour to keep me company. I actually felt better having two friends by my side. Len sighed, turning to me,
"Um, I`ve gotta go…" Len smiled, blue eyes sparkling. He grabbed my two hands with his two, "I`ll see you tomorrow though Miku-chan!" And then he whispered in my ear, "Stay safe…"
I blushed a little and smiled, "Len…"
He turned away and trailed after his twin. He shot me another smile and waved as he exited the diner. I waved back and when he disappeared from sight, I sighed happily.
"That your boyfriend?"
I turned around to see Kitty smiling smugly, tousling her hair with one hand. I frowned, blushing,
"No…" I mumbled. Kitty chuckled,
"I thought you weren`t the boy type Hatsune," She finished tying her apron behind her back and sauntered to the counter.
"I`m not!" I wasn`t. I`ve never hung out with a boy in my life. I didn`t want to think of what Papa`s reaction would be if he saw me with a boy. Actually, there was that one time…
I had been walking home and I had met this boy from another school on the way. We talked for a while and he walked me home. I felt my heart lift and race at the same time with him. He said he felt the same when I blabbed it out. We got too close… Papa saw and he raged, yelling until the boy ran away from me. I lost my chance. I had felt so happy…
Kaito. Kaito Shion was his name. He moved away a long time ago. He probably never felt the same way I did anyway.
But this feeling; that same feeling I had felt with Kaito long ago has returned. I feel it…with Len…?
No I couldn`t possibly-!
"Hatsune, your shift`s over. You can go home now," Kitty broke me away from my thoughts. She handed me my earnings in an envelope and smiled,
"Cook`s busy, but he said to tell you good luck."
I was puzzled. Good luck? What for? I collected my things and exited the diner. It was quiet outside. The sun was setting behind the many lovely houses on the street and it looked beautiful. I felt like I could just stand and watch it for hours. It would be better than going home.
Things so simple amazed me, whilst other kids were more amazed by new phones and game updates. I wondered if they ever took the time to appreciate the simple things in life. Every takes at least something for granted, don`t they? I took too many things for granted, and now I`ve learned that life shouldn`t be taken for granted.
Mama used to tell me stories about a girl that sat and watched the sunset one day and wished on it. She wished that everything would get better. Her parents were fighting and her big sister died a year before she was born. The next day, the girl`s parents sorted things out. It was such a simple tale. I wished things would be as easy as that for me.
I loved it when Mama told me stories. They had the power to take my breath away and leave me begging for more, but they also had the power to make me cry. When that happened, Mama would hug me close and tell me everything was all right.
Sometimes these stories held true meaning and made me happy, but other times the stories were just Mama`s ramblings about her past and scared me. Mama had a way with words and described everything greatly. She was different from other mothers. Sometimes she was comforting and loving and other times she was cold and threatening. She was half of what Papa was now.
I stood there for another five minutes, just admiring the different blends of orange, yellow and red in the sky before me. The sky always had the ability to amaze me. Day, evening and night; all held such quality. I believed the sky had many secrets; many undiscovered secrets. I wondered if one day I would ever be let in on them.
I began to walk slowly home, taking my time. I knew I should hurry and give Papa the money, but I stayed at the pace I was at. I wanted to enjoy this peaceful and dazzling moment as long as I could. The sunset set an orange glow around me and I smiled. There were still some things worth living for.
…
I curled up in a corner of my room, shrinking away from the world. The sounds of passing cars and talking from outside surrounded me. I put my hands over my ears. My hair hung loosely but limply on my shoulders and I bit my lip.
Papa had gone out already, with the money I gave him. He searched me when I got in, just in case I tried to hide anything. I shivered fearfully as I remembered the feel of his cold hands running along my body, searching for extra money. And when he didn`t find any…
I was confused. He had wanted there to be no money hidden from him, yet he was angry and upset when he didn`t find any. My right wrist bleated and throbbed with pain. He was getting more aggressive towards me and the few angry words he said to me now were the few he`d said to me in months. He didn`t speak, just took.
I curled up tighter. I lifted my head a little towards the window above me. Len… His house was only a street and a bit away from me. But did I really want to show myself in this state? No.
I sighed painfully as I removed my hands from my ears, stroking my bruised and padded cheek with a fingertip. What was even the point? At this rate nothing would improve, and the thought of that killed me inside. I wanted things to change, but I too scared to try. Why?
Mama`s tales of foster care filled my mind and I shivered. Mama had left behind scarring information; that was why. I was so scared… Yet I allowed Len in on it so he could help. I never told him about my Mama`s tales and her past. I didn`t want to scar him too, someone who had the will to live and loved life.
I brought my hand away from my cheek and brought my knees to my chest, moving out of my previous position. A tear slid down my injured cheek as I recalled parts of the past and it sank into the medical pad.
Why had my parents left me?
Why was life so rough right now?
What had I ever done to deserve this in the first place?
Why couldn`t I just be happy?
And suddenly, something snapped in me. Anger. All the anger from the past that I had contained built up inside of me and released all at the one time. I reached up and ripped the pad off my face and threw it to the ground. I reached over and picked up my books. I threw them angrily at the other end of the room. They all hit the opposite wall and landed with a loud thud. I growled and continued to release my anger for the next few minutes.
I was so angry. Every piece of anger I had managed to contain in my life burst out of me and I just snapped.
"I DIDN`T WANT THIS!" I screamed as loud as I could, tears pouring down my face, "I DIDN`T DO ANYTHING TO ANYONE! STOP PUNSIHING ME! WHY CAN`T YOU LET ME BE HAPPY?!"
Of course, I was addressing no one, juts empty air. But I was so angry I couldn`t care less. I punched my wardrobe doors numerous times before picking up my hairbrush and throwing it in the direction of my bed. It struck Dream and she fell off my bed and onto the floor. I stopped, panting. I inhaled and exhaled sharply before stepping cautiously towards Dream.
I knelt down and picked her up. Another tear fell onto her head and I clasped her to my chest, still crying. Dream would never leave me. She had been my friend since I was little and still was. A teddy bear… Dream appeared as something else to me, but strangely, I couldn`t put my finger on it.
I curled up again against my bed, Dream clasped to my chest and closed my eyes. Tears still fell from my closed eyes but it worked. I fell asleep.
…
I trudged along the pavement to the diner for my shift. There was no school and I wasn`t in the mood anyway. I had woken up early and left the house after washing and dressing. Papa wasn`t home and he probably wouldn`t be for a while. Probably passed out at a bar…
I sighed as I looked up at the sky. It was filled with dull grey clouds and threatened to rain at any minute. It was horrible, to match my mood. I just couldn`t be bothered with life today. But since when was life ever bothered with me?
I entered the diner and got dressed in my work clothes. Cook greeted me kindly and I smiled weakly back at him. I didn`t want him to feel bad for being kind to me so tried to be happy around him. Though it didn`t fool him,
"Are you all right today Miku?"
"I… I just don`t feel very well today Cook," I lied. Cook looked concerned,
"Are you sure?"
I nodded meekly in reply and wandered off by myself. There were hardly any customers in anyway as it was early morning. I had agreed to work the morning into the afternoon shift. Though now I couldn`t be bothered. I cast a glance back at Cook who was sipping coffee and reading one of his books. When the diner wasn`t packed and only had one or more customers, Cook sat and read. He had told me previously a month after I started working at the diner that he loved reading and often read to his two little girls Alice and Lucy.
I had never seen them before but I could picture them well enough and Cook had described them to me. They both had brown hair that reached their elbows and had brown eyes. They were twins. I liked hearing stories about them. The stories Cook read them were about princesses falling in love with princes and both of them having true love and happiness then living happily ever after.
True love and true happiness only existed in fairy tales, not in reality. Mama had never told me any fluffy and light stories containing things such as true love; I had to make them up myself or find a book somewhere. I had only learned of fairy tales when Luka mentioned them to me. We had a long conversation about books one day and Luka mentioned her favorite book: A fairy tale book. She let me read it and I was simply amazed by the simple way things worked in children`s stories.
I sighed as I remembered swimming in the sea with the Little Mermaid, went to the Royal Ball with Cinderella and danced in the ballroom with Belle. I remembered climbing Rapunzel's long blonde hair into her tower, lived in a small cottage with the Seven Dwarfs and rode on a magic carpet. I loved fairy tales; simply loved them.
I walked behind the counter and stood there looking bored. I had nothing to do. I wished I could have brought a book like Cook, but I was too ashamed. I had thrown Pandora`s Box (the book I had been reading) at my wall and many pages ended up crumpled. I felt ashamed to even look at it. Mrs Raynard had trusted me with that book and I had crumpled it. What was I if I couldn`t keep trust?
I put my head in my hands and sniffed. I didn`t want to cry, especially not in front of Cook and the few customers we had this morning. Cook believed everything was fine with me; I hadn`t told him anything about my life nowadays. The only people that knew were Len and Luka and… Then it struck me. Had Len told Rin? What if he had? What would she say? We had just become friends. Would she not want to be friends anymore? Oh no.
I groaned and sniffed silently, imagining the worst scenarios of Len telling Rin. Though somehow, he didn`t seem like the type to tell tales on me. And he promised me he would help me, so surely he knew not to tell…?
There was a gentle ring of the door opening and I sensed someone`s presence at the counter I was leaning on with my elbows. I quickly uncovered my face and stood up straight, not wanting to creep out a customer. I froze as I made eye contact with the 'customer'.
"Hi Miku-san!" Rin beamed, her sapphire eyes glowing with laughter and delight.
"Um…" I was stuck but managed to say something as to not keep her waiting, "Hi..?" Rin`s smile widened, making her look sweet,
"I never knew you worked weekends,"
"Um, I don`t," I replied, "It`s just for today…" She was my friend, but I found myself shy around her. We all had that one person in our friendship circle that we were scared of, right? Not that I had a circle of any kind; I didn`t have a shape for friends at all.
"Cool! You see I`ve always wanted a Saturday job but have never really had the patience for it. You know what I mean? I wouldn`t want to work as a waitress anyway. No offence,"
Her voice sounded confident and strangely filled me with a kind of joy. All the way through her speech she never stumbled on any words and that smile never left her lips. She looked sweet. But she was so much more too. Confident, kind, friendly…
"So, when do you finish today?" Her angelic voice broke me away from my thoughts.
"Um, afternoon. Around quarter to one," I replied but then couldn`t help but ask, "Why?" I didn`t want it to come out rude, not to someone sweet like her.
"Lenny asked! He wants to spend the day with you!"
I froze at the blonde`s words. Len asked? Len wanted…to spend the day…with…me? I felt faint, but at the same time, I knew I wasn`t going to faint. Rin grinned,
"You want to?" With no thought put into it, I replied,
"Yes!"
"It`s a date!"
A date? Why did she have to say that…?
Rin leaned over the counter, standing on the stool with her knees supporting her and hugged me. I was so shocked I didn`t hug back. But after a minute, I did. Luka had hugged me before, and so had Len but this felt different. I couldn`t describe it, but it just felt different. But a good different.
Rin`s orange scent intoxicated me, smelling heavenly. She`d told me they were her favorite fruit. Len`s was obviously bananas. Oranges and bananas. Rin drew back, smiling,
"I can`t wait! You don`t mind me being there too, do you Miku-san?" She looked slightly worried, though she also looked as if she would respect my choice. And it wasn`t hard at all to make that choice. I wanted to spend time with Rin, get to know her and this way I could also spend time with Len…
The thought of it caused butterflies to stir up in my stomach and I smiled nervously.
"I`d like that Rin," I replied. She cheered,
"Yay!" Then she gestured to the fruit bowl we kept on the counter. It had apples, bananas and…oranges. She was obviously eyeing them up. She sent me a knowing smile and I nodded with a smile before starting to make her an orange milkshake.
…
"Banana Brain should be here shortly Miku," Rin sighed as she tapped her fingers on the desk. I couldn`t help but be impatient too and gritted my teeth. The butterflies flew around and around my stomach, making me feel sick and light headed. I didn`t know why though.
Was it because this was the exact scene of going out with Luka and receiving my bruised cheek? Was it because that could happen again? Was it because I could spend time with Len?
"Sorry I`m late!"
I looked up as Rin smiled and sat up straight. I couldn`t take my eyes off the blond making his way towards the serving counter. It was already past quarter to one and there still weren`t many customers. Len stood at the counter, not taking a seat. He smiled at me and looked me up and down.
I had already changed out of my work clothes and was wearing a pink top and a pair of black jeans. I hadn`t chosen decent clothes as I hadn`t been expecting to be asked to go out today and I immediately felt self-conscious.
"You look nice Miku-chan," Len said, loud enough for only me to hear. My heart fluttered as I blushed.
"Thank you," I mumbled back. I looked at him. He was wearing black jeans too; a white t-shirt with red circles on it and had white and red sneakers on. He looked really handsome…
Rin hopped off her stool and smiled at the both of us, "Are we going?"
Len nodded in reply, "Yeah, let`s head now!"
"Where are we going?" I asked. I felt shy as the two exchanged glances.
"Didn`t you tell her?" Len asked. Rin sheepishly smiled,
"Um… No?" She threw her hands up in the air, "I got distracted! She can make really good shakes!"
Len grinned, "I`ll take that excuse as it`s true," He winked at me. I literally melted inside.
"We`re thought we`d take you out to lunch then go to the park. You up for that?" He asked gently. I nodded. It sounded like such a good idea.
"I`ll lead the way!" Rin said, taking large steps towards the door. She pulled it open and bounded outside. Len exchanged glances with me and we shared a chuckle.
I waved to Cook as I left. He shot me a smile and waved back. Even though I had protested, he had given me half of my earnings. I thought the half fair as he had given me extra for my day out with Luka. Len opened the door for me and let me through. I walked through and settled my gaze on Rin who was tapping her foot impatiently with crossed arms.
"Come ON!" She smiled, "Let`s go!" She skipped ahead as we followed a few paces behind her. Her bow waved back and forth on her head as she skipped and she looked adorable. I wished I could be able to do that and feel happy for more than a few minutes before life threw my failures back in my face.
"Um, Miku?" Len tapped my shoulder and I blinked,
"Y-Yes?" I asked nervously.
"Um, have you ever been out to lunch before?"
"N-No. Well… A long time ago of course, like when I was little," Len looked heartbroken at my answer,
"Do you remember it clearly?"
I nodded, "Yeah. I remember it was a nice restaurant with pretty lights and great food. Mama and Papa took me there for my ninth birthday. I had pasta and loved it! I remember the special cake my parents brought with them to the restaurant. Mama had decorated it with edible stars and moons and little silver balls. And afterwards, she let me have a brownie and ice cream. It`s still my favorite meal to this day…" I looked away as I recalled that exact time and sniffed.
A few moments later, I felt an arm pull me closer and I found myself snuggling into Len`s chest. It felt so nice and comfortable. His arm kept a tight but not painful grip on me and I felt safe all over again.
"Hey, it`s ok," Len whispered, "Don`t think about anything sad, ok? Think happy thoughts…"
I wished I could. What was a happy thought? Len… Thoughts of him came into my mind and I just snuggled in tighter. It didn`t seem like he had any problem with me doing it. It was a minute later that Rin`s voice interrupted our moment,
"Hey, lovebirds! You gonna go any slower?"
We sprang apart immediately, reminding me of that lunchtime when Luka walked in on us with our lips inches apart… Except this time it was a different pose…
"Shut up Orange Idiot!" Len yelled and I flinched at his tone. Was he mad? Was it my fault? He turned to me with a smile,
"You ok now?" I nodded and his eyes brightened, "Let`s pick up the pace or else she`ll come down and drag us!" We picked up our pace instantly.
It was a few minutes later that we reached a restaurant that looked similar to the one from my childhood. Rin bounded inside and Len kept the door open for me. I walked into the restaurant and gasped. Pretty lights… It looked professional looking and chatter filled the air. Rin walked up to the front desk and soon enough a man led us to our table. And as we sat down with our menus, I gasped again.
I had been here before. This was the restaurant I had gone to for my ninth birthday with Mama and Papa. I looked at the table next to the one we were sitting at and stared. There was a small star pinned to the side of one of the seats. I couldn`t believe it was still there. I remembered Papa pinning a small star badge to my seat on that day. He`d pinned it there so next time we came in, we would remember our happy day at that table. We never came back to this restaurant because things fell apart on the same day and family days and outings became a distant thought.
"Miku? Are you ok?" Len asked, concern in his voice. I turned to him, doing my best to smile,
"Y-Yeah…" I looked back over at the table. Rin tilted her head in confusion,
"What is it? Do you see something?" She looked round at the table and noticed the star, "Is that yours?"
I nodded then shakily said, "I-I came here for my ninth birthday…" Len`s eyes widened,
"Is this the restaurant-?"
"Yes." I replied.
"Oh my gosh Miku… I`m sorry!"
"It`s ok," I smiled weakly, "You never knew,"
Len didn`t look like his apology should have been accepted and looked to the ground. Rin on the other hand grabbed my hand tightly,
"Do you want to go somewhere else?"
My heart melted at how nice she was to actually ask instead of staying for her pleasure. But I didn`t feel right with saying we should leave, especially when the twins had put lots of effort in to take me out to lunch.
"No, it`s fine," I said, "Let`s stay here," Len looked up all of a sudden and looked into my eyes,
"Are you sure?"
I nodded, smiling, "Yeah,"
Rin let go of my hand and picked up her menu. She grinned, "Then let`s order!"
Len laughed and I found myself laughing too. This felt nice; just sitting with friends to have lunch together. I glanced back at the table behind us and smiled. It had been a fun day that led to the fighting of my parents that led to that stupid red lamp being bought which divorced my parents which led to Papa getting drunk and aggressive which then led to my life now. Though, if my life wasn`t like this, I wouldn`t have met Len and Rin; and Luka probably wouldn`t be my friend. Things would`ve turned out different.
And although it sounded better, I wouldn`t change meeting Len; that part could stay. I wondered how my life would`ve turned out if my parents were good, hadn`t left me and together.
But when Len turned and smiled at me, all thoughts just melted away as I got involved in the conversation without once glancing back at the table behind us.
…
"You really liked that pasta didn`t you?" Rin giggled as I nodded happily,
"It`s still as good as it was all those years ago!"
We shared a laugh as I noticed Len hanging behind. I paused to let Rin go in front whilst Len caught up with me. We walked along together for a few minutes before he picked his head up,
"Oh. Hi Miku-chan! I didn`t notice you there. Sorry,"
"It`s ok. But are you?" I asked, concerned. Len smiled,
"Yeah," He looked around, "The park sure is beautiful at this time of day isn`t it?"
I nodded, "It is,"
"You know, I love sunsets. They remind me of happy things, and the occasional banana,"
I laughed, "Bananas?!"
He laughed too, "They`re my favorite fruit! What`s yours?"
I thought about it. I recalled eating strawberries with Luka and liking them, but I couldn`t consider them my favorite fruit. After a moment, I knew the answer for sure,
"Bananas,"
"Yes! See that Rin?! Someone else likes them too!"
Rin stuck her tongue out at us and waggled it, "Oranges are still better!"
"Are not!" We shouted back.
"Are too!"
This debate continued as we made our way across the park. People were staring, but for once, I didn`t care. It was just nice to be able to laugh and joke with friends for a change. I had always wanted to just relax for more than a minute and be like any other normal child. Of course, that day with Luka still counted as it had been a good outing, even if the end result wasn`t…
"Who wants ice cream?!" Rin yelled.
"Me!"
"Last one to the ice cream stand is a rotten egg!"
"Rin!"
I ran at first but then slowed down to a halt. I wasn`t at all good at sports and already had a stitch. I sighed.
"I prefer to hang back too,"
I looked at Len. I thought he would`ve been well ahead of me. He had taken off at the same speed as Rin, which was fast.
"I thought-"
"Yeah. Any wise person knows they can`t win against Rin when it comes to ice cream, especially if it`s orange sherbet. She`s a sore loser,"
"I think she`s great," I looked off into the distance, "It must be great to be able to smile daily and live happily…" I felt that familiar arm wrap around me,
"You will be happy Miku, I promise. I said I`d help, and I will. Count on it,"
I smiled and turned to him. He gave me a gentle smile then leaned forward. I froze but longed for him to come closer at the same time. What was he going to do?
I was greeted with a kiss on the forehead and I melted. He moved away, blushing deeply. I felt my face heating up.
"I`m sorry, I-I just-" Len stuttered.
"It`s fine," I said, smiling then turned away, "Let`s go get Rin before she hogs all the ice cream!"
Len grabbed my hand, "Yeah, lets!"
We took off running, the feeling of his hand in mine giving me sudden strange strength. It felt great. The sun set behind us as we ran, my pigtails flying out behind me and Len`s smile reminding me that he was indeed there to help. And I had a feeling that he wasn`t going to break his promise.
