A bright, celestial light lit up the vast field, and the smell of freshly-bloomed flowers traveled along the wind. Luka stood marveling at it all from the center of the place, almost overcome by its beauty. She took a few steps around, lovingly taking in the feeling of the soft, moist grass on her bare feet and the cool breeze brushing against her skin. The sky was clear and bright, an infinite ocean of sapphire without a single object hanging in its domain.
Her long, pink hair and the skirt of her golden dress gently swaying in the breeze, Luka wandered around the great field, meeting each blade of grass she trod upon with a tremendous happiness. Every last patch of the field was luscious and pure, all of it radiating a quiet serenity that Luka basked in wholly. Once she finally grew tired of walking, she fell over and simply laid on the vast sea of green, its lush, soft touch welcomed by her now-tired muscles. Sighing contently, she stared up at the sky, smiling at its majestic beauty.
She stayed there for what seemed like hours, perfectly at ease. Suddenly, a face entered Luka's view, and she immediately stood up in surprise. Standing in front of her was a girl in a simple silver dress, her long teal hair worn in twin tails and her expression full of curiosity. They both stood there a few moments, blankly staring one another down, before Luka finally smiled at her in greeting and took a small step forward. The girl, shyly, took a step towards Luka in return, her own smile betraying a lingering sense of wonder about the other woman.
Luka had never seen this girl before in her life. But somehow, at seeing her now, a single name had surfaced in her mind, its sound as clear as the sky above her.
Miku. A stranger she knew.
She couldn't escape now. The thought couldn't even form in her head.
The teal-haired girl was staring at her now, examining her with a wide-eyed awe. Luka laughed, not sure why she should be given such intensive study. She extended her arm and offered a hand to Miku, and the girl took it almost instantly. Her look of inquiry was gone now, and a bright, exuberant smile pierced through Luka's heart. She gave another smile in return, and began to lead Miku in a slow, unaccompanied dance.
Together, they spun and twirled, stepping about the field with a delicate clumsiness. Neither moved with much grace, but each seemed to know where the other was about to go, how best to synchronize their movements. Luka had no idea why she had prompted this dance, but once she had started, she found the act as natural as breathing. Every step in their spontaneous ballet was like magic, each twirl about one another bringing them closer, as if they could form a greater whole just from continuing their ungainly waltz. They could both feel the excitement and joy of the other, the compounded joy enveloping them as their laughter continued to ring out across the vast field.
Suddenly, there was a horrible rumbling from the ground below. They both stopped, an incredible fear now replacing their happiness. With a colossal tremor, the earth beneath them began to split open, a widening crevice growing between them. Luka hung on to Miku's hand, desperately trying to stay with her, but the the rupture in the ground was becoming far too wide. With a final, painful yank, Luka lost her grip, and they were left separated by the ever-growing crevice. Panicking, Luka took a running start and made a tremendous leap over the fissure, but she fell just short of the other shore and began to tumble down into the endless darkness below. As she fell, she could hear a terrified voice from above called her name over and over.
"Luka! Luka!"
It echoed down into the vast chasm, and Luka clenched her teeth at the sheer horror behind the words. In utter desperation she reached about for something, anything that she could grab onto.
"Luka! Luka!"
But she was falling too fast. The rocky walls around her were a blur, the echoing voice ringing in her ears the only constant sensation she could take in.
"Luka! Luka!"
Forcing back a scream, she closed her eyes, and –
"Luka," a soft, low voice called.
"Mm?" Luka moaned in response. The visions dancing in her head began to fade away as the voice washed over her, and reality began to worm its way back into her senses. She slowly lifted her still-heavy eyelids, blinking back the blinding sunlight that was seeping in through the bedroom windows.
"C'mon, Luka, it's morning," Miku called in a quiet, sing-songy voice.
Luka let out another sleepy groan and finally opened her eyes completely. She was holding Miku in a loose embrace atop the bed they were sharing, the teal-haired girl's own arms wrapped around Luka's torso as she gently nuzzled her neck. The feeling of the soft, teal hair pressed against Luka's skin was heavenly, and the slight pressure of Miku's arms against her sides was unbelievably comforting.
Yawning, Luka pulled Miku in a little closer, basking in the shared warmth of their bodies.
"Just a little longer?" she asked, drowsily.
Miku giggled. "I didn't know you were such a slow riser in the morning, Luka."
"I just don't want to leave this, is all."
"You're going to have to get up eventually. Or, at least I will."
Luka chuckled at the teasing words. "All right, fair enough," she said. She loosened her hold on Miku, but somehow couldn't bring herself to let go completely.
"...You really don't want to get up, do you?" Miku sighed.
"Well, you're not exactly making an effort to leave, either," Luka pointed out.
Miku laughed. "I guess you have a point," she said. Tenderly, she brought a hand up to Luka's face and cupped her cheek. "But it's not like this is the last time we'll do this, right?"
Luka sighed and, conceding defeat, took her arms off of Miku. The teal-haired girl smiled, giving Luka a light peck on the lips before finally emerging from beneath the covers to sit on the side of the bed. She stood up and picked her plain black dress from off the floor, quickly slipping it on over her white undergarments.
"You can go on ahead to the dining hall if you'd like," Luka said, still trying to gather the strength to sit upright. "I might be a little while."
"That's all right," Miku chirped. "I'd rather just wait here with you."
"But..." Luka looked off, nervous. "But, I still have to get dressed..." she said.
Miku gave a short laugh. "You're not naked, Luka, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides," she said, smiling brightly, "your body's absolutely beautiful."
Luka's cheeks grew scalding hot. For some reason, knowing that made her a bit more reluctant about leaving the shelter of the covers.
She gave another sigh and finally got up, ignoring the pounding, almost excited nervousness of Miku seeing her while she was so under-dressed. When they were together, holding one another, the anxiety simply wasn't there, or at least it was unnoticeable beneath the tranquil happiness that enveloped them both like their shared body heat. Now that they were detached from one another, being seen in only her underwear was more than a little embarrassing for Luka.
Miku, noticing Luka's shyness, respectfully turned her back, though a small giggle still broke through her lips. "I got dressed in front of you just fine, you know," she said.
"It's just a little improper, is all," Luka said. She pulled a shirt and a pair of pants from her wardrobe and hastily began putting them on. "I'm sure I'll get over it, but for now it's still a bit of an obstacle for me."
"Well, I guess I don't mind it all that much," Miku said with a playfully pondering tone. "You're adorable when you're flustered, you know."
Luka felt her cheeks grow warm again. She quickly finished dressing herself and softly cleared her throat.
"Well then, shall we go?" she said, offering Miku her arm.
Grinning, Miku immediately took it. "By all means," she said, and they walked out of the room, their pace slow and easy.
"Well?" Kaito asked, sitting into an armchair. "Are your findings in yet?"
"Naturally," Lily replied. She turned her head towards a short, pink-haired girl standing next to her. "I'll tell them my information first then, Iroha."
The girl gave a small nod of agreement and, satisfied, Lily began to speak.
"The meeting was brief, extremely formal, and quite informative. I held it on the pretense of business, naturally; I told them that I was worried about the well-being of other Families following the blow ours has taken, and that in our own time of need I hope our fellow familiari shall act with their usual honor towards us, perhaps even aiding us in our efforts to find justice. I offered the possibility of trade if they felt particularly unstable in the wake of these events, or if perhaps they themselves had been victims of an attack and were suffering for it. In brief, they told me that they were doing quite well on their own and had no need for help from Casa Marciano or any other Family, though they expressed their deepest sympathies for our loss."
"That's quite telling," Luka said, mulling over the information. "If they were actually interested in taking over our territory, one would think they would have used that opportunity to buy up some of our shares in the industry."
"Unless they realized it was a trap," Kaito countered. "Our ruse wasn't exactly air-tight, you know."
"A fair point," Lily said, "but ultimately, it seems they were actually being quite honest with us." She motioned towards the girl beside her. "Iroha, if you would."
"Very well," the pink-haired girl responded. "I'd like to first tell you all that it wasn't easy slipping into the Rinaldi manor unnoticed. Their security was sharply tightened; I believe they even hired a few extra guards along with expanding the shifts of their current ones."
"Sounds incriminating," Kaito said. "It's as if they're especially worried about someone like Nekomura getting in. Seems to me they had something to hide."
"One explanation, perhaps," Iroha said. "Personally, I wonder if they're more afraid of being attacked themselves following the damage we've sustained. That's the most reasonable explanation for it given the evidence I found, you see."
"You didn't bring any of that back with you, did you?" Luka asked.
"Of course not. It would compromise our position significantly if they were ever to discover some of their documents have gone missing. But I committed to memory as much pertinent information as I could find."
"And that leads you to believe they're innocent?" Kaito asked.
"Yes. All of the relevant documents I found concerned shipments of wines and other spirits, typical banking and profits records, and orders concerning investments in factories and shops not under our sphere of influence. There was little, if any, information that implied an interest in expansion, let alone anything to imply they're interested in our grain monopoly."
"So they really were being honest at the meeting," Kaito mused.
"Exactly our issue," Lily said. "Even though we managed to build up a considerable amount of rather damning evidence against Casa Rinaldi, we can't seem to find anything close to a motivation for them."
Luka frowned. "I can't say I like this contradiction very much, either. If there truly is no motivation, then where did the evidence come from?"
"I think it's an issue best solved later," Lily said, sighing. "For now, we ought to just call Casa Rinaldi a dead end and keep looking for leads elsewhere."
The two cavalieri both nodded in agreement.
"Well, I'll be off, then," Kaito said as he rose from his seat. "I guess you two want to be left alone again?"
Luka eyed Lily in disbelief. "You told him about what I was doing last night, too?"
"Not in detail," Lily protested. "I just might've let slip that I was curious about how things went."
"Well, no offense, but I'm not," Kaito said. "Besides, I'd bet you'd prefer a bit of privacy when you talk about that sort of thing, huh?"
He gave a small wave and a word of farewell, then exited out the door, Iroha following once she'd said her own terse goodbyes.
"'That sort of thing'?" Luka asked incredulously. "Just how much did you actually let slip, Lily?"
"Come on, that's not important now," Lily said, motioning Luka over to the empty seat next to her. "I just want to know if last night went well for you two."
Luka sighed and took the offered chair. "All right. Well, you'll be happy to know that your advice worked; our misunderstanding is well behind the both of us now."
Lily grinned widely. "Wonderful!" she cried. "She knows how you feel, too? I mean how you really feel?"
"She does. She was so happy to hear me say it, too." Even as she mentioned that moment, Luka couldn't help but think back on how breathtakingly beautiful the teal-haired girl had been then. The incredible joy that had brightened Miku's was eyes was more enchanting than starlight, an alluring brilliance that drew Luka in like no other beauty she had ever seen.
"Then, did she show her happiness in any way?" Lily asked, her grin growing a bit more mischievous.
Luka blushed. "We... kissed. And then we just held each other awhile, out on the balcony." She smiled, the feelings of those precious moments still flooding over her. "I don't think I've ever been happier."
"And after that? Was there, you know, anything else?"
"Then, we... we slept together." The burning on Luka cheeks had grown even hotter, and she couldn't bring herself to keep eye contact with her friend.
"I knew it!" Lily shouted. "So? How was it? No, how was she? What was she like?"
"I didn't do anything undignified, thank you very much," Luka protested. "There is such a thing as moving too quickly, you know. Even I recognize that."
"So you do want to, eventually?"
"I – " Luka groaned. "Honestly, Lily, sometimes you're too much."
"Sorry, sorry," Lily said, laughing. "But in all seriousness, I'm truly happy things worked out."
Luka smiled. "I am, too. And I have you to thank for it."
"Don't belittle yourself," Lily said. "I know it must have been hard for you to open up like that, and it's great that you pulled through. You should be proud of that."
"You were a great help, nonetheless," Luka said. "I don't think I would've been able to put things back together without you, and I'm truly grateful that you're here for me. There's no one I'd rather have guiding me through this."
"...Thank you," Lily said, visibly touched by the words. She laughed, shrugging it off. "You must really love this girl if being with her got you to say something that sentimental. I'd really like to meet her sometime."
"That shouldn't be difficult," Luka said. "Though, there's still the nature of our business..."
Lily blinked. "She doesn't know you're a familiare?"
"You know it would've been improper to tell her early on, before I really knew her. I just haven't had the chance to let her know more recently."
"Well, no matter," Lily said. "It's a bit unsettling for some at first, certainly, but if she really loves you it shouldn't matter. It's not as if you're doing anything wrong, after all."
"I know, but..." Luka trailed off, sighing. "I suppose I'm still a little afraid of what she'd think of me one she knew."
"She'll think that you're helping to bring order to our city in these uncertain times, just like I do," Lily said. "You have nothing to worry about. Besides, it'd be better for the both of you to get things like this out in the open early on – it's never helpful to keep secrets in a relationship."
Luka sighed again. "You're right, of course. I was just letting my anxieties get the better of me."
"It's all right," Lily said reassuringly. "I'm only telling you all this because I want things to work out for you two. Who knows, maybe if you stick with this girl, we'll even get a new member of the family soon. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Luka was about to protest, the thought of a commitment that deep a bit too much for her, but then silenced herself. As she continued to consider it, becoming that close to Miku, accepting her more deeply into her own life and society - none of it really seemed all that frightening.
"Yes," she finally said, smiling. "It truly would be."
Miku walked down the streets with an unusual giddiness in her step, yet she still took a great deal of care to make her stroll leisurely. The deteriorating concrete surrounding her was like a mass of golden clouds, the cobblestone beneath her feet like a bright woodland path lined with flowers in bloom. Everything around her seemed bright and beautiful, and she wanted to experience it all for as long as she could. The weather was warm, and the sun was shining brightly in the clear sky.
Despite the relaxed pace of her walk, it wasn't long before Miku arrived before the steel gates of the Kagamine manor. She didn't want to be here, but somehow, she couldn't manage to make herself unhappy about that. Even as she made her way past the stone-faced guards and up towards the towering front doors, she moved as if she were following some innate dance, accompanied only by the Chopin piece she was softly humming to herself.
Predictably, Len was waiting just past the door, pacing about with an added nervousness in his movements and his eyes glued to the floor in front of him. He snapped his head towards the doors as they creaked open, his impatient frown twisting into a fiery scowl as Miku waltzed into the lobby.
"There you are!" he shouted. "Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting for you? Where did you even go this time of day?"
"Sorry, Len," Miku replied, smiling. "Didn't mean to inconvenience you." She was lying, though her tone certainly didn't betray it. The fact was, she just wasn't interested in picking a fight right now.
Len's scowl melted away. "Well... all right, then." He paused, apparently bewildered at not having to keep up an argument. "Come on, the others are waiting on you."
The two soon arrived at the conference room, where Rin was leaning far back into her seat and Sonika was rapidly drumming her fingers on the table. Both their attentions immediately went to the door as it opened ant the two others entered.
"Look who finally decided to show up," Len announced, his tone laced with frustration.
"And pray tell what kept you from being here on time today?" Rin asked Miku, an icy smile on her lips.
"Just an early morning walk," Miku replied, not missing a beat.
Rin shrugged. "Well, the important thing is that we're all here now, I suppose." She leaned forward in her seat and rested her hands on the table. "I'll be frank with you all: things aren't heading in quite the direction we'd hoped for."
"What a surprise," Len muttered under his breath.
Rin shot him a frigid glare, then resumed.
"We have every reason to believe the trail's getting cold," she continued. "Casa Marciano's activity has been dropping the past couple of days; it seems as if they're losing interest in our bait."
"What's more," Sonika cut in, "I've received word that they've recently met with Casa Rinaldi, no doubt trying to verify the trustworthiness of the evidence they've found against them. I'm not very confident they'll be able to do so."
"So, now what?" Len asked impatiently. "They've probably seen completely through our web of lies by now. If they have nothing to go on anymore, how can we expect them to blame Casa Rinaldi?"
"We can't," Rin replied. "It's quite likely that they'll decide to give up the chase, unless we intervene. Fortunately, we still have a terrific means of getting them back on the right scent."
"The fact that Casa Marciano actually approached Casa Rinaldi presents us with an enormous opportunity," Sonika explained. "We could easily make them believe this has made Casa Rinaldi frightened, and that they're worried about being found out."
"And how would we go about doing that?" Len asked.
Rin grinned knowingly. "Think about it, Len. If you were worried about being discovered by another Family and were forced to take drastic measures, what would you do?"
"Drastic measures, huh?" Len pondered the question a moment. "I guess the safest thing to do would be to get rid of one of the higher-ups. Ideally, it'd mean they'd lose a key investigator and not find me out, but even if I were discovered at least there'd be one less cavaliere to worry about."
"Exactly," Rin said, her grin growing wider. "So, all we have to do is pin that exact crime on Casa Rinaldi."
"It wouldn't be difficult, either," Sonika said. "If we left some scrap of evidence incriminating them after the assassination is done with, then Casa Marciano would inevitably put the pieces together in the way we want them to."
"And then we'd have our war," Rin said triumphantly.
Len nodded, conceding agreement. "Sounds safe enough to me," he said. "So, who's Miku's new target?"
Miku sighed softly. So there was a reason for her being here after all.
"What about that Kaito guy?" Len suggested. "He's pretty close to the top."
Sonika shook her head. "That's actually the trouble – he's a bit too close to the top. Being next in line for capofamiglia, he'd be far too well-guarded. It's too risky."
"So naturally," Rin said, "that leaves us with La Oltranza herself." She produced a few papers and slid them over to Miku. "This should have everything you'll need, Miku."
Slowly, Miku took the papers. As she glanced down at them, her eyes widened and her throat went horribly dry. On the very front page of the sheets, staring back at her with a cold, stony glare, were six words that instantly sucked the breath out from her lungs.
Luka Megurine: Cavaliere of Casa Marciano.
The text shot through her like one of her own bullets, the very shape of the letters cruel and unfeeling. Trying to cover her reaction, she set the papers down in front of her.
"When?" she asked, her voice as flat as she could make it.
"Why, tonight, of course," Rin said. "We need to put them back on the trail as soon as possible, after all." She stood up and went to the other side of the table. "Sonika will give you something to leave behind at the scene. Leave that and only that, do you understand?"
Miku nodded, her voice forsaking her.
"Good," Rin said, smiling. She gripped the back of Miku's chair and leaned down to her ear. "And remember just how important this job is for all of us. I don't have to remind you not to slip up."
Miku nodded again. "Of course," she finally forced herself to say, briefly winning against her dry, uncooperative mouth.
Rin let go of the chair, a satisfied grin on her face. "Well, I suppose that covers, everything, then." She made for the door, Len and Sonika standing up to follow her. "Good luck, Miku," she called from the door frame, and then disappeared down the hallway, the other two in tow.
The silence of the now-empty room forced itself down Miku's throat, but she did nothing to struggle against it. The words on the papers in front of her continued to stare her down with an icy gaze. Silently, she finally gathered them up and rose from her seat. With a quick turn, she left the empty room to return to her own, knowing deep down that there, she would only find more of the same.
She walked down the hallway with the documents clutched at her side. Even in the quarantine of her hands, completely out of her sight, she could still feel the words on those papers she held savagely cutting through her entirety.