A/N: A honest answer to the people who want the Negitoro smut to happen soon; be patient. Very patient. Miku and Luka's "relationship" is still at an early stage. Better take it slow than rush it. But hey, the wait will be worth it, that's all I can say. A loooot more detailed than MeikoLily smut. :') *totally not teasing you guys with the future Negitoro smut*

Also, wow! Regarding the poll, it's such a tight battle between Meiko and Gumi. That's interesting. I'm having fun seeing Gumi about to win, but then unexpected votes happen for Meiko, but then Gumi is still winning haha. Oh and I bought a MeikoLily doujin (since I'm a huge dork for the pairing) and will probably scan it and translate it soon. I might put the link here when I'll be done with it if you guys are interested. I should probably buy some Negitoro ones too orz

Anyways, enjoy!

Warming The Cold

Miku heaved a sigh of relief. It was finally over. It had been two weeks since she was doing regular photoshoot trainings. Kaito was being restless with her, and it was getting a bit exhausting to say the least. She did enjoy it, but he was being quite severe with her, not hesitating to point out every little thing that she was doing incorrectly. Sometimes, she even had to start over. She wouldn't give up though; she was now certain that it was what she wanted to do with her life. As hard as it was, she wanted to become a model. She wanted to wear cute clothes and make justice for the designers who created them. When she had seen Megurine perform on stage, it had seemed so easy to her, but then she soon realized that it was tougher than she expected —and she wasn't even doing the real thing yet; it was just practice! Still, both Luka and Kaito were confident that she could do it, and it was enough to make her believe that it was the case. After all, her favorite model certainly wasn't the type who complimented others easily.

She stopped on her track when she recognized a familiar mature voice. It was definitely Megurine! She hadn't seen her ever since the rain event. Either she was avoiding her or she was really busy. Not to forget that it was harder for them to see each other since she was sadly not under her training anymore. It had been exactly fourteen days since the last time they had talked to each other. She felt her throat tighten as she remembered her favorite model's crying face and how she had pulled her into such a tight and desperate hug. Luka seriously needed someone to take care of her, and she could easily guess that Meiko had a hard time doing so, since she was probably getting pushed away too.

Miku discreetly entered the room where she had heard the voice and her eyes widened in surprise. It was a real and professional photoshoot! There were many photographers and they were all concentrated on the model. Nobody noticed her as she approached the scene —she probably had no right to be here, but she didn't mind. Her breath immediately got caught in her throat at the sight; Megurine Luka was lying on a luxurious couch. She was wearing sexy black lingerie with long stockings that only showed how delicious her legs were. It was easy to guess that she was currently modeling for an underwear company.

Miku was completely frozen in place as she let her eyes curiously roam on her perfect and womanly-looking body. Her skin was pale and completely flawless, her hips were round despite her flat stomach and there was even a piercing on her bellybutton. Needless to say that she was definitely doing justice to the person who designed what she was wearing. Her cheeks instantly warmed at the thought and she violently shook her head. God, it was making her feel all hot and bothered, and she wasn't the one who easily got distracted by those kinds of things!

"Alright, we're done, Miss Megurine! Excellent job! I could not expect less from you!" The business-looking man in an expensive suit exclaimed, replacing his glasses with a finger. "I am sure ladies will want to buy our lingerie afterwards! Since you'll be on the cover, it will probably push men to buy our magazine too…"

Luka threw him a disgusted look and stood up, her seductive expression from earlier transforming into her usual annoyed one.

"I didn't accept your business for that kind of idiocy." She snapped and took a bottle of water to refresh herself a bit.

"It will benefit to you too since you'll have a certain percentage of the money."

"I don't care. I don't get paid to do obscene photoshoots. I only accepted because I thought it would be innocent."

"You already signed, so it's too late to turn back."

Luka didn't say anything, but it was quite obvious by the glare that she was shooting at him that she wasn't very happy with the situation. She was about to reply to him, but stopped when she finally noticed that a curious tealette wasn't very far. She sighed and made her a gesture to leave the room as if telling her 'you have no right to be here'. Miku silently obeyed and waited for her outside.

When the popular model was done with changing herself back to her usual clothes, she got out of the room and rapidly examined the young girl.

"If those guys would have seen you, you could have been in real trouble. Let me give you an advice; never go to someone else's photoshoot unless you've been personally invited."

The tealette now felt a bit guilty, especially since Megurine was using the piercing cold voice that she hadn't heard ever since the Haku accident. It was disheartening.

"I… sorry, I heard your voice and I got curious."

"I swear, your curiosity will be the death of you."

Miku knew that she should work on that part of her personality, but it was always stronger than her. And there was something that was troubling her and she needed to let it out;

"I… uh… Will I have to do that kind of photoshoot as well? I… I'm not quite comfortable with it..."

Luka raised an eyebrow.

"Do you seriously think that they will force your hands to sign anything? If you don't like something that they want you to do, you don't accept it. It's as simple as that."

The petite female nodded, relief taking over her. God, she would be so humiliated and embarrassed if she were to wear such sexy lingerie only for complete strangers to watch her. She had no idea how the mature woman was able to keep her calm about it. Perhaps she was used to it?

Miku felt like she should say something, since the uncomfortable silence was starting to get to her. Was it just her or was it a lot more awkward between them since what happened the last time they saw each other?

"I… I think you did an excellent job at the photoshoot." She complimented even though she knew it wouldn't get her anywhere. Though, she soon realized her mistake, a deep blush forming on her cheeks. "A-Ah! I-It's not only because you were wearing that lingerie! I-It did look good on you though! W-What I mean is that you've always been stunning at your photoshoots, I always find it amazing how you keep your calm when I'm always really nervous during the practices."

Miku felt even more embarrassed now. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything at all. Luka pursed her lips in a thin line and crossed her arms over her chest.

"…You'll get used to it eventually. I was nervous too at my first photoshoots." The pink-haired female murmured and averted her gaze. "I was a real mess. Kaito actually scolded me many times because I was doing things incorrectly."

The tealette chuckled. It was actually hard to believe. It was also nice that Megurine was telling her such things when she wouldn't have even dared to say anything about herself before. She really was warming up to her! That thought just made her day brighter. She smiled softly at her.

"It must have been adorable to see you getting nervous in front of the cameras. I wish I could have seen that." Miku spoke her mind without much thought.

Luka's eyes widened. Her sudden humiliated expression instantly said that she regretted having told her about it. And yet a gentle blush was forming on her cheeks. It was subtle. The tealette thought that it was only natural to get embarrassed after getting that kind of reply and she just knew that Megurine wasn't completely heartless towards compliments.

Miku suddenly noticed that Gakupo was watching them from afar, arms crossed. He was wearing an amused smirk. She threw him a warning gaze; she didn't want him to interrupt them now, especially since they were finally having some kind of a friendly conversation.

"Hey, Luka," He shot at the popular model and finally approached them, much to the youngest female's disappointment. "If you develop a crush on her when you're supposed to be pretending to date me, it'll break my heart, you know."

Luka didn't even waste her time looking at him. Her clenched fists only expressed her anger. She clearly didn't want to see him now.

"Go away if you don't want to regret it." She warned him with her unkindest voice. "And we will certainly not pretend to date, so remove the thought from that wicked mind of yours already."

"I'm jealous. You're getting friendly with her when all I get are insults." Gakupo pretended to be heartbroken as he placed a hand on his own heart. "You two should get a room already. The real question is who will be top? It would be interesting if Miku were to-"

He was brutally cut off by Megurine who pushed him against the wall, teeth clenched and eyes glaring fire at him.

"I said go away. I don't want to deal with your foolishness."

The tealette stayed where she was. She would only intervene if she had to. Gakupo was like the male version of Lily, but a lot worse. It was no wonder why Luka hated him so much. It made her dislike him too.

The purple-haired model raised his hands in the air and pulled himself away from his coworker's firm grasp. "Alright, alright. Sheesh, you should take humor better than that. I was just kidding. At least, your old self would have only shrugged it off instead of getting violent like you just did. That behavior of yours is actually getting exhausting. Get over it." He sighed and gave the pinkette an unexpected unfriendly look before he finally left them alone.

"Jerk." Luka whispered with hate even though she seemed to be suddenly upset by his words.

Miku stayed silent and only watched with concern in her eyes. People seemed to like to remind her of her old self. They should probably consider the tragedy that she had gone through. She still didn't know what it was, but she wished the other woman would open up to her so that she could try to help her.

"Anyway," Megurine changed the topic of conversation. "I washed your clothes and I didn't have the occasion to give them back to you yet."

"Ah, that's right!" The tealette had actually completely forgotten about it. "I also have the clothes you lent me at home…"

"You can keep them. I wasn't wearing them anymore."

"Really? Thanks!" Miku beamed; she liked them. They were comfortable and the cat shirt was just so adorable.

Luka seemed to be conflicted for a moment. She inhaled and exhaled as if to try to calm down about something, before speaking;

"If you're not busy right now, you should come with me at my house and get them back."

The beginner model couldn't believe what she just heard. Did she just invite her to her house? Surely, it wasn't only to get her clothes back. If it was just for that, she would have probably tried to bring them back to her at work tomorrow. It was probably only a reason to spend some time with her.

"Sure! I'm free right now."

"Then, let's go. I don't want to waste any more time here."

Miku nodded and followed behind her, her heartbeats accelerating considerably. She actually promised to spend some time with Gumi; she hoped that she wouldn't mind if she ditched. But she was pretty sure that she would understand if she were to explain it to her. Luka just invited her to her house, after all!

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Lily stepped into the bar and looked around to search for her girlfriend. She was bored all alone at home, so she had decided to pay Meiko a visit at work. She had actually never seen her as a bartender and the thought excited her a bit.

It was exasperating to see there were already drunk men and women even though it was still so soon in the evening. She had never went to that bar before and she found it quite cozy and comfortable. She usually went to the female-on-female ones, and it wasn't like she needed to go there anymore, since she thought that she was already dating the most amazing woman.

The blonde took a seat near the counter where Meiko was working. She didn't seem to have noticed her as she was mixing a drink with experience for an already tipsy man. He was watching her a bit too intensively, a smug grin on his face, and Lily had to restrain herself not to tell him to stop. She hated when men and women stared at her girlfriend like she was eye candy. Meiko was very attractive, she knew it, and yet she couldn't control that jealous that was burning inside her stomach every time.

Then, Lily snapped when the man put his tips right between her girlfriend's cleavage. There was no way in hell she would let him get away with it.

"Hey, dude! That's disrespectful!" The blonde almost yelled at him, hands slamming on the counter to get his attention. She could notice a ring on his finger; he was married too. It was pathetic.

"Christ, relax, woman. I didn't touch her; I just gave her tips. In her lovely big cleavage, nothin' wrong with that." The man replied in a wavering voice, only confirming her thoughts about him being drunk.

"Pretty sure that's called sexual harassment!" Lily exclaimed in anger and turned to Meiko who was doubtlessly shocked to see her here. "Babe, don't tell me you're letting him get away with it!?"

The brunette sighed and removed the money from her cleavage to put it in the tips jar. "I was about to, before you interrupted." She looked at the man and gave him a glare. "If you do it again, the bodyguards won't hesitate to kick your ass out of here."

Lily smirked proudly at her. Oh how she loved when she was being all badass. He actually nodded and went to sit at a table, far away from where they were as if he really got scared. The blonde had to restrain herself not to mock him and tell him that he was actually just a little coward, but she knew Meiko didn't like her immaturity sometimes, and she would respect it.

She took herself a seat and gave her lover a seductive smile. She looked hot in that bartender outfit of hers, no doubt about it.

"Hey, beautiful lady, are you a kidnapper? Because you just abducted my heart."

The brunette laughed and rolled her eyes. Another one of her bad pick-up lines. She wondered where she was searching those. She still decided to play her game. If she were actually going to pretend that they were strangers, so be it.

"Pretty sure your heart is already taken by the most wonderful woman in the whole world, mm?"

"Oh, you bet. She is certainly the most stunning and amazing woman I have ever laid my eyes on." Lily flirted back playfully.

Sadly, seeing that other people were waiting for their drinks, Meiko sighed. As much as she would like to continue playing around, she would have to return back to work.

"Do you want something to drink before I serve my other clients?"

"Mm…" Lily tapped on her chin with a finger in thought. She hadn't planned to drink, but she supposed that it wouldn't hurt to have just one. Maybe something sweet and bitter. "I'll have a Tequila Sunrise, show me your mixing skills, hun."

Meiko nodded and went straight to it. It only took her a minute or so. When she gave it to her, the blonde made a grimace as she looked at her almost-empty wallet.

"I have enough to pay, but I'm afraid I won't be able to give you tips. Dammit, I really have to find a proper job…"

The bartender shrugged to show that she didn't mind. She caressed her girlfriend's arms and traced her tattoo with the tip of her fingers.

"Perhaps you can pay me in something else later?"

Lily chuckled, getting shivers only by the touch on her arm. Meiko definitely knew how to seduce her.

"And you say I'm the perverted one? 'Cause I think you're just as lewd as I am, baby."

Her girlfriend winked mischievously at her. She approached her face towards hers and gave her a quick peck on the lips before returning back to work. Lily blinked in surprise. It was literally the first time she kissed her in front of other people! She smiled. She supposed that she could call that a progression.

They had been dating for around two months now and she was liking more with each passing day. However, there was also that strange feeling of loneliness that she couldn't get rid of. She knew it was because of Gumi; they were barely seeing each anymore, and she terribly missed her.

"So? I'm guessing you're her girlfriend?" A new male voice asked beside her.

Frowning, the blonde turned to him. It was a blue-haired young man. He was wearing a blue scarf and definitely had a high taste of fashion; she could tell just by what he was wearing.

"Yeah, that's right, and you are?"

"I'm Kaito, her ex-boyfriend."

Lily almost chocked on her drink at the revelation. Oh shit. That was the last thing she had expected. She threw an alarmed look at Meiko who only stared back stressfully. She was overflowed with work at the moment, so she couldn't even help her with that ridiculous situation. And she was pretty sure that the brunette didn't trust her to deal with it at all.

"And why exactly are you here? I mean, you aren't her ex for nothing, after all. I doubt she'd be happy to see you."

"I want to apologize to her." Kaito murmured and ran his fingers in his blue hair, staring at Meiko like she was the most beautiful thing he had laid his eyes on.

Lily wasn't really pleased with it. She stared at her drink, biting down on her lip. She knew very well that the brunette had loved her most recent ex-boyfriend a whole lot, and she supposed that it was that guy. She was even pretty sure that Meiko's feelings had been deeper with him than they were with her now. Oh how she was getting insanely jealous right now. She wondered if it was what Gumi was feeling. If it was the case, then it was horrible as heck.

"Heh, sorry, jackass, but she's mine now and you obviously lost your chance, so back off."

Kaito stared at her with widened eyes. He didn't seem to believe what just came out of the woman's mouth.

"And you're her girlfriend? Pardon me, but you don't seem right for her at all."

"Dude, that's freaking rude, what makes you say that?"

"Well… I mean, Meiko is so mature and well-mannered and you're… uh…"

He stopped talking when he saw the intense disdain look Lily was throwing at him. He sighed and averted his gaze.

"Ugh, I didn't come here to fight." Kaito scolded himself. "I just want to talk to Meiko a bit and I promise that I'll leave afterwards."

Lily crossed her arms over her chest. She supposed that it was her girlfriend's decision and not hers to take. It was the first time she felt so possessive towards a lover, and it was actually making her insane. She definitely didn't like the feeling. She seriously hated to think it was exactly what Gumi was feeling. She took a long gulp of her drink.

When Meiko was finally done serving her clients, she went back to them. She looked at Kaito with a frown, arms crossed, waiting for him to start. He suddenly seemed a bit sheepish, and the blonde only rolled her eyes. She guessed that they needed some intimacy, but there was no way in hell she would let them talk without her next to them.

"Uh… hi?" He whispered a bit awkwardly; it was definitely different from seeing him being all professional.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you that I didn't want to see your face here anymore." The brunette spoke in an unusual stern voice.

"Yeah, well… I want to apologize about what I've done and I was wondering if it was possible to be… uh… friends?"

As much as Lily didn't like the situation, she had to accept it, since something similar was happening to her. She still wanted to stay friends with her ex-girlfriend, so she understood the desperation he was feeling. She couldn't be selfish and ask Meiko to refuse.

The bartender sighed heavily to show her discontentment.

"Kaito, when we were together, it was always your job first. You didn't see me for a month and you didn't answer my calls either. You could barely find some free time for your girlfriend, how would being friends be better?"

Lily whistled negatively. "Damn! To let down an amazing girlfriend like Meiko, you must be insane." She couldn't help but make the statement. The brunette glared at her, telling her to stay out of it.

"I know, I know." Kaito sighed, his body visibly tensing up. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just so overwhelmed with work and I deeply regret it. You don't know how mortified I felt when you left me… There's not a single day where I don't think about it. I never meant for things to turn out that way. I promise to you that if we decide to be friends, I'll find some time for you."

Meiko bit down on her lower lip in thought. She stared at the blonde to see what she was thinking; she only shrugged, telling her to do what she thought was right. She knew well enough that Kaito was very important to her despite being her ex, just like Gumi was to her.

"Alright, since you seem so sincere, let's try to be friends again. Though, I do have a girlfriend now and I'm happy with her, so I was wondering if you are totally alright with it?"

The manager looked a bit uneasy all of a sudden. It was obvious that he clearly wasn't alright with it. He probably still had feelings for her.

"Of course. I mean, if you're happy, it's all that matters to me." He nodded a bit shakily. He then stood up and gave an uncomfortable smile to both of them. "Well, I should go now. I have to train the new model tomorrow again, so I must get some sleep. I'll give you a call soon, Meiko."

The brunette nodded and waved goodbye at him. He then left. Luka definitely wouldn't be happy knowing that they would start seeing each other again. She never liked her manager, especially after what he had done to her, so she would have to prepare herself for some serious scolding.

Lily quickly finished her drink. She wasn't pleased. It was written all over her face.

"That guy still has feelings for you, it's obvious. What about you, Meiko? Do you still like him even though you're with me?"

The bartender knew that the blonde was serious when she was calling her by her first name instead of using endearments like she usually always did.

"I did love him a lot in the past, but I'm over him now." She explained calmly and grabbed her girlfriend's face, forcing her to look at her. "Honestly, I should be the one asking you if you still have feelings for your ex-girlfriend. You're the one who's been acting weird."

Lily's eyes widened. It was true. She was the one who was still doubting some things and the whole thing with Gumi was starting to make her insane. It was so confusing. She liked Meiko, but the greenhead was often in her mind as well. It didn't make sense to her. It was just a real mess that she needed to figure out. She took a deep breath.

"As long as we're together, I won't leave you, Meiko. You're my girlfriend and I'm completely sincere when I say that I like you."

The brunette averted her gaze; a habit she had when something was upsetting her.

"That's the problem. You like me. You're not as serious as I am about you. I just don't like you, Lily, I love you. I'm completely head over heels for you."

Lily's breath got caught in her throat. She didn't know what to say. She knew that Meiko was serious about her, but she didn't think that it was already to that point. She should have guessed it. She knew she couldn't tell her that she loved her too, or it would be a complete lie. It was slowly getting to that point though, but it wasn't there yet.

Maybe that Kaito guy was right when he said that I'm not good enough for her…

Knowing what the sudden silence meant, Meiko sighed, slightly heartbroken.

"It's alright, Lily. I understand that you're quite new to the whole love thing, but I don't think I'll be totally happy if you're not completely in love with me."

"I am! It's just… ugh. I need some time to think about it. It's all messy in my head."

The bartender gave her a reassuring smile before returning back to work. Lily knew she just hurt her feelings and she hated it. She needed to figure things out with Gumi first. She would do it soon; they needed to have a serious talk.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Miku sat on the edge of Megurine's bed as she waited for her to come back with the clothes she had washed for her. Her heart had been beating hard the whole time. Whatever she was feeling for the popular model, it was getting stronger and stronger. It was troubling her every night. The attraction definitely was there and she hated to think it was completely one-sided.

She looked around and noticed that the picture of her and Haku wasn't in her room anymore. It probably meant that she had completely moved on. It was not like Luka had been in love with her in the first place. She found it a bit odd to think that she couldn't even feel love. It didn't make sense to her, but she supposed that it was still possible. She had heard of people not being able to fall in love.

The tealette ran her fingers in one of her long twintails. It was such a pain to brush it sometimes. She even wondered if she should cut it short, but she was too attached to her hairstyle to even get rid of it. Kaito often told her that it was one of her several charms.

Luka then appeared and gave her the clothes. Miku instinctively smelled them. They had a sweet fruity scent; the same perfume she had smelled on the pinkette's shirt the last time they had hugged.

"I…" Megurine took herself a seat and looked down on the floor as if searching for what to say. "I actually didn't make you come here only to give you back your clothes."

Miku raised her head to stare at her. She looked troubled and upset. It was a miracle that she was showing that vulnerable side to her.

"What is it, then?"

"I… you said that you would listen to me if I were to talk about what happened to me some years ago, and I'd like to open up to you, if that is alright. I know that we're not exactly close and I still have some difficulty supporting your annoying company at times, but… you're just the kind of person we can easily trust and you're just so… innocent. There's not even a bit of malice in you, you even tried to help Haku even though you didn't know a thing about her. And honestly, I absolutely need to talk about it to someone other than Meiko and Kaito."

The tealette couldn't believe it. She was definitely taken aback. Luka wanted to talk about it now? She didn't know if she should be happy or sad about it. It totally meant that the pinkette trusted her, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to hear it. However, she nodded and sat more comfortably on the bed.

"Of course, feel free to talk to me about it anytime you want. As I said, I won't judge you, no matter what."

Luka took a shaky breath. There was a long silence. It was obvious that she would have a hard time talking about it.

"Actually, when I was younger, I got bullied a lot." The popular admitted and it definitely didn't fail to shock Miku. "People thought I was ugly, I was awkward and I didn't have any confidence. I think I was worse than Haku; I knew perfectly well what she was going through, so that was why I tried to protect her when she was failing, but in the end, I just made her problems worse. Meiko was my only friend back then. It's quite pathetic, isn't it?"

Miku had a hard time imagining it. Luka was so confident and beautiful now. It was hard to imagine her as worse as Haku.

"I don't think it's pathetic at all!" The tealette exclaimed a bit too seriously. She calmed down a bit before speaking, "Look at where you are now! It just means that you've grown so much and you should be proud of yourself."

Luka actually smiled at that, but still shook her head.

"As I said, you're way too innocent." She murmured and met with her teal eyes. "It's more complicated than that. I didn't grow up at all. I had to change, I didn't have much of a choice. After graduating from high school, Kaito found me while walking in the street. As soon as he saw me, he immediately scouted me to be one of his models, showering me with compliments like I was the most special person in the whole world. He made me learn so many things and he actually helped me to love myself. People loved me as a model. I finally felt loved, but I soon realized that no one would be able to see me as someone normal anymore. I couldn't have real friends —they were all fans who desired to be close to me and it was starting to annoy me. Do you understand now why I hated you so much for wanting to become a model because you were a fan of mine?"

Miku nodded uncomfortably. She should have thought about it. She didn't say anything and let her continue.

"The only persons who mattered to me was my family. And Meiko —since she never changed the way she acted towards me even after I became a popular model. To her, I was still that awkward childhood friend, and she continued to deeply care about me, and I'm grateful I didn't lose her. And then, something happened to my family…" Luka took a deep breath and clenched her fists in both anger and sadness. "...They got murdered. An insane fan of mine barged in my old house and killed my parents. I was so scared; I couldn't even do anything… He was about to shoot me, but my brother took the bullet at my place. The murderer left afterwards and was soon found by the cops…"

Miku was completely speechless. She felt so upset and shocked right now, she couldn't even react.

"My brother is still alive but he's completely paralyzed —from head to foot. He has to stay at the hospital every day. I almost thought of abandoning my career as a model, but he encouraged me to continue. Besides, someone has to pay for his medical bills and they're quite heavy… The worst part is that I know he doesn't want to live anymore. He doesn't have a life. At this point, it's not living, it's suffering... and I know that I… I should be the one at his place. The bullet had been directed at me, not at him…" Megurine took a long pause, before speaking again, her voice wavering. "I keep thinking that if I'm alive and still healthy, it's because my brother sacrificed himself for me… I… I mean, that crazy man was a fan of mine! I'm the one who should have died, not my parents…"

The tealette looked down and stayed silent. She didn't think it would be that dark. She was seriously and utterly shocked. Soon enough, her throat tightened and tears welled up in her eyes. She had no idea what to say. It was insane, and she felt so very, very upset for her. If something similar were to happen to her, she didn't think that she would have stayed as strong as her favorite model currently was. Even if she chose to push everyone away, to be cold and unfriendly, Luka was still alive; she was still pursuing her career as a model. She was still trying to enjoy life.

Without saying anything, Miku went to her and pulled her close, burying her face in her shoulder. God, she was the one who was crying when it should have been Luka…

"I… I'm so sorry… I… I didn't think it would be this… terrible…" Miku stumbled on her words, trying her best to try to stay calm, but failed. The woman who she had admired for so many years, who she had thought was happy and caring had actually been living something as terrible as that… She passed so many years admiring her and she had never once thought that she had been suffering that much.

"G-Geez… you really are annoying…" Luka whispered and closed her eyes. She still wrapped her arms around her, pulling her even closer to her. "You have completely no reasons to be crying…"

The tealette shook her head frantically. "I… I came to care about you from your interviews and your photoshoots years ago! I might be one of those annoying fans to you, but… I seriously came to care about the woman you are now as well… I always searched for your attention and approval, I always wanted to know why you were being so unfriendly… And I… I never once thought that it would be this… bad…"

Luka didn't say anything. She only tightened the hug even more. It was obvious that she was restraining herself not to start to sob, and Miku wished that she would cry. She would like to tell her that she shouldn't feel guilty about still being alive, that her brother sacrificed himself because he probably thought that her life was worth living. But once again, she found herself not being able to say anything; her throat was so tight and her chest heavy…

"If you don't mind, I would like to be alone now…" Luka murmured lowly.

The tealette nodded and pulled away. Megurine still wasn't crying, but her eyes were definitely red and puffy.

"A-Are you sure that you're going to be alright if I leave you alone?"

"Yes, don't worry…"

Miku reluctantly left and wiped her tears away. It would definitely change the way she saw her favorite model. There were so many things that she had wanted to tell her to reassure her. It was a shame that she hadn't been able to. However, she decided that she would do her best to make Luka happier, to make her enjoy life again even if that seemed like an impossible task...

A/N: I think this is the most angsty chapter I'll ever write. Don't worry, it'll definitely get happier. You go, Miku! Make the Meringue happy! :D

Also, I hope you guys aren't disappointed with Luka's past. I did mention that it would be very dark, I think…?

With that, don't forget to review!