Beta is Beta, i.e. spelling issues etc might be there.
Hear my Song!
Concert XI
Quick and Steady
"What do you mean you don't have your keys!" Luka was shouting in the rain, soaked to the bone, her long pink hair hanging slick in her face.
"It means I don't have my keys! Am I speaking french or something!?" Miku shouted back, equally wet and additionally as annoyed as she was soaked. Slamming her fist against the door three more times, for a grand total of fifteen, Miku gave up on hoping Neru was just in the bathroom.
"Lemme." Shoving Miku to the side, Lily pulled something out from between her breasts and crouched in front of the door.
"You can pick locks?" Gumi was trying to cover herself with her arms, cold and somewhat embarrassed about the way her clothes stuck to her skin.
"They do it all the time on TV." Messing around the the lock, Lily was absolutely confident that a door lock could not be any harder to pick than a car lock.
Shrugging, turning around and awkwardly smiling, Miku was just about done. "Breaking and entering into my own apartment. That's it. I've officially made the jump to insanity."
Luka was right on that, hugging Miku, initiating a very awkward silence only disturbed by the massive onslaught of water from above and Lily cursing to herself. "Luka."
"Don't. Say. Anything." The diva was fully aware of how weird and somewhat disgusting it felt to have layers of wet and sticky hair between them. Separating would only get all that hair stuck to all sorts of skin.
"And she said: Shazaam open!" Proud of her work, Lily stood up and opened the door. A welcoming warmth was streaming out. "Can you two flirt on inside? It's wet 'n cold."
Pushing Luka away, Miku was the first to head inside and go straight for the bathroom. "Don't get the entire apartment wet! Wait until I at least throw you a towel!" Shouting from the bathroom, Miku grabbed every single towel she could get a hang of.
Returning to the door, where only Luka was patiently waiting, while Gumi was covering her eyes with her hands. There was also a suspicious trail of wet clothes on the ground. What unnerved Miku was that it didn't stop until she saw underwear on the ground. "Lily! Tell me you not naked in my apartment!"
"'fraid she is." Luka grabbed a dark blue fluffy towel from Miku's shoulder, starting to try her hair. "Gumi." Throwing a towel, bleak yellow in color, to the short haired girl, Luka wasn't sure she wanted to tell Miku the details of Lily rapidly throwing off her clothes in front of Gumi and herself. It was quite... something. If she wasn't heels over head in love with Miku, there would be a second trail following right up.
"I got a wool blanket so I'm not naked!" Lily shouted back, feeling barely any shame at all, already sitting at the table in the living room.
Just as Miku turned around to complain to Luka about Lily's behavior, she found her girlfriend stripping as well, Gumi now hiding her entire face behind her hands, a large towel hanging over her head. "Luka!"
"What? Want me to get a cold, getting you sick as well, inevitably, because I stick around in wet clothes?" She was secretly looking forward to sharing just a wool blanket with Miku. A new kind of kinky.
"I can see your perverted fantasies about sharing body warmth, Luka." Throwing another towel at her partner, Miku grumbled to herself, starting to rub her own hair dry. She was virtually assaulted by Luka, getting, in her opinion, entirely unneeded help doing that very same task. "Luka. I'm not five. I can dry my own hair."
"I'm over twenty, I can dry my girlfriend's hair. Now be a cute and obedient little diva and let me dry you all up." Miku endured Luka's wild rubbing to the best of her ability.
"You and your compliments. I'm not gonna share a blanket with you naked." Miku had been with Luka long enough to read her mind in situations like these.
"What do I have to do to get you under one?" Luka's tone was so serious and sincere that Miku faltered under the pressure of her honesty. When Luka asked like that, she didn't want to be stubborn. She wasn't really against the idea of sharing a blanket, just against letting Luka have her way that easily.
It was easy to come up with a few impossible conditions for something like that. "Get to work on time for a week straight. If you're late even once, you'll go a whole week without sex."
Luka paused, knowing that it was a big risk to take. But she went with the spur of the moment. "Starting Monday, I'll be at work in time for the entire week. And I'll have you know that's extortion."
"I don't want to hear that from you, you con artist! We're only scheduled to come in twice the entire week!"
A cute sneeze from right behind them put a stop to their little exchange. Pushing Luka to the side and taking Gumi's hand, Miku pulled her into her room, almost slamming the door shut right after. A locking sound made clear that she didn't trust Luka not to peek, no matter what punishment she threatened her with.
Stripping, but unlike Lily not leaving a trail of clothes, Luka made a quick detour to Neru's room and grabbed a massive wool blanket the writer supposedly used during winter. Covering herself in it and wearing it like a grand mantel, Luka put her wet clothes into the laundry basket. "Miku! When you decide to come out of Little Fort Knox, there should be some of my clothes in your closet!" She didn't need to specify what that info was for.
Arriving in the living room, Luka found Lily half-asleep on the table. "I can see your boobs, Lily." Sitting down and not paying any further attention to the position the blonde was in, Luka felt a lot better, now that she was out of the wet clothes. After waiting a good minute without Lily moving as much as a muscle, Luka decided to avoid the inevitable blushing storm that would strike if Gumi and Miku showed up now. "Cover up. You're not at home, Lily."
Groaning and sitting up, pulling the blanket closer, Lily was a little annoyed but knew Luka to be correct. "Sorry, bad habit. I always get real comfortable wherever I am."
"I could tell. Where did you get that, by the way?" Luka hadn't seen that blanket before. Where had it come from?
"Room in the back. It was on the ground so I grabbed it. Smells a bit like coffee for some reason." Pointing at one of the rooms that branched off, Luka could guess that the blanket more than likely belonged to Haku.
Sitting right across the table from Lily, a strategic move that Luka had made specifically so Gumi would be forced to sit next to Lily and Miku next to her, the scenario fell somewhat apart when she heard the apartment door open again, a lot of cursing and a bit of whimpering. "Lily, code red. Don't say anything and just let me talk."
"There better be a very good explanation for this, Megurine." Neru was pissed. Soaked and pissed. And Haku clinging to her arm, equally soaked, didn't help her mood any. Standing just at the entrance to the living room, Neru quickly put her priorities in order. "Haku, go change before you catch a cold." With a soft nod, the taller girl headed to her room, passing by the unknown blonde that was somewhat awkwardly smiling. "You're not having some kind of kinky affair with that girl there while Miku is god knows where, right?" As much as she took issue with Miku dating Luka, Neru would let Miku deal with her own business as long as Luka didn't screw her over.
"Miku is in her room, getting Gumi out of wet clothes. We get just as wet as you are. The girl is a friend Miku and I have in common."
"I'm Lily. I'd get up and shake your hand but I'd rather not run into a minefield."
"Miku really attracts all the weirdos." Putting down a large bag she was carrying, obviously groceries going by the look of it, Neru walked past Luka, not without shaking her head enough to make water from her long ponytail sprinkle all over the songstress, and headed into her room to change. "Fucking rain."
"Miku's cousin. Writes for a living, takes care of the silver haired girl, who is also Miku's cousin." Rushing the introductions, Luka didn't like to deal with Neru all on her own. And especially not with Haku. The tall girl was a moving minefield where the mines were shuffled every day.
"Why aren't we joining the others?" Sitting on Miku's bed, in dry clothes and with a towel on her head, Gumi was a little confused why Miku refused to leave her room.
"I love Luka but I have obligations towards my cousins. If I'm always there to babysit their relationship with each other, they're never going to get along." Flipping open a book she had already read once before, Miku only needed something to keep her mind from imagining worst case scenarios. She had made the decision to stay holed up in a hurry when she heard Neru and Haku come home.
"You sound like you really want to make her a very permanent part of your life."
"I love her. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever meet someone I like that much again. That must sound really absurd, considering the way we met and got together, but it is what it is." Miku flipped a page but wasn't actually reading, merely keeping her eyes occupied. "
Grinning to herself, Gumi found it to be a tad romantic how Miku was planning out those things. A brief mental image of an older Luka and Miku, still performing together on stage came to mind. "You two make a great couple."
"That's why I want her to get along with what is left of my family." Flipping the page again, Miku thought it a good sign that there was no angry yelling from Neru yet. "I'm was worried, leaving Lily and Luka to deal with Neru, but it looks like they're doing okay. Unless they killed each other."
"If you and Luka would marry, who would wear the tux?" Gumi really wanted to shift the topic towards something else.
"Luka is the pervert, so she'd do it." Miku was completely nonchalant about calling her that. It was, if even slightly understated, the truth.
"I don't know about calling her a pervert." Chuckling, Gumi took the somewhat wet towel and hung it over the bed end. "I could just go to sleep... rain has that effect on me."
"Avoid drooling on my pillow and you can take a nap. I'll wait a bit longer before going out there and rescue Luka and Neru from each other."
Taking her up on the offer, Gumi laid down, the pillow having a slightly mysterious smell. Within seconds of laying down, the girl was fast asleep, leaving Miku with just her book. Waiting a few minutes, Miku decided that she would take a look at the, surely, nuclear battlefield that had living room must have become by now.
Unlocking her door and going out, she wasn't sure what to think of Luka and Lily cuddled up with each other under the same blanket. Seeing that first thing after leaving her room made her want to face heel and go straight back. Taking a few steps towards the living room, she could see why the situation was what it was. Haku was, covered in a blanket as well, hiding behind Neru, who was actually wearing clothes, and only cautiously peeking at the visitors. Given their heights, Neru made for very poor cover.
Walking straight past Luka and Lily, Miku sat down next to Neru, patting Haku's head first order. "Were you two out buying groceries?" She hadn't spotted the grocery bag that Neru had carried.
"Damn rain hit us with no warning. Yeah, we were out. Speaking of which, I need to put the stuff into the fridge." Getting up and giving Haku a very slightly scolding look when the tall girl tried to hold the blonde back by grabbing her hand, Neru went to get the bag and put away the groceries.
Having lost Neru, Haku was not taking cover behind Miku, who wasn't too happy with that. "They don't bite, Haku." Slowly pushing the silver haired girl to her side, Miku could only get her to stay by holding her hand under the table. "And you're not gonna bother to explaining to me how exactly you two ended up naked under a blanket together?"
"How do you know I'm naked?" Luka knew for a fact that Miku hadn't seen her strip and she doubted that her partner had checked the laundry bin.
Miku didn't even need to answer that with words. Giving Luka a knowing look, she could tell very easily what Luka was thinking and what she would do if confronted with some situations. "Let me make an educated guess. One of you took Haku's blanket without permission, Neru forced it off you and the only other warm place was sharing a blanket with whoever had the other one."
Luka and Lily both started clapping at the same time. "Ohhhh!" Miku made an annoyed face right away. "Detective Miku has solved the mystery right away!" The glare that followed, with an even more annoyed face, shut both of them up quickly.
"See, Haku? They're totally harmless if you don't let them push you around."
"Okay..." Shivering a little, Haku moved the blanket a little and hugged her cousin from behind, seeking a bit of body warmth. "You're warm, Miku..."
"Damn, I'm jealous." Luka whispered to Lily, but not quietly enough. Miku heard her alright.
"Which one?" Lily was playing along and whispered back, also not quietly enough.
"Both." Luka answered and felt a massive shiver go down her spine. "Come on Miku! It's essentially a compliment!"
"Sometimes I wonder if I'm dating an old man." Letting Haku snuggle up against her back, Miku felt absolutely nothing even remotely in the way of attraction when Haku's large breasts pushed against her. They were family after all. "Go get something to wear, Luka."
"I actually don't mind being naked with Lily under-" Luka paused very briefly, "Getting dressed now." Standing up, not ashamed in the least that she was stark naked and flashing everything to Haku, Lily and Miku, Luka walked past Neru, whose mouth was wide open at the sight, into Miku's room.
"You're gonna have to make do with whatever we find to fit you, Lily. Next time, ask before you make yourself at home, by the way. I live here and I don't mind, but alas, I don't live here alone." Miku felt like she was teaching children basic etiquette.
"Nobody was home, but I see ya point." Looking at Haku, Lily wasn't sure what she should say. She wasn't any good at dealing with shy people. All she ever got them to do was run away with their head low because she was too pushy. "I'm Lily. I sort of used to sort of sing in a band and sort of want to become a vocalist."
"That's... a lot of sort of..." Haku was looking at Lily over Miku's shoulder. She couldn't quite make sense of the girl.
"Very spur of the moment person, right here." Smiling wide, Lily wasn't ashamed of her lifestyle at all. She had spent a few nights on the streets because of it, but she never regretted living her life that way. "I kinda broke up with the band I was working with so right now I'm stayin' with Gumi. Your name is Haku, right? Like the Haku in Mahjong?"
"N-No... it's spelled differently."
"Your hair is incredibly pretty. Is the color dyed or natural?" Lily was, for her own standards, tip-toeing with her questions, trying not to step on a landmine. Luka had already warned her that Haku was incredibly shy.
"Natural... yours is really pretty too." She couldn't quite say why, but Haku found it much easier to talk to Lily than Luka.
"Ya think so? Thanks. Mine is dyed though. Natural color is still somewhat blond but bit dirty and I didn't like that. So I made it all sparkly. Costs me fortunes to keep it that way, too!" Rocking back and forth a little, Lily sneezed, unable to cover her mouth in time. "Woah, sorry."
"Why did you break up with your band?" Haku was starting to take a liking to the girl. Lily didn't ask any pushy questions about why she was shy or what she was doing for a living at all.
"Stupid stuff. I'll tell you over a beer or something another time." Lily had a plethora of stories to tell, most of them stuff a normal person wouldn't be proud of or want to share but she didn't mind at all. "Miku, mind turning on the TV?"
"I don't, but is there something specific you want to watch?" Grabbing the remote, Miku could tell that Haku was liking Lily. Maybe putting those two together would help Haku come out of her shell more often.
"Asahi. It's probably mostly over by now, but I kinda wanna see anyway."
"This? A Korean idol concert?"
"Yep, U-SAI, pronounced 'you say'." Moving slightly around the table to get a little closer to Haku and a better view of the TV, Lily looked a little bit dreamy when she stared at the screen. "You two haven't heard of them?"
"I don't want much TV..." Haku wasn't too fond of the musical and idol scene, not anymore.
"Don't pay a lot of attention to Korean stuff. Luka might know. Speaking of which, she is taking a long time. She better not be doing weird stuff to Gumi, like drawing on her face." Miku couldn't leave Haku alone with Lily, so she couldn't go and check.
"They both started on their own and didn't get far until they teamed up. Bright pink hair is called IA, the blonde SeeU. I kinda forgot their real names because they were really boring. I think IA was called Ai Sanoto or something like that. They sound really great together."
Watching the broadcast, Miku figured out what their appeal was very quickly. "Are they just acting the part or are they actually into each other? And what business does Asahi have broadcasting this?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Miku. I like to think it's not fake. Part of the mystery, you know? They're pretty well known over here, too, and Asahi was the first to jump boats, I guess?"
"Korean lesbian porn?" Luka finally returned only to find the three girls somewhat glued to the TV. Wearing clothes she had, over various trips, left at Miku's place, she no longer needed to get under the blanket. She immensely regretted that she didn't get to share a blanket with Miku the same way she had done with Lily.
"Idols. But this pseudo make out stuff probably substitutes for porn well enough for their fans." Miku wasn't sure she should be saying those things. with Magnet and all being so hugely popular, it was kind of a glasshouse.
Neru returned to the table as well and Haku quickly crawled over to her, still covered in the blanket. She was wearing proper clothes beneath, but she got cold easily. And it was very comfortable, too. "Watching the Love Sight concert?"
"You know about them, Neru?" Miku was a little bored and relished in the chance to have a conversation instead.
"I'm amazed you don't, miss popular. They're a big thing over in Korea. A few of my online friends talk about them all the time. They even went to Seoul to see them perform live one time."
"They're in Korea, we're in Japan. I have my hands full with just the Japanese media and my job." Miku didn't care much for the competition, especially not some from oversea. "I'll get this lot out of here before dinner, Neru, so don't plan for them."
"We don't have enough at home anyway. We were only shopping for the two of us. Things still fine between you and her?"
"I'm right here, you know. I can hear you." Luka was a little annoyed with Neru's attitude.
"Thanks for stating the obvious."
"Give it a rest, Neru." Miku wasn't going to just sit there and do nothing while Neru was unreasonably unfriendly. "It's high time you get used to seeing Luka and me together."
"Getting used to it and liking her are two different things, Miku." Neru just couldn't handle types like that.
"You're an adult, act like one. Even Haku is doing a better job at it right now than you." Miku knew that that would hit Neru's pride. She reserved those things for when they were really necessary. "And yes, things are fine. We're still all over each other, since you wanted to know."
"I think that's more info than I asked for."
"N-Neru, stop fighting." Haku, clinging to her partner from behind, was only barely heard by Neru despite the close proximity.
"If you're that serious, I guess I'll have to accept it." Leering at Luka, Neru still didn't trust her. "I'm still keeping an eye open." Getting up and taking Haku with her, both of them vanished into Neru's room. "Knock when you go, Miku."
The mood turned a little bit sour and very quiet after the two left. Lily was fascinated by the TV and the two others were just silently looking at each other.
"The rain isn't letting up at all." Luka forcefully changed the topic. "Gumi is knocked out so hard, she didn't even wake up when I came in and changed."
"You better not have drawn on her face or something childish like that."
"I'd never do that." Looking out of the large window, Luka sighed. "What are we gonna do? That doesn't look like it'll end today. And there is no way we're gonna crash here tonight. If I had my car here, I'd get us home somewhat dry."
"Take an umbrella, get home, take your car and come get us."
"Let's just walk through the rain with umbrellas. We can take hot showers together when we get home." Lily didn't realize she was casually saying outrageous things. "We only need two umbrellas if two of us each share one. I don't mind sharing one with Gumi."
Looking at Luka, Miku noticed an insane glint in her eyes. That was a sign that the pink haired girl was full aboard with Lily's idea. And she couldn't find an excuse to reject it on the fly. "I feel like Noah, steering a ship full of perverts instead of animals." Looking at the TV, Miku wasn't eager to go back out into the rain. "We'll start gearing up when the broadcast ends."
"Who do you think is cuter, Luka?" Lily didn't turn her eyes away from the TV.
"Miku."
"Of the two idols?" Lily groaned. She could tell Luka had done that on purpose.
"I can't tell, neither of them are Miku." She had some personal preferences in regards to look, but she didn't care enough to actually take a more direct look.
"You got more of an one-track mind that the Shinkansen." Lily rolled eyes, the very same still glued to the screen.
"Considering that's an actual network of railroads and connections, that's not very hard." Luka liked to mess with people a bit. Lily had yet to understand just how much Luka loved Miku and the songstress fully abused that.
"You never look at another girl and think she is cute?" Lily had difficulties imagining that. Even married folks looked at others and had an opinion of their own.
"Only when going to Miku Miku Land."
"Oh come on, there's no such place." Lily hesitated for a moment. "There isn't, right?"
"Luka is screwing with you, Lily." Miku had to warn her.
"What about you, Lily? Which one is your type?" Luka turned the game around.
"Haku. Tall, big breasts, silver hair, white skin. Makes me drool." Noticing the glare from Miku, Lily quickly moved past the recycled joke. "I like IA over SeeU. I'm already a blonde, don't need my partner to be like that too." Pausing briefly, she felt the need to add something important. "I don't care if it's a guy or a girl, by the way. Guys have their own advantages to have around, just like girls. I just don't have any real preference there."
"I have the strangest friends." Miku was just joking around.
The broadcast was interrupted for commercials and a short cut from the music video Magnet ran. "You two must have had a lot of fun doing that video, being a real couple and everything."
"Don't tell others that. It's all a marketing stunt. I'd rather not have countless homophobic people writing me angry letters." Miku really wasn't looking forward to that, considering the press already knew where she lived.
"My lips are sealed." Lily was reminded be the commercial that she really was sitting at the same table as two people that made a living off singing. "I want to be like you two. Well, not quite, since I wanna have a band and stuff, but you get my drift."
"Speaking of which. Miku, you should talk to Haku and Neru about this. You know, having Haku play the keyboard for us." Luka knew for sure that it would be pretty difficult to convince that stubborn cousin of Miku's.
"And here I was hoping you'd forget about it." Miku didn't like pulling Haku into their mess, but she and Lily were the only ones that could do it without fearing any repercussions at all. She couldn't think of anything disastrous that could happen to Haku. "Fine, fine. I'll do it." Getting up and knocking on Neru's door, Miku waited for a moment before going in.
"It's going to be weird, playing in the same band as three super-stars." Lily didn't have any self-esteem issues, but she was still getting nervous.
"You won't be playing with super-stars. We'll change our hairstyles and wear visors for public stuff. Nobody is gonna know. That does mean vocals are all up to you because our voices will be a dead giveaway, especially for Gumi and me." Luka had thought it all through. "It's pretty common to have stage names, so we can just pick whatever. Nobody has to know who we really are. Then, by chance, someone lets your real name slip and that's how you get your fame."
"Luka Megurine – Criminal mastermind and rule breaker." Lily almost burst out in laughing when the songstress started making generic villain faces.
"We should get you dressed before Miku comes out of that room. Get up, you can just watch a recording of your Korean lesbians on Youtube or something." Luka didn't want to unnecessarily annoy Miku when she could help it. Teasing her was another thing entirely, though.
Finding Gumi still sound asleep in Miku's bed, Luka had a hard time resisting doing something to her while she was so vulnerable. "Would you say Gumi is your type?"
"Going by just looks, not so much I suppose." Lily simply took what Luka handed her, most of it a bit too loose in the chest area, and tried it on. "Personality on the other hand, she kinda is. Not too pushy but not too meek, up to do spur of the moment stuff, friendly but able to speak up when she has to. At least that's the impression I get. Anything wrong about that?"
"No, that's pretty much Gumi in a nutshell. And all done. You look like someone without any fashion taste whatsoever but I didn't have much to work with." Luka sighed. She wouldn't set foot in front of her apartment, dressed like that. "I wonder how Miku is doing."
She wasn't doing badly at all, to her own surprise.
"I-I'll do it." Haku was surprisingly eager to try, much to Neru's distress. "Lily seems nice... and you always say I shouldn't be home... so much, Neru."
"How did Luka talk you into this, Miku?" The blonde didn't want Haku get hurt again, and with Luka around, that seemed pretty likely. She didn't trust the pink haired girl at all.
"Ask me something I'm not wondering myself. To be honest, I don't think it's that bad an idea. Luka seems very chaotic but she actually thinks these things through very well. If we do it, I have no doubt we'll do well."
"Why Haku? Three of you work show business, surely you know someone else who can play the keyboard."
"I know you're protective of her, but you're being overly so right now. Personally, I didn't expect Haku to even want to try, but I'm happy she wants to get a grip on her life again. It's bad to live like this."
Neru wanted to debunk that but she couldn't. Keeping Haku like this meant she always had the silver haired girl by her side but it would also mean she remained insecure, depressed and sad. She loved Haku too much to keep things like that. "Fine then."
"T-Thank you, Neru..." Haku's decision to participate was based on how friendly Lily had been to her. She didn't feel intimidated by her at all and since Miku was with her, too, she hoped she could learn to handle Luka.
"We still have to look for a place to practice, instruments and other stuff so we won't be starting for maybe another week or so. I'll come by to get you when we go and buy instruments, Haku."
"Keep a leash on Luka." Neru glared at Miku, making clear that she would lynch the songstress if something happened to Haku.
"She knows better than to mess with Haku after how many times I warned her not to." Opening the door, Miku caught a glimpse of Luka and Lily competing on who could make the silliest face. "Even if she never looks the part."
Closing the door behind her, Miku slapped the back of Luka's head. "Changed profession to clown now?"
"Party pooper. You never had the urge to do something really stupid or silly?" Complaining about the slap, Luka sat back, returning to watching the final song of the Korean idols on TV.
"No. And now I have two of your kind in my circle of friends. Wonderful, soon we can open our very own circus."
"She's just saying that, she's done all kinds of stupid stuff with me already." Pseudo whispering to Lily, Luka forced Miku to blush. "One time I caught her wildly playing air guitar in the bathroom just before a shower."
"Luka!" Miku was so embarrassed that she tried to reach over the table and pull her lover's ear, but she came up short.
"Uhm..."
"Another time, we were in the park, we spied on two friends of us. Miku was totally excited about it, but she would never admit it." Luka looked slightly confused when Lily ignored the story and turned around.
Even Miku hadn't noticed that Haku had come out of Neru's room, looking quite nervous. Lily however had heard her. "What?"
"T-thank you for letting me... play with you. I'll try... my best." She wanted to thank Lily personally. It was a great chance to get out of her depression.
"What are you talking about? I should be thanking you. Having someone as beautiful as you play the keyboard is really going to be a great help."
Luka grinned to herself. Lily was a natural playboy. Haku turned scarlet red the instant Lily finished talking, and tried to hide her face by looking down. "B-Beauti... ful? Me? I-I don't..." Too nervous to properly speak, Haku wanted to back away but Lily's grand smile stopped her.
"Don't be silly, you'd be anyone's pride, no matter where they'd take ya." Lily exaggerated just a little, trying to fuel Haku's self-esteem a little. She also filled her face with a bright red.
"Stop flirting with my cousin." Hitting the back of Lily's head with a rolled up newspaper, Miku rolled eyes. That wasn't what she had expected at all. She couldn't tell just how much of what Lily had said was meant to be serious.
"I wasn't flirting!" Defending herself, Lily had heard very similar lines many times in the past. As if to color her a liar, with a majestic booming sound, the lights went off. All electricity was down. "This does not mean I got divine punishment for lying at all!"
About a second later, a scream that surpassed even thunder came from Neru's room. "I didn't save yet!"
"I can't see anything." Luka wasn't moving. Getting up, fumbling and stumbling around wouldn't help.
Lily was not sure what she was supposed to say or do. Just as the lights went off and Neru yelled, Haku had taken cover by wrapping her arms around the next best person; Lily. Petting Haku's head, the blonde tried to get the taller girl to stay calm.
"I'll go find a candle or flashlight or something. If the lights don't come back on right away, they won't for some time. Just what we needed. Stay put you three." Getting up and carefully making her way to the closet, Miku started to rummage through it in search of a light source.
"Walking through a thunderstorm is not exactly what I had in mind earlier so let's just forget about the whole thing." Lily was slightly uncomfortable with Haku clinging to her but she didn't lose a word about it.
"We have to get home somehow though." Luka didn't even want to imagine what it would be like if someone said staying over in a situation like this.
Miku finally found a flashlight and used that to find some candles. Putting them on the table, all four of them were wondering why Neru hadn't shown up, complaining and enraged about lost time. "Maybe you should go and take a look how Neru is doing, Miku." Luka only reluctantly said so. She preferred to not have Neru around whenever possible.
Lighting a few candles and putting them on the table, they could see at least somewhat in the dark. Haku took the chance to let go of Lily and sit next to her, incredibly embarrassed over what happened. But nobody said anything about it. "What do we do now? Call a taxi? Anyone got their cellphone on them?"
"I'll try. Best option we have right now." Looking for her cell in her pockets, Luka realized she had left it near the entrance. "I'll go and get it. Let's hope the taxi company actually has power."
~~~ Hear my Song! ~~~
"Miku? Speak louder, I can't understand you!" Meiko was almost yelling into her cellphone. She had been out with Kaito, buying supplies that weren't delivered on a regular basis when the thunderstorm hit. Taking a detour through the park had been a lifesaver as the trees provided decent protection from the rain.
"No, we're not inside! Can't you hear the rain come down two meters in front of me?! Where? Sorry, didn't get that, where?!" Meiko was getting more annoyed with every word until there was suddenly something warm covering her entire head. Kaito had taken off his jacket and was using it to shield Meiko from the vocal onslaught of the rain. "Thanks. Miku? Okay, fine, I can hear you know. What? You, Luka, your cousin and a friend are stuck at your place? The power went out?" Meiko yelled so loudly that Miku had to hold the cellphone away from her head on the other end.
"Sorry about that. How far does it go? Oh shit, that's bad." Covering part of the phone with her hand, Meiko turned to Kaito and pulled up the part of the jacket that covered her face. "Most of the town is without power. Total blackout. Lightning must have hit something important."
"We're in luck that the weekly delivery was planned for tomorrow. We're very low on supplies so even if it all spoils it won't be a big loss." Kaito still wasn't pleased. Hiring Meiko had proven to be a great business decision. A lot of people came every day just for her.
"What? Taxis? With the power out, the streets will be one big chaotic traffic jam. No way to get anywhere like that. Buckle up, get an umbrella and run like hell. We'd do the same but we don't even have an umbrella."
Listening to Miku on the other side of the line, Meiko shivered briefly. It was getting really cold now. "You should probably avoid waiting it out. Looking at the sky, its gonna get a lot worse before it gets better. This better not be an unannounced hurricane or something."
Nodding a few times and letting out a big sigh, Meiko was preparing herself to get really, really wet and cold. "Okay, see you. Tell Luka I said Hi. Okay, bye." Ending the call and closing her phone, she took off the jacket and put it around her shoulders. "How far do you think it is to your shop?"
"I can run the distance in about six or seven minutes if I don't carry anything." Looking at the two heavy bags they had brought, he was ready to abandon them. Losing about six thousand yen of merchandise paled in comparison to getting struck by lightning or getting into an accident.
"At least you're wearing shoes you can run in. I've got heels. I can walk really fast and maybe run a little but full out sprinting? Impossible." Looking at her feet, Meiko was seriously contemplating going barefoot, but that had it's own risks.
"You won't have to run." Kaito had barely finished his line when he grabbed Meiko and pulled her up into a classic princess carry. "I can't carry bags and run because they swing back and forth, but I sure can carry a girl."
"What about the merchandise?"
"You not getting hurt is more important than a bit of money."
"Have you been training on how to impress a lady?"
"Doing my best." Kaito was quiet for a moment. "You're a little heavier than I expected."
"Too bad, you were doing so well." Flicking his forehead, Meiko still laid her arms around his neck. "Go forth then." Taking the jacket off her shoulders and pulling it over Kaito's head, she didn't want to be selfish.
Starting to run as fast as he could, Kaito and Meiko were soaked within seconds. It wasn't a downpour anymore, it was like walking beneath a waterfall. Thankfully, he was physically fit.
~~~ Hear my Song! ~~~
Bored out of her mind, Rin was sitting in the lounge of the coffee shop, waiting for Teto, Ruko and Ritsu to finish cleaning up the mess that had broken out as soon as the power went out. There was not a single customer left by now, most of them having fled long before the blackout and the last four that were hoping to ride it out over hot coffee had left with the blackout.
Len had called over fifteen minutes ago, asking where she was. Giving a brief answer and hanging up, Rin had expected all sorts of kinky things from the blackout. But Teto was surprisingly reliable when it really came down to doing her job. They had put a lot of candles everywhere, so it wasn't complete darkness in the shop.
Resting her fake cleavage on the table, her shoulders hurt quite a bit from the extra weight. Her frame was much too small for the size she was using and her physical fitness was leaving things to be desired as well, stamina in bed aside.
"You going to stay?" Ruko had shown up, wiping her hands clean with a towel.
"Going outside in that? No way. Yeah, I'll stay." Rin leaned back, hoping to spend the remainder of the day experimenting with Teto.
"Teto! She's your responsibility then!" Shouting to the back, the redhead popped out of storage and saluted briefly. "I'm closing the shop now! If you need me for something, I'm in my room!" Both Teto and Ritsu heard and understood here.
The former was coming out of storage and heading towards Rin while the latter was following Ruko upstairs. "One hell of a dilemma. Power goes out and apparently it's for most of the town."
"Teto, do you think it looks fake?" Rin was having doubts about all the stares she was getting. She knew they were fake, and it really was odd to see someone so short and young with breasts that big, so she figured that others might think they were fake. Which would defeat the whole purpose of having them in the first place.
"Right now, yes. Because you're overly self-conscious of them and it shows. You were fine earlier, when you were overflowing with confidence." Teto knew that that was only part of the whole deal, but Rin didn't need to know that.
"So it's all in my head, huh?" Groping her breasts, lifting them and letting them bounce, Rin felt a rush of excitement thorough her body. "My shoulders hurt but I can life with that." Peering to Teto, she reached for the redhead's hand.
Being forcefully pushed onto the cushioned seats, Rin could barely see the drills of Teto's hair dangle above her. Physically, she was no match for her. Both of Teto's hands buried themselves deep into Rin's breasts, pulling and squeezing them just like they were real. The friction on the backside of the fakes emulated some of the sensation but most of it was, again, in Rin's head.
"You are such a perverted girl." Teto froze after saying those words. "I know you're there Ritsu. What, so lonely you need to spy on me getting it on?"
A shadow, almost indistinguishable from the background darkness, slowly started moving. Ritsu knew she had to be very careful around Teto. She knew what her past was and making any crude comments about that Rin girl using fake breasts could, and likely would, backfire enormously. "Getting it on in a public place like this? Ruko is gonna kill you if you stain the seats."
"How is that your problem?" Teto rarely fought with Ritsu but only because she had leverage to keep her in check. "Or are you speaking from experience at getting chewed out?"
Using her elbows to support herself, Rin slightly raised her upper body, trying to figure out where Ritsu was. "What's your problem? Bored of my brother already? Going to annoy his sister now?"
"Not bored, he is just not... accessible right now." Ritsu didn't like the tone of that girl. "Unlike a certain more-fake-than-real per-pubescent girl, I actually have duties to attend to and can't hang out at his place all day."
"You of all people shouldn't talk about fake, Ritsu." Teto leered into the dark. It was a warning to shut up and retreat.
"What, her breasts are silicone or something?" Rin was hoping she hit a bulls-eye.
"These beauties are all natural." Ritsu was getting pissed now. She knew Teto was someone she shouldn't screw with but that Rin girl had the gall to step into the fight? She'd regret that.
"Get lost, Ritsu. Before you say stuff you will regret."
Clicking her tongue in anger, Ritsu left and for a few seconds, angry steps could be hears ascending the stairs.
"What's her deal anyway?" Rin was curious about it now.
"I'll tell you another time." Getting off Rin, really turned off by Ritsu's interruption, Teto stepped over Rin, ignoring Ruko's rule of not stepping on the seats, and sat down, her back resting against the window. Waiting for Rin to get up, she pulled her backwards, laying arms around her and forcing Rin's head to rest against her breasts.
She didn't want to expose Ritsu unless she really went too far in her impish games. Because people were still narrow minded and would surely harass and bully her for it. Because Ritsu used to be a guy. After meeting Ruko, Ritsu went on therapy and eventually even got surgery. But the fact remained that he was born biologically a guy. It was Teto's great trump card against any and all of Ritsu's schemes.
~~~ Hear my Song! ~~~
"We look utterly retarded." Miku's face closely resembled that of something very angry and displeased.
"Don't complain. At least we don't get wet." Luka wasn't happy either, especially not with the smell of plastic, but it was still better than being soaked within seconds.
Lily had figured out a way to stay dry and get home, but it required some sacrifice. Namely, looking absolutely ridiculous while walking and secondly, they had to endure an immense plastic smell and had to move rather slowly.
The solution had been somewhat simple in nature. Translucent garbage bags. They were very big and if they weren't taped to the body, air would circulate from below. Wearing one like a raincoat protected against even the most furious storm. Their feet got very wet very quickly, but that was a small price to pay.
"Thank god it's almost pitch black outside. If someone sees me like this, I will actually die of embarrassment." Miku was still carrying an umbrella for the minute chance that a car would drive by. With the streets flooded, she needed something to defend against a possible wave attack.
"My friends and I used to do this a lot back home when we were smashed and couldn't walk straight anymore. Was really bad when you had to puke though. The smell was out of this world!" Starting to laugh very loudly, Lily proved to be every bit the chaotic, wild, somewhat irresponsible but very likable and funny girl they had taken her for. "Gumi, doin' okay back there?" While Lily was walking up front, not caring even a little bit over what she looked like with a garbage bag over her whole body and a terribly mismatched outfit, serving as a somewhat of a scout that would tell the others to hide their faces if someone came by, Gumi was at the end of their group of four. Haku had obviously stayed behind with Neru, who was foaming at the mouth having lost valuable writing time and losing more time with every minute.
"I'm fine. I hate the plastic smell, though." She really couldn't stand it at all.
"You know, I was really surprised to see Haku actually come out of her shell. She might be serious competition for Gumi." Luka was joking around while the rain continued to whip against the garbage bag.
"Haku and relationships sounds even worse than plutonium and uncontrolled nuclear fusion." Miku couldn't imagine that at all. Maybe after she had returned to more of a normal person. "It stinks. It stinks a lot. I'm seriously contemplating if this isn't actually worse than getting wet."
"You'll be freezing after a minute, all your clothes will stick to you, you might catch a cold and so on. It's not exactly an elegant solution but better than the alternatives. If we had a dozen or so umbrellas, we could have taped them together to create a dome where all of us can walk below!"
"In what universe would that actually work? I think you've been reading too much manga, Luka." Miku was more than just a little skeptical of that idea.
"You have no sense of adventure, Miku."
"It's more like I have some common sense and you don't, Luka."
"You two have the funniest conversations." With a light chuckle, Gumi caught up to Miku, walking right next to her. "It's a lot of fun to hang out with you."
"Thank you, thank you, we'll be here all week!" Luka had turned around and kept walking backwards while simultaneously bowing and smiling wide. "Now, please pay attention to our next attraction!"
"I feel like I'm in a circus alright when I'm with you." Miku rolled eyes.
"You love the circus, then?" Luka was still walking backwards and grinning.
"Yes, yes, I do. I love you for all your quirks and kinks. Even if some of them can get really annoying when you push it too far." Looking around, Miku really hoped they wouldn't get lost.
"Everyone hide!" Lily shouted but she herself kept walking nonchalantly. A group of five teenagers ran by, cursing and soaking wet, not caring much about the walking garbage bags. Luka, Miku and Gumi stood facing the next best wall and away from the five. As they had passed, Miku started cursing again. "Next time I'm staying home."
"And miss the great feel better sex under the hot shower?"
"One day I'll figure out when you're serious about these suggestions and when not, Luka." Miku slapped her partners shoulder and speed up, getting ahead of the other two, with Lily waiting at the next corner.
"Were you serious?" Gumi blushed thinking about that, wondering what it was like to do it in the shower.
"Hm..." The pink haired girl put a finger to her chin, pretending to be thinking deeply about it. "Half, I guess. If you're curious, I'm sure Lily won't mind sharing a shower session with you." Saying that under the pretext of teasing Gumi, Luka was secretly stimulating her imagination. If she were to think about it, she should imagine Lily and not her sister.
"I-I'm fine." Gumi blushed even more heavily, Luka's scheme bearing full fruit. She had trouble getting the image of Lily and herself in the shower, naked, out of her head.
"Corrupting the innocent again?" Miku had popped out of a small back alley and gave Luka a questionable look.
"Gumi's been with us too long to be innocent. I can pretty much guess what she's thinking about." Getting a bit closer to Gumi and talking to her in a low voice, Gumi immediately shook her head violently and sped up, trying to catch up with Lily. "She's so unbelievably cute when you catch her thinking naughty stuff." Luka grinned with bliss on her face.
"You're horrible, Luka. And I think that's enough pushing on the issue for today." Miku's tone changed slightly and that was the sign for Luka to stop joking around.
"What do you think of Lily and Gumi so far?" Luka watched the green haired girl catch up with Lily, who was inexplicably having fun out here.
"They're a bit like you and me. But the positions are reversed. If Lily makes a move on her first, I think it will be hard for Gumi to actually handle her. If Gumi is left to her own devices with some pushing from us, well mostly you, I think she'll eventually come to like her." Miku had paid a lot of attention to the way those two looked at each other and interacted. They made a cute couple but she was slightly worried that Lily had been so taken with Haku.
"I didn't expect Haku to be like that with Lily either. Even worse, Lily pretty much digs her looks." Luka didn't need to have mind reading powers to tell what Miku was thinking. It showed pretty easily on her face.
"Haku can't handle a relationship. And Lily isn't stupid, she would ask me about her before she does anything." Miku made an awkward pause. "I hope." Another awkward pause. "And stop reading my thoughts, it's slightly creepy."
"Oh come on, it's merely a sign of how perfectly in sync we are." Trying to grab Miku and hug her, the green haired girl quickly evaded with a side step.
"You'll be in sync with the rain and the ground if you keep fooling around like that."
"Stop flirting and walk, you two!" Lily was getting bored of waiting at the next corner. "It's still getting worse out here!" Lily hoped they would get home in one piece.
~~~ Hear my Song! ~~~
Laying on the couch in Kaito's living room, both Kaito and Meiko were sick of the rain. Due to the power outage, they couldn't even take a hot shower, something they only realized when getting home. Water was limited during a blackout and hot water was pretty much impossible to come by due to the lack of heating.
Kaito at the first to get up and rummage through various parts of his apartment, a flashlight, at first held by himself, then held by Meiko, their only source of light as Kaito wasn't the type to keep a supply of candles around. "Take these. I'll take the one from my bed. I can change so it won't matter if they don't fully cover me." The only clothes Meiko could change into were some of Kaito's and they weren't exactly a great fit.
Handing the brunette some of his clean clothes, Meiko vanished into the bathroom, changing. "Don't worry, I will not do anything to your underwear. Just throw them into the laundry bin." He still had a lot of work to do regarding the issue of always saying what he was thinking.
Showing up a few minutes later, Meiko found Kaito changed and ready to leave. "Where are you going?"
"I need to move a few things in the shop so we don't wake up to a catastrophe tomorrow. You can sleep wherever you want, my bed or the couch. I'll take whatever is left." He cared about his business as it was his lifeline.
"Can I look through your kitchen? We don't have power but I see if I can't find us something to eat. Even if its just sandwiches." She was thankful to Kaito for getting her somewhere dry quickly and even lending her clothes.
"Sure. It'll take a while before I'm finished so you don't need to hurry." Leaving his apartment and taking the stairs down, he thought himself lucky that the shop had been temporarily closed when the storm hit. It would've been chaos if he had customers at the time.
"I hope this ends soon. Nobody will want ice cream in weather like this."
~~~ Hear my Song! ~~~
Rin was completely passed out in Teto's bed. Not from exhaustion but from pure boredom. With Ritsu poking her nose into their business, Teto couldn't get in the mood anymore and started reading a novel. Half a dozen candles were spread around her room, providing just barely enough light to read.
Now that Rin was asleep and a good thirty minutes had passed without any interruptions, Teto was starting to feel like it again. But she held off on giving in to it, because she liked to observe Rin. Laying flat on her back, the short haired blonde's chest was raising and falling with every breath. It was oddly fascinating.
Thinking about it, she hadn't planned for how long she would keep up with Rin's delusions. It was pretty fun right now, but would it still be interesting a month down the line? She liked her and if possible would sever the relationship without also invalidating their friendship, but it was a little troubling. She wasn't usually the type to jump into things without thinking them through.
Putting the book aside and cautiously crawling on her bed, Teto put just her index finger on Rin's lips, curious to see what would happen. To her surprise, nothing happened at all. Rin didn't react to the stimulus in any way.
Trying something differently, she groped Rin's fake breasts, expecting at least some kind of reaction from that. And her expectations were far exceeded. After just seconds, Rin's breathing changed and a moan escaped her. Taking her hands off, Teto was more confused than anything else now.
She hadn't heard of someone being so sensitive before. Teto liked to play with her prey a lot and she wondered what else she could do. One idea that came to mind right away would be quite difficult to execute. Considering how much Ritsu and Rin disliked each other, making them sleep with each other, and watch, would be immensely entertaining. But it would be less funny if they actually knew who they were doing it with.
Getting off her bed and opening her closet, barely able to see anything, Teto looked through her boxes of toys. She found handcuffs right away but none of the other things she wanted. Given them the pretext of wanting to try out some bondage stuff, she could set both of them up so that they would think they were sleeping with her and not each other. Was just blindfolding them enough?
Spending a moment in deep thought, it never even occurred to her that what she was doing was something most people would classify as outright evil. To her, it was just another game. Her thoughts were actually about whether those two would be able to make out their partner by just voice alone.
Finding what she was looking for, Teto's mind was filled with bad intentions. Now she only had to set things up. With the rain hammering against the windows and the blackout, it was the perfect chance. Ritsu never turned her down when she wanted to sleep with her, despite mostly disliking her personally. She would ever so enjoy this.
~~~ Hear my Song! ~~~
"What do you mean you don't have your keys, Luka?"
"You know how I stripped and put all my wet clothes into your laundry bin? Guess I forgot to take my keys out! Haha, hahaha!" Laughing like a maniac, Luka rested her head against the locked door. "Fuck."
"I would say we can crash at Gumi's place but they just barely got enough space for themselves to sleep." Miku wasn't looking forward to going all the way back to her place to get Luka's keys. If only she had taken her own. It defeated the whole purpose of having a key to her lovers apartment if she forgot it at that very same place.
"Wait here, I'll sort this out." Walking past Miku, Luka expression was completely serious, a sign that she wasn't going to fool around.
Miku didn't bother to ask where she was going. She certainly wouldn't get a satisfactory answer anyway so it was best to just wait. Sitting down in front of the door, but not so before taking off the garbage bag, she started to wait. Every second seemed to stretch and stretch nearly indefinitely. Pulling out her cellphone, it was almost seven o clock. She was hungry, somewhat cold and very, very annoyed. Luka didn't tend to be scatterbrained like that so she didn't blame her for forgetting her eyes. It could happen.
Continuing to wait, Miku started to hum a tone, the melody from Magnet. She wondered when the next big job would come in. Just as she was thinking about that, her thoughts strayed to the whole band business Luka had brought about from nothing. Even if Luka had her faults, Miku could only respect her ability to just make things work. What started with a silly idea was not even forty-eight hours later something big.
"Excuse me?" Miku first thought she didn't hear right. Looking up, she hadn't even noticed that someone had come up the stairs. Did she sneak up? And what was she doing out there anyway?
Miku was looking at a girl with bright purple hair, holding a worn umbrella and wearing exactly what Miku thought homeless people would wear. "Could I ask you for something to eat or a dry towel? Please?" The plea was reinforced by a sudden stomach growl. "I'm Yukari. I sometimes live around here."
~~~ End of Concert XI ~~~