When Haku blinked awake the following morning with a cute little yawn after her intense dance the previous night she felt more refreshed than she had in a long time. She blinked her red eyes a few times to clear them before throwing back her covers to sit up. It was a little chilly in her room today, the cold air seeming to blast her mostly bare skin. She had taken off her beautiful new dress the night before and simply gone to bed in her panties. She hadn't even wrapped up her snowy white hair properly, she thought with a grimace. She stood to get her hairbrush to work out the tangles and stopped in surprise.
The bedroom doors in the Vocaloid Compound were all soft wood and taller than most doors, and there wasn't much of a gap in the frames, but there was just enough room underneath to slide something thin, like paper or perhaps an envelope, which was what she saw piled up under her door. She walked over to them and knelt down to look. They were cards, perhaps a dozen of them, some hand drawn and handwritten, others clearly store bought. Why were they here? She scooped them into a pile and carried them over to the makeup stand where her hairbrush was and set them on it, picking one up and opening it.
"Yowane-san, your performance may not have been for the sake of performing but it was still the most emotional and beautiful dance I have ever seen. You are wonderful, and I hope whatever is bothering you will soon be worked out. -Kasane Teto"
Haku blinked in surprise, Teto had written this? She was so reserved face to face. The medium of a note must have made her able to open up more. She picked up another.
"Instinct and emotion will guide you, Yowane-san. You are learning fast, and I am deeply impressed. Fantastic dance, don't forget to follow your heart. -Hibiki Mokoto"
Follow her heart… she thought she was trying. She lifted another.
"All artists encounter moments whence the work they produce achieves a much higher state of perfection than their original design, yet tonight you have shown that sometimes the most beautiful results can be attained through the exact intent. I am beyond words, well done Yowane-san. -Camui Gackpo."
He had no words, yet here were a bunch. She couldn't help smiling at the oxymoron that Gackpo sometimes delivered.
She sat there and read through every last one of the cards. They were all the same, some from people she knew others from those she hadn't met in the compound yet. Praise for her beauty and magnificent performance and well wishes for whatever was upsetting her so. She felt a little choked up at the unexpectedly kind gestures of those around her, and when she was done reading them all she stacked the treasures neatly and placed them in the lowest drawer of her makeup stand for safe keeping. Then she took up her hairbrush and went to work removing the knots and tangles from the night.
Haku's stomach suddenly let out a loud rumble and she realized she hadn't eaten anything the previous day aside from the bowl of noodles at the lunch meeting. She was glad no one was around to hear it, it was rather embarrassing. Digging out some fresh underwear, dark blue jeans and a white silk blouse with a sky blue and light green floral pattern, she headed for the bath. A few people stopped her to echo the sentiments that were on her cards, telling her how amazing her dance had been and they hoped she was feeling okay. She smiled and nodded and ducked her head, murmuring thanks to each and hurrying on as politely as she could. She wanted a nice long soak in the tub but her stomach was gnawing with hunger so she lingered only as long as she could stand it and then went out.
Some small part of her hoped that Miku and Luka would pop up around a corner. She was feeling well enough that she thought she would be able to face them today, though she wasn't sure what she would say yet, but she never ran into them on the way out. So she headed back to the strip mall once more, as she had so often of late. It wasn't that she especially liked or disliked it really, it was just the only place she knew around the Vocaloid Compound. She hadn't been in this area long enough to know if overly well yet and hadn't felt adventurous enough to go exploring around, but the strip mall would do well enough with it's food court.
The mall was abuzz with activity and it wasn't hard to imagine why being Saturday, even mid morning as it was. She entered the food court and found a place she liked the look of and ordered a bit of miso and fried rice with tofu. She took her tray to an empty table nearby and settled herself, taking her iPhone out of her pocket and glancing through the notifications. She blinked. She had texts from Luka and Miku. She tapped Luka's first and read it. "You were wonderful tonight, Haku-chin. You were beautiful, radiant, and amazing." She flushed deeply, even though there was no one nearby to see really. She tapped Miku's message and read it too. "You are the most unique person I have ever met, Haku-chin. You're brilliant and gorgeous and your dance was fantastic." Her flush deepened, and although it was still a little painful to think of them she felt such relief that she saved the texts to her cloud drive, a way of preserving these treasures digitally as she had the paper notes in her room.
She thought about answering the texts, wondering if she even should, and if she did what would she say? She sipped at her soup thinking about it letting her gaze wander about aimlessly, then her red eyes suddenly landed on a table where two men and a woman were sitting. They were the only other people at tables near hers, and as she watched she suddenly grew extremely fascinated. They were all holding hands, all three of them, right there at their table in public where anyone could see! What's more they were all gazing back and forth into each other's eyes with very suggestive looks on their faces, the kind of looks you were supposed to give someone behind closed doors. Haku felt an urge to look away, it was a private moment and she like most had grown up to believe it was indecent to show much affection in public. There were always the rebellious who did it anyway of course, like these people, but it was generally the mentality not to look at them. Even so, she found she couldn't look away. She flushed deeper hoping they didn't notice her, but she watched fascinated. They all three were very clearly a couple. One couple with three people. Like a group… couple…? Was that… was that possible…?
It was at that moment that something Hibiki-sensei had said the other day popped into her head when she had thought something like what she was seeing now was somehow dirty. "Oh my no! Or else someone is going to have to explain things to my significant others!" Hibiki-sensei was in a relationship like this, with multiple people, and had said something else about love. "Love is a delicate and tricky thing, and each time it appears for someone it's like a snowflake; special and unique and different than any other. If you try to catch it too strenuously, it melts away, but if you do nothing, it drifts on by to land somewhere else." She thought about that, watching the three person couple before her. It was obvious from the way each was looking at the other two that they were all in love. It wasn't… somehow abnormal…? Miku's voice rang in her mind from a past conversation; "What is okay or normal for some isn't necessarily the same for others." Hibiki-sensei had said that later too, and kept telling her to follow her heart, that it already knew what it wanted, she just had to listen to it. The entire idea seemed so outlandish to her, but even Gackpo had said something that seemed to apply to this situation, though he had been talking about something else at the time. "Learn to think outside of traditional lines of reasoning and the possibilities which will open to your mind will be as numerous as the stars in the night sky!"
And then she knew. Vocaloids were emotional instinctual creatures, and her impulses were guiding her, her heart was guiding her. This was the answer, she thought looking at the beautiful scene before her as the threesome continued staring adoringly between each other. It wasn't dirty or perverted at all! If was beautiful and pure, multiple people accepting and loving each other unconditionally. If Luka and Miku were okay with this… this was the answer. Her desires for Luka had been hot and sudden from the beginning, an attraction right from the start that had driven her, and now as she thought about Miku as well, it had been the opposite, the slow gradual build up, laughing together, getting to know each other, brushing the other's hair when they were both so protective of their own, the accidental near kiss they hadn't quite had. Hibiki-sensei had been able to see that she and Miku were clearly interested in each other before they themselves had known, and she saw now that it was true. Her feelings for Miku burned just as intently now as they did for Luka. This was the answer, if they were okay with it…
Suddenly she smiled. The relief of a weight lifting off her chest over this entire situation was immense. Almost immediately the weight settled back onto her though. If they weren't okay with it… she tried not to think about it, tried hard not to let it ruin the moment. If they weren't okay with it, then at least there would be an end to the situation one way or another. They would have to be the ones to decide if it were right or not, since they had been together before Haku had shown up as the third wheel. But she hoped, oh she hoped so much, that this worked out. Follow her instincts, listen to her heart. This is what she wanted, and she would act on that. She stood up from her table and dumped her food. She wasn't done with it but her appetite seemed to have vanished.
Now that she had a path and a purpose it was easier to move forward with things. She felt her instincts tugging at her again, and while not as powerful as it had been the day before she knew what she wanted. She found a jewelry store, a real one not a random stand in the designer store, and began looking around. She knew she'd know what she was after when she found it, she could feel it to her core. She moved from case to case of gorgeous rings and necklaces, chains and pendants, gems and precious stones. One of the clerks came up to ask if she needed help finding anything, but she just smiled and shook her head and kept on. Then suddenly, she found it. She called the clerk back and pointed down through the glass case.
"How many of these do you have?" She wanted to know, but she already knew the answer somehow.
"Why, I believe we have several in the back." The man answered. A greying gentleman but still vibrant, he smiled at her. "Would you like me to get you one?"
"I would like three, please."
He blinked in mild surprise. "Three? My word."
Haku flushed faintly but smiled. "Gifts." She added. He made a little "Ah" expression and then went to get the lockets. Haku had grown up with high tech toys; her parents were rich and never around so they had practically thrown their money at her in their stead, so she had always had all the latest and greatest toys. This had caused her to develop a taste and appreciation for high tech gadgets. Her favorite things were when old styles of design met modern tech and blended in interesting ways. These lockets were a perfect example of that.
The gentleman came back with three long thin boxes with gold leaf design paper covering them. He opened the lids to show they were all there nestled on black velvet pillows, then lifted one out carefully so she could inspect it. The heart shape of the lockets themselves were a little larger than the average locket to accommodate the micro circuitry encased within. Rather than opening up to show a space for little pictures they had tiny black display screens about the same size as a picture would have been in them. The casings of the hearts were a pinkish gold as were the fine chains, and each had a smaller diamond heart on either side set within the larger gold heart shaped casing, a heart within a heart.
"Eighteen karat rose gold, a pair of ten millimeter four carat heart diamonds in each. Inch and a half screen sizes for thumbnail pictures." He said, turning the locket he was holding up as she looked at it.
"I don't see a battery or charging port. Wireless battery docks?"
He gave a little nod, "My you're a quick one aren't you? Yes, they come with little stands you can hang them on that will charge them wirelessly, like some of the new cell phones have. Screens enter sleep mode when the lockets close, and the battery lasts about a week when in standby."
"Are they connected to a cloud for pictures?" Haku wanted to know, and he shook his head.
"They are managed by a phone app transmitted by bluetooth. Just take a picture and upload it with the app."
They were absolutely perfect and after she checked out she hurried out of the strip mall carrying a bag with the jewelry store's logo with the boxes inside. She wanted to get back as soon as she could. Excitement and anxiety were at war within her and she flashed from one to the next and back every moment, but she was set in her decision. She had to tell them, had to let them both know how she felt about them.
As she walked along the streets she happened to glance down a side street and had to stop at a sudden cute sight. Three kittens were surrounding a little dish sharing it's contents. She couldn't see what was in the dish from there but she took the sight as a good omen. Three kittens pressed in together sharing… she slipped a hand into her pocket and drew out her iPhone, waking it up and opening the camera, placing her thumb over the shutter button.
"Yowane Haku."
The voice was low, darkly beautiful, and chilling. Haku turned in surprise, she knew that voice. Kiku gave her no time to respond.
"You have defied me, but you are mine. I will make you worthy of me!" Her hands flashed in a quick blur and she did a little step in place. The low note that came out of her seemed to resonate in an oddly dark way, and the light that came seemed almost like a photo negative, drawing light from the air rather than flashing outward.
Haku never had time to do more than turn. The negative light hit her and her entire body convulsed, her hands clenching where they were and her legs spasming, and all she knew was pain. She never even felt her iPhone drop from her grasp to hit the ground.
… … … … …
"Miku? Megurine-san?" Director Hatsune's deep booming bass echoed down the corridor the two girls were walking along and they stopped and turned back to see him catching them up. Somehow the tall broad chested man managed to move quickly without really appearing to hurry. When he drew close they could see a scowl on the square jawed face as he ran a hand through his teal military crewcut. "I'm glad you're both here, it means you're close enough to respond."
"Respond?" Miku asked.
Luka's blue eyes narrowed a bit. "Souldrinker?"
The director hesitated a moment before nodding, which was alarming in and of itself. He was a blunt and direct man, not one to mince words. "The signal we detected… is far higher than any we have ever detected before. I do not believe either of you is capable of handling it alone."
Luka tilted her head slightly not sure what the problem was, "Then we'll Resonate."
Miku stared at her father a long moment before asking quietly, "What aren't you telling us daddy?"
Director Hatsune looked at first one girl then the other with a heavy look full of meaning before answering. "Yowane-san left the compound this morning. The signal is coining from the direction she was seen heading, toward that strip mall east of here. Be careful!" That last was a booming shout which echoed down the hallway following both girls as they took off at a dead sprint.
Luka's heart was pounding and adrenaline shot through her as she ran full tilt down the halls toward the garages. Miku kept pace right beside her, pink and light blue pony tails streaming behind them like manes as they took corners and stairs at full speed. They were both breathing heavily as they reached the garage but they were dancers and well toned; it wasn't exertion that took their breaths, it was fear. Mortal terror for the snowy white haired beauty they both cared so much for.
They flung the doors of the Ferrari open and threw themselves into the seats. Slamming the doors and not wanting to waste even a second Luka jammed her keycard into the chip reader as Miku hit the garage door controls then slammed her fist against the "Engine Start" button. The Ferrari roared to life and Miku threw it into reverse, tires screaming so hard they left a trail of rubber on the concrete floor and burnt rubber smoke hanging in the air behind them on their way out of the garage.
"Hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry!" Luka practically shrieked as she held on tight to the passenger side door, but Miku didn't need to be told. Had any police been in the area they would certainly have been stopped but Miku wasn't sparing the throttle and the Ferrari roared down the street.
Luka's phone buzzed and she took the Android out of her pocket to look. Directions to the detected location. She looked up and pointed. "On the main route to the strip mall, mouth of an alley two blocks after the second turn!"
Face set in a grim determination Miku threw the wheel over early and they flew through the first turn onto a side street less populated but she didn't slow down. The Ferrari ate the street up as the engine roared and Miku missed the second turn. Luka's heart leapt into her throat and she stared at Miku. "What are you-!" She started to shout before gravity grabbed hold of her and pulled her against her door as Miku turned a block late. Then Luka saw what she was doing and understood.
They pulled around to come up the alleyway from the other side and found themselves blocked by a large white van. Miku hit the brakes, parked and cut the engine and they both practically dove out off the car. They ran around the van and stopped dead at the sight.
Juon Kiku had her hands up before her swaying gently in place and humming an eerie sounding otherworldly song, her face pale and her eyes swirling black solid orbs as her dark lacy dress blew about her as if in a breeze though there wasn't so much as a stirring in the air. The notes flowed into each other so the tune continued unbroken, and a crackling photo negative sort of anti light jumped from her fingertips like she was weaving black lightning bolts with her twining fingers. The black lightning was jumping a few feet from her outstretched hands directly to Haku. The white haired girl was stretched up on her tiptoes, arms flung out to either side with her eyes closed. She was shuddering and shaking from head to toe enveloped in the eerie crackling light.
Whatever she was doing to Haku, Kiku was fully intent on. Luka didn't hesitate and neither did Miku. They stepped forward as one, no words needed between them. Luka lifted her right hand toward the darkly beautiful woman, and Miku to her left raised her left hand simultaneously at the exact same angle. They began to sing, mouths open wide as a horrifying tempo immediately kicked up around them. Luka felt the familiar sort of sonic energies seeming to rebound with each other as her and Miku's sonics blended together, merged, then were one. She felt the vibrations within her spike higher than she could have managed alone, far higher than either of them could have. Their energies were one, and they Resonated. It happened in the space of a heartbeat, and as Kiku turned at the sound of their terrifying wrath it was already too late for her. Their bodies twisted, arms directed, their one voice channeled the sonic power. The resulting sonic boom so far out of normal perception ranges hit Kiku squarely and the rushing torrent of residual energies blew over anything and everything within the alleway. Cans, paper, litter, dirt, even the vehicles jostled about. A Vocaloid's body movements directed their sonic energies toward specific targets, but this was more than a simple sonic wave. Both of them were putting their absolute all into this, every scrap of strength they could bring to bear they did, accompanied by their sheer terror for the snowy white haired beauty.
Kiku flew back so hard it wasn't clear whether she managed any sort of defensive energies to rebuff her from the wall she hit, but brick and mortar spiderwebbed with cracks around where she hit and she slumped to the ground. Luka and Miku immediately ran to Haku as she collapsed, kneeling beside her prone form and shouting her name. "Haku-chin!" Miku shrieked, her normally wind chime like voice panicked.
"Haku-chin!" Luka screamed on top of her. She took Haku's head in her arms and cradled it to her leg even as Miku took up her limp hands. She was cold, clammy, and she could feel… something… deep inside the other girl, something affecting her inside. "Haku-chin! Please be okay! Haku-chin please! Please please please!" Tears filled the idol's eyes and ran down her cheeks unchecked. "Haku-chin! Please, we need you! Please!" She rocked back and forth gently with Haku's head.
Miku gasped and held her arms up, a slightly relieved cry popping out of her throat. "She's alive! I can feel her pulse! We have to get her to my mom!"
They both suddenly paused for a moment as they saw Haku's lips move ever so slightly. For an instant relief and hope surged through Luka's breast and both girls leaned their heads down to put their ears to her mouth to listen. They had to strain to understand the sound so faint was her silvery voice but they caught it. Haku's tone was a bland neutral monotone as she mumbled over and over again, "Error, critical systems failure, unauthorized access. Error, critical systems failure, unauthorized access. Error, critical systems failure, unauthorized access. Error, critical systems failure, unauthorized access. Error, critical systems failure, unauthorized access."
The two powerful Vocaloids looked up at each other with bewildered expressions on their faces. "What…?" Miku began but had no words. Neither girl understood what was going on.
Luka shuddered trying to pull herself together and scooped up one of Haku's arms as Miku got the other. "Let's just get her out of here." They noticed the things on the ground; a shopping bag and Haku's iPhone which had hit the pavement hard on one corner. The screen was completely blown out and the backing and battery and a few bits of circuitry lay nearby. Miku grabbed the phone and pieces and Luka the bag and they started shuffling Haku's unconscious form toward the Ferrari, then stopped as they turned to see Kiku standing by the cracked brick wall. She was wobbling badly, not bleeding but clearly having been severely shaken by her smack against the wall.
"I… will give you one chance…" Kiku panted harshly in her low dark voice. "You have taken… Yowane-san… away from me once… if you do it again… I will not… spare you… the consequences…"
Luka and Miku glanced at each other over Haku's head hanging forward between them, then looked back at Kiku, green eyes and blue narrowing, and Luka shook her head. "I told you before, she's not yours to claim. You'll have to get through us if you want her."
"And you had better hope she's okay after whatever you were doing to her." Miku added, the silk having slipped from her steel core. "If you've hurt her, we will be coming for you."
Kiku sagged against the wall, having a hard time holding herself upright she was so dizzy, but she still laughed, a dark ringing sound. "Hurt her? ... Does it not hurt... to flex muscles that have... so rarely been used? … When you sit in one spot so long your limbs fall asleep... does it not hurt to wake them? … What I did… I did in her best interest…" She pushed off the wall and stumbled toward the large white van and climbed inside. "This is… your last chance… I will not… show mercy after this…"
Luka and Miku traded glances again then without another word began moving past the van toward the Ferrari. Kiku watched them go turning only her head with a muttered "As you wish…" but she didn't try to stop them. They got to the car and pulled the passenger door open, but the Ferrari didn't have a back seat so Luka got in first leaving Miku to hold Haku up, then once she was settled Miku gently lowered Haku down onto Luka's lap. They carefully got her legs inside and Miku shut the door making sure not to close it on anyone. Then she dashed around to the driver side and hopped in. The engine fired up with a roar and Miku took off back toward the Compound in the same speedy fashion she had gotten them there. They didn't speak the whole way back, each silent with worry as tears continued leaking down their faces. Luka clutched Haku to herself, one hand on the other girl's head and the other around her middle. She smelled so good, a hint of lavender soap and vanilla scent. She could have been asleep there in the idol's lap, except for her nearly silent murmuring, and Luka pressed her face to the top of Haku's head, her shoulders shaking with her silent sobs, mirrored by Miku as she clutched the steering wheel.
Once they had pulled in and gotten Haku out of the car they called for a stretcher, and a few moments later Doctor Hatsune and Doctor Haruna came out with one on wheels. They laid Haku out on it, grabbed her things, and hurried to the medical ward. The doctors tried to get Luka and Miku to wait outside of the exam room, but they both stubbornly refused, their jaws set with frowns, and so Director Hatsune had to come in with them when he showed up to ask what happened. They took turns relating the story while the doctors looked Haku over, hooking her up to the various medical machines and sonic testers in the room. When one of them choked up the other took over until they were able to get the whole explanation out in bits and pieces.
When they were finally done relating what had happened Director Hatsune glanced them over. If he had any thoughts about the clearly deeply emotional reaction of his two top Vocaloids he didn't say anything about it, at least not at the moment, but he did hold his hand out. "May I see Yowane-san's iPhone please?" Miku had it clutched to her chest, Haku was so fond of it, but she handed it to her father without a word. He nodded and looked over the damage briefly before sliding it into his pocket. "There is a possibility there may be some recoverable data, and possibly a further clue into this Juon Kiku for us to investigate."
The girls nodded, neither saying anything, Luka clutching the shopping bag in her hands. Director Hatsune excused himself and stepped out and they watched while the exam was completed, the two women in lab coats running tests and administering a few doses of medications with different syringes. At one point they noticed her lips moving and Doctor Hatsune leaned down to put an ear to her lips, then Haruna did. The two women traded looks and Doctor Hatsune leaned over to the sonic machine in the room. She hooked up a few wires to Haku from the opposite side of the white haired girl than Luka could see before tapping a few keys on the machine. A few moments later Haku's lips went still and both girls blinked in confusion. After a time Doctor Hatsune walked over and looked at the girls. "She's… stable." Miku's mom said, and Miku looked up with a questioning look on her face. The doctor sighed and went on, seeing that wasn't enough for them. "I don't know what happened to her, or how this woman managed to do it, but I do know what effect it had. Her entire body is resonating on a deep level, so deep and so low it almost didn't register on the machines at first."
"We felt it…" Luka said, and Miku nodded. "Something affecting her deep down…"
"What was that she was mumbling?" Miku wanted to know. "Systems failure?"
"I don't know, people sometimes say strange things when they get hurt…" It wasn't really an answer and Miku's mother took a deep breath and added the rest, rushing on with the diagnosis. "Whatever Juon-san did, Yowane-san's entire body is undergoing some sort of change. A Vocaloid's powers come awake gradually through training and use, but all of Yowane-san's power is waking up all at once as though forced to do so. It's like if you woke up in the morning and the very instant you were conscious enough to think you dove out of bed before your body was ready to move, only dozens of times more intensely, hundreds of times. When she wakes up, she will likely be very close to her full potential in raw power. It has been forced awake within her, and she may not be able to control it."
"Is that why she's unconscious still?" Luka asked, and Doctor Hatsune nodded.
"Her body is having to use everything it has to compensate, but we're not entirely sure how or even if she's managing to do it safely or effectively. She's stable for now, but… well any minute…" The doctor trailed off but they both understood. If Haku's body couldn't handle it, she would die, her own sonic energies would literally vibrate her apart..
Luka began to cry outright, the barely contained tears flooding out of her. She dropped Haku's shopping bag and let her face fall into her hands as her shoulders shook. "I've failed her again! This is the second time! The second time I've watched her in trouble and been unable to help her!" She wailed, and she felt Miku's arms around her as the pretty blue haired girl whispered comforting murmurs, but she was crying too, her own tears splashing onto Luka's pink hair even as she held the idol. Doctor Hatsune patted them gently on the arms as they cried, not able to do much, then she went back to tend to Haku.
Once the tears from both girls had abated for a time, Miku's mother came back. "I need to run some… additional tests…" The doctor said, and for some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on Luka didn't like the older woman's tone. "It might be best if you two went and got some rest. I promise I'll call you if anything changes."
"No." They both said at the same time. Miku dug some tissues and wet wipes out of her jeans pocket and shared them between the two of them to dab at their faces. "We're not going anywhere until she wakes up." She said as Luka turned her face away to blow her nose. "Please mom, we… we have to be here…"
Doctor Hatsune gave them a sympathetic look but nodded. "Very well." She looked at them for a long heavy moment then sighed. "Access keyword: Starlight."
Both girls froze in place, blue eyes and green alike glazing over and their expressions blanking out completely. If it weren't for the tear tracks on their cheeks it would have been impossible to tell they had been crying moments before. "Keyword accepted." They both intoned in unison in a neutral monotone.
Hatsune Mira let out a sad sigh and reached a hand up to brush her fingertips across Miku's face. "Oh my daughter… How I wish things could be different for you… I'm so sorry…"
"Error, I do not understand your command." Miku's chimelike voice retained the neutral monotone quality. "Please restate instruction."
The doctor sighed again and put a hand over her mouth as she considered the two girls before her who were so attentively waiting on her word. "If either of you remain here for the duration of Yowane-san's recovery neither of you will retain any memory of any non-standard medical tests or examinations done to her. Both of you will erase any such tests from conscious active memory and behave as if you did not see it. Are you both clear on this instruction?"
Again both girls replied in unison in the same neutral monotone. "Yes Doctor Hatsune."
A tear leaked down Mira's cheek and she allowed herself a sniffle and wiped at her cheek. She leaned forward to wrap her arms around Miku's shoulders in a motherly hug. The girl was stiff as a statue and didn't respond or reciprocate the gesture. Stepping back the doctor squeezed her eyes shut and composed herself. When she opened them again no sign of anything out of the ordinary remained and she turned her back on the girls. "Resume normal function." With that she walked back over to the exam table and began hooking wires up to Haku's head and neck from both the sonic machine and a laptop which she set up beside the table and began running diagnostics.
Luka's eyes fluttered and she reached a hand up to wipe at them. She had a sudden desire for a chocolate truffle. Such cravings came on at the oddest of times… She glanced sideways at Miku, who was also blinking blearily and wiping at her eyes. They shared a confused look and glanced at her mother who was busy tending Haku, but that was all they were concerned with. So long as she was being seen to... Doctor Haruna brought some chairs in for them and some water to sip at, and they settled in to watch and wait.
… … … … ...
"You have failed again, Juon-san."
Kiku's red orange eyes narrowed to slits but she didn't take her eyes off what she was doing, mixing the herbs and powders together in a little dish on the table in front of her. The abandoned warehouse was moderate in size but the few furnishings it had were old and dilapidated. The table wobbled on the verge of tipping over at any moment, and she had to grab ahold of it every so often to make sure it didn't.
"A temporary setback, nothing more."
"That is what you said the last time."
"Last time was not intended to be a confrontation at all." She muttered angrily. Her low dark voice seemed to ring off the empty space in the warehouse. "If you're so concerned with success Shion-san, you could do more to help."
"The master has said I am to remain in the shadows for now, you know that." A white bandaged arm flashed in the corner of Kiku's vision but she didn't turn her head from her task. The blend was almost ready.
"If you say so…"
"You would dare question the master?" The man's voice from the shadows of the warehouse was low and threatening, but she still didn't look.
"I neither question nor accept. Only a fool takes on blind faith what someone else tells them with no proof."
"So it is proof you wish." He sounded amused now, but still threatening. "Perhaps you shall have it, once you have rectified this situation."
Kiku tipped the blend over a pitcher of water, tamping the back of the shallow bowl to get all of it out. Then she picked up a long handled wooden spoon and slowly stirred the water, which turned a sickly green in short order. She stirred it long enough to make certain that all of it was dissolved, then she pulled a glass over to herself and poured some into it. She lifted it to her lips, then paused a moment.
"Trust me, I will rectify the situation." She said with a wicked tone in her voice. "I must settle a score with two of the Vocaloids, and I must claim my prize."
"And how will you accomplish this?" The man's voice asked from the shadows, but form a different side of her now. He was circling her, watching her.
Kiku tipped the glass back, downing the liquid in one long swallow. It tasted awful, but that didn't matter to her. She took a moment or two to let her puckered lips and clenched jaw relax before she answered. "I will take the fight to them."
… … … … …
Haku's red eyes fluttered open as she jerked awake with a small gasp. It was dark, a soft light somewhere providing a dim illumination. At her start awake there was movement off to the side of her and she shifted her head a little to look. Luka and Miku were instantly at her sides, and Haku saw dried tears on their cheeks. They had been crying? What was wrong? "What… happened…?" She asked, but it came back to her even as she got her answer.
Luka's hand went to her forehead and stroked the top of her head and Miku took up her left hand. "Haku-chin, you're awake!" The light blue twintailed girl said sounding relieved beyond words.
"I failed you again, Haku-chin…" Miku shot Luka an annoyed look but the pink haired beauty either didn't notice or didn't care. "Kiku got to you, we weren't in time. This is the second time I wasn't fast enough to save you." She sounded like she might start crying again.
Haku shook her head weakly. "Not your… fault…" She murmured.
"How do you feel, Haku-chin?" Miku asked cautiously.
"Floaty." Haku replied flexing her legs and arms a little. "Like my whole body is moving even when I'm holding still."
"Are you in any pain?" Luka asked worriedly, but Haku shook her head a little.
"No, no pain. Just… floaty. And tired." So very tired, she thought she might drift back off at any moment. Her eyelids felt heavy and her entire body was fuzzy and leaden. She had to struggle to stay awake.
"We should let her rest... " Miku said reluctantly, but Haku shook her head again, this time a little more vigorously.
"No, please don't go." She groped blindly for their hands and missed, but the other two girls took hers up and she relaxed a bit. "Have to… tell you both something… Are we alone?" Luka nodded at the question as Miku impulsively glanced around and Haku took a deep breath. "I know now what my heart desires. I know what I want to say to you both now."
"Is this really the best time to-" Luka started but cut off when Haku squeezed their hands a little more firmly.
"Please, I need to." Haku said. "Incase… incase I…"
Miku's hand shot out and covered Haku's mouth. "No! No don't talk like that, Haku-chin! You're going to be fine!" Haku was too weak to do anything about Miku's hand so she had to wait until the pretty light blue haired girl removed it herself before she could finish.
"I can feel it… whatever Juon-san did to me, I can feel it… it's not just my body, and it's not just her energies. I don't know what all, but I can feel it. It's taking a lot for me to…" She trailed off a moment and fresh tears appeared in the eyes of the other two. Haku took another deep breath and forced the words out. "I would like… to confess my feelings…"
Luka and Miku blinked and traded looks much as they had done earlier before looking back down at Haku. "Kokuhaku? Why?" Miku asked right on top of Luka's choked out "To who…?"
With an effort Haku forced her red eyes open, and took them both in. They were both so beautiful, so radiant. They looked so worried gazing down at her, but if she didn't make it through this she wanted to remember them just as they were. "Both of you." Miku's free hand went to her mouth and her green eyes widened, and Luka's shoulders tensed up and her hand squeezed Haku's reflexively. Haku kept her gaze on them both at once. "Luka-chin, from the moment I met you you have saved my life in so many ways. You think you have failed me, but what you've really done is allowed me to live, to truly live. What has happened is not your fault. I've been instantly and deeply in love with you from almost the moment we met, even if it took me this long to realize it, to understand my feelings." She smiled as a different kind of tears sprang up in the idol's eyes. "As Miku said once, sometimes people just click together. Love at first sight… I never believed in it before you, Luka-chin. You've made my life better in every way possible, and I love you."
Luka gasped a sob at the raw emotion of the moment, and though they were both adamant that Haku would recover it still came across as final words from a deathbed. Even though none of them were willing to acknowledge it the tone was still in the background of the moment. "I felt the connection too. I've struggled with the worry that I was just being silly or infatuated or unfairly leading you on, but you're just too wonderful. You see things in such a unique way and are so careful of everyone around you, so delicate and precious." She leaned down on impulse in a cascade of pink hair to press her lips to Haku's, tenderly, carefully, but sweetly. A kiss so sweet she wanted to melt against her idol's mouth and stay like that forever. "I love you, Haku-chin." She whispered as she leaned back enough for Haku to look up once more, and the white haired beauty shifted her gaze more to Miku, but still kept Luka in the corner of her vision.
"Miku-chin, you're everything I've ever wished I could have in life. You're vibrant, full of wonder, and gorgeous but still have a will of steel underneath your soft exterior. I've never admired anyone as much as you, and you took me in and helped me, befriended me, and guided me when you had every right to hate me for taking Luka-chin away from you. But instead you stuck with me, and we've bonded, slowly but surely through shared moments. Hibiki-sensei said the same thing you did the other day, but you weren't talking about us. What is right for some isn't necessarily right for all. You've also made my life better in every way possible, and I love you."
Miku squeaked a little as she tried to keep her own tears back, the fingers of the hand not clutching Haku's still covering her mouth in a feminine way, but she lowered the hand to her chest to speak, "You're so smart Haku-chin, I've never known anyone as brilliant as you. You seem to see everything and file it all away without missing a beat. Hojoto-san was right, you're looks and brains both, but so much more. You're brave and resourceful and care so deeply for those important to you." And she leaned down as Luka had except with a fall of light blue twintails, pressing her lips to Haku's in the same gentle tender sweet way, her lips as soft as they'd seemed each time they had almost but not quite kissed in the past. "Of course I love you, Haku-chin."
When they had both leaned back up Haku smiled weakly up at them. "And you love each other, you always have, even before I came in to the picture. Say it." Blue eyes met green and suddenly there was embarrassed flushing. Why get embarrassed now? "Please, I need to see it, to hear it..."
They swallowed hard and hesitated, then Luka shook her head. "Of course you know, Miku-chin. You were there for me when no one else was, you were always with me and helped me through the hardest time in my life. You both say I'm the strong one, but you're my rock, my center, my stability. I regret having made you wait for me the past two years, I hope you can forgive me that, but it didn't change my feelings for you in the slightest. I wouldn't be where I am today without you, and I love you." She choked up, the memories too much, and Miku moved her hand from her chest and took up Luka's free hand with her own.
"Luka-chin you ARE the strong one, you're the epitome of the capable but feminine woman. You never stop even when things get hard. You push forward and you work through it, and you never let anything stop you. You're impressive beyond words and I've never wanted anything more than to be with you, until Haku-chin came into my life. Of course I forgive you. I love you." They leaned forward at the same time, and their kiss was much more firm and hungry than they had given Haku, probably because neither of them were laying on a medical table.
When they leaned back again and looked down at her curiously Haku spared them the need to ask the obvious question of what to do. "I had to be the one to make the confession," She said by way of explanation, "Because you two have to be the ones to make the truly hard decision."
"What can we do that could possibly be harder than what you just did, Haku-chin?" Miku asked incredulously. "Your bravery for doing that is incredible."
Haku shook her head weakly. "No, I have the easy job, the coward's job. All I had to do was bring it out. You two have to decide if it's possible."
"If what's possible?" Luka asked dubiously, her crystal voice carrying a note of worry.
She had thought she was as numb as she could be weakened as she was, but now Haku felt the butterflies invade her stomach once more. Oh please don't let me falter now… she thought. "I was in the mall this morning… and I saw the answer. I saw a possible answer." Their faces were confused again so she explained. "There were two men and a woman at a table together, and they were all holding hands, all three of them. At first I didn't want to look because it was in public, but then I realized how they were each looking at the other two… just like we're looking at each other right now. It didn't matter that some were the same gender, or that there were more than two of them. Miku said sometimes what is right for some isn't for everyone. Hibiki-sensei told me that love is a unique snowflake, different for each person it touches. Gackpo told me to learn to think outside of the norm, and possibilities would open." She was paraphrasing, trying to get it out, but the effect wasn't lost on the other two as their eyes widened in understanding.
"A three person couple…?" Miku asked.
Haku nodded. "You see? You two have to decide, because I am the third person. It was for me to confess, but it is for you two to allow me in, since you were together before I arrived. I had the easy job…"
Luka and Miku suddenly began laughing, their voices ringing through the exam room. It was the laugh of sudden relief, of realizing a situation wasn't as bad as you thought. It was a manic moment and Haku blinked up at them.
"Haku-chin, your ability to be so remarkably brilliant yet downplay yourself at the same time is as incredible as it is annoying." Miku said between giggles.
Luka nodded her agreement. "Neither of us have ever met anyone as amazing or as special as you, Haku-chin. There's no decision to make here, it's obvious."
Miku nodded back. "That's right. If that's what you want, Haku-chin, then that's what we want too."
Haku felt a warmth spread through her entire body, and for the first time all week the emotional pain was completely gone. She sagged with relief, and the other two leaned down to hug her, squeezing them all in together. After a few moments Haku tried to look around. "Where are my things?" she asked.
Luka winced. "Haku-chin… your phone broke. I'm sorry, but it shattered when it hit the ground."
Haku shook her head, "Are you sure you didn't…? I know you hated it…" Luka opened her eyes wide but Miku let out a fit of giggles at the joke, and after a moment Luka smiled. Haku gestured a hand. "What about the bag?"
"It's right here." The idol leaned over to a table and brought it to Haku, who reached into it and slowly extracted the three gold leaf paper wrapped thin boxes. She set one on her tummy, then handed one to each of the other two. They blinked in surprise and lifted the lids, then gasped in astonishment.
"Haku-chin!" Miku exclaimed, lifting the diamond set digital locket out of her box. "It's beautiful! But…"
"Isn't it a bit much…?" Luka finished for her.
Haku narrowed her red eyes. "No, I think it's just right. May I see your phones please?" Miku and Luka produced their phones at the same time, and Haku took them and gestured for Luka to open her locket. The idol did so, her eyes widening.
"Little screens?" She asked in surprise as Miku stretched her torso over the medical table and craned her neck to peer over at the idol's open locket, and then she blinked in surprise down at Haku as she lifted Luka's phone and snapped a picture of the pretty light blue haired girl. Haku giggled at the goofy angle and Miku made a face.
"Haku-chin the lighting in here is terrible." Miku complained and Luka giggled at her.
"It's fine, it's just to show you." She turned Luka's phone upward, then opened the bluetooth pairing screen on it and paired it with the idol's locket, then she downloaded the app to upload the photo. The app showed spaces for which screen had which photo, and she uploaded Miku's surprised looking picture she had just taken to one of them. Miku's surprised face popped up on the left side of Luka's locket, and they both let out an appreciative "Ooooooh." Haku giggled and lifted Miku's phone and snapped a surprise picture of Luka too and repeated the process with Miku's locket. "See? We can all keep the other two right in our hearts this way from now on." She grabbed their hands as they reached for their phones and peered at them. "No pictures of me until I'm not sick anymore." She admonished them, and they laughed.
"Caught in the intent!" Miku giggled, pulling her phone free. "It's fine, I have a couple of pictures of you from your first dance lesson I can use in the meantime." She said, uploading one to the other screen in the locket and showing them. Luka's surprised face on one side, and Haku glaring off to the side in the camera on the other. She giggled and closed the locket and handed it to Haku. "You gave it to me, you have to put it on."
It was an odd angle, and Miku had to lean down so Haku could secure the clasp around her neck. The rose gold heart hung down on her chest and she beamed. Then she sent the picture of Haku in training to Luka, who uploaded it too then also insisted Haku hang it on her. Once that was all done they looked at the unopened box on Haku's tummy. Her iPhone was broken so she couldn't upload anything, so they opened the box for her and hung it around her neck, gently working the chain around to get the clasp in the right place to attach it. "Once we get you a new phone we'll take better pictures, Haku-chin." Luka promised.
"Once we get you an Android!" Miku giggled. They all smiled at each other, the relief between them palpable. It couldn't have gone better. Haku let out a huge yawn.
"Will you both stay with me until I fall asleep again?"
"Until you fall asleep?" Miku asked indignantly.
"We'll stay with you until you wake back up." Luka said fervently.
"And promise me…" She muttered, fighting for a last moment of consciousness, "Promise me that no matter what... happens to me… that you'll always… take care of each other…"
They looked down at her in anguish. Miku bit her lower lip to stop a cry and Luka opened her mouth to object, "Haku-chin, you'll be fine-"
"Promise me…" She interrupted groggily.
They stared at her a moment longer then both nodded. "We promise." They said together.
Haku smiled at them. They leaned in for another group hug, and that was how Haku fell back to sleep, warm and safe and loved. Her last thought before letting sleep claim her was a fervent prayer that she would wake to it again.