I know, I know, you probably all hate me for taking so long. But here is the next chapter, and to make it up to you, I'm going to update again late tonight. I hope you all had a good Christmas/holiday season. I certainly did, and let me tell you I probably gained twenty pounds from all those sweets. xP
Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Vocaloid or Matryoshka, or any other songs I reference. Thanks for reading! Please leave a nice little review.

14: PURPOSEFULLY INSANE

Gumi could still remember the Moonlight Sonata.

The warehouse was completely empty. It was just her and this crappy piano that had been beaten half to death by rough fingers and eroded by alcohol.

She took a deep breath and began to play. Her fingers moved across the keys like water, and she closed her eyes, smiling. If only her one recital had been this good. Daddy wouldn't have been so mad. Maybe she'd still be there, in her house. Reading in bed or watching TV.

She missed a note on the way up an arpeggio. She winced, and could practically feel the belt sting her backside. She continued anyway, the sound growing in a crescendo until she was playing so loud the stage shook.

When she was finished, she placed her hands in her lap. And then there was clapping. Gumi's head snapped to her left and she saw him. Gakupo. Seated on the floor, smiling happily.

"That was beautiful."

"I locked the door." Was all Gumi could say.

"Well I have a key."

There was a silent tension, and then Gumi sighed. "Well thanks. I'm going to go now." She got up and stormed off the stage, running through the warehouse, past Gakupo and through the doors.

He chased her. She groaned as he cornered her behind the main HQ building. She turned around to glare at him. "That piece doesn't bring back happy memories, okay? So if you're gonna tell me how great it was, just save it."

Gakupo blinked at her, surprised. "Why were you playing it, then?"

"What?" She snapped.

"Why play something that makes you so sad?"

Gumi crossed her arms, not sure how to answer that.

"Well it was beautiful." Gakupo said quietly. She looked up at him. His violet eyes were kind and friendly.

"I…thank you." Gumi looked at her boots.

"Should we go inside? It's getting chilly."

Gumi nodded tersely, and he looped an arm through hers, escorting her to the doors.

Mikuo was waiting for her in the cafeteria. He smiled at her and thrust a hot chocolate in her direction. Gakupo raised an eyebrow, but walked away, leaving them to be alone.

Gumi grinned at her blue-haired companion and took the hot chocolate. It wasn't great, but it was delicious by Matryoshka standards.

"Turns out the roof was a false alarm. So we've got the day off." Mikuo said, winking. Gumi felt her heart hammer in her chest. She didn't know why.

"You wish." Suddenly Meiko came up behind Gumi, grabbing her shoulders. Gumi jumped. "There's a meeting in ten minutes."

Mikuo glared at Meiko with intensity in his eyes. Gumi was surprised he looked so angry. "For what?"

"Dunno. Miku just wants me, you, Luka, Rin and Len."

There was an awkward pause. Gumi knew what was going on. She hung her head and clenched her fists.

'They're going to think its you.'

"Okay. Well have fun with your meeting, Mikuo. Thanks Meiko. I'm going to…see if Gakupo needs help." She trudged away, leaving the other two to begin walking hesitantly towards Miku's office.

Gakupo didn't need help. In fact, he brushed her off quickly and retreated to his office. She sat alone in the cafeteria, tapping her fingers on the tabletop. There were only a few other people in the room, milling around and adding bourbon and rum to their cocoa. The weather was growing colder outside and this made Headquarters very drafty. Everyone walked around in moth-eaten sweaters and gloves.

Gumi hummed a few bars of Panda Hero to herself, bored out of her mind. For a tough-as-nails, kickass gang, the Matryoshka could be very unexciting.

Suddenly, someone slid into the seat next to her. Gumi turned, and was face to face with a complete stranger. The girl smiled and tilted her head, causing her twin pink pigtails to swish to the side.

"You're the new girl, right?" She asked.

Gumi grunted.

"Kasane Teto." She held out a porcelain hand and Gumi shook it. The girl only had one stripe, which meant she probably had no more experience than Gumi herself.

"Gumi."

"I know- you're the cool singer from Festival." Teto grinned.

Gumi almost blushed. "Thanks. Did you…what did you want?"

"Oh. I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a walk."

Gumi stared at the stranger. "A walk?"

"Good, let's go." And Teto pulled Gumi up by her arm and led her into the cold air once again.

"Bet you've never seen this side before." Teto said, swinging her arms around as they turned the corner and approached the "garden". It was desolate and dead, just an empty carcass. Where flowers once might have grown there were dead weeds and metal stakes.

"Um…no. I haven't."

"It used to be beautiful and full of flowers, but we got so busy with the fighting and the raids, no one took care of it." Teto shrugged and did a little skip over some broken glass.

"…Right. Listen, is there any particular reason you wanted to go on a walk with me?" Gumi asked, coming to a halt behind Teto. Teto turned around, frowning.

"Of course there is. I wanted to ask you something."

"Then can you ask me now, please, because its fucking freezing out here."

Teto sighed and skipped closer to Gumi, her pigtails flopping around. She leaned in so that they were almost nose to nose, and she whispered, "Did you kill Akegata?"

Gumi stumbled away from the girl, breathing hard. "What?"

"Did. You." Teto walked with a purpose now, articulating every word with a quiet firmness. "Kill. My. Best. Friend?"

Gumi's eyes were wide and she looked around the garden hopelessly. The place was full of glass and shards of metal that, if stepped on, could cut through skin easily. The only way out was to get through the iron gate, which took forever to pry open.

"No." Gumi closed her eyes and shook her head. "I know you probably don't believe me, but I had no idea about the-

"Give me a reason to believe you."

"I don't have one." Gumi's voice was pleading now, and she continued to shake her head. "You just have to trust me. "

"Where were you before you came here? You don't seem very innocent."

"I was a rogue. My parents left me here and drove away when I was 12. I lived in St. Mary's."

Teto's eyes were still intense, her fists balled.

"The Alyss killed my best friend too." Gumi whispered. "I swear, I have nothing to do with them."

They were both quiet. The tension and anger in the air was so thick Gumi could almost taste it. And then, Teto spoke in her normal high, lilting voice.

"Okay."

Gumi raised an eyebrow.

"I trust you. Let's go back in. They make pudding at six o'clock!" And Teto looped her arm through Gumi's and led the way.