Emotions are a Rainbow

Iroha was perfectly content to ignore the three girls following close at her heels. The three of them were stumbling over each other, speaking at the same time, and generally trying to make her life even more miserable. Their words were nothing but excuses.

And even though their apologies were brushed away by Iroha like it was nothing but a pesky bug, certain words registered and stuck; words of tears, regrets, stories, mistakes… They struck a chord somewhere deep inside her soul, and it wouldn't stop reverberating, till many, many notes were hovering in the air, and her ears were filled with music.

It was like nothing she had heard before, nothing like the songs she had sang; these songs were sadder, softer, quieter, and Iroha was ashamed that it took her so long to finally realize that these songs were Yukari's.

The three girls chattered on behind her, their words weaving and twisting into a story of pity and desperation and stupid mistakes. A story of ignorance and forgotten words falling to deaf ears.

And then the music spiraled into vibrant, beautiful colors, tinted with insanity and madness, and Iroha suddenly remembered what that axe-wielding girl had said, '…emotions are telling the truth. You should always listen to the truth.'

She understood.

At first, she had been puzzled, but slowly, the mystery unraveled, and now she understood.

Iroha has to listen. Not just to that music echoing inside of her, but to the world around her. Listen to the words first, then place them into the song. Give the melody some lyrics, and then follow the notes – follow the truth. Follow your emotions.

She didn't know when she had started crying, and she didn't know when the sun had fallen asleep. The world around her was dark and quiet: the girls behind her had stopped talking, but they didn't stop tailing after her. Iroha was glad their surroundings were too dark for them to see her tears, but she was sure they could hear it in her unsteady breaths and unsure steps.

So she started running.

Four pairs of feet pounding against the ground, out the forest, through the courtyard, past the buildings and cafeteria filled with chattering students, wind ripping at her face and brushing away the dampness. Iroha ripped into the dormitory, very nearly losing her followers, but they managed to catch up.

They thought she was going back to her dorm, and it disgusted her slightly that they thought they were following her there, but she wasn't. She had a different destination in mind.

The girls' dormitories had red carpeted floors, muffling their footsteps, and smooth, white walls. Lights kept at an equal pace lit up their way, and doors flashed past them, their numbers ignored. But Iroha didn't need the numbers to find the room she was looking for. She had been there so many times she knew the number of steps it took to get there, and she knew every twist and turn.

Iroha knew her too well, and she knew everything. They were on the same hallway now, and with a small burst of speed, Iroha reached the room first, hand closing around the knob, twisting, and-

Just as she expected, the door swung open. Yukari had a habit of forgetting to lock her doors, and though she had improved, the bad habit still acted up from time to time.

Iroha rushed into the bedroom, and slammed the door shut behind her, locking it before anyone else could enter. Outside, three breathless, confused voices conversed, and hands knocked, twisted the knob, but Rion, IA, and Gumi had been locked out.

For one moment, Iroha felt a surge of satisfaction and pride… "Iroha?" but then it all came shattering down when she heard that voice. Right, she still had this other matter in hand.

The cat-loving girl turned around slowly to face Yukari, who had obviously been crying. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her hair mussed up, and she hugged a stuffed animal close to her chest.

Iroha tried to speak, but found that she couldn't, and when she finally forced herself to, the conversation did not go exactly the way she had wanted, because the first word out of her mouth was, "Sorry."

Obviously, Yukari hadn't been expecting that either, because her expression morphed into one of pleasant surprise.

And then everything spilled. Iroha was running out of breath as she rambled, not sure what exactly she was talking about, but knew that it must've been complete gibberish.

What Iroha remembered clearly was that Yukari wasn't in a much better state than she was. She had no idea what she was saying, and their words overlapped and stumbled so much the entire conversation was merely an exchange of random, sappy words.

Iroha was the first to stop talking, and she let Yukari continue for two more broken sentences before she flung her arms around the violet-haired girl, and both of them broke down sobbing.

She didn't even know why she was crying.

Then Yukari said in her weak, cracked voice, "Do you remember that time you tried to become a cat?"

And then Iroha just couldn't cry anymore, so she threw back her head and began to laugh. Soon enough, Yukari was giggling as well, and they didn't stop until they were curled up on the floor, clutching their stomachs and wheezing out the last of their laughter.

It was only after they calmed down did they hear the pounding and shouting outside the door, and both of them rushed to get it, throwing it open to find three very frazzled girls.

That night, it rained.

But the next morning, a beautiful rainbow had arched over the Vocaloid Academy's buildings, welcoming the newly repaired group of friends into its front gates.

Please R&R!