Miku's POV
Balance pivots in favor of gravity, a force so alluring it beckoned everyone, thus receiving everyone, thus taking everyone as it so pleased in its greedy, asphyxiating embrace. There was no grace, only sheer power and the grievance that one associates with pain, when I crashed into the ground.
I didn't have an elegant landing, but not for lack of trying. Ruko's screaming attacked me in my late sleep. My pocket knife slipped under the bed, which was good - I didn't need her to know I had it on me.
"RISE AND SHINE! EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM! LET'S GO, LETS GO, LET'S GO GO GO!"
I did not answer, instead choosing a teenager's death glare for greeting and rolling over under my bed.
"If you don't get up you'll miss the Kagamine train!"
I stiffened. She chuckled, which I know was a result of my body language. I'm annoyed by it. She doesn't need to know that she can bribe me in any way, shape or form.
"That's right, they're waiting for you. They came just to walk you to school, isn't that the sweetest thing?"
The "sweet" rolled off her tongue, and the shriveled up and died. It's carcass hits the floor with nothing more than the normal thud. "Tell them I'm dead," I groaned. I was dragged out by the ankles. In a choking whirl of air and light, I shuddered, losing vitality from exposure. I needed some quiet darkness, I needed another hour of my life back, I needed to quit for just a little while.
"Oh, no ya don't," she said powerfully, "they brought you food."
The growling of my stomach overpowers even the battlecry of my pride. "...what was it?"
"Well, it looked like a sandwich-"
All I needed to hear. I bolted off the floor and went skidding into the bathroom. She laughed her lazy ponytail off and I didn't care, because she never tasted one of those sandwiches before.
This morning, I wanted to be safe. I swallowed some water and anti-depressants that I didn't ever realize would be so necessary. I brushed my teeth until I bled, washed up, here and there I finger-combed my hair, and then ran back into the room to yank on parts of my uniform. I decided halfway through that no, I did not need to pull my jacket all the way on, my socks could stay half folded around my calves until we got there, and my tie could stay loosely wrapped around me for the journey. "Bye, Ruko!" I called, scooping up my bag, then I jumped down the steps not even counting on luck. Nothing could spoil my appetite.
They pulled me out of the door as soon as I appeared, carefully locking it behind me.
"Miku-chan!" Rin squeaked. "Hey, we should do you up a little."
"You sure got here fast. D'you even brush your hair?" Len laughed.
"Did you?" I shot back. I tugged on my shoes.
"Ah-ah-ah, watch what you say to a kitchen master," he warned, waving a small bound package in the air.
"Oh, please forgive me Lord Kagamine. I knew not to whom I spoke," I added extra mockery with a low bow.
They laughed some more, Rin helping me tug on a jacket and the kitchen master taking pity upon the sight of an underfed sixteen-year-old. The second my hands were through the sleeves they cradled a hot sandwich.
We had purpose and intent, walking down the side-walk closer to each other than the last time we were together. I saw our breath slithering in the silvery clean air, and I knew that we were being pushed into colder weather. It didn't bother me. I liked the speed and vigor that our steps had. I liked the bounce of their voices and smiles so strong they were on a par with their bright eyes. I keep forgetting how green Rin's eyes are. They don't look anything like her brother's.
I was also being prepped, but I hardly noticed. "You're ready, aren't you?" I nodded, chewing an enormous mouthful of flavors that sang going down. I almost forgot what they said a second after.
"Are you nervous?" I shook my head no. God, where were these tomatoes grown? When I die can I go there?
"Do you think you need more practice?" One again I bobbed my head and found an exquisite bite of chicken. I never thought I would love food as much as I do this kitchen bundle.
"Jesus, Miku, are you gonna marry that thing? If you marry Len, he can make them for you all the time."
"Rin, shut up," he snickered.
"Just saying, 'nii-san.'"
They bickered. Poking fun at each other and sliding each other their devilish grins, as if no one in the world could see them. I didn't want to say anything to them at all, except when Rin tried to pull me in to settle a debate. Nodding along did not satisfy her.
It felt tailor-made, that morning. Chill air was made to fit around us perfectly, and yet I remember the warmest yellow sun framing our path. It sounds sentimental, but...I'm not. I didn't feel sentimental anything. I felt like briskly walking between two childish idiots, dumb blondes, I felt smothered in the best possible way, I felt like I was walking home.
Then gravity did the thing where it latched invisible claws around my unassuming feet. I got my head pulled out of fluffy white clouds and I realized someone was walking completely out of step from us. I tuned out the gilded morning and focused instead on the off-kilter tagalong.
I don't know why I always notice something. Other than the fact that I hear things all the time, I notice the threats way faster. But I forgot the stupid knife - it isn't chafing against my leg beneath my socks. I don't even have something to comfort me here.
I turn my head and glanced for a quarter of a second. I saw white, pure like snow, silken and free-flowing. Skin pale and unblemished, without taint, and eyes of brazen crimson. Set aflame with longing, as though those eyes were not dead and had pierced into our perfect little bubble.
The air halted in my windpipe as I tried to gasp and shout at the same time. I thought I saw her, following me like always, coming to take my hand. I would've pulled her aside and laced her shoes for her, I would've gathered up that hair with my own ribbons - I would have. God, I saw her. She's just as much a child as when she left me.
I jerked from the rhythm the twins had set.
"H-Hak-" I really couldn't push the words out anymore. Not Haku. This girl was grown. Her face quickly snapped to hostile fear, not pure cowardice, as she stopped in her tracks. Rin and Len followed me through my plunge into the real world. We found a strange albino creature with deadly-fast blinking orbs.
"Oh. Sukone-san," Len greeted, having completely run out of things he wanted to address girls with. I've seen the way he talks. He can be very polite and charming and all, but he gets uncomfortable too.
"Yo Sukone," Rin said, her teeth disappearing behind a cherry frown. "Are you following us?"
"I-I-I am NOT following anyone," she muttered. "You guys didn't see me at all when I left my house, RIGHT in front of you?" Her anger rode over me in waves and I had no idea why she was staring at me. Long straight locks fell into the hands of the breeze.
"Nope," Len confirmed, crisp and cut with a polite smirk, "Goodbye."
The earlier traces of desire bled from her face again. I watched it melt grey air into steam. "Hey, wait," she called, rushing up a little to stand right in front of us. She loped across the pavement like a gazelle with a healing sprain.
"You guys hate me way too obviously," she grunted. It came very clearly. This was not a shy girl, so I didn't quite despise her when I heard her.
Rin giggled almost maliciously. "That's rich coming from a phone-thief." At that sound, I would've done a double-take. I was unused to the serrated edge of her intelligence. She was more the kind of girl for giggles and drama and crude jokes, but not in the overwhelming-devil-way she sounded at the moment. I keep seeing faces that don't belong to them.
blood-red eyes rolled up to the sky and then down to us. Her cheeks, dusted with angry rose, puffed out. "Everyone keeps saying that I did something awful, but I didn't do anything to anybody."
"To be fair, I saw you being pretty protective of a black bag," Len noted carefully. "I'm not going to ask you to prove anything to me, but the phone was found in that bag by Luka Meguri-"
"Luka...Luka Megurine...pffft...you trust her?" She glanced specifically at me, so I answered truthfully, "I don't."
"Luka is our reliable friend," Rin challenged.
We have no reason to trust your story over hers," Her brother concluded.
Her body shook and reddened. "...You want to know why I was being so careful about that bag?"
Len noticed the danger of ganging up on her. He tried to back the group up a little with a weak, apologetic decline, "Not particularly, Sukone-san. You've got nothing to prove-"
She sucked in a huge breath, puffing out her breasts, and then yelled. She yelled until she could be heard in sky, where resting birds finally found reason for fluttering up through cold clouds. She yelled:
"I HAD FEMININE PRODUCTS IN THAT BAG YOU JERKS! I'M INNOCENT OF WHATEVER WENT ON WITH THAT PHONE, AND IF MEGURINE LUKA IS ALWAYS PROVIDING CONVIENIENT EVIDENCE FOR YOU, SHE IS THE LAST FRIEND YOU HAVE ON THIS PLANEEEEEEEET!" With that she bolted straight through us and disappeared on the road to the school.
Len stared at the non-existent trail of flames her feet had left behind. "Should we chase after her? We could probably catch her in thirty seconds."
"Nah. What we should do is keep up our pace, and get Miku-chan some special practice! Right?" Rin started marching ahead, tugging me with her.
No one answers to Rin. We just let her take us for the ride.
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Len's POV
Miku was nervous. You couldn't tell from her face, you never can, but her knuckles were white and her eye were unsteady flickering blue. Skittish aquamarine dashed solid mint to bits.
To say that the day had passed quickly is an understatement; a race of math and outrageous stage-prep had taken place, followed by an awkward conversation between Akita Sensei and Rei Kagene, with Miku mumbling lyrics under her breath while she took diligent notes in every class. Her best chances of staying in the school were less than one, and yet we were nervous and excited in a happy kind of way.
The Nurse Sonika, and Akita Sensei, had wished her luck, which I made her answer with a thank you, and then we spoke briefly with that lady Prima. We learned that:
1) she is not Japanese in the slighest.
2) she is also not a judge, and,
3) she wants to write a play about us. But not "us" us, just us. In fact, Us is a PERFECT title!
4) she does not do or say things in a practical way because if she did she would have elaborated who "Us" is about.
The judges were expecting our little team. I asked Prima how she convinced the judges to let Miku audition at all. She said Miku just had to perform in front of a thousand people, no big deal. Miku stopped breathing and I tried to negotiate our way into a private session, but for some reason the judges had been convinced that public auditions would properly test our girl's mettle. When I could not argue with that, I decided to rush Miku onto the stage and polish her performance off.
She was, after all we discovered, insistent upon finishing it by her herself.
There she was, stationed at slick jet dinosaur. Looking sick. With green washing over her, and a dreary frown replacing the taut line of her emotionless lips, she became much less strong then she had been before. It was hard to say she looked tough in the first place; If you ignored her stare-downs, you found petite wrists you could wrap your hands around with room to spare. She hunched over the keys and stared numbly at her fingers, frozen.
"Are you going go throw up?" Rin asked, rubbing circles on Miku's back.
"This was a dumb idea," she muttered. She leaned against Rin. "I listened to Len and I'm regretting it."
"It isn't your fault. He's got such a way with words..." She turned to me and arched a perfect brow. She seemed to put out specific recollection of "raccoon crap," though I didn't know how and I wouldn't ask.
I reached over her arm and felt along the row of pearl-white keys. "If you don't try now, you're going to regret it for the rest if your life," I said, tapping notes out. A soft trail of plink hit my ears until my hand stopped, having brushed against her own.
"You sound like Ruko saying that, so shut up," she grumbled. I obeyed with a prompt silence. My advice wasn't for every situation. I wasn't expected to perform, and still even I was scared. Sitting behind huge velvet curtains brought back very unpleasant memories of stage-fright. I was much bigger now then when I was seven, but they just might consume me.
"Do you think there's seriously a thousand people out there?" Rin murmured, fixing her bangs into the blue hairclips she had on hand.
I had an answer. "Maybe 900. It's mostly people who are serious about the play."
"I should just quit."
"You won't," I snapped.
"They're all expecting you. Think of how disappointed they'll be if you quit!" Rin patted her back affectionately, but it did not an ounce of good.
"Think of how disappointed they are in me already," she retorted. Again, I had no comeback. Today I was out of wit. Skittish, I pushed the curtain aside and peeked into the crowd.
There was definitely a lot of people. I saw Ruko, who spotted me and waved, while her husband glowered. Neru was a couple of rows behind them with a distracted older brother and a confident Ritsu at her side. Luka was glaring at the indefinite ruffle of curtains. Bruno was there for some reason, sitting with Gakupo at the edge of the audience where shadows swallowed them up. I looked into the very back just in time to catch Tone Rion bumping into some weird guy. Bunches of white hair stuffed under his cap, his eyes covered with sunglasses so black I expected him to carry a white cane. Miki helped him up and pulled him into the next row of seats. I squinted. Is that guy trying to trip over everything?
I turned back and saw Miku had regained some composure in our time of separation. She swallowed. Skillfully dancing fingers crossed the broad range of black and white in front of her and she seemed to have it perfect. In retrospect there should be nothing frightening about a performance. It wasn't her first.
"Your parents are out there," I smiled hopefully. "They're supporting your decision."
"That's great," she sighed.
I wondered if she wanted to hear about someone else. "Neru too."
"Mmm."
I felt useless. "...Are you hungry?"
She hissed, "Food won't fix this."
Miku needed to check herself before she gave those barbed comments. "Look me in the eye and tell me there's nothing I can do to help. Then I'll shut up."
So she looked up with ferocious speed and began to spit fire - then her tongue froze up. Her orbs of diamond seemed to crack and explode into shimmering dust. She stayed with her thumbs twiddling.
"After...The audition..." She murmured. I couldn't hear most of what she said.
"What do you want after?" I asked dumbly. I never had a chance for a response. We were unceremoniously warned by the stage crew, "Come away, starting in T-minus ten." All we could do was play like the sheep we saw as kids, rounded up by a smart and clean sheepdog.
Miku shuddered only once - when I saw her - then her body was straight. Her hands were ready. Her eyes glinted. I saw pride in them. So I allowed myself to lose a breath of relief.
Prima's voice carved a dramatic intro. "Ladies and Gentlemen, for the play, Cantarella, that Vocaloid High-School for the Gifted is putting on...we've one more audition. It's special. It's new. It's my personal favorite. A girl named Miku Hatsune...and you heard me right, it's that girl...wants to prove something to all of us here. She's willing to stay her until graduation. Are you willing to keep her?"
The whole time I wanted to scream at her. "Too personal! You're being way too personal with some student you don't know that way!" But she had everyone in a silent fix. What words were we supposed to use with our tongues falling asleep?
"What she wants - what she needs you to realize is, she'll prove it. This is not for herself, it's for what she loves. We need everyone to help along the judges in this case. Vote with applause if you want this girl to stay for the play. If you don't care, don't clap. Just stay here for the entire thing, please. It's all we want from you."
She grinned out at the audience. People looked so bored and apathetic, it frustrated me. But no one left.
"Okay!"
When the curtains diverged, she was hit with light so strong, every inch of her reflected snow white.
At first, she stared at her hands. A million different things flew through my head. I wanted to hear her sing the way I had before. The same air as yesterday. Of course, I couldn't just treat her like a kid. I had no room to be as worried as I was.
People coughed and muttered. "What a disappointing sight." "Girl should just get off." "If only no one came." Could she hear them? Would it scare her into forfeiture? The fight wasn't over. I wish I could tell her that. You better come out bruised and battered and victorious.
People were just starting to fidget in their seats. When she finally touched the keys, I heard soft light notes, slowly creeping through the air. They almost didn't exist. I clenched and unclenched my fingers nervously - it was impossible not to recognize my own weaknesses. And at the same time it was a haunting and proud song. One of her own, clearly not the one she practiced last night.
The audience, coddled with the sudden tune, waited for her words. Her job was to sing. I had no idea what to expect, and it had me too curious. The same way she had begun with the piano, she sang.
"Kisetsu kurikaesu tabi
Hotsureteku kizuna wo
Tsuyoku, tsuyoku daki shimete
Nakusanu you."
More of her original power filled into the song. She had been improvising and now it came like second nature.
"kakaeta kotoba no omotasani
Ugoke naku natte
"Tada atatakana yume ni oboreteta
Kizukeba kimi wo miushinai
tabane daki shimeteta sugata wo
Yaoragani chirashite akaku
Itai hodoni sore wa yakitsuite hirari hirari hirari...
It was more bittersweet then they'd ever heard her. That way, she sounded raw and beautiful.
"sora e umi e dokoka tooku e
Kimi e hitohira demo todoku youni
Tsumugu kizuna no sono iro ga hirari ga hirari rari
hirarirari itsuka kasureteiku omoi wa
Chira sareta setsuna ni saite
Kuchiruto shitte nao azayaka ni hirari hirari hirari
hirarinido to tsugerarenai kotoba mo
Kimi e saigo kurai todoku youni."
Where did that rasp of adoration and heartache come from?
"Sotto ame noyouni furu koe ga hirari ga hirari rari"
Burning out softly.
After her voice left the spacious auditorium, everyone heard it over and over again in their heads, the way she did on a regular basis. They heard her like I heard her, for once, being so interesting to listen to and be near. I wonder if they could make out the same girl that I saw - under blinding brilliance she was Miku Hatsune, a half-crazy pessimistic miracle.
The people fell for her. They ripped everything in a storm of clapping and cheering.
Don't tell anyone that I might've cried a little.
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HIRARI HIRARI
I CHOSE IT
YOU'RE ALL WELCOME