Chapter 27, not beta-read.

Enjoy!

"What should we say, when people ask about us?"

The question startled Miku: the two had been quiet for who knew how long, almost asleep for the most part. She hadn't even noticed when Luka had woken up, so the question came as a surprise, whispered or not.

"What do you mean?"

Luka shifted a bit so that she was level with her companion, and no longer curled against her side.

"Later today, if people ask where we were, or tomorrow, during the exam, if they ask if we're in a relationship, with each other or no. What will we answer?"

"Ah…"

"I do not think we have to fear our friends here, but it's the people who will be testing us who worry me."

"Is it because of how Master reacted, way back then?"

Luka nodded sadly. "Yes. Last time we were honest, when we tried to reach out, be ourselves…"

"I don't think we have anything left to fear," Miku replied, her words thinly veiling her uncertainty. "Crypton did what they did for control and to maintain appearances. The people at the exam don't have such motivations. They'll want to determine what exactly we are before making any decisions."

"Right. But do you think the fact that we fall for another AI instead of a human would mean something to them? That they'd think we're against humans in a way?"

"In that case, Kaito and Meiko have as much reason as us to worry. We could ask them if they have concerns."

"We could."

"And our other friends might also have helpful advice."

"If they were to ask now, though, what would your answer be?"

"The truth." Luka seemed a bit surprised. "You wouldn't?"

"I would," the pinkette quickly said. "Being afraid of a reaction is one thing, but being dishonest with those who will decide our fate is another. I'll be honest, unless someone manages to convince me to do otherwise. It's your certainty that surprised me."

Miku gave her a small smile, but found that concern remained on her partner's face. "You're afraid."

"I am. I'll be honest, but I'll be afraid."

"Do you blame yourself?"

Luka averted her eyes, yet asked, "Blame myself?"

"For what Master did to us." When Luka didn't quickly reply, she continued, "Luka, nobody blames you for that: nobody could have anticipated his reaction."

The pinkette shrugged. "As far as we remember, I've gone to Master twice with legitimate concerns, hoping to make things right, and twice the consequences were swift and terrible. My honesty to our superiors has brought us nothing good."

"We're not going to Master tomorrow," Miku tried to gently remind her. "And after the exam is over, we'll never have to see him again."

"That's true," Luka sighed. "I'm still afraid, though."

"That's fine. You're not alone, this time. We'll all be with you."

"Good."

Luka seemed to feel better, and Miku allowed herself to relax again, gently toying with the pinkette's hair. The taller Vocaloid watched her calmly, carefully, before asking, quieter still, "Do you think Master is looking for us right now?"

"He must be," Miku said without hesitation, still playing with her hair. "I think the only reason why we're not hearing about our disappearance everywhere is because he's keeping it quiet. He doesn't want to admit that he lost six perfectly good AIs."

"How do you think he'll react when we get recognized as true AIs?"

The tealette paused, gave up on the little game. "There's no way to know." Luka didn't answer, Miku eyed her quietly. "You're afraid of him."

Her only reply was a brief nod.

"He's only human. In a day, he won't be able to touch us."

"Yet you said that when he spoke to you, you lost total control over yourself. You weren't even mindless like we were, and his name was enough to make you obedient... What if that's still the case? What if, months from now, when we're living our own lives, he knocks on the door and manages to whisk us away, back to Crypton?"

Miku shook her head. "We'll be citizens, have a passport, friends, professional lives. Our disappearance will be noticed, and Crypton will be the first place they'll look. If you want, we can even bring this up after the exam tomorrow: see if there are any legal measures that can be taken to secure our safety."

"I'd like that."

Miku smiled. "You've been worrying about a lot, haven't you?"

"Yes… I suppose, after a decade of misery, knowing that happiness is so close, I can't help but look out for the obstacles that may yet stand in our way."

"I understand."

Luka gave her a warm smile. "I suppose I need to remember how many allies I have now, too. I'm not alone anymore."

"And if I can help it, you never will be again."

They shared the silence for a while, during which Miku ran a lazy hand through Luka's hair. When she thought about it for a little bit too long, she was once again absolutely giddy, ecstatic, at the fact that they were finally back together, after all these years. It was crazy, insane, unbelievable, and everything she had ever wanted.

Luka sighed deeply, before pulling the tealette into another hug. Miku smiled, returning the gesture with all the happiness in the world.

"I feel like I missed this, without even remembering it," the pinkette mumbled into Miku's shoulder. "I missed this more than words can say."

"As did I."

"How did you keep so quiet?" she asked. "If I were you, if I'd known for sure about us, I'm not sure what I would have done."

"I really, really wanted you to find out what made you happy," Miku answered. "Your true happiness was more important than anything less that happened to involve me. It kept me in check."

The pinkette hummed again, squeezing her partner tightly. "I love you," she said.

"I love—"

"Hey, you guys in here?"

The pair sat up quickly at Rin's voice, managing to pull apart just before she opened the door.

"Oh, you are in here! Come on, dinner's ready soon!"

Without sparing a second glance, the blonde left again, humming happily to herself, while the two Vocaloids let out a brief, nervous laugh in relief.

"It would seem you're just as worried as I am," Luka teased her companion. "You jumped right out of your skin."

"I'm not worried about them knowing!" Miku shot back, just as playfully. But then, with more honesty, she admitted, "I thought you'd prefer if we were honest and open on our own terms, instead of being outed by circumstance."

Luka smiled and helped the tealette to her feet. "Thank you for being so considerate."

"You want to tell them now?"

"If you're ok with it."

"If you are."

The pinkette laughed heartily for the first time that day, without shedding fear or sadness. "It's fine, Miku. We might as well get this over with."

Together, they headed for the dining room, and when they passed through the halls, Miku was surprised by how time had flown: they had spent the whole day together in that room. Part of her was surprised nobody had come to look for them earlier, until she realized that it was entirely possible that they had been discovered while they were both asleep. Still, she felt strangely disoriented, out of place and out of time, seeing the evening light through the windows and hearing the bustling noise of humans and androids alike in the dining room.

When they arrived, she saw that once again, everybody was in a festive mood. Surely they were celebrating the start of the Vocaloids' new lives, toasting to a good exam the next day, and so on. She smiled, the happiness contagious, and felt Luka's hand take and gently squeeze her own.

"There you two are!" Lily greeted them. "Come on! This is the last day of your old lives!"

The only two spots free around the table were not together, and Miku paused. Luka hesitated as well, certainly just as torn between the desire to join the festivities and to stay at the tealette's side.

Kokone noticed first, with a raised brow and a brief moment of surprise, followed swiftly by understanding. "Oh, if you guys want, I can move. Like that you can sit together."

"What? Why w—" Galaco turned in her seat to face the two newcomers, and just as quickly picked up on what she saw. "Oh!"

"What?" the twins asked.

"Gay bots!" Galaco cheered.

"Huh?"

"It's a dream come true!"

"Shut it Galaco," Kokone spat as she picked up her plate to move to the other vacant spot at the other side of the table. "No need to make a big deal out of it."

Kaito blinked in surprise. "You two, too?"

"Yes," Luka proudly said as she sat in Kokone's old chair, Miku sitting beside her.

"Congratulations!"

"When did it happen?" Meiko asked, her eyes shining. "Did you have a moment, like Kaito and I?"

"This morning, after breakfast. And I guess you could say that we had a moment or two," the tealette replied.

"We also needed to be a bit brave," Luka confessed, still smiling from ear to ear.

"Aw, that's really cute," Rin all but purred.

"Double celebration!" Galaco cheered.

Gakupo rolled his eyes, an amused grin stuck on his face, before turning towards the new pair. "Congratulations. I'm glad you found one another."

"Wait, Miku, since you had the memories from your past, didn't you know about you two all along?" Gumi asked, genuinely curious.

"I did."

"Oh wow. Must have been tough, to pretend there was nothing."

"It was maddening for the both of us," Luka teased her partner. "But we're happy nonetheless."

The humans drank to the Vocaloids' newfound love, and then to the following morning, before digging into yet another delicious meal prepared by both Meiko and Cul. The brunette had prepared a tomato and bell pepper soup, while Cul had busied herself with making homemade bread to go with. A huge bowl of salad with eggs and ham completed the meal, painting the entire table with red, green, yellow and white.

Truthfully, despite the colors and smiles, that evening's dinner was, at the core, bittersweet. It finally started sinking in that from that point on, everything would change, no matter what would happen. The Vocaloids were going to leave, one way or another, and maybe even part ways, searching for new horizons. Lily promised Miku that if she'd ever need help, she'd have her back. Gakupo and Kaito promised to keep in touch via handwritten letters, while Galaco, Rin and Len went on a long tirade about the past, and in contrast, what the future could hold. Interspersed between it all, all twelve of them shared laughs about recent memories, the movies they'd seen, conversations they'd had. It was clear: while the humans and Vocaloids hadn't been able to get to know each other for very long, they would miss one another terribly.

Once the meal was finished and the humans-only bottle of wine emptied, the light-hearted aspects of the evening was put to the side, and the table was swiftly cleared, so that they could all discuss the following day.

"We'll have to get up early," Gakupo told them. "I'm taking the day off work, so I'll be driving you guys. We'll take the van, and should arrive at the organization building shortly before ten. If all goes well, it should be done within the day."

"What order will we go in?" Len asked.

"I'm not sure. In case you're wondering, yes, you two might have to take the exam separately."

The twins frowned sadly, before Meiko asked, "How long 'til we get the results?"

"I don't have the faintest idea."

Kaito was next. "If it goes well, and we're given the status of True AIs, is our independence immediate?"

"I think that from a legal standpoint, yes. But you'll most likely have to wait for some important documentation like a passport, something like a birth certificate, and so on, before you can move around completely freely."

"But we could go job and apartment hunting, for example."

"Yes, I suppose."

"Could we stay here in the meantime, if there's a long waiting period?" Luka enquired.

"Of course. We might have to clear it with our higher-ups, but if it were completely up to us, you'll be welcome for as long as you need."

Meiko had another question. "Do you think they'll help with issues like getting a job or a place to live? Do they know if some places are more bot-friendly?"

"They should, but as far as I know, companies and such don't really care about that. Employers and landlords are a lot more judgmental of character nowadays, instead of a person's origins. You shouldn't face any particular problem."

"Do you think we'll need to ask for extra security measures against Crypton?" Miku asked.

"Bot or not, considering your history with them, I'd say that a restraining order would be a good idea," Gakupo replied with a small chuckle. "They'll probably be able to help with that."

Once the questions were out of the way, it was time for one last group board game, a few more jokes, and then they were all off to bed. It felt like a strangely formal affair: the Internet Co members, with the exception of Gakupo, were bidding the Vocaloids farewell, in case they didn't get up early enough to wave them goodbye. Plus, amidst the hugs and goodbyes and wishes of good fortune, the Vocaloids were acutely aware that this was the end of their last day as fugitives, as unidentified entities. From that point on, they were either people in their own right, or nothing more than objects. The previous evening, everybody seemed excited, but that night, the Vocaloids were quiet and eerily somber. Kaito and Meiko did not even attempt to join a conversation and merely went to bed and to sleep, while the twins shared worried glances at one another while they tried to make light of their nerves.

"I mean, what's the worst that can happen?" Len chuckled at one point.

Rin merely deadpanned. "We fail and get turned back to slaves."

That response did not sit well with Luka, who didn't need anything else to also withdraw from the uncannily uncomfortable evening chat. Miku held her hand and continued to chat with the twins, hoping to redirect the conversation towards a more cheerful, optimistic conclusion, in vain. The twins also went to bed a bit scared, quite nervous and entirely jittery, leaving Miku with her not-quite-asleep yet companion, who had her eyes downcast, and a slight frown pulling at the corners of her lips.

"It'll be ok," Miku whispered to just her. She didn't know if the others had gone to sleep yet, but couldn't really care; if she was keeping them awake, they'd tell her.

"I know, the rational part of me knows that, but—" Luka sighed, finally making eye contact with her. "What if we do fail? And if not, what if we're forced to separate?"

"I'll find you. We're immortal: we'll have all of time to reunite, no matter what stands between us."

"Still. For every day we would spend fighting and trying, it would be another day we couldn't be together, couldn't be happy."

Miku hugged her, holding her close. "I doubt we'll have to fight anymore. Tomorrow will be the end of our struggles, not the beginning."

"How can you be so certain?"

The tealette drew circles on her partner's back as she looked for her reply. "If I spend another day wondering what if it all goes wrong, if I have to imagine just another hour of us being apart, I just might lose my mind."

Luka gave her a sad chuckle. "That's encouraging."

"It's merely the tragic truth," Miku joked. "I can't waste time worrying, not now. We've only just found one another again: I don't feel like I can afford to be distracted by external worries I can't control. You're here, with me, and I just want to savor that."

The pinkette didn't reply for a while. "That's another way of looking at it. Instead of worrying if we'll be separated again, savor the time we now have."

"Exactly."

Luka sighed again, shifting so that she could wrap her arms around the tealette's waist. "I'm sorry. I've occupied so much of our day with worries and stress…"

"It's ok, that's not what I was trying to say," the tealette whispered. "I wasn't trying to accuse you of anything, and I'm glad I got to help. When you're scared it's best to talk about it, too."

"Yet we could have done other things."

"Such as?"

"We could have gotten to know each other better," Luka said sadly. "We've only conversed a handful of times, and done maybe two or three things together. We could have played a board game, or watched a movie, or gone outside. We could have talked about things we liked, rediscover who we once were, individually and as a pair. Instead we wasted today thinking about tomorrow."

Miku shook her head. "Any time spent making sure you feel better is time well spent. Plus, now we continue wasting today, thinking about earlier today."

Luka scoffed. "There's no winning, is there?"

"Sure there is. What do you dream about?"

"Ooh… I dream about new places. Usually I'm traveling, but every time I'm inside a plane or a train, the inside always changes: only cars and buses look normal."

"Now that you mention it, I don't think I can remember a single instant where we were in a train or plane."

"It would be nice to take one someday soon."

"Yeah. Where would you like to go?"

Luka immediately named the countries highest on her list as travel destinations, and even considered living in a few, at least for a handful of years. She explained that some places had a particular cuisine she looked forward to trying, or they had a language she enjoyed using, or had particular traditions, architecture or even scenery she hoped to see. At one point as she got carried away, Meiko quietly shushed her, getting small, sorry giggles from the two girls in response.

"Well, there you have it," Luka said with a timid smile.

"You have so many dreams," Miku whispered with admiration. "I'm still so lost…"

The taller Vocaloid's smile fell somewhat, but before the tealette could apologize for bringing the mood down, she asked, "I'm sure you've considered this already, but maybe a memory of mine could bring you a clue? Is there a favorite moment that you remember well?"

"I've tried and tried again to remember clues," Miku admitted sadly. "As for a favorite memory… It was from your point of view, but I remember at one point, we were all watching a movie. You were holding me because I couldn't watch it."

"What were we seeing?"

The tealette chuckled. "A horror movie."

"Hm… I don't remember ever seeing one."

"I'll let you discover if you like it or not," Miku teased her. "One thing was for sure in my case: I can't stand watching them. So I was sitting in your lap, facing the opposite direction, and I had spent the whole movie just watching the colors of the screen projected against the wall. I only know because at one point, I told you about it."

"Colors… You've tried art?"

"Some of it. We didn't have color pencils or, say, gouache back home. Maybe I can give painting a try once we're free."

"Or decorating. Interior design?"

"Sculpting?" Miku giggled. "I still have a lot of things to try."

"And a lot of time," Luka reminded her, pulling her close once again.

"I might need some help," the tealette admitted, her voice muffled by her companion's shirt.

"I'd be glad to help in any way possible," she replied. "I was wondering."

"Yeah?"

"After the exam, Kaito and Meiko are going to move out, and Rin and Len are going to want to leave and go on adventures. I know your plan for the moment is to stay if you may, but would you be tempted by the idea of living together?"

Miku smiled from ear to ear. "There's no idea I like more."

Luka relaxed in her arms, and Miku had to stop herself from chuckling: the pinkette truly was a bit of a worry wart. Trying to play it cool, the pinkette merely said, "I'm glad."

"Hm. Where would you like to live?"

"Eventually, far away, in exotic places. But for now, somewhere quiet would be best, so I could work."

"I would prefer a smaller place, too," the tealette added. "These large mansions get so empty when nobody else is around."

"Agreed. Though we'll need a place for books. Lots of books."

"Then I get a room just to try new things in!"

"And a studio for music, too."

"Of course. Oh, a garden would be nice! With large bay windows…"

Luka smiled, her expression so full of dreams and tenderness, Miku almost forgot that the next day would decide the rest of their lives.