"Does that lavender girl think she's normal?" Ia muttered to herself as she walked out of the school gates, gently kicking a rock a centimeter away from her as a form of venting. "Am I normal?" she let out a breathy whisper, soon correcting herself. "No, of course I'm normal. Why would I think something like that? Ugh, people like that don't realize how much power they have... just thinking about her is making me feel weird!" she said, desperately wanting to get her mind off the depressing, strange subject.

Much to even Ia's surprise, her school was close to a shopping mall - walking distance close. She wanted to go home and study; that was what she needed to do, but suddenly, an out of character idea hit her. The shopping center had a CD store, didn't it? She remembered hearing One talk about how Hatsune Miku was going to be releasing an album a couple weeks ago, and how ecstatic she was to listen. Ia's sister didn't get an allowance, or any type of money herself since she was too young to get a job, so there was no way she could already own the CD. Should she pick it up for her as a gift? She wanted to. Abruptly, she wanted to be bad.

Ia took a right instead of a left. She was heading towards the store, and had her heart set on it. She almost couldn't believe she was doing something ambitious like this, but... it made her happy. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time Ia bought One a present. Although, it was always on a holiday, never just because - going outside of the set dates seemed awkward to the older sister.

Until today.

This was the perfect opportunity to ask One to 'hang out,' so they could listen to the tunes together. That was her sister's phrase, right? She always asked Ia to hang out, never the other way around. Unintentionally... maybe this was going to be the first time she would ask that question.

Before she realized it, Ia was surrounded by all different types of mystical shops. Fast food, clothes, stuffed animals, video games, expensive jewelry. If someone could think of it, they had a store that not only contained the products, but was specifically meant for them.

It was slightly overwhelming to the timid girl. She had been there before, but could never quite get used to all the people, all the options, all the… joy and excitement. Every time she turned her head, her eyes latched onto a different shop selling drastically different things.

Ia started to feel something peculiar growing inside of her. She felt uneasy... she felt nervous. What if she couldn't find a CD store? What if there wasn't one in this location, and she imagined it the last time she visited? She took a few more steps and was greeted by a friendly 'CDs!' sign lit up vibrantly in differing colors, sitting above the door of the entrance. Huh. Well, that was convenient.

Ia began to catch her breath. She was finally there, and she arrived unscathed. All she had to do was walk in, purchase the CD, and walk out. She could do that, even if she did feel a little out of place in a building she did not frequent.

The store had multiple floors, each containing various genres. People in Japan loved collecting CDs, it seemed like - the light blonde even had some classical copies to aid with school work herself. Although, she soon realized she didn't know what genre Hatsune Miku sang. Surely idol, right? She came to her senses. She had to be a bubblegum pop idol, One would never like and actively be a fan of something 'out there.'

But there were a lot of idols. Ia decided it was probably best to ask for help.

She made her way up to an empty customer service counter, and let the words fall out naturally. "Hatsune Miku? I mean, u-um, are you carrying the new Hatsune Miku album? I don't know what i-it's called, I'm sorry to be a bother," Ia bowed politely in apology.

Without having to conjure another sentence, the yellow haired girl's eyes lit up. "Yes! That album's been mega popular ever since it came out, I'm happy you came when you did! We probably only have a couple copies left, it's selling that much!" It was implied that Ia follow her once the worker started moving. Therefore, she followed, watching her gigantic white bow bouncing as she brought her to the promised land of Hatsune Miku CDs.

Much to her surprise, the display was one of the first things you were supposed to see once you walked in, which she missed somehow. Ia hoped she didn't embarrass herself, mentally insulting herself for the ditzy behavior. "Thank you very much," Ia smiled at the girl, trying her best to make it as genuine as possible so the kind employee didn't think her sudden flustered attitude was because of her.

Shortly after the worker replied "No problem!" in a peppy tone, she returned to her counter.

All she had to do now was pay and head home. Usually, Ia had to wait for the train to show up since it arrived slightly after school ended. It took enough leisurely time to force the light blonde to stand by the tracks and entertain herself. Ia could feel her novel resting against the fabric in her book bag that she wouldn't have the spare minutes to read - at least, before she stepped foot on the vehicle. Much to her bewilderment, this outing was a pleasant, almost productive time killer.

Ia did something out of her comfort zone today. Should she be proud? Happy? Should she scold herself, being fully aware of the fact she broke her normal routine? She didn't know. She didn't know why she was doing this so suddenly. She didn't know what had gotten into her.

Was she feeling differently because of that lavender girl? No, it couldn't be, the two had not even spoken a single word to one another. Her actions, while unlike her, were her own doing. She came to the shopping mall out of her own freewill. Surely, Ia would never let a bad influence lure her this far into change.

She gripped the CD while gazing at her fingertips. Soon, as she was eye to eye with the cover art, she realized she still hadn't paid for it. One foot in front of the other, she turned her delicate body towards the checkout.

"Luka! C'mere, I found it!" A green haired girl called out from a nearby aisle, drawing the attention of a pinkette who was looking at merchandise a tad bit away from her. For some reason, it distracted Ia from her journey to pay. This place wasn't exactly a library, so it wasn't like the strangers were being disrespectful by mildly raising their voices, but... it caused Ia's eyes to lock on the individuals, even before she could comprehend what was happening. She couldn't help but listen in, especially when she was hearing everything so crystal clear - at least, Ia justified it that way.

"No way, Gumi! I can't believe they have it here! That's that compilation filled with those bizarre, obscure anime songs, right?" she asked, waiting for her presumed friend to assure her; a hint of disbelief among the excitement.

"I heard you guys all the way from the other side of the store!" A girl with long, bleach blonde hair reaching her waist complained jokingly, walking up to the couple. "And- oh my god, you actually found it!" she exclaimed, snatching the apparently special CD out of the greenette's hands.

"I told you I have a talent for finding things like this, Lily! We're going to pop this in as soon as we get back to your place, AND we're going to learn the lyrics!" Miss Green proudly stated, wearing a triumphant facial expression.

Miss Bleach Blonde chuckled. "Alright! Fine by me, I'm sure we'll get a good laugh out of it. But I get to pick the movie, don't forget!"

"And I get to pick the snacks! Sweet, sour, salty... I'm going to get a mountain of it all, just for us!" Miss Pink chimed in with a grin.

"Tonight is gonna be so fun! I'm so happy your mom is letting us stay over, Lily." Miss Green threw her arms over the other girls' shoulders. "This is going to be THE world's best sleepover!"

"Period! You guys are my best friends, we definitely need to do this more often," added Miss Bleach Blonde while hugging her closer, as the pinkette did the same. "Let's go check out, I'm eager to see what Luka's gonna have us dine on! Something yummy, I'm sure."

Ia's heart sunk deep into an unknown place in her chest, feeling the beating become haphazard and disoriented. She had to be the first to the counter, she couldn't exchange glances with the group. She couldn't stand next to them. She didn't want to acknowledge them any further - she regretted taking notice to them in the first place. She headed to the checkout as fast as she could without looking suspicious, and ran towards the train station once she made her way out of the building; her frail, weak legs struggling to keep up with her body's commands.

Tears began to develop in her eyes. Best friend; no one had ever called her that. Sleepover; no one had ever invited her to one of those. Fridays weren't significant, to the point she would forget what day it was. It didn't matter if she didn't have school tomorrow.

Surely, she didn't crave silly, unimportant things like that. Surely, that wasn't the reason she was crying. Something hurt. Something hurt immensely. But it couldn't be that, right?

"I want to get on the train. I can't miss it. That's all I want."

Ia cried.

—

"One, I'm home!" Ia announced to her younger sister - an everyday tradition. She was able to clean herself up well before getting to the house, as there was no way her pride was going to allow her to be on public transportation with salty water staining her puffy cheeks. Her eyes may have remained a rather obnoxious, bright crimson, but it was alright. It was just a weird, one off thing. It wouldn't happen again; it was fine as long as it stayed once.

The TV was turned off. Dainty footsteps approached. Upon walking into her abode, it gave Ia the illusion everything was back to normal. Nothing changed where she spent the mass majority of her time, so why should she dwell on an impulsive, secret crying fit? It didn't make a difference, and things that didn't cause transformations (whether positive or negative) shouldn't be dwelled on. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. She could forget about it if she really tried. She hoped.

Her little sister revealed herself, beaming. "My book bag is already at the table! I looked at my homework super good before you got home, too!"

"Actually, um, I thought we would do something a little different today - homework can wait a few hours, right? I mean, if that's alright with you, of course," Ia began, wanting to make sure she wasn't forcing anything on One. One silently nodded in reply, a look of confusion and almost concern beginning to paint itself all over her childish features. "Here," the big sister reached behind her own back, unzipping and obtaining the CD from the book bag. She presented it with a soft smile. "I got this for you today, I remembered you talking about how much you wanted it these past few weeks. I hope you like it."

She blinked, still remaining puzzled. Blink. Blink. Blink. Is that... what she thought it was? Oh my god, it was! It really was! Upon finally registering the square object, she instinctively pulled Ia into a bear hug, grinning from ear to ear. "Ia! You got the new Hatsune Miku CD for me?! I love it! I love you, you're the best sister ever!" she continued to death squeeze, showering the older girl in compliments. After what not only felt like but probably was hours, she pulled away to examine the album art and shred the plastic wrap like a wild animal. "Ah, it's so pretty~" she squealed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Ia remained smiling, over the moon to see One so happy. Everything was worth it just for this moment, the pure happiness they both felt was heartwarming - enough to heal any emotional pain instantly. "Do you want to listen to it together?" she asked, feeling quite nervous even though she knew One wouldn't reject. "L-Like... hang out? Do you want to hang out?"

"Of course!" she shot off immediately. "I have a CD player in my room! Well, you know that, let's use that one!" she insisted energetically, not waiting for a reply before she darted up the stairs.

"Okay!" Ia, without hesitation, followed. Was this really the first time she had ever asked someone to 'hang out?'

Soon (seconds, really) they reached One's room, and Ia watched her pop open the player. Although, before finally putting it in, she admired the case once more. "Miku's teal hair is so beautiful! I want to dye my hair that color one day~" the younger girl sang. "Wait, that reminds me of something I want to tell you! Remember that nice girl I was telling you about yesterday?" Ia nodded in reply. "She has the cutest lavender hair I've ever seen! Anyway, I ran into her again today and got her name, it's Yuzuki Yukari! She said I could call her by her first name though, isn't that cool? Ah, Yukari is such a pretty name!" One continued to gush about her new pal. Ia's smile she had listening to her rambles dropped.

Lavender? It most certainly rang a bell... and not a good one. That would be one heck of a coincidence if it was the same girl, there was no way it was... her. A lot of people have wacky hair colors these days, that wasn't out of the ordinary. Plus, she had full confidence in her younger sister, she knew she would never hang around a bad girl like that. And she would never, ever go as far as to praise them. One would be startled by tattoos and heavy metal/rock music. Ia would bet money on it if she wasn't underage and scared by it. "She's fine with you calling her by her first name?" Ia questioned. She couldn't imagine using a first name with someone she barely knew.

"Yep!" She placed the CD in its designated area, resting her finger on the play button. "Yukari reminds me of Miku a bit, that's probably why I like her so much." One pressed it, and music started pouring out of the speakers.

The first song on the album was soft. The singer's vocals were nice. They were delicate, high pitched, and sweet - Ia knew why One liked her so much. In fact, as the seconds passed, she grew to be a fan too. The instrumental was-

WHAT WAS THIS?

Abruptly, with absolutely no warning, drums were being viciously banged on. Guitars were having their strings mercilessly hit. Keyboards were playing a demonic, eerie melody, among other sounds and instruments she couldn't make out fully - if they had proper names at all. Why in the world did the song start off so purely just to turn into... THIS?

Ia whipped her attention to One, getting ready to apologize for buying the wrong CD. Although, instead of seeing a mortified little kid, she was... enjoying it? She was... head banging? The sight not only appalled her but terrified her; she would most definitely be talking to whatever classmate thought this corruption would be funny! To have her precious little sister, the sister she loved and treasured, the sister that was her only friend - listen to this scary, horrible, atrocious music!

Ia couldn't bear to watch anymore; she would have been an awful older sibling if she didn't interfere. Without a second thought, she hastily ripped the CD out of the player and grasped it tightly. "There's no way you're listening to this, young lady! Do you... like this stuff? I thought you liked idols, what happened to that?" She protested everything that those Hatsune Miku and Yuzuki Yukari girls stood for, wanting to scold One more than anything - but also desperately hoping this was a misunderstanding. She just... couldn't believe it. It didn't feel real. Why would she be interested in this frightening stuff?

"I haven't liked idols since I was 12! I'm 14 now, I've matured!" One began to raise her juvenile voice, defending herself. "Now give me back my CD, Ia! You don't even know me!" she yelled, trying to snatch it out of her big sister's hand, but it was no use. Ia was much taller, all she had to do was lift her arm and One was unable to reach. Her words hurt, with them being the truth stinging the most.

Ia didn't know her. If she did, she would have known about this hobby, and would have been able to eradicate it before it got to this point. She failed One. She failed the person she treasured the most - how and why did it get to this point? Nothing made any sense. The seemingly meaningless tear filled breakdown, now this? Ia would have never imagined them fighting over a piece of plastic with MP3 files burned onto them, but here they were, protesting everything the other had to add to the conversation.

She wasn't going to give in. One wasn't going to keep that CD. She wasn't going to fail her another time, even if it was just once more. "You're not getting it back, One." She firmly gripped the case while her sister was busy jumping for the item that actually contained the music. "I'm sorry."

"If you were actually sorry you'd give it back!" She clenched her fists, tiny tears making their way down her cheeks. "Get out of my room!" she screeched.

And for the first time in that conversation, she agreed with something One said.

Ia left.