Luka's mind had completely shut off the second that she had laid eyes on the petite girl, who was currently doing her best to blind her with her million-watt smile. Her brain was refusing to form any coherent thoughts, causing her to be stuck staring dumbly at the teal haired girl with her bloodshot eyes. Wiping the remaining stray tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater, Luka remembered that she had rudely bumped into the other girl and quickly bowed to her in apology.
"I-I'm so, so s-sorry." Head held low, her hood completely covering her blushing face, Luka waited with bated breath for the girl's response, cursing her prevalent nervous stutter. Today has been nothing but one terrible interaction after another, further proving that she should just stay in her room from now on. A chime-like giggle floated to her ears, the pink-haired girl lifting her head slightly to witness the shorter girl gently wave off her apology.
"Hey, hey it's fine, really. I was running too fast and didn't notice you. It's my fault, too." Despite her kind words, Luka did not rise from her bow, believing she shouldn't be so easily forgiven. It was her mistake after all and she needed to properly make amends. The pinkette's shoulders started to shake as she felt a new wave of shame and embarrassment pour itself back into her brain.
It was always the same for her, disappointing or inconveniencing someone just by them being in her very presence. Luka tried, she really did, to never cause any problems for other people. She would try to map out every possible scenario ahead of time to help mitigate any inconveniences she might create for other people. From rehearsed interactions with cashiers to times when she knew her mother was asleep to start sobbing into her pillow. Luka made sure the only one who would need to deal with her was herself. But all Luka wanted to do, for once, was be normal.
Feeling fresh tears flow down her cheeks, body jolting with barely restrained sobs, Luka was surprised by a sudden comforting hand on her shoulder. Another hand gently lifted her chin, causing her to lay eyes upon the teal haired girl, who softly began dabbing her eyes with a simple monogrammed handkerchief.
"Hey, c'mon now, it's ok." The girl's inflection had completely changed, the once boisterous and excitable voice replaced by a gentle, soothing whisper. With the gentlest of touches, Miku dried the tears from Luka's cheeks, the taller girl blushing madly at the intimate gesture from this beautiful girl. The heat from her cheeks only intensified as she registered the thought she just had about the teal haired girl, nervously pulling on the sides of her hood to try and cover up her more of her face.
"Everything's ok. We're ok." Drying the last of the tears, Miku took a couple steps back to give the shy girl some much-needed space, which Luka was extremely grateful for. Standing too close to this caring and beautiful girl would surely lead to her passing out from overheating. A stray thought crossed the pink-haired girl's mind as she stared at the brightly smiling girl.
"L-Luka." Tilting her head at the pinkette's sudden exclamation, leaning forward to get a look at the girl's face from under the hood, Luka instinctively turning her head to the side to avoid Miku's gaze. "My name is Megurine Luka."
"It's nice to meet you, Luka-chan!" Luka's blush only intensified at the shorter girls' use of her first name, let alone the cute honorific attached to it, her heart beating a mile a minute. Why was this girl causing her so much emotional turmoil? Why was her heart reacting this way? It felt like she was dealing with a schoolgirl crush.
'Uh oh…' Luka's aquamarine eyes widened dramatically as she nearly tore her hood in half at how tightly she was pulling at it. 'This is not good.'
"Hey." Lifting her head slightly at Miku's sudden exclamation, Luka noticed that the tealette was not standing before her anymore. Whipping her head around in a panic, she noticed the peppy girl standing by store's automatic doors, her finger pointing into the fluorescent-lit building. "Do you mind waiting for me? I'll only be a second."
All Luka could do was nod dumbly in response, Miku clapping her hands together with a slight bow in thanks before bounding into the store, nimbly grabbing one of the grocery baskets and twirling into the nearest aisle as If the basket was her new dance partner.
Meanwhile, Luka tried to use the time to gather her thoughts, the meeting with the exuberant girl having frazzled her mind into an incoherent mess. Placing her hands on her cheeks, Luka felt as if the heat from her blush could burn her palms. Grabbing a handful of pink hair, the socially awkward girl started nervously wringing the strands in her hand, as she looked around the neighborhood in a panic.
'What am I going to do?!' Fear coursed through the shy teen's body, Luka's head whipping back and forth in distress as she searched the street for any other pedestrians. It would have humiliated the pink-haired girl to no ends if her earlier social faux pas had been witnessed by another human being. This is why she hated going outside, her pathetic life being on display for all to see, to judge, to condemn.
Wrapping her arms around her stomach, shrinking into herself, Luka tried to figure out what to do. Miku had asked her to wait, which Luka had foolishly agreed to, and she didn't want to disappoint the teal haired girl who had been so sweet to her. Everything about the peppy girl just drew her in. From her mile-wide grin that set Luka's heart aflutter, to her beautiful blue eyes, those gorgeous orb shining with life and excitement. All Luka wanted to do was learn everything she could about her, to remain in her presence for as long as she would let her.
And yet, with all these wonderful feeling fluttering in her chest, all Luka wanted to do was run and hide. To deliver the groceries to her mother and then not leave her room for days, to hide under her blankets until the offending thoughts faded away and the dull hum of static returned to her mind. It was a life she hated with a passion, but it was a familiar and safe one. It did not bring her joy, but it would not hurt her either.
"Hey! Thanks for waiting!" In the end, her decision was made for her, as the happy go lucky girl emerged from the depths of the convenience store, a plastic bag dangling from her dainty hand. Skipping over to her side, twin tails bobbing merrily behind her, Miku began rummaging in one of the plastic bags, her tongue sticking out cutely from the corner of her mouth in concentration. Miku pulled out a bottle of water and held it out to the taller girl, a happy smile on her lips.
"Here you go!" Luka just stared at the offered bottle, small beads of condensation glistening on its plastic surface, in confusion. Snickering lightly, Miku shoved the bottle into Luka's arms, the pinkette fumbling with it for a second as she tried not to drop it.
"You looked exhausted so I thought you could use some water." Luka's blue eyes widened significantly at Miku's innocent words, the tealette unaware how much her kind gesture affected the socially awkward girl. Squeezing the bottle tightly to her chest, the plastic crinkling under her firm grip, Luka clenched her eyes shut firmly to try and stave off the oncoming tears. They were tears of joy this time, but Luka did not want to embarrass herself in front of the friendly girl any more today. She was afraid she'd look like a child, crying over the fact that someone showed her the slightest bit of kindness.
"Thank you." Bowing slightly, Luka gave her thanks to the teal haired girl, Miku waving off the gesture with a bashful smile. Twisting off the cap, the familiar crack of the plastic separating echoing between the silent pair as Luka took a long swig of the cool liquid, savoring its refreshing taste. Lowering the bottle from her lips, the pink-haired girl broke out into a blush as Miku had been staring at her the whole time.
"May I join you on your walk home, Luka-chan? I find it's always more fun to travel with a friend." Miku's harmless question caused the pinkette to sputter in shock, unable to understand why this adorable girl would want to spend more time with her let alone refer to her as a friend. Had she not gotten sick of her yet? All she's done since meeting her is stutter and blush like an idiot, having barely spoken three full sentences to her. She had even cried in front of her, like a schoolchild who got embarrassed in front of the class! And yet...
"Uh..um..sure." Meekly Luka agreed to Miku's request, her blush only inflaming more and more. The shut-in knew she was going to somehow screw this up and Miku will realize how much of a screw up the pinkette was, leaving Luka to return home feeling as empty as when she had left it. But, somewhere in her heart, Luka had hope that maybe this time she could form something important. To make a friend. To not be alone.
"Yay!" Jumping into the air in excitement, arms raised up in triumph, Miku exclaimed her happiness with a cheerful yell which startled the socially awkward girl. Grabbing ahold of Luka's hand, Miku began dragging the pink-haired girl away from the store, her small build belying her surprising strength as she pulled the taller girl behind her without any effort. Luka stumbled clumsily behind the energetic tealette, dropping her water bottle into the bag with her mother's groceries, an all-encompassing blush covering her face from the feel of the girl's soft hand.
"Wait..." Luka bumped into the smaller girls back, Miku barely flinching from the sudden impact, shouting out a reflexive 'I'm sorry' before staring at Miku in confusion at her sudden stop. Looking sheepishly over her shoulder, a small sweat drop rolling down the side of her face, Miku laughed in embarrassment at Luka.
"Ummm...where do you live?" Luka stared at the shorter girl completely dumbfounded, Miku starting to sweat nervously under the pink-haired girl's intense stare, her embarrassment growing more and more as the awkward silence dragged on and on. Miku hoped she would burst into flames soon so she could avoid this humiliation, but luckily Luka came to her rescue.
Luka lifted her arm, the one carrying her groceries as the other was currently being held hostage by the teal haired ball of energy, and pointed down the hill toward the direction of her home. Switching moods almost instantly, her previous embarrassment completely forgotten, Miku quickly changed directions and began dragging a straggling Luka behind her.
After being dragged halfway down the seemingly endless hill, the trip down thankfully being less draining than the way up, Miku finally released Luka's hand to march confidently several steps in ahead of her. The second her hand was separated from Miku's, Luka instantly missed it's gentle warmth, feeling distinctly colder despite the sun still beating down relentlessly onto her shoulders.
Pirouetting on her heel, skirt fluttering with the same joy as it's wearer, Miku smiled up at the lagging girl behind her, Luka still doing her best to hide away underneath her hood. Pouting at the pink-haired girl's refusal to reveal herself to her, both her face and her thoughts, Miku decided to take matters into her own hand. Slowing her gait Miku began walking in step with the taller girl, smiling over at her as Luka glanced at her from the corner of her eye.
"I've never seen you around. What school do you go to?" Jumping in fright, not expecting the tealette's sudden question, Luka stammered a bit until her brain had a chance to catch up with her mouth.
"I….I don't." Tilting her head in confusion, the energetic girl felt an inkling of worry to start building in her heart.
Why didn't she go to school? Luka didn't seem much older than her, a year or so at most. Though if she thought about it it was the middle of the day on a weekday, and yet Luka looks barely dressed to be out in public let alone attending class. While Luka's jumpy and embarrassing nature was quite endearing to the twin-tailed girl, Miku began worrying it might be a symptom of a greater problem. Deciding now was not the time to bring up emotional woes, Miku decided to try and make the girl feel more comfortable, believing happiness is the best road to comfort.
"By the way, where'd you get that hoodie? It looks suuuuper comfortable!" Looking down at her clothing, Luka stared at it as if she had seen it for the first time. Luka could scarcely remember when she got it, the memory long buried with the remnants of her past life. Of everything she owned, this hoodie was what gave Luka the most comfort so she made sure to take the utmost care of it.
"I don't remember….sorry." Miku frowned at Luka's response, not understanding what there was to apologize for. Luka took Miku's expression to mean something entirely different, the pink-haired girl chastising herself for upsetting the cheerful girl with her failure to remember a simple detail.
"It's ok I was just wondering. It looks great on you." Miku smiled at the pinkette, as she playfully twirled the tip of one of her twin tails between her fingers.
"Eeh..w-what?" Luka's face did a perfect impression of her hair as a painful blush enveloped her face from the girl's compliment. While usually, Luka would brush off any compliment or kind word directed at her as the person just being nice or at worst making fun of her, but the sincerity sparkling in Miku's eyes and the genuine tone in her voice had shattered her defenses with a critical blow. The shut-in could feel her heart trying to tear it's way out of her chest so that it could give the peppy girl a big hug.
"Yeah! Your whole outfit is super cute! It makes you want to cuddle up and be cozy all day!" Miku wrapped her twin tails around her neck, fashioning a makeshift scarf out of the long strands of hair, as she chuckled merrily at the comfy vision in her head.
Meanwhile, all Luka could do was look at her clothes in confusion, blush still raging on her face, unable to grasp what Miku could possibly be seeing. All Luka saw was a sweaty, gross mess of a girl, not even fit to be seen in the public eye. Staring at herself in disgust, Luka's intrusive thoughts began creeping back into her mind.
Indecent black tights clung obscenely to her legs, exposing too much of her pasty white skin that had been bereft of sunlight for ages, unfashionable black sandals adorning her feet. Her pink hair was matted and unkempt, Luka having given up on managing her hair, letting it grow wild and long. While she did clean herself up every day, she wasn't as meticulous of keeping up her appearance as a high school girl is expected to. Not that Luka had any way of confirming that, having been absent from school more than she could count.
"Luka-chan?" Luka was pulled from her dark thoughts by Miku's question, her enchanting voice thick with worry. Twin orbs of gorgeous blue looked up into Luka's own aquamarine ones, care and concern mixing together in their depths. It was then, that Luka noticed they had come to a stop at the bottom of the hill, her house being only a couple of blocks away.
"S-sorry." Despite her recent negative thoughts, Luka did not want her time with the cheerful girl to come to an end. There was so much she wanted to learn about this gorgeous creature that had bumped, quite literally, into her life. Luka had failed to hold any form of a normal conversation with the girl, having left Miku to pretty much talk to a walking marionette.
"It's ok. You did nothing wrong." The odd pair continued their previous trek, Miku still taking the lead as she walked backward in front of Luka with her hands folded behind her back, a sad smile on her lips. "People always say that I talk too much and that it's annoying. Do you think so too?"
The second that question left the girl's mouth, Luka vehemently shook her head no, the action catching Miku by surprise. Everything Luka had done so far had been done so hesitantly or in complete surprise, that this instant and confident response from Luka was wholly unexpected by the teal haired girl. A huge smile broke on Miku's face as she danced over to Luka and enveloped the taller girl in a firm hug.
"Thanks, Luka-chan! You're so sweet!" Releasing her death grip over the pinkette Miku bounded down the street, twirling in a happy circle every couple of steps, seemingly unaffected by the scorching heat that had left many of the city's population a sluggish mess. As the girl with the boundless energy danced to and fro down the street, Luka had been rendered a shambling zombie, only moving forward due to her need to follow the sparkling ray of light that was Miku.
The pair continued their walk in relative silence, Miku occasionally breaking out into unprompted fits of giggles, the previous dark atmosphere having all but evaporated. Miku looked about in wonder at the quaint little neighborhood, enjoying the suburban coziness around her.
"To think such a cute neighborhood is so close to where I live." The teal haired girl whispered to herself as she waved at some nearby kids playing in the street, their little arms stretched high in the air.
"Huh?" Luka looked at Miku in confusion at her choice of words, the tealette turning to her walking partner with a content smile on her face.
"I live down the other way, near that group of high rises so I've never been down this way." Miku casually pointed down the way they came, the tops of the skyscrapers barely visible over the steep slope of the hill they had just trudged down.
"W-Why?" The pink-haired girl was left baffled by her companion's decision. Why had she come so far if she didn't even live near here? She would have to walk all the way uphill again, including the distance to and from her home. It just made no sense to the young recluse.
"Hmm, why? I just wanted to spend more time with you, of course!"
Again. Once again the twin-tailed girl had rendered her absolutely speechless. This girl, this wonderful girl, had come so far out of her way, just to spend time with her. Luka didn't believe anyone would want to even spend a single second longer than they had to with her, but Miku had inconvenienced herself just to be around her a little longer. The familiar sting of tears made itself known once again, Luka's heart swelling up with a previously unknown feeling of happiness.
"Th-Thank you." A breathless whisper passed Luka's lips, as she tried to non-conspicuously wipe away the budding tears in the corner of her eyes. For the first time in months, a smile found it's way onto Luka's face.
"Hmm, what was that?" Miku leaned down low, trying to once again to catch a glimpse of Luka's face. She caught the barest hint of a smile on the pinkette's lips before Luka once again obscured her features with her hood. The pink-haired girl merely shook her head playfully before continuing her walk home, looking back to see if Miku would follow her. And to her great delight, she did.
Unfortunately for the pair, their time together had to come to an end. A small sigh escaped Luka's lips as her home started coming into view, the plain two-story house reminding her of the cold isolation awaiting her upon her return. Today had been the happiest Luka had been in a long time, but she knew at some point it would be over. But even so, she was not prepared to say goodbye.
Walking up to her front gate, fishing awkwardly for her house key in the deep recesses of her hood pocket, Luka turned her head sadly to the teal haired ball of sunshine, wanting to soak in every last second together she could. Miku was standing a couple of feet away from the pink-haired girl, a soft smile playing on her lips.
"I had a lot of fun today. It was nice to meet you, Luka-chan." Miku lifted her hand, palm facing outward, in a silent goodbye to her new friend. Luka bit her lip roughly, wanting to scream out all the things she wanted to tell the teal haired beauty, all of the embarrassing, joyous, and wonderful feelings she has felt in the short time they had been together. But, alas, the words would not come, stuck in her throat in an uncomfortable lump.
A sudden strong gust of wind whistled down the street, whipping up stray leaves and dirt, causing Luka's hood to be blown off, exposing her face to Miku's amazed eyes.
Long locks of luxurious pink hair blew majestically in the wind, finally freed from its cotton prison. The soft strands waving in the wind reminded Miku of fluffy cotton candy, it's soft hue filling her with a feeling of love and comfort. Large aquamarine orbs stared in wide-eyed shock, soft pink lips parted in surprise, as a light dusting of red painted her pale cheeks as she watched Miku gaze at her with a fixated stare, drinking in her exposed features.
Lowering her head, bangs falling in front of her eyes, Luka hastily unlocked the gate before rushing to her front door. Stray tears of humiliation fell like sparkling rain from her eyes as she rushed into her home, slamming the door roughly behind her.
Miku stood in place for several minutes after Luka's rushed exit, still reeling from the stunning sight she had been graced mere moments ago. Shaking her head rapidly, twin tails whipping about violently, the teal haired girl snapped herself out of her stupor.
"Wow…I was right." A sharp exhale escaped her chest as she nibbled lightly on her bottom lip. "She's beautiful."
Miku stared at the front door for a few seconds longer, a small part of her hoping the gorgeous pinkette would peek her head out one last time before she left. Smiling wryly, Miku decided to admit defeat for the day, sliding her phone back into her skirt pocket.
"I'll ask for it next time."
A/N: Aaaaahhh it's been too long!
So sorry for the long delay between chapters. My other two stories have taken up a lot of my time and I was having a bit of trouble getting this one rolling. Luckily I passed that and here is chapter 2. This story will probably not update as frequently as my other stories but it is not dead. I love all my stories.
Thank you for everyone that has read my story and I hope you all have a wonderful day!