Stay strong Miku!
Due to the Contract 8- Pierce in the Hand, Pierce in the Heart
Miku's POV
"Miku, you have a visitor! Heads up I sent them up to your room. Oh, they're almost at the door now!" My mom yelled up the stairway. After lying in bed all day with my swollen ankle, this was quite a bit of a shock. Who could be visiting? And why wouldn't mom give me more time… There was a rapid knocking on my bedroom door. When I gave the okay for them to come in, I was surprised to see whom it would turn out to be.
"Luka…hi…" I muttered as the pink-haired Vocaloid entered my room with a smile and her hands behind her back.
"That's quite a warm welcome I received there." She said before stopping in front of my bed.
"Oh, sorry! I wasn't trying to be rude…just a little surprised that's all. What brings you here?" I asked. I had to admit her being here made me a little nervous.
"I just wanted to see how you're doing. You know, if you were feeling any better. Plus I brought you something." She revealed a small white box and gave it to me, which I promptly opened. Inside there were leeks and candy.
"Wow! Thanks, Luka! You shouldn't have." I said with a warm smile.
"It's nothing. It really is unfortunate that you'll have to miss out on the concert. Now are you absolutely sure you can't preform? You've been working so hard."
"I don't know…It doesn't hurt too badly if I stand but too much strain might make it worse. At least that's what the doctor said. I hope the directors won't be mad. Teto already seemed like she was."
"Teto? Mad?" Luka scoffed. "She hardly seemed like it. She was in such a giddy mood when I saw her just moments before I made my way over here."
"Was she really?" I asked quietly.
"It appears so. But I could be wrong. Anyhow, I'd best be on my way back now. I have to get to the concert hall for the sound check. Bye, Miku!" She smiled again before turning to leave.
"Bye…" I listened to her go down the stairs and say her goodbyes to my mom before leaving. I don't understand. Teto seemed so angry and now…
"No, I'm just overreacting!" I said that aloud to myself, but I didn't feel better. I guess I could ask her if she was really mad at me.
I was just getting out of my bed when my mom burst through my door.
"Eeek! I can't believe Luke Megurine was just inside our house! And she was so sweet! And so beautiful! She's my favorite Vocaloid, she's so stunning in person! Just like on TV! Eeek!" She gushed.
"Ahem,I thought I was your favorite."
"Oh, yes, well. That's by default only because you're my daughter. Wait why are you getting outta bed? Are you hungry? Want some leek soup?"
"My ankle is sprained, mom, I don't have a cold. I'm going back to Crypton." I explained.
"Oh, no you don't! The doctor told you to rest all day! You aren't going anywhere." Her expression was suddenly stern. Usually she's pretty calm and relaxed but when it comes to illness or injuries my mom is really overprotective and over cautious.
"It doesn't even hurt that much anymore. I can walk at least." I told her. Suddenly a sleepy Lil Mi appeared in my doorway clutching merchandised plush of myself and rubbing her eye.
"What's with all the yelling?" She yawned.
"Oh, you missed it! Luka Megurine was here just a few moments ago!" My mom said, forgetting about me.
"Really!? Why didn't you wake me from my nap? Luka was really here? The Vocaloid?"
"Yep! Her hair was so pink and luxurious. And her skin was absolutely flawless!…I wonder what kind of products she uses…" I quietly tiptoed out of the room as the two shared a fangirl moment.
"Mom~! No fair I wanna meet Luka too! I wanna go with Miku to go see Luka!"
"I'm afraid that won't happen, my sleepy little angel. Miku isn't going anywhere!" My mom laughed.
"She's already gone." Lil Mi pointed out. I heard my mom yell something, but I was already heading out of the door.
Once I reached the Crypton building I immediately started looking for Teto. I found her walking towards the recreation section with two cups filled with what looked like pink lemonade.
"Teto!" I called out. She was started by my voice and almost tripped. She turned to face me.
"Miku? What are you doing here?" She asked with a hard expression on her face.
"I just came to… Listen, I just want to ask, do you really dislike me that much?" I asked her.
"Of course." She replied simply. Now it was my turn to be surprised.
"But what did I ever do to you? Luka told me how thrilled you were once you got the news about my ankle. It was almost like you intentionally caused me to injure myself."
"I'm an expert dancer. If not then I wouldn't be working for Crypton. I know what it takes to put on a great performance so obviously I'd be keen to know what amount of strain would be too much for someone of your skill." She spoke her words so fast as if she'd been dying to say it.
"So Luka was right after all?"
"Tch, Luka's always running her mouth. I knew I shouldn't have confided in her but…it's not fair…I just really don't like you, Miku." She tightened her grip on the tray holding the glasses, and they clinked together. "I'm bringing this to Kaito. He loves strawberries so I made him strawberry lemonade for us to share."
I was a little confused as to why she was telling me this.
"Why are you-"
"I care for him the most, and here you come out of nowhere and he's always looking at you. I've known him for so long. I've been by his side since his debut. The first time we danced together…I knew that I loved him."
"Teto I still don't understand why you treat me so badly!" I said in a softer voice, but she seemed to be enraged by my words and yelled.
"You're trying to steal him from me! I can tell by the way you look at him. Seeing you two dance together, I see the way he looks at you. I won't allow this."
"So you tried to sabotage me so I won't dance with Kaito? You'd go to such lengths?" I asked.
"That's right! You won't be able to dance with him. I won't lose to you, Miku!" She raised her arm at me to point her finger but in the process ended up dropping the tray and the drinks fell to the ground. Teto let out a scream as the glass shattered upon impact.
"Oh no!" She yelled as she desperately tried to gather the wet shards. I heard footsteps and suddenly Kaito appeared.
"Miku! Are you alright? I heard a scream. Wait, aren't you supposed to be resting?" He asked all in one breath.
"I'm fine." I answered.
"I'm not!" Teto screamed. She was visually upset, and I could tell by the way she was clutching the shards of glass she picked up. So forcibly so that they pierced into her palm and blood began to trickle from the creases between her fingers.
"Ah, Teto you're bleeding!" I yelled out to her. She looked up at her hand and then back to me and slowly began to release the shards as her hand started to tremble.
"There's so much…too much…I feel…" Without notice Teto collapsed. Luckily, Kaito swooped down to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Miku, go inside and get help! I'll bring her inside!" He called out.
"Right!"
Teto has been sleeping in the infirmary for about 2 hours now. Turns out she only fainted and will have to go on with a bandaged hand. I was waiting in there with her for when she awakes. She began to stir in the cot and seconds later her eyes fluttered open.
"Ah, you're awake." My voice pierced through the quietness of the room and she jumped up at the sound of my voice.
"What happened? Why am I in the infirmary? Why are you in here?" She said those words before clenching her palm on her forehead seemingly in pain.
"You passed out earlier. You shouldn't be moving so quickly." I told her. She gritted her teeth and laid her head back on the pillow.
"I always pass out at the sight or smell of blood! That's so embarrassing. Did Kaito see?"
"Yes, he was the one who brought you here. Your hand was cut pretty badly, you know." The hardened gaze she had towards me softened and she turned her head towards the wall.
"It's no use… I'm giving up on Kaito."
"Already? What happened to your fighting spirit?"
"You're right! After this I'm going to confess to him."
"But I thought that's forbidden between two people who work for Crypton?"
"I don't care! I need to tell Kaito." She yelled. Just then Kaito walked into the room.
"Tell me what?" He asked.
"That I love you!" She blurted out. The vibe of the room changed drastically into a tense and awkward one. Teto realized what she's done and covered her mouth as if she grabbed the words and put them back in, but it was too late. Her face turned beet red and I looked at Kaito who was blushing a bit as well. "T-that's…"
"I'm sorry Teto but…I can't return those feelings." Kaito said simply. Teto's expression was flat and unreadable. She puled the thin white blanket that stopped at her waist over her head.
"I think I'm starting to feel sick again. Could you guys leave me alone?" She asked with a shaky, quiet voice. Kaito and I exchanged a glance of uncomfortable uncertainty. An unspoken agreement to leave was made between us and the clicks of our shoes filled in the awkward silence.
Rin and I were having a conversation, if one could call it that, about dreams but it ended up being too hard for me to follow so she began to go on a tangent about what it means to see oranges in her dreams that could never peel. It was then that Teto quietly entered the room. I was a bit glad to see her only because I knew this was my ticket out of this dimension of fruit-related dreams I've entered through Rin's words.
"Oh, Teto! How's your hand! I heard what happened. Is it wrong of me to ask if there's anymore pink lemonade left?" Rin asked.
"Yeah, there should be some left. My hand is okay too, I guess. Look Miku, I just want to apologize for how I've been acting and about your foot. I guess this is karma." She held up her bandaged hand.
"It's alright, Teto. I guess love can really make you do some crazy stuff."
"Love? Who? What? How?" Rin frantically questioned.
"I confessed to Kaito. It's okay, though, he already rejected me. It is a bit of a relief since now I can focus on dancing more. I've actually decided to take up an offer as a dance instructor overseas. I'm going to leave as soon as possible seeing as I probably won't be able to be a part of Crypton if they found out about all this."
"You're leaving? How soon?" I asked.
"Hm, maybe in a week or so. I have to pack my things and all. But before I go there is one more thing I need to do." She walked up to me and kneeled down to grab my foot hanging off the arm of the couch I was laying on. She grabbed my ankle, squeezed my Achilles' heel with a firm grip and with two quick, sharp twists and after a flash of pain, my ankle no longer had that dull pain. I quickly rose to my feet and took a few steps, rotated my foot in the air and hopped on it. The pain was gone.
"Woah, Teto! How'd you do that? It doesn't hurt at all anymore!"
"When you've danced as long as I have, it's important to really know your body. It's one of the reasons why I was scouted. I can tune the body like a mechanic on a car." She said proudly.
"That's amazing. Thank you. Ah, this means I can preform at the concert then, right?"
"You're going to do great." Her headphones began to light a pink glow. It was a gentle light, but they flashed urgently like they had something they desperately wanted to tell her. "That must be them calling me now. Geez, I still feel a little dizzy. Anyway, I guess I'll see you around. I'll try to come to the concerts whenever I'm in town."
"When is that going to be?" Rin asked. Teto shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
"Who knows? My time with Crypton wasn't going to be forever. I somehow sensed that as soon as I signed that contract." She pivoted on her heel and headed out the room without another word. I watched her hot pink curls bounce with her movements for as long as they were visible and then, she was gone.
END!
Sorry this chapter was so short, and sorry for the long interval. I'm trying to get back into writing again, so, if you liked this please review and follow!