Here's an update! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! I went to MikuExpo this month and it was amazing, yet again! I featured one of the songs from the performance, also! Enjoy!
Due to the Contract: Chapter 12
Miku's POV
The screen on my door listed the tasks of the day direct from the Oster HQ. Today it read:
HATSUNE, MIKU
Lily recording session
"Magnet" demo recording with Luka
What the heck? A recording with Luka? I ran over to my laptop on my desk and booted it. I opened my email and at the top of the list was a message with the subject: MAGNET LYRICS & INSTRUMENTAL. Still feeling confused, I opened it and saw the song broke off dividing the parts Luka and I were to sing. Me and Luka...singing a duet… I'm feeling nervous about this one. I read over the lyrics and felt heat rising in my cheeks.
"Who wrote these lyrics!?"
Rin's POV
I lie on my bed, stared at the screen blinking on my door. There was a pixelated envelope with a digital orange over the fold. Today's assignment meant nothing to me. I closed my eyes and saw Len and Lily's kiss replay for the millionth time in my head. I wanted to scream. I wanted to turn back time and push them apart and slap Lily across her face. And Len! He didn't even try to push her away! He could've made up and excuse and went away! The screen's beeping began to sound louder and louder so I threw my pillow at it. Somehow, it opened the message and there was only one item on the task-board.
KAGAMINE, RIN
-Lily recording session
"Are you kidding me!?" I yelled. It's bad enough that Lily is doing her demo already, but now I have to watch and listen? Len and I's boards are usually identical, so I imagine he'll be there as well. I want to happy about seeing him, but I can't face him like this. I'll just stay in bed all day. Screw that contract! I can do whatever I want!
...Yeah, right. I drug myself out of bed and got dressed.
Miku's POV
After getting dressed and giving up on waiting for the butterflies in my stomach to settle, I headed to the kitchen to get some breakfast. Upon walking in awaited another reason for the butterflies to flutter again.
"Yo," Kaito said. "Mornin', Miku."
"M-morning, Kaito. You're up early," I said.
"Yeah, I went out for a jog. Just drinking some yogurt since it's too early for ice cream," he said, smiling. I began to get annoyed with how casual he's being, especially after what he did yesterday!
"Say, Kaito," I started, "I wanted to ask you something. It's about yesterday..."
"Oh, good morning, you two!" Luka chirped as she entered the kitchen.
"Good morning, Luka," Kaito replied.
"Good morning," I said.
"So Lily's finally getting to the studio, huh?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm surprised she hasn't done something like this sooner," Kaito replied.
"Hmph, you and me both." I suddenly felt separate from the two. They talked with such familiarity it made me feel a bit lonely and out of place. "So, what do you think, Hatsune?"
"Huh?"
"How do you think she'll do?" Luka asked. I shrugged my shoulders.
"Well, I haven't heard her sing, so I'm kind of excited to see how it goes. Wait, are we all going to the studio?"
"Yeah, she probably just wanted an audience," Kaito said.
"Anyway, Miku and I are recording together today, it seems. Are you ready?" Luka asked.
"Yeah, I read the lyrics this morning," I said. She gave a puzzled look, and then straightened it out as if she just remembered something.
"Ah, I forget you're still in the Trial period," she said and waved her hand. I felt butterflies again.
"What's the tri-"
"Honestly, Kaito," Luka interrupted me, "ice cream for breakfast?"
"It's not ice cream, for your information! I'm eating yogurt since I went on a jog today. While you were still sleeping probably," he retorted.
"Still, dairy's bad for you anyway."
"But..."
"Well, I'll see you all at the studio," Luka wove her fingers through her luscious, pink locks before leaving us with an airy wave. How can one person be so angelic?
"I'm gonna shower and head over there myself. Later, Miku," Kaito said and walked out of the room. I was so entranced from watching Luka that I forgot all about my question for Kaito. I started to feel frustrated so I furiously started to make myself a big breakfast.
With a full stomach and my mind still overflowing with emotions I couldn't even name, I headed down to the studio. I saw Rin waiting at the elevator.
"Hey, Rin," I said. She turned to face me. She quickly tried to place a smile on her face, but it wasn't enough to convince me. "How are you feeling?"
"Not good," she said. "Still, there's nothing to be done about it. Get ready to suffer," she said with a soft laugh. I laughed a bit too. Already there.
The elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. I pushed the button for the S floor and we bugan to acend. After going ipt 4 floors, we exited and walked down a long hallway and to another elevator. This one went up another 4 floors, there were no other options. After exiting, the hallway was lined with studios. Some had pianos, some had digital keyboards and synthesizers, and some had full band sets. Lily's session would be in studio L7 which had a stunning view of the city and a single mic set up. Lily and the others and one of our producers were already inside the control room. Luka sat in between Kaito and Len who were talking about something. Luka was reading over some sheets of paper.
"Miku! Rin! Nice to see you," our producer, Machigerta greeted us.
"Nice to see you too," we both replied.
"Oh, too bad I thought it was Mikuo," Lily said.
"Mikuo? My brother?" I asked.
"Yeah," Lily sighed. "I invited him today but he hasn't come yet. You two have the same hair color so I thought..."
"So is that why everyone's just sitting around? You're waiting for Mikuo?" Rin asked.
"And what's wrong with that?"
"A real Vocaloid begins recording almost immediately," Rin snapped back.
"Well, it's a good thing I'm not a Vocaloid yet then!" Lily yelled. Her expression was stern, but it softened just a bit and she turned to Machigerta. "Let's just...give him a minute. Is that okay?"
"I'm sure it'll be alright," he said. Just then, the door knob turned.
"Oh, that might be him!" Lily said. THe person who walked inside wasn't Mikuo, however, but it was another producer, Minato.
"Hello, everyone! Did Lily start recording yet?" He asked. Lily juts groaned and pulled her phone out of her pocket, pressing the buttons rapidly.
"Nope," Rin answered.
"Well, since Minato's here, how about Luka and Miku begin recording their new song?" Machigerta suggested. I felt my body tense and my heart skipped a beat.
"Sure," Luka said calmly and stood from the leather bench. And walked over to the window dividing the booth and the control room. "How about it, Hatsune?"
"O-okay, let's do it!" I said.
"Great, I'll begin setting up," Machigerta said. Luka, Minato and I went into the booth and he started going over the melody. I could hear my heart pound in my ears. I don't know if I'll ever get used to the soundproof walls. It isolates the sound but sometimes make me feel isolated from the world.
For the most part, we get some creative liberties when it comes to singing. Often as we sing, we add our own twists and flair to bring the song to life. It makes the songs more personal, but also even more fun to sing. At least for me anyway.
"You start first, Hatsune. Ready?" She asked.
"Yeah," I said glancing at the lyrics. Suddenly I remembered what she said earlier. "Hey, Luka, what did you mean by 'trial period?'" She glanced behind her and everyone was chatting amongst themselves, except for Lily who was visibly distressed.
"There are...things that Oster does. Kind of like tests, yeah? They're meant to test your strength as a Vocaloid. The duration depends on some factors I'm not sure of. I can't say anymore right now. Ready?"
"Um, sure," I replied. She turned and gave a thumbs up to the producers and they each gave one back. Rin leaned against the wall. I wonder why she doesn't sit next to Len and Kaito? Lily seemed to give up on contacting my brother. I started to worry a bit myself, but I decided to worry about it later and focus on the song. The music began to play in my headphones. When the time came, I began to sing:
A feeble fire is lit at the edge of my heart
without my knowing, it spreads into burning passion...
After the song finished, I looked at Luka. The experience left me feeling a bit speechless, but she seemed to be just fine. I looked over at my producers.
"Good job, you guys! That sounded pretty good for a first run," I heard them through my headphones.
"Thanks!" I said. I looked over to Len and Kaito. Both their faces were beet red! I looked over at Rin, who was a bit red as well, but I couldn't really tell because her mouth was covering most of her face. Lily's expression was a bit hard to read, but her face wasn't red at all. Still, I started to feel embarrassed. Suddenly, Rin bolted out of the room. I saw Len stand and call after her. Then, he ran out after her.
"What's gotten into them?" Luka asked.
"I have no idea. She did seem a bit upset before we came here, though."
"Hm, is that so?" A faint smirk curled on Luka's lips.
Rin's POV
I couldn't even begin to explain the emotion I felt. I had the strong urge to escape. My body moved on its on and out of the control room. I felt tears streaming down my face and could hear myself crying, sobbing actually. That song, those lyrics…never has something resonated with me so much that it was painful to hear. By now I've reached the elevator and I kept pressing the button to call for the door. Why is it taking so long? The hallway suddenly felt too small. My sobs were taking all of my breath, my knees felt weak. I slumped to the ground and place my head between my knees. I felt every cry, every gasp, every tremble of my bones. Then I heard something else.
"Rin!" A voice rung out. Hearing it sent a new wave of emotions to surge through me.
"Len," I breathed. I heard his hard footsteps get louder and closer. He ran after me.
"Rin! Rin what's wrong?" He said. His voice was close, but he wasn't touching me. I had no energy to even lift my head and look at him. I could only sit there gasping for oxygen like a fish out of water.
"I...I can't…" I managed to say in between breaths. I suddenly felt really lightheaded and tired. I let my eyes close.
When I opened them, I was lying on my bed in my room. I sat up and moved my hair out of my face. Only one of my four hair clips were still keeping my bangs in place. I could feel my hair matted on my forehead from sweat. I looked over to see Len sitting in a chair besides my bed.
"I'm glad you're awake," he said. I tried to open my mouth to say something, but my throat felt like a desert. He handed me a glass of water. I gulped down the whole thing and cleared my throat. I suddenly remembered what happened before I blacked out. "How do you feel?"
"...Not sure. I feel a lot of things," I replied.
"Start with what you want to tell me."
"Well, I feel tired. A bit dizzy, and embarrassed. And I feel hurt."
"Did you hurt yourself?" He asked.
"No, you hurt me, Len!" I yelled. He looked confused and it made me feel a little bit annoyed. "Why didn't you push her away?"
"What are you talking about, Rin?"
"I saw Lily kiss you. You didn't push her away or anything."
"You know I only went along with it because of the contract."
"Liar! C'mon you're a boy. Boys love kissing girls. That's why you didn't stop it. Because you liked it."
"I didn't enjoy it."
"If you're going to continue to lie I'm going to throw you off the balcony," I said. I felt myself starting to cry again. "That was the most painful thing I've ever had to watch."
"Please listen to me, Rin," Len got out of the chair and kneeled besides the bed. "I only did that so I wouldn't raise suspicion. I love you, Rin. And I love to kiss you. I want to be with you, that's why I'm beside you and I'll always be beside you."
"I just wanted you to know how I feel," I said. He placed my hand in his and kissed it. "I'm not going back. Will you stay and nap with me?"
"Okay." I moved over and he climbed onto the bed next to me. "I don't want to go back, either. I don't understand why she acts like that but goes crazy over Mikuo."
"Because she's just determined to make me miserable," I said. We laid there together, fingers intertwined, for a while. I listened to his soft breathing as I thought.
"Where are you, Rin?" He asked.
"I'm right here next to you, Len," I answered.
"You're here physically but your mind is somewhere else. Tell me what you're thinking about."
"I was thinking about Miku and Luka's song. The lyrics made me think of us." It felt like some sort of torture. That's why I panicked," I said. After a moment, Len began to laugh a little. "What's funny?"
"Nothing, I felt the same way. It was a bit painful to listen to. It's almost like it was deliberate."
"Please make me believe that this is not a mistake."
END! Please leave a review if you liked it! I'm going to work on the next chapter soon so follow for notifications if you want to know what happens next!