Miku's POV
"Alright, that's a wrap! I think we got everything we need. You did well, Miku and Luka!" Minato said through the intercom. He held the button down so we could hear the applause from everyone in the studio.
"Thanks, everyone!" I said. Though the lyrics were a little embarrassing, I had a fun time singing with Luka. She really is an amazing singer. I remembered how all the girls at school adored her, but were also envious of her looks. I wonder what they would say about me when this song releases. She looked over at me.
"Good work, Hatsune," she said and exited the booth. I was moved by such a short remark of praise from her that I completely forgot to reply.
"Okay, Miku, Lily is going to head in now for her session," Minato said though the speaker.
"Ah, right!" I quickly exited the booth and stood next to Kaito who was leaning against the wall.
"That was great, Miku," he said. "You two have a nice harmony."
"You think so?" I asked, to which he nodded a reply. "Thank you, Kaito! By the way, where's Rin and Len?"
"Rin ran out while you were recording. She looked sick or something, then Len ran after her."
"What? How did I not notice?"
"It's a good thing you didn't. I mean, you wouldn't want to have been feeling uneasy while recording, right?" He asked.
"I guess not...but Rin...I wonder if she's okay."
"I'm sure she is, she's with Len after all."
"Wait!" Lily's cry interrupted our side conversation. "Just a few more minutes, please!"
"Quit with your pathetic procrastination already," Luka interjected. "Just accept the fact that he isn't coming. The only time you need an audience is when you're performing on a live stage. You want to be a Vocaloid, don't you?"
The energy in the room shifted as Lily glared at Luka and pressed her lips in a tight line.
"She does have a point, Lily. We don't exactly have all the time to wait around," Machigerta said.
Lily looked at me and instinctively I moved my gaze away from her. "I'm sorry for holding everyone up. I'll start now."
Lily went inside the booth and collected herself before flashing a thumbs up. The music started and she began singing. Her voice was clear and sharp. The instrumental was an intricate techno beat, but softened with her vocals. My thoughts began to drift away from the song and into worrying about Rin and now Mikuo. I stepped into the hall and dialed his number. The call went straight to voicemail. I sent a message telling him to call me in case his phone was dead. I looked over to the studio room's window and everyone was focused on Lily. I don't think anyone would mind if I checked on Rin.
Rin's POV
"Thanks, Len."
"For what?" He asked with a laugh as he picked up a lock of my hair and dropped it on my face. I moved it aside.
"You always can make me calm when I feel like I'm about to go crazy."
"Who else is going to?"
"That's the thing," I said, "I don't think anyone else can."
"Right," he laughed and I did too.
"That's why you can't ever leave my side."
"You say that like I was ever planning to," he replied. I felt my cheeks grow hot. He dropped another lock on my face, but I just left it there hoping my face would be hidden.
Just then, there was a sudden knocking on our door.
"Rin, you in there? It's Miku," Miku's voice said from behind the door.
"J-just a minute!" I called out. Len and I hurried up from the bed and he ran into the closet. I handed his shoes to him and shut him inside. I half-ran to my bedroom door and opened it slightly.
"Hey, Rin! I didn't see you, but Kaito said you ran out seeming sick. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed to lie down for a bit, but I'm okay now."
"So you aren't sick? That's good. Where's Len?" She asked. Suddenly, I remembered that I told Miku everything and he didn't have to hide. I guess old habits die hard.
"Oh, Len? He's a-"
"Hold on a sec, my phone is ringing," She interrupted me and pulled out her cell phone and stared at the screen for a bit.
"...Is everything alright?" I finally asked. She shook her head slowly.
"I'm not sure. I have to go, but I'm glad you're feeling better, Rin!" She darted off down the hallway.
"What's going on?" I called out.
"I'll let you know when I find out!" She yelled back.
Len emerged from the closet and looked at me for an answer. We could only exchange worried looks.
Miku's POV
The sound of my heartbeat resonating in my eardrums drowned out the echo of my footsteps and heavy breathing as I ran down the hallways. I headed out of the building and into the crisp autumn air. The image of the message flashed in my mind:
From: Mikuo
Subject: (none)
I'm sorry, Miku. I'm going away for a while. I'll talk to you soon.
What does this mean? Where is he going? I tried calling his number, but it kept going straight to voicemail. I ran down the street towards the nearest train station. There's no use in waiting for a car from the company. Besides I'm still supposed to be at Lily's recording session. I swiped my pass in, flew down the stairs to the platform, and boarded the train just as the doors were closing. A lot of people stared at me and some even started whispering. I forgot that people recognizing me was a thing now. I decided to ignore them. The train began moving and I tried to quiet my breathing, resting my trembling hand on my chest.
Finally, I reached my stop. I ran off in the direction towards my house and didn't stop. My body warmed, my legs and chest burned but I didn't slow my pace except for when I stopped at a light to cross the street. As I was waiting, I heard a motorcycle approaching. Even from a distance, I knew it was Mikuo because of the striking teal paint of the body. I ran into the street where he was headed and stretched my arms wide. I no longer felt the pain of pushing my body to its limits. I closed my eyes tight, just in case. He screeched to a stop, having to curve around me to avoid running into me. He removed his helmet revealing his wide blue eyes.
"Miku! What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" He yelled. My lips were quivering and tears fell when I finally reopened my eyes. I couldn't just let my big brother leave.
"Take me to get ice cream," I replied.
"What?" He asked exasperatedly. I walked over to his motorcycle and sat on the back, wrapping my arms around his stomach.
"The usual place," I said into his back. He let out a sigh and handed me his helmet to put on and we sped off.
We decided to eat our ice cream in the park, like how we used to when we were younger. It wasn't the same park I once knew. There used rusted rocking horses with metal springs and a tower with a slide, but the slide was covered with graffiti. We found this place one day and liked it because you can look over and see the river and the town. We sat on the rocking horses and didn't speak until we've finished our ice creams. Mikuo spoke first.
"Even though this place is already abandoned, it seems frozen in time, doesn't it? Everything has looked the same, all these years. It's like a liminal space."
"It's nice to have somewhere to come back to where everything is the same, don't you think?"
"Not when you feel like you haven't changed much," he said, "it's like a reminder of how stagnant your life has been."
"Mikuo? Are you okay? You said you were leaving, but, why? Where are you going?" I asked. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
"I'm going to America."
"What? When? America is so far away, do you know that?"
"Yes, I do, that's why I'm going. I'm not good at goodbyes. That's why I sent that message. I tried to at least talk to Mom, but she only tried to get me to stay. I knew you'd do the same thing."
"Yeah, I mean, I don't want you to go so far. I'm just now seeing you again for the first time since..."
"Listen, Miku, I'm very proud of you and your success. Your music is amazing, you perform at sold out venues, and you're showing up everywhere- in magazines, on tv...I'm very happy for you. It's all very inspiring to so many people, including me."
"Thank you, Mikuo."
"The band I used to play with left to America a while back. They had sort of a falling out with their new guitarist and now they want me to join them again."
"Why didn't you go with them initially?" I asked.
"I guess...I didn't feel ready. I thought it over and I think that I am now. Seeing you go after your dreams makes me want to go after mine, too."
"C;mon, I can't really be upset when you put it like that," I groaned. He just laughed.
"Well, how about we don't look at it as a goodbye? If you do a world tour, we can see each other again."
"Deal! Oh! I just remembered something."
"What's that?"
"You made Lily really upset today! Were you supposed to come to the studio today?"
"Um, I guess so...she didn't really invite me, she just told me I could come if I wanted to."
"You jerk! She definitely invited you!"
"Oh, oops. I don't know why she was so upset anyway, she just talked about Len the whole time we hung out. I don't know, something about her is just a bit off."
"Even you're saying that," I said, thinking about Rin's feelings towards her.
Luka's POV
"Do you want to explain why you said what you did earlier in the studio?" Lily barked at me. After her studio session she came with me to my room. What a bother.
"You said you want to be a Vocaloid. You're the type to try new things and quit when it's no longer fun or beneficial for you. I can't stand to see someone treat singling so half heartedly."
"If you must know, Luka, I have a philosophy. It's called, you never know what's for you until you try it. So I'll give singing a go. Right now, it's what I want to do so why should I give up just because you don't like it?"
"If you want to pursue singing, it should be an honest effort. No matter what you do here, you'll be nothing but an industry plant. You'll be stomping over everything I worked for," I walked over to her and leaned in to her face. "You should know I don't let anyone get in my way." Her eyes peered into mine. Hard, deep blue sapphires. She smirked, but her eyes didn't soften at all.
"My, my, Luka! Your passion is certainly burning. I have to say that's what I've always admired about you, but don't forget I'm on your team here. It's not like using my dad as access is much different from what you did. Using men to get what we want, I mean." I could feel my body temperature rising. The nerve of this girl!
"It's not the same th-" I couldn't finish that sentence.
"Yes, let's remember our place in all this, shall we? Don't forget who you had to become to get this far. I'll let this slide for now. I'm glad you were able to speak to me honestly. How else would I be able to trust you? Anyway, I'll see you around. I have a meeting about my debut concert." She turned and opened my bedroom door and looked back at me one last time. "See you around, Luka!"