Chapter 1

The Past, The Present, and The Move

"Miku!" The scream pierced threw the house and I was instantly awake. I looked at the clock, which read six forty-seven.

"Coming," I yelled back to my mother. I had over slept again, and my mom was clearly getting upset about it. I had showered the night before so I didn't need to do it again, but I looked through my closet unable to find my clothes. I looked on the footboard of my bed. "There it is," I said to myself. I looked the uniform over, and gave a look of disgust. I never liked the school uniforms, but my school required them. I put on the uniform, threw my change of clothes into my bag, and started downstairs.

I could hear the promise fly through the house fast than light itself, "Don't make me come up there Dam-". I heard her stop the last word cold. My mother had many abilities that amazed people, but sadly one of them was yelling. She also had a bad habit of swearing all the time that she was trying to break.

She made eggs. I could smell them before I saw them. I turned into the kitchen to see Misaki and Ayano sitting at the table. Misaki and Ayano are my two younger sisters. Misaki is seven, and Ayano is fourteen. Our father had always been a little odd. He demanded that we carry the same name, but the last letter of our name work down the English vowels. Luckily my mother made sure he didn't get his way on that one. That was my name was original to me, and same for my sisters. I am Hatsune Miku.

I am your average sixteen year old teenager. I am into fashion, I like dancing, I watch my share of television, oh yeah, and I love music. I have been singing for almost fourteen years now, and people say that I've gotten extremely good. My little sisters have done singing as well, but they didn't start as early as I did. Ayana started at five years old, and Misaki started at four. I always joke with them that they are late bloomers in the music world because of it.

I looked at them, "Hey half bites," I say jokingly to them.

"You had better watch out Miku," claimed my mother, "I have videos of you when you were that little."

"And I was a beautiful little prin-," I started.

"Princess with the voice of an angel, I know," Mother finished. I was a little annoyed at getting cut off, but she was right. I had said that to my family and friends for years.

I look out the window dazed for a second. "Onee-chan," Misaki said weakly. She liked to call me that. It meant big sister in Japanese.

"Oh well," I sighed and started towards the door. "I'll see you all later," I promised before I slipped out the door. I walked towards the school, and saw the Kagamine twins walking down the street. Rin and Len had been my friends since the start. I didn't try to catch up to them though; I had too much on my mind to talk to people. I just kept walking. I thought about life before the city. I used to live with my mother and father on a small amount of farmland. I would sing to the beat of the tree leaves, the clunking of the old rusty tools, the hum of the old tractor. It was amazing, perfect even. I will never forget singing songs that my mother taught me while I felt the breeze flow through my hair and around my body, wrapping me up in a blanket of comfort.

I remember when I was five my mother said we were going move to the city to live so that my sister and I could be closer to school and friends. My dad hated the idea and I agreed with him. My mom packed my things one night and loaded my bags and me into the car and we drove away. I have lived in the city of Haramisi ever since. One time, when I was nine, my mother, sister, and I went to visit my dad for a weekend. My parents got drunk and had an all night fling. We all went back to city and left dad behind again after he hit me for defending Ayana from him. Two months later we found out that my mother was pregnant with Misaki. That was also the week we found out my mother had breast cancer. She had it for a year and half and was only expected to live five years at the most.

I missed those days. My mother ended up home schooling me up until I was thirteen, so my first year at Yugaki Academy of Arts was my first year of public school. I remember everything as if it happened only yesterday. A pencil thin woman who would not stop talking led me down the hall. I zoned out for five minutes reading my daily schedule. After that, she dropped me off at a pair of sliding doors. I put my hand on the door hesitantly. I turned to ask her a question, but she was already down the hall.

That was when things went very bad, and just as fast. The teacher heard me outside the door and opened it up. He introduced himself as Mr. Sazuki, and had me come to the front of the class. "You must be Ms. Hatsune. Am I correct," he asked.

"Yes," I said shyly.

All of a sudden the class erupted into noise. Everyone kept 'asking' the same questions as Mr. Sazuki put it, though they were hardly asking. "What's up with her hair," someone shouted and then everyone joined in. I had normal hair apart from the fact that it was naturally turquoise, and reached down to my calf.

"Everyone be quiet now," the teacher demanded. They obeyed him and took their seats. He instructed the class, "Now you will all give a warm welcome to your new class mate. What is your name Ms. Hatsune," he questioned.

"Miku," I replied.

"Ok then Ms. Hatsune Miku, you can take a seat over by Rin." Rin waved and I walked over to my seat. I didn't talk to or eat with anyone at lunch for the first week. They all made fun of me for my hair and my voice because I was to shy around them.

One day, one of the boys in the class stood up and trapped me against a wall. Everyone gathered around to watch. He grabbed one of my soft pigtails and yanked it while yelling, "Who wants to cut off her hair, maybe force her to say something." Everyone cheered in agreement. I dropped on the ground crying from fear. All of a sudden Rin pushed him aside to see me. I looked at her, ran out of the classroom, and up three flights of stairs to the roof of the Academy.

My feet made a hard patter on the Linoleum every time my shoes hit the floor. I just kept taking step after step unable to stop my self until I reached the roof. I stood by the edge looking out and opened my mouth. I didn't know what to say, what to do, so I started doing the only thing I could do at that point. I hadn't realized how much I was singing until the Dean of the Academy came to the roof for a complaint about noise and had to ask me to stop. I went down to his office to talk to him.

I told him everything that the class did and said. "I'm truly very sorry Ms. Hatsune. I can assure you that this kind of thing doesn't normally happen, and it certainly won't continue," He claimed.

"Thank you Mr.," I looked at his name plate. "Mr. Kasane, and please call me Miku," I asked.

After school I saw Rin run out of the school asking a hundred different questions. I tried to answer them, but they came to fast. "Chill off Rin," commanded a boy. I figured they were related. They had the same hair color, they sounded the same, and they looked similar.

"Fine," Rin sighed.

"So who is that?" The question came out more abrasive than I meant it to be.

"This is my brother Len," Rin said.

I looked at him closer to find that he was about an inch taller than his sister. He had a thin build but seemed to be more muscular with a closer inspection.

"Hello," he said. "I'm sorry about today. I'm not in your class, but I heard who did it and he is a prick. I hope you will be ok," he said looking right at me. I blushed and said thank you very shyly. "I also heard you sing. You are amazing."

'"Thank you, but I need to get home now," I claimed. I started running home. I stood outside of the door for a minute to regain my before composer of being calm and cool, and walked in.

"Thank god!" I heard my mother wale as I walked threw the door. She ran toward me and pulled me close. "The dean called me and told me everything," she explained. She thought for a moment, "I can have you out of that school and into a new one by Thursday if you want," She insisted.

"I don't know. Let me think about it," I told her.

"Okay," she sighed. It was obvious she would rather pull me out and send me somewhere else, but she didn't feel like fighting the battle when I wanted to make my own choice.

I went to school the next day as a completely different person. I wasn't shy and withdrawn, but I was hostile and defensive. I snapped on anyone who approached me.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," the boy apologized. I will always recognize his voice.

"Go away," I demanded.

"Just listen," he pleaded.

"I said to go away," I made my tone a little more hostile and I could tell he was taken aback by it.

"Hey, there is no reason to be such a bitch. I just wanted to expla-," he retorted.

"I said to go the hell away and leave me alone! There is no explanation for what you did yesterday, so go away before I make you," I commanded him.

He finally gave up the nice guy act and went back to being a jerk, "Oh yeah, and how exactly will you make me." I could tell that it wasn't a question, but a statement to make me back down.

I lost it. "well," I pushed him over onto a desk, "I could do something very special," all eyes were on us as I grabbed a pair of scissors. He flinched when he saw them in my hand. I held him down and grabbed his hair, "How about I give you a nice new hair style, maybe even make you talk." He yelled as I jerked his hair hard and ripped out a fistful.

"Miku don't!" The plea snapped me out of it as I was jerked off the boy by a pair of strong arms.

"Ms. Hatsune, go to the dean's office right now," Mr. Sazuki looked like he was about to pop. I looked around and everyone looked like they just saw a ghost. "Now," he demanded.

"yes sir," I said as I slowly walked out of the room.

I was about a hundred feet down the hall when ever I heard a voice behind me. "What happened back there," Rin questioned me.

"I lost it and got my revenge."

"That wasn't the place or time to do it though," she claimed. I knew it wasn't, but I didn't care.

"Oh well, like I said, I lost it."

We walked for five more minutes until we came up to set of double doors. I saw Rin sit down in a chair and motion for me to go in. I opened up the doors and slowly wandered inside. It was an elegant room. It had carpet that was a deep blue, almost a sapphire color. The walls were painted blue and white, and were filled with old paintings and certificates. In the middle of the room was a magnificent cherry stained desk. I ran my hand along a small chip on the front where it was obvious that something scraped it. "Oak", I said half to myself.

"You are correct Miku," Said Mr. Kasane spinning his jet-black leather chair around. He spoke again, "I was told you would be coming. Would you like to explain what happened?" It was meant as a question, but came too harsh to answer. "Well," He coaxed.

"He wouldn't leave," I muttered under my breath.

"Come again?" At least he was being polite I decided so I started talking.

"He wouldn't leave me alone when I asked, so I told him to go away or I would make him," I exclaimed suddenly. Mr. Kasane just nodded silently. After a few moments he began to speak again.

"I see. Do you want to tell me the rest," he asked. I nodded and gave him the entire story. I didn't care at that point if I got expelled, and even if I weren't my mom would pull me out of the school after hearing about today. The dean was shocked to hear what I did.

"So am I going to be expelled for this?"

"No."

"What," I was amazed at his answer.

He looked at me, "You seem like a very intelligent and nice girl. I don't expect to have any repeats of today though." He gave me a stern look when he said that last part.

"No sir," I promised him.

"Okay then. Now go back to class."

I headed out the door and smiled at Rin. I don't know why, but she seemed like a friend at that point. I gave her a hug and started to cry. She slowly calmed me down and wiped my tears away. "Come on," she said and we walked away.

That was over three years ago. Since then I have become one of the most popular girls at Yugaki Academy, although I'm considered the quirkiest. A few people know I can sing, but almost no one knows that I can also dance, which I plan to fix at this years opening ceremony. I was asked about a month ago to plan something to do at the opening ceremony for a welcome back to school thing as they put it. Everyone expects me to sing, but no one will expect me to do a little dance with it. I feel the C.D. In my backpack with the accompaniment track I made.

Len turns around at the school gate and sees me walking before he yells at me, "Hey Miku. What's up."

I smile at him, "Nothing much, just making sure I nail the opening ceremony," I explain.

"Yeah we heard that you were doing the opening ceremony show," Rin chimed in, "You are so lucky. I have tried to do that for years."

I laugh at her. "I'll tell you what, If they ask me to do the opening ceremony again next semester, I'll ask if you can do it with me."

Len laughs at that and we all walk in. I scan the crowd and point to a spot in the seats, "Sit there," I whisper to Rin. She looks where I am pointing and nods her head trying not to laugh. As she walks over to the seats with Len, I slip out the side door and run to the bathroom.

I slide through the door to the girl's restroom and into one of the stalls. I pulled my school uniform off and let it fall into my bag. I grabbed my change of clothes out of my bag and unfolded them. I ran my hand down my blouse. A sleeveless, shiny, and smooth polyester that was colored to be a silver-gray with turquoise trim. I slid it on and slipped into my skirt, which was a dark gray with blue edging. I put on my dark gray leggings and boots and grabbed my bag.

I was halfway to the auditorium when I finally got my tie tied. "Finally," I proclaimed as I hurried down the hallway. I slipped into the auditorium stage behind the curtain drop that was down. I denied the hand-held mike they offered me, and flipped on my headset mikcrophone that I liked to use. I had always thought it had better sound quality, and it was synced to the wireless speakers in the room.

"Oh, I almost forgot the sleeves," I told my self and ran over to my bag. I pulled my detached sleeves out and slid them on my arms. I hit a button on my headset and the sleeves lit up. I walked back out to my spot behind the curtain and waited for it to come up.