Kaito had circles under his eyes and barely reacted as Miku wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her head against his warm shoulder. His throat hurt from the tension of crying, and he had a pounding headache that matched his stress level. But the ache in his heart was what was really paining him.

"Kaito," Miku said softly, her warm breath against his ear. She smelled good, like girls' shampoo. "Are you okay? I love you, you know."

Kaito closed his eyes against that, and let his head rest gently against Miku's teal hair, longing for the comfort of a friend. Against his will, he felt hot tears threatening his eyes again. Every time he shut his eyes, unwelcome visions assaulted him. Visions of Luka's face, her eyes bugging out in horror and death.

Kaito let out a small sob despite his best efforts to keep it bottled up inside, turning, and pressed his closed eyes against the top of Miku's head. As if, if she couldn't see him cry, he couldn't be ashamed of his weakness.

"Shh, shh," Miku said softly to the bluenette, and hugged him closer, her warm hand comforting his back. "It's okay if you need to cry. Cry as much as you want, Kaito. I love you. I love you. I'm right here. It's okay."

It was most definitely /not/ okay, but Kaito took the comforting words as he expected they were meant to be. His shoulders shook quietly and he let his sadness out. Kaito's arms reached up and around Miku and held onto her as he cried softly.

Miku's face was a picture of bliss, of pure, unadulterated joy as she felt Kaito wrapping his strong, warm arms around her. As she felt his tears drip onto her head, and felt the slight hitch in his breath as he cried. She had never felt so good, so close, so loved by him. Kaito needed her in this moment. It was the best feeling, and she felt almost drugged by the pleasure of their shared, intimate moment.

Miku thought with a smile to herself, that Kaito wouldn't just cry on just anyone's shoulder. He was a man, after all, and had his own sense of pride. It was Miku he always ran to when he was hurt. Miku who would make him feel better. Miku who loved him, more than anyone.

"I love you more than anyone," Miku informed Kaito, echoing her thoughts aloud, as if Kaito didn't know. "I love you with all my heart, Kaito. Please, if you need to cry, I'll be here anytime for you. But I love your beautiful smile even more." Miku hugged Kaito gently to herself, revelling in the feeling of the proximity of their bodies. Of the places where Kaito touched her. It felt wonderful.

After a little while, Kaito pulled away, wiping at his puffy eyes ineffectually with the backs of his hands. Miku got up and grabbed a box of tissues, and gently wiped the moisture away from his cheeks and eyes. Kaito quietly allowed the familiar touch, his eyes trained on the ground in misery.

"Thanks, Miku." He quietly said as she finished drying his tears. Miku smiled encouragingly back at him, and his heart throbbed a little as he remembered Luka's warm smile, which would never smile back at him ever again.

The police had come and gone. After interviewing each of the Vocaloids in the house, they had no apparent leads on who might have committed the heinous crime. It was obvious it was murder, but there was no evidence of a break-in. No evidence of an intruder. All they had found was a bloody, messy puddle of congealed fluids and gore that took up a good amount of space in Luka's room.

Len had demanded to know how it was that Luka could have been killed in their house, with none of the other Vocaloids hearing it, or being alerted somehow. But the police had just shaken their heads and mentioned something about Luka's vocal cords having been cut by whatever had stabbed her in the throat.

After the crime scene people finally left, having gathered what little evidence they could find, the Vocaloid family had sat together in the dining room in utter silence. Gakupo hadn't been able to reach Master; he was apparently out of contact, overseas, or somewhere with no cell phone coverage. It was hard to say for a certainty, where.

Rin had continued to cling to Meiko, apparently frightened that whoever had killed Luka would come back for her, or for the rest of them. Len had tried to comfort her, to reassure her, but his own uncertainties had bled through into his tone, and Rin picked up on the edge of doubt and fear in her brother's normally confident voice.

Eventually, the group had come to a silent consensus, and had trailed back to their own rooms... all except Kaito, who was avoiding his room like it was contaminated with the plague. And where Kaito was, Miku wanted to be, and so the two hung out in the living room and kept each other in friendly, desperately-needed company.

Miku rested her head against Kaito's soft neck and breathed in lightly the scent of Kaito's body. Kaito's eyes softened, and he held Miku close, feeling that his younger sister must be going through as hard of a time as he was, at Luka's death. He knew the two sister Vocaloids had had a good relationship.

To be honest, Kaito couldn't think of anyone who would have wanted to do the pink-haired, sweet-tempered, soft-voiced Vocaloid female harm. Luka had gotten along with everyone, and had a kind disposition.

Miku clung tight to him, and Kaito placed his hand on Miku's back, allowing her the comfort of his closeness for a little longer. Kaito wondered if Miku's heart was hurting her as badly as his was hurting him. He felt Miku's eyes close, tickling against his neck like a pair of butterflies, and he tilted his head back, trying to swallow his sadness as he stared up at the neutral-colored ceiling.