Hi people! I'm back with another chapter of Runo's Alter Ego! Just what is Dan getting himself into? A lot of trouble, that's for sure. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1 for it.
Runo's POV
I hurried as my legs bought me to the studio downtown. It is called Vocaloid Production, and it is a recent one that was built. My phone vibrated a second time, but I didn't need to open it to figure out that I'm late...
I mentally groan at the fact that I got caught up with him and got into a fight. My mind started cursing at him, but my heart ached in pain with every curse said. I rushed through the entrance of the studio and took a quick break into the bathroom. I flew to the mirror and quickly adjusted my hair, which had gone a bit wild during my sprint. I took a minute to catch my breath, and after I calmed down, I took a glimpse of myself in the mirror and saw my face still holding a light red blush. I swatted my cheeks, trying to get rid of it.
Ugh…why do I still go crazy over him? He makes me so mad and yet I want to hug him and feel his hand in mine. I shook my head, erasing the thoughts of him in my head. I let out a sigh and headed out to the recording studio.
When I finally reached the recording room, a woman in a blue coat and a black skirt was talking to a guy with headphones. The guy was occasionally shaking his head to acknowledge the woman while she spoke of things I didn't understand. The woman looked up and saw me. Her face turned slightly annoyed and she let out a little huff.
"Runo, you're late!" commented the woman. I took a deep breath.
"Sorry, I was held up by something." I replied.
Now, let me tell you who this person is. This is my manager, Kea Ridges. I met her when we first started out; me as a new singer, and her as an errand runner. During my second "concert", my manager apparently screwed up something really badly and they were ready to call it quits. Kea went up to the back stage crew and basically ran the entire show. She didn't know her own potential.
After all of that chaos, she was promoted to be my new manager.
As Kea mentioned the details of my next performance, my mind zoned back to Dan. My head still can't figure out the reason why he decided to show up into my life again. And personally, it's starting to annoy me that I keep thinking about him. Kea noticed me spacing out, and she snapped her fingers in front of me. I blinked twice before slapping my cheeks and shaking my head.
Kea sighed and gestured over to a chair. I sat down on it while Kea took another chair and placed it next to me before sitting down.
"Okay, Runo. What happened before you got here? Julie hasn't told anything yet to me." Her glasses flashed a moment, hiding the worried and sincere eyes behind them. I sighed and decided to spill about what happened.
While I was telling Kea about earlier, my mind flashed back to when I first started. Julie was super excited when she found out about me being an idol. So excited that she has snuck backstage before. Well, Kea was very angry and basically chewed Julie out. She sweated and muttered an apology (at least from what Kea said) and was about to leave when Kea suddenly had a brilliant idea. She wanted Julie to be sort of her personal assistant, someone who could inform her of things that happen outside the studio. My friend was really into it, and agreed immediately. After my concert was over, the two were basically best friends.
Kea didn't believe in those bodyguards that some idols had (she claims that it might be the reason people are chasing them) and she didn't want to always track me down (she also claims that she has better things to do, and it will be awkward between us), so hiring Julie was, in her mind, a wonderful idea. And surprisingly, Julie hasn't spilled anything to the press yet. Plus, Julie's getting paid (just a little), so I guess it's a win-win situation for them.
Once I was done explaining, she slumped in her chair and put on a thinking face.
"Hmm…I think that if this is an issue for you, we can always reschedule your concert somewhere else." My eyes widen and I quickly grabbed Kea's shoulder. "No! Please, Kea…let me perform. It won't be a problem since he won't come anyway, right?" My manager tilted her head to the ceiling, still thinking.
I sat up straight. "I won't let him ruin what happiness I have left." That seems to convince her because she flashed a smile and lifted her glasses. "Well then, if you insist." My face mimicked her smile. "Thank you for listening!" She chuckled. "No problem, Runo."
Kea then turned to her folder. "Now, about your new song…" She handed me a small packet of 7 pages. I flipped through it and immediately my face flushed red a bit.
"Kea! Why this song?!" I exclaimed.
She gave another small smile. "Well, I thought it would be very interesting. It would be fun." She winked, and I sighed in return.
"No worries. I know you'll enjoy singing it, Runo." Kea said. I slumped in defeat, imagining the scenarios that could happen in my choreography.
"Okay, let's do this!" I exclaimed, knowing that it's no use trying to escape it.
"That's the spirit!" My manager said.
And for the next few hours, I poured my energy into preparing for my concert, completely forgetting about the boy who annoyed me to hell.
6 hours later
Dan's POV
Where is Marucho? He's running 10 minutes late, and it's about to start any minute.
The building in front of me was shaped like a dome. Screens in the front displayed pictures of a blue-haired girl either stretching her arms out or having a determined look on her face. Lights flashed towards the night sky, livening up the atmosphere. I put my hands in my pocket, grasping the ticket inside.
Just then, a limo drove up to the entrance. The door opened, and Marucho stepped out. Bodyguards mysteriously lined the way to the front of the dome-shaped building.
I sweat dropped at this. "Uh…Marucho, you don't need to be that fancy, do you?" He nodded seriously.
"Of course. By the way, I have backstage passes for after the concert." He had a smile that span the length of his face.
"Sweet, let's hurry," I replied. We ran inside, and quickly found our seats, which were in the front row. "Marucho sure have a way with connections," I thought.
It was extremely cramped inside. People shoved each other and swore at one another. Marucho was being tossed around, and after we found our seats, he was covered with footprints and a couple of red hand marks. But he looked up to me and smiled an even bigger smile. I couldn't help but sweat drop at this.
The lights unexpectedly dimmed, and the crowd's shouting, in turn, grew louder. A voice boomed from the speaker, "Welcome! We are happy to have you here today!" People screamed in unison. "Now, then. Please put your hands together for Hatsune Miku!" My head was ringing as the fans around me literally screamed in my ear. Lights flew across the ceiling, eventually stopping on a girl, whose appearance looked exactly like the one on the ticket.
"Everyone, thank you for coming today! I appreciate all the support that I have gotten from all of you. Now, let's begin!" she said in perfect Japanese.
I vaguely remembered what happened afterwards. Music started to play; the fans were shouting even louder. I could barely catch her voice. People moved into our space, jumping up and down to catch the girl's attention. Then, out of nowhere, the bomb of silence blew up. I moved my head so that I could peer over this tall person's shoulder.
I must be imagining this, but everything began to move in slow motion. I looked up in awe at the girl.
Then her eyes met mine.
Now everything froze. I could finally get a decent look at her, and the ticket did a good job at dampening her appearance. Her neon-blue hair shone brighter than the lights that were flashing around her. Her eyes looked absolutely stunning; the blue-green eyes that looked so familiar. That thought brought me out of my shock.
Familiar…why would I think that…
The music blared in my ears as I struggle to get another good look at her. I lightly tapped the guy in front of me to signal him to move a bit. He turned around and apologized. My eyes once again stared at the beautiful girl in front of me.
She does look familiar…like I should know her. The hair…her posture…her eyes... They look exactly like…
A loud cheer rang through the auditorium once more. Miku bowed and flashed a smile that completely took my breath away.
I got to stop acting like a love-sick dog.
Moments later, the concert was over. The security guards were having a hard time trying to push everyone outside, since most of them were attempting to sneak backstage. Marucho and I both thought that some people are just crazy when it comes to their obsessions, but Marucho is crazy about her in his own way.
Speaking of crazy…after we were out of the terribly crowded auditorium, Marucho basically grabbed my wrist and started to run.
"Come on, let's meet her!" He dragged me out, with me feeling like a rag doll.
Marucho rambled on about how excited he is and how this was the most important day of his life. Yeah…definitely crazy in his own way. I sighed as he continued.
After getting lost…three times…we finally arrived at her dressing room. A security guard asked for our tickets. I pulled out mine, but Marucho was looking for his.
"Where is it? I cannot lose it now." Then, he pulled out a ticket. "Yes!" he shouted, but once he gave it to the guy, he said, "Uh, sir, this is the wrong ticket. How did you get in here?" Marucho turned gray. Gloom marks appeared. His glasses then flashed and a sinister grin appeared on his face. He turned around and slowly stalked out of the hall, looking ready to kill. I sweat dropped at this, having no idea what just happened. The guard only shrugged and directed me to a door with a blue star and the words "Hatsune Miku" on it. He opened it and gestured me inside.
The room was fairly small, with a small mirror on the wall, two sofas, and a coffee table with a vase filled with marigolds, lavenders, yellow tulips, and some of the darkest red carnations I ever seen. What a weird combination of flowers…
A slightly timid voice, that sounds a bit techy, drifted into the room.
"Is our lucky winners here?" asked the voice. The security guard shouted a yes. A little rumble was here. The door opened, and I found myself staring, once again, with the stunning eyes of Hatsune Miku.
Runo's POV
Wow. This crowd was more…enthusiastic than the last concert.
I never felt so much support. Hearing the cheers of that giant crowd made me forget everything and allowed me to enjoy myself. Kea must have been smirking from backstage. The truth is...I enjoy singing the song that she gave me. Embarrassing, yes, but no one knew me well enough to know what the song is actually about.
When I was finally able to go to my dressing room, something kept nagging me in my head. I crossed my arms in front of my chest. There's something about that crowd that seem off to me. For a moment there...I thought I saw Dan and Marucho...
I shrugged the thought off, not wanting to ruin the moment of having a successful concert. I sat down in my little room, looking at myself in the mirror. My face had a silly grin plastered on my face, but my eyes still held that sad aura in it. My grin dropped at the fact. I just was never the same after he left, huh…
I must have been deep in thought, because y manager had to tap my shoulder a couple of times, which caused me to jump a bit in my seat. I turned around, looking at Kea's simple gesture towards the door.
I forgot we had the contest where I meet two people and present them with my new album. I called for the security guard who was in charge of escorting the winners, and shouted if they were here. The answer back was yes. I straightened myself, brushed off my skirt and reached for the door.
After all, what's the worst that could happen?
I twisted the knob and gracefully walked in. Sitting on the couch was a boy with a red t-shirt with flames on one side, black jeans, and red tennis shoes. Bright black sunglasses gleamed against his brown hair. He was staring at the flowers on the table until he heard the door. He looked up and I mentally gasped.
Dan Kuso was the lucky winner.
Oh, snap. What's gonna happen next? Hope Runo gets through this. See you next time.
Updated A.N- Okay. Nothing can explain how much I delayed on this. I'm terribly sorry for my procrastination on this. Believe me when I say I honestly tried my best to finish this as fast as possible. But then again, it goes to show how much work I have. Thank you again for your unwavering support, and I'll try to update the rest faster than this chapter.