Someone said something about Len's reaction to the song Imitation Black. I actually already wrote that in my other fic: "Behind the Songs". It should be chapter 1 if you're interested ^^

And I have to say that my favorite review was from SeaFoamPurpleCushions. Too funny!

By the way, I really do like Miku, it's just that her character made more sense this way while I was writing it. ^^;

Okay, on to the next chapter~~~~

"And to celebrate your first songs-"

"Sake?" Kaito finished for Meiko.

She glanced at him over the alcohol. With a smile, she slammed another bottle on the table in front of him. "Have at it!"

Kaito inconspicuously nudged it back in her direction, deliberately taking another bite out of his four-flavored ice-cream cone.

We were back in the studio the next morning to see the final product of what our editors had pieced together through the night. I was worried about Rin's reaction to the video, knowing her feelings on the subject.

Upon our entrance, Meiko and Kaito had tackled us. Well, Meiko tackled us and Kaito dragged her off. They were both extremely excited to see our work and offered insight on what their first videos looked like and how they had felt about them.

While Kaito was recounting his tale, Miku came through the doors into the cafeteria (where we had retired to for ice-cream and Meiko's endless supply of alcohol).

"Good morning, Miku!" I called before I could stop myself.

She turned her gaze towards me in shock that I had acknowledged her, but made no other move to show that she cared. Then she turned back to the counter, retrieved her order that arrived in a small bowl, and strode from the room – probably back to the dressing room that she had insisted upon when she had signed a contract with our studio.

Meiko made a sound of annoyance. "That bi-"

"Big meanie!" He exclaimed, trying to be heard over the end of Meiko's sentence. He muttered something that I couldn't hear into Meiko's ear. I only caught the words 'kids' and 'language'.

Something stirred at the back of my mind and I kept finding myself glancing towards the doors out of the cafeteria. Where Miku had gone.

"Len?"

I snapped back into the conversation that had apparently been redirected towards me.

Rin stared at me, concern on her face. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

I blinked. "Yeah, of course. Why?"

"You look like you want to be somewhere else," she explained, hurt underlining her words. Her hand had already crept to the locket around her neck and worried the chain.

"Of course not," I denied, though I wasn't so sure. Something just felt… off. Maybe it was Rin's unhappiness at Miku's behavior or just my personality, but it didn't feel right for us to be ignoring Miku as if she didn't exist. We should at least try to get along with her. Of course, Kaito had said that he had tried and it hadn't gotten him anywhere. But… There was always that but. "Rin, do you know where Camille went? I want to ask her about something."

"Yeah, I think she said she'd be in Studio B helping to prepare something with the director. I wasn't really paying attention though. Why?" My sister's eyebrows drew together questioningly.

"I just need to ask her when we'll probably find out about the ratings." The lie came to my lips unnaturally and left a tightening coil in my chest.

Rin's eyes dulled. She disliked the idea of the ratings as much as I did. "Oh, well if you want, I could go with you-"

"No," I said quickly, "That's fine. It'll only take a minute."

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't question me further. I rose from my chair, careful not to spill my banana-flavored ice-cream, and hurried towards the doors and down the hallway.

I followed the path I had seen Miku take after each shoot and found myself in front of a plain door with cursive panels of wood spelling out Hatsune Miku. Taking a deep breath to steady my courage, I lifted my hand in a fist and knocked.

Almost immediately, a voice called, "Paula? Is that you?"

Paula was her manager and since I wasn't her, I remained where I was until Miku took the liberty to open the door herself. Her eyes narrowed into teal slits. I startled as I realized that her eyes were similar in color to my sister's and mine.

"Oh, it's you." When I didn't respond immediately, she snapped, "Well, what do you want?"

"Can I come in?"

More of the shock I had seen in the cafeteria lighted her eyes before she recovered her mask of indifference. "I suppose," she said, though I could hear the strain beneath her words.

She held the door open and I stepped into her teal wonderland. The walls and ceiling were all painted the same shade of teal that adorned her outfit – a hoodie, jeans, and lacy blouse. Headphones hung around her neck as if she had just been listening to music and was too lazy to dislodge them from herself.

A teal couch was pushed to the far wall, with a small glass table in front of it. A couple magazines and the bowl she had retrieved from the cafeteria sat atop the glass. A vanity table – larger than the couch – stood against the wall closest to the door. All the jars and tubes of beauty products all boasted the same color as the rest of the room. As Mikue closed the door behind me, I saw that even it was teal.

The only real substantial amount of color that wasn't teal came from the excess clothes that peeked out of her closet and a collage of photos tacked on the wall. In a majority of the pictures, Miku was accompanied by a girl with hair the color of cotton candy. They were together eating candy in a park, in a strip of photos from a photo booth, in yukata at a festival, at the temple for New Year's, in their school uniforms, in front of the studio with link arms. Even more surprising, Miku was smiling – more brightly than I had ever seen her smile before. I could see her growth and story through the pictures with her pink friend.

Miku noticed what was holding my attention and an uneasy expression crossed her face as she brushed past me to sit at the vanity table. "So what is it that you wanted? I hope it wasn't to come snooping through my personal belongings? Or maybe it's to put in place another of Meiko's stupid little pranks? Well?"

All the fondness that had built when I had examined her photos was suddenly pushed aside and anger roiled within me. "What's up with you? Have I done something to make you angry? Has Rin? We haven't said one bad thing to you, but you can't find it in you to offer even a warm hello?"

"I have no need for people like you to freeload off of my talent."

It was like being slapped in the face. My anger doubled and I balled my fists. "That is not fair! It's no wonder you don't have any friends!" Her features transformed into rage, but I didn't stop there. "I wonder how someone even managed to deal with you as long as that girl in those photos!"

It was like being slapped in the face. For me. Because she actually did slap me in the face.

Angry tears surfaced in her eyes and escaped down her cheeks. "You don't know anything about me!" she shrieked.

I held my hand to my cheek, trying to ease the sting. "You're right. I don't know you. But I do know that Rin, Kaito, and Meiko would all accept you as a friend if you were to open yourself up like in those photos. You and that girl look so happy. I don't- I don't understand why you can't treat us with just a little bit of that friendliness."

The angry tears steadily transformed into tears of genuine hurt and desperation. "I can't," she barely whispered.

"What?"

"I can't!" She screamed. "I can't be happy when she's about to die! I can't allow myself to smile when she may never smile again!" Suddenly, Miku threw her arms around me and sobbed into my shirt.

I hope that pacified you Miku Lovers at least a little bit ^^

I was really eager to post this so I didn't edit. Sorry for any typos!

If I get more than 10 reviews for this one chapter, I'll make sure to update before next weekend ^^;