A/N: I'm going to start putting the names of the songs used in each chapter at the beginning to make things easier for those of you who are interested in actually hearing the songs while reading the story. And oh gawsh I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated this.

Songs for this Chapter:

"Cremation Melody" – Miku Hatsune

Kaito had taken off at a smooth jog when he had left the others at the campfire. He had not wanted to seem overzealous or too worried about Miku, but once he knew that he was out of sight and hearing range he took off as fast as he could. His eyes scanned the shadows frantically as his feet dodged trees and roots. He knew Miku couldn't have gotten too far.

He slowed once he saw the large green pigtails glowing in the sparse moonlight that had managed to leak through the foliage. She was huddled beside a tree, her knees pulled close to her chest as her arms embraced her legs. Even from a distance she was visibly shivering in the chilly night air. She turned her head to Kaito once she heard his footsteps crunching the pine needles on the forest floor.

"Just go away! I don't need you!" Miku grumbled halfheartedly.

"Look at yourself, Miku. Of course you don't believe that," Kaito said as he approached her. He removed his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders before he took a seat next to her. "We've been here for less than a day. That's a short time to do anything impressive."

"It's…It's just not fair! I'm supposed to be the best! Everyone is supposed to love me." Miku gripped the edges of Kaito's coat and pulled it closer around here. "It's not like that here, and I hate it. I want to go home where people appreciate me."

"Miku, you know we can't go back," Kaito sighed. "Not until we save Melinum. It's a tall order and we can't do it without you."

Miku was silent. She refused to make eye contact with Kaito even though he stared expectantly at her with his brilliant blue eyes. Instead she kept her eyes closed as her shivering slowed to a few short shudders. Finally Kaito decided to talk again.

"You want to do something, right, Miku?"

Miku paused then nodded her head silently.

"Well, you haven't sung a single note all day." Kaito reached around him until he found a pair of sticks. "You're cold and you're tired." He placed the two sticks a few feet in front of Miku. "It's dark out and we don't want to go back to the others yet. What better way to test your powers than to light a fire?"

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Miku scoffed. She lifted her head and looked defiantly at Kaito.

"It won't be stupid if it works. Besides, what's the harm in trying it?" Kaito gave one of the sticks a nudge with his foot.

"Fine," Miku grumbled. She closed her eyes as she searched for a song to sing. A few agonizing moments passed before she groaned and slunk back against the tree.

"I can't do it!" she exclaimed. "I can't think of a single song that could light a fire! It's hopeless! I'm hopeless! How do you expect me to do anything when I can't even think of a song?"

"Stop thinking," Kaito said softly. "Just let the words come to you. I'm sure there's a song in that head of yours that can do this, but you have to allow it to come. You can't go searching for it. How do you think I was able to join in with Meiko's song? I can't recall the song right off the top of my head, yet I still knew it. I guess that's the magic of this place. Just give it one more shot, okay?"

"Alright," Miku grumbled. She closed her eyes again, but this time she relaxed and allowed her thoughts to flow on their own until the words started to form on her lips.

Kowarete yuku yorokobi mo
Yagate kieru kanashimi mo
Omoiegaku subete wo daite
Ima honoo wo yami ni ukaberu

Kaito listened to her soft lyrics. The melancholy song flowed forth from Miku's lips like floating embers, wistfully taking a gentle flight into the air until Kaito could almost see the notes settle on the firewood. A small flame began to take form with a soft crackling as Miku opened her eyes, her voice fading into the new light that glowed before them.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Kaito asked. Miku shook her head. The warmth from the fire spread to them, and they both watched the gentle flickering in silence. Miku let go of Kaito's coat, letting it rest on her shoulders as she pulled one of her pigtails in front of her and began to quietly remove the pine needles that had tangled themselves in the green strands.

Miku finally broke the silence. "Why does Meiko hate us so much?"

Kaito nearly jumped when he heard her. He regained himself quickly enough to turn away and hide his nervous expression. He ran a hand through his blue hair as he glanced over his shoulder. A confused Miku looked back at him.

"That's a bit sudden, don't you think?" Kaito said as he slowly turned back to face Miku. She only gave him a stubborn look in return.

"I guess it's your right to know about why she hates you," Kaito sighed, "but I don't want to talk about myself." He looked up at the stars, ignoring Miku for a second as if some long lost thought had struck him, then his eyes returned to the fire before them.

"Do you remember the people who were famous before you?" he asked. "All those people who had the spotlight before you, can you recall any of them?"

"Well," Miku mused, "I think there was this girl called Lily and she was with some guy named Leon. No, that wasn't it. They were this annoying couple at my old school….Umm…"

"Do you remember Meiko at all?"

"Meiko? Not really. I mean, I thought I recognized her when I first saw her here, but nothing was ringing a bell…"

"You see, Meiko was a star before you were, like your predecessor," Kaito explained. Miku's eyes grew wide at the thought. "To put it simply, she believes that you stole her spotlight."

"What? But I-"

"She was at the height of her career when you came in. With your young looks and high-pitched voice, you outshined her everywhere, and she couldn't handle it. Her career died, leaving you an open pathway to fame."

"I-I didn't mean to," Miku defended. "I wasn't trying to take her spotlight or outshine her or anything! I didn't realize what I was doing."

"Try telling her that. She's turned into an alcoholic maniac because of you. It's all your-" Kaito stopped. He looked over at Miku and realized that he just couldn't do this, he could tell her that she was the one who had single-handedly destroyed Meiko's career.

"Listen, just forget everything I said. It doesn't mean anything."

"No, I understand now."

"You don't! You can't understand!" Kaito snapped. He stood up and turned away from Miku quickly, trying to regain control over himself before he snapped at her again. Then he turned around and offered her his hand.

"Let's get back to the camp," he sighed. "They're waiting for us."

"Will Meiko be there?"

"I don't know."

Miku took one last look at the small fire before she took Kaito's hand and stood up. She kicked some dirt over the flames to douse it, then they both silently headed back to the camp.

A/N Here are the translated lyrics for Miku's song :

Cremation Melody (Original sung by Miku Hatsune)

The fire and flame burning through the night
Is such a horrible and tragic sight
But with my small hands and burning inner light
I will light the darkness with all my strength and might

Thanks for being patient with me!