Hi :D

It's almost Christmas break! At least for me. I don't know about other people. But anyway, I'll have more time to write as of Monday, and so I should be able to finish writing this story, but I won't post it all just because I can. Unfortunately, on the day after Christmas, I leave to go somewhere where I don't have access to the internet. So from then to about January 3rd I won't be able to update. Just warning you in advance :)

As the holiday season nearly arrived, Miku grew more and more unpleasant to be around. She had received a part in the series that had made Rin and Len so popular, and had sung it with convincing emotion, but really hated it.

Rin and Len secretly thought this was why it wasn't nearly as popular as their parts. They didn't say this of course, in fear of angering 'Older Sister,' though that term was hardly ever used anymore.

Miku liked to believe it was because Haku was in the song. She didn't think Haku had nearly as pretty a voice, which horrified Rin and Len. Miku, who had assured them of their talent in the beginning, was putting down another Vocaloid as if she were worthless.

In reality, Haku was the exact opposite to Rin and Len. After she had sung a part in the series, Rin and Len had adored her song and gone and made friends with her, discovering she was actually very kind and fun to be around, almost like Miku had been early on. This only made Miku more jealous, and she hardly ever spent any time in her room because of how often Haku was in there.

About two weeks out from Christmas, duets and Christmas songs were more prevalent than ever. Quite a lot of English was being sung, regardless of the abilities of some of the singers. Meiko had fixed the speakers so that any song being recorded could be heard in any hallway, and the general atmosphere was quite cheerful.

Boxes of decorations appeared in front of the doors of every room, and Vocaloids and Utauloids excitedly took part in the activity of decorating their rooms. Miku would spend most of her time sitting in the waiting room of the recording room, her hands full of songs she was supposed to sing.

The only time she went in her room was at night, to sleep, then she would leave in the morning with her music. She frequently carried around her leek, feeling that it was part of her popular character now. Kaito had gotten a break from his teaching, and had hoped to find Miku back to normal. He was disappointed, but still visited with Rin and Len, who were enjoying the festivity, for the most part.

One day, when she didn't have too many songs, Miku decided to stay in her room, just to see if she could try to get in a Christmas-y mood. It wasn't like she wanted to be alone. She just couldn't stand others, most of the time. Her irascibility had really become a major problem.

There she was, sitting on her bed, frowning. Rin and Len were on the floor, staring at her. An awkward silence had begun as soon as Miku announced she was staying in the room. Rin tried to start a conversation.

"Miku, have you noticed the snow outside? It's really pretty." she said as if everything were normal, pointing to the window.

"No," Miku said without enthusiasm, not even turning to look out the window.

Rin glanced at Len, as if urging him to try to start a conversation too. Len, lately having become more sullen and quiet, shook his head with a downcast expression. Rin turned back to Miku with the same expression as Len and sighed.

"Listen, Miku," she started, preparing to tell Miku she was ruining Christmas, "You're really-"

She was cut off by a knock on the door. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Rin jumped up and ran to the door. Len watched her, reluctant to meet Miku's bored stare. The door opened, and there was Kaito and Haku. For a second, Miku's eyes opened a little bit wider as she looked up at them, but then she lowered her gaze again, regret hiding in the eyes that used to be so beautiful when she laughed.

Kaito looked past the twins, over at the unhappy Vocaloid sitting on her bed. Her hair was illuminated by the red light through the curtain that was half closed, making her appearance quite intimidating and unreal. Kaito's expression saddened when he saw hers.

"Are you going to get mad at me again?" Kaito asked across the room. Miku didn't answer. Kaito sighed and walked into the room, holding Haku's hand. Miku noticed this and wondered just how much she'd missed.

Her curiosity taking over, Miku finally spoke. "Why are you holding her hand?" she asked in a demanding tone. Kaito looked down at his hand, as if seeing it for the first time.

"Uh," he said stupidly. "I can explain if you want," he said, his jocular nature daring to show itself. Miku didn't answer, but it didn't look like she was going to start any other topic any time soon, so Haku stepped in to answer.

"It's really nothing. Rin and Len miss you, and I apparently remind them of you. I've assumed an almost parental role temporarily, and Kaito took up the other half of the job. I guess it's sort of going to our heads?" she said, making the last part sound like a question. "It's really nothing," Haku repeated.

Miku, longing to resume her position of Older Sister, but too prideful to admit it, was feeling tortured. She had stayed in her room, hoping she might be talked into being reasonable, but all that had happened so far was that she was being reassured by her replacement that her good friend was only temporarily taken. The reassurance hadn't worked.

Kaito quickly tried to break the silence that was about to settle once again in the room. "Anyone up for Go-fish?" Miku realized she hadn't played that since she first learned it, and she wondered if her friends had been playing without her. Miku slowly got up off the bed, which made Rin silently become ten times more cheerful, and it even got a smile out of Len.

"We only have a small table," said Miku quietly, remembering the little one she had neglected to ever use.

Rin shook her head. "Not anymore," she said, and pointed behind Miku. "Look." Miku turned around and saw a long wooden table sitting in the white sunlight, the falling snow from outside making pretty shadows on it. Paper snowflakes hung around the edge of the table, and each of the six chairs that sat around it had a wreath covered in beautiful ornaments on it.

Miku couldn't suppress a small smile. "You did a good job of decorating," she said truthfully, and Rin beamed, as that was the first nice thing Miku had said in what seemed like forever. Kaito strode over to the table, next to Miku.

"I guess we'll be playing Go-fish then," he said happily. "Rin, do you want to get the cards for us?"

"Hold on," she said, sounding elated, "Look up, Miku." Miku and Kaito both looked up. Kaito's eyes widened, and Miku looked curious.

"What's that?" she asked, intrigued by the red berries that hung above her head.

Rin giggled. "Mistletoe," she said. "Guess what you have to do now!" Kaito, obviously aware what he was supposed to do, raised his hands in surrender, prepared to defend himself when Miku got mad. Rin took a dramatic breath. "KISS!" she shouted, and laughed evilly. Len looked at Rin strangely, half-smiling at her silliness.

Kaito looked at Miku as if to say 'sorry, she said it, not me.' Haku smiled at them, and watched in anticipation with Rin and Len. Miku narrowed her eyes at Rin as she stepped closer to Kaito, then looked up at Kaito. An awkward silence settled for what seemed like forever, and finally Kaito kissed Miku, who was squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

Rin clapped loudly. "Encore! En-"

Len quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Well, that was awkward," Miku mumbled.

"We're still just friends, right?" Kaito asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, of course," said Miku quickly. "It was just mistletoe."

"I bet she just thinks Kaito's a bad kisser," Rin whispered to Len. Len rolled his eyes.

"OK, well now that's over," Kaito looked pointedly at Rin with one eyebrow raised, "and we can play Go-fish, finally." Rin giggled innocently. Len leaned towards her.

"Did you plan that?" he asked. Rin shrugged.

"Maybe I did, and maybe I didn't. You'll never know."

Len rolled his eyes again as Rin pranced off to go get a deck of cards. He didn't see how it was possible for Rin to plan something like that, but it still seemed like something she would do.

The five sat down at the table, avoiding the mistletoe, and started to play the card game. Miku smiled sincerely, and felt good when she did. She couldn't wait for Christmas, even though she wasn't sure what everyone was supposed to do on that day.

The afternoon was characterized by laughter and smiles, and Miku enjoyed herself greatly, more than she had in a while. At the end of the day, when Kaito and Haku left in their separate ways, and Rin and Len waved good-bye happily, and Miku laid down in bed, exhausted.

"Thanks for not being discouraged by my bad attitude," she said after Rin had closed the door. "I'm back on the right track now, and I'll try not to let my pride get the best of me again," she continued, feeling guilty as she looked at the many posters of herself on her ceiling.

Len spoke up, apparently in bed also, his voice muffled by the wall between them. "It's OK. It could happen to anyone," he said, "Like in Rin's song. Except I just had to die for her to realize she was wrong," he said, his tone sounding slightly annoyed, but in a joking way. "Stubborn Rin."

Miku laughed to herself at her two roommates. They really did want the best for her. They always had and they always would. Her gaze wandered over to the window, where the sun had gone down, and the moonlight highlighted the snowflakes sticking to the glass. "The snow really is pretty," she thought to herself, and dozed gently off to sleep, ignoring the small stack of papers on the end of her bed.

Special Christmas chapter coming up after this! :D And it actually has to do with the story. So don't just skip it.