Dreams
Chapter 43: Greedy for Love
"Congratulations!" everyone shouted and embraced Rin as soon as she stepped into the karaoke room.
"Thank you!" Rin giggled and returned the group hug. "I love you guys!"
When her four friends let go of her, Miku grabbed Rin's arm and dragged her to the couch. She took out a nicely-wrapped present and placed it on Rin's lap.
"It's a gift from all of us. Open it," Miku said excitedly, clasping her hands together.
Rin gently touched the present and ran her fingers along its surface, feeling both happy and embarrassed at the same time.
"Oh my gosh, guys. You don't have to buy me anything. Anyway, thank you very much!"
"You're welcome, Rin. Yesterday, you were doing so well. I like that honest confession too. It's so you," Meiko said with a huge grin and proceeded to wrap her arms around Rin's shoulders. "Hurry open up the present."
Rin looked at her friends and nodded. She tore the wrapper and and took out a pair of huge sunglasses and a stack of different sizes of black circular stickers. Gakupo was the only one who burst out laughing while the rest were trying to refrain from laughing by keeping a still face.
"Oh, a disguise set!" Rin laughed and smirked at them. "Thanks, guys. These are cool moles."
This time Meiko's whole body fell onto the couch and she burst out laughing while hugging her abdomen. Even Miku who was trying to hold back her laughter could not take it anymore and just covered her mouth to hide her laugh. Kaito, on the other hand, just scratched his head and grinned stupidly.
"Oh yes, Meiko, I've brought your uniform." Rin handed a plastic bag, which she had been carrying, to Meiko. "I'm sorry that I didn't wear it yesterday."
"Yeah, why? I thought you really needed it." Meiko pouted but soon smirked mischievously. "And who's that special someone, eh?"
Rin blushed and looked away. "Do you need to know?"
"Tell us!"
"No! It's so embarrassing!" Rin said in a high pitch voice as she cupped her cheeks shyly.
Miku and Meiko stared at each other and started cooing. Meanwhile, Gakupo put his arm around Kaito and looked at him to see his facial expression. As expected, Kaito was staring at Rin with a forlorn look. Kaito must be really like Rin, he thought to himself. If only he was more open about his feelings towards her...
"Let's order some drinks and foods. What do you all want?" Miku suddenly spoke loudly. "Meiko obviously wants vodka."
Meiko wriggled her eyebrows and nodded. "You bet!"
"Chicken nuggets with coke, please!" Gakupo said.
"Let's have a nuggets party!" Rin suggested with a look of anticipation.
Miku clasped her hands together and beamed. "Sounds great!"
"Okay, so I will have lemon juice!" Rin pinched her tummy as she said that. "I need to burn some fats."
"You're skinny enough," Meiko retorted with a look of envy.
Kaito slowly raised his hand up and said softly, "Lime... juice. Thank you."
"Okay." Miku jotted down their orders and walked towards the door before turning around again. "Shion, can you accompany me? I may need help with the chicken nuggets."
Kaito flinched. He turned around and nodded quietly. As both Miku and Kaito were leaving the room, Meiko signalled Gakupo to leave together with them as well but he just stared at her with knitted eyebrows, looking as if he had no idea what she wanted. Seeing how Meiko began to make those 'shooing' movements like she was chasing a cat away from her sight, Rin covered her mouth and started giggling softly.
"Fine! I shall go and help them," Gakupo hissed and left the room as well, following Miku and Kaito who had no idea what was going on behind.
As soon as the door slammed shut, Meiko shifted towards Rin and spoke, "This is between you and me."
"Hm?"
"Who's that special someone?" Meiko asked eagerly. "I promise I won't tell anyone."
Rin blushed and shook her head rapidly. "Like I said, it's embarrassing!"
"You know who I like, right? In exchange, you tell me yours," Meiko demanded and wriggled her eyebrows again.
Rin suddenly recalled that embarrassing moment when she had unintentionally planted a kiss on Len's cheek and then smacked his cheek with her handbag. Her eyes widened and she thought she would have a heart attack for thinking about this again. She could not even have a good night sleep because of this memory!
Rin covered her ears and blurted, "No, I don't like Len Kagamine! He's an idiot!"
"Len?" Meiko mumbled the name softly as her brain slowly processed it. "Wait... Len?!"
"Yeah!" Rin shouted.
Hold on...
Rin removed her hands from her ears and returned Meiko's surprised stare, gaping.
She and her big mouth...
Meiko looked away from Rin and scratched her chin. For some reason, Meiko was looking as if she was doubting Rin but that doubtful look immediately ceased when she looked at Rin again.
"Len made that outfit for you?"
"Don't tell anyone!" Rin put her forefinger on her own lips and whispered to Meiko.
"That special someone... Wow..." Meiko muttered under her breath and laughed weakly, moving slightly away from Rin. "Wow... seriously... wow... Len finally took a step forward. He had never done that for anyone before. You're lucky, Rin."
Meiko continued to engage herself in deep thoughts while Rin just sat still, blushing madly. Just then, Meiko covered her mouth and stared at Rin with wide eyes.
"Are you that close to Len?"
"Wait... what? No way!" Rin snapped and puffed up her cheeks. "We're only friends. Just friends."
Meiko frowned and muttered softly under her breath, "That's... really strange..."
"What?"
"Nothing," Meiko immediately lied and managed to put on her usual mischievous grin. "I'm just wondering... do you and Len always meet each other?"
"Not really," Rin replied. "Ever since I joined ALICE Studio, I only went out with him once which was last night, right after my debut."
Narrowing her eyes, Meiko asked, "Are you sure you two aren't going out with each other?"
"Friends!" Rin reminded Meiko once again and cleared her throat. "Nothing more and nothing less."
Meiko smiled weakly as she leaned her back against the soft couch. She knew that there was something going on between Len and Rin. Len who had thrown his dreams away many years ago had helped Rin in her debut by making her an outfit. What was Rin to him?
"Meiko... can I ask you something?" Rin's voice sounded surprisingly shy all of a sudden, even her face turned slightly pinkish.
"Yes?"
"I don't know if I'm getting a little greedy..."
Meiko's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Huh?"
"I was very happy when Len Kagamine told me that he's my friend. But a part of me..." Rin clutched onto the hem of her skirt and looked down. "... doesn't want him to say that."
"Rin..."
"I wanted more than just friends... I know I sound crazy but... this feeling... it doesn't go away," Rin said in a quivering voice as tears began to form on her lower eyelids. "Am I becoming greedy? It was only yesterday he told me that we're friends but... but..."
Rin paused and brought her face towards her palms to hide her obvious tears in her eyes. Noticing the distressed look on Rin's face, Meiko put her hand on Rin's head and ruffled her hair.
"I understand," she whispered and wrapped her arms around Rin. "Do you know why you're feeling this way?"
Rin quietly shook her head gently, brushing her hair against Meiko's chin. Meiko slowly removed her arms from Rin and stared at her with a mixture of sadness and happiness portrayed in her eyes.
I'm sorry, Kaito...
"Rin, this feeling is love."
... I cannot help you.
Rin's eyes widened as she stammered, "Lo... Lo... Love?"
If only I could move on from you...
"Yes, it's love." For the first time, Meiko felt so guilty and bitter when saying this word out loud but she managed to put on a gentle smile in front of Rin who was looking so flustered that one would think that she would faint at any moment. "Rin, you must have fallen in love with Len."
... it must have felt so good to fall in love... again.
-:-:-:-
"Are you all right, Meiko? Stop drinking, please..." Rin asked the drunkard woman lying on the couch in front of her worriedly as she shook her shoulder lightly.
"She's always like this. Wasting her life on alcohol. Don't mind her," Gakupo joked.
Miku frowned. "It's not funny. We should do something about it. Right, Shion?"
Kaito sank his teeth into the crispy and juicy chicken nugget, looking disinterested in their conversation. But as soon as he swallowed the nugget, he stood up and walked over to Meiko.
"She will never change." Kaito squatted next to Rin and pinched Meiko's rosy cheek. "I took her to a counselor once to get over her drinking habit but she still continued anyway. Recently, it has gone worse."
Miku nodded. "Yeah. I have just realised it."
Gakupo pursed his lips as he looked Kaito and the three girls. The reason why Meiko was indulging a lot of alcohol lately was because of these three people, especially Kaito. With Meiko and Miku liking him, he actually like Rin. Rin obviously did not look like she had something for Kaito, unfortunately. Meanwhile, Kaito was oblivious to the other two girls' feelings. While Miku had no idea who Kaito liked, Meiko knew.
What a complicated love 'T'. No, neither a triangle nor a square. It was a 'T'.
"I wonder why..." Rin muttered. "Could it be because of Professor Hiyama?"
"It's our holidays, including his. I'm sure he won't waste them on annoying Meiko," said Miku.
Yes, that was right. She became like this was because of you guys, Gakupo mentally commented.
Kaito looked at Miku and shrugged. "She won't get a boyfriend if she keeps up with this bad habit."
Gakupo smacked his forehead with his palm. Kaito was sure lucky that Meiko was too drunk to even hear what he was talking about. If she had heard it, Kaito would be dead within a second or two right after he had made that comment.
"Then, you shall be my boyfriend..."
With his palm still on his forehead, Gakupo looked up in surprise. Did he just hear Meiko speak?
"Meiko, are you awake?" Rin asked with a surprise look as well.
"You..." Meiko groggily sat up and pointed at Rin. "Why? Why you? You already have that guy."
Confused, Rin blinked and pointed at herself. "Me?"
"And you..." Meiko weakly pointed at Miku with another hand. "Why him?"
Miku tilted her head to the side, puzzled.
Meiko hiccuped. She slowly brought her outstretched hands closer and pointed both her forefingers at Kaito. Kaito jerked backwards as his eyes narrowed at her fingers.
"You, stupid..." Meiko leaned forward and touched Kaito's cheeks. "Why..."
"Are you calling me stupid?" Kaito interrupted her with a frown.
Meiko hiccuped again. A sad smile spread across her face as she held his face tightly.
"Why not me? Can I... be greedy for once?"
Kaito's eyes widened as she leaned closer and closer to him. He also tried to move away from her in response but she kept holding onto his face, refusing to let him go.
He asked her in a panic voice, "Meiko, what are you..."
Before he could finish what he wanted to say, he felt himself being pulled towards her and her alcohol-coated lips pressed against his.
"I love you..."
Suddenly, a glass fell onto the cold tiles and shattered, which caused both Gakupo and Rin to look towards the source of the sound immediately. What they saw did not surprise them at all.
While Meiko finally confessed her love for Kaito, Miku stood next to them with quivering pairs of eyes staring down at the kissing scene and a shattered glass right in front of her heels.
Hi, everyone! I'm back from the dead. (^_^)"/
I was so busy for the past few months and it will get better when March comes. I'm in my final semester of my study and I really want to do well in order to proceed on to a good university. So, I'm really sorry that I have neglected my fanfictions. I will try to update them whenever I have the time. :)
Now, back to the routine...
Special thanks to the reviewers:
- TheHerobrine
- Damn You Len
- mirrors02
Next, I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story. You have made my day!
Preview of the next chapter:
Chapter 44: Abandonment
"Because ALICE Studio... everyone abandoned me."
Neru fell silent as she stared hard at Haku's emotionless eyes.
"No matter what, I will never abandon Rin. Even if ALICE Studio abandons her, I won't leave her alone. Even if she cannot live up to our expectations, I will nurture her to the type of model who will be favoured by many people."
"I'm sorry. I'm very sorry for that time," Neru spoke softly and hung her head low. "If only we were patient..."
"In the end, you got a wonderful girl model. Isn't that good?"
Luka Megurine.
The second best candidate of the audition... after Haku Yowane.
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And I wish you all a blessed New Year! Let's welcome 2016 with open hands! Woohoo! I hope it will be a fruitful and great year for all of us.
Have a wonderful week ahead too. \(^o^)/