Dreams
Chapter 48: Luka Megurine
"Luka..." Len held his breath as he stared at the pink-haired model with wide eyes.
He was so stunned that he could not move an inch. Why did he have to see her again? Could someone tell him why? He had been running away from her and wished that they could never cross path with each other. Was the world really that small?
"You two know each other?" Haku asked aloud while looking back and forth at them curiously.
Upon hearing that, Len's eyes darken and he bellowed, "No, I don't know her."
"But she called your name..."
"I don't know her," Len repeated in a low and dangerous tone, and walked away, heading towards the direction of the entrance.
Thinking what had angered him so much that he snubbed her, Haku frowned and bit her lips. She looked at Luka and immediately gaped when her eyes landed her. Luka was covering her mouth and her eyes were glistening with tears. Not only that, her face was totally red. Even her ears were tinted pink... like a young girl in love.
"Len! Wait!" the model cried as she ran towards him. "Len, don't leave me!"
Len quickened his pace, mentally counting each and every step he took as he headed towards the automatic opaque sliding doors of the entrance.
"Promise me..."
"Let's fulfill our dream together!"
"For my debut... can you make me a dress?"
"We don't have to catch the birds just to be together forever. What counts is actually our hearts."
"Liar."
"Looking back isn't going to do you any good."
"But what about you? You can't break our promise just like that!"
"Think about it realistically. What was in the past is the past, what's present is the present. Things change, so do we."
"But promises don't change... Len."
"Liar."
"Ah... Len... if I were to go missing one day or go somewhere where it is impossible to reach me, will you still find me?"
"What do you mean? Didn't I say that I will find you no matter where you go or how far we are?"
"It's a small world after all, right?"
"Liar."
"I love you, Len!"
"I'm sorry... Luka."
"Liar!"
Suddenly, Len felt a strong push behind him and stumbled forward a little. Before he knew it, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and tightened around him. A sweet, calming vanilla scented perfume entered his nostrils when he inhaled deeply upon the physical touch of her fingers resting on his chest. He stood still, not sure whether he was too petrified to move or whatever reasons that made him stop.
"Len, please don't... Please..."
He felt something moving against his back as she spoke, probably her lips. He mentally groaned. Did she just buried her face on his back? His light blue cabby uniform, to be exact?! She must have applied lipstick too, right? For goodness sake, he had to quickly wash her lipstick stain off his shirt when he reached home later. How troublesome...
He took her arms and forcefully removed them from his waist.
"Len?" Luka's voice came out so weak and soft that he could barely hear her. "Don't go. Why are you always avoiding me?"
Len hung his head low and smiled curtly which went unseen by others. Without looking back at her, he walked silently away from her. He had nothing to say to her. He had done nothing to her. So, there was no reason for him to see her. It was that simple.
"I have already apologised for keeping everything from you! You were having a hard time because of your mother... so I didn't tell you anything. Even when I told you... why?" Luka shouted in exasperation while clenching her fists at her sides. "Why didn't you forgive me? Why, Len? Why?"
As her tears trickled down her cheeks, Luka made a few choking sounds as if she was trying to control herself from bawling in front of everyone in the agency. Seeing him about to walk through the entrance, she hurriedly ran towards him again and grabbed his arm tightly.
"Len, answer me before you go. At least talk to me... Look at me once more."
Len stood still and had a deadpan look on his face. He stared at the closing sliding doors of the entrance and saw their fuzzy reflections on the smooth surface of the doors. Their reflections had made him realise that time had flown passed so fast that he could hardly believe that he once slightly shorter than the model behind him six years ago. Within that six years, there were so many changes between them. Changes like their physical appearances, lifestyle and... their promises.
"Miss Megurine, people are looking at you," Haku said loudly and headed towards the pair. "Don't give Miss Akita more troubles."
Ignoring Haku's words, Luka tightened her grip around Len's arm and shook her head. "I don't care what others say... I don't care about those promises... But please... don't leave me alone again."
"Luka, stop it," another voice cut in. "You are bothering a stranger. He said he doesn't know you so let him go."
"No!" the pink-haired model shouted in a high-pitched voice as she turned to face the source, which was her manager who had just arrived at the scene, with a hard glare. "He's Len. I know it's him!"
"Calm down, my girl," Neru spoke gently and stood next to Haku. "Tell me... who's he? Your friend? Relative?"
Luka held her breath and looked up, staring at the back of Len's head. Len had not been looking back at her and had been keeping silent for this while. She knew he could not have forgotten her. But why...?
Why was he pretending not to know her at all? Why was he ignoring her?
She closed her eyes and before she knew what she was doing, she forcefully pushed and turned him around, making him face Neru's and Haku's direction. A soft gasp escaped from Len's lips as his vision swirled and he found himself staring face to face with the two worried-looking managers. One of them was a blonde which he had no idea who she was but she sure looked like she had seen a criminal when she saw his face.
On the side mental note, he was definitely sure that he did not look like a villain.
"It's you," Neru dragged her voice and pointed at him. "I think I have seen you before!"
Len's eyes widened at the sudden declaration. He swore he had never seen this lady before.
"You know him?" Haku asked Neru.
"No," the blonde replied and let out a sheepish laugh. "It's just... well, I don't know either."
Len groaned. Another noisy woman had appeared, he thought to himself.
"Seriously..." Haku stopped halfway when a beeping ringtone sounded loudly.
The ringtone was loud and clear so it must have come from one of them. The four people stared at one another, seeing whose handphone rang but none moved an inch. Haku turned to Neru and nodded at her, signalling her to check her handphone. Frowning, Neru touched her side pocket where her handphone was kept in and shook her head. Haku took out hers from her side pocket as well and held the silent handphone in front of everyone. Then, she stared at Luka and nodded at her to check her handphone.
Without checking her handphone, the model just wrapped her arms around Len's left arm and shook her head. "My ringtone is much cooler than this."
This time, everyone shifted their gaze at Len.
"S... Sorry..." Len mumbled softly in embarrassment as he whipped out his ringing handphone from his pocket as well. "Sorry for not being cool!"
He blushed when he said that and picked up the call, trying to ignore Neru's giggles and Luka's body pressing against his arm.
"Hello, Len Kagamine's speaking... Yes... I am... okay..." Len nodded each time he answered the caller but it was not that long until his face paled and his voice turned panicky. "I... I don't understand, Doctor. She can't be... I... I'll be right there!"
Len cut the line and hastily pulled himself away from Luka. He bowed to the ladies without explaining his situation to them and rushed out of the agency. No one, except for Luka, knew what was going on... because this was the same as last time.
"Len..." Luka looked at her arms which still had his warmth lingering on the surface of her skin. "You have finally spoken... but why..."
That time was when he ran out of his classroom, ran past her, ran over his dreams and missed all of them six years ago. Both of them - that time and this time - were because of one woman who was so precious to him.
Six years later, why were there still so many obstacles in front of you, Len?
Luka felt a warm hand gently rest on her shoulder and she turned around, looking straight into Neru's grey eyes. "What is it?"
"That guy... He is that little blonde midget in your photographs, right?"
Wrapping her arms around her body, the pink-haired model bent forward slightly and laughed softly. However, her laughter slowly turned into soft breathy sobs which somehow made Neru feel bad for bringing up her past memories. On the other hand, Haku quietly stood behind them and sipped her coffee. So, Neru did knew Len through photographs after all.
"Yeah... He was my only friend... my best friend..." Luka spoke in a whispering voice and quickly covered her tearing eyes with her palms. "And my boy-friend."
-:-:-:-
'Bang!'
A loud thud startled Haku, causing her to look up. She saw Rin picking up her water bottle which she had dropped and quickly stuffing it into her bag. Without saying a word, Rin picked up her bag and headed towards the door.
Frowning, Haku stood up and asked firmly, "Rin, where are you going?"
"To the hospital!" her reply was quick and short, showing hints of impatience.
Speaking of rudeness, Rin did not even look back at her when she had replied her.
"Eh? Why? Are you not feeling well?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Then, why? You have a night training later on!"
"Sorry, Miss Yowane." Rin picked up her bag and turned to face Haku with an anxious and worried look on her face. "The life of my important person's mother is on the line and I have to be there... for him."
I update on time again! Left 2 more chapters and I hope all of you are looking forward to them. :)
A little spoiler: Len's character will be developed... a lot (if you have realised, he hasn't really developed much throughout the past chapters but he was the one who aided the development of Rin's character. Rin has matured a bit and has begun to see another side of the world. Perhaps it is now Len's turn to see a new world which he had never seen before.)
Special thanks to the reviewers who have made my day so wonderful:
- Azure-Blue-15
- Lalala
- mitsu-hisoka
Next, I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story. :D
Preview of the next chapter:
Chapter 49: Trust
"What were you thinking?"
Rin looked at him quizzically. "What?"
"That hug... You were thinking about perverted stuffs, right?" Len spoke again and laughed. "Well, I'm not surprised though. You love touching me anyway..."
"That's right. I'm a pervert. I love that hug. So what?" Rin interrupted him with a deep frown. "I was thinking... no, wishing that your embrace would last even longer. I wished you did not slam that door right in front of my face. Do you want to know why?"
Till next time~