As the sun began to slowly crawl up into the sky, Himari Asukara, began to shovel the laundry into clothing baskets as she went along, eventually stopping at Miku's room. She went in, and gathered her used small outfits and clothing.
There were only about seven orphans now, instead of the many they had had before. There were many people dropping off donations and hand-me-downs, many of which provided for the kids.
As she exited Miku's room, she gazed once more at Miku.
Sure she was cute, but she couldn't help but notice that her face looked like one she had seen before. Even her voice and mannerisms somewhat reminded her of a woman who had only been here for a few days now...
That's right. The fruity girl with a sunflower hat - Saki.
Then, everything clicked into focus. The way she looked at Miku, her interest in her, the regret she saw in her eyes when she looked at the little girl...Wait - she had seen her on a NicoNico Douga video - that same voice, singing.
Suddenly, the foyer doors opened.
She crept around the corner, preparing a welcome for whoever just entered.
Instead, she was here.
The blue hair and flower hat gave it away instantly, and Saki was the first to speak.
"Ah! Good morning, Miss Asukara, is everyone sleeping? Is she up?"
She spoke quietly. "Do you mean your daughter, 'Saki'?"
She didn't move. "What? What do you mean?" she wanted to walk past her green haired head, but she couldn't. Not with her in the way. "Don't be stupid. You treat her with such love, passion, and care. Just like a mother. Not to mention, she looks like you" her words were the truth. She stepped closer to her, noting the small amount of dishonesty in her eyes as she crossed her hands over her chest.
Saki couldn't help but admit it. "Yes" she answered softly, tears threatening to spill. "She's my daughter - and my real name is Meiko Hatsune"
The woman uncrossed her arms. "I want to ask you why you put her here" she turned, pacing around. "Why she doesn't know who her Mommy or Daddy is, but I know I shouldn't push it" she said. As she turned to face 'Saki', she saw the woman against the wall, keeping her head down in shame and regret etched into her eyes. Asukara realized what she'd done and went up to her, surprising her by hugging and patting her on the back. "I'm sorry" she said. "I was just...feeling hard against your decision to leave her here"
"I was foolish" she said through tears. "I had a passionate night with my lover, and I got pregnant, yet I didn't want her to lose her life for my error, so that's why I never got an abortion" she whispered now. "Yet I regret not being there for her full time, or telling her, but I can't raise her on my own. I was so selfish, I put her here years ago, just to finish my school and find a career, but after I spent time with her, I found out she was the best thing I never had" she sobbed. "I'm sorry about burdening you with my responsibilities"
Asukara understood. "It's alright. I know how you feel"
"You do?"
Asukara nodded. "You saw that little girl with light green hair when you first got here?"
"Yes" The pieces fit together, and Meiko was about to say something.
"She's my cousin's daughter, also born out of love" she said. Meiko mentally slapped herself. "Oh. I thought you were going to say she was…"
"Mine?" Asukara chuckled. "No, but I saw her trouble, so since my father owns this place…"
"Oh? Your father owns this orphanage?" she said. "Yep. Just like you, my mother had me when she was 18, and my dad worked hard to raise me. I this sort of thing just ran in our family" she snickered. "Since then, I felt pity towards others who don't even have a mother and father, so I help out here because they had it even worse than I did" Meiko broke a light smile. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. As long as you come to see her once in a while, I'll help by taking care of her"
Meiko looked up with gleaming eyes. "Really?"
"Yeah. Besides, she's the best kid here - she's like a daughter to me too" she admitted. "Miku is the most honest, truthful, helpful, and sympathetic girl I've ever met. Out of all of the kids, she was the easiest to raise, and she's the smartest. Sounds almost like a teen already"
Meiko liked this compliment. "She's just like her father. Humble and smart and kind" she laughed. If she was lucky, she wouldn't become a selfish woman like herself.
"Well, I think she should be up soon" Asukara said. Meiko picked her things back up. "Well miss Asukara, thank you so much for your kindness" she bowed. "And I promise to be there for her too"
Asukara winked and smiled. "It's alright, no sweat" she said. "Now give that little girl some love" Suddenly, Asukara could feel something in her head, a powerful feeling, coming from the woman in front of her.
"Wait" She trailed after her. Meiko stopped. "Are you...A shaper?"
"..." she didn't say anything until she turned and looked at Asukara. "Is it bad if I am one?"
"No. It's just that I sensed a powerful aura coming from you" at this, Meiko's eyes went wide. "But that means -"
She turned and Asukara lost her form, suddenly gaining a few inches in height, with her skin whitening and pupils disappearing, as well as her overall image. She stepped toward her and bowed slightly. "I didn't know I was in the presence of The One"
"What do you mean?" Meiko assumed her natural form. She does look kinda like Miku... Asukara thought.
"I'm not sure if you know -" she leaned on the wall. "We shapers can hear each other, but we talk of a powerful shaper who can do just about anything - the rumor has been going around for a while now - and it looks like you're that shaper"
"So what do you mean by that? I'm a queen or a god or something?" she paused. "I don't want to be a god - I'm just human, right?"
"That's correct, silly" she said. "All shapers are human - it's just that we don't really know how we do this sort of a thing" she paused. "'The One' is just a funny title two of us gave for the most powerful Shaper" she said. "And...we've found her"
"You believe in God?" Meiko cocked her head.
"Yeah. I'm thinking this is His sort of plan for something" she said. "But anyway, the other shapers think you're the most powerful one"
"So I'm a ruler or something? I don't want to be one" she raised her eyebrow. Asukara shook her head. "Just the most...powerful one in existence" she repeated. "Society knows we can't alter anyone's free will, but they'll take us down on our ability to do just about anything else" she said.
"So what can you do?" she looked at Asukara.
"I can heal people and alter landscapes" she raised out her hand, which seemingly emanated warmth and power from it. "Although I'm not as powerful as you are" she shrugged. Asukara moved to the right, Meiko trailing behind her. "Only my father and mother know I'm a shaper" she said. "I said earlier that I feel pity for these kids - because my own mother left my father and I when she found out I was a shaper" she said. "Years later, I eventually found her and knocked on her door, so when she opened it, I hugged her at the door, begging for her love. She was scared and tried to get rid of me at first, but she realized I was just her little girl asking for love and compassion" she said, a tear forming in Asukara's eye. "She had enough sympathy to apologize to me, but she didn't step up to her responsibility - Now I see her only once and a while, and every time I visit her, I see the pain and regret in her eyes" she wiped it away. "My father got me this place, and...well, I asked another Shaper for 'Financial' help, so we made this place so that kids don't have to experience a repeat of my childhood" She wiped the tear from her eye. Then, she put on a serious look.
"Please don't let this happen to Miku - I've helped raise her, and she's really a good girl" Meiko nodded. "She still looks and prays for her mother to come back - I said I'll help raise her, but please - what happened to me is painful, even for my mother. That's why I was disgusted with you when I saw you enter the room. I related it with what happened to me"
"I know" she whispered. "I can't even tell Reiji that he's her father"
A doorbell rang, startling both of them.
"Don't wait too long - you'll miss the opportunity" she said and departed as she left to answer the doorbell. She resumed her form, losing all aspects of looking like a shaper. Meiko resorted to 'Saki' as her blue hair reappeared, and she looked more like her 'fake self'
Meiko went down the hallway, and smiled upon seeing Miku's door, slightly open..
She went inside, and she almost yelped.
Miku was standing, singing softly to herself when she turned and the hallway light lit her face up.
"Miss Fujita!" she whispered, and she ran up to her. Meiko smiled and let her run into her arms, grasping the tiny girl by her small arms as she giggled.
"Well good morning sweetheart!" she whispered, careful not to wake up anyone else. "I heard you singing" she said. "It was beautiful"
Miku blushed in her arms. "Thank you!" she announced cheerily. "I thought of it in my dream"
"Oh?" she put her things down. "You had another dream?"
"Mmhmm!" she said. "But it was …" she stopped. "It was silly. You might laugh at it"
"I won't laugh. You can go ahead and tell me"
"I…Found myself at church, and you were there, wearing a white dress, and you had teal hair"
Meiko didn't move. She didn't realize she was holding her breath.
"There was a man there, he had hair like you" she paused. "He was my Daddy"
'Reiji' she thought. Miku opened her mouth to speak, shaking Meiko back to reality.
"Well, it's strange because…You were my mother"
Meiko didn't move an inch. She had shared her dream with Miku, and now she was repeating everything she had seen in her dreams.
"I'm really sorry, but I called you 'Mommy' in my dreams. I must have an overactive imagination" Meiko smiled. "It's okay. You don't have to feel bad" she said. "I actually had the same dream"
"You did!?" she sat upright on her bed. "We must be able to share dreams!"
"Yeah. We must" Meiko said. She remembered it now. Reiji had this ability to share a dream with someone and project thoughts between each other. The only person who he had ever done this with was her, besides his family since they were the only ones she saw occasionally during the dreams. The fact that Miku gained this ability from him was a surprise. However, Meiko could tell something was off today - it was in the girl's eyes - in the way that she looked at her.
"Well, did you want to practice singing?" she changed the subject. "I don't mind at all"
"Sure! By the way, do you sing? I bet you sound beautiful!" Miku complimented.
"Hmm" she pulled Miku down into the bed with her, hugging her tightly as before.
"La, La la la la ah, ah,"
"La, La la la la ah, ah,"
"La, La la la la ah, ah,"
'Saki's voice was so heavenly, so beautiful. Miku couldn't help but allow her eyes to widen at the beautiful melody she heard.
"Wake up in the morning,
I only had one thought in my mind, yes, it was you….
I had a haircut,
So you could notice and then say to me,
'Why the new style?'
Miku had to admit, this woman had a wonderful voice. She could listen to it all day.
I throw my jacket on and the silver skull ring on my right hand.
I step outside and tell myself,
Today, you will see how bright I really can be!
MERUTO! I'm melting as I think of you.
And even so, I'm too shy to say that
I LOVE YOU
Meiko stopped her singing, caught in the moment. She breathed in, and looked down at her daughter. She was still speechless, staring at her with wide eyes.
"Wow" she breathed. "You sing great!"
Meiko chuckled. "Thank you" she reached down to ruffle her hair. "I love you" she said.
"I…Ilove you too" Miku said as Meiko kissed her on the forehead.
Asukara opened the door lightly, letting them know she was entering.
"Oh! I heard you singing from out here" she said. Getting closer to Meiko, she whispered, "You sound just like the recording"
"Ah" Meiko blushed. Asukara shook this off. "It's fine. I thought you were super good!" she finished. "Don't worry, you didn't wake anyone." Meiko took this gratefully. "That's good" she replied. "I should have at least closed the door" Asukara laughed.
"HmmmHmm, Well, the kids will usually be up in a bit, so, you can still sing if you want" she said, and left the two alone. Miku looked at the navy blue haired woman with enthusiasm.
"Will you teach me how to sing?" Miku asked. Meiko nodded. "Of course!" she smiled again. "It'll be easy since we sound alike…" she said. After that moment, she lifted Miku off of her lap and sat her next to her.
"The first steps will be exercising your vocal chords, and being able to sing low and high notes."
She began to sing. "Aaaaaaaaaa-AAAAAAAAAaAaAaaAAAaaa" she stopped. Miku cocked her head. "You should try to practice with singing low notes, and as you go, change it so your voice goes higher."
"Like this?" Miku cleared her throat. "aAaaaAaaaa…AAAAAAAaaaAAAaaa" she scrunched her face into a small scowl. Meiko giggled at her daughter's face.
"MIKU! SHUT UP! WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP!" Neru's voice screamed from the other side of the bedroom wall, scaring both of them. Teto was heard groaning and something like a thud was heard. "You shut up" Teto said. Miku looked back at 'Saki' and shook her head. "Are they always like this?"
"It was that bad, wasn't it?" She looked up at her new teacher. Meiko reached to rub her head. "No, no. You actually did a very excellent job, and I'm very impressed at your ability to sing like that" she said.
"Mmm!" she lightly laughed. "Thank you!" she replied. "I really want to be able to record songs when I get older!" Meiko smiled. She really was her splitting image.
"Don't worry sweetheart, I will help to teach you how to sing"
After some practice, Meiko praised her daughter.
"Hey" she spoke. Miku turned. "Would you like to come to the park with me?"
"Really! Can we go on the swings?"
"Anything you want" she pulled her daughter closer. "We can go out to wherever you want"
"Wow!" she lit up with spunk. "You're a really nice caretaker!"
'I'm doing what I was supposed to do – be a mother to you' she thought, putting a smile on. "Well, let's go!" she stood up, taking the tiny girl with her. Waving to Asukara, she put her into the back of her car and they drove toward the center of the city.
Blue hair and sunflower hat waving in the wind, Meiko laughed as she pushed her only child on the swings. Miku felt so alive, and she laughed and smiled unlike any time before. Meiko's heart fluttered as she spent true time with her daughter, pushing her gently and watching the tiny girl fall up and down with each gentle swing. Miku got off and leapt into Meiko's arms, laughing and displaying adorableness that tore Meiko apart. Here was her only daughter, the most beautiful and amazing girl she had ever seen, and here she was trying to separate them so she could live her fantasy. Meiko suppressed the urge to cry as the little girl leapt off and clung to her leg. The sunflower hat lowered as she bent down to engulf her in a bear hug.
"You're so cute!" she held her. Miku looked at her with glistening eyes. Putting her face into the woman's chest, she hugged back. "Thank you" she said. "For giving me the experience that I never had before"
She was stunned at her daughter's vocabulary. She was like Reiji and her when they were kids.
She gazed into the orbs that came from her. She was the most important thing to her right now. She brushed her hair. "Let's get ice cream, what do you say?"
"Yay!" she lit up. Miku let a thought grace her head. "Miss Saki…Why are you so nice to me?"
"It's because I love you" she said. "I think you are an amazing little girl, and I hope to see you be a young successful woman one day"
Miku hugged her. "Thank you" she whispered. Seeing an ice cream Shoppe nearby, she looked up at 'Saki'. "Can we get leek ice cream?"
Meiko smiled. She had her father's love for leek. "Sure! I think I'll get blueberry".