Author's Note: To avoid confusion, I am not rushing the pace. This story is more about the hardships of real life than the process of getting together. There are plenty of stories which deal exclusively with getting together. This is a tad different.
Hear My Song!
Chapter II
Green Eyes and Blue Eyes
"That's everything. Good work, everyone!" the head of staff shouted, and everyone sighed with relief. It had been a busy day.
Luka was sitting on a large amp, resting. They were producing a promo video for her new album. Her whole body was sore. Why had the executives decided on a dance clip for this video? Such a hassle…
Checking her cell, Luka found that she had no new messages. Was Miku busy? She had only seen her twice since that afternoon—once to finish up the final procedures for the recording and mixing and once by coincidence when Luka was out shopping.
It was almost seven in the evening. Luka speed-dialed Miku's number and waited patiently for the beeping sound to end. A few seconds later, the songstress heard the voice of the green-haired student. "Hi, Miku. It's me, Luka. Are you free right now? I finished work and want to go and get dinner. I'll pay."
Luka was certainly not beating around the bush. It had been almost a week since she had seen Miku last and since then, she had been virtually buried in work. She had sent Miku messages a few times, but only got sporadic answers.
"Right now? I'm free, yes. My cousins are gone for a few days, so I am a bit bored." Miku was lying on her bed, being lazy and reading a novel. She still had homework to do, but that wasn't due until the next week. And there was the weekend between now and then.
"I'm in the mood to party today, so wear something fancy. I'll pick you up in an hour." Luka hung up on Miku before she could reply and stood up. As she clenched her cell in her hand, Luka let out a loud "Yes!" before she left the confused-looking staff behind as she left for her dressing room.
Luka grabbed the keys for her car and left before Erico could show up and make her do more work. She was done for today and that was final. Turning her cellphone off, she quickly scribbled a note and left through the back door. The note only contained four words. No more work today.
Luka felt that this whole thing was a bit backwards. She, the star, was all excited and hyped up about going to dinner with an almost-normal high school student, while said student didn't really seem to care that a star was asking her out.
"Normal is for bores." Luka smiled and stepped on the accelerator. She couldn't wait to see what Miku would wear.
~~~Hear My Song!~~~
"Irresponsibility, thy name is Megurine." Miku sighed and closed her cell. In the mood to party? Wouldn't one usually say "celebrate"? But well, "usually" was probably not in Luka's dictionary. The woman was sometimes hard to deal with.
Looking at the mirror over her desk, Miku looked at her hair. If Luka was serious about going out for dinner, she had to shower first. And what should she wear? She was a high school student, she didn't own anything that—as Luka had said—looked "fancy."
Miku finally found something that could fit her demands after getting up and looking through her drawers. It was a red dress that covered no more of her legs than a short skirt. Her shoulders were bare as well. It would be a bit cold to go out in it, so Miku picked out some black leggings, a matching pair of red shoes she rarely wore, and a white woolly scarf. Replacing her usual hair ties with ones that had red roses as decorations, Miku thought that this was the best she could do.
She looked at the clock—almost a quarter of an hour had passed already. Leaving everything where it was, Miku hurried in the bathroom, undressed in a hurry, and stepped into the shower. The hot water felt good, but she could barely enjoy it since she was short for time.
It hit her like a hammer. She hadn't even said "yes" to actually dressing up or anything like that. Luka really had this ability to take control of other people's lives without them realizing it.
Staring a bit at the wet wall, Miku sighed. The irresponsibility of that woman was beyond words. Miku was actually amazed someone could be like that and still function in society. A little exasperated, Miku gave up. There was no use complaining about it.
To be honest, Miku was a bit excited about actually going to dinner with Luka. She was quite well known after all, so if someone saw Miku with her, they would…what would they think? She was too young to be Luka's agent or anything like that. Wouldn't the whole thing look like…a date?
Miku blushed slightly at the thought, but then chuckled. "That's the one thing they won't think." With a smile on her face, Miku started washing her hair.
Twenty minutes later, a damp Miku stepped out of the shower and had grabbed a towel when the doorbell rang.
Quickly wrapping the towel around herself, Miku shouted, "I'm coming!" and walked to the door. Looking through the peephole, she gasped for air for a second. Luka was already here—almost half an hour early!
"Miku? Aren't you going to open the door?" Luka felt stupid talking through the door, but there was no helping it. She had finished showering and getting dressed in record time and then risked a ticket for speeding. It didn't actually matter to her that she was really early.
"Give me a moment!" Miku shouted. She was suddenly very nervous and almost stumbled over her own feet when she turned around to get to her room. Out of desperation, Miku grabbed a blanket, put that over herself, and got back to the door.
Opening it, Miku gasped again, this time silently inside her mind. Luka looked absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing a long strapless black dress that reached to her knees and minimal make-up. Miku didn't know what she had done with her hair, but it was falling straight over her back with only two strands in front that put emphasis on her free shoulders.
"I did say 'fancy', but that's a bit too fancy, Miku." Luka pointed at the seemingly stunned girl. The blanket had slipped a bit and it was now obvious that she was only in a towel beneath it. Without waiting for an invitation to come in, Luka stepped past Miku and looked into the living room.
"I just got out of the shower. You're way too early!" Miku complained. She turned and quickly vanished into the bathroom. Somehow, she felt she could trust Luka not to do anything weird while she was drying her hair.
"Want me to help you?" Luka loved teasing the girl since she took these offers so seriously.
"No, thank you!" Miku shouted and slammed the door, afraid the pervert woman would barge in. Using the dryer was bad for her hair, but she didn't want to risk Luka snooping around in her apartment. She could trust her, yes, but not further than maybe five minutes. The woman really had no manners and no consideration for others!
Luka looked around. There weren't many rooms. Her apartment was a lot bigger than this one. From what she could see, there was a living room, a kitchen, two rooms, and a bathroom. Hadn't Miku said she had two cousins?
A good ten minutes later, Miku came out of the bathroom, still in a towel but with completely dry hair now, and found Luka missing from the living room. Already guessing where she was, Miku entered her room just to find Luka sitting on her bed. She was smiling.
"Your room has a nice feel to it. Much better than mine," Luka said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to be there.
"Out." Miku grabbed Luka's hand and shoved her out of the room, closing the door behind her. With the door safely locked, Miku sighed. Just what had she gotten herself into? Was that really the same Luka Megurine that was idolized by so many girls her age? If they only knew…
"Don't worry, I won't peek. No need to lock the door." Luka chuckled and waited patiently in the hall. She had already seen the dress Miku had out to wear, but she was still excited to actually see her put it on.
Luka wasn't lying to herself. She was clearly interested in Miku, but that itself wasn't a problem. It was only a problem if she chose to pursue her—to ask her out, to date her. If Luka did that, Erico would make her a head shorter. For now, going to dinner with Miku in a nice restaurant was all she wanted.
A few minutes later, Miku finally stepped out, looking a tad annoyed. She'd decided to leave her handbag in her room. Luka had said she would pay, and though Miku didn't put it past her to forget her money, she just decided to trust her for now.
"Sometimes I ask myself how you manage to act so polite and ladylike on TV," Miku grumbled, looking at Luka. She sighed. "You haven't even told me where we're going."
"The Chèron. You know, that new restaurant near Ebisu in Shibuya?" Luka pointed it out as if it were a run-of-the-mill restaurant for normal people when it was actually one of the latest popular places to go to. Luka knew how popular it was and picked it on purpose, even though it was expensive.
"The Chèron? But that place is so popular, you'd need to reserve a table weeks in advance." Everyone in her entire class, Miku included, dreamed of getting asked out to that place. Her happiness was a bit diminished, as it was Luka who was asking her out, but still, it was one of her dreams come true.
"Leave that to me." Luka smiled and grabbed Miku's hand. "You look wonderful. I have to look out that you aren't going to steal my spotlight as most beautiful lady of the evening. Let's go." Luka pulled the blushing Miku out of the apartment before the girl could notice much too late that she had forgotten something important.
Slam. The apartment door was closed and Miku sighed. "I left my keys inside." Now she would have to call her landlord to open the door for her. And it would probably be the middle of the night by then. The evening was really starting out badly.
"I'll take care of that too, don't worry." Luka continued to pull Miku along until they were standing in front of an almost-new red sports car. Miku didn't know much about cars, so "sports car" was enough of a description for her. That it was a sports car was easily distinguished by the fact that it had no rear seats.
"I really really like FDs, so I bought this guy the other day." Luka seemed really proud. It had cost quite a sum, but then again, continuously making the top of the music charts paid off. And though it wasn't tuned and not as new as 4WD cars, it was fast.
Opening the door to the passenger's side, Luka waited for Miku to sit down in the car.
All this was slowly becoming a bit much for Miku. The car was really new. Everything seemed to be shining, and even though the seat didn't look like much, it was pretty comfortable.
Luka sat down and started the engine. "Sadly, I can't wear high heels when driving my own car. But I figured that's okay, since I'm already a bit taller than you," Luka said, and almost shocked Miku to death when she pulled the car around and stepped on the accelerator. With a lot more speed than allowed, they raced in direction of Shibuya.
"Have you ever dated anyone, Miku?" Luka had been quiet for a while now, and so had Miku. Miku had been too busy making sure she wouldn't be killed by Luka's dangerous driving style. Her stomach was feeling a bit funny. And now questions! With Luka, every minute was a surprise.
Luka would never give up trying to get it out of her. Miku might as well spit it out. It wasn't like it was some well-protected secret or anything. And why did she care, anyway? Miku sighed. Why did Luka have to bring this up now? Of course Miku wanted a normal high school life like anyone else.
"Not yet. Thank you for reminding me," she said.
"Same as me, then." Luka grinned, much to Miku's surprise.
"You've never dated? But you're so popular. Guys would stand in line to go out for dinner…with you…" Miku suddenly realized how special it was to go out with someone famous. When she thought of Luka as a meddling and somewhat evil woman, it was nothing special, but as soon as she remembered that Luka was a star, this date seemed suddenly a lot different.
"I just haven't met the right person." Luka pulled the car around and parked. She then stepped out and even opened Miku's door for her so she could help her out. They really looked like two ladies going to a high-class party.
In front of them was a huge tower. It was half-hotel and half-shopping mall, with a top level that housed what was currently one of the most popular restaurants for young people in the city. The lobby was especially busy this time at night. Miku had never been inside the tower, even though she knew it well from the outside. She followed half a step behind Luka, staring at everything. Almost everyone in here was dressed really well, so they didn't stand out at all.
"Where to, ladies?" There was even an attendant in the lift, asking them where they wanted to go. Luka answered, but Miku didn't hear what she said. The lift started to move upwards and Luka stepped back, standing right next to her escort.
"Give me your hand," Luka said in a quiet voice.
Miku first didn't think and had already taken Luka's hand when she realized what this would look like when they got out of the lift. She gave Luka an embarrassed look, but the elegant woman only shook her head, and the lift doors opened before Miku could make a comment. Luka stepped forward and had to pull Miku for a second before she followed.
"Luka!" Out of nowhere, a really well-dressed gentleman showed up and almost knelt before Luka, kissing her free hand. "I got your call earlier. A table by the windows, was it? Follow me."
Quite a few people—everyone nearby, in fact—watched them and started to talk. Miku couldn't understand them since she was still holding hands with Luka, and she was so embarrassed that her face felt as if it were on fire. The man directed them to a table in the back corner. To the left and behind it were windows. If the tower wasn't this high, people could have looked in from the streets.
"Thank you, Marco." Luka was showing a bright smile, but the man single-handedly waved it off. He seemed to be quite fond of Luka, or at least knew her well from the way they talked to each other.
"Nothing to thank me for. This young lady is the escort you mentioned?" The man stepped closer. He was really good-looking. He had very refined features, and although he was middle-aged, he didn't have any gray hair and was wearing an old but very cultivated pair of glasses. He bowed down and even called Miku "mademoiselle." "She is as beautiful as you described. I'll have one of my men come to you in a few." He then bowed and left to speak to some of the other guests.
"Miku, you can stop blushing now," Luka whispered over the table after they both sat down. Luka knew that Marco would leave her a bit of time per her request before sending anyone over. Miku couldn't know that she knew the head waiter here. He was one of her biggest fans.
"I can't help it. People usually don't call me beautiful," Miku said defensively. She turned and looked out the window. The view was breath-taking—the lights of Shibuya at night. But despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but look back at Luka.
It seemed so unreal. Like a shoujo manga story. It was just that her Prince Charming was actually a princess. Miku made a slightly disappointed face. But what exactly what she so disappointed about? Maybe it was time to stop trying so hard to make this seem less fun than it could be.
"You don't like it here, Miku? You really don't look like you're having fun." Luka was a bit worried that she had gone overboard with all of this. Honestly, it had all escalated a bit—it had gone from planning a dinner with Miku to somehow becoming a date at this upscale place. Luka sometimes lacked the ability to stop short and think about what she was doing.
"No, it's okay. I'm just…trying to take it all in." Miku took a deep breath. Should she just say it? Knowing Luka, it couldn't really end with her running away. "This is a date, right?" Miku felt like something clicked inside her head when she said "date." Going on a date with another girl had…certain implications.
"If you want it to be." Luka dodged the question, still feeling like she maybe had rushed things a bit. A lot of people reacted very badly when someone of the same sex suddenly flirted with them. She just hoped she could still save the situation.
"That wasn't my question. You want it to be a date. Am I right, Luka?" Miku leaned forward and her serious expression was telling Luka that she better answer truthfully, even if it meant saying something Miku didn't want to hear. Lying to her now would probably cause things to take a turn for the worse.
"Now that we're here and I see you like this, I do," Luka said, and felt a bit nervous. It was difficult to handle other people. "But if you don't like it, then—" Luka started when Miku put up a finger.
"No, it's fine." She was silent for a bit, then went back to looking out the window. Luka was quiet as well, so Miku wasn't sure what she should do now. Yes, it was fine. Miku had always had the suspicion that she looked at girls a bit differently than others did.
But why did it have to be Luka to make her accept that? True, she was really good-looking, famous, wealthy, and worked in the same industry Miku wanted to be in. But then again, she had a really bad personality. Inconsiderate, not a shred of politeness, pitch-black soul…
A waiter eventually approached. The girls had not spoken for several minutes, and Miku was still deep in thought about what to do now. Should she see if Luka was interested in her? Wouldn't that imply that Miku was interested in her? Was she? Miku didn't know anymore. Her heart was racing, thinking about all this, in this getup, in this place.
The waiter talked to Luka, who seemed a bit down now, and then bowed and left. The gentleman from earlier returned immediately with Marco. He talked to Luka, looking suspiciously at Miku a few times. Luka obviously was trying to talk him into something he wasn't too happy about doing, but he gave in after a while.
Miku was still not talking, but Luka's conversation with the waiter and Marco had not escaped her attention. Still, that was hardly the issue right now.
"Miku, listen. If I pushed you too far, I apologize." Luka averted her eyes toward the glass window and sighed quietly. She wasn't faking it. Miku was the first person she had liked this way for quite a while and she didn't want to ruin everything…
"Do you like girls, Luka?" Miku figured that thinking about it forever wouldn't actually solve anything. At least, she had to know if Luka was interested in her or not. The question brought back the red in her face for a bit, but she slowly grew tired of blushing.
"It depends on the person. I don't generally like girls more than guys," Luka answered truthfully. Now that someone had asked her directly, it was true that Luka had never really been interested in the men around her. And there had only been one girl she had liked in the past, and that was years ago.
"How about me?" Miku stopped looking out the window and laid both arms on the table, looking directly at Luka. She was still embarrassed when asking these things, but she didn't like beating around the bush anymore; it would only lead to misunderstandings and problems. Maybe it was because she had to deal with Neru every day, but she had gotten tired of being indirect a long time ago. "Do you like me?"
"I don't know. I like to be around you, but I can't really say why." Luka felt like their roles had suddenly reversed—Miku was leading her on and Luka was answering. Maybe it would be a good thing to just accept things as they were for now.
Miku let out a sigh of relief and started smiling after a moment of awkward silence. "At least you're honest. So…I'll be honest as well. You're an intriguing and, a lot of the time, an annoying person to be around. I think I still want to be around you, despite that. I don't know if I like girls, but it doesn't hurt to try."
Miku knew that from a bystander's perspective, it must've looked like a confession from both sides. But it truly wasn't. They had only just confirmed that they'd like to do things together and that they both didn't exclude girls from their list of potential partners. Miku wasn't quite as sure as Luka in that aspect, but she at least wanted to give it a chance. It was stupid to always expect the worst.
The waiter returned with a bottle of wine. Luka smiled at Miku, who smiled back. Even though they were hardly on a real date, it was a little bit exciting.
Luka and Miku were handed the cards to order. Luka quickly decided, but Miku went a little bit pale on the prices. She hadn't thought it would be this expensive. No wonder the girls in her class only dreamed of going here. But Luka had invited her after all, so she chose to order the same thing as Luka. The waiter excused himself and left the girls alone.
Luka took her glass of wine and smelled it, just to chuckle after a few seconds. "To be honest, I have no idea how good wine is supposed to taste. I don't really like it, either. But it's almost obligatory for this place, so I bear with it."
Miku had never really tasted wine before. She took a sip—it was actually pretty good. Miku didn't know the slightest thing about wine, but it wasn't bad by any means, so she took another sip. She really enjoyed the taste of it.
"Let's go somewhere else after eating, Miku." Luka loved the nightlife, especially with a cute girl like Miku right next to her. They were dressed a bit too classily for any other activities though.
Miku just nodded. Maybe tonight would be fun. She rarely rarely went out because of her financial situation, and even when she did it was only with girls her age. There were probably a lot of places she could go with Luka escorting her.
~~~Hear My Song!~~~
"Are you feeling okay? You look terrible, Miku."
Miku was feeling sick. Not used to alcohol, and not knowing how much she could drink, Miku had gone overboard with the wine. At least she still had control over her legs by the time they'd left. But once they were outside in the fresh air and in Luka's car, it was all over. Luka had had to pull over a few seconds after they'd left.
"I'm not okay, thank you for your consideration," Miku snapped back. She was sitting in the car with the door open. She felt like throwing up any second now. Knowing Luka, she would be angry if she threw up in her new car.
"I'll drive you home. You can't go anywhere like that." Luka felt a bit responsible for letting a minor drink so much wine. It had been a nice but a bit short evening. At least she now knew that Miku was a very poor drinker.
Miku felt that she would feel a lot worse any moment now, but at least then it would be over with. She stood up and immediately swayed like she was about to fall over. Luka quickly grabbed her. "Bushes. Now," Miku gasped, and Luka reacted fast.
A few disgusting moments later, Luka passed a bottle of water to Miku. "Drink that."
Luka knew that it would be best to drive Miku home soon. Luka was too familiar with how bad one felt after drinking too much, so she reduced her talking to a minimum and signaled Miku to get in the car.
Miku's head was still buzzing and she was thankful for the silence. She couldn't tell how long they took, but Luka was driving considerably slower than before. She was probably trying to be considerate. So she did have a nice side to her after all. Miku felt like smiling at that revelation, but that small motion was a little too difficult to do at that moment.
They got out of the car and Luka helped Miku out, letting the smaller girl lean on her. Then, right in front of her door, it hit them.
"My keys…are inside," Miku said, and let her head sink. "It's okay, I'll call my landlord. My cell is inside, can I have yours?" Miku reached out with her hand, waiting for Luka to hand over her cell.
"I…don't have my cell with me. I left it at home. I didn't want to be called when I was out with you." Luka suddenly felt like having a drink herself. This evening was getting worse by the minute. "I'll drive you to my place. I can't leave you here in the cold." Luka already had goosebumps from the chilly night air.
Luka sometimes cursed her own luck. Things had been fine after their…talk. Until it was time to leave. Miku noticed she had drunk a bit too much and from there, things had gone downhill.
Miku was quiet the whole time Luka drove to her apartment. "Listen, I'm sorry," Luka said. She thought she had never apologized so much in one day.
After getting no response, Luka looked to her side. Miku was lying there in the seat, closed eyes, breathing normally. When had she fallen asleep? Luka drove a bit slower than before, trying not to wake her up. More than ten minutes later, they arrived in the parking lot near Luka's apartment.
Luka was torn between waking Miku up and just carrying her up to her apartment. She looked rather peaceful, and not to say cute, sleeping right now, so Luka didn't want to wake her up. It wasn't that far to her apartment and it was dark now, so not many people would see them.
Luka got out of the car, then opened Miku's door and slowly pulled her out, carrying her like a princess. When she closed the door Luka had a few problems locking the car, but she eventually managed. If not for the events of half an hour ago, she would've been tempted to steal a kiss from the sleeping Miku.
"Probably better I don't. She'd probably get angry."
~~~Hear My Song!~~~
Miku's head was a mess. The last thing she remembered was getting back in Luka's car. Where was she?
She opened her eyes. When they had adjusted to the light, Miku found herself in a bed she didn't recognize. She moved slightly, and she felt a tug from behind. Then she looked over her shoulder—Miku wasn't very surprised to see Luka's face. The woman was lying behind her, both her arms tightly wrapped around Miku's waist. The pink-haired woman was fast asleep.
Miku knew it was unlikely, but to be sure, she took a peek under the blanket. Luka must have stripped her. She was only wearing underwear, but at least she was wearing something at all. Right in front of her, next to the bed, was a small desk, on top of which were her hair ties.
The clock said eleven in the morning. It had been ages since she had slept in that much. Well, it couldn't be helped. Eleven…in the morning?! She was over three hours late for school! Even if she woke Luka up now and got her to drive and all…could she still make it in time for her afternoon classes? But they would ask her where she was. She had never been this late. Never! And she couldn't just answer that she was out with Luka Megurine for dinner and had ended up getting drunk and crashing at her place. They would declare her a liar and a dishonest person.
The clock was ticking. Given that she couldn't just jump up and go to school in her dress, she would have to go home first, and probably need to take a shower as well…so she wouldn't make it for the first class of the afternoon. With a huge sigh, Miku accepted the reality that it was probably better to just skip the whole day and pretend that she hadn't been feeling well.
Miku didn't want to think about it anymore. "Luka? Luka. Wake up!" Miku tried to speak quietly, mostly because her head was still buzzing from the night before. "Luuuka…" Miku tried to turn around, which was difficult with Luka hugging her. Finally managing it, Luka suddenly pulled closer. Was she really asleep?
Miku's face was only a few inches away from Luka's. Miku could feel her breath on her skin. Being this close would excite anyone, but what they talked about the evening before really had really gotten to her. They were moving forward so fast—Miku needed to stand still for a bit. Was she really okay with this? It certainly felt that way, but…
Miku also thought about it on Luka's behalf. How would the fans take it that Luka was dating? Seeing a high school student…and a girl on top of it? Well, some guys were into such things, but wasn't that really bad for her image? Was that really Miku's business? Should she distance herself from her for Luka's own good?
But all of that was washed away when Luka opened her eyes. That sleepy face, the eyes half open, slightly confused. That pure look, that one moment was all that was needed to make Miku's heart beat faster.
Both looked into each other's eyes, quietly, silently, and Miku gave up. No amount of thinking could change what she felt. She was intrigued by this woman, and even if it ended in disaster, she wanted to at least try to see what it would be like to be with her.
Luka was the same. She knew the risks of going out with anyone. And with Miku, that risk was increased tenfold, and it wasn't just because she was a girl. She was also a high school student. That they had sung a duet together would only further the fire if this came out.
Miku closed her eyes and let herself be pulled closer, into a tight embrace. No kiss, nothing more than an intimate hug. This was the limit of their relationship right now. Both knew that they had to keep this a secret. No words were needed to know that much. For Luka, it was a matter that could ruin her career. And for Miku, one that could ruin her future career and her life.
"Your hair smells," Luka said, and ruined the mood in an instant.
Miku pulled away and gave her a harsh glare.
"But I guess that's normal after what happened yesterday." Luka didn't want to remember that particular moment. "The shower is down the hall. Don't worry, I won't peek. Probably."
Miku thought she must've been crazy to think this woman wasn't evil to the core. First thing in the morning and she was already teasing her. Miku could never tell when she was serious about these things, so she was always on guard.
"If you peek, I'll never talk to you again." Miku warned the pink-haired woman with an "I really mean it" glare and looked at her clothes. She could hardly wear those again after showering.
"I'll bring you some of my clothes," Luka said, stretching in the large bed and rolling over to the other side. "If you trust me that little, check the left drawer. Just pick something that fits." Luka was sounding annoyed now.
Miku took the risk and left, checking nearly every other room between the bedroom and the bathroom, which were on opposing ends of the hall. Luka had a big kitchen and even a small audio room to practice in. Miku thought of her own cramped apartment and felt lost somehow. But Luka's apartment was a bit…cold. That is, it didn't have any warmth in it. It was pretty bland compared to Miku's place. Probably because the songstress was always working.
The bathroom was a lot bigger than the one in her apartment. Especially the bathtub. Miku would've killed to bathe here, but Luka would likely to want to shower as well. Since she already decided to skip school that day, and the weekend was coming up, she might as well do something with Luka.
"Erico is going to kill me if I tell him about this," Luka sighed out loud and stretched again, slowly getting up. She looked for her cell and turned it on. Twenty-seven unread mails, all from Erico. Luka snapped it off right away. She wasn't in the mood to read those, not now.
Miku was probably already in the shower. Luka looked for her scheduler, a little black book where she kept important dates, and flipped through it. The entire morning was just full of studio stuff, and then there was an interview at four o'clock in the afternoon. Luka tried to remember what that was about since the note only said "interview."
"Must be that…" Luka sighed, knowing that she couldn't skip that one.
She looking through her drawers and picked out a few clothes. When she finally decided on a set, she carried it over to the bathroom door. "Miku! I've got you some clothes." She could peek easily, and it was tempting, but she knew better than to unnecessarily provoke the girl in there. Nothing good would come of it. Too bad she couldn't spy through the keyhole.
The water stopped and there was silence for a few seconds. Then the door finally opened a little gap and a cautious pair of eyes showed through. "I'm amazed you held your word." Grabbing the clothes, Miku closed the door, but not without whispering, "Thank you."
A smile on her face, Luka knew that peeking was quite unnecessary. After all, she had the liberty of picking out Miku's outfit. Now that she thought about it, the shirt resembled her own stage outfit a bit. The cut-off sleeves and the ornaments were in the same style, but due to how it was cut, Luka had never worn it before. It was simply too tight around the chest.
Luka fell back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. What to do now? Drive Miku home? Or try to talk her into going out for a bit? Maybe she shouldn't anger Erico too much and show up in the studio, but it would be a bit cold to just tell Miku she was going to work after…what had happened. What actually had happened? They hadn't really agreed on anything. Well, in her mind, they had agreed on giving romantic feelings a try.
"This is such a mess…" Luka sighed and fell back asleep, stretched out on the bed.
~~~Hear My Song!~~~
How in the world had she talked her into this? And then how had she dragged her here? It was a mystery of the modern world. Miku was trying very hard not to be nervous, but she was a little pale. She had already been nervous when she was about to meet Luka, and now this. The woman next to her was smiling happily to the man in the chair across from them.
"Then, in closing—how do you feel about working with Miss Hatsune here?"
An interview. About her new album, the first one to be produced. All her songs until now had been singles. Luka had been happily answering questions for the past twenty minutes and Miku had been trying hard not to stutter when she got asked a question. How in the world had she ended up doing an interview with Luka? What was wrong with this woman, dragging her into it? She was evil after all! Miku's stomach was feeling upside down.
"Ah, of course…well, at first our coordination was a bit sloppy, but Miku is a really talented girl, so we didn't have many problems after that. Her voice fit the chosen song very well. I dare say, all of you can be excited to hear our combined efforts!"
Was that really Luka? No. That was the TV and public Luka, not the real one. It was all a mask she wore. A fascinating mask. The polar opposite of her actual personality. Miku had been trying to smile the whole time, but after Luka had kicked her foot without drawing attention, Miku stopped. It must've looked really awkward.
"You two must be really close since you call Miss Hatsune by her first name! Are you?"
Luka had been afraid of this question. She could play it safe or take a risk and maybe boost her sales a bit. She turned around and looked at Miku.
The green-haired girl's nervousness suddenly rose to tenfold the previous amount. Luka leaned in and laid one hand on Miku's left cheek.
"Are we, you ask? Well, look at her! How could someone resist someone this cute? And such a nice voice, too." Luka then quickly went back to her previous position. She could hear some girls in the audience scream "Kyaaah!" which was exactly her calculated reaction.
"Seems you two are a lot closer than we all thought!"
The reporter was getting on her nerves. He was way too interested in personal facts instead of the music. But media was media, so Luka endured. "I don't know what you're implying. I surely hope nothing special." She smiled, but it was a certain type of smile, one that signaled the interviewer to stop asking question about that particular topic.
The man was intimidated and quickly changed the subject and subsequently ended the interview. The lights went off, and Luka went to shake hands and sign some autographs for her fans, who were now screaming and yelling like a wild mob.
Miku had already entered the small dressing room that Luka had used before the interview when Luka got back. She looked really exhausted.
"You did great for your first time out there, but your smile was creepy. It gave me the chills," Luka commented, stretching in front of the mirror. While they had come to the interview in regular clothes, she still had put on some makeup on herself and Miku.
"I was so nervous, I was about to faint out there!" It was unusual for Miku to get this loud, but she really was annoyed. "Why the hell did you make me do this? And what was with that comment at the end? We don't have that sort of relationship!" Miku was quite angry with the songstress.
"We don't?" Luka thought of the morning's events. She then stepped closer to Miku, laying both arms around her shoulders. She was a bit taller than Miku, and now she was quietly looking down at her. "I thought we did." To emphasize her words, Luka leaned forward, trying to kiss Miku.
A stagehand who was walking by heard a loud sound from inside the dressing room and checked by opening the door. "Everythin' okay in here?"
He almost got run over by a very angry and grim-looking Miku. "Yes. Now everything is okay." Miku quickly stomped past him. She didn't care how far away she was from her house. She didn't want to spend another second with that invasive woman. A few stagehands who had worked behind the scenes on the interview recognized her and looked a bit confused that she was alone.
The feelings from earlier were completely overridden by Miku's disgust for Luka's complete lack of restraint and consideration. "I must've been brainwashed. Or still drunk."
Luka sat down in the dressing room and sulked. What was wrong with that girl? She might have been a bit hasty, but that was no reason to slap her! Rubbing her red cheek, Luka cursed a bit, but since only the wall could hear her, she quickly gave up.
She left the dressing room and asked a worker where Miku had gone, but he didn't know who she was talking about. It took her nearly ten minutes to find out that Miku had left the building in a hurry. Even angrier than before, Luka grabbed her keys and stomped towards the direction of her car.
Blowing off steam by speeding was a very dangerous idea, so she didn't do it. She just had to make her anger go away somehow. She pulled over at a parking lot, grabbed her cell phone out of her bag, and flipped it on. Not even three seconds later it started ringing. It was Erico.
"What?!" Luka was really in a bad mood.
"I've been trying to get you all day. We have a big problem. Come to the agency right now." Erico hung up.
He'd just hung up on her. Luka was furious now. What the hell was wrong with everyone today? Did they all suddenly have a grudge against her or something?
Not even ten minutes later, Luka was at the agency. Even though the cold wind had cooled her down a bit, she still was in a very foul mood. "What is it? What's so important?!" Luka was about to snap.
Erico held up some papers containing graphs and tables. Luka was not quite focused enough to immediately realize what they were about. "What are those?" Pulling one of the papers from his hands, she looked it over.
Then it hit her. Erico turned around and his voice was bitter. "These, Luka, are the graphs of the first reviews for your new album. They're horrendous. We sent it to more than a dozen music magazine editors and they all hated it. The only exception is your duet." Erico was quite obviously at a loss.
Luka looked over the remaining pamphlets and went paler with every page. She could have sworn there was a ringing sound in her head. Grabbing the entire pile of papers, she threw them against the wall. "Fuck!"
~~~Hear My Song!~~~
It was evening by the time Miku got home. Her feet were sore and her anger gone. She was actually feeling a little regretful. After how she had acted that morning, it wasn't that much of a stretch to say that she and Luka had that kind of relationship. She regretted slapping Luka, but Luka didn't pick up her cell phone and Miku didn't have Erico's number.
When Miku was a few steps from her apartment, her cell rang. Unknown number. So it wasn't Luka. Picking up, Miku was curious who would call her at a time like this. "Hatsune. Who's this?"
"Luka's agent, Erico. Speaking of Luka, have you seen her?" Erico seemed a bit out of breath. His voice was trembling, too.
It took less than five minutes for Erico to spill the beans. Miku went pale. The whole album? But not the duet? Biting her lip, Miku thought about how Luka must feel. First the events after the interview, and now this disaster. "And she's been missing since then? Her car is still at the studio? Did you try her cell phone?" Miku immediately realized why Luka hadn't picked up, and why Erico wouldn't be able to reach her either.
"I've already checked all the places she would go. I seriously have no idea where she could have gone, and I'm worried. Right now I'm calling everyone she knows. If she shows up, give me a call under this number. Ciao." He hung up. Miku stood in front of her door, feeling worse than before.
Thank God she had called her landlord from Luka's cellphone before the songstress had dragged her to the interview. She picked up the key that was hidden under the doormat, opened her door, and walked through the hall, already deep in thought about what Erico had said. It wasn't her fault that Luka had gone missing. She would have left like that, even without fighting with Miku.
Miku felt sorry for her, though. It was her first album, and knowing how hard Luka had worked for it…it was really a pity that it was going to be pulled. It would be a bad hit for her career, too. Miku wanted to say a few encouraging words to her, but…after her actions today, it would be a miracle if Luka was ever going to talk to her again.
Miku just left her bag at the door and walked straight to her room. The other two were still out and wouldn't be back for at least another day.
Lying down on her bed, Miku felt a bit lethargic. Was it a bad thing that she wouldn't see Luka again? Was it a good thing? Considering how many weird things that woman had dragged her into, it was probably a good thing. But then again, why was she regretting it so much?
Miku rolled over in bed and pulled the blanket over her. Hadn't her heart jumped a bit when Luka embraced her this morning? Or was she reading too much into it? Hadn't she thought this morning that she now viewed girls differently? That seemed really far off after slapping Luka when she had tried to kiss her.
Just tired from the day—the evening before and the walking—Miku fell asleep. A deep, dreamless sleep.
~~~Hear My Song!~~~
It was pitch black outside. The clock said three in the morning. Who the hell was knocking on her door at this hour? Miku, still not undressed from before, walked to the door, still half-asleep. She looked through the peephole, but nobody was there. Then, again came the knocking. It came from below.
She opened the door and something fell in, like a wet sack of potatoes. Miku jumped back, scared, but then examined the sack. It was rare that such things had long pink hair and were very, very drunk. Miku rubbed her forehead and sighed. Somehow, this smelled like a long night.
Why didn't she throw her out? Why didn't she just ignore her? Or at least leave her in the living room. But then the whole room would stink the next morning. Luka's clothes, her hair, everything smelled of alcohol. It was astonishing that she had found this place on foot. Even more astonishing was the fact that she had made it here at all, drunk as she was.
Miku dragged Luka into the bathroom, and after explaining three times to her that she had to take a shower alone, her words finally got through. Why was she putting up with this? Did Miku like her or not? Miku yelled at herself inside her her mind. Make up your mind already!
Almost half an hour later, Luka knocked on the bathroom door. Miku couldn't figure out what the drunk woman was saying, but she was probably done. Miku opened the door and handed the songstress some of her clothes.
Wasn't she supposed to call Erico? Why hadn't she done so in the first place and had him pick her up? Why had she bothered to have Luka shower and to throw her clothes in the washing machine? Miku ruffled her own hair. Sometimes she didn't understand what the hell she was doing.
Luka was about to pass out. The hot water hadn't helped much except remove the alcohol stench. Miku couldn't figure out what was going on anymore and just proceeded to drag her to her bed. They had slept in the same bed before, and she couldn't leave Luka drunk somewhere else. She was sleepy as hell and wanted to go bed too.
Luka was mumbling to herself. Or actually talking to Miku. Or something. It was just gibberish anyway. Miku shoved her into the small bed despite not feeling good about the fact that she would have to snuggle up with Luka to fit in her own bed. Maybe she should have just left her in the living room after all…
But then Luka started crying. It was completely unexplainable. Out of the blue, suddenly, Luka started sobbing and clinging to Miku. Her words were unintelligible, but Miku was aware of what she was crying about—her new album. This could very well mean the end of Luka's career if the agency decided to drop her to cut their losses.
Roles were suddenly reversed. Miku stood there, patting Luka's head and back, but unable to say anything reassuring. What could she have said? The usually strong and confident woman was drunkenly crying her heart out.
She sat down on her bed and continued to just be there for Luka to cry on. It took a long time until she stopped. Following a short awkward silence, Luka said something that Miku actually understood. "Thank you…"
Was it charm or pity? Miku didn't care either way. She took Luka's hand. "Tomorrow, everything will look a bit better." She knew her words didn't help much, but surprisingly, Luka nodded.
Miku knew this night would come back to haunt her, but she just couldn't leave Luka. Not while knowing how hard she had worked to be where she was.
Luka had quickly fallen asleep. Her hair was still wet, and so was her skin. She was wearing one of Miku's shirts that was a little too tight for her but that was long enough to cover her hips. Miku didn't have anything appropriate, so she had stolen a pair of Haku's underwear.
Really, what should she do? This woman was nothing but trouble. One moment, Miku thought she liked her to the point where she thought she was a lesbian. Not even twelve hours later, she never wanted to see her again. And now she was back to square one!
Falling asleep, Miku dreamed of a huge stage.
The audience was empty. Nobody was there. It was a giant hall, one of the biggest she had ever seen. She was wearing the same outfit that Luka had given her, and she was holding a microphone. The hall was eerily silent. No music, no sound. Looking at the ground, Miku saw that there were dozens, hundreds of pamphlets covering the stage, so she picked one up and looked at it. It featured her and Luka. Project Diva was written in large characters at the top.
But all that wasn't important. What was important was that the word "Canceled!" had been stamped over their faces. Miku looked around, but Luka was nowhere to be seen.
Miku finally noticed that she couldn't move. She was chained to the stage. Chained to the ground. Long steel chains on her legs held her back. Then the door opened. Miku tried to scream out, but there was no sound. It was just someone with a cleaning unit.
Slowly making his way down, the cleaner picked up one of the pamphlets and seemed rather fascinated by it. But then he moved to throw it away. Miku tried to get free, but the more she struggled, the tighter the chains got. She looked wildly around, finally giving the stage a good look. It was very run down. Had it been like that the whole time?
Miku looked behind her. Her and Luka's faces were painted on the wall behind her, accompanied by dozens of graffiti scrawlings. Some were offensive, some were just plain gibberish or prank art. One of them, a very big one in pink and green letters, read "Failure."
The cleaner was almost near the stage. Miku still tried to scream, but her voice was simply missing. She threw the microphone in her hand and it landed near the cleaner, who proceeded to look up.
Now Miku wanted to scream more than ever. The cleaner was Luka. Miku hadn't recognized her. Her hair was put into a tangled ponytail, a dirty brown instead of pink. The janitor clothes concealed her nice figure. But worst of all were her eyes. They were empty and lifeless, as if her soul were missing.
After looking at Miku for a few seconds, the janitor quickly got back to her job. She picked up the pamphlets and threw them into the trash bin in her mobile unit. Miku tried to get free, but soon the chains were so tight that she couldn't move anymore. She sank to her knees and watched the cleaner finish her work. Not once did Luka look at her again.
And then she left. Left and was gone. Miku was all alone in the big hall. Alone and forgotten. Miku was about to cry when the door opened again and Luka came back. She was standing there, right at the door, looking at the stage. Miku knew Luka wouldn't leave her.
Luka turned to the side and opened a small door in the wall. She pushed a few buttons, then lights slowly went off. The last light was the main light of the stage. The hall was covered in darkness now. Luka turned around and looked once again at the stage. Then she looked at Miku. And with a last push, the lights went off, and Miku was truly alone in the darkness.
Unable to scream out, unable to leave, she was left alone in the darkness.
~~~Hear My Song!~~~
She woke up in cold sweat and with a racing heart. Miku felt sick, like she would throw up any second. She'd never had a nightmare so bad. Miku just hurried to get up and get to the bathroom, feeling she would throw up any second now. She pushed the door open and was surprised at what she saw. Luka was showering again, and Miku had a great view of her body.
Starting to cough, Miku got on her knees. She didn't throw up—instead she went into a coughing seizure.
Luka grabbed a long towel and quickly left the shower before kneeling down next to Miku. "What's wrong, Miku?" Luka knew that this wasn't caused by Miku seeing her naked. There must be some other reason.
Luka noticed immediately what that reason was. Miku was as pale as a ghost, covered in cold sweat, and her eyes were red from crying. Luka didn't know what to do. Hug her, console her? But what if Miku reacted the same way she had the day before? After being taken in, Luka didn't want to cause Miku any more trouble. Against her better judgment, Luka pulled Miku towards her, hugging her and waiting until the girl calmed down.
"I…had a horrible nightmare. I've never had one so bad. It was…about you and me." Miku just had to tell someone about it. The images had been so real, so vivid. It was hard to believe it was just a dream. Miku proceeded to tell Luka about the entire nightmare, and even Luka was a bit put off by how it went.
"Listen, Miku…about yesterday…" Luka knew that she should probably apologize for assuming things, but it was hard to apologize to the girl who slapped her. Especially since Luka was so proud. But despite what she felt like yesterday, she didn't want Miku to go her separate way after their fight.
"You don't need to apologize." They had moved to the living room. Luka was still covered in a towel, and Miku only in a long shirt she used to sleep. "Maybe you weren't that wrong. I mean…" Miku didn't know how to explain her feelings. She could only think of directly telling Luka what she thought.
"If I weren't at least a little interested, would I really be acting the way I am? I've never been this confused in my entire life." Miku avoided looking straight at Luka. It was so embarrassing to say things like this. Miku wished she could virtually shrink to escape this feeling.
Luka didn't know how to answer. She usually hid her feelings from others, but would that really help in this case? Shouldn't she just say what she really thought? Miku was being so terribly honest…could Luka actually go and lie to her now? Taking a deep breath, Luka reached out and grabbed Miku's hand.
"Will you go out with me?" Luka felt like kissing a wall. That really was a stupid way to tell her. Miku's confusion in her face made obvious that she was getting the wrong idea. Luka didn't mean it like that. But how could she explain it? Making another bold move, Luka pressed forward and pushed Miku down on the ground.
"Like this…"
What the hell was she doing? Why did she always act like an idiot in these situations? She'd always been that way. She was always taking rash actions.
But Miku didn't defend herself. She just let Luka advance until she was kneeling right above her. Miku looked up. Strands of wet pink hair were falling down but not yet touching her face. Her blue eyes were mesmerizing. Miku didn't even want to defend herself. She just wanted to let things happen, to let things take their way from here on. She was tired of thinking, doubting, questioning everything…
Luka leaned down. Her wet hair touched Miku's shoulders, her neck and face. Luka was not in control of her body anymore. It was acting on its own. Quietly staring into the eyes of the girl beneath her, the girl with those beautiful and mysterious green eyes, she felt overcome with greed. Luka wanted her all to herself.
Luka's hand found her way into Miku's. As if purely on instinct, their hands closed, tightly holding each other. Green eyes closed and blue eyes followed. Faces drew closer and were soon able to feel each other's breath on their skin. Their hearts were beating so loud that they should've been able to hear each other. A last small jump ahead, and lips met.
Remaining together for only moments, the gasping of breathless girls filled the room after they separated. Excitement had them in its grasp. Neither had anticipated a kiss to be like that. Miku just didn't have the will to resist, and Luka just didn't have the will to restrain herself.
Touching her own lips, cautiously as if they might break, Miku avoided looking at Luka and turned her head to the side. It had felt so nice, despite how short it was. Luka was still kneeling over her, remaining in that position long after Miku looked away.
Luka was trying to think of a thousand things at once. Scolding herself, congratulating herself, being annoyed and happy…she was a storm of emotions right now. She had expected violent retaliation, but nothing had happened.
She moved away and slowly stood up. She didn't know what to say. Apparently she had done the right thing, though. Miku slowly got up, looking confused but not disgusted. Not angry, not offended. Just confused.
Maybe it was best to just keep at it. Luka sat down behind Miku and laid both her arms around her, pulling her very carefully back. And her intuition really had been right. Miku let herself be hugged from behind.
"You like me this much?" Miku said, and slightly turned her head, looking behind her. She wanted an honest answer. If Luka lied to her now…
"I like you enough to risk a scandal that could cost me my career." Luka didn't shy away from saying what she felt. Nothing good came from that.
"That much, hm…" Miku sighed. Relaxing her position a bit, she leaned backwards, far enough to look up at Luka's face. Neither of them said anything. Just by looking at her, Miku could see that Luka wasn't lying. Luka looked straight into her eyes and didn't waver at all.
With a small but soft smile, Miku freed herself from the embrace and stood up. "I've never dated anyone." Miku felt embarrassment creep over her but she kept at it. She felt attracted to Luka, and despite her faults, she was a nice woman. "So…if you're still okay with that, I'm okay with going out with you." Miku averted her eyes again and eyed the wall as if there was something interesting on it.
Luka didn't hesitate a single second. She had jumped to her feet before Miku could react, forcefully pulling her closer. Miku's eyes, not even inches away from her own, were full of surprise. Luka was kissing her again, tightly holding her now, both arms around her waist.
Miku gave up. There was just no holding back for this woman. Accepting this as a "yes" to her question, Miku responded to the kiss on her own now. She leaned against Luka. She could feel her heart beating faster than ever. Was this what it was like to like someone? What a great feeling.
Miku had completely forgotten about school for now.
~~~Hear My Song!~~~
"I think you should call your agent. I was supposed to call him when you showed up, but…" Miku was suddenly a lot more embarrassed to be in Luka's presence. It was ridiculous. They had only kissed, there was no need to act all shy now! But she couldn't help it.
"Not much to talk about. The agency probably scrapped the album already. I'd like to know what's wrong with the songs I recorded…" Luka was offended. Damn critics. What did they know about her hard work? What did they know about music if they could write her off like this? Stupid assholes.
"He did sound urgent last night. Just call him, okay? I'm going to take a shower…" Miku stood up and walked over to the bathroom door. "No peeking." She felt that this would become the most said line in her vocabulary if she was with Luka. That woman wasn't just evil. She was also a pervert.
Luka sighed. It was probably for the best. Not to peek and to call Erico, that is. He was probably quite mad, but that was to be expected. She had thrown quite a tantrum at the agency before she'd left to drink. But she didn't have her cell phone with her, so she went back into Miku's room and she first lay down on the bed.
It still smelled like Miku. Well. It was her bed after all. Luka took a deep sniff of the pillow. She could smell Miku's hair. Things had been rather haphazard between them, but at least Luka had somehow managed to make Miku come around. Miku was such a cute girl. If she were to become popular, someone would snatch her away in no time.
Miku's cell phone. It was right there, on the desk. Luka got up and walked over, picking up the small green phone. She didn't need a speed-dial for Erico's number; she had it memorized. After three very long beeps, he picked up. "Yes? Did Luka show up?" He, at least, sounded calm.
"It's me. I won't say I'm sorry for going off to drink, but I shouldn't have thrown a tantrum." Luka used a preemptive strike to make sure the scolding was going to be short. It was much easier to admit errors if the other party wasn't expecting it.
"Yeah, you shouldn't have. There was more news than just the bad critics. The agency is calling the album." Luka gritted her teeth and let a "tch" slip. Stupid agency. "But there's some good news, too."
"They decided not to saw you down and sell the one song that got a good critique as a single. What happens next depends on the sales for that one." Luka tried to remember what that one song was. Wasn't that…?
"They're selling the duet as single? Can they actually do that? It's just one song." Luka was worried that her fans would complain about this sort of marketing. "Shouldn't they—" She got cut off.
"They want you and the girl to record another song. You've got one week. I was talking to the guy writing the lyrics when you called. Why are you using that girl's cell phone, anyway?"
"I'm at her place. I crashed here last night. Give me a call when you finish the lyrics." Luka hung up before he could question her any more than he already had.
At least some good news. Now she had to tell Miku and hope she played along with this. If they had to sell it as a single, they'd need at least one other song. They could do with two originals and instrumentals.
Luka fell back on the bed, grabbed the pillow, and smelled it some more. It was sort of addicting.
~~~Hear My Song!~~~
"You mean I should record one more song with you?" Miku was drying her hair with a towel as she sat on the table in the living room. She was torn between happiness and reluctance. It was really hard work to record a song, and even more so if Luka wasn't able to cover up Miku's mistakes.
"We probably have a day or two until the lyrics are finished. That doesn't mean we have time to be lazy, though. I'm going to train your voice. I won't be able to cover up gaps when you run out of air this time. There is only so much we can do in a week, so you should get as much practical experience as you can." Luka was like a completely different person when she talked about work.
"I haven't even said yes yet." Miku gave Luka a harsh glare. She had to keep Luka in check if she wanted to avoid being dragged all over the place by her sudden decisions. But another song, and a single just with Luka's and her duet…
It was too much for Miku to resist. With a sigh, she lifted her hand. "All right, I'll do it."
Since neither of them knew what the music or lyrics were like, they decided to use "Distance" as a practice piece. Since the only CDs of it were at the agency, they would have to go there. How they would do that was another question. Luka had left her car at the agency and Miku didn't own one.
They ended up taking the train after eating some breakfast. Luka's clothes were still in the dryer, so she was wearing some borrowed clothes from Miku's cousin, Haku. They weren't a bad fit, but they lacked Luka's usual style. She had bound her hair into a ponytail, and without her usual fancy clothes and makeup, nobody seemed to recognize her. Especially since a lot of Luka's fans dyed their hair pink to imitate her.
It took them nearly half an hour to get to the agency. Luka found her handbag in her dressing room with a note alongside. Erico had left an early version of the lyrics with her things. After reading over it twice, Luka handed the pages to Miku. They were a very nice contrast to "Distance."
"But there are some funny coincidences. To sing a song like this right after we've gotten together." Luka was a bit amused by this twist of fate. Based on the reaction of her fans at the interview, they would eat this song up like nothing else.
Miku had just finished reading over it once when Luka pulled her towards the recording room from last time. Luka talked to a staff hand for a while, and Miku used that chance to read over the early lyrics one more time.
Luka seemed oddly enthusiastic. After reading over the lyrics a second time, Miku understood why. The lyrics dealt with two girls in love with each other and the problems that came with it. It was a perfect fit for them.
The song's name was "Magnet."
~~~End of Chapter II~~~