Chapter Six
-Miku-
I glance over at the clock. I sigh in sorrow. It seems way later than 2:49. It's probably just the dark sky. I pull at the hem of my skirt, wanting something to do other than watching TV. I rest my chin on the palm of my hand. Suddenly, I remember what Luka had told me to do!
Hesitantly, I reach for the phone and dial what I remember Len's number to be. Biting uncomfortably on my lip, I wait for him to pick up.
"Hello? This is Len Kagamine," he responds with a mature, handsome voice.
"Right. Um, Len, about the Paris thing, I-"
"Oh, Miku! Hi!" he says before clearing his throat.
"Hi, Len. Luka says you can come-"
"Seriously? That's great!" Len cheers.
"On one condition…" I cut him off. I leave him with a silence that cuts off his happiness instantly. "You uh, Luka said that you have to bring Kaito, too," I say quietly.
"Are you sure it wasn't you who said that?" he teases with a playful laugh.
"What? No? I'm not even sure why I would…" I trail off.
"Oh, um. Okay," Len mumbles. "Nevermind about that. Next time you see Luka, tell her that I'll be there… With Kaito," he finishes. I take a deep breath.
"Alright, Len," I say, with a conclusive refreshed smile, "Bye."
"See you later, Miku," he says back. I hear the phone hang up. I wait a moment of silence, breath in, and begin my rage. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?! Why?! WHY?! Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy? WHYYYYYYYY?!
Suddenly, my thoughts are disturbed by the sound of the doorbell echoing throughout the kitchen. I look around, and then edge myself off the barstool and away from the granite counter. Knowing it must be Luka, Gumi and Rin, I open up the door.
I nearly collapse and slam the door when I see who it is. Instead, I gasp and then contort my face into a forced smile in my weak attempt to look amiable. In front of my pathetically shocked face stands a blue-haired young man with a warm face. He's still wearing that strange blue scarf of his, even though we're still in August. He returns my look with one that reminds me of… well, Rin walking into the makeup store in the mall… when there's a sale.
"K-Kaito… Shion?" I ask, tilting my head. "What are you doing here?"
"Um," he mumbles. Suddenly, a look comes across his face. I can practically hear him swallow down some emotion of… fear? "Look, um, Miku, Len Kagamine told me to come over here to deliver a message. We're both going to join you and your friends on our trip to Paris," he gulps. I wait for his words to sink in.
"Uh," I chuckle, my fingers finding their way to my hair. They begin to twirl the long, smooth teal strands. "I'm sorry, you really didn't have to do that, Kaito-sama," I smile. He clears his throat awkwardly.
"Um, well," he shrugs, looking away.
"Yeah," I shrug, looking in the other direction.
"Look, Miku-sama, I'm sorry, so, so sorry," he says, snapping my gaze back to his distraught sapphire eyes. I furrow my eyebrows as my lips part the slightest bit in confusion. Instinctively, I reach out to ask why, but he continues. "We could have still been good friends. It's my fault that we um, stopped," he says.
"We… You… what?" I ask, shaking my head. I sigh. "Here, Kaito, why don't you come in?" I ask, holding the door open wider. "I think this is all a misunderstanding. Nothing's your fault," I say as he steps in and takes off his denim jacket to reveal a dark blue t-shirt that really shows off h-
"Miku," he says, grabbing my attention again. A muddled noise escapes from the back of my throat. "I really messed up back then. I'm sorry for… you know, avoiding you and stuff when I should've been more open with you," he rambles, twirling his fingers around each other. I can feel my cheeks heating up.
"No, I… Oh, Kaito, I don't know what to say," I mumble with a foolish smile.
"How about… um… How are you?" he chuckles, flipping his striking blue hair to the side of his face. He sticks his hands bashfully in his pockets. "It's um, it's been a while since we've really talked," he admits. I nod furiously.
"I've been really good, actually. You know, the usual, recording songs, stopping for frozen yogurt, shopping. Stuff like that. I guess nothing too exciting has really happened, now that I think about it," I shrug. Kaito nods.
"Yeah, I've seen you around, especially around the shop," he says. Suddenly, a look falls over his face. I can tell that he's hesitating about something. He opens his mouth to speak. I look intently into his cobalt eyes. "Hey, and by the way," he finally starts. I watch as a playful grin spreads across his face. "Your friend Rin…" he says. I raise my eyebrows, sort of afraid of what he'll say next. "Len is totally into her," he laughs. If I were drinking anything, I would definitely be choking.
"I knew it!" I laugh along. He nods.
"I guess it's pretty obvious, huh?" he chuckles, looking down to himself.
"Kaito, can I ask you something?" I ask, my laughter slowly fading. He looks back up in attention. "How come you always wear that scarf?" I ask. His face suddenly falls and the smile is wiped off completely, replaced by a dejected frown.
"I uh, I…" he starts, clutching the scarf from around his neck and weaving it through his fingers. "I… don't," he retorts, looking down and taking a deep breath. "I mean, it's… personal," he finally says, waving it off.
"Oh," is all I can say. I blink and swallow. "I didn't know. Sorry, Kaito," I say.
"No, it's fine, you… didn't know, I guess," he says, followed by a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. I crinkle my eyebrows. He stares at the clock on the wall. Immediately, I widen my eyebrows in realization of what this must mean.
"Do you have somewhere to be?" I ask, standing up from the table. He stands up as well and shakes his head furiously.
"Oh, no!" he quickly says, holding up his hands defensively. I nod, yet it still appears to look doubtful. He awkwardly sits down again. "But, Miku, there is one thing I have to ask of you…" he starts, shoving his hands in his jean pockets.
"Oh, what is it?" I ask cheerfully, offering him a reassuring smile.
"I know this probably doesn't seem right to ask as a houseguest, but do you have any ice-cream?" he asks. I let out a confused laugh. He grins and shrugs.
"Ice-cream? I mean… I'm pretty sure I do, but why?" I ask, making my way over to the tall metal fridge fixed into the wall behind the counter island.
"Oh, just 'cuz. I thought we could, you know, share some," Kaito laughs. I crinkle my eyebrows, but smile anyway. I open up the freezer, but stop there.
"What flavor?" I ask, turning only my head to face back at him.
"Your choice," he grins. I spin back around, my teal twin tails following my motion. I reach in and dig around for the Vanilla.
"How's this?" I smile. He sighs playfully, shaking his head.
"Should've guessed. Vanilla's all you ever get," he jokes, flicking the air. I roll my eyes, yet for some reason he manages to pull a laugh out of me.
"What? Would you prefer to eat leeks instead?" I tease pointedly. Widening his eyes in disbelief, he shakes his head as if he's the victim.
"Leeks? Disgusting! Who eats those?" he plays. I laugh, though I'm shocked. I take a while to laugh as if I'm really enjoying myself. Suddenly, I stop.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," I say, fixing my fiery stare onto his vulnerable sapphire eyes. Then, I give a quick cute smile, turn around, and reach into the cupboard for two bowls. I pull them out, set them lightly on the table, and start scooping creamy French Vanilla ice-cream into them both.
"I have to admit, that looks good," he says.
"Kaito, did you come over here just for ice-cream?" I ask pointedly.
"No," he splutters.
"Liar," I retort with a laugh, pulling out the chair. I sit down gracefully, my teal twin tails following my motion. Looking down, he chuckles to himself, his cobalt hair shadowing his navy eyes. I can't help but let out a small blush. Kaito digs his spoon into the rich, milky ice-cream and slowly puts it into his mouth.
"Mmm, where do you get this stuff?" he asks, tangled into his hunger.
"What do you mean?" I ask, "I didn't buy it." Kaito shrugs and checks his watch.
"Oh gosh, it's already 3:00?" he asks, his eyes growing wide. I place my hands on the table.
"Wait! Y-You didn't tell me you had somewhere to be! I-I wouldn't have kept you over so long!" I stammer, my eyebrows wrinkling up in unease.
"No," he insists, calming me down, "It's okay. Thanks for inviting me in." He wears a warm smile that relaxes me instantly.
"Are you sure?" I ask as he stands up and finishes the last of his ice-cream. He nods. I watch in silence as he walks into the mudroom to put his jacket back on. "K-Kaito," I mumble, "It's raining." He looks down.
"I know," is all he says, turning away from me and walking out the door. I open my mouth to say something, but instead, I find myself staring soundlessly at his back as the rain drips down his hair onto his scarf. He turns around for a second and offers me a small wave. I give him back a smile in return.
"B-Bye, Kaito…" I whisper as a clap of thunder mutes my words, "See you."
A/N
So, Miku finally starts to like Kaito... I thought I should bring him into the story because well, you know. Character development needs to get somewhere. Alright spoiler time: What do you think of Piko and Gakupo, eh~?