Chapter Eleven
-Miku-
"So this is our house for the week, huh?" I ask as we pull up into a rounded gravel driveway. Orange trees line the side of the pavement, shooting from the fresh green grass. I look up to see a tall mango-colored house with white trim and black shutters. It looks to be a nice size for all four of us.
"Mm-hmm," Luka nods, turning off the car once we're parked.
"It's awesome! It looks so… home-y," Gumi giggles, bouncing in her seat.
"I agree," Rin nods, "Especially the oranges!"
"I knew you would like those," Luka laughs, "That's why I picked this house as opposed to the ones down the street. Plus, this one felt a little bit more comfortable to me," she tells us. We all get out of the car, skipping down to the trunk.
"Gosh, my bag feels so much lighter," Gumi notes, lifting up her suitcase and placing it on the ground.
"Mine too," I say, doing the same, "I guess I still feel a little bit hazy from the plane ride."
"I'm exhausted," Rin groans, getting her suitcase. "I feel like we were on that plane for hours," she mumbles.
"That's probably because we were," Gumi retorts. I can't help but laugh.
"Come on, Rin. We're almost inside," Luka says with a shake of her head. We all make our way up to the door, where Luka pulls out a pair of keys from her pocket and opens it up. We all walk into the house curiously- Gumi of course, skips into the doorway merrily.
"Something about this house gives me a really good feeling!" she smiles, tossing her bags onto the nearest couch. I look around. The ceilings are tall and the main room is huge, giving it an open look. The curtains sway gently as the citrus-scented breeze drifts in, carrying sunlight with it.
"You guys like it?" Luka asks, looking around too.
"I for one love it," Rin says, hopping onto the couch and picking up the remote. Luka widens her eyes.
"We just got here!" she shouts at Rin, "Can you get off the couch for one minute?" Gumi and I exchange a glance. Rin growls and mumbles something inaudibly.
"Jeez, I just said I was exhausted…" she complains.
"So what?" Luka says, taking off her boots. Gumi and I both reach down to do the same. "Besides, don't you want to visit Kaito and Len?" Luka suddenly asks, looking up.
"I guess so," Rin says, standing up and brushing off the imaginary dust on her orange plaid skirt. Suddenly, the doorbell rings.
"I'll get it!" I say, since I'm the closest. I reach out to open the door and twist the smooth silver handle that feels cool on my fingertips. Standing in front of me is Kaito and Len, both with their hands in their pockets. "Hey, guys!" I smile. I can literally see Rin perk up upon seeing Len. "Come in," I suggest, stepping back to allow them some space.
"This is awesome," Len says, tugging at the strings of his yellow hoodie and looking around. Kaito offers me a wave and a smile.
"Hey, Miku. Happy early birthday," he says. I awkwardly give a smile in return. I guess my creased eyebrows and the clumsy blush kind of ruin it.
"Thanks, Kaito," I say to even it out.
"Alright, Miku," Len says, coming back from greeting Rin. "I have got to take you to meet my friend," he says, stretching out the word friend. I inhale hesitantly, shooting him a quizzical look. "I promise you'll like him," he says, holding out his hand. I take it lightly. Suddenly, I feel myself yanked out of the door.
"Len, seriously?" I ask, "What are you doing?"
"Remember over the phone I told you about-"
"Oh, that. So that's what this is about," I mumble as we continue walking.
"I'm so glad you picked this street," Len laughs, still tugging at my arm, "He lives like, two houses down."
"Seriously?" I ask, raising an eyebrow suspiciously as we cross over a front yard.
"Yeah," he replies as we make our way over another one and up the house's path.
"Why'd you want him to meet me so suddenly?" I ask. Len chuckles.
"Oh, I don't think he's just now meeting you," Len laughs mysteriously.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask as Len rings the doorbell. He doesn't reply. I watch with my arms crossed as we wait.
Suddenly, the door opens, and I see a tall guy about my age wearing a charcoal grey V-neck. I can't help but notice his strong build- his shirt clearly shows off his defined muscles. He's wearing dark wash jeans with ripped designs in a few places. He has snowy white hair that falls over his mysterious eyes, which are… Oh my god. I swear I've seen those before… that deep, heterochromic pair of eyes.
"P-Piko… Utatane…?" I ask, stumbling back in shock. A smile forms on his face.
"If it isn't Hatsune Miku," he says, a sparkle gleaming in his eyes. Those eyes… "You haven't changed one bit, if I may say so myself," he laughs, "You've still got those adorable twin tails." I find myself unable to give a reply.
"B-But… you look so different…" I manage to choke out. He chuckles in response.
"Yeah, I suppose you could say that," he says, winking at me. I swallow- I guess it's pretty audible since Len lets out a snort at my misfortune. "Here, why don't you come in?" he asks, "I think we've got a ton to catch up on."
"I um, better get going. Kaito's going to be wondering where I am," Len laughs, looking at me deviously the entire time.
"You're not talking about Kaito Shion, are you?" Piko asks Len.
"Yeah," Len laughs, "I'm surprised you still remember him after this long."
"Oh no, Kaito and I were good friends back then," Piko laughs, shoving his hands in his jean pockets and leaning back against the wall. His silvery bangs fall as he does so, shadowing his cavernous, enigmatic green and blue eyes.
"Alright. I'll tell him you said hi," Len says, waving as he leaves the house. Piko and I both watch silently through the window as he skips down the street.
"So, um…" Piko says, leaning back. Suddenly, he snaps upright. "Here, why don't you sit down?" he asks, quickly pulling out a chair for me to sit down in.
"So… um… it's been a while," I start quietly.
"Yeah," he smiles, "It really has."
"Why'd you move to Paris?" I ask suddenly. He looks up at me.
"You know. My parents found some jobs that they liked here… and well, we really wanted to be closer to our family and stuff," he shrugs.
"Oh. That's it?" I ask, tilting my head. He looks down and pauses for a moment.
"Well, I mean… you know how some of those kids were back then. Calling me shota and all," he admits. We both fall silent.
"Right. Um, I-I never thought you were a shota… at all," I mumble.
"Y-You didn't?" he asks, pushing his bangs from his eyes. "I-I mean… Everyone else did. I guess it was kind of stupid though," he shrugs.
"Yeah," I agree softly.
"Hey, Miku," he says, changing the subject, "So who are you hanging out with now?" he asks.
"Oh, mostly Luka Megurine, Gumi Megpoid, and Rin Kagamine," I tell him.
"Ah, I remember them," he laughs, shaking his head. I can't help but catch onto his smile warmly. "Especially that Rin girl, you can't ever forget her. Jeez," he adds, his eyes widening from the memories. I giggle in response. "So, Miku, do you have a boyfriend, now?" he asks, raising his eyebrows slightly. His eyes gaze into mine. Those eyes…
"N-No, not really," I say. Something comes across his features… a light blush, possibly? He holds my stare, and suddenly, I'm finding myself unable to look away. Come on, Miku. "I… What about you?" I stutter.
"Huh?" he asks.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" I ask. He shakes his head.
"Used to," he replies simply, "We just broke up."
"Oh, that's too bad," I say. He shrugs with a light nod of his head. "What was she like?" I ask suddenly. He seems taken aback by my sudden question.
"Oh, well… she was really pretty. Um, she had long, cherry red hair, and the cutest little ahoge, and… well, she had the cutest little giggle when you told her something funny, and well, I guess I miss her a lot," Piko whispers. I follow his gaze though the window, landing on an orange tree in his backyard.
"Oh. She sounds really nice…" I murmur. "Sorry," I apologize looking down.
"N-No… It's okay. Um, I guess it's nice being able to talk about it with someone," he admits, offering me a convincing smile. However, this one looks so… genuine, as if he's the luckiest guy in the world just to be talking to me…
"Piko," I say hurriedly, realizing what this could mean. Piko likes you. All these years he's liked you. That's why he gave you that necklace. That's also probably why he broke up with that red-head girl.
"Yes?" he asks attentively. Gah, I can't ask him if he likes me.
"Um, n-never mind," I mumble, trying to hide my hurt expression. How am I going to respond when he tells me himself? What kind of person would I be to say no?
"You sure?" he asks, his eyebrows furrowing. His expression drops the slightest bit. What about Kaito? If Piko sees you with Kaito, he'll-
"No, it's just, I've gotta go now," I hastily say, pushing the thoughts away. I stand up from the table and rush to the door.
"Alright," he shrugs, standing up as well. Right when my fingers touch the doorknob, he clears his throat. "Hey can I at least have a hug after all these years?" he chuckles. I roll my eyes and smile.
Rushing back into the mudroom, I start to wrap my arms around him, but I'm surprised to feel him hug me first. We seem to fit comfortably into each other… Almost perfectly. I'm also surprised to feel his grip is… so much stronger than when we were kids. I still remember the little white dress he used to run around in all the time… I can't help but blush as the memory returns to me. Luckily, he probably can't see it, as my face is buried into his solid chest. He suddenly breaks away.
"M-Miku, I've gotta tell you something," he says with a shy smile, rubbing the back of his neck quietly. My eyes widen in shock as I realize what this must mean. Miku, he's going to confess to you. You'd better leave now.
"Wait, Piko…" I mumble. Suddenly, the door swings open, scaring the leeks out of both of us. I stumble back in shock as I see Kaito staring at us both in fear.
"Miku! This is important! All of your vacation money has been…. Stolen!"
Hehe... I like this chapter. 'Nuff said.