DISCLIMER: I don't own Vocaloid.
Chapter 13
Miku's POV:
Fire…
My body's on fire…
It hurts…
My eyes flew open. Gulping down gallons of cool air that seeped through my lungs, I tried to sit up, only to have a soft but firm hand push me down.
"Please lie down and stay still, Hatsune-san. Trying to bandage your head is already difficult enough as it is." A girl's voice said from directly above me.
Looking around me, I realized that I was in the back of a spacious taxi, which was heading towards its destination at a speed so fast that I wasn't sure it was legal.
"Miku! You're awake!" Len said from next to Kagene.
Groaning, I gently fingered the side of my head and found out that it was wrapped tightly in bandages, ceasing the bloodflow.
"Um…where are we going?" I asked, my voice cracking so much that I repeated my question.
"Oh! We're heading toward your friend's house. I remember you mentioning to me once that her dad is a doctor. Her name is IA, right?" Len said.
Although IA attended the same school as us, she was one year younger. She had socialized with Len and the others a few times, but never outside of school.
"…Now that I think about it, how do you know where she lives?" I demanded, still lying down on Kagene's lap, an extremely awkward position for conversation.
"…"
"…"
"I have my ways." Len finally replied, smiling innocently.
"He hacked into your phone," Kagene interjected monotously, pointing to the device, cracked and dirty from my encounter with Meito, on the seat next to Len. He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Killjoy."
"And…here we are!" The taxi driver announced, stopping the car. He turned around in his seat and eyed me with concern. "You don't want to go to the hospital, Miss…?"
"No, it's fine! Thank you for your help!" Smirking, the boy who hacked into my phone handed the dumbfounded driver a generous amount of money and got out of the car.
Kagene grabbed the phone and looked down at me. "Do you think you can stand…?"
"Yes! Of course I can!" I replied in a tone that sounded more defensive than I would've preferred. Opening the car door, I quickly stepped out of the taxi, stood up, and immediately stumbled, dark spots appearing in front of my eyes.
Luckily, I didn't fall. My left arm was caught by Len and my right by Kagene. After letting go of me, due to my stubborn insisting that I didn't need their help, I slowly made my way to the front door of IA's family's house. As I was about to knock, the door flew violently open, and I found myself face to face with a pair of piercing blue eyes.
"Miku…Miku, what happened to you?" IA's eyes widened in horror.
Rin's POV:
The Yowane household was spacious and luxurious, but cozy and comfortable. It was decorated with stylish furniture, and I could tell that this family was rich. But, the house still had a warm, cozy atmosphere to it, as if it were its own safe little haven.
IA was a pretty girl with silvery, light blonde hair sweeping all the way to her feet. Despite her small, petite frame, she had a slightly rebellious look, due to her long, messy bangs. However, the most distinct features of hers were her eyes, by far. Piercing blue, they were dazzling and expressive and almost seemed to speak on their own.
Completely contradicting her dainty appearance, IA shot daggers from her beautifully expressive eyes at Miku, who cowered in fear, despite being taller than her.
"You…I thought you knew better…" IA growled.
Looking around, Miku could be seen trying to find something to distract her. "L-look! You should meet those two. I've, I've told you about them, right?"
IA whipped around to glare fiercely at us, causing Len to visibly flinch. "Could it be, could it possibly be that you did this to her?!"
"…"
"…"
We trembled, unable to answer because of the intensity of her glare.
"No! They saved me! If it wasn't for them, I probably would be-"
Suddenly, IA's angry expression changed to a suspiciously cheerful, almost childish one.
"Oh, it's so nice to meet you! You must be Kagamine-kun, one of that girl's closest friends!" IA vigorously shook a speechless Len's hand, all the while smiling sweetly. "And you, I reckon, are Kagene-chan! I've heard that you're a clever, kind, and beautiful companion from this stupidly reckless, immature dim-wit." My shaken arm almost felt like a noodle, and Len mouthed, Is it just me, or is she bipolar?
Miku's lip quivered. "Stupidly reckless, immature dim-wit?!"
IA's smile slowly faded. In slow motion, she turned her head around to look at Miku. Len and I couldn't see her expression, but it must have been terrifying.
"Miku, why did you go to your old home? Didn't you learn anything from previous experiences?" IA said in an obviously forced calm tone.
"Um…I-"
"Miku! Are you alright?! IA told me that you went to your old home!" The front door, once again, was violently flung open-did all Yowanes hold a grudge against that poor door? - and revealed a tall, middle-aged man with silver hair and bags under his eyes.
"Indeed, she did. Miku returned to the place where she had received many injuries, both mental and physical, and deliberately went looking for the person who-"
Mr. Yowane ignored IA and looked at Miku with squinted eyes. "Hm…so you have a huge gash on your temple, as well as many other cuts and bruises. But…who bandaged it?"
I tentatively raised my hand. "Um…"
Mr. Yowane whipped his head toward me, and I flinched visibly. Ah, so that's where IA gets her vigor from. "I am touched. Absolutely touched! To think that I could meet such a clever, prodigious youngster! I have never seen such talent in medics! Why, I daresay that you are even more skilled than my own daughter, and that's saying something, because I've always taken care to-"
IA cleared her throat loudly.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm losing track of myself. Formal introductions can be held until later. In the meantime, this young lady will need some proper rest!"
Miku's POV:
Silently getting up and slipping on a jacket, I tiptoed across the room and cracked opened the front door. I had to see my mother, but obviously, IA and Mr. Yowane would never allow it. So I had to sneak out in the middle of the night. It was quite pressuring to not wake anyone up; it wasn't just the three Yowanes, but Len and Kagene were also staying overnight.
My head had stopped hurting already. I felt as energetic as ever. I was almost outside the door when-
"YOU! WHAT ARE YOU-"
I clamped a hand over IA's mouth. Somehow, she managed to figure out what I was up to. Well, she was my best friend, after all.
"Be quiet! You'll wake up everyone! I have to do this; I have to see my mom! It's complicated, but…"
I hesitantly lowered my hand. Surprisingly, IA didn't shout. Instead, she sighed with resignation. "I understand…just let me come with you."
My eyes widened in shock. Then, I grinned and nodded. "Of course! Let's get going, then!"
We only walked for one block when we heard two sets of running footsteps coming up behind us.
"Miku! How could you leave us behind like that?" Len panted, cheeks flushed from sprinting to catch up to us.
"You're going to your old home, right? So we'll go with you!" Kagene-san declared confidently.
"…"
"…"
"Can we trust them?" IA asked me, which was responded to by the two blondes' protests.
"…I'm sorry. I don't want to drag you all into this…" I lowered my head and mumbled.
"Nope, you're not dragging us in at all! In fact, we're forcing you to let us go with you!" Len grinned and started walking in the direction we were originally heading. Kagene smiled shyly at me, nodded to IA, and followed suit…Only to collide into a certain sadistic drunk who was armed and was sneering at me.
"Look at what I got me t'night," Meito took a swig from his beer bottle, then tossed it carelessly over his shoulder, causing it to shatter loudly on the ground. "Two beautiful girls, one potential henchman, and one huge fortune."
Please review, everyone, and stay tuned for Chapter 14! Thank you!
~Rikasa