"Miku… Wake up…" I heard singsong voice pierce the silence suddenly.
"Mph?" I sat up and rubbed my eyes blearily. As predicted, I hadn't gotten any sleep since the dream I had had in the middle of last night. I looked around and saw the person who had tried to awaken me was my personal servant, LukaMegurine. Unlike the other servants, Luka treated me as a younger sister rather than a mistress, and was the only friend I had besides Kaito. I was extremely fond of her. "I had a really bad sleep, Luka." I murmured, getting to my feet. I immediately clapped a hand to my forehead, as it was throbbing terribly from lack of sleep.
"Why? Is there something wrong, Miku?" Luka replied frowning slightly with concern.
"N-no… there's nothing wrong…" I muttered, trying to ignore the excruciating pain in my forehead. "I just had a nightmare…" I really did not want to recount the dream again, even to Luka.
"Well, are you alright now?"
"Y-yeah… I'm fine…" I lied. "I just have a migraine is all." For some reason, Luka looked quite annoyed.
"Now, that certainly won't do. You're going to need your wits about you today, because you're going to finally meet your betrothed!" At this statement, I was immediately snapped out of my stupor.
"WHAT? That was today?"
"Don't tell me you didn't know!" cried Luka, staring at me in disbelief.
"I-I, well, um, you never told me!" I replied, somewhat defensively. I started to feel very anxious. I hadn't even been prepared for this! What if my betrothed didn't like me? What if he was disrespectful? I sighed and stared determinedly at the floor. It hardly mattered at all. Because no matter how kind or polite he was… he would never be able to replace Kaito.
"I-I'm sorry, I already thought you knew! Well, we're going to have get you ready anyway." As she said this, Luka's eyes lit up and she looked very excited. Luka had always been unnecessarily fussed over my appearance. "I've chosen a really cute outfit for you! I think it'll really suit you. Come and see it!" Without awaiting my consent, Luka grabbed me by the hand and ran to my wardrobe. She took out a few garments and hastily hid them behind her back. I rolled my eyes. This was perhaps Luka's idea of a "surprise". "Presenting…" She said dramatically, "…your outfit!" She showed me the clothes. I raised my eyebrows. It was an extremely frilly black dress. The dress was adorned with several jewels of what seemed like every colour in existence. It was very pretty, but I would prefer wearing something a lot simpler.
"Well… it's very pretty, Luka…" This caused Luka to jump up and down and squeal with excitement.
"OMG! I just knew you'd love it!" I rolled my eyes at her irrational enthusiasm.
"But I'd rather wear something plainer. Can't I just wear a gown or something?" I asked. Luka stared at me in astonishment
"What? Oh, no, no, no!" She replied, looking horrified at the very thought. "You need to look presentable when you meet your betrothed. I sighed in exasperation and decided there was no point in arguing with her. Luka took off my nightdress and slipped on a vest. At least, I thought it was a vest until Luka pulled strings attached to it and I suddenly felt strong pressure around my waist. I winced.
"Ouch… Luka, could you loosen it up a little bit? It's really tight." Luka rolled her eyes at the request.
"Miku, it's a corset. It's supposed to be tight."
"Do I have to wear a corset?"
"Yes, yes, of course! I want your fiancé to be absolutely smitten by you!" I sighed and chose not to press the point. I had more troubling matters on my mind.
"D-do you know who my betrothed is?" Luka shook her head.
"No," she replied, "Your parents haven't told that detail to the servants yet. They just gave the order that we had to prepare the palace in preparation for your betrothed's arrival. But I've heard rumours that it's a prince of another kingdom."
"Oh. Right." I said shortly, choosing not to mention that I already knew this detail. I felt extremely ignorant, like a schoolgirl who didn't know the answers to any questions. While all of the servants had been busy preparing the castle, I hadn't noticed anything. Luka tied my teal hair into its usual pigtails and applied makeup to my face. She slipped black high heels on my feet and stood back and admired her handiwork.
"You look beautiful." She whispered, looking ecstatic. Luka led me to the entrance of the hall where I was supposed to meet my betrothed. I could feel my heart racing. I had never been extremely comfortable with meeting new people, and I was very anxious that I wouldn't make a good first impression on my betrothed. Luka grinned at me and gave me the thumbs up. "Good luck! I bet that the lucky gentleman will fall for you the second he sees you! He'll probably get a nosebleed when he sees you and he'll have such a bad nosebleed that the whole place will be flooded with blood and- "
"O-okay Luka, I think I get it." I interrupted.
"Right! Well, have fun!" With that Luka turned around and began walking away, humming merrily to herself. I took a deep breath and opened the double doors.
"Ah, there you are, Your Highness!" A white haired servant greeted, sinking into a deep bow. "Your betrothed is awaiting you."
"Y-yes, I know. May I please meet him?" I stammered.
"Yes, of course you may! Follow me." The servant led me to the back of the hall and gestured towards a short girl with blonde hair who looked about the same age as me. She had sparkling cerulean blue eyes and was wearing a strapless yellow dress and a white bow on her head. "Your Highness, meet your betrothed." The servant said. The girl smiled and waved at me.
"Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you, Hatsune-san! My name is RinKagamine!" I stared at her in astonishment. I could hardly believe it. Mother and Father were having me get engaged to a girl? Were same sex marriages even legal? Wasn't I supposed to get married to a boy? That was the reason Mother and Father forced Kaito and I apart, wasn't it? "Don't think about that." I told myself sternly. It was bad enough that I had to relive that horrible day in my nightmares without having to dwell on it during the day.
"U-um…" I stuttered, slowly approaching Rin. "A-are you my betrothed?"
"What? Oh, no, no, no, of course not! Your betrothed is my twin brother, Len! He's just running a bit late!" Rin responded, whilst laughing.
"O-oh… right." I mumbled. I once again felt exceptionally ignorant and stupid. "W-well, it's a pleasure to meet you too, Kagamine-san."
"Oh, none of that "san" crap now. Call me Rin!"
"O-okay…" I replied. I was beginning to like Rin now. "Well in that case, feel free to just call me Miku."
"Okay then! I will!" Suddenly, a blonde boy ran into the room, panting slightly. "Len-kuuuuuun, you're really late!" Rin complained, pouting.
"Yes, I know… sorry about that, but there was a massive traffic jam of servants impeding me." Replied the boy. He looked almost exactly like Rin; he had the same blue eyes and blonde hair. He also was the same height as her and was wearing a black suit with a tie. His gaze travelled around the room and rested on me, and his azure eyes suddenly began to sparkle with excitement.
"Ah… you must be my betrothed. It's an honour to meet you. My name is Len, LenKagamine." Len took my hand and pressed his lips against it. He stared at my face with an expression one might wear if they had been offered a plate of their favourite food, and he smiled, no, he smirked at me.
"Y-yes… I am. M-my name is MikuHatsune. B-but you can just call me Miku. I-it's a pleasure to meet you, Kagamine-san."
"Oh, please, just call me Len." He insisted. Without warning, he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and began walking me out of the hall. "Will you please give me a tour of the palace, my darling?"
"U-um… s-sure…" I replied, quite stunned by his sudden affectionate actions. I was also taken aback by how he was addressing me as "my darling", as we had only just met. Did Len always behave like this? I also was aware that he was staring at me with such intensity that I felt strangely uncomfortable. I began to lead Len towards the royal gardens, and he started to talk to me, the smirk still resolutely plastered on his face.
"Thank you very much, sweetheart." He replied, smiling seductively.
"N-no problem." I responded in a small voice. There was a momentary silence, in which Len kept his sharp gaze determinedly fixated on me. Finally, he said:
"I've already heard so much about you, my dear. I've heard that you were very pretty… but I never imagined you so breathtakingly beautiful."
"O-oh… I – u-um – t-thank you. I'm flattered." I stammered.
"It's nothing, my darling. You know, I'm really very pleased that we're to be married. It'll bring – ah – peace between the GreenKingdom and the YellowKingdom." I frowned slightly in confusion.
"The YellowKingdom?" I said quizzically. Len raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, didn't you know? I'm the prince of the YellowKingdom."
"Oh!" I exclaimed, hastily looking away to hide my embarrassment. I could feel the familiar feeling of ignorance gradually filling me yet again. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know!" At the sight of my embarrassment, Len's eyes sparkled, and he looked strangely dominant. (A.N: No, I do NOT meant dominant in that way O.o) He pulled me into a tight embrace. At this gesture, I felt yet even more uncomfortable and awkward.
"Oh, that's quite alright, my darling!" he replied, stroking my hair. "You needn't worry about such petty matters when we are married." Len's eyes were sparkling as though he had just been told a good joke, and his smirk was still glued on his face. I gulped and nodded my head.
"R-right. Okay than." I mumbled, staring at the ground. The next few moments were spent in silence, which only seemed to be more awkward as Len was still kept his intense gaze focused on me. Finally, we reached the gardens, and I was finally able to break the silence and dilute the awkward atmosphere by saying "Oh look, we're at the gardens."
"Oh, excellent!" he exclaimed. He took me by the hand and directed me into the large green landscape. For the next several hours, Len and I remained in the garden getting to know each other. He seemed like a fairly pleasant person, but there were a few things that bothered me about him. They weren't very major things; it was just that Len never tore his gaze from me. Also, he always was smirking for no apparent reason and he would sometimes show me gestures of affection, like he would randomly hug me from behind and caress my face. He also addressed me as names like "darling" and "sweetheart" Finally, at late afternoon; Len said that he had to go to a private meeting with Rin. "It's quite official, so I can't afford to miss it." He said in a serious tone, but he wore an expression that made him look carefree, and he was still smirking. I can't understand why that was bothering me so much, but it was making me feel belittled and uncomfortable.
"It's alright." I said, nodding. "I understand. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Len."
"Likewise. There's no need to miss me too much, Miku. I'll be back for you, soon enough." Without warning, Len grabbed me by the hand and pulled me in front of him. He then took me by the face and kissed me, fully on the mouth. How to describe it… It was not at all soft and sweet like how Kaito had kissed me; it was so rough and wet. Len was relentlessly exploring my territory, and I was just standing there, too shocked to do anything. Finally, after about a minute of it, Len pulled away and looked into my horrified face, looking exceptionally pleased with himself. My hands shaking, I gently fingered the place where Len's lips had so recently been pressed against.
"W-wha…?" I managed to stutter. I was completely lost for words. Len's smirk widened.
"You're mine now. You're going to have to spend the rest of your life with me when we're married." He whispered. Suddenly, Rin ran into the gardens and waved at us.
"Hello there, Miku-chan, Len-kun! How are you two getting along?" Before I could respond, Len hugged me from behind and nuzzled his cheek against my neck.
"Oh, we're very much in love, aren't we, sweetheart?"
"U-um…" I faltered.
"Yes. She says yes." Len said smoothly, brushing his lips against my ear. Rin beamed at us and gave us the thumbs up.
"Well, that's fantastic! C'mon, Len we have to go now. We're going to be late!"
"Right, okay." Len replied, nodding. He then turned to me and smirked yet again. "Goodbye for now, darling." He said coolly. I inclined my head slightly towards him and whispered "Goodbye" in a tiny voice. I then ran as quickly as I could into the palace, headed for my room. Len's words were ringing in my head. "You're mine now. You're going to have to spend the rest of your life with me when we're married." What had he meant by it? Why had he just kissed me so suddenly? Was he just in a strange mood today, or did he always behave like this? I could feel my head throbbing, but I had the impression that it was a result of my utter confusion rather than lack of sleep. I ran up a staircase and burst into my room. My vision was immediately obstructed by a large amount of thick bubblegum pink hair. In addition to that, I felt a pair of arms tightly wrap around my waist, completely killing my air supply.
"OMIGOSHOMIGOSH OMIGOSH! You're back!" I heard Luka's voice squeal. She appeared to be trying to glomp me to death. "How was it? Did you enjoy yourself? Was your fiancé nice? Was he handsome? What's his name? Do you like him?"
"C-can't… breathe…" I managed to get out. Luka let out a shriek of anguish.
"You're dying? OH GOD! NOOOOOOO! HELP ME, SOMEBODY HELP ME! MIKU IS DYING!"
"H-hug… t-too t-tight…"
"Oh, right! Sorry about that!" Luka said, sounding relieved. She released me, allowing me to breathe. "But you need to tell me! How was it? Did you like him?" Luka gabbled, her violet eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"H-he seems… decent…" I lied in shaky tone. Well, it wasn't lying, or was it? He hadn't been cruel to me in any way, had he?
"AWESOME! This is really great, because you're going to spend the rest of your life with him." Upon hearing this, I inexplicably thought of Kaito; his warm blue eyes, his gentle soothing voice, the feel of his lips upon mine… I felt a lump materialize in my throat, and tears burn my eyes.
"R-right, okay. W-well I'll just get changed for bed." Declining Luka's insisting to help, me, I walked over to the wardrobe to find a nightdress, trying to hide the fact that tears were now streaming down my face. After a while of persuading, Luka finally left the room. With nobody to conceal anything from anymore, I lay on my four-poster bed in fetal position and began crying hysterically. I craved Kaito's presence more than ever now.
That night, I couldn't sleep, as I was thinking of Kaito. I tossed and turned fitfully, but I just stubbornly remained wide awake. To be honest, I was afraid to sleep now, as I was afraid that that horrible nightmare would come and haunt me yet again. Suddenly I heard a creaking sound come from the corner. It caused me to start a little, but I chose to ignore it. Then it sounded again, and this time I diverted my eyes towards the source of the sound. To my great astonishment, I saw that the window was wide open. A draught of wind was rushing through it, and the lilac curtains were billowing around it. I couldn't understand how it had gotten into this position, I could have sworn that I closed it last night… To my horror, a dark figure emerged through the open window, and slid into my room.
"KYAA!" I screamed, pulling the blankets up to my neck, trembling slightly. "W-who the hell are you?" I wasn't usually so rude to strangers, but I wasn't inclined to act polite towards someone who had just crawled through my bedroom window. "Get out of my room NOW, or else I'll call the guards!" I threatened. The stranger did not obey me, nor did it give me any response. It approached me, blanketing me in its shadow. Suddenly, its head was illuminated by a ray of moonlight. It appeared to be was a tall man, wearing a black hat that was tipped over his eyes, and an eye mask that one might wear to a masquerade ball. A familiar smirk was plastered on his face.
"L-Len!" I shrieked. "What on earth are you- " Wait, hang on. This person couldn't be Len. He was quite a bit taller. The stranger leaned over, and took the withering rose from the vase beside my bed. "HEY!" I shrieked, angry tears forming in my eyes. "GIVE THAT BACK!" K-Kaito gave that to me! I-it's all that I have left of him!" The stranger suddenly stiffened and stared at me, his smirk drooping. But almost instantly, he regained it. He took something out of his pocket, and with the assistance of the moonlight, I was just able to discern a blue rose in his hand. My eyes widened. He swiftly replaced the withered rose and the fully bloomed rose back into the vase. He then moved very close to me, staring at me with an almost hungry expression. I wasn't used to having people so close to me, so I felt a blush creeping onto my cheeks. The stranger stroked my face with his gloved hand.
"As with any common romance now, I'll make sure that you fall for it." He breathed.
"…H-huh?" Suddenly the stranger turned around and began to climb back out of the window. "Wait!" I called. The stranger turned his head to look at me, still resolutely smirking. "Who are you? What is your name?" I asked. Instead of answering, the stranger just pressed a finger to his lips, and whispered
"Later, my princess." He jumped out of the window, but I didn't bother checking to see whether he was alright or not. I somehow knew that he had landed safely. I lay back down on my bed, knowing that it would be a waste of time to even try to sleep now. I found it extremely difficult to register this day's events. It seemed impossible that I had been getting so fussed over an outfit just this morning.