Chapter 2: Big Sweet
Kaito felt the rage and fear tearing at his body the deeper he flew into the chaotic void. Every survival instinct demanded he turn back. The ancestors' voices would not be found here. But still his spirit pressed forward, Meiko's powerful voice his only anchoring element to the world of the living.
"You must press on and find their voices! The Hymn is within your reach, Kaito!"
He could not fail his people, but the more he pressed his spirit, the more he felt as though the tender thread might snap and his spirit would be lost beyond the veil. As a vision invaded his head, he saw a city of stone, steel, and glass. He saw a dark chamber and rows of cells. Inside each one, bound by tubes and wires, he saw the agonizing face of one of his people. He reached for them, hoping to alleviate their suffering, when he felt that tender thread begin to fray.
He tried to pull his spirit back, before that thread snapped. Though his spirit returned to his body, the vessel was barely able to keep it contained. He fell to the floor, his mind at once in the ritual chambers with the Elders and still drifting through the void. He was barely aware of the voices of the High Priestess and his loyal bodyguard around him.
"Hmph. You're the weakest Spirit Caller in history. We'll start again tomorrow."
"What madness are you spouting!? He's barely alive!"
Kaito felt unconsciousness claim him, a fear in his heart of what might happen to him if he died here, his spirit so fractured. He feared falling back into the void of screeching, crashing, scraping Noise, of his entire soul being torn apart from within…
Kaito grasped the blankets over him as he snapped back to consciousness, the memory fading from his mind. Gradually, wakefulness returned to him and his disorientation faded when he remembered he was in a human's dwelling. As he placed a hand to his back, he remembered that he was human as well.
'Meiko was right…' he thought to himself, 'No wonder the ancestors have forsaken me… I couldn't even protect my own wings…'
As his stomach growled, he decided to try preparing a meal. He remembered seeing fruit in the "refrigerator". Perhaps he could do something for Miku to show his gratitude as well…
"I woke up in front of my computer today. Good morning!"
The melodic tones of Miku's alarm on her smartphone slowly lulled her out of her peaceful dreams of flight. She reached across the bed, trying to find it and maybe smack the snooze alarm for a few more minutes, a Kasane Teto song playing on her phone...
"… no, I can't just go back to sleep…" she groaned, "Gotta make sure Kaito's okay before class…"
At least this morning she had music composition to look forward to… no doubt Rin, Len, and Luka would be glad to see the fourth member of "Vocaloids" back in classes.
"While I was unaware, drowsiness snuck up on me…"
As wakefulness caught up to her, she remembered her observations on the feathers from the night before. "I've gotta find some way to ask him!" she said to herself as she climbed out of her bed.
She tried to rehearse their conversation and the scenarios began to play out in her head. "Ah! Kaito! Are all these bloody feathers yours?"
"When I'm busy, your tempting words lure me in! 'You really are stupid!'"
"No, no, no… that'll just scare him!"
She practiced a face in the mirror this time, hoping she could come up with something sincere and non-threatening. "S… So… Kaito! Have you ever… flown before? Not on a plane, like… on your own?"
"I'm seriously not going to make it in this hopeless moment…"
"Kaito! You know what would match that jacket? A big pair of wings!"
"Instead of coming up with a good solution, I instantly give up!"
"AHHHHH!" Miku shrieked, running her hands through her hair in frustration, "How am I supposed to ask him something like this?!"
"Baka baka baka! What is it that drives you so much? I take off to an unknown world, giving a ride to hopes! Baka baka baka! …"
Miku finally located her phone on her desk and shut the alarm off. After tying her hair up into pigtails using red ribbons, she tossed on a white peasant shirt with a red bow and slipped on a pair of black denim shorts. The sunny sky today made her think of how badly she wanted to go down to the wharf and relax… maybe she could coax Kaito along…
Miku slipped her feather hairclip over her bangs. "Positive… po-si-tive…" she reassured herself.
She opened the door and tiptoed into the living area again, hoping she hadn't woken Kaito up. To her surprise, she found him up in the kitchen, chopping up the last of the fruit in the fridge. "Oh, Kaito… didn't realize you were an early bird… riser!"
Kaito looked up from his work, smiling broadly at Miku's approach. "I'm glad you're awake!" he said, "Sorry, I was just hungry… I hope I didn't wake you."
Miku shook her head. "I have to go out to class pretty soon, actually…" she said.
"Help yourself," he said, "I made one for you already."
"You made me breakfast?!" Miku said, "That's so sweet! You didn't have to do that!"
Miku skipped into the kitchen and grabbed a glass dish with a spoon in it. As Miku put a chunk of strawberry in her mouth, she noticed Kaito had used just a bit more sugar than she normally would have… "So… Kaito, I guess you like sweet stuff?"
Kaito looked a little embarrassed. "More than most people…" he said.
Though Kaito still sounded somewhat protective about questions about himself, he seemed reasonably okay with this one. As he finished preparing his own fruit salad, he took a seat at the table across from Miku. Overall, his manner appeared more relaxed – Miku hoped he'd started to put some distance between whatever happened to him in the park and where he was now.
"Kaito, I was thinking… you should meet the rest of my friends…" Miku said, "If you're comfortable with it, you know?"
Kaito looked up in thought as he swallowed a chunk of fruit. "I mean, you don't have to! It's up to you…"
"…it wouldn't be bad for me to spend more time with hum- with people," he said.
Of course Miku noticed Kaito's odd habit of referring to people as "humans." Which only led back to her questions she still had about him. 'Maybe now's a good time…'
"Um… Kaito, I… I…"
The words caught in her throat – she didn't want to upset him now that he finally seemed to be calming down. "Hmm? Do you need something?" Kaito asked, looking confused.
"….I should probably tell you more about my friends…" Miku said, giving up yet again. Trying to recover more effectively, she added "You already met Luka last night… so the other two members of the band are Rin and Len Kagamine."
Thinking about her friends gave her a little more confidence to continue as she imagined them welcoming Kaito into their fold. "Luka's about your age, she's already a sophomore. Rin and Len are 16, but they're like… child geniuses! They tested into my grade back in high school, and we've been friends ever since! So now we all go to the same college together!"
Miku laughed. "They still act like kids though," she continued, "They're probably going to want to meet up down at the wharf at the ice cream shop..."
"Iced… cream?"
Miku slammed the table. "How have you NEVER had ice cream?!" she shouted. "Were your parents health nuts or something!?"
The blue-haired boy looked nervous again. "I… I could try it, I suppose…"
Miku scooped the last pieces of fruit out of her bowl and into her mouth. "Okay, seriously, we gotta work on you…" she said, hopping up from her seat and running to grab her messenger bag out of her bedroom. "Look, I'll just grab you when I'm done with class and we'll go down to the wharf together!"
By the time Miku was outside her apartment building and rushing to catch her bus, she knew she had limited time. She couldn't be late – now she was eager to finish out the academic portion of her day and move on to showing Kaito what ice cream was! But her thoughts were interrupted by the loud buzzing of a scooter engine…
"Hey! Hatsune Miku, you better not run off!"
Miku's eyes went wide, but before she actually could start running, she felt Gumi grip her shoulder and turn her around to face her. "You thought you could just escape from me?!"
Miku tried to wriggle out Gumi's iron grasp, but clearly Gumi had some practice in literally strong arming her sources. "Hey, back off, I gotta go to class!"
Gumi glared at her, not about to let a story slip away. "Noooo way! Big Sweet was crawling around the whole wharf yesterday, and you came out holdin' a body! Start talking!"
"Big… Sweet? What kind of weird name is that?!" Miku said, "Look, I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Gumi gave a wry laugh. "We both saw that guy bleeding out, and now I find out he's in one piece?!"
"What?! I doubt the hospital just told you what happened to a patient!"
This time, Gumi's laugh was far more knowledgeable than mocking. "A mere firewall cannot keep away the Great Gumini!"
'Is she a hacker!?' Miku thought to herself.
"Come on, what's the story?! The people deserve to know!"
As aggressive as Gumi was being with her, Miku legitimately couldn't answer any of her queries. Even if she weren't loyal to someone who needed her, she had no secret knowledge either. The gears in her head turned as she tried to invent a plausible excuse that could fool the reporter.
"I… He…" Miku felt her thoughts jamming under Gumi's intense glare.
"Miku! There you are! You're going to miss the bus!"
Just like that, Miku found her arm linked to that of her dear sempai. With ease, Luka managed to work Miku out of the iron hold of Gumi. "Hey! You can't take her! She's a valuable news source!"
"My apologies, but we're tardy as it is!"
Miku mouthed a 'thank you' to Luka. As they rounded a corner out of Gumi's sight, Luka slowed to a more relaxed pace. "Well Miku, I think we're clear…."
"Sempai… I really owe you…" she said, before she heard the familiar sound of Gumi's scooter picking up speed. 'Oh come ON!' she thought to herself.
However, Gumi appeared to have given up, as the scooter zipped past both women, charging down the street without stopping. "As I said…" Luka said, "We're clear."
Miku didn't question her good luck, though she could have sworn she heard a soft female voice singing. Yet as she studied Luka carefully, the girl's lips were tightly sealed, her calm smile unbroken. 'But this isn't the first time I've heard this happen…' Miku thought to herself.
As Rin took a few eager bites out of her orange sherbet, she kept scanning the wharf eagerly for a sign of Miku and her mystery man. "I hope he's cute…" she sighed.
Today she wore her hair in its usual Alice headband bow and clips. She didn't care if she her brothered teased her for being a college student with a child's bow, it still made her feel pretty. She had a green hoodie over her white shirt and fluffy pink skirt. Her pink and white sneakers kept swinging under the table as she kicked her feet impatiently.
"Still seems like kind of a jerk to impose himself on Miku like that…" Len huffed, angrily jamming a spoonful of his banana sundae in his mouth. He had a pair of white headphones resting on his shoulders, matching the pink pair his twin wore – they'd been practicing their songs on the walk over to the wharf. His bright orange shirt and black shorts kept him cool in the warm summer's day. Unlike his eager sister, he kept his red-booted feet firmly planted on the ground.
"You're just jealous," Rin said, "Since he made the first move and all."
Len nearly spat out his ice cream. "Why do you always say things like that?!"
"It's my job!" she said with a playful wink.
"As… as long as he can sing, I guess it's okay…" he said, his cheeks red with embarrassment at getting called out, "I mean, it's not like they're dating or anything." He began to take another bite of his ice cream.
"Awwww, but wouldn't it be SO romantic if Miku found her childhood friend after an accident and they fell in love?!" Rin squealed like an excited child.
This time, Len actually did spit out his ice cream from shock. "Will you stop that?!" he said.
Rin began humming to herself, lost in her own little world. Len leaned back in his chair. Ever since Len realized he'd developed a crush on Miku, he hadn't had the nerve to speak up. He assumed he'd have time to figure out what he needed to say. While Miku had certainly gone on dates in high school, she was far too devoted to "Vocaloids" for anything serious. As his eyes scanned the wharf, he finally spotted his dear friend – and his potential "rival".
Apparently, Rin saw them as well. "Miku! Miku, over here!" she shouted, waving her arms in a grand display of excitement.
As Miku walked over with her new companion, Len tried to size him up – to his chagrin, Kaito definitely had some height on him. Len kept hoping that when he and Rin turned 16, his well-overdue growth spurt would happen… but no such luck. Being shorter AND younger than his other co-eds still grated on him.
Miku smiled broadly to her friends, skipping over at the last few steps. "Hey guys, good to see you!" she said, "Everyone, this is Kaito!"
Kaito gave a polite nod of his head. "Lin and Ren, right?" he said.
Rin burst out into peals of laughter as Len made a frustrated groan. "Why do people always do that?" he grumbled, "I'm LEN and this is my sister RIN."
"My apologies," Kaito said, embarrassed. As Miku looked around the table, she immediately noted one absence. "Where's Luka?"
Rin shrugged. "She said she'd be late," she said, "She didn't say why."
"Okay guys, we have an important mission," Miku said, "Kaito… has never had ice cream before!"
Rin's face turned to pure shock. "No!"
Kaito appeared nervous as the girls glared at him. "Quick! Your favorite fruit!" Rin shouted.
"Strawberry?" Kaito said.
"Okay, so, the Strawberry Swirlaroo!" Miku said, looking at Rin.
"And no toppings!" Rin added, holding up an index finger, "Keep the first taste pure!"
The girls nodded to each other and ran off, leaving Kaito to slowly take a seat across the table from Len. The blonde tactically scooped at his ice cream as he assessed Kaito, but he simply appeared confused at the events that had just played out. Len finally decided to break the ice. "Were your parents health nuts?"
Kaito let out a sigh. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
Len laughed. "Because most people ate this stuff when they were kids!"
The blue haired man nodded, as If Len had just offered him sage wisdom. "I didn't grow up with my parents," he confessed, "I guess I missed out."
"Eh, don't worry about it," Len drawled, "Our folks were crazy tough on me and Rin. We didn't get to try anything with sugar until we met Miku…"
As if on cue, Rin and Miku skipped back over to the table, Miku slamming a bowl full of some pink creamy delicacy in front of Kaito. She handed him a spoon. "Don't worry, this one's on me," she said.
Kaito felt cold energy radiating from the odd dish in front of him. The idea of humans freezing liquid and shaping it was awe-inspiring. He remembered how Miku was able to store her fruit in a cold box, but creating a fancy dish out of chilled cream? Mesmerizing! Such technology didn't exist in the Islands. He took a little scoop with his spoon and stuck it into his mouth…
The explosion of sweetness on his tongue set his taste buds aglow. "This is amazing!" he declared, quickly taking another bite and enjoying the savory treat.
Miku and Rin shared a laugh. "I knew you'd like it!" Miku said, "After all that sugar you put on your fruit salad!"
Kaito realized he was being rude to eat this fast, but for the first time since he'd come to Earth, he'd found something pleasant. Not just pleasant, utterly amazing...
Suddenly a sharp pain in his temples jolted him from his reverie. He dropped his spoon and grasped his head. Was the treat poisoned?! Had Miku misled him after all!?
"What's happening?!" he asked through gritted teeth.
The boy, Len, laughed. "You're not supposed to eat it that fast," he joked.
As his head throbbed, Kaito protested. "What are you talking about?"
"It's all that cold food touching the roof of your mouth!" Rin said authoritatively, "It makes the blood vessels in your head swell up. That's why you're supposed to eat it slowly."
"How do I make it stop?" Kaito asked, frightened at hearing such terminology being used.
"Oh, I know this one! You stick your tongue on the roof of your mouth!" Miku said.
He looked and saw the pig-tailed girl open her mouth, and demonstrate. "Liigh thish!" she said.
Soon Rin and Len followed suit, all three of the humans holding their mouths open and saying "Ahhhh!" Kaito tried their technique (with his mouth closed) and within soon the pain in subsided. "You should have warned me this could be dangerous," he said.
Miku started to giggle at Kaito, though she stopped as he looked sincerely upset. "You're still a newbie," she chided, "You'll learn."
Kaito finally picked up his spoon and started to eat slowly. 'I've never seen someone that happy to eat ice cream,' she thought to herself as his wide smile returned.
"So, Miku probably gushed all about the band already," Len said, "Are you a singer too?"
Kaito shook his head. "I sing a little in my spare time, just for fun."
"And Miku hasn't already recruited you?" the boy asked in disbelief.
"Ah… well…" Miku said, "I kinda brought it up to him but…" Of course, technically Miku hadn't even heard Kaito sing.
"Performing like that… it's not really something that I do…" Kaito finished.
"Awwww!" Rin pleaded, "I'll bet you have a pretty voice or Miku wouldn't be dragging you everywhere! We need more male vocalists!"
"Hey! It's not like that!"
Len looked at Miku slyly. "Oh suuuure," he said, "You just happened to run into an old friend, he just happens to crash with you, and you have no ulterior motive?"
Miku began to shrink in her seat before an elegant voice from behind her saved the day. "Now, Len, Miku's allowed a few moments of pure generosity, isn't she?"
"Sempai!" Rin cheered.
Luka took a seat with her friends, holding a vanilla ice cream cone in one hand. Today she wore a white blouse with a pink bow tied around the collar, a blue jacket tied around her waist and hanging over her purple skirt. "Sorry I'm late," she said, her brown loafers lightly clomping on the ground as she scooted in her chair. She waved her free hand in Kaito's direction. "It's nice to see you again, Kaito!"
Luka… of course he'd remembered her from the night before. He recalled divergent notes in her voice from their meeting. Something about his presence had upset her, though he'd yet to understand why. Today her voice sounded far steadier, so perhaps seeing a stranger with her friend surprised her.
He cringed as he felt that sharp pain in his head again. As he wedged his tongue up against the roof of his mouth, Luka apparently picked that moment to speak to him. "So, I assume your reunion with Miku is going well? How long has it been since you last saw her?" she asked.
"Yea! Did you go to school together?!" Rin added.
Kaito felt the minor pain subside again as he tried to think of an answer to the barrage of questions. "Well, we... we weren't school mates…" he stammered. Though his headache was gone, something seemed to linger in the back of his mind…
"That's not really important, is it?!" Miku interrupted, "All that matters is that we're together again!"
"…so how long are you going to be together?"
While Len's question on its surface sounded innocent enough, Kaito detected a few sour notes in his voice. "Well… I mean, probably not that long… I just needed a place for… a little while…"
'Of course an answer like that won't work…' he thought to himself. The lingering feeling he had felt began to turn to a small, dissonant melody. He couldn't clear his mind to think straight before he once more found himself under the crosshairs.
"You're not a ronin, are you?" Rin asked.
"R…ronin?" Kaito repeated.
"Yea, did you come out here to study for the Tsubasa City University exams?" Len continued.
Miku slammed her hands on the table, dramatically drawing all the attention away from Kaito. "Kaito… is just trying to get his life started again, okay?!" she huffed, "And this is as good a place as any."
She turned beet red as she realized how she'd basically accomplished the opposite of her intended action – stopping the group from over analyzing Kaito. For whatever reason, he still seemed terribly nervous on the subject of himself. She tried something else to diffuse the sudden tension.
"So… this is Kaito's first trip to Tsubasa City," Miku explained.
At that, Rin and Len brightened. "Really!?" Rin exclaimed, turning to Kaito with pride, "Len and I have lived here all our lives!"
"Yea… if there's anything you need to know, just ask…" Len said, his sour notes fading.
Kaito, relieved to no longer be the subject of discussion, took a long gaze at the buildings around the wharf. "This city feels rather new, doesn't it?"
"Tsubasa City was built 20 years ago," Len explained, "It started out as a corporate hub for Mirror Corp, the country's biggest biotech and R&D firm. But the Hearts invested in building it up into a huge economic center."
"Mirror…" Kaito whispered to himself, just barely audible to Miku.
"Yea, our parents are the CEOs! They came over from England after they founded Mirror!" On the words 'our parents,' Rin's voice lost some of its enthusiasm.
"Yea, that's why Tsubasa City has a lot of Western influence," Len continued, "That makes it popular with international tourists."
Rin clapped her hands together. "In fact, Tsubasa Academy, where we all went to school together, is an international school! So there's tons of people from outside Japan living here!"
Kaito nodded as if he understood, but Miku noticed he seemed distracted. She worried that he might not be entirely healed from his injuries the day before. Before she could ask, Luka interrupted their conversation.
"So Kaito, what do you intend to do for a living while you're waiting to take your exams?"
Miku detected a slight edge to Luka's voice, but her face betrayed no ill intentions. "Um… Kaito… is…"
"You know, if you needed some help finding employment, I could help you out," she continued, "Did you work during school back in Kyoto? You'll need some income while you stay with Miku…"
"I…"
"What sort of interests did you have in school? I could direct you based on those…"
"Yea, where'd you go to school anyway?" Len added, "Close to where your family worked?"
"I… well…"
"Yea, Kaito, what kind of clubs did you join? Chorus?!" Rin asked, the only voice that sounded legitimately friendly.
The wretched melody felt like it was shattering the thoughts Kaito tried to form, leaving only frustration in its wake. Any human could answer simple questions like these, why couldn't he?!
Because he wasn't human.
As his anger with himself grew, Kaito finally rose to his feet, politely bowing to the group. "I need a… a restroom… I'll come right back…"
"It's back that way… Do you need help-"
"No," Kaito said curtly, cutting off Miku's attempt to aid him.
Kaito quickly strode away, rushing around until he found what he hoped was the right room. 'Blue should be the men's room…'
Once he was inside, he found himself face to face with his reflection. To everyone around him he looked perfectly normal. He looked human. Only he could comprehend why looking human separated him.
"I'm not human…" he whispered, placing a hand on the mirror, "But I'm not Seruva anymore either…"
Something as simple as an afternoon with his host and her friends and he couldn't last more than twenty minutes. Kaito clenched his fist and moved away from the mirror. "I'm sorry Miku… You tried."
The discordant melody continued to rattle around in his head…
Luka clutched her hands around her largely uneaten ice cream cone as the silence at the table continued. Miku watched her friend carefully, still in shock that the normally calm girl had been so aggressive with Kaito. "…I didn't mean to scare him," Luka finally said.
"You weren't asking anything weird," Len said, "He's the one that's being weird!"
Miku clutched her hands together. "Kaito… had a really bad accident," she said, trying to protect him while being as honest as possible, "Plus he lost his family… he's still trying to piece it all together."
Len seemed to want to say something else before looking over Miku's head. "Uh… isn't that him over there?"
Miku turned her head to see Kaito was wandering along the wharf. "Wow… how'd he get past us so fast?" Miku said.
She folded up her hands in apology. "I'll go talk to him, okay?" she said, "Sorry about… everything…"
As Miku leapt up from the table and chased down her friend, Len kept his eyes on her. Those lovely twin tails swaying behind her as she ran after someone else. Surely Miku wouldn't conceal a boyfriend from them… they'd always been more honest with each other than that…
He glanced over at Luka, who was letting her ice cream cone melt all over her hands. "Sempai… are you okay?"
At being acknowledged, Luka began dabbing at her hands with a napkin, trying to remove the sticky mess. "I'm sorry, I don't know where my head is today…"
"That makes you AND Miku…" Len added.
"…I don't think Kaito's a bad person," Rin finally said, poking at her melting sherbet.
Len let out a loud sigh. "I don't think so either," he admitted. Sure Kaito was strange beyond belief but… it didn't seem like he meant any harm.
"Sometimes when people are deeply hurt, they don't act rational," Luka said, staring off into the wide ocean with whimsical eyes.
'Right… Miku started talking about families again…' Len thought to himself. Perhaps Kaito's situation was a little too familiar to the helpful girl.
"… I guess it's just like Miku to take pity on a guy that just lost his folks, huh?"
The most depressing fact of the four Vocaloids remained one thing they shared in common besides their love of song – not one of them had parents any longer. While the Kagamines had their adoptive parents, their contact with the Hearts was rare now that they didn't even live together anymore. Luka's parents had passed away, leaving her to grow up in an institution until she enrolled at Tsubasa City Academy and moved into the dorms. A topic she rarely discussed.
And Miku…
"We should invite Kaito to practice tomorrow!" Rin suggested, "He said he sang for fun, so maybe that will cheer him up!"
Luka nodded her head, turning to face the twins with a somewhat lighter mood. "That would be lovely," she said, "I'll let Miku know… besides, I owe her and Kaito an apology."
Len shook his head. "Nah, we all do," he said, "It'll be like… a second first impression."
"Kaito! Kaito, wait up!"
The blue-haired man tensed up at hearing Miku's voice. She feared he was going to run away, but he slowed his walk. If he'd planned to run, he seemed to have rethought his stance.
"Miku, I appreciate everything you're trying to do, really, but this isn't going to work…" Kaito sounded as if he was under a great deal of stress.
"They weren't angry with you!" Miku protested, "We've just been friends for so long, they… they were worried about me. They wanted to know more about you so they knew I'd be safe."
As Kaito sped up again, Miku started to jog to catch up with him. By now, Miku and Kaito had gotten so far up the wharf path that they were the only ones around. "I don't want to pry," she said, "But… it'd be easier for me to help you if… if I knew more about you too. Especially… what happened to you."
Despite her best efforts, she still couldn't forget the sight of all that blood. The gashes on Kaito's back. The blood soaked feathers. The question she wanted to ask felt trapped in her throat.
'Now Miku, there's no such thing as people with wings.'
'Miku… it's understandable you're upset about what happened to your parents… but you know it's impossible for humans to fly.'
Even now, the voices of those who cast doubt on her experience ran through her head. Declaring that what happened to her, being clutched from the sky as she plunged to certain death… that it was a lie. Yet… she desperately wished that somehow, Kaito would prove her right.
Kaito stopped walking, his fists clenched at his side. "Why…" he asked quietly. His voice rose in anger. "Why are you so obsessed with me!? Why can't you humans leave me alone!?"
She couldn't hold back, her clumsy question flying out. "…you used to have wings, didn't you?!" she shouted, her eyes screwed shut with fear.
Just hearing the words on her lips… she knew how ridiculous she sounded. She'd taken a perfect stranger and tried to make him fit into the mold of that person. But Kaito didn't even know her. "I'm so sorry…" she began to apologize, "Forget I said it! It's crazy, I know! They're not real… there's no such thing…"
She opened her eyes to see Kaito staring at her, his eyes wide with surprise. "How did you know?"
At that moment, his eyes jerked over Miku's head and his expression turned to fear. Following his eyes, Miku turned to try and see what had upset him. He seemed to be staring at a rather odd looking pair of people casually strolling up the wharf. One a tall, brute of a man with shocks of white breaking up his slicked-back brown hair. He wore an odd circlet around his forehead and a fancy red and black suit. The woman at his side was clad in a white sun dress, black ribbons trailing around her neck and shoulders. Something about the look in her eyes and the crooked smile on her partner's face set Miku on edge.
Suddenly she found Kaito's hand gripping her wrist. "We can't stay here!" he shouted.
No sooner had the words left his lips, then Miku saw the woman display a wicked smirk. Kaito tugged Miku with him as he broke into a dead sprint. Though Miku wanted to learn who she was running from, Kaito's reaction told her that somehow, these people were responsible for his state in the park.
She didn't have long to think before she glanced back and gasped as the man wrenched a lamppost from the ground as if it were nothing. He and his companion quickly closed the distance between themselves and Miku screamed as the lamppost was swung right at them.
But it never touched either of them. For just a moment, she heard that beautiful voice once more, like a wave extending from Kaito's body. Instead of Miku being smashed by a heavy object, she watched it slam harmlessly into a wall of light. "What's going on?!" Miku shouted.
Kaito yanked her closer to him as the woman leapt through the air, her fists extended. "Now now, since when did scrap get up and walk away?!" she cried out in her mad charge.
Miku watched as Kaito held out his arms, doing his best to counter every furious punch with another shield. Frighteningly, despite the fact the mild-mannered woman apparently had strength and speed well beyond her seemingly mild build, she was smiling throughout her violent assault.
Miku realized Kaito's attempts to defend himself might not be enough, as once the man began to swing his weapon around with reckless abandon Kaito was forced to try and put up additional shields. Inevetiably, it only took one shield slipping for a blow to get through and Kaito took the brunt of a beating by the lamppost. Both he and Miku slammed into the rock wall overlooking the docks.
Miku tried to stand again. She looked to Kaito with worry as he was struggling to get back up, having taken a much stronger blow. Without a second thought, she placed herself between the two people that had just beaten him within an inch of his life, holding out her arms as though somehow she could protect Kaito from the two juggernaut. "Who are you?!" she shouted.
The woman gave a shaky curtsy. "Sweet Ann, Sweet Ann, Sweet Ann, Sweet Ann! Virtual singer, Sweet Ann!"
'Why did she sing that?!' Miku thought.
"Now that's just rude, my Sweet Ann, you know I never came up with a song worthy of Big Al!"
'Big Al… Sweet Ann… Big Sweet?!' Miku finally remembered Gumi's interrogation from the morning and her obsession with "Big Sweet."
Big Al shoved his lamppost into Miku's direction, like a battering ram, stopping just short of crushing her and Kaito against the wall. "Now, I don't really remember his name, but I do remember one thing – he was scrap but now he's not. We need to find out why."
Miku felt Kaito's hand on her wrist again. "Close your eyes…" he whispered to her.
Though Miku felt fear at letting such dangerous people out of her sight, she did as told. She heard another powerful song – this one sounding like a quick, solid burst.
As she opened her eyes again, she saw Al and Ann stumble backwards, their hands over their eyes. "Where did that LIGHT come from?!" the woman shouted.
"Now, Miku! Follow me!" Kaito shouted, leaping over the wall onto the docks below.
"This is crazy!" Miku shouted. Her years of dance training came to good use as she landed gracefully on the wood. "We gotta hide!" she shouted, taking charge. She scanned the walls of the wharf, spotting a large drainage pipe. If the gates were open, she and Kaito could get far enough back that they'd be hard to find…
"Come on! Follow me!" she called out to Kaito, pointing the way ahead. He nodded and kept pace with Miku. As they crossed into the pipe, they didn't get far before discovering a massive locked gate. She banged her hands against it fruitlessly. She heard Sweet Ann's horrible voice ringing out behind her. "Has our little clipped birdie flown away?!"
"Kaito… I'm sorry…" she apologized, tearing up, "I made it worse…"
Before she could say anything else, Kaito grabbed Miku and pulled her close to his body. Suddenly having her face smashed up against his chest, Miku felt her emotions heighten. She moved to speak before Kaito pressed a single finger to his lips. Still gripping her, he pulled her into a corner, his back pressing into the gate and the wall.
And then Miku heard it again. Kaito's voice. She studied his lips carefully, but he was perfectly still, his eyes closed in deep concentration. "They'll hear us-"
He raised his finger again and Miku decided to trust him. A scraping sound approached the crouching duo and Miku heard thick boots clomping along the metal drain pipe. Big Al turned the corner, still carrying his lamppost that he was dragging against the wall and wearing a mad smile.
"Let me wipe your tears for you… My darling do not cry…"
Miku bit her lip as she saw him look straight at her. She choked back a scream. Though Kaito still had a firm grip on her, his body felt tense – clearly he was just as frightened of Big Al as she was. She kept her eyes locked with his, waiting for him to strike her… but he turned his head and walked past, pressing a firm hand against the gate.
"You know I'd never let you down, I will never die..."
'Why didn't he say anything?!' Miku thought to herself. 'Why can't he hear Kaito singing?!'
"The birdie's flown away, dear!" Miku heard Sweet Ann's voice echo down the pipe, "They're all empty!"
In a moment of frustration, Big Al punched the gate, the force causing the entire piece to buckle. Miku almost jumped ten feet at the impact, but still tried to maintain her silence. Somehow… Kaito was preventing the two of them from being seen. "Well, at least Ollie can't get too upset…" he shouted to no one in particular, "We finished our job! This was just a little diversion!"
As Big Al casually strolled away, Miku listened to the sound of his eerie song slowly fading away.
"The flames are reaching heaven's sky, prepare to attack…"
As his odd, mechanical melody faded in the tunnel, Miku finally heard Kaito's voice fade with it. The taller man released Miku, slumping back against the wall and sliding down to a sitting position. He covered his head with his hands. Miku took a seat next to him. Upon seeing how his hands shook, she already knew he was in no state to speak. She wanted desperately to know who these violent people were and why they were trying to hurt him. She also felt angry with herself for being so useless to him when he was in danger. 'He might have been able to escape faster if he didn't have to drag me around…'
Finally, Kaito raised his head. "How did you know? About my wings?"
Miku twirled a few strands of her hair around her index finger. "Kaito… I … I saw your wounds. Before they went away. And… I saw all the feathers too. And…"
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, both from the shock of suddenly having to fight for her life, and from what she was about to confess. "… That person. The guy you look like."
Her lip quivered as she pressed herself to finish answering his question. He deserved to know…
"He saved my life. About seven years ago. And… and… he had wings."
She couldn't hold her feelings back any longer. Her entire afternoon had been the chaos of her friends fighting, nearly getting kidnapped or killed by those monstrous people… and now she'd just confessed her deepest secret to Kaito. In spite of how hard she'd tried to be brave and composed, Miku buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
Kaito regretted upsetting Miku, especially after their near-death experience. But now he could finally relax. In spite of dragging an innocent human into his troubles… he felt at peace. For just one person, he didn't have to pretend anymore.
"They said… I just imagined him… because I had survivor's guilt… but I never stopped believing in him…"
Kaito gave Miku some time to recompose herself. He had plenty of questions, and he owed her answers. "I guess… I could have been more honest with you…"
Miku's sobs trickled off as she began to calm down. "I'm not human," Kaito continued, "I'm a Seruva. The simplest explanation is… we're people with wings."
Remembering how he'd already given away his abilities, he added "And magic."
"Please… tell me the truth… were you that boy?"
Miku still had tears in her eyes as she looked to Kaito again. The desperate notes in her voice gave him pause and he found himself disappointed in answering in the negative. "No, it couldn't be. This is the first time I've ever been among humans."
Though Kaito feared that Miku might start crying again, she seemed to accept his answer. 'Maybe she just wanted an honest confirmation of the truth…' he thought to himself.
As Miku finally began to pull herself back together, she asked the question he dreaded.
"Who were those people?"
Kaito felt those awful memories clawing away at him again. He gave the most honest, simple answer he felt capable of giving right now.
"Those people… those people tore off my wings."
Luka sat on her couch, hard at work on her laptop. Her sketch pad rested next to her, an unfinished mock up of Miku's newest costume on the top page. Normally she loved to release her artistic skills whenever the moment took her, and especially when her stress was this high. But ever since meeting Kaito… she'd found herself involved in something she found more important.
An instant messenger chat window sat open on her screen.
[16bitCaRRoT: u gotta see this pic
16bitCaRRoT: sry it's a crappy cam pic
16bitCaRRoT: ur guy? could b wings
16bitCaRRoT: or a cheap cape :P]
She accepted the file download and watched the grainy image appear on her screen. She could make out the form of a man with purple hair in traditional warrior's robes wielding a sword. In retrospect, the clothes of a Seruva warrior bore more than a little resemblance to traditional jinbaori worn in Japan during their feudal era. The look in his eyes surprised her – members of the warrior caste were known for being calm and collected. This man looked violent enough to kill on sight. And then there was the matter of him possessing claw-like fingernails and strange face paint… but most worryingly of all, his wings were jet black. Like a crow.
Luka stared at her screen, carefully planning her response. This obviously wasn't Kaito. But if someone with wings was roaming Tsubasa City, they likely had something to do with Kaito. However he came to be Val'Sharess, she possessed doubts the Elders would formally Sever the last Spirit Caller.
[2xLariat: Any casualties?]
[16bitCaRRoT: nah, just a buncha drunks wetting their pants]
Luka breathed a sigh of relief.
[2xLariat: Maybe a street performer? It is 4th district.]
[16bitCaRRoT: omg 4th district shinigami! luv it! thx thx thx ~_^]
"Shinigami." A local term for a grim reaper. Trying to imagine one of her own kind as something so dangerous was foreign to her. But it was her imperative to find this man. Before he found Kaito.
"Kaito…" she whispered, "Even if you never remember who I am… I believe fate gave me this chance… I won't fail to protect you again."
A/N:
Happy Bonus Update! Don't forget, this is a one-off – NORMAL update days are Saturdays at 12am! I got the day of the week wrong for Kaito's other birthday (2/17), but I promised you guys Monday on my profile… so you get Monday. My flu-addled failure is your gain!
So, you thought I'd just write a chapter about Kaito nomming on ice cream! Nope, this a "werewolves piloting helicopters" story, dammit, I am NOT letting these people have a nice normal day without something crazy happening!
While I'm trying not to cram this story with too much Japanese flavor, I did slip in a few things that might need some context. Rin asks Kaito if he's a ronin – in Japan, this is a term that was originally used to describe wandering samurai who had no masters (i.e. vagrants.) In modern day Japan, it's a derogatory term used for someone who's graduated high school but not yet enrolled in college. Kaito would appear to fit the bill to a stranger! Furthermore, when Len reflects that Luka grew up in an "institution", it's basically what the Japanese use for orphanages. More on those later.
Song Credits: Miku's alarm clock mocked her with Triple Baka… except in this universe, it's a Teto song! Hmmm… she sure is popular in this universe. Sweet Ann attempted to punch through the fourth wall along with actual walls with "Sweet Ann no Uta." Big Al was singing "HIM" by Crusher-P.