Chapter 5: NegiPosi*Continues
The warm July sun shone over the amphitheater of Shirasagi Park as Kaito sat on one of the benches, a spoon in a cup of ice cream. Gakupo seemed less interested in his – to Kaito's great surprise. He understood that the warrior never had nearly his own love for sweet foods and treats, but surely something as amazing as ice cream should have been different?
It had been three days since the confrontation at the wharf with Haku. Though Kaito still felt nervous about how it ended, he'd come to accept Luka and Gakupo's reassurances that he had not killed her. Still, the words she left behind remained a source of confusion.
'Seal of the Seruva…' he thought to himself, 'I've never even heard of that term. I'm a Spirit Caller…'
Not that the spirits spoke to him anymore…
As the time dragged on, he began to assume they'd abandoned him entirely for his weaknesses. Yet now he'd beaten back two incursions of Noise into reality. His memories of the spirit he'd pursued that led him to being captured were hazy… but perhaps he was meant to come to Earth and stop this threat. As horrifying as his experiences were at the hands of humanity… he was glad to make such sacrifices and more for the sake of his people, even when he could no longer count himself among their number.
Kaito's spoon dragged at the bottom of the cup and he realized he'd run out. Before he could say anything, Gakupo handed over his half-eaten cup of ice cream and smiled. "You may have the rest of mine," he said.
Kaito laughed, embarrassed that he was so obvious without even having spoken. As Kaito dug into the ice cream cup, Gakupo stood up and drew his sword, Miburi, from the magical sheath he kept at his side. "Gakupo… is it safe to practice swordplay here?" Kaito said nervously.
"I am using the utmost caution!" he protested as he began to fence with an imaginary opponent, "Practice is paramount. The foe could strike at any moment… and Luka told me not to use my weapons in the house…"
As he advanced on his "foe", he added "Besides, those 'samurai' films running on the television were quite inspiring… I'd no idea humans once revered a warrior caste of their own!"
Kaito was surprised how well Gakupo was playing along at being human. For his friend, it was entirely a choice. At any time, the warrior could simply return home, tell a white lie, and go back to being a Seruva.
"So this business of 'reasons'… they seem to take it quite seriously, don't they?!" Gakupo shouted, trying to keep their conversation going.
Only Gakupo would try to have a conversation while miming chopping a man's head off. "Apparently Miku started it," Kaito explained, "I asked her a little about it, but it's a practice all four of them started when they formed the troupe. They vowed that when they recruited new members, we'd have to engage in it as well."
"So you've had a little more time than I… any progress?" Gakupo fired back.
Kaito took a moment of thought as he swallowed another spoonful of ice cream. "I guess right now… I just did it because I don't know what else to do," he admitted, "I knew it would help Miku out. She's already done so much for me. And it gave me the chance to make some human friends, so why wouldn't I? But I suspect it's not what she wants to hear."
He hated to admit to himself, but being a Spirit Caller wasn't a terribly easy life. Ever since he'd stepped into the position at the age of thirteen, his life was to be nothing but pure devotion to his prayers and vigils. That meant no time playing or engaging with anyone that could distract him from his duty. Though he'd once had Meiko to count on, her rapid ascension to power quickly tore that bond apart. No doubt if they'd realized how friendly and informal he and Gakupo had gotten, they'd have reassigned Gakupo at once and given him another guard that respected duty first.
"…. I shouldn't like this as much as I do," Kaito said guiltily.
"Oh ho?" Gakupo said, "What makes you say that?"
Kaito tried to pick the safest answer. "My entire life was planned out for me by others. It had to be of course – I'm the last Spirit Caller. They were probably working out who I was going to marry and when just to keep the bloodline going. Now… I don't know what I'm going to do, but… at least every choice I make from now on is mine."
The warrior smirked as he swung his sword in an impressive sweep. "It's understandable. You've lost your home and your wings, but gained a degree of freedom."
That was an unusual way of putting it. 'It's not inaccurate either though,' Kaito reasoned. Gakupo always had a knack for cutting to the meat of his dilemmas.
Kaito watched Gakupo for a few more minutes as he polished off the rest of his ice cream. His friend had always been quite unusual – a member of the warrior caste since he was old enough to pick up a sword, yet in spite of his firm dedication to his orders to protect Kaito, he was also a man that loved to sing for the fun of it and occasionally spend time romancing many a lovely Seruva that caught his eye. Kaito himself had no such great experiences. Where Gakupo's relationships were transient due to the nature of his job, at least he'd had them. Naturally, if Kaito couldn't have friends, he couldn't have lovers either.
Kaito found his eyes scanning the small park and trying to take in the sights of humans going about their days. The children chasing each other aimlessly through the grass. A young couple on a bench, their hands clenched tightly as they whispered to each other. An elderly couple slowly pacing their way along the sidewalk, reminiscing.
'Do humans just have deeper connections to each other than we do?' Kaito thought to himself. He knew that the Seruva could fall in love, but it always seemed so rigid and formal. Only the "nestlings" really spent their time living in the moment, trying to reach out to others.
"I don't doubt the Seruva were like this once too."
Somehow Gakupo had read Kaito's mind. "Listen to their melodies," Kaito mused out loud, "So much life. How did we become so cold?"
"Kaito~!"
Miku skipped over with Luka close behind. "You done with your morning exams?" Kaito asked.
The teal haired girl nodded in excitement. "Yea, and I know I aced em'!"
Gakupo sheathed his weapon, abruptly ending his impromptu practice. "Gakupo, you probably should be more cautious with that sword," Luka said, "the police might try to take it from you."
The purple-haired man grumbled to himself. "Was that all, warden?" he remarked.
Luka pulled a small strip of measuring tape from her purse. "Actually, it's good that you two decided to spend some time together," she said, "I need measurements from both of you. Kaito, can you hold out your arms?"
"Um… okay?" he said, obediently.
Miku was beside herself. "We're making your costumes for Vocaloids!" she said excitedly, "I know we're supposed to wait for you to pass the initiation, but… but… Luka and I already had cool ideas and we can't wait!"
"Do we get a say?" Kaito asked nervously as Luka pressed the tape around his chest.
Miku held up a notebook in Kaito's face. "This is what we had in mind for you, Kaito!"
He examined a rough sketch of himself wearing a long white coat, extremely long sheer scarf, black shirt, tight pants, and tall black boots.
"That… doesn't look too different from the clothes I'm wearing now…" Kaito said.
Miku started to laugh. "You look good in the long coat, so we're making you a snazzier one!" she said, "These parts are going to be shiny… and the boots will make it easier for you when we start working on dancing!"
As Luka moved over to Gakupo, the warrior sounded intrigued. "So what shall you be providing for me?" he asked.
"Well, you might have inspired me with your viewing habits…" Luka said with a knowing smile.
Miku flipped the notebook and revealed Gakupo clad in garments Kaito realized reminded him of…
"You're making me samurai robes?!"
Kaito laughed as he heard the excited notes weaving through Gakupo's speech. "A noble warrior who embraces the power of song…" he said, his voice taking on an imperial tone.
Miku kept pointing to different pieces of the costume. "See, yours is going to be really complex, but you'll wear this 'cyber suit' underneath – these reflective parts are gonna make it light up under stage lights – so you won't be getting dragged down by the robes and – "
"So all I have to do is pass an initiation and I get to wear the costume?"
Kaito had never heard Gakupo this excited about anything before, but hearing the tones in his voice fed his own enthusiasm. His own costume appeared downright regal. Miku pulled the notebook away from the taller man's face. "You got your reason worked out yet?!"
At that Gakupo hesitated. "Not… yet…"
Time for a save of his own. "Miku…" Kaito asked, "Maybe it would help if you told us what kind of reasons the rest of you have."
Luka laughed as she finished with Gakupo and unwrapped the tape from around him. "Miku has the most straight-forward reason of any of us," she said.
Miku's face began to take on a redder color. "Wellllll…" she said, "Remember how some Seruva saved my life when I was a kid?"
How could he forget? Without waiting for an answer, she began to press the tips of her fingers together. "I… I wanted to sing all over the world… so wherever he is… he'll know I'm okay."
By now, Kaito noticed the tones that slipped into Miku's voice when she spoke of what should have been a happier event. Someone had saved her – and given her the experience of flight for just a few moments. So why did she have the sad notes in her voice when she spoke of him?
"They don't all have to be like Miku's," Luka said, "For example, I intend to be a Vocaloid to prove my worth."
"That… is a tad broad," Gakupo said.
Luka's voice had taken on a complex melody – not sad as Miku's, but a mixture of many varied feelings. "Miku, Rin, and Len always looked up to me since they met me," she reminisced, "I wanted to become a Vocaloid to prove I was worthy of that respect."
"That's why Luka's always going to be my sempai!" Miku said with a smile.
'So this is what they mean…' Kaito thought to himself, 'That gives me a few ideas…'
"So what were the twins' reasons?" Gakupo asked, "I've only got two to go off of!"
Luka smiled slyly. "Maybe you should ask them yourself!" she said, "After all, they're Vocaloids too."
Kaito finally realize that because of how bizarre the last several days had been, he'd barely gotten to know one half of the original "Vocaloids" group that he'd joined up with. The only two other humans he knew… and now the only two that remained blissfully ignorant of what he truly was.
"Ooooo! I got it!" Miku shouted, "They're done with their exams in an hour! We should take Kaito and Gakupo to the game center! They'll love it!"
"Game… center?" Kaito asked, confused.
"Teto Teto Night Fever! Get on the popping rhythm, forget all the bad stuff!"
A girl with red, corkscrew shaped hair danced across a stage spelling out her name in lights. Miku slammed her hands across the arcade controller lightning quick. "This is for you, Teto-sama!"
"Teto Teto Night Fever! I'm right here so don't turn your eyes away even a little! No, no, don't!"
As the song finished, a giant loaf of bread with arms and legs burst through the back wall and posed behind the girl on the screen. Miku put her hands up in the air and cheered as she finished the song. "YEA! Perfect score!"
Kaito had simply watched as Miku played the game, as if studying something of great importance. Miku smiled brightly at him. "You wanna try?" Miku asked.
"I… I don't think I'd be that good…" he said, putting up his hands.
"Awww… but it's Teto-chan!"
Kaito rubbed a hand behind his head. "I don't know who that is…" he said.
As the shock rushed through Miku's body, she tried to remind herself that Kaito was still new to the world of humans. It was forgivable for him to not know who she was. "Kasane Teto is the famous Diva!" Miku explained.
She stuck her index fingers in her hair, trying to make the shape of horns. "Teto-chan drills her way into everyone's heart!"
"Does she really have horns? I can't imagine what that would feel like," Kaito said, patting the top of his head in amusement.
"Accursed fiends! How dare you challenge a mighty samurai?!"
"Uh… yea! What he said!"
Miku winced and turned her head. Gakupo and Len were heavily engrossed in the side-scroller Shogun Streets. Clearly, a little too engrossed given the odd reactions some of the other patrons were giving them. In the back, Luka and Rin were participating in a dancing game, Teto Teto Dance. "So… Teto is someone you guys are trying to be like?" Kaito asked.
"That's exactly what Vocaloids is trying to do!" she said excitedly, practically dancing with excitement, "Sing all over the world, make everyone happy…"
She giggled. "I mean, she's not the person that inspired us! That was an upperclassman back at the Academy. But she's someone like us! And she even got scouted right here in Tsubasa City!"
"I wonder what her reason was…" Kaito mused aloud.
'Wow… he is taking this seriously…' Miku thought to herself.
"Curses! How could they defeat a samurai!?" Gakupo shouted.
"Hah… maybe we should get him away from fighting games for awhile?" Miku asked sheepishly, "Is there anything that you wanted to try?"
Kaito scanned the entire arcade, but to him every device appeared a mystery. "I… I don't really play… games…" he stammered.
'Did he just never get to do any fun things?'
Apparently noticing her curiosity, Kaito began to open up a little more. "I never really entertained myself back home," he said, "My duties always came first."
"So what you're saying is… you need fun lessons!"
An impish smile spread across Miku's face. "Okay! The racing machine over there, let's try that first! There's enough seats for all of us!"
Without waiting for Kaito's answer, she turned and waved to her friends. "Len, Gakupo! Rin, Luka! Come on, we're going to teach Kaito how to play Indy USA!"
"YAY! I get to sit next to Kaito!" Rin cheered.
In spite of many false starts due to two of the players utter unfamiliarity with the operation of a car, eventually Miku noticed Kaito seemed to be enjoying himself. Even if his car went off the road more times than she could count, the broad smile on his face gave away his light mood.
"Hey, Miku, you almost ran me off the road!" Len chided.
Miku found her own vehicle about to leave the track as she realized she'd been spending more time watching Kaito than playing the game. Something about the way he smiled drew her attention. Making him happy felt wonderful…
As the afternoon continued, Kaito threw himself more enthusiastically into trying new games. The Kagamines started to feed off of his childlike energy, pulling him around even more eagerly than Miku had as they tried to get him to play their favorites with them.
"AH! Kaito, have you tried this!? You match these cute jellies up and they vanish!"
"Kaito, give this a try! You get to fly a plane and shoot bad guys, and the whole cabinet moves just like a real cockpit!"
All too soon, everyone was out of tokens and Kaito had the last one. He seemed awestruck at how many choices he still had…
"Kaito-niisan! You should try the UFO Catcher!" Rin said, pointing to a crane machine filled with toys, "I never win but maybe you'll be better, you're taller than me!"
"-Niisan?" Kaito asked quizzically.
"Heh… Kaito, I think Rin just adopted you as her new 'big brother,'" Len teased.
Gakupo cocked an eyebrow. "I'm at least 15 centimeters taller than him… I could do it…" he said.
As Rin stared all the way up at the taller man, she squeaked. "Ah… well… Kaito has the last token… and…"
'… yep, Rin's scared of tall people,' Miku thought to herself, observing how Rin seemed to crane her neck to look up at Gakupo. 'Weird thing for her to be shy about…'
As Kaito maneuvered the crane into place, Rin eagerly pointed to the toy she wanted. "That one! I love teddy bears!"
Despite never having manipulated the crane before, Kaito just barely managed to snag the head of the teddy bear. Miku held her breath, watching the weak crane wobbling back and forth. Just as the prize approached the chute, it slipped. Before it move too far from the opening, she just barely heard a sharp note. A female note.
The toy jumped as if jolted by an invisible force.
Luka winked at the curious Miku. 'Rin… you got so lucky today,' Miku thought with jealousy.
"Kaito-niisan, you're the best, the best, the best!" she cheered, hugging her new toy close.
Kaito smiled brightly. "Big brother, huh?" he said, "I guess I never had a sister or a brother before…"
"You're an only child, Kaito?!" Rin asked in shock, only for Kaito to nod in the affirmative.
Miku spotted him tensing up for a moment – perhaps there was more to that story than he wanted to admit. "Well… you're good at being a big brother!" Rin said with a grin, "You come up with a reason yet?"
"Not yet… maybe it would help if you and Len told me yours?" he asked, "Luka and Miku already told us theirs."
Rin clutched the bear to her chest. "Umm… Len and I…" she started to turn red.
On cue, Len piped up. "Our folks always treated Rin and I like we were property," he said, "We couldn't do ANYTHING on our own."
Rin walked over to her brother and gripped his hand tightly. "We wanted to be Vocaloids because… we wanted to prove that we can do things for ourselves!"
Len grinned. "And we're already on our way!" he said, "We moved into the Academy dorms when we enrolled in school… and we even made it into the same college as Luka and Miku!"
"So my reason is… to prove I can do anything I want!" Len crowed.
Rin joined him. "And my reason… is to get stronger so nobody ever doubts me!"
Kaito nodded his head in thought. "You've all given me a lot to think about…" he said, "I'll do my best to live up to it!"
One of Gakupo's boisterous laughs shook things up, clearly startling Rin. "Indeed! Such fine inspiration! Truly worthy goals, all of you!"
The smile on Kaito's face filled Miku's heart with joy. She glanced over to Gakupo, who had his eyes firmly on Kaito. While he too smiled, there was something surprisingly softer about his expression.
Again the tinge of jealousy plied at her heart.
"L, R, L, R, Stop & Dash & Up & Talk, B, B, A, B Start!"
Rin had her new prize teddy bear in one hand and her brother's hand in the other.
"L, R, L, R, Stop & Dash & Up & Talk, B, B, A, B Start!"
The twins each wore a big smile as they sang in unison, swinging their arms together. To the blonde girl, it felt like weeks since she'd had the chance to enjoy herself to this extent – the drag of studying for summer exams had killed their free time outside of weekend Vocaloid practice. But now she'd not only spent an afternoon goofing off with her friends… she had a new "big brother" too.
"Sit down, sit down, sit down please! Entrust your body to the feedback loop!"
She clutched Len's hand tightly. Of course she dearly loved her twin – he was a part of her. Her "mirror". It just felt nice to have a kind older boy to trust as well.
"So… you think Gakupo's going to make it through initiation?"
Rin squeaked at the mention of his name and suddenly her mind filled with the tall man's piercing blue eyes, staring into her soul. To the small girl, he was a towering presence – something about him felt downright scary. But he did have a nice voice, and he'd been very kind to everyone as they played games…
"I… I think he'll be okay. I know Kaito-niisan will be!"
She heard Len sighing. "You don't like him?" she asked.
"It's… not that…"
Of the two siblings, Len was the one more likely to put up a cocky front but in reality he was the more sensitive twin. "I… I still don't believe that story he told us about Kyoto!"
"Awww… not even being in the chorus?" Rin sighed.
A devilish grin spread across her face. "This is about you and Miku~!" she said in a sing-song voice.
Len's face turned red. "Knock it off, Rin! This is serious business!"
It was definitely about Len and Miku. "Come on Len, he's only been here like… half a week! You still have a chance!"
Len's face turned even redder. "Stop trying to pair me up with Miku!" he said in frustration, "She's always so scatterbrained and she's behind on practices and she's… she just keeps taking in people without asking any questions! What's wrong with her all of a sudden?!"
Rin wanted to tease Len some more, but his eyes told her to restrain herself for once. "You can't give up without trying!" Rin encouraged, "That's not like you!"
"… yea, but it's Miku… and I don't want to scare her off…" he said.
"Aw, you'd never scare Miku off!" Rin cheered, "We go wayyyy too far back!"
The blonde boy nodded slowly. "… yea, I can't just give up. Not to your new brother."
Len looked up and winked at Rin. "Don't worry, your other big brother will be just fine."
Rin stuck out her tongue at Len. "Nuh uh, I'm older than you by two minutes!"
Len rolled his eyes. "Oh, so sorry, Rin-NEECHAN! I'll remember to revere you, oh mighty big sister!"
The twins broke down into laughter together. Rin had many people in her life she cared about – her best friend Miku, her sempai Luka, her new big brother Kaito, even the scary Gakupo. There were people she missed – like Oliver. But first in her heart would always be the boy who shared one half of it. Her first and best singing partner. Her blood brother, Len. The brother she could always count on.
Len picked up their song where she'd left off.
"A rainbow samurai fell in love, and laid claim to everything in existence…"
"OW!"
"Gakupo, I wouldn't keep sticking you with these pins if you'd just hold still."
Gakupo stood with his arms extended as Luka hovered just behind him, a blue fabric pencil in her hand. White fabric was draped over his arms, held together by straight pins. Staying still for so long was not something the warrior was accustomed to. In the warrior caste back home, he'd never needed anything tailored. He'd never had the patience for it. He was a man of action!
Yet he tried to draw every ounce of patience that he had as he thought of how exciting it would be to play the role of a human warrior. The samurai in the films he'd watched were all complex men – willing to die for a cause even if it was truly hopeless. Men who served their masters until the very end.
An oath Gakupo himself swore upon his induction into the warrior caste. Yet amongst the Seruva, the warriors were intended to serve all Seruva equally. Gakupo was special in his task to keep Kaito and only Kaito under constant surveillance. Perhaps that was why he identified with the samurai in the films so strongly – the solid devotion not to a country, but the vision and courage of a single person uniting that country.
Kaito, as the Spirit Caller, wasn't a ruler. The Elders ran things, but based on the guidance of the ancestors that Kaito delivered from his contacts with the beyond. A culture that not only revered the dead, but shaped their very lives around the wisdom of those past. The warrior's mind drifted back to his observations of humans. He understood that humans in this country had a fierce loyalty to their past as well – but not quite so extreme.
"You know Gakupo," Luka said, her teeth clenched around another straight pin, "You're not what I expected of a warrior."
The "samurai" laughed. "You're not what I expected of an ex-priestess. Where in the world did you learn to sew costumes like this?"
"I used to mend robes as an acolyte," she said, "I got pretty fast doing it by hand. But I always wanted to try something more elaborate than those plain things …"
Her felt her hands around his bicep. "Is that enough room? Try moving your arm."
Gakupo swung his fist forward dramatically. "Might need to loosen it a bit," he remarked, "my reaction time was a half second slower."
"It's not armor," Luka chuckled, "I'm still surprised you wanted to go along with this. Miku is pretty intense when she wants something, but you could have still just attended rehearsals…"
"I go where Kaito goes," Gakupo said matter of factly.
A beat. "I'm not misreading the two of you, am I?" Luka finally asked.
Gakupo worked hard to control the notes in his voice. "I am Kaito's bodyguard. I must always attend to him."
"And that's really all there is to it?"
The playful notes skipping through Luka's response made him nervous. He tried to cover it with a proud laugh. "I'm also his friend!" he remarked.
He shifted his approach. "The least I can do for him is support him in his most dire hour," he added.
Before Luka could press him further, he redirected the conversation away from himself. "So how does a Severed priestess end up joining a performance troupe?"
Now it was Luka's turn to hesitate, but her voice indicated a willingness to speak more plainly than before. "It's quite the story," she said, "I was abandoned in Tsubasa City to fend for myself. I ended up in an institution in Nagoya. Apparently this country has no more use for people like me than the Seruva did."
Gakupo noticed Luka running a delicate finger along her wrist before she returned to adjusting the pins at his sleeve. "I almost died there…" she said softly, "I knew I'd failed the person I'd tried to save. I'd become nothing more than refuse. I didn't just have to learn to be human, I had to learn to be Japanese. Don't stand out, think like everyone else, obey your place. So many rituals! Even saying hello is a ritual that marks your place."
"What, a Seruva objecting to rituals and order?" Gakupo quipped.
"It's not so simple when the traditions change…" Luka lamented, "And everyone noticed I knew almost nothing. The angle of my head in a bow, what names to use and when. There's so many humans they all have at least two names just to tell them apart! I even had to make one up just to pretend I was normal!"
Luka stopped as her words had taken on a rather chaotic tone. "My apologies…" she said.
"It's not required," Gakupo said, "I've never met a Val'Sharess before. It's unthinkable such barbarism persists. Listening to your experience only makes that clearer."
Another beat as Luka switched to his other sleeve. "I've made the best of things," she explained, "I did find a place here. A home. There are many wonderful things about this world as well, things I never could have dreamed of in the Islands. Now I think of myself as a Japanese woman first, and a Val'Sharess second. I could never see myself leaving…"
He heard some suspicion in her voice. "You speak quite freely for a warrior," she said, "I doubt you'd get away with that back in the Islands…"
Gakupo's swagger returned as he dismissed the concern entirely. "Grand Priestess Meiko can't Sever me for mouthing off here – OW!"
On the word "Meiko," Luka had jabbed her pin right into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized, pulling the pin back and checking the tip. "… no blood…" she murmured.
Gakupo sang a few notes of his healing ballad. Within seconds, he felt the sting from the bruise vanish. "I take it you know her…" he said.
Well, with a reaction like that, Luka couldn't pretend otherwise. "We apprenticed together," Luka said softly, "I'm surprised though… don't they usually recruit older people for that position?"
"I wouldn't know… the head of the warrior caste is determined through martial combat," Gakupo said, "So you worked with her? She's a most unapproachable person."
Luka clenched one of her hands over her heart. "Meiko… was a kind person when we were children…" she said, "Perhaps something terrible happened to her."
Luka's melody became very faint… she was concealing more to her story. Something very personal. 'Well, I'm not here to interrogate her…' Gakupo thought to himself, 'Still… if she knew Meiko… then she knew Kaito as well.'
Out loud, he said "Maybe the events after Lady Prima's death changed her outlook. Someone tried to kill the last Spirit Caller right after she passed. Kaito's never been the same since then."
The news seemed to deeply impact Luka – clearly she knew something about the events then. But he doubted Luka was a killer. She'd had plenty of time to murder Kaito without Gakupo around. And while he wasn't always a perfect judge of character, even when she was this secretive she never seemed to hide any malice. "I assume that's why they assigned you to be his guard," she said.
Gakupo nodded slowly. Luka obviously refused to share the full truth. Gakupo had his own reasons to distrust the official story. His own personal experiences with Kaito's never-ending regimen of grueling vigils with the ancestors had long ago planted the seeds of doubt in his heart. He yearned to ask more of Luka's past, to reveal how much he knew… yet…
Something about the wounded look in her eyes made him stay his tongue for the time being.
"… Did they ask you to spy on him?" Luka asked bitterly.
"Yes."
Luka looked surprised at his forthrightness. What point was there in lying? He'd been installed to be Kaito's bodyguard - and an ear to the Elders into his private thoughts. "They wanted me looking out for any 'rebellious thoughts' or signs of 'corrupting influence.' For the good of the Seruva of course."
"And did you tell them?"
Gakupo laughed. "I've always been a good liar."
'And I would never betray him.'
Something about hearing that seemed to calm Luka. "I'm glad he had just one good friend then," she said.
Such a loaded sentence, yet again the warrior chose not to pry. A heavy topic to broach when they'd spent the day in much needed relaxation. "I think we're good with the costume for tonight," Luka said.
Gakupo carefully slipped off the pinned jacket and handed it to the seamstress. "Good! Maybe we can watch one of those moving things again!"
At that, Luka chuckled. "Okay, but I'm going to make you watch something BESIDES a samurai movie," she said, winking at him, "You need to expand your horizons!"
"I curse you! Until one loves you as truly I, you and your kingdom shall suffer for your monstrous heart!"
"No please! I never meant to offend you, fairy!"
"Awww… poor Demon Prince…" Miku whispered, clutching a pillow close to her chest, "Why is that fairy so mean to him?! Gahhhh!"
As Miku started to punch the pillow, Kaito kept his attention tightly focused on the television set. Miku had rented a "moving" for them and the excited notes in her voice told him she had a particular attachment to this one. Yet even as he focused on the show, his mind kept drifting back to the day he'd had and his earlier confession to Gakupo.
That he was finding himself happier as a human than as a Seruva.
Of course it upset him. He wasn't just any Seruva – he was the last Spirit Caller! Just being on Earth, goofing around while his people suffered without the guidance of the ancestors? He feared the chaos that must be erupting in his absence…
But he couldn't change what had happened. He was not a Seruva anymore, and his Spirit Caller powers appeared to be failing him. He had no choice but to move forward.
In spite of the lingering dangers he'd faced in the last week, the Noise possessing Gakupo, the attack of Haku, and the worries over Sweet Ann and Big Al scouring the city for him… he was more satisfied with his life. Rin actually trusted him so she'd adopted him as a "brother." Quite a change from Meiko's constant reminders of how useless he'd been…
'To prove your worth, to grow stronger, to attain anything, to sing for a lost loved one…'
"Kaito? You okay?"
Miku's voice drew him back out of his thoughts. "Sorry… I just have a lot on my mind…" he said with a sigh.
"Awww… I thought we'd finally taught you how to have fun."
"You know Miku… none of this would have happened if it weren't for you…." He said.
He looked away from her again. He had trouble meeting her gaze when he was confessing something so private. "You… if you hadn't begged me to live… I would have allowed myself to die."
"… you're the one that patched up all the wounds…" Miku said, "I didn't really do anything…"
"… except give me a new home. And a new life."
Kaito hoped he wasn't making Miku too uncomfortable, but he felt a massive debt to the girl. "I never thought I could trust humans, but you've never given up on me. I… today was my happiest day as a 'human.'"
As Kaito looked back over to Miku, she was holding her hands around her knees, not meeting his eyes. 'Maybe I went too far…' he thought to himself. He'd never confessed to something so personal before, not even to Gakupo.
"So… uh… about Gakupo…" Miku asked, and suddenly Kaito noticed some quaking, nervous notes creeping into her voice. "How close are the two of you?"
'What kind of question is that?' Kaito thought to himself.
"We're friends," Kaito replied.
"And… that's it?"
The doubt in her voice made Kaito uncomfortable. "Um… are we not supposed to be?" Kaito asked.
Miku let out a small sigh. "Sorry… it was kind of a silly question anyway," she said.
At that, Miku turned back to face the movie on the television. Kaito detected some red coloring in her cheeks, but he couldn't understand why. After a few moments of silence, Miku spoke up again. "So what kind of place was your home?"
For the first time, Kaito felt safe enough to talk about his home, without betraying them… or worse, feeling homesick. "Well, Seruva technology is more primitive than this…" he said.
He laughed. "We certainly don't have any games like you had."
"So… so what did you do? In your free time?"
"I didn't really have much… I usually didn't do anything outside of my routine aside from when Gakupo would show up at night."
Miku's face appeared to be turning redder. "I… I see…" Miku's voice began to climb higher.
"I was expected to stay in at all times, but Gakupo always knew how to sneak the two of us out without getting caught."
Miku's pitch crept up again. "And then what did you do?" she asked.
'Is that really so bizarre?' he thought to himself.
"We'd just fly as far as our wings could take us…" Kaito said, the lovely memories of flying with his friend rising to the top of his memories, "Even in the moonlight, the Islands are pure beauty. There's wide forests and shining lakes… when you get away from the Seruva settlements, it's so quiet… sometimes when I held my breath… all I could hear was the sounds of our wings flapping…"
For a fleeting moment, Kaito felt jealousy of Gakupo's freedom to simply soar across the Tsubasa City skies. He yearned to see a city of lights from the sky but he would never be able to do so again…
"So for fun, you'd just fly wherever you wanted…" Miku said in wonder, "Why weren't you allowed to do it any other time?"
A question that required a more… delicate touch. Even Gakupo wasn't allowed to know the inner workings of the vigils he'd participated in. "As Spirit Caller, I was supposed to provide guidance from the ancestors to our tribe," he explained, "Sometimes it would take days for me to successfully commune with their spirits."
He tried to think of the last time he'd heard their voices, but his memories were hazy. "That and someone already tried to kill me to end my bloodline. When my mother died." Kaito said more solemnly.
"What?! A SERUVA tried to kill you!?" Miku said.
He shook his head. "I don't remember what happened during the attack… who did it, how they did it… I just know that it happened. Because I lost a lot of my memories in the attack, I had to rely on the Elders and Meiko to help me piece together what happened."
He clenched a fist. "Given my observations in this city, I don't doubt the culprit used Dark Notes on me. The very same type of magic humans are trying to turn into weapons here."
"… I didn't know you'd had such a hard life…" Miku said, "Well don't worry! I won't let any one of those awful people touch you here!"
Kaito couldn't help but let himself be cheered up by Miku's bold proclamation. He began to ponder the path in front of him again. None of his new friends had easy lives, but every one of them found some way to cope with them by this shared goal. Each one of them had a reason to chase it, to make themselves better. "I think I finally have a reason… for my initiation."
Miku clapped her hands together. "What is it?!" she asked in excitement.
"… To recreate myself."
Kaito glanced out at the sky. "I can't be the person I used to be anymore," he said, "my old life is gone. So… I'm going to treat this as a fresh start. To get rid of all my old flaws and make something better. I'm not a Spirit Caller now… so I'll remake myself as a Vocaloid."
He looked back to see Miku nodding her head. "Wow… that's a deep one…" she said, "Well… we're going to work you hard, don't you fret. You'll have to make a new you!"
Miku pumped her fists. Somehow, seeing Miku so excited for him made him more confident as well. He could begin to let go of his past… no matter what hardships lay ahead of him, he had a plan.
Kaito's heart had never felt so free.
The loud music of the club pulsed through the bodies of the gathered crowd. Dancing with the chaotic rhythm, allowing it to carve a path through them. Yet as the melodies of the club continued unabated, few remained aware of a malevolent undercurrent within the music. A discord that wound its way through the beats, seeking prey.
Eventually, it clutched within its grasp a girl with long white hair tinged with pink, clad in a black tank top, pink skirt, and white boots.
Such a lovely face… you'll do nicely.
She ceased her dancing as she heard his voice. The lure of the discord drew her towards a secluded door towards the back of the club. As she found herself pulled downstairs into a basement, a sense of anxiety began to overtake her heart. Moving against her will, she felt her terror magnifying with every step. She ended her march in a room with scattered speakers and old sound equipment.
That's when she saw him. A young man with short pink hair, wearing a black hat, white and black hoodie, pink-striped tie, and black and pink-lined pants. He had a pair of swords in his hands and large black wings sticking out of his back. "Are you… are you a Shinigami?" she whispered, her voice quivering.
The man's cruel laughter echoed within the basement. "I'm a Herald of Noise… and you? I just liked the sound of the fear in your heart."
He crossed the blades of his weapons together. "So what scares a pretty little thing like you anyway?"
A massive wave of sound collapsed around her, causing her to fall to the floor as horrible images overtook her before she could so much as scream. And all too suddenly, she was trapped in a nightmare from which she could never escape…
A/N:
Sorry IA, I had to pick on SOMEONE to be VY2's first on-page victim.
So this turned into a breather chapter. I realized after the last four chapters, most of the main cast had never spoken to each other, and that needed to change given one of the themes of the story is harmony and connecting to others. It should be obvious from the stinger the next chapter will be more intense.
I don't actually try to time these chapter releases beyond a day of the week, but this chapter in which the main cast goes to blow off steam at an arcade drops during Penny Arcade Expo East, a massive video gaming convention that I am attending this year. Definitely not something I planned, but hey, maybe I'll find some Vocaloid goodies there.
I couldn't help hammering at the fourth wall this chapter- hopefully fans of my last story appreciated the nods. I loved the nostalgia trip of forcing the Sega mascots into an arcade. Japan's arcade scene never died out like it did in the rest of the world, and Sega actually still maintains a large presence within it. Indy USA is a nod to the classic Daytona USA. Shogun Streets is not a real game, but I envisioned it as a samurai-themed take on the eternally awesome 2D beat em' up Streets of Rage. I don't think I need to explain the two Teto games, but I also included references to Puyo Puyo (which Sega produced the arcade versions for) and "Afterburner"… which Meiko sang the theme song of in Project Diva :) Puyo Puyo shows up as a minigame in Project Mirai 2.
"Shirasagi Park", by the way, is another bird reference. "Shirasagi" is a white heron. Man this TSUBASA City sure has a lot of bird references.
So a little backstory on Luka's history. My original concept for her was based on what I knew of the American foster care system, and she would have had a neglectful foster family that she cut ties to later. I did some research into the Japanese system and learned that both adoptions and foster homes are extremely rare and most orphaned children grow up in institutions. And they're pretty notoriously awful places. So this isn't a social justice story, but I did feel that detail would affect Luka deeply. It also, admittedly, made her story simpler to write since I didn't have to account for any adoptive parents or siblings.
Song Credits: Teto's baaaaaaack! In this universe, there's an obvious problem in that our core cast consists of 6 of the Big 8 Vocaloids performing songs in a setting where they're not famous. It seemed perfect to turn the Vocaloid-wannabe into a famous character that coincidentally performs all of those songs! Because in reality… every major Miku song and many of the others have Teto covers somewhere. So yes, Teto was performing her "Luka Luka Night Fever" cover, and the stage in the fictional Teto game is a parody of the stage in Project Diva (replacing Tako Luka with French bread.) Outside of Teto songs, the Kagamines sang Remote Control. The chapter itself is named for the song "NegiPosi*Continues", a song about a gamer.