Chapter 6: Night Pulse
"Wearing eyeliner and mascara, to get into a stylish bar, clad in a suit, I waited for you…"
"Gakupo, how's that jinbaori feel? Think you can move around in that?"
"I don't know, how are pants supposed to feel?"
Luka's new costume model was utterly out of his element as she ordered him around. Just behind him was her television set, playing her favorite film, Sweets and Bitters. She'd put it on for some background noise, and now the credits were rolling over her favorite song. She hadn't finished the body suit yet, so he was trying the jinbaori on over his normal clothes. "I just need to know if you can dance wearing the costume."
"Tiptoeing in high heels, the right height for a kiss…"
Naturally, Gakupo tested not dance steps, but sword stances. Luka tried to focus only on searching for mistakes in the craftsmanship, but found herself distracted just watching his motions. For all of Gakupo's outlandish personality, he still possessed the natural grace of a Seruva warrior, the complete awareness of self.
"A variety of cocktails, the candles on the table, erasing the confusion…"
As he finished his stances, he turned his gaze back to the seamstress. "The tailoring is superb! I could easily conduct battle AND dance in this garment!"
"Dancing and fighting are very different," Luka said, "I'll get to work finishing them."
With exams over and summer break begun, Luka could finally begin her Vocaloid work. Gakupo and Kaito had been in town for a week and chaos seemed to follow the duo wherever they went. But tonight, it would just be her and her sewing…
… or so she thought until she heard a familiar "ping" on her phone. She grabbed the device and the sender confirmed her suspicions.
[16bitCaRR0t: 15 ppl missing Karasu Circle, no witnesses, cops clueless
2xLariat: Did you investigate the area? Did you notice anyone acting strangely around any particular location?
16bitCaRR0t: ppl getting crazy around Club Airly. getting "forgotten" when they go in.
16bitCaRR0t: maybe its memory gas. ill bring my gas mask down next time i look! busy chasing Big Sweet 2nite =D]
"Grown-up gestures charm me before I know it, the skyscrapers that appealed to me…"
A popular night club… how could people just vanish into the Noise when surrounded by others? She glanced at Gakupo, who was folding up his clothes. He still remained unaware of his own actions when under the influence of Dark Notes…
Luka began to plan a strategy. To investigate a nightclub, they would need proper identification. Kaito and Gakupo weren't human, let alone Japanese, and Miku was underage.
[2xLariat: Speaking of clubs… I need three IDs. Some friends of mine need entertainment.
16bitCaRR0t: NEthing 4 u 2x!]
As Luka began to upload some quick photos from her phone of Miku, Kaito, and Gakupo, she addressed her houseguest. "Gakupo… there might be a Herald on the loose…" she said, "I need to get you dressed…"
Gakupo became animated with energy. "AH! I'll grab my warrior's robes and…"
She almost felt guilty deflating his enthusiasm. "It's a night club, actually," Luka explained, "I meant, I need to get you clothes to blend in."
"…the pleasure district's invitation, today, I'll try fitting in with them…"
[16bitCaRR0t: Y M I MAKING IDS FOR THESE JERKS!?1111!]
Miku gleefully strode down the sidewalk in Karasu Circle. Finally, a peek into the secret "adult life" of Club Airly! Dancing, alcohol, glamorous clothes! Of course, that "peek" was actually "work" – she wasn't attending to have fun. She was joining Kaito, Luka, and Gakupo as they hunted down a dangerous person.
'Still… maybe he won't show up? Hee hee…'
Between Luka and Miku, they'd gotten some fancier clothes for Kaito, who still leaned towards being too casual when left to his own devices. But tonight, in his black pants and vest and blue shirt and tie, Miku found herself eyeing him more regularly. 'He… cleaned up well…'
As for Miku, she'd tried her best at an "adult look", black jacket, shirt, and skirt, trimmed with pink and showing off her midriff. Her black stockings matched her black and pink boots perfectly, or so she hoped. Luka said she looked "adorable." She'd hoped for "elegant."
But "elegance" was Luka's expertise. She and Gakupo looked like a matching set. Where Kaito still appeared somewhat awkward in his more stylish clothes, his friend seemed to have no trouble with projecting a confident image in his white shirt, grey vest and tie, and black pants. His long hair was loose, cascading down his back under a grey fedora. Luka's black sleeveless shirt possessed a plunging neckline that revealed a short grey tube top. She had a small black hat pinned in her hair. Miku felt downright useless next to the two of them…
'No no NO! POSITIVE! You're going to a club and it's going to be AWESOME!'
"Uh… Miku, did you slap your cheek?" Kaito asked.
Miku blushed. "N… no…"
"Oh, before I forget," Luka said, reaching into her purse, "You'll need these to get inside. My 'connection' got them for us."
She passed out cards to everyone in her group. "Shion Kaito?" Kaito furrowed his brow as he read his ID card out loud.
"Oh, I came up with names for you and Gakupo," Luka explained, "Remember… humans have at least two names!"
As the four passed into the forbidden paradise, Miku hoped the bouncer didn't notice her quivering as she handed over her ID. Fortunately, he waved her in and she attempted her best "confident adult walk" as she entered.
"Hey! Wait a minute!"
Miku froze up. "Kamui?! Gakuto Kamui!?"
She looked over her shoulder as Gakupo sighed. "No... Gakupo."
"Oh wow, that must happen to you a lot. You're related or…?"
Gakupo looked rather annoyed as he took his ID back. "Nope."
Miku was now in adult nirvana, trying to take in all the new sights in front of her. The loud blasts of music, a dance floor full of people, a sleek and modern bar. She looked up to Kaito to see how he was reacting. He was pressing his fingers to his temples. "Kaito!" Miku shouted, "Do you hear Dark Notes or anything?"
"… nothing yet," he said, "Just all this… throbbing music. Gakupo, Luka… can you feel anything odd?"
Two head shakes. Gakupo, himself rubbing his head, asked "What melody are we to seek?"
Kaito seemed to be struggling for the words. "It's like… it's not music, it's a living melody… it's always off tune…"
As Miku took in the loud thumping bass in the club, she interjected. "Maybe you're not hearing it because of the volume?"
As Kaito looked to Miku, she grew nervous. "I mean… I don't know what I'm looking for," she continued, "but… the last two times we found one of these Noise things, it was quiet."
Kaito put a hand on his chin in thought. "I guess I'm not used to music like this," he said.
"That makes two of us," Gakupo said, "I feel as though my skull may crack open."
"This is quite an intense array of sounds for a Seruva's hearing," Luka suggested, "I'm used to sounds like this, you two aren't. Maybe if we take a little time to get you two used to them?"
Miku wracked her brain for some way to be of use. 'So Kaito just needs to learn how to handle loud music, eh?'
She grabbed Kaito's hand. "Kaito! Why don't we go out on the dance floor! You've never danced like this before, have you?"
As he studied the wild movements of the other people, he laughed nervously. "Well, no…"
"Me neither! Let's learn together!"
Gakupo couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Miku tugging Kaito into the crowd of dancing humans. Kaito wasn't putting up much of a fight. Even if Kaito was worried about embarrassing himself, his curiosity would always win out.
The warrior studied the humans' energetic motions. Seruva had a different method of dancing – they had to account for wings, after all. Some of the ritual dances even incorporated flight. But Seruva rarely danced for the sake of dancing. Much like everything else, their culture remained so regimented that even a festival came with strict rules.
"Gakupo…" Luka said, interrupting his train of thought, "We had to buy our drinks ahead of time. If you think you can work, we could grab a table and monitor the situation from afar."
"That appears harmless enough," he remarked, "Though I've no idea what sort of alcohol humans indulge in."
"Hmmm… you seem like a sake drinker," Luka said with a wink.
And she accused Miku of not taking things seriously. As Gakupo took a seat at an empty table off the dance floor, his eyes never left Kaito and Miku. Gakupo's heart stirred at watching Kaito slowly try to accustom himself to the practices around him. The man's face slowly brightened into a happy grin as he began to adjust to the movements of the other humans. Even if the dancing itself was different, Kaito maintained the gracefulness of his people in his every movement. The fact that Miku didn't seem to be taking anything that seriously might have helped ease him. The Elders tended to be quite severe in even the slightest mistakes he'd make.
Gakupo closed his eyes, trying to sift through the multitude of sounds around him. Such a place could be dangerous for a Seruva. Their greater sensitivity to melodies and sound as a whole aided them in their magic, but he now recognized his own weakness to being simply overwhelmed by noises.
Luka approached the table with some glasses, a pink beverage in one hand, and a small glass filled with a clear liquid in the other. "That one's mine, I take it?" Gakupo asked.
"It's a traditional rice wine," Luka explained, setting his glass down in front of him.
The warrior tried to savor the taste – dry and earthy, with just a hint of sweetness. He'd never been a heavy drinker back home for practical reasons, but he was certainly better than Kaito. He smirked as he remembered the last time Kaito had tried to drink wine with him. The poor boy had fallen asleep after just two glasses of wine.
"It's not easy staying relaxed in a death trap," he remarked.
"You seem to handle stress well," Luka said, sipping her own drink.
"When you're the Spirit Caller's bodyguard, you live your life with one hand on your sword's hilt."
Luka seemed surprisingly calm herself. Given what she'd been through in the past, he wondered if she'd developed this level of peacefulness out of necessity. He could just barely hear Luka humming a song to herself. His trained Seruva ear recognized the melody at once. "My but you are attached to that movie…" he remarked.
Luka rested her head in her hands, a dreamy look in her eyes. "I've watched it so many times…" she said, "It seems silly to like little romances like that, but it always gets to me. The way Julia gives up her steady job and runs off with Ramon, not knowing what her future will be…"
"So… the lovely Luka just wants to fall in love?" he joked.
Luka laughed and Gakupo drank in the pleasant chimes in her melody as she did so. "I have FAR bigger goals than that," she said, "But sometimes… it's fun living vicariously through small human desires…"
She stared at Kaito and Miku on the dance floor. "Maybe it would have been nice if I'd been born in a peaceful country… where I could just enjoy small dreams like that…"
"Turn spoiled behavior and jealousy both into joy, because doing nothing but seeking is boring…"
Gakupo strained to hear her over the pounding music in the club… but he was finding her voice far more enjoyable than any of the other sounds he was listening to…
In spite of human dancing making him nervous, Kaito hadn't expected to be able to grasp it so quickly. He guessed from Miku's broad smile that he wasn't embarrassing her. "I can't believe I've never tried anything like this before!" he shouted over the pounding music.
"You don't dance where you're from!?" Miku shouted.
Kaito laughed. "It's something completely different!" he shouted back, "I'll ask Gakupo to show you sometime!"
As Miku began to twirl, Kaito backed up suddenly, trying not to get hit by one of her pigtails. He overcorrected, suddenly crashing into her and knocking her into the man behind her. "Oh, I'm so sorry sir!" she said, bowing in apology.
"Ah… it's okay… I'm not hurt…"
Kaito saw an older man with brown hair, glasses, and a black suit and green shirt. "It's all right, I wasn't really looking where I was going!" he said.
"AH! Hiyama-sempai!" Miku shouted.
On hearing that name, the man snapped his fingers as he recognized her. "Hatsune! I haven't seen you since I graduated!"
"Um…. Miku, who's this?" Kaito asked.
Miku looked positively star struck. "Kaito, this is Hiyama Kiyoteru! He's in a band, Ice Mountain, and he used to go to my school!"
Kiyoteru looked embarrassed. "Well… actually, Ice Mountain's been on break for awhile…" he said.
Upon hearing the words "on break", Miku's face fell. "You… you gave up your dream!?" she asked in astonishment.
Kiyoteru laughed politely. "Well, after graduation, we all had our obligations, and I went to college. Actually, I just finished my first semester back at the Academy… except now I'm an elementary teacher instead of a student!"
While Miku was crestfallen that Kiyoteru was "merely" a teacher, Kaito read notes of excitement in the man's voice as the subject of his occupation came up. Miku tried to hide her disappointment though Kaito could still heard the heavy depressed notes weighing down her melody. "Ah, Ice Mountain's performance at the culture festival was so cool, I never forgot you!"
"Wow… that was so long ago… you were still in what, 8th grade? Was your class the stuffed animal café?"
"Nope, we did the karaoke box!"
You're not like them.
Kaito blinked and looked around. He thought he'd heard a voice deep within the music addressing him, but just as quickly it retreated. He tried to focus and trace the source, but suddenly it emerged again, like a predator pouncing on unsuspecting prey.
Why are you here? Are you looking for me?
Before he could warn Miku, he felt something seize his body. He tried to say something, anything, but he couldn't move to make even the slightest noise.
If you want to meet me that badly, Spirit Caller, I'll invite you in.
Kaito struggled to fight back the Dark Notes that held him fast. As he stood enchanted into silence, Miku and her friend appeared unaware of his distress. Kaito moved his eyes to Luka and Gakupo, praying the horrible melody had reached their ears, that they were about to spring into action… yet they remained wrapped up in conversing with each other. It was as though somehow, Kaito ceased to exist to everyone around him.
Don't get your hopes up, kid. I've hidden you from everyone here. But hey, your girl is kinda cute. Maybe I'll bring her along too…
'No! Leave Miku out of this!'
Heh heh… you're right. I'll just let her follow you down… you'll do the rest.
Kaito's feet moved on their own as he began to leave the crowd of people behind…
"… so we're doing a reunion show at the hanabi in two weeks, if you're interested."
Miku's eyes sparkled with excitement. "An Ice Mountain reunion?!" she exclaimed, "I'll make sure my whole group is there!"
Kiyoteru looked surprised. "You have a band too?"
"Yea, there's me, Kaito, and some of our friends…"
Miku heard a voice call out towards Kiyoteru. "Oy, Teru! You scared her boyfriend off!"
Kiyoteru, flustered, put a hand to his glasses. "I should probably get back to my friends," he said sheepishly, "I'll let you get back to your date."
Now it was Miku's turn to be embarrassed – she wasn't on a date! "K…Kaito… sorry about that…" she started to say to him…
Only to see him missing.
'Did I make him uncomfortable?' she thought to herself, scanning the crowd for him. 'Ah, I just ignored him and talked to Hiyama-sempai that whole time… no wonder he ran off…'
Miku just barely caught sight of Kaito leaving through a back exit. Curious, Miku followed him, finding a staircase. She heard footsteps but nothing else. Despite the sudden sensation of terrible fear, her will to find Kaito drove her down the stairs…
"So I imagine your story of how you came to be a priestess isn't that different from how I became a warrior," Gakupo said. He was finally getting Luka talking and it was enlightening to hear her unique experiences.
"I lost my parents in the plague when I was six. I joined the priest caste along with Meiko because we were a pair of busy bodies that liked to manage the orphans."
There was that name again. "And you?"
An easy one. "I was 9 when the plague took my parents. I was their only child. Commander Lily plucked me out of an orphanage when I was 9 years old when she saw how I carried a sword. I think she knew I wasn't satisfied with just training and she handpicked me to serve as Kaito's body guard when I was 16. The first time a Spirit Caller ever had a full time bodyguard, nanny… and spy."
That was a good segue as any… "Meiko would not have attended Kaito's family alone, Luka."
Her pleasant attitude shrank away, replaced by melancholy. "I've not a reason to distrust your intentions yet. But I must know why you've chosen to conceal your history from Kaito when you clearly knew him as a Seruva."
Luka was running her finger along the edge of her empty glass. "Let me put it this way… you two are obviously quite close."
Gakupo tried to read more into her voice, but her melody was far too controlled, raising his suspicions. "Imagine if you risked everything to save him… but you were separated. You'd spend every day after that worrying if he was even alive."
He didn't have to imagine that.
"Years later you meet him again, he's suffered through something unspeakable… and he doesn't remember who you are. As if someone took an eraser to his mind and wiped clean every trace of you from his life."
There were tears on the edges of her eyes. "I spent years trying to find him and all of a sudden, there he was! And he'd been mutilated like I had… but to him, I was only a stranger. I didn't know what to say – Miku was right there! I just wanted to separate them and find some way to tell him the truth but… my courage faltered. Every time."
"My entire life… Trying to keep him safe… And I failed. Maybe I just didn't want him to know."
"… You need to tell him," Gakupo said pointedly, "Kaito deserves to know his friends are being honest."
'I should talk,' he thought bitterly to himself.
So Kaito had an entire person lifted out of his head. He'd ask what kind of power could do that… but he already knew. He himself had an uncomfortable gap from the time of Kaito's disappearance to waking up in Luka's bed, having to rely on the accounts of others on what he'd done.
Rather, what he'd become. Even as he'd laughed off Gumi's interrogation of his activities, the image on the flyer still haunted him. A wild-eyed creature with no concern for life. He'd try to put it behind him, to trust that Kaito had purged him. But he still couldn't answer the question of how he'd come to such a circumstance in the first place…
Perhaps it was just retribution his own crime.
"As for failing to protect him… you aren't alone in that…" Gakupo said somberly, "So I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. You should be proud of what you've become in spite of that."
With that, he downed the rest of his sake.
A trap. He'd walked into a trap. And now, as his feet moved on their own, Kaito realized he'd vastly underestimated the power of these mysterious Heralds. Whoever this person was, he'd found a way to slip the Dark Notes into his ear and draw him away before he could fight back. Truly, a clever opponent, turning the Seruva's love for and sensitivity to music against him.
"Kaito?" Miku called to him from behind.
Kaito wanted to shout to Miku, to tell her to run and get Luka and Gakupo. His jaw tensed as he tried to move his muscles, but the notes only gripped his tongue that much tighter. His steps became shakier as his legs twitched from him trying to stop his silent march, but all it did was slightly impede his speed in descending the stairs. He felt Miku's hands around his arm. "Kaito, what's wrong!?"
'No! Miku, RUN!'
But instead of shouting a warning, he felt compelled to grip Miku's wrist. "Kaito, what are you doing?! Someone, help!"
The thundering music upstairs drowned out her cries. As she struggled free herself, Kaito grabbed her and threw her down the last several steps to the floor. 'No! Miku!' He had hurt Miku.
Out of the musical equipment and speakers walked a man with pink hair, a black cap on his head and the telltale black wings of a Herald. He spun a pair of katanas like toys. "So. Spirit Caller. Can't believe you were dumb enough to walk in here. But I'm glad to see you!"
"Who are you!?" Miku shouted, trying to get back to her feet. Again Kaito felt the melody compel his actions, this time driving him forward to grab Miku's arms and pin them behind her. Inside his heart was breaking as he tried to fight back against the magic pulling him like a puppet. "What have you done to Kaito!?" Miku yelled again. Kaito kept hoping somehow in her constant struggling she'd break free and escape...
"Heh… it's a pretty simple spell really. Your boy's my toy for now!" the man said, a cruel grin on his face, "I bury my song in the music when it gets LOUD! They never see it coming! Then I just… wipe you away from their minds…"
He made a sweep of his palm, making a whooshing sound with his mouth as he did so. "As for me? Name's Yuma. The Herald of Noise."
He crossed his swords together. "And me? I love getting off on people's fear. So I get a REAL treat, because tonight, I get to find out what the Spirit Caller himself fears! But you can come along for the ride…"
Right now Kaito felt frightened enough, being forced to hold Miku in his hands at the whims of a mad man. The blades began to glow and a wave of sound collapsed around him. "Miku…" he whispered as both of them hit the floor…
"Now… how about I get the rest of your pals too?"
Kaito felt strong arms grabbing him and securing him in place to a metal table. A bright light shone upon him, nearly blinding him. He knew where he was… how had he returned!?
"Now, little birdy… sing for us. Sing for us… or face your punishment."
"NO!" Kaito screamed, "I won't! Never again!"
His body writhed back and forth as electricity flowed from the nodes attached to his chest…
Luka jumped as she heard the remnants of a dark melody echoing beneath the bass beats. Yet while the sound clearly appeared audible to a Seruva's ear, not another soul in the club was disturbed. "Gakupo!" she shouted, "Where's Kaito?! Where's Miku?!"
He scanned the club in alarm, coming to the same realization as Luka. "How could I abandon my duty so freely?!" he exclaimed.
"Ah! That's why everyone's vanishing!" Luka exclaimed, "The Herald is drawing our attention away from his targets! He must have hid Kaito and Miku from our perception!"
Within seconds she'd cast her spell of concealment – obviously Gakupo couldn't cast his own while he was still trying to hide his wings. She tried to follow the direction she'd heard the wave in, but the loud music wasn't helping.
But as she moved in a specific direction, the power only grew stronger. She glanced back to Gakupo, who seemed to have pure focus in his eyes. Though… for just a second, she thought she'd seen them flash red.
She pushed open the door to a stair well. Just at the bottom of the steps, she saw two unconscious figures and quickened her pace. She dared not shout – she'd only give away her position. As she reached the bottom step, she tried to react to the sight of a man with pink hair crossing his swords before a wave of fear and Dark Notes crashed around her head. As she fell to the floor, she realized too late the Herald had used Kaito as bait for her and Gakupo… he had already won…
"What have you done to them, monster?!" Gakupo shouted, leaping down from the stairs and spreading his wings wide.
The Herald stared at him with mad eyes as he crossed his blades again. "Two pretty girls AND two gorgeous guys! It's like a buffet!"
Gakupo felt a wave of Dark Notes rush over his body, tearing at his mind. He stumbled momentarily, but retained his balance. Clearly, this surprised his opponent, who looked frustrated. "The hell!? You're bein' a stubborn asshole!"
Another wave rocketed towards him and Gakupo raised his weapon as he tried to hold his ground. But as the Dark Notes clawed at his mind, he felt a rush of energy inside of him, a wild melody emerging in his own heart granting him strength. He looked up and glared at Yuma. "Release them," Gakupo threatened, "Kaito is a far more forgiving person than I am."
Yuma let out a whistle. "Well, whatever the hell you are… you're still standing. Not bad."
Without warning, he charged through the air with his blades whirling around him. "So! Are you a warrior… or a WANNABE!"
Such a simple parry was one of the first moves Gakupo had learned under Lily's tutelage. He repelled Yuma with ease, stepping forward and swinging his single blade at him. Though Yuma had him outnumbered by weapons, Gakupo of course had studied for years in how to deflect any number of combat techniques. For all of Yuma's bluster, while he was clearly a practiced warrior, he was not an advanced one.
"You once trained as a Seruva warrior yourself!" Gakupo shouted, a smirk on his face, "Not for long I see."
Yuma's expression soured as he tried to break Gakupo's defenses. "How the hell are you resisting me?! Those Dark Notes are bouncing all around your head, you should be gettin' devoured just like those losers over there!"
"Perhaps I have 'samurai spirit!'" Gakupo quipped.
But Yuma had a point – even though he'd somehow stopped the Noise from trapping him as at had his other friends who writhed in agony upon the floor, he still felt the discordant notes trying to penetrate his consciousness. As he stole a worried glance to Kaito, the time element became more apparent. A black aura surrounded him and Miku, growing more powerful by the second. How long did he have before Kaito was "devoured"?
"Oooo hooo HOOO! You're not stuck in a dream with it, but I can still read your mind! The Dark Notes are dishing all kinds of dirt on YOUR fears!"
"So you feed off fears… foul wretch!" Gakupo shouted.
"Don't worry, yours is GOOD! You really hated the Elders, didn't you!? And… and… oh wow, this getting good! You tried to stop them… and you screwed it up. It's all your fault your precious Kaito got his wings ripped off!"
Gakupo tried to ignore Yuma's taunts, knowing full well the weaker opponent was attempting to even the odds using psychological warfare. "Ahahaha, and you know what?! Right now, I can see his fear, and you know what it is?! Getting tortured in a lab all over again! And it never would have happened if it weren't for you…"
He felt a force rage inside of him as Yuma kept taunting him. Begging him to unleash it, to destroy the person taunting him and tormenting Kaito.
"Gakupo! How could you hurt me like this?! I trusted you!" Yuma said, Kaito's voice emerging clearly from his lips.
And then it boiled over. He felt nothing but pure fury as he soared across the room at blinding speed. His fury demanded he tear apart the Herald in front of him. Yuma clearly hadn't expected this and suddenly he was trying to defend himself against a truly violent opponent. But Gakupo's concern for his life had vanished as he tried to impale Yuma on his talons…
Why did he have talons?!
Gakupo forced himself back, trying to calm the storm inside of him and staring at his hands in shock. He finally realized the black feathers falling through the air were his… he drew his sword and caught just a glimpse of his face in the blade. Seeing those horrible red eyes and markings chilled him…
"And you… had the balls to call ME a monster… what the hell are you supposed to be?!"
The energy he'd relied on to hold off the Dark Notes was not "samurai spirit" or some other boon, but simply another equally dangerous force twisting and turning him. It cared not whether he or Yuma survived. Yuma laughed in spite of his beating and spelled out what Gakupo had realized for himself.
"You didn't fall for my discord because there's already Noise inside of you."
His hands were shaking… he could feel his mind blacking out, the rage begging him to release himself entirely. But he knew what happened the last time this power overtook him… He had to fight it off, he had to regain his sanity before he attacked Kaito again…
Yuma took advantage of Gakupo's sudden weakness to charge at him, trying to disarm him with a whirling dervish. Gakupo could just barely fend him off when he was trying to suppress so many voices in his head firing off at the same time. All the while, Yuma continued to taunt the warrior. "Tengu! Yokai! Shinigami!" Miku's voice. "Gakupo! Please, please don't kill me!" Kaito's voice. "Gakupo… how can anyone trust you when this is your true form!?" For some reason, hearing Luka's voice upset him more.
"No…" he whispered through gritted teeth. He was not a monster, no matter what happened to him.
Even if he could only reclaim his mind, he had to try something. His body was being wrenched apart by two conflicting dark melodies. Perhaps if he performed a melody of his own… he summoned his second voice…
"Wearing eyeliner and mascara, to get into a stylish bar, clad in a suit, I waited for you…"
"Ah ha ha! You think you're going to stop me with cheesy pop songs?"
The pleasant memories of working on costumes, of bonding with another person who understood devastating failure, her lovely voice as her sweet memories of a favored song danced within the melody she sang…
Yuma charged Gakupo with both blades extended, only to be met by a perfect parry. The Herald next attempted a magical sonic boom but Gakupo easily sliced through it with Miburi. He couldn't seem to force his body back to the way it was, but staying attentive to his own song granted his mind peace. The shockwaves from Yuma's attack diverged around him, sending the speakers flying… along with a thin black box…
"How are you doing this?! You have no purpose! You FAILED!"
Gakupo glared at his foe. "A true warrior can always find another purpose," he said simply.
Finally, the Herald of fear looked frightened himself as the mighty tengu approached with all of his heavenly fury. With a swift slice of his blade, Gakupo managed to knock a sword away from Yuma. It clattered to the floor, yet still he remained utterly focused on performing his song to drive back the evil in his own heart...
"A variety of cocktails, the candles on the table, erasing the confusion…"
When the Dark Notes swallowed Luka, she'd found herself back in the institution. Her heart filled with doubt and loneliness. Her wrists bleeding as she lay weakly on the floor, still clutching the razor blade, assured she would die alone as refuse like her deserved...
Until a lovely, familiar voice pierced her consciousness, performing the song she loved so dearly. Luka clutched the melody tight in her heart as if it were an escape rope.
She snapped awake on the floor of the basement. As her consciousness returned to her, she still felt some dizziness and had trouble focusing. Clutching her uninjured wrists, she was aware that Gakupo was fighting. As her vision returned, she saw his wildly altered features and realized what had happened to him. But his steady melody, still ringing out around her, convinced her that he was still sane if not normal. Much more pressing, Miku and Kaito were surrounded by black auras, their bodies slowly losing all color – even their bright clothes and hair was turning to shades of grey. Looking around her, she saw a sword lying close by… and a black box emanating Dark Notes.
She focused her mind on Gakupo's voice to center herself – the horrible nightmare kept trying to pull her back in. 'I didn't die that day…' she thought to herself, 'So I can save them… today!'
Grasping the sword's hilt in both hands, she thrust it towards the box. As sparks began to fly from it, she felt the Dark Notes vanish from her heart. She turned to Kaito and Miku and to her delight, the black auras around them vanished and their colors returned.
The Herald let out a cry. "No! How the hell did you do that?! What are you people?!"
"… I'm the Spirit Caller's bodyguard," Gakupo said.
"… And I'm the Spirit Caller."
Though Kaito was clearly still weak, trying to cast his ballad while trying to prop himself up off the floor with one hand, his strong voice echoed as Yuma was surrounded by light. No matter what state Kaito was in, his powerful ballad prevented any escape. The violent, wicked Herald suddenly adopted a tranquil expression. He dropped his remaining weapon as the light consumed him.
"Spirit Caller… You free us… At the cost of your own freedom…"
Soon Yuma was entirely gone. Luka rushed to the side of her dear friend, Miku. The poor girl looked near tears… she was still sitting on the floor, trembling. 'Who knows what nightmare she's just had…' Luka thought to herself. Miku took several breaths, attempting to appear calmer. "I'll be okay, sempai, I p-p-promise…" she said, the fragile notes in her voice betraying her show of strength.
Luka helped her to her feet. "It's over now…" she said, "Gakupo saved all of us."
Luka turned to face the purple haired warrior. He still had his back to the rest of his friends, but his wings were pure white. He appeared to be holding up his sword to examine something. "Gakupo…" Miku said, "thank you for saving my life."
He put his sword away, clicking his tongue as he finally turned to look over the people he'd just rescued. "It was a worthy battle… But it was Luka that felled the Herald."
His eyes were a solid blue, his face clear, and his hands of normal size and shape. "How did you resist him?" Kaito asked softly.
Gakupo hesitated in answering the question. "He sang like an angel," Luka said with a playful smile, "He even chose my favorite song from my favorite movie… I followed it out of the nightmare and smashed the Noise Generator myself."
And just like that, his cockiness returned. "Hmph, well he was a loud-mouthed idiot, in the end…"
Before any more words passed between the group, the room filled with brilliant light. Luka shielded her eyes. As it faded, to her shock, fifteen people lay upon the floor. Slowly they were coming back to consciousness. "They all must have been victims of Yuma!" Luka exclaimed.
She heard a short note and glanced over to Gakupo's corner but the young man was nowhere to be seen. She realized that might not be such a bad idea… it wouldn't do for the lot of them to be seen down here. Still clutching the sword she'd stolen from Yuma, she covered herself in magic. "Kaito… you can take care of Miku, right?"
He nodded slowly. "Fine then… we'll meet up tomorrow."
As Luka began to make her way out, she saw Miku bend over a girl with long white hair who'd begun to awaken ahead of the others. "Please… tell me… where am I?" the girl asked.
"… we all just escaped from a terrible person," Miku said, "He used a nerve gas on us."
The girl looked to Kaito. He gave her a reassuring smile. "It's all safe now. You can go home."
Kaito sat on his folded-out futon with Miku huddled close to him. Her experience tonight seemed to have quieted her normally happy demeanor. She appeared afraid to speak.
As tired as he was, his worry for Miku kept him awake. She needed someone, and he was willing to be that someone for her, his heart remained weighed down by the incredible guilt for the role he'd played. "I'm sorry…" he finally said.
Miku looked at him in curiosity. "Why are you sorry?" she asked.
He had trouble meeting her gaze. "For not being strong enough to stop him…" Kaito said, "For hurting you… for… for bringing these awful dangers into your life…"
She stared at her hands. "I'm just so weak… you and Gakupo and Luka have all those powers and… I'm just a girl tagging along…" she said, "I keep wanting to protect you like I promised and… and…"
It gave Kaito some comfort that those words she'd shouted to him when he was so close to death were more than empty comforts for a dying man. Yet after what happened tonight, Kaito wished he could have protected her.
Miku clutched her knees close to her chest. "That guy… he made you see something terrible, didn't he?"
Of course? How could he forget? One moment he'd been in the basement with Yuma taunting him, the next he was back in the lab. Needles and electric shocks and so many different kinds of torture followed by demands that he perform his ballads. Having his wings sheared off by Big Al and Sweet Ann. Being treated as "scrap."
"I… I lost my parents again…" Miku said, her voice and notes shaking.
Kaito returned his attention to the fragile girl. "Your fear?"
A soft nod. "I… I never told you… the whole story about that boy."
She took several deep breaths. "Miku… you don't have to if it's too hard for you," Kaito said.
But the girl seemed like she needed to share her burden, if only to be free of it. When she spoke, he heard far more control in her melody than when Miku normally talked. "That day, my parents and I held a picnic up on a big hill, right on the coast," she said, "We'd just moved to our house Tsubasa City the week before. It… had a yard and… a pool… and… everything."
Miku's eyes were shut, as if for a moment she wanted to mentally walk through that long lost home of hers. "But on the way home… we were on this really narrow road and… and… this truck didn't even stop…"
Tears began to fall from her eyes. "When it hit us… I was thrown from the car… that's the only reason I survived… my… my parents were…"
All of a sudden, Kaito felt as if he could do something more for Miku besides just listen to her. He remembered how Meiko comforted him when he was told his mother died while he was unconscious from the attempt on his life. The once kind girl allowed him to cry his heart out in her arms for hours. Just the touch of another person granted him the security of something strong to cling to when his world felt so fragile. But… he didn't know Miku that well… would she appreciate it? He didn't want to hurt her more…
Kaito tentatively reached for Miku, lightly placing a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly she spun around and clutched him tightly, sobbing into his chest. "I've always been scared of falling…" she said, "When I dream about it… I just remember him catching me and flying with me and singing to me… and it's so wonderful because everything else that happened was so horrible…"
He took a chance and placed his arms around Miku as she clung to him. "And that Yuma… he tried to make me scared of it… I kept falling and falling, and I'd hit the ground, and then I'd start falling again… there was nobody there… I was all alone…"
Miku took a few breaths, trying to compose herself but still not releasing Kaito. "I… I just want to find him again… I want him to know I never stopped believing in him… that I got stronger and I'm okay…"
As Kaito and Miku continued to hold each other, he realized he'd never been this close to another person before, and it both thrilled and frightened him. He hadn't ever had real friends besides beside Meiko, Gakupo and…
For a moment, a phantom memory seemed to fly through his head. That he and Meiko had another friend in the happier days before his mother's passing. But then it was gone.
Regardless, Miku was here right now, and he was finally able to do something for her instead of relying on her to do everything for him. Yet, as awful as it was knowing what had happened to her, how she came to be saved by a Seruva… more than ever, Kaito wished it really had been him, soaring through the clouds with Miku in his arms.
Luka had given Gakupo space on the way home. Apparently Kaito and Miku had been too out of it when they awoke to notice he'd transformed again. And miraculously, Kaito's ballad appeared to have driven his darkness away.
But his absolute silence told her that he was not fine with that.
As they entered the apartment and he wordlessly marched towards the door to the bedroom, Luka's voice stopped him entirely. "Gakupo… I saw what you looked like. During the fight. Why didn't you tell Kaito?"
Though he didn't enter the bedroom, he didn't seem eager to speak of it. Finally, he grew cross. "Because I don't know how it happened."
She hadn't known him very long… trying to read his true feelings behind the confidant persona he'd constructed remained a constant puzzle. "Why didn't you tell Kaito?" he finally asked, "You covered for me."
"I didn't lie," she said frankly, "I simply omitted that you changed your form. You still saved our lives, did you not?"
She tried to smile warmly at him, hoping to reassure him. "And your voice did save me, Gakupo. If you hadn't sang… I would still be lying on the floor in my old institution with blood running out of my hands."
Reliving her lowest moment, to the point that she could even hear the hum of the A/C unit in her old bedroom, had been utterly horrifying to the girl. She hoped that maybe by sharing such a dark secret, she could prove to Gakupo that she trusted him.
He looked at her in shock that turned to sympathy. "I won't ask the circumstances…" he said.
He seemed to calm somewhat, though he still seemed uncharacteristically quiet. Finally, he broke their silence with an odd question. "Luka… if you ever wanted to fly again… I can't grant you your wings back… but I'd be willing to take you up."
He coughed as he realized how intimately he'd phrased his request. "I merely wish to… make amends for what the caste committed against you."
Luka didn't know how to answer at first. She loved high places in the city, tall buildings and towers. But to let another person carry her through the sky, taking her so tantalizingly close to that which she had once lost?
"I… I'd like to think it over."
Gratefully, Gakupo appeared understanding. "Whenever you like… it's a standing offer."
As he began to enter the bedroom, he stopped short of the door. "I'll tell Kaito everything tomorrow," he said calmly, "Perhaps he has a way to… resolve this problem."
And just like that, the door was shut tight. Luka began to sit on the couch, thinking of the time she'd spent with him. They'd talked so freely of so many things close to them. She'd never been able to speak of her old life so plainly to anyone. Sure he was a little odd, but that just made him good company.
She smiled. Perhaps when the district calmed down again, she could show him what a real night on the town was…
'Of course, we wouldn't go unless we were on a…'
She chided herself. She'd know this man for barely a week. And yet… if he wasn't interested in Kaito the way she thought he was…
Her heart was restless. Sleep would not come easily. She looked to her sewing machine and remembered how close she was to finishing the costumes…
Gakupo lay on his back staring at the ceiling. He still had no memories of how he'd come to have Dark Notes in his heart. Now he knew that somehow they were still there and the right circumstances could draw them out.
He stared at his hands. Right now they were normal. Would they stay that way?
Gakupo was grateful that Kaito had been unconscious when Yuma attempted to torment him with his secrets. The Herald's impression of Kaito had rattled the warrior more than becoming a monster had.
Perhaps he could have trusted Luka with the truth. She'd started to reveal her own secrets, and he'd found her nothing but sympathetic. His invitation to her had been rather impulsive – he wanted to do something for her to make her life easier. And he had to admit… she'd become a compelling person.
To suddenly go from having only one person in his heart to two… perhaps Gakupo was not nearly as loyal as he'd thought.
As he remembered that horrible day, when he'd forced his way into a prayer vigil only to find Kaito's broken, nearly lifeless body, when he'd seen the very people who pushed him to this state only upset that the Spirit Caller would be out of work rather than upset they'd risked his life…
… Gakupo knew he would make the same choice again. Without hesitation. And next time… he would get it right. This time Kaito would be safe.
Anyone would follow his path for the sake of someone they loved.
A/N:
Oh my, do we have the emergence of another love triangle? We're going to need a diagram at this point!
So there's a good chance you're a live in a country where you're wondering why 18-year-old Miku is nervous about not really being an adult. In Japan, the age of majority (i.e. when you can drink, smoke, and vote) is actually 20. There is even an official holiday for the coming of age ceremony where 20 year olds gather at government offices and basically attend a graduation ceremony. Yet again, Japanese culture intersected perfectly with a story arc I was going to do anyway.
Where it did NOT intersect perfectly was everything about the night club. The Japanese night scene is very different from what I'm used to. I finally had to put up my hands and lean on my "get out of authenticity free" lore that Tsubasa City is rather Westernized and the club likely caters to tourists. I still tried to sneak in things like pre-buying drinks at the door though.
"Karasu" means "crow." Hmm, wonder why I picked that?
I actually did some method writing and deliberately tried a few different kinds of sake when I was working on this chapter to have a better idea of how to describe the taste. Sake doesn't really have a uniform taste though and there's many, many varieties, so I just picked one that I was assured would probably show up in a Westernized night club in Japan. Also, it's something of a Japanese media trope that samurai favor sake over any other type of alcohol… hence why Luka figured out Gakupo would take to it. Not that she would tell that to our burgeoning samurai otaku when he's on the job!
All four of the main characters are wearing clothing from various Vocaloid PVs. Gakupo and Luka are dressed up from "Kiss", Miku is wearing her Honey Whip module from Project Diva, and Kaito and Kiyoteru are both wearing their outfits from the "Welcome to Club Airly" PV (also what I named the club itself after).
Song Credits: The one song I featured over and over was, naturally, "Sweets and Bitters." The translation is once again courtesy of Gakupo superfan Narumo. Actually, a few months back, I asked for some help finding Lukapo duets, and this chapter was why. Originally the plan was for them to learn the song singing karaoke, when I realized Japanese clubs don't have karaoke at all! It probably would have been a little too silly anyway.