Chapter 7: Flowers Bloom in The Night Sky

"Miku, I like you! I really like you! And… will you be my girlfriend?!"

The gentle laughter of the tealette made Len nervous at first. "Oh Len, of course I will! I was just waiting for you to ask!"

She rushed forward and put her arms around the boy and Len's heart beat with pride. He'd finally confessed to Miku and she loved him back! Why had he waited so long anyway?!

Len's pleasant dream was interrupted by the sounds of someone banging around their townhouse. As he heard a few small sobs, he quickly pieced together what was going on outside his bedroom door. Leaving his bedroom and descending the stairs, he saw Rin curled up on the couch, crying quietly into one of the cushions.

The last step creaked, drawing her attention to her brother's descent down the stairs. "I didn't mean to wake you up…" she said, her eyes red and damp.

"You dreamed about Oliver again, didn't you?" he asked.

A soft bob of her head confirmed Len's guess. He took a seat opposite his sister on the couch. "I feel so guilty…" Rin said, "I made Kaito my big brother but… Oliver was my REAL big brother when he was alive…"

Len smiled softly. "I'm sure he'd be happy to share you with another 'big brother', Rin."

She nodded, drying the tears from her face. "Sorry I'm still such a… such a baby!"

"Eh, I'm sure you'll grow out of it in like another twenty years or so, big sis."

Len ducked as a pillow flew through the air in his general direction. "You need to learn to respect your elders!" Rin laughed, smiling in spite of her tears.

It wasn't long before the two siblings were engaged all-out pillow warfare. As they finally wore out, they leaned back on the couch to catch their breaths. "I… I wonder if Kaito-niisan came up with his reason yet…" Rin said.

Len laughed. "I'm still interested in Gakupo's. He's so weird…"

Rin leaned forward, her cheeks puffing up with annoyance. "Where do you think they went off to without us tonight?! I wanted to go to a movie…"

Len shook his head. "Beats me…" he said, "I still don't buy their stories… something's fishy about Kaito AND Gakupo…"

"…maybe they're off having double dates!" Rin proclaimed.

Len almost fell off the couch as he imagined Miku snuggling in Kaito's arms. "Aw, why'd you have to put that in my head?!"

"Len, you can't give up!" Rin said, shaking her finger, "You gotta tell Miku before it's too late!"

Len let out a sigh. "Fine, fine… but how am I supposed to do that when Kaito's always around?"

Rin fell silent in thought. In a few moments, she snapped her fingers. "I know! We're going hanabi, right?!" Rin said, "I'll ask Kaito-niisan to watch the fireworks with me, and you can ask Miku! It'll be soooo romantic… love under the fireworks…"

Len had a mischievous grin all of a sudden. "I didn't know you were into Kaito, Rin… isn't he a bit old for you?"

Another pillow smacked Len in the face.

Miku couldn't help but smile at Kaito's nervous expression as he stood in front of the assembled Vocaloids. He appeared as though he were about to be shot by a firing squad. "Okay, Kaito!" Miku said, "You go first, then Gakupo!"

"Ever since I came to Tsubasa City, I've felt like my life started over. So my reason for joining Vocaloids is to make myself into a new person!"

For all his nerves, Kaito was quite confident when he spoke of his reason. Miku, Luka, Rin, and Len all huddled together.

"Ahhhh! Kaito-niisan has such a thoughtful goal!"

"Gotta give the guy credit, that's pretty ambitious!"

"He's so serious… what a lovely ideal…"

"Hee hee… I think he's passed if you guys do!"

The quartet broke their huddle. "Okay Kaito! You passed!" Miku announced.

Now it was Gakupo's turn. As he faced the group, he had a serious expression on his face. "I spent a great deal of time contemplating this ritual," Gakupo stated, "but last night I had a revelation. My reason… is self-discovery!"

"So your reason… is you don't have a reason!?" Len shouted.

'Last night?' Miku thought to herself, 'But he was fighting Yuma last night…'

She looked to Luka who shrugged – apparently he'd not told her either. "As I was saying," Gakupo continued, "Before I spent my life obsessed with a single duty, and recently came to terms with having failed it. But last night, I came to realize that there is no more noble pursuit than to chase one's true destiny!"

Again the group huddled together. "He sounded so passionate…" Miku said, "I wonder when he came up with that?"

"What the heck DID you guys get up to last night?" Len asked.

Luka ignored the question entirely. "Gakupo was working on that all week," she said, "He took our initiation completely seriously."

"I… I think…" Rin stammered. All eyes fell on her and she made a little noise. "I think it's a beautiful reason! M-m-m-maybe… even better than Kaito-niisan's! It comes from his heart!"

Miku was surprised to see Rin give such an impassioned defense of Gakupo. Maybe she was finally starting to get over her fears of him? "Well… does that count as a pass or not?" Miku said, "I mean, I think he passed."

"Passed!" Luka said with a smile.

"P… passed!" Rin said, still shaking.

All eyes were on Len. "What?! I'm fine with it… it's not a hack job at least."

Again the group broke their huddle and faced Gakupo. "That's another passed initiation!" Miku announced, "So now we finally have an even group!"

Gakupo's triumphant laughter rang out around him. "All right, what is our next course of action?"

Luka cheerfully produced two boxes, handing one each to Kaito and Gakupo. Kaito pulled the lid off of his and his face brightened. "You finished them!" he shouted, pulling out a new, sleek white coat.

"If you want to put them on right now, you can…" Luka said, "Or you can wait and…"

Before she even finished her sentence, Gakupo was dashing off to the men's room, his new samurai clothes tight in his hands. "I… I'll go change too…" Kaito said, "Since you worked so hard on them."

After a few moments, the duo emerged in their new uniforms. "AH! Kaito-niisan, you look so handsome!" Rin squealed.

In the tighter, fancier coat and pants, Kaito looked downright regal, the trinkets on the uniform glinting in the sun and the long translucent scarf carried dramatically by the wind. "Yea, Kaito, not bad!" Len chimed in, "What do you think Miku?"

"He's… beautiful…" Miku whispered.

She caught herself. "The costume! It's beautiful!"

Before Miku was asked to explain herself, Gakupo leapt through the air dramatically, slashing his sword as he hit the ground, his white and purple jinbaori flapping in the air and the sunlight shining brightly off the reflective markings on his body suit. Miku yelped and jumped back, half expecting to see feathers flying though his wings were still concealed. Rin and Len had ducked for cover behind the amphitheater bleachers.

Apparently the only two people unphased were Kaito and Luka, the latter of whom began clapping. "Well! I guess I made the right allowances for samurai acrobatics!"

Gakupo rose to his feet, wearing a stern expression that Miku realized she'd seen on an old samurai film poster. He dramatically sheathed his sword. "Another unworthy opponent," he muttered.

Practice for the original four Vocaloids continued after that as normal, though Miku found herself having trouble staying focused. After the previous night's madness, the façade of normality eluded her. Not that Len or Rin knew, as their scoldings showed. Naturally, the ever-perfect Luka showed not a hint of concern at her experience. As she engaged in her effortless dances, Miku envied her. Nothing could upset someone so perfectly at peace.

When practice broke, Miku, Rin, Len, and Luka put their hands out. Miku looked up and beckoned to Kaito and Gakupo. "Come on, you're Vocaloids now! You gotta do it too!" she insisted.

Miku's heart raced when she felt Kaito's hand on top of hers. To the point where she was probably a half second late shouting "Vocaloids!"

"Hey! We should see a movie together!" Rin suggested, "Like the one about the huge umbrella covering the world!"

"Awww… that's just gonna be sappy," Len groaned, "Can't we go see the one about the cool sniper girl?"

Miku looked to her other three friends and realized the four of them needed to talk. About their other business. She turned to Rin and Len to provide an easy excuse. "Tell you what…" Miku said, "You two decide on the movie, and we'll go tonight."

Rin's face fell. "Aww… but I thought it'd be fun to go right after practice!"

"Whatever," Len said a little gruffly, "We'll text you the movie."

As the group drifted apart, Miku felt pangs of guilt trying to keep the Kagamines out of her business. 'I know, I know, it's for their safety…' she thought to herself, 'But we never kept secrets like this before… and they're already figuring out something's wrong… they're not geniuses for nothing…'

Miku took another peek at Kaito, who still wore his handsome Vocaloid costume. His confidant pace seemed to show that just wearing it was boosting his self-image. She tried to stop from blushing, but between the dashing costume and her memories of being held by him the night before… it wasn't easy controlling so many emotions. Somehow, just feeling his embrace helped her move past those awful thoughts Yuma bombarded her with…

'Kaito must think I'm some fragile little girl… how can he possibly trust me to protect him?'

"So… I trust after last night we all know how dangerous these Heralds really are."

All of the cheer in Luka's persona had faded as she spoke to the group of people around her in her apartment. Kaito and Miku sat at her kitchen table. Gakupo, his wings fully visible but still folded, was leaning with his right arm propping himself against the glass patio door, looking out at the parking lot.

"So… do we have any idea where to find the next one?" Miku asked.

Luka shook her head. "I've told my contact to keep searching for more incidents like at Club Airly…" she said.

She bent her head slightly to peer at Gakupo. She knew how much stress he was under… his voice carried notes of fear and doubt all day, even during his bold proclamation of purpose in the park.

"There's no doubt that man I fought was a Seruva warrior at some point," he said without prompting, "But I've never met or heard of this man before."

"…I'd never heard of Haku either…" Kaito admitted.

"So the only person we've fought so far that's still here is Gakupo…" Miku said.

At that everyone fell silent. Gakupo had not turned away from surveying the lot, though Luka noticed his muscles tense up. He seemed to be grappling with what he needed to say. She wasn't used to him having difficulty talking. "There's… also one more matter…" Luka said, hoping to encourage him.

Clearly he understood who she was talking to. Without turning his head, he began to speak. "There's the matter of my still being possessed."

"What?!" Kaito exclaimed, "But… But I purified you! You're fine right now!"

Though he didn't turn his head, Luka observed Gakupo's fist clenching tighter. "Right now… the dissonant melody is calm," he said, "But that dissonance is what allowed me to repel Yuma… at the cost of… my starting to change again…"

'Of course this is hard…' Luka thought. She pitied Gakupo for having to confess such weakness. 'A warrior is supposed to be impenetrable.'

"I'll sing the ballad again!" Kaito insisted, "Maybe I just didn't sing it right, you were the first person I ever cast it on!"

Gakupo bowed his head in acquiescence. Kaito, a look of determination on his face began to perform that familiar melody. For a few moments, the room was only filled with the sound of his soft voice. When he finished, he looked to Gakupo for some response.

"It's difficult to judge its effectiveness without a Herald around..." the warrior said solemnly.

He turned his head to Kaito, wearing a reassuring smile. "But for now… I hear no dissonance. I appreciate your efforts, Kaito," he said, sounding relieved even as a few more doubtful notes slipped through his voice.

Maybe spending so much time around him was giving Luka better insights into the enigmatic man than when they'd first met. He wasn't one to speak frankly about himself, so she'd started getting used to searching the melodies as he spoke for hints of his true feelings. "I'm sorry it didn't work the first time," Kaito said, sounding apologetic.

Luka noted Miku's long period of silence. Of course Miku's difficulty in navigating their practice sessions earlier had not gone unnoticed. "Miku, is there something else bothering you?" Luka asked politely, "After everything that happened last night…"

Miku pounded the table with her fist. "I'm just so useless to you guys!" she said, "I was just a useless load!"

Kaito's face saddened as he watched Miku's sorrowful expression. "That wasn't your fault," he said, the guilty notes weighing his speech, "It… it was mine. I failed to fortify my mind and… he had no trouble using me to hurt you."

"So what?" Miku said, hanging her head, "Even if he hadn't done that, what could I have done? I can't fight like you guys, I don't have any magic…"

Finally, Gakupo seemed to energize as an idea took hold over him. "So you're saying is you simply wish to enter a battlefield with confidence."

Kaito snapped his fingers as he realized what Gakupo was hinting at. "Miku, maybe Gakupo could teach you how to fight!" he said, "He taught me everything I know about defensive combat… sure it'd be different for a human, but you'd still get stronger!"

"Me… fight like you?"

Miku still appeared nervous as she sized up Gakupo. "I possess a spare weapon," he continued, "Luka claimed a 'souvenir' of the last battle, I could teach you to wield it!"

The girl seemed to be interested but still hesitant. Luka thought a few encouraging words could push her over the top. "Miku, your dancing skills are second to none," she said, "This would be simple for you!"

"Unless… what you're saying is you don't want to do this anymore," Kaito said.

Miku slammed her hands on the table again. Somehow, Kaito's sad tone energized Miku more than Luka's pep talk. "No, I made a promise!" she said, rising to her feet, "Gakupo, I'm ready to start when you are!"

Luka found herself elated to hear the loud, vibrant notes of Gakupo's laughter again. "Well, no time like the present!"

"Wait, what?!" Miku exclaimed, but before she knew it she had a sword in her hands and Gakupo was marching her to the patio. "But… we're still in our costumes and – "

Before Miku could protest, Gakupo had scooped her up in his arms and leapt from the patio, taking flight. "I'm always dressed for battle!" he shouted as they zoomed up to the roof.

As the room fell silent, Luka realized this was the first time since she'd been reunited with Kaito that she'd been left alone with him. She recalled Gakupo's advice the previous night. She could say something but…

"Luka… does it ever get easier?" Kaito asked.

… right now she just wanted him to trust her.

"… last night I dreamt I was… flying again. I was showing Miku what the world looked like from the sky."

Kaito had his eyes closed, reliving that momentary dream as best as he could. "Then… I woke up… and felt the bed on my back. I… I realized it could never happen..."

He looked up at Luka. "I didn't want to tell Miku…" he continued, "I don't want her to worry about me anymore than she already does… but… I thought maybe, you'd understand."

Luka enviously watched a sparrow alight on a tree branch. "You never forget flying. It's always with you."

He needed to hear more than that. "I've coped by remembering the life I created on the Earth. I wouldn't give up being with Miku, Rin, and Len ever again."

She began to approach him at the table, trying to maintain a solid voice. "It should be easier for you," she said, "You have Miku supporting you. She doesn't give up on anyone."

She took a seat across from him, holding her head in her hands. "You know, this whole Vocaloids idea was Miku's," Luka reminisced, "The Kagamines and I transferred into the Academy the same week. We barely knew each other, but Miku… she wanted to start a band. And apparently… we were perfect. Some student at the previous culture festival inspired her…"

"Oh! Miku found him last!" Kaito said, "I think his name was… Hiyama?"

Now there was a name she hadn't heard in a long time. "Hiyama Kiyoteru?" Luka asked.

"Miku really admired him."

Luka had to stop from giggling when she realized she'd heard just the hints of jealous notes in Kaito's voice. "He and I lived in the same institution in Nagoya," Luka explained, "He sang when he was lonely… so he sang a lot, really."

Luka rubbed her wrists. "I heard he'd come to Tsubasa City when he was adopted. He was older than me… he must have graduated before I started school there."

"Well, it sounds like he's teaching now, but he said something about performing at something called a 'hanabi'?"

Luka clapped her hands together. "Oh! You and Gakupo have never seen a real summer festival!"

Kaito looked interested. "How do these work down here?" Kaito said, "Are they anything like ours?!"

Luka's heart sang with the memories. "Oh, it's just a rush of new exciting things! They build all these stalls with all kinds of different food and games and…"

"Ooo! Are you telling Kaito about the hanabi!?"

Miku and Gakupo re-entered the apartment. Miku looked exhausted, but Gakupo was barely winded. "I… I'm just grabbing a water bottle," Miku wheezed, "I'm not giving up yet!"

"Miku's not doing so bad with the nestling training," Gakupo said.

"Nestling?" Miku asked before greedily gulping down liquid refreshment.

"That's our word for children!" Gakupo laughed, "Children learn what I'm teaching you!"

Miku stuck her tongue out at him. "Anywayyy… yea, Kaito, they make all kinds of awesome food there!"

"Ice cream?!" Kaito said, sounding excited.

"Oh come on, there's more to the world than ice cream!" she said, "But yea, they'll have that too. Oh you'd love the snow cones I bet!"

"And then there's a rock band that plays right before they start the fireworks show!" Luka added.

"What?!" Gakupo seemed concerned. "Humans set things ablaze for festivals!?"

"You don't have fireworks where you're from!?"

Miku sounded positively shocked. "Ah! How do I describe them… they're like… they're like…"

"Sky flowers…" Luka said whimsically.

Now Kaito looked as excited as Miku. "I can't wait to go!" he shouted.

"So is there some kind of dress for this?" Gakupo asked, "In Seruva festivals, we usually put on ceremonial clothes."

"Oh yea!" Miku said, "We have to get yukatas for you and Kaito!"

"Oh? Luka didn't just sew one?" Gakupo asked.

"Well maybe if I wasn't sewing samurai clothes this year too," she said with a playful wink.

"Why don't I just wear these to the festival?" Gakupo asked, "Surely the humans would marvel in the presence of a proper samurai!"

"Even the mighty samurai wears a yukata," Luka teased.

The way his melody danced with hers… clearly, even if their dialog were going over Miku and Kaito's head… from the melody in his voice he seemed to be catching on quite quickly.

The next two weeks to the hanabi would be very interesting indeed…

As the days passed, Miku's excitement over the upcoming fireworks festival could barely be contained. She'd never had the chance to show it off to someone who'd never seen it before, and she just knew Kaito would love it. She couldn't wait to teach him how to scoop for goldfish, or the look in his eyes the first time he saw the sky light up…

And now she was even working on teaching Kaito how to dance like a human. He seemed to be a fast learner, and he loved to move around. He picked up on her choreography for his songs rather quickly, and he was always filled with gratitude for her help.

Of course, Miku's days were ever more grueling, probably more than when the band members were actually in school. Thanks to the lack of classes, Vocaloid practices moved to every day to make sure they made the most use of their time. And somewhere inbetween songs and dances, Gakupo was still drilling her in sword play. At first she'd barely been able to keep up with the seasoned warrior, but she steadily improved. Once he'd taught her how to handle an opponent on the ground, he began throwing magic at her. The reason Gakupo favored fighting with a sword versus his song magic was the expectation that his opponents would largely expect a magical assault and prepare for it. But his blade, Miburi, could slice through magic.

Gakupo granted Miku's sword the same enchantment. The first several times he'd cast magic at Miku, she'd had to fight the urge to just duck or run – she needed the nerve to stand her ground.

Fortunately, the two weeks to the hanabi passed without another Herald incident, though Miku always jumped whenever she'd hear Gumi's scooter during practices. The nosy girl had to have suspected the part she'd played in the incident at Club Airly.

Finally the day of the hanabi arrived and Miku could barely contain her excitement. And now Miku found herself fretting as she sat on Rin's bed, clad only in her underwear, nervously pinning her twin tails up into twin buns. 'Ah, why am I freaking out?!' she thought to herself, 'it's not like I'm on a date or anything! It's just me and my friends…'

"Are you about done with your hair?"

Miku looked up at her sempai as she entered from the hall. Something seemed… different about her. Normally Luka tended to wear her hair down during the festivals, but tonight she had it pinned up, a delicate braid running along the back of her head. She grasped a spring of blue flowers in one hand… and she was definitely wearing make-up.

'Luka… didn't say anything about a date…' Miku thought to herself.

As Luka pulled out her own yukata and rested it on the bed, she saw a paper umbrella lying along the bed. "Are you hiding your sword in there?"

Miku nodded. "Gakupo… said I should always be ready… course now I feel like a samurai."

She glanced over at her black yukata on the bed, adorned with a light blue print of flowers and butterflies. She hadn't even seen what Luka had picked out for Kaito yet.

Kaito… in a yukata…

Rin threw open the door to her bedroom, bounding inside. "You guys ready yet?!" she shouted, causing Miku to yelp. "Close the door, Rin!" she shouted.

Kaito heard Miku shouting from upstairs, followed by a door slamming. He guessed for whatever reason, Miku was being slow. "She's always late," Len said, as if reading his mind, "Though this is a bit longer than normal. Except the year she had a date."

Kaito tried not to think of Miku on a date as he tugged at the black sash of his light blue yukata. For once, he felt comfortable in human clothes given the similarity to traditional Seruva clothes. He glanced over at Gakupo, who wore a black yukata with a white sash. His friend leaned against the wall, his arms crossed and his eyes closed in contemplation. As for Len, he wore a dark blue yukata with a yellow sash as he paced back and forth impatiently.

"Kaito-niisan! Kaito-niisan! I'm all ready!"

Rin came bounding down the stairs, filled with energy. "What do you think of my yukata!?" she said as she landed on the bottom step, holding her hands up in expectation of compliments.

"You look really cute, Rin!" Kaito said cheerfully, "The cats really suit you!"

Rin giggled with glee, holding her cheeks. "Ah, I love cats… the landlord won't let us have one though," she said, sticking out her tongue.

Kaito glanced up the stairs as Luka followed behind Rin, her steps dainty as she moved in her pink yukata with cherry blossom prints. "You look lovely too, Luka!" Kaito said.

On the word "Luka," Gakupo opened his eyes and looked up the stairs though he stayed silent as Luka descended the stairs with her hand on the rails. She smiled warmly at Kaito. "You really picked a knock out this year, Sempai!" Len said.

Luka looked to Gakupo, as if expecting a response. "You look radiant…" he finally said, though Kaito noted some uncharacteristic nervousness in his melody. Why would Luka make Gakupo nervous?

But Gakupo wasn't the only out-of-character nervous person, for as Miku finally made her entrance and locked her aqua eyes with Kaito's, she seemed positively shy.

And she looked positively beautiful.

"Miku, you're so… pretty…" he said, trying to cover his awkwardness.

Now both of them were staring at each other, at a loss for words. Len let out a cough. "We should probably go… Rin seems to think the entire festival's going to be over if we don't show up in the next fifteen minutes."

"Ahhh! Leeen!"

As the group entered the festival grounds, Kaito was overwhelmed by the sights and sounds. Music filled the air – not the pounding, wild tones of the club, but taiko drums and flutes. While the melodies were different, the simpler instruments felt more soothing. Streams of paper lanterns adorned the stalls, illuminating the dark wharf with an array of colored lights.

His eyes widened as he saw children running through the crowd, holding sticks with bright sparking lights at the tips. "Ah! They must be selling sparklers here!" Rin shouted, "I want one too!"

"Just don't set your yukata on fire again," Len quipped, "Or my bangs!"

"They're a type of firework," Luka began to explain quietly, "They're popular with children."

"Were they something you liked to play with?" Gakupo asked, "Maybe we can get you some when Rin finds them."

Kaito thought the way the two of them spoke to each other sounded oddly intimate, the way their notes mingled and danced with each other. Over the past two weeks, he had noticed Gakupo spending more time alone with Luka… but if he was seriously intending to pursue a Val'Sharess… he really was giving up on going home…

"Hey! Goldfish scooping!" Miku called out, "Kaito, you've got to try this!"

She grabbed Kaito's hand, leading him towards a stall with an open basin of water filled with goldfish. "Two please!" she said, getting two little paper nets and two small bowls. She handed one of each to Kaito.

"See, you just dunk the net in the water and try to scoop the fish into the bowl…" Miku said.

At first, Kaito just watched as Miku knelt down and watched the fish flee from her the second the bowl neared the water. "So! They're smart this year!" Miku called out, "But I'm fast!" Though she eventually balanced one of the fish precariously on her net, the paper tore underneath and Miku's "prey" swam back to safety.

Soon the rest of the Vocaloids were gathered around the booth as well to try their luck, though Gakupo hung back at first. "Watch Kaito-niisan, I'm totally going to catch one!" Rin said, "If I can't have a cat, I should totally be able to have a fish, right!?"

Kaito recognized the look in Gakupo's eyes – he was trying to discern the most effective strategy. Even when he was merely hunting for goldfish, he attacked with precision. As Rin's net broke in the pursuit of a fish, she appeared the most down-hearted. "Ah, Kaito-niisan, you'll get me one, right?!" she pleaded.

"I'll do my best…" he said, but soon Kaito had to admit defeat as his net disintegrated in the water.

"Well, guess that's everyone…" Miku started to say before Gakupo finally approached the basin with a serious expression.

Lightning fast, he swung his net through the water, faster than the fish could react and fast enough that it stayed relatively dry. The mighty Seruva warrior had the crafty goldfish scooped into his bowl before Kaito could finish blinking. The stall attendant looked surprised. "Are you keeping that or putting it back?" he asked.

Gakupo looked towards a shivering Rin. "Did you still want this?" he asked.

Rin's head bobbed stiffly. "I'll keep it," he said.

Soon Rin had her beloved goldfish bagged safely and dangling from a bag around her wrist. "Th-th-th-thank you, Gakupo," she stammered.

As the Vocaloids continued their trip through the festival grounds, they began to drift apart as they searched for their favorite activities. Of course, Kaito didn't have one yet… and Miku seemed eager to show him as many as possible.

"Kaito, Kaito! See, you grab this string and if there's a toy on the other end you get to keep it!"

"This is just like the fish, you use the fishing pole to hook around the ball and pull it up before the cord breaks!"

"Here Kaito, try this one! Just roll the marble so it lands in the little hole…"

So many experiences to take in at once! How many times had Miku played these games? But the way she hopped around with excitement explaining everything to Kaito for the first time, the notes in her voice bouncing with energy, Kaito began to understand that it wasn't even about the festival for her. She wasn't bored or frustrated patiently teaching him about so many customs at once. It was about sharing her love for it with someone else. As she dragged him over to a vendor in a stall, Kaito could feel the rush of cold air in the booth. "Two snow cones please!"

Miku handed him a ball of ice and syrup sitting atop a paper cone. She then watched with anticipation and Kaito realized she'd probably let her own snow cone melt so she didn't miss his own reaction. Kaito timidly took a bite and his taste buds tingled with the combination of the sweet sugary syrup and ice chunks. "This… this is almost as good as ice cream!" he exclaimed.

He unhesitatingly took another bite… then another… until a certain familiar pain rattled his head. Miku burst out into laughter as Kaito rubbed his head. "Slow down, it's not going to melt that fast!" she teased.

Kaito and Miku found a seat on an empty bench and grabbed seats. He watched the crowd of people – so many happy melodies mingling at once. It made him nostalgic for the festivals of his home. It wasn't that the Seruva couldn't express happiness… it just wasn't always easy for them to.

"So… do the Seruva do things like this?" Miku asked.

Kaito swallowed some of his snow cone, with more care this time."For the Seruva… our festivals didn't have games and such…" he said, gesturing to all the stalls, "We used them to sing… dance… my favorite part were the pageants. Troupes of Seruva would perform plays and songs about stories from our history and myths…"

"Did you ever perform!?"

Miku looked positively charged with excitement. "I always wanted to…" Kaito said, "My duties kept me from it though. I just enjoyed watching them from a distance."

The memories flowed into his head of yet another thing he'd lost but… for some reason, it didn't hurt to speak of it. In fact, talking of such happy memories only seemed to make the festival now feel more special.

…maybe because he was sharing it with Miku…

"You know… now that I think of it… Gakupo said he and his mother used to perform in them all the time when she was still alive…"

"It's like everything Seruva always comes back to music…" Miku said, dumping the last of her snow cone in her mouth.

Kaito allowed the songs of the people and the beat of the taiko drums to elevate his heart. "We hear melodies in all things… I suppose it makes sense we celebrate it as much as possible."

Miku stood up and straightened out her yukata. Illuminated by the low lights of the lanterns, she appeared to Kaito as if she were glowing with a multitude of color. "We should find a spot for the concert… I'd hate to miss my chance to see Hiyama-sempai when he performs!"

"It is truly distressing there are no sword fighting competitions here," Gakupo observed.

"This is a festival of peace, Gakupo," Luka said with a laugh.

His eyes drifted to humans wielding projectile weapons stuffed with a spongy substance. "That doesn't look peaceful…" he joked.

"Oh? Did you want to try the cork guns?" Luka asked.

Gakupo observed for a few moments, before shaking his head. "I prefer live opponents!"

Again he heard that lovely chime of laughter. "Like those deadly goldfish, I suppose?"

At that, Gakupo huffed. "Rin really wanted one."

"Hmmm… like a bird of prey, I see…"

For a moment, his mind flashed to the sight of his hands as claws. He attempted to banish the thought quickly. There was something relaxing about going to a festival and not needing to keep Kaito under constant surveillance while he did so. In retrospect, this was the first time he'd visited a public event like this without feeling like he needed to be on the job.

But of course, he had an underlying motive for getting away with Luka like this. He needed to resolve some uncertainty in his heart that had taken root over the last two weeks…

Luka stopped at a stall covered in masks, surrounding people playing a game where they attempted to toss rings onto standing bottles. Luka approached the stall and received a handful of rings. Gakupo kept his eyes on Luka as the people around her flailed around, helplessly trying to slip a ring around a bottle. Yet even her tosses possessed a sense of grace and precision. He couldn't attribute all of it to her Seruva heritage. He knew neither he nor Kaito could move so perfectly.

Admiring the smile on her face, Gakupo stepped forward. "Surely if you're willing to try this, I can take a chance as well…"

He blocked out the loud laughter and sounds around him as he made a game attempt at trying to get a ring around a bottle. As Luka backed away from the table, out of rings, he felt a sense of competition burning in his heart. He had two rings left… he narrowed his vision until he saw just two bottles and carefully flung two ahead.

"Ohhh, you played nice and cool for the pretty lady, didn't you?!" shouted the stall worker as the rings found their targets, "You get two masks!"

Gakupo looked at the wall, an array of fantastical creatures he'd never heard of. "Oh, get the kitsune, Gakupo!" Luka said, pointing up at a white mask with pointy ears.

"The lady has spoken!" he said with a cocky smirk, "And how about that fierce black one next to it?"

He handed Luka her prize. "Apparently I'm pretty decent at this…" he said.

"What ever happened to live opponents?" Luka asked.

As he slipped the kitsune mask over the side of her head, the way he'd observed other humans wearing them, his hand brushed her soft braid. "It looked fun," he said simply.

"Oh, this is a tengu mask," Luka said as she took hold of Gakupo's, "You know what they are right?"

He looked the mask over more carefully – a bird monster with a short beak. "They seem to follow my every move these days…" he said with a frustrated sigh.

Luka held her arms up and tied the mask fast so it hung from the side of his head. "They're not evil, not necessarily," Luka said, "Tengu are the harbingers of war in some tales, but in others they're the fierce guardians of forests and temples."

As she removed her hands, she gave him another lovely, tranquil smile. "This is a kurama," she explained, "They have beaks. You'd look a little silly if you wore one of the masks with the long noses."

Gakupo touched the tip of his average sized nose. "I suppose that would make it harder for me to woo a lovely soul…"

The two shared a laugh as they heard the sound of music beginning. "Oh… the concert's starting!" Luka said, "We should find somewhere up high to watch the fireworks… they'll start firing them off pretty soon."

"Oh, you need height do you?" Gakupo teased.

"No flying here, they'll all see you!"

…he loved the sound of her laughter. More than that… he was starting to realize he loved making her laugh.

"Hyururira, by the time the sun sets, the festive music is calling me…"

Len scanned the crowd with worry, a chocolate-covered banana clutched in his fist. Miku had managed to sneak off, with Kaito! He needed to catch her before the concert. Unless… unless Kaito had the same idea?!

'That guy… he's so damn smooth!' Len thought with envy.

"Hey, Len, I just heard Miku!" Rin said, clutching her fish in one hand and a candy apple in the other.

The twins began to rush over in the direction of her voice to find Miku hopping up and down as she kept her eyes on the stage. "Ah! Hiyama-sempai! He looks even cooler than I remember!"

Miku turned and smiled as she saw Len. "Hey, Rin, Len! Great timing!"

"I blend into the festive crowd, I half run in haste, in haste…"

Before Len could stop her, Rin dove forward and grabbed Kaito's arm. The blue haired man looked at her in surprise. "Kaito-niisan, Kaito-niisan… please, please, pleaaaaase watch the fireworks with me! I don't have a date! You'll be my 'date', right?!"

'Damn, Rin! You're overdoing it!' Len thought to himself.

Still, Kaito seemed charmed by her over-the-top behavior. "Sure, I think we can do that-"

"Yay! Come on, I'll take you to my favorite spot!"

"Ah…. Kaito!" Miku said, but in mere minutes, Miku and Len were finally alone.

Miku turned to the younger boy and chuckled. "Looks like it's just us this year," she said, "Hope you don't mind getting stuck with me."

"Eh, stuck with Miku? Better than Rin jabbering all night…" Len said, trying to play things cool.

"The street is lined with stalls, and voices of sellers are driving to tempt, I'm sure I can meet you soon, Come, come, throbbing, Summer-sama!"

The tealette turned back to the rock concert. "That guy up there, Kiyoteru… he's the guy that inspired Vocaloids…" Miku said with a whimsical sigh.

"Wait, that's the guy?!" Len said in shock, looking back up at the show. He squinted to try and make him out. In his white shirt, tight black pants, and teased up hair, Kiyoteru at least looked the part of an attractive cool rock vocalist…

"I dunno why he was giving up on his dream though…" Miku said, and now she sounded disappointed, "He's a teacher now! When he was in school, he wasn't going to let anything stop him!"

The blond boy started to feel annoyed – both with Miku and himself. Talking about the band on the stage wasn't getting him any closer to speaking up to Miku. But he kept getting distracted by a mournful melody bouncing around in his head, further toying with his confidence. He swallowed and started to speak up. "Look, Miku… " he started to say.

When Miku looked at him with those huge inquisitive eyes, Len already felt his courage faltering. "Can we… find another spot!? I can't see much from here…"

"I wanna ask you to be with me tonight, you're in yukata and too dazzling, the nape, the straggling hair…"

While Luka's eyes remained fixed on the stage, Gakupo found himself entranced by just watching her. The intricate pattern in her hair, the blue flowers tucked into her bun, her white mask delicately draped over the side of her head…

Every time they'd spoken tonight, their melodies intermingled as though performing a delicate dance, teasing each other with unspoken emotions. Of course he understood her intentions with every inviting melody – Gakupo had, unlike Kaito, the freedom to pursue romances of his own choice.

Save one.

"Gakupo… before this goes… further…" Luka said.

'Is she really going to be that bold?' he thought to himself.

"I need to know how you really feel about Kaito."

…she would have to ask about that.

He found himself stumbling over how to answer. Of course he cared for Kaito… of course he'd known on Earth, he could, if he so wanted, take a chance and make his emotions plain. But… there were so many complications in doing so. Chiefly… his own guilt in being part of the chain of events that led to his torture and mutilation…

"Gakupo, if… if Earth is your one chance… then… I don't want to get in the way. You both deserve to be happy."

But it wasn't that simple… he'd spent the last few days in deeper and deeper conflict over the emotions in his heart. He knew how he felt about Kaito, but he didn't expect that path to lead to success. He suspected he knew how he felt about Luka. But was it the same? Lesser, greater? He'd risked everything to try and save Kaito… did he know that if it came down to one life or the other, which one he would choose to save now?

Luka's melody revealed sorrow, even as she spoke of wanting nothing but his happiness…

"Kaito and I…"

He found himself distracted by the sudden emergence of a familiar dissonant melody in his heart, twisting together with a malignant invading force…

"The scent of summer is given out … Dizzy, dizzy, dizzy, dizzy… I pull you into my arms…"

As Kaito leaned back against a tree overlooking the show, he could barely make out Luka and Gakupo on a hill on the other side of the large staging area. So he was pursuing Luka…

He looked over to Rin, who curiously had her eyes further down the hill at a set of bleachers and not focused on the concert. "Rin, didn't you want to watch the show?"

"Oh! I am, I am!" she said, nervous notes shaking in her melody.

As Kaito watched Kiyoteru's performance, Kaito began to wonder if maybe he should try to be more outgoing like that… Miku did seem to admire him for it…

He felt his heart racing as he thought more of Miku. Sharing stories with her, trying games, eating strange foods… how lovely she'd looked in her yukata tonight. But he hadn't wanted to be rude to Rin after she'd declared him her "big brother" though. Nobody ever seemed to look up to him before, the idea of someone trusting him so much made him want to live up to Rin's expectations.

Kaito didn't understand why his emotions dragged him to such a melancholic place. A melody of sadness toyed with his heart. Kaito snapped to attention when he realized the sad notes were not coming from the man on stage…

"Bang! Big large-flowered fireworks, shine the backs and make shadows of the two…"

As Miku and Len sat away from the crowd on one of the hills, her mind drifted back to the person she realized she'd really wanted to share this moment with. She wasn't going to deny her friend Rin time with her new "big brother", but... she'd wanted so desperately to be with Kaito the first time he saw fireworks. To Kaito, everything around her was something he'd never seen or comprehended. Teaching it to him always made her even happier as he never held back his emotions…

"Miku…" Len said softly.

She turned to face her friend. It wouldn't be fair to Len to make him feel like she was only putting up with him, no matter what her sense of melancholy. "Yes?" she asked softly.

Len's expression appeared so intense, Miku wondered what in the world he was about to say…

"Lights of bursting fireworks scatter, as the eyes are closed, they disappear-"

The loud whistling of fireworks filled the air, cutting Len off. "Wait, aren't those supposed to go off after the concert?"

She looked up into the sky as she watching the projectiles spinning through the sky… then streaking towards the stage as if directed by an unseen hand. Kiyoteru and the other members of his band stopped their performance and dove for cover as one exploded right on the surface of the stage. Several more rocketed over the crowd, exploding in brilliant patterns. Miku tried to shield her eyes, opening up her umbrella to protect herself and Len from a shower of sparks.

Yet the umbrella didn't catch fire as she'd thought it might. As she pulled it up, she saw the assembled crowd beginning to collapse to the ground. Sounds of crying and despair filled the air.

And then she saw her.

A woman in an elaborate pink kimono with shoulder-length black hair, her hair held back with a headband adorned on each side with enormous cherry-blossom adornments. A pair of black wings unfurled behind her as she moved to the front of the stage, stepping over Kiyoteru's body.

"I am Mizki, the Herald of Noise! All shall fall to despair!"

A/N:

Mizki, killer of ships. By the way Kiyoteru, probably not that happy I stuck you in here now that you get tossed around by an explosion, huh!?

So, Mizki, aka VY1! So unlike Yuma, who I just recycled the "Roro" design from, VY1 doesn't really have a "canon" design, so I had to choose one I liked from fanart and try and describe that in the text.

This chapter was so fun to research. I watched a lot of videos of people goofing off at festivals, and Japanese fireworks shows are particularly impressive. I might have tried living vicariously through the cast in this chapter. And yes, they really do have tons of food at these festivals that involves pretty much just stuffing things on a stick and yes they really do serve chocolate coated bananas! I also couldn't resist having the mighty warrior Gakupo use his extensive combat training to win at silly carnival games.

Song Credits: "Flowers Bloom in The Night Sky, Please, Summer!" is a Gensou Airly group song performed by Gakupo, Len, Kaito, and Kiyoteru. Though Kiyoteru performs it solo in the story, I tried to use the lyrics to transition POVs based on who originally sang them (in particular, Gakupo's verse.) And while the songs themselves didn't appear, the two movies Rin and Len wanted to see were based on "World's End Umbrella" and "Black Rock Shooter" respectively.