Chapter 10: The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku
Screeching, screaming, crying, scraping, static, pleading. Fragments of voices, partial sentences.
"HELP! WHERE AM-"
"-MOM, I MISS Y-"
"-WANT- HOME- PLEASE"
Fragments of personalities with their individual wants and needs. Connected entities of binary strings. They were both at once and nothing at all.
A burst of packets dropped into the void, a connected system of individuality. In the face of all the confusion and sounds, it began to break apart as they had. Losing all sense of self, it tried to cling to something, anything to retain its identity…
"POSITIVE… POSI…TIVE…"
As suddenly as the Herald had burst from the laptop, it vanished again. "Miku! Miku!" Len cried out in futility.
"Move it, kid!" Gumi shouted, swiping the laptop from Len's shaking hands, "This is grownup stuff!"
As the emerald-haired hacker's hands became a blur of frantic typing, Len began to creep away. One of her arms shot out and she grabbed the boy. "Not that far, kiddo…"
"Okay, seriously, there is NO way you're that much older than me!" Len shouted, trying to push her hand away.
"Start talking. Who's the broad?" Gumi said, somehow maintaining perfect concentration on her task, "Winged crazies keep popping up in this city, people disappear or get blown up, and your girlfriend showed up every time. Fill me in while I find her."
"You can find Miku!?" Len asked.
Gumi's smile made Len think of a cat with a bead on a mouse. "That Miriam chick left these weird packets behind… like bread crumbs."
She gave Len a sideways look. "Now, surely the son of the Hearts knows all kinds of dirt?"
Miku was missing and this girl just wanted to fish for a story out of him!? "I told you at the park! My sister and I cut them out of our lives!"
Gumi chuckled as if talking to someone far lower than her. "If I know ANYTHING about Leon and Lola Heart… they don't let ANYONE just up and walk away."
Finally Len got his sore wrist free from Gumi. "If you're threatening me OR Rin…"
The girl's hands darted above the keys as her eyes tracked across dozens of pop up screens at once. "There's no way they're not involved in these attacks!" Gumi fumed, "They own every inch of this city, and they do spooky stuff in their R&D labs! They've got a lock on the press AND the government turns a blind eye to em'! It's the people's right to know why!"
Of course Len had suspicions about his parents. He knew what kind of people they were. But… he and Rin left so they could live as normal children. Go to school and hang out with friends and have silly impossible dreams like being famous singers.
"Gumi… I promise, I don't know anything, at all, about what the Hearts are up to."
Lightning flashed outside as the storm intensified. "Believe me…. If I thought they had anything to do with hurting Miku… I wouldn't cover for them."
Luka's mind felt weary but joyful as she'd spent the last hour regaling Kaito with tales of their lost childhood together. No matter how simple or trivial, any detail could possibly be the key to solving his memory lapse, she hoped. Lady Prima serving the children fruit bowls on a summer's day. Morning prayers together. Hide and seek behind a waterfall.
"AH! I remember the waterfall! Meiko cheated, she kept throwing her voice in the caverns so we wouldn't hear her sneaking up on us!"
Even if they weren't helping, Luka loved being able to finally share happy memories with the boy she'd grown up with, feared for, and met again after fate had seemingly decreed they would spend the rest of their days apart.
"With your broken wings, you were desperately looking up at the sky… In this vast land, lonely silence is played…"
Luka's reluctantly picked up her phone… and heard Len's frantic voice. Her happy mood evaporated.
"Kaito… we need to go over to Miku's apartment building, now. There's a Herald and…"
The notes in her voice gave everything away. "What happened to Miku!?"
As Kaito pushed open the doors to the building, he tried to keep his fears in check. Somehow, Miku had disappeared into the Noise. He had no idea what would happen to her. What if he couldn't restore her? Living the rest of his life without Miku was too horrible to contemplate. He tried to reassure himself that every time he'd fought Heralds in the past, their victims always returned. He had to trust that he had the power to bring Miku back.
As they entered the lobby, Kaito saw the familiar face of Gumi hunched over Miku's laptop. She had one of her own plugged in nearby and somehow had the technical wizardry to keep track of both at once. "Sup? So you're 2xLariat!" Gumi said loudly, not removing her focus from the screens, "Man, you made me look like a doofus at the park!"
"Sorry Gumi, I couldn't give away my identity like that," Luka said, "We needed… caution. I'm sure now you understand why."
Kaito regarded the strange girl with suspicion. "Is it wise for her to be part of this?"
"Pffff… Luka here's my homie, I've ALWAYS been part of this!" Gumi retorted.
Luka wore an embarrassed smile. "Gumi was investigating some odd disappearances starting about a year ago," she began to explain, "I never gave up trying to locate you, Kaito. I thought that maybe if Gumi could find out stories and people that flew under the radar… maybe she could lead me to you…"
She put a weary hand to her head. "My knowledge of the Seruva and my powers gave me knowledge she didn't possess so we helped each other. I never told her about the Seruva directly of course but…"
"Yea, don't worry, Shortstuff spilled that already," Gumi interrupted, "Bird guys, magic voices."
"Gumi… you're close to finding Miku, right?"
The normally solid Len sounded positively terrified, and Kaito mirrored his fears. He thought back to his nightmare, the twisting, screeching, pulsing force trying to wrench him limb from limb. The idea of Miku being ripped apart and scattered into nothingness while he stood there safe and sound…
"Gumi, was it?"
Kaito was momentarily startled by the sound of Gakupo's voice before he realized Luka was holding her phone out. He hadn't even noticed when she called him… "We have two problems – we must not only contain the Herald, but we must eliminate her source of power."
Gumi blew a wisp of hair out of her face as she typed. "So what, do these guys just pop out of a portal and start blowing things sky high?!"
"We still don't know," Kaito said truthfully, "So far only Miku and I have engaged every Herald."
He hesitated for a moment. He chose to keep quiet about Gakupo's transformations for the time being. The warrior never claimed to be a Herald even when completely mad, and his behaviors bore little in common with theirs.
"So far we've always found a device… a Noise Generator… within the area of a Herald's attack."
"The first Herald arrived in a liquor cellar, the second within a club, and the third at the hanabi..." Luka said as she worked things out vocally.
"Haku's generator was in a wine barrel, Yuma's inside of a speaker, and Mizki's in a pile of fireworks…" Kaito continued.
"Did they not all utilize something very similar to their device's location of origin to attack us?" Gakupo asked over the phone.
Kaito remembered the odd creatures summoned by Haku, Yuma's perfect mastery of hypnotic music, and Mizki's projectile fireworks. "Perhaps… the Heralds are absorbing aspects of objects close to the Noise Generators they draw power from!" Kaito said.
"Wait!" Len exclaimed, "She's in the Internet, right?! Maybe Miriam's inside of a server farm!"
Gumi let out a whistle at Len's display of logic. "Couldn't have put it together better myself," Gumi said with a smirk, "Well, I probably could, I mean, I am a writer slash genius…"
Her fingers flew across the keys. "So, even if Mirror has anything to do with these things, they wouldn't be dumb enough to leave it on company property…" Gumi said, "So I bet I got a hunch where it is… and… EUREKA!"
She grabbed her phone, somehow operating a third communication device to Kaito's amazement. Were all humans this good at multitasking? "Tsubasa City has a big data center downtown and it's just spewing out packets like the ones I'm tracking down!" she crowed.
"But what about Miku!?" Rin shouted through the speaker phone.
"Oh, pffft, I think I gotta lock on this but…"
She looked up at Kaito with a sneaky expression. "One condition. I tell you where Miku is… if you let me come along."
"Are you seriously using Miku's life as a bargaining chip?!" Kaito shouted.
Even Luka appeared surprised at his angry outburst, though Gumi seemed unphased. "You guys owe me, big time. And it's not just her, 'cousin.' You've been keeping the lid on a bunch of monsters that have been kidnapping and hurting people for the past month. It's my job to keep people safe!"
She put her knuckle under her chin and stared at Kaito with that infuriatingly wide smile. "You guys do your thing with magic… I do mine with information," she explained, "Now… deal?"
Kaito still had trouble believing Gumi was motivated by anything but self-interest, but she had a somewhat valid point buried in her argument. "Just… stay out of the way of the fight," he said, "These Heralds are dangerous people. I'll do everything in my power to protect you and everyone else, but we've been overpowered by them before."
Gumi let out a whoop as she pressed an index finger to a key on her laptop. Within seconds, the power went out in the entire building. Kaito looked around in utter surprise. "Gumi, the heck did you just do!?" Len exclaimed.
"She's been traveling through LAN and Wifi, right?" Gumi explained, "I just figured the best way for you guys to get to her is to shut off her avenues of escape. And she ain't going nowhere without any juice."
Gumi folded up her laptop and stuffed it in her satchel while fiddling with her phone. "I just blacked out about a 25-kilometer radius around the building she's in… she's in a cram school computer lab about now…"
"You stated that the device and the Herald are in different locations, yes?" Gakupo asked.
"You got it, pal!" Gumi said.
'She hasn't had time to give Gakupo a nickname, I see…' Kaito thought to himself.
"Then I'll send Rin-chan to catch up with you and I'll handle the generator alone…"
At that, Kaito heard a loud start from Rin. "What?! No way! Gakupo, you can't go by yourself! I promise, I can help!"
"Gakupo was convinced Rin was frightened of him."
Of course they'd told the Kagamines about Gakupo's affliction. It would be reckless not to. They'd seen him transformed once already.
Kaito hoped Gakupo understood the danger he was exposing himself to. He had half a mind to demand that Gakupo simply come with him and Luka so they could keep him protected. But then again… if the generator was far from battle, the Seruva might be able to take it out without facing any danger. Given the time element, it made more sense to let the only member of their group that could fly cross the long distance and eliminate it as swiftly as possibly…
"Gakupo, you have to take me with you! You don't even know how to work the phone! You're holding it upside down!"
Luka snickered at the annoyed grunt Gakupo gave off.
"Okay, it's settled! Gakupo and I will call you as soon as we break that generator! So you go do your superhero stuff, okay!?"
With that, the phone call ended. "She'll be safer with Gakupo," Len admitted.
"You're a thoughtful brother," Luka said softly.
Len winced. "I'm… not that thoughtful…"
On the drive across town, Len tried to remain calm but he still felt guilty for Miku's disappearance. Logically, he knew events would ha e played out the same even without the fight. Miku was just that kind of person. But that just made him feel worse for exploding at her.
Miku meant the world to both of the siblings. She was their first friend, and the first person to believe in them. And she never knew just how much of a difference her and her wacky Vocaloids idea made in their lives. The twins had finally begged and pleaded with their parents to let them attend school like normal teens. Their intelligence allowed them to test all the way into high school at only 14. He recalled how proudly Rin had danced around in her first school uniform as they sang their way to their first day of classes…
Their parents had flatly told them they'd never succeed. "You're not like them."
...they were right. Nobody knew how to approach the odd child prodigies, and the Kagamines learned that years of near isolation from other children and teens left them completely unequipped to navigate the invisible social culture they'd missed out on.
By Friday, the twins were ready to give up, go home, and let their parents win.
Until a completely oblivious girl trying to start her own "super cool band club" broke her way into their lunch and begged the twins to join.
"You sing like you're perfectly synced up! It's so beautiful! We're going to sound like nobody else in the world if you guys join!"
… being different suddenly felt great because of that silly girl. Who had all the heart of Vocaloids, but not always the commitment. Who always butted into other people's problems. Who'd shove a stupid, selfish boy out of the way of mortal danger and take it on herself…
…how could Len help falling for her?
Rin's heart pounded as Tsubasa City blurred past her. She was really flying! Though she was carefully tucked into her rain coat, the rain kept beating against her face… but who cares about rain anyway when she was flying?! Trying to contain the excitement of being airborne was nearly too much for her to handle.
"When we approach the window, tuck your head in."
Held tightly to Gakupo's body, Rin felt completely safe even as he swooped through the air. "Okay, now Rin-chan!" Gakupo called out.
Rin curled up against his chest, keeping her face shielded. Gakupo's enormous wings moved in front of him as he smashed through the glass window. Just as he promised, not even a single shard touched her. He landed lightly, gently setting Rin on the floor.
She quickly surveyed the darkened hallways. "Gakupo, I don't hear anything…" Rin said.
"Don't worry… I do. Inform the others of our arrival."
"They made it!"
Kaito heard Len's voice as he rushed up the stairs. "Good… we just need to keep this Herald contained!" he said.
"So do you have laser beam eyes!?"
"…no, Gumi. Song magic. We cast song magic."
He could hear Dark Notes drifting through the building. Someone was singing… her voice distorted as though being filtered through a machine…
"Follow, follow me, I will take you far away, Away we go then… Now hurry, hurry…"
Gakupo would have the easier task. Now even Rin looked up to him… and how easy had it been for him to claim the heart of Luka with his smooth words when Kaito still couldn't muster up the courage to tell Miku? So simple for him when he still had the skies and…
Kaito gasped. He quickly summoned his second voice and projected the song of purification around his body. Perhaps this dark emotion was how Miriam found her victims, trapping them in their own insecurities, shattering their bonds to those they loved, then drawing them away…
If she went after Len first… Kaito couldn't imagine what the cocky, confident boy could possibly envy.
"Is everyone okay?" he whispered.
"Ah, Blue, what was that?!" Gumi hissed, "All of a sudden I had all these weird thoughts in my head until you started singing…"
Even Gumi had someone she felt envious towards… wait, Blue? "I was trying drive back some of the Dark Notes… you need to keep alert, just like we told you, or she could drag you away…"
Gumi thumped her chest. "Pfft, like some scary ol' monster's going to defeat the Great Gumini!"
At least she had enthusiasm.
"What about that classroom?" Luka asked, pointing to a wooden door with a class window. Kaito approached and spied rows upon rows of sleek machines. Carefully he pressed open the door…
…rolling to the floor as he saw digitized chains of pixels fly through the air. Kaito quickly threw up a shield, watching it bounce off. He saw a female form with wings partially extended from the computer. "I am MIRIam… HeraLD of NOissse!"
Her voice sounded corrupted when she tried to speak normally. Kaito leapt to his feet, ready for a fight…
… when just as suddenly, Miriam vanished back into the computer screen.
"She ran away!" Kaito shouted. Had he lost his only chance?
"This probably isn't the only classroom with computers," Luka said, "Gumi, you kept the power on in the entire building, right?"
"Yea… she's been hopping around from system to system, so I locked her in the building," Gumi explained, "Those weird packets show up in a lot of systems at once, actually. Maybe she's in more than one at a time?!"
"Then we don't have a choice…" Kaito said reluctantly, "We… might need to split up into pairs."
"Keep our eyes peeled for this thing and just let everyone else know?" Len asked, "Sure… that shouldn't be difficult."
"Okay, Kaito, Len, you two stick together and I'll take Gumi," Luka said, "That way each one of them has a Seruva keeping them safe."
"WOOHOO! I get Doubles!"
"I… sure…" Len said reluctantly, mystifying Kaito. The boy had been acting strange around him all evening, but the danger of the situation prevented Kaito from trying to get to the bottom of it.
"Don't worry Len, I'll keep you safe," Kaito said, trying to reassure him.
Len huffed. "Sure."
Gakupo tried to follow the discordant melody's source while maintaining a solid grasp on his own. As he'd come to expect, the moment he set foot in the building, he heard the telltale sounds of Dark Notes stirring in his heart. Fortunately, he knew the Herald was across town. He could simply smash the box and be done with it. Hopefully that would keep himself and Rin safe.
He pressed open a door, his sword tight in his hand, only to see rows upon rows of tall metal cases with glass doors. "What sort of machinery is this?" he asked in confusion.
"These are network servers," Rin explained, "They'd all be connected to the Internet."
She looked from case to case. "Guess we'll have to check each one…"
"No need," Gakupo said, "It's a rather clear melody."
"Then… I'll just follow you!" Rin said cheerfully.
To think for once it would all be over without a battle. Normally that would have annoyed the warrior who craved a chance to use his skills. But not when he was concerned about Rin…
"GAKUPO LOOK OUT!"
On hearing the girl's shout, he instinctively placed a barrier over the both of them, knocking over several of the servers… and a tall woman in a white dress. "Who are you?!" Gakupo shouted, placing himself between the interloper and Rin.
The woman leapt back up to her feet, the ribbons around her neck and shoulders twirling as she did so. Something about the wretched smile on her face set even Gakupo on edge. "I'm a baaaaaad girl! And if you don't obey then I'll have to resort to baaaaaad things!"
'She serenades her opponent?' he thought, 'Wait…'
Gakupo glared at the woman in front of him. "You mutilated my charge, did you not?"
She giggled and gave him a curtsy. "Oh, Big Al and I just salvaged a valuable!" she spoke, as though she were having pleasant conversation, "There's not a lot of scrap with wings in this town."
"Sweet Ann." Just saying her name felt like spitting out a vile poison.
She gave him a demented curtsy. "I don't do 'sweet', but I'll rot you to the core."
Her wild eyes returned to Gakupo as she clapped her hands together in glee. "So I'm afraid I have to kill you! Nothing personal… you're in the way, that's all. But it's also lovely! I'll finally salvage another set of wings! Maybe then Al and I will fly! Marvelous!"
Trying to suppress the melody of destruction in his heart became far more trying when Gakupo found himself wishing to destroy the person in front of him. "Rin-chan. Take care of the generator. I will not let her lay a finger on you."
"Gakupo…" she whispered.
Gakupo lifted his blade, refusing to turn his gaze from Sweet Ann. "I trust you."
"If I let you survive the night, you're gonna beg for mooooooore!"
His eyes glinted red.
Len heard his phone beeping. "That's Rin!" he said, "Maybe they got the generator!"
Kaito was peeking through a window to another room. "I think I see her inside…" he whispered.
"… who's Sweet Ann?"
At those words, Kaito whirled around at Len, looking terrified. "Big Al and Sweet Ann are fighting Gakupo and Rin!?"
"I'm at my breaking point, and it's all crashing down!"
Before Len could answer, he heard a man's voice sing out before the door Kaito was leaning against exploded outwards. Kaito was slammed into the wall, pinned behind the door. Holding him there was a hulk of a man with… Len thought it looked like a crown but he thought he saw stiches along his forehead. "Len… get… help…" Kaito gasped.
"I'm not leaving you!" he shouted, "Let Kaito go, you big freak!"
At Len's words, the other man's eyes flew to Len, who shuddered involuntarily at how unhinged he looked. He had a wicked grin on his face. "Sorry kid… under orders. Our boss wants to know who's been causing so much trouble for us!"
The boy's hands shook. "Did Mirror put you up to this?!" Len shouted.
He hoped it wasn't true… that his family wasn't involved…
"Classified. But I'm not here to hurt you so if you just leave, that would simplify everything and-"
The door suddenly exploded with light, shattering into fragments. Kaito rolled out from under his attacker as the man stumbled forward and into the wall. "Len, we need to regroup!" Kaito shouted.
"I'm not arguing!" he grunted as the two took off down the halls.
Rin squeaked as she heard an explosion above her. Apparently "Sweet Ann" wasn't concerned with collateral damage and Gakupo probably didn't realize how volatile the equipment he was fighting around could be. But as she crawled along the floor, all she could think about was how badly she needed to break the piece of equipment that was holding Miku hostage. Then she and Gakupo could just fly away.
As the furious fighting knocked over a set of servers in front of her, Rin saw a few black feathers touch the ground. With some alarm, she poked her head up at the fight and saw Gakupo appearing as monstrous as he had in at the carnival. 'They said… it's the Noise that keeps doing this to Gaku-niichan…' she thought to herself.
She examined the wreckage around her and in the sparking, smoldering ruin of one of the servers, Rin spotted a strange black box laying upon the floor. Just putting her hands on the box gave her a jolt of power. She dropped it to the ground, her hands trembling. If Len were here, he'd know what to do… somehow, he'd fix it and why did he always have to be the one who knew better? Or…
"ARRRRGH! How dare you make me hate Len!" she screamed at the box, "I'm gonna smash you to PIECES!"
Rin grabbed a broken piece of metal and wielded it like a club…
Kaito ducked as a desk sailed over his head, trying not to lose sight of Big Al. Why did he of all people have to show up!? He tried to suppress his fear of them, the sickening memories of what they'd stolen from him because in this moment right now, he'd gladly fight both of those awful people if it meant keeping his friends safe.
"Rin and Gakupo got the generator!" Len shouted.
Kaito heard Luka's voice as a pink shield covered the hall, just as a wooden desk shattered against it. "Is that the Herald?!" she cried out.
"Holy crap, what's Big Al doing here?!" Gumi shouted.
"The Generator's gone! We need to find Miriam!"
A flurry of angry punches from the aforementioned Big Al put cracks in Luka's shield. Kaito tried to put as much space between himself and Len. "Len, keep running, I won't let him touch you!" Kaito shouted as the blonde boy kept running in Luka and Gumi's direction. If Big Al only wanted him…
"Quiet, quietly, don't want anyone to hear us fly away, now…"
Kaito followed the sound of Miriam's voice to the room next to him. "In there!"
Len and Gumi ran inside first, followed by Kaito and Luka as they layered a pair of shields over the door. He was once more face to face with his target, extending herself from a computer monitor to make her last stand. "Kaito, do it now and we can escape!" Luka shouted.
Of course, Kaito and Luka had failed to take something important into account when fighting Big Al.
He had no need for doors.
The classroom wall exploded into drywall, metal, and wood as the lumbering man plowed through it as though it were paper. "I'm at my breaking point, and I'm a burn it down!" he sang out, still bearing that wretched smile.
Kaito moved to try and prevent his charge when he felt chains wrap themselves around his arms and neck, yanking him backwards. As soon as he felt their touch, he felt his body beginning to break apart…
"No… I'm not giving up!" Kaito shouted as he struggled, "I have to save her!"
Len could only gape in horror as Miriam pulled Kaito back. The man who'd gladly risked himself over and over for him, the only person capable of setting Miku free…
"Kaito! I won't lose you again!" Luka shouted, reaching out for him, only to find herself nearly decked by a punch from Big Al. She turned to force up a series of shields that the wretched man kept hurling himself against, cracking each one with the impact. Clearly if she was trying to protect Kaito from Big Al, she couldn't stop Miriam from dragging him away.
"I GOT IT!" Gumi shouted, diving forward and grabbing Kaito's hands with one arm and a pillar with the other.
But all Gumi was accomplishing was slowing the inevitable – Len watched as Kaito's body slowly began to disintegrate just as Miku's had...
As Len stood powerless, watching Kaito trying to save himself and Luka fending off a seemingly unstoppable opponent, Len felt his emotions rise in his heart. He hated Kaito, how stupidly selfless he was, how he'd throw himself recklessly into trouble and how it seemed like everyone around him always had to pull him out of it…
… Len would do anything to save him.
"If you don't get me comfortable, then it's gonna have to hurt! Not me, though, this girl likes it rough!"
As Gakupo swiped his talons at Sweet Ann, he failed to land a blow but knocked one of her ribbons off… revealing that her arm appeared to be sewn onto her torso. Like a nightmarish singing doll.
Harbinger. Destroy your target.
He hated this woman and every time she spoke his hatred only increased.
"If your wings are black like that, Al and I won't match… oh, maybe we can get one white wing and one black one! Splendid!"
Either she loved knowing how much she hurt people, or she was completely incapable of grasping how much she hurt people. Neither option made her sympathetic to him. He could carve her to pieces and be done with her evil… he could tear apart everything and everyone around him and nothing could stop him…
Harbinger. Rain down your destruction.
A twisted ballad emerged from his throat as black lightning began to explode throughout the room. The doll woman leapt neatly through each strike, but several of them struck the computer hardware, creating a series of explosions…
… he heard Rin scream.
At once, Gakupo tried to reassert himself and drive back the melody controlling his heart. He quickly scanned the room, trying to find Rin. What was he becoming?! "Rin-chan! Are you safe?!"
"Y…yea I'm fine…"
Taking even a second to not focus on Sweet Ann led to him being hurled across the room and into some equipment. Within seconds, Sweet Ann had cleared the space and rained blow after blow upon him. He could taste the blood in his mouth as her assault quickened.
Harbinger. Destroy your target.
Again he felt the melody beckoning him to release it once and for all. Again he tried to fight back against it. He knew what it was capable of forcing him to do. He had to stay sane… because the "Harbinger" cared nothing for the life of "Rin-chan"…
Rin crawled out from the wreckage of several servers, no worse for wear. But she could actually hear Sweet Ann's savage beating well before she saw her. Her heart beat quickened – she wanted so desperately to help him. As he fell to the floor when she let up, she was certain Sweet Ann was about to deliver a killing blow. She had to do something.
For just a moment she felt as though someone else's heart was in perfect sync with her own.
Somewhere, Len felt as though another person was standing with him, feeling the same will to protect. He was willing to try anything to stop Kaito from being destroyed.
He extended his hands. 'I'm crazy! This is never going to work!'
But as he felt another heart beating in perfect sync with his own, he summoned the confidence that his mad plan would succeed…
'Just like Gakupo showed me…'
'Just like what Luka's doing…'
Power welled up in her heart…
Another mind in unison with his own…
'I'm going to save him!'
One half of their hearts beat with the other, over which no distance could truly separate them.
"I won't let you hurt Gaku-niichan!"
"I won't let you hurt my friends!"
In two completely separated places, a shining golden shield of light enveloped a person in grave danger, two voices performing the same song. Kaito was released from Miriam's grasp as the light severed her arms, restoring his body as Gumi unintentionally yanked him on top of her with the sudden release of force. Sweet Ann's crushing kick sent her flying backwards as she'd not intended to have to break through something.
Neither twin held back. They felt the power rushing through their bodies, of one person moving as the other did. They extended their arms as though pulling an invisible bow string, releasing two bright gilded arrows.
Big Al and Sweet Ann never saw it coming, each one taking the full impact of the attack and being sent flying.
"Kaito! You have to stop her, now!" Len shouted.
Kaito turned to do so but he became panicked as Miriam once more receded into the computer…
…only to be shoved back outside as the digitized form of a girl with two long, flowing pigtails gripped her tightly, refusing to allow her to leave. "HoW!? You arE… data! ScRAPs!"
"Promise…"
Miku's voice sounded weak. Wherever she was, whatever happened to her, she was using every ounce of strength to stand up to the creature that tried to dissolve her. But… she was safe. It was over.
Kaito finally safely managed to sing his ballad. Within Miku's arms, the familiar light swept of Miriam's form. For a moment, Kaito caught a glimpse of a woman with blond hair and green eyes. "Seal of the Seruva…" she murmured, her voice clear and calm.
"What is the Seal?!" Kaito begged, "What am I?!"
"The Seal… is our sacrifice against oblivion…"
There were no more answers to be had from Miriam as her body broke apart.
As she vanished, Kaito felt a wave of sickness flow through him, taking him by such surprise that he felt his legs buckle under him.
"Kaito…"
Miku lay near him, perfectly whole and reaching out to him. Even though his vision blurred, he found the strength to move over to her and prop her up in his arms. As the sickness passed, he could make out Miku's pale face and wearily happy expression.
"We're not letting you anywhere near Kaito!" Luka shouted, staring down Big Al.
"Yea! If you know what's good for you… you'll back off!" Len shouted, the smaller boy having placed himself between the gigantic man and the rest of his friends.
"What they said, Big Jerk!" Gumi said, taking an odd fighting pose…
Kaito felt Miku grip his arms tightly. "Is… is that…"
Reflexively, he pulled Miku close to him, trying to shield the dazed girl as he watched the giant man in deep contemplation. "Hmph. This is not going to do at all…" Big Al murmured, his eyes fixed solely on Len…
"What are you talking about?!" Rin shouted, holding her arms out between Sweet Ann and Gakupo.
Despite the fact Sweet Ann had just suffered a beating from both a trained Seruva warrior and Rin, she didn't seem terribly concerned. The ribbon along her neck had slipped, revealing stitches along her neck as well as her arms.
"Well I mean I can't actually fight you. You're, well, you."
Rin gulped. "Why? What's special about me?"
The stitched-up woman tapped a finger to her lips. "Ah! Classified! Well, nothing better to do than call this evening a wash…"
Sweet Ann snapped her fingers in disappointment. "Cheerio then!"
"W…wait!" Rin shouted, but in a bolt, the blonde leapt through an exposed window, leaving Rin's questions unanswered.
"R…Rin-chan…"
Gakupo still bore many of the features of a yokai, but his demeanor seemed calmer and his voice sounded more like his own. "Gaku-niichan… are you going to be okay?" Rin asked, looking over his injuries.
Gakupo raised his weapon to steady himself. "I can tend to my own wounds… worry not…" he assured her.
He appeared to be in deep concentration. Slowly but surely, he began to change back to normal, his talons shrinking into fingers again, his ears flattening, the streaks on his face fading away. Soon it was impossible to tell he'd ever become something so frightening.
Rin handed Gakupo her handkerchief – she felt silly not having anything else to give him, but she wanted some way to help him. He took the cloth and wiped some of the blood from his face. She could hear his second voice performing a ballad as his wounds closed up. "Rin-chan… was this why you were afraid of me?"
"AHHHH! You... you… noticed?! ACK! I mean, I mean, I mean…"
Rin began stammering as his pointed question caused her to grow nervous. "Well… I mean, I didn't know about the… tengu… thing,"
She stretched her hands up over her head. "It's cause…. you're REALLY tall! Like, a big tower! And…"
Rin tried to mimic Gakupo's typical facial expression. "And you're always staring at everyone like… you're trying to read their SOULS!"
But she turned red and closed her eyes, lightly touching her cheeks with the tips of her fingers. "But… after we started singing together… I realized… being tall like that and looking through people… it's how you protect them. You can see any threat and strike first! And… being around you… makes me feel safe."
Gakupo looked at Rin in utter bafflement before he burst into uproarious laughter. Rin found herself embarrassed at saying something silly and strange again, but at least she'd cheered him up. Finally, the taller man stood up and gave her head a pat. "That… is a very Rin-chan thing to say."
Len and Rin followed Miku and Kaito back to the apartment building, under the pretext that he'd left some of things behind during their practice. His mind was filled with questions, but he wasn't sure he wanted the answers. When the twins finally reunited, they were both surprised to learn they'd performed the same strange feat at once. For all intents and purposes, somehow their souls had united as one to allow them to cast magic just as Kaito, Luka, and Gakupo could.
Naturally, this led to a long discussion over what any of this could mean… the twins were adopted, after all, so there was a chance that perhaps they'd been the biological children of a Severed Seruva. But the longer discussions began to die down as neither of the twins seemed interested in trying to delve into their origins tonight.
And naturally… Miku knew exactly what to say.
"It doesn't matter what you guys are! You're Rin and Len, and you're Vocaloids! And now, you're heroes too!"
"Miku… I… gotta talk to you. About something private."
He glanced at Rin, whose face lit up with glee. She skipped forward and grabbed Kaito's hand. "Kaito, I'll make sure you get upstairs, okay?!" she said.
Before anyone could stop her, Rin had Kaito shoved into the elevator. Given how much he'd overworked himself, Len wasn't surprised he gave little protest.
As Miku's eyes lingered on Kaito going up the elevator, Len felt a heaviness in his chest. He thought back to the fight and how worried Kaito had been for her. Of how Miku burst out of the computer to save his life. Of how they'd held each other as though they depended on each other for strength.
The tealette turn to face Len and smiled. "I think we're alone now, Len," Miku said, "What did you want to talk about?"
"Well… I mean first I wanted to apologize for being a jerk before…" Len said.
Miku blinked. "Eh? Did something happen?"
"You mean you don't remember!?" Len shouted in disbelief.
Miku knocked on her head with her knuckles. "Well… I actually don't remember a lot about the last few hours…" she said, "I… I remember saving you… but I don't remember much else."
Suddenly she looked surprised. "AH! We didn't fight, did we?!" Miku asked, "Oh god, I'm sorry Len! Whatever I did I…"
Len slapped his forehead. For once, fate was cutting him a break. "Look, don't worry about it," he said, "It was all my fault. So… just forget about it."
Miku released a huge sigh of relief. "Well, I pretty much already have. So, was that everything?"
"Miku, I've been wanting to tell you that I…"
Suddenly, Len felt his nerves vanish as he found it surprisingly easy to come to terms with something important. Why he hated Kaito… and why he'd fought tooth and nail to save that grinning blue-haired moron.
He gave Miku a sly grin. "…so, all this air-headedness and stuff. It's because you're into Kaito, isn't it?"
The girl's face turned bright red. "W…w…w… where did THAT come from?!" she asked.
Len started laughing at her over the top reaction. "Oh now I KNOW it's serious!" Len teased.
Miku looked nervously at the elevator as if she feared somehow Kaito could hear the conversation. "Kaito's… Kaito's complicated… okay?" she confessed, "I… I really do care about him. I do! I just… with all these monsters and Heralds and stuff…. I don't want to just drop something huge like this on him!"
"Didn't exactly stop Luka and Gakupo, did it?" Len prodded. Watching Miku get as embarrassed as a middle-schooler with a crush proved surprisingly entertaining.
"Ahhhh, but sempai's always been cool about stuff like this!" Miku stammered. She pressed her two index fingers together. "And Gakupo's… not that complicated."
"A guy that turns into a tengu isn't complicated?"
Miku twirled her head, her pigtails whipping around her body. "Ah! Len, why is any of this important to you anyway?!" she protested, "You're sounding like Rin!"
Len shrugged his shoulders. "Come on, you've been out of it during all your practices," he said, "I got to thinking maybe there was another reason besides the usual. You had me worried, okay?"
The elevator door opened and Rin stood behind Miku. Her eyes went wide and she let the elevator doors shut again… though Len saw her jam her hand in the middle to keep them propped open just enough…
"Okay… Okay, I really… I guess I… do… like Kaito. A lot. But don't tell him, okay!"
Len made a motion over his mouth. "My lips are sealed," he said, "Look, practice is shot for tonight, but if you want to get an early start, we got one more day to work out this 'Crybaby Boyfriend' thing."
His expression finally grew serious as he unloaded a little 'adult wisdom' onto his friend. "Hey. Word of advice. I get that you don't know what to say to Kaito. But… you shouldn't wait too long. You get to thinking you have all the time in the world and then… poof. You lost your chance."
Miku nodded. "You're right…" she said, "Okay… I'll find a way to tell him. Soon."
She gave him a warm smile. "I'm glad I have a brave hero like you as my friend, Len."
Rin slowly walked out of the elevator door, her face crestfallen. "OH! Rin… you…" Miku said, sounding nervous.
"I just got here! Kaito's asleep already!" Rin lied.
As Miku entered the elevator and the doors closed behind her, Rin turned to Len. "She turned you down?"
Len shrugged. "Eh. Wasn't worth telling her, honestly. She's nuts about that blue-haired moron, so… better just cut my losses and make sure he doesn't die on her."
Len realized he should be angry or furious. Disappointed. Anything but… happy.
"I'm sorry the plan didn't work…" Rin said, looking at her feet.
Len didn't see it that way. Rin might be upset her grand "duet romance" scheme didn't work but…
"Thanks, Rin," he said, "I feel better. Loads better."
He could finally let Miku go.
"Are you really going to be okay with this?" Rin asked as the two left the lobby, turning up their umbrellas to the rain.
"Are you nuts? When we make it big, I'm going to have SO many girls crawling over me, I'm not going to want to be tied down!"
Rin laughed at his display of confidence. "Besides… you got another big brother out of this, so what are you whining about?!"
Miku entered the apartment quietly and spied Kaito on the couch. He'd uncharacteristically thrown his jacket on the floor, but now he was fast asleep. She tiptoed over to him, gathered his jacket, and folded it up and placed it on the table.
She sat down on the futon observing him. His sleeping face betrayed his exhaustion. Miku began to reflect on all the happy times they'd spent together. How precious they felt now, always punctuated by danger. She found herself grateful that she'd already forgotten what it felt like to be torn apart by Noise. Her entire identity reduced to nothingness.
Miku brushed Kaito's bangs out of his eyes. He always called her brave… but she didn't particularly feel brave. True, she was holding up better than after what Yuma had done to her, but she knew she was brave because other people made her want to be brave.
Just that sensation in the chaos of fragments of Kaito's consciousness mingling with hers allowed her to retain her identity. His fear… and his refusal to let his fear dominate him.
Miku leaned back against the couch, watching the rainfall as it began to finally taper off. Her heart beat quickened as she thought of how he'd held her in his arms while she fell apart to the strain of her own fears. How wonderful it felt to emerge from the chaotic prison with him reaching out to protect her.
She leaned closer to him, and with only the sound of the rain drops to accompany her, Miku gently kissed the top of Kaito's forehead.
Feeling Luka in his arms as he reclined on the couch gave Gakupo a much needed anchor. Not just the base sensation of a warm body with him… but the feeling of someone he could trust. Someone that reminded him of what he was without the corruption consuming him. Someone who could drive back the melody of destruction that beat within his heart.
Of course he knew how unbelievably quickly they'd become so intimate with each other. In the past he'd moved so quickly to rid himself of feelings he couldn't express to the person he truly loved. Fleeting partnerships doomed to fail because of his insincerity.
But this time he concealed nothing. He gave freely of himself to the person he desired. He knew he didn't deserve this. He'd met Luka because he'd caused Kaito to come to harm. The wretched melody twisting against him felt like his just punishment.
Yet he wanted to pretend he deserved this kindness anyway, if only to try and be the person Luka needed him to be.
"Kaito… forgave me…" Luka finally said.
Gakupo laughed. "Did I not tell you he'd understand your actions?"
"It felt… amazing… to finally have some part of him back again," she said. She rolled over on his chest, looking up into his face. "I don't know what they did to him to make him forget me but… he's starting to remember it. He asked me. He finally remembered… me."
The conversation quieted for a few moments before Luka broke the silence again. "I'm glad you and Rin were able to get along so well…"
Gakupo chuckled. "Rin-chan is a very unique person,"
Luka snuggled in closer to him. "Gakupo… what made you think of that song anyway? I know it has ceremonial significance but that's not normally something you're interested in…"
He ran a hand through Luka's silky hair. "It makes me nostalgic…" he said softly.
Luka crawled up his body and as her sky blue eyes met his own, he couldn't help but draw her closer and kiss her…
"Gakupo, hold still! I need to finish brushing your hair!"
The boy twitched from having to stand in place so long. First the elaborate costume, now the hair? He just wanted to perform, why was it such an ordeal!?
His mother grabbed his long, messy locks and began running a comb through them. "Can we at least practice while you do this?"
His mother's laugh always reminded him of chimes in the wind. "Of course."
Soon mother and son began singing the ballad they were scheduled to perform in mere hours…
"We were laughing together by the window casting shadows, weren't we?"
"Ah, your hair came loose and it's fluttering and swaying in the wind…"
As his mother's rounded stomach pressed against his back, he thought of the sister she was due to give birth to soon. What kind of brother would he be to her? He could barely wait to teach her to fly, to show her his favorite perches, to sword fight with her, to sing with her…
If nothing else, he wanted a sister that shared his love of performing. Even if he became a solider someday, he'd gladly teach her this song and they'd stand together in front of everyone… her proud big brother…
"We're sitting shoulder to shoulder and getting warmed. I want to share the time like this with you, forever and ever."
A/N:
Look, I just killed a baby via flashback. MUAHAHAHA!
Phew, finally, all those hints I kept dropping about the Kagamines are starting to pay off. Of course by now it should be obvious the situation in Tsubasa City is escalating and several cast members personal demons are about to overtake them. If you thought this chapter could be tense… yea, welcome to the second half of Broken Wings.
Song Credits: This turned into the great Engloid chapter, didn't it? Miriam sang lyrics from the ethereal "Secret Space" by Puffhin. Both Sweet Ann's "Succubus" and Big Al's "Breaking Point" cover come from Koda-P. And the title is of course a reference to the song of the same name. I could NOT resist using it given the theme!
Meanwhile, Luka's ringtone is "Flightless Bird" (WAY TO KEEP A SECRET, LUKA.)