Slice of Life
Chapter 14 – Scarlet Rose
Ablahblahblah. It's 1:12 AM where I am at… Apparently it's now Wednesday. OTL Why am I still awake? I blame coffee and college work. Fml. But. I'll let you guys know at the end of this chapter what time (and what day) it is when I complete this chapter. XD Because I want to know how long it'll take me to dish this one out.
Anyway. Enough of me rambling. Chapter 14. Let's go.
Disclaimer: I will never own any Vocaloids… So, really, just the story is mine. Thanks.
It was a brisk autumn day, the air was dry and cool. A light breeze could be felt, and caused a few leaves to fall from towering trees. With each step that was taken, an accompanying crunch came from beneath their feet. Although it was a tad on the chilly side, they had decided to continue on with their stroll. It was nothing that either couldn't handle; and the stroll was a nice change of pace of things when compared to the past months events. Being out from their rowdy home and on the quiet path was soothing for the two of them.
The pair ignored the whispers of those who took notice to them. It was something that had to adjust to after voluntarily auditioning to be in their positions. As idols of the music industry, hearing other people point them out was not unusual to them. It was merely part of their lifestyle now.
Although, one of the two did wish for a moment of privacy while out in public. As popular as she may be, she did not always appreciate being followed by an adoring fan (or sometimes an obsessed one) for a day. The last time she had been followed, she had ended up calling the security in the store out of fear for her own safety. The fan, with his camera, and been escorted out from the shopping area. And the press had a field day when the news came out that Megurine Luka had called security on the boy.
Luka sighed upon the recollection of this memory. She rubbed at her temples and shook her head as she tried to drive the memory from her mind. Her companion instantly took notice of this.
"Eh? Something wrong, koneko-chan?" Lily asked, as she turned her deep blue eyes onto her childhood friend. "If you don't wanna go, you could've said something..."
"H-huh- oh! No!" the pink hair girl quickly shook her head. "I was just thinking... Wouldn't we be begging the media to follow us?" Her brows creased together in worry. Normally, she would not have worried over this, but now that her and Lily were on an actual date...
Lily shrugged her shoulders, and pushed up the sleeves of her white zip-up hoodie. "Eh, I guess so," she replied, lips pursing together at the thought. "If that bothers you, we could go somewhere else-"
"N-no, this is fine. I don't mind going to a fall festival."
The blonde grinned. "Alright then." Without another word, she continued to lead the way. Her hands were shoved into the front pockets if her jeans, and her posture was relaxed.
It was a relief to the blonde that Luka had agreed to go out on this date after what had happened when Lily asked her yesterday...
Yesterday Afternoon
They sat in the library, each member seated either on the couch or an armchair. The seats were arranged into a sort of circle, allowing all of those present to be able to easily loom at the others.
The eldest narrowed her blue eyes, and crossed her arms across her chest apprehensively. "No way. I still think this whole competition of yours is stupid," Lily snorted, glaring at the smiling teal haired girl that was laying on the couch across from her.
Miku turned her head to look at Lily. She giggled. "Mou, Lily-nee, don't think of it that way!" she exclaimed, as she waved her index finger at Lily. "In all actuality, things would have become like this even if neither of us came up with this idea." She adjusted her head on her "pillow" and received a quick flick on the forehead.
The "pillow" glared down at Miku. "Look, you stupid lieutenant," Gumi snarled. "Sorry for interrupting, but... Get off of me. I hate being your pillow."
Teal eyes met emerald ones. "Oh, right, right," she let out an overdramatic sigh. "I forgot you hate me..." Miku pouted at Gumi before she sat up. She then looked at the girl seated on Gumi's other side. "Did you want a Gumi-lap-pillow, Miki-chan?"
The antennae on the redhead's head quivered as she stiffened a little from the question. "A-ah, n-no- well..." She stumbled over her words as her face was quickly flushed by a faint shade of pink. "Is- can- Is that okay?"
"Of course it is! Commander here makes a great pillow-"
"Stupid! Shut up! Don't you dare start telling stories about us-"
"And what stories are you referring to, Gumi-chan?" Miku sang, a devious smile on her face.
Gumi opened her mouth, but quickly shut it. If she said something now, her words would undoubtedly be turned against her.
"Stories?" Miki looked up at Gumi. "Did something happen when Miku-nee used your lap as a pillow?"
At this, the two other girls had vastly different reactions. The green haired girl's face was shocked, and a faint blush was on her cheeks. The teal haired girl only giggled.
Cough.
"Oi, I'm still here, ya know!" Lily stated, her fist still brought up to her mouth as she cleared her throat once more. It was clear to the others that were present that the older blonde was becoming irritated that she had been sitting there for so long.
At this Miku smiled, and gave Lily a look of apology. "Ah, sorry, sorry. I was distracted by my friends," she explained.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Can we just wrap things up?" she asked, as she began to impatiently drum her fingers against the arm of the chair. "If we're actually going to do this, I have to go ask Luka-chan out on this date." She put her other hand back on the other arm rest and cupped her head into its open palm.
"Right, right," the tealette nodded in agreement. "You can ask her on the date. She won't say 'no', I think. And once you two are out on your date tomorrow—"
"Tomorrow!"
"Yes, tomorrow, Lily-nee. When you two are out on your date tomorrow, we'll have Gumi-chan and Miki-chan here observe!" Miku concluded. She leaned back into the couch and placed her hands in her lap. "I think that would be best."
Both Gumi and Miki nodded in agreement. Of course, if they were the ones to proctor the date, they would be able to sabotage it and put things into Miku's favor.
"No," Lily said, her tone blunt. Her lips were turned down into a frown, and she shook her head. "I want the twins to proctor my date."
At this, the silent pair of twins that were seated on one armchair jumped up.
"SIR, YES, SIR!" Rin shouted, as she saluted the elder blonde girl.
"Right…" Len nodded beside his sister as he mimicked her salute. "We can handle it!"
The teal girl blinked a couple of times, her smile unwavering. "Eh? The twins, hm? I guess—ah!" She pouted and looked at Gumi, who had violently jabbed her elbow into Miku's side.
"No. If the twins go then—"
"It's okay," Miku shook her head. "I understand Lily-nee's point. It wouldn't be fair to have my best friends follow her on her date." She turned her unreadable eyes back to Lily, and continued to smile. "It's only fair that she has some back up that won't try to ruin her, ne?"
At this, Lily nodded in agreement. "I'm glad to see that you're not a total bitch, Miku-chan," she stated, as she stood up. "I was starting to think that you'd play dirty." The eldest girl then proceeded to head towards the door.
"No, Lily-nee, I don't think things would be as interesting as they are now if I did that," Miku sang, her teal eyes focused on the back of her rival in love. "I decided that I can't fight things anymore and that we both might as well face facts. Someone's going to get hurt, and we both don't want Luka-senpai to be stuck in this position any longer."
Lily's hand stopped on the doorknob of the door. Those words were true. She was trying to avoid hurting Luka, but at the same time she was trying to guard her own heart. If things ended poorly between them, the blonde knew she would be miserable for quite some time.
Noticing that the eldest blonde had stopped, Gumi raised a brow. "So I guess all of you are aware of the consequences of this game of yours, huh?" she asked, as she stifled a snort. "Looks like someone's going to get their heart broken. I wonder who's going to be there to pick up the pieces."
Miki looked at Gumi, and fidgeted uncomfortably next to her. This was such a heavy topic, and she hated that the atmosphere had dramatically changed. Yet, she knew Gumi was right. But if it were Miku who were to lose… Would Gumi be the one to piece Miku's heart back together? Just the thought made her painfully aware of the tightness in her chest. The redhead sighed, and leaned her head against Gumi's shoulder.
The green haired girl stiffened, but then relaxed.
Both Miku and Lily said nothing. Lily's blue eyes were focused on the doorknob that was in her grip, and Miku's teal eyes were focused on the over-sized bookshelves.
"Ne, ne?" Rin blinked a few times. "I don't really get what's going on, but… CAN LILY-NEE-SAN GO ASK LUKA-NEE-SAN OUT ON A DATE!"
Len facepalmed.
The corners of Gumi's lips twitched into a smirk. "Right.. Go ahead and ask her, Lily-nee."
At this, the eldest blonde nodded, and swung the door open.
Thud.
"EEP!"
All of the library's occupants turned their head towards the door. "Eeeeeh!"
"Oh—shit—Lu-chan!" Lily stared at her friend, eyes wide.
The pinkette had her hands over her nose. She rubbed it gingerly, making sure nothing was broken. Clearly startled and in pain, she turned her back to Lily and began to run off.
"Wow, Lily-nee. You didn't even ask her out yet, and you already fucked things up," Gumi snickered.
"Aw, Lily-nee!" Miki sighed.
"HAHAHAHA! WHAT! WHAT JUST HAPPENED!" Rin fell over laughing, her arms clutching her sides. Beside her, rolling around on the floor, was her twin.
Miku simply shook her head. "If you don't go after her, Lily-nee, then I will." She stood up, but sank back down into her seat when she realized that Lily had taken off after Luka. She giggled to herself, and shook her head again. "Oh, Lily-nee… You're making this so interesting.."
"LU-CHAN! I'M SORRY! I'LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU! LET'S GO ON A DATE TOMORROW!" the blonde wailed as she ran after her childhood friend.
Present Day
The pair of blonde bullets darted through the crowd of people that accompanied the fall festival. Although they were supposed to be following Luka and Lily, being at the festival proved to be a distraction to them. Each twin had on a mask on the side of their heads; Rin had a mask of a robot, and Len's was a standard dog mask. Aside from this, their outfits were different, yet still managed to match. As expected of them. Their outfits were one of their favorites; a souvenir from shooting one of their music videos, "Remote Control".
Despite the fact that it was nearly Halloween, and the weather was a tad on the chilly side, Rin had donned on a pair of black short shorts, a sleeveless black jacket with a faux-fur lined hood, a white sleeveless button down which was layered with a dark sea-foam green vest, with black knee high socks and black sneakers. Why sneakers and socks rather than the boots she had worn for the music video? Because she wouldn't be able to properly "watch" the date with boots on.
Likewise, Len had chosen to wear his black jacket, black pants, white button down, and sea-foam green vest, in addition to black sneakers.
Yes. The Kagamine twins believed that as "proctors" or "guardians" for this date, they should dress as inconspicuously as possible.
A total failure on their part.
They easily drew attention to themselves as they dashed about the festival stands. Some of the passerby's recognized the twins outfits, and attempted to jump into the twin's path and wave down the pair… Only to be run over by the twins in their mad search for Lily and Luka.
"Onee-chan! I told you we shouldn't have stopped to buy that takoyaki!" Len whined at his sister. "Now we don't know where they went!"
Rin laughed, and shrugged her shoulders unabashedly. The disposable plate of takoyaki was still in her hand. "Don't be such a worry-wart, Len!" She grinned. "All we have to do is find pink hair, and we're set! I doubt anyone else here has the same shade of pink as Luka-nee—LOOK! I FOUND THEM!" She jumped onto the table of a vendor's stand, and began to run along it, jumping from stand to stand. Every time she landed on a new stand, her feet were sure to crush at least one item that the vendor was selling.
Her brother followed beside her, apologizing to every startled vendor as they ran by. "Sorry. Sorry—Don't mind her, she's insane.. I'm sorry—Yes, I'll give you an autograph if you don't get mad at my sister. Sorry! Ah—I promise we'll be back to pay for your troubles! ONEE-CHAN, GET DOWN FROM THERE!"
The elder twin only laughed at her brother's reaction. "Len, shh! If ya don't shut up, Luka-nee-san'll know that we're following them!"
"BUT YOU'RE DESTROYING EVERYONE'S STUFF!" Len shouted back. "I DON'T THINK I HAVE ENOUGH CASH ON ME TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING—"
"Shaddup, will ya!" The girl flung a piece of takoyaki at her younger brother's head. She grinned when she saw that it had hit him directly between the eyes. "All we gotta do is find them, and make sure Gumi-nee and Miki-nee don't screw up their date!"
Extremely irritated, Len wiped off the takoyaki from his face. "But how do you know Gumi-nee and Miki-nee would do that?" He retorted, as he continued to chase down his sister. "Miki-nee-san would never do anything that would upset someone else!"
"But Gumi-nee would!" Rin responded, as she popped a piece of the delicious food into her mouth. She quickly swallowed it before speaking. "That's why we gotta make sure nothing'll happen! Besides, Lily-nee-san promised to buy us a new road roller to make up for the one that Meiko-nee-san demolished after she kicked your scrawny butt! Now just keep your eyes peeled for any suspicious characters."
"Onee-chan… You're a suspicious character…" Len sighed.
"Shut the hell up! You know what I meant!"
Meanwhile…
Another pair had been tailing Luka and Lily on their date. Although they had both been told not to by Hatsune Miku herself, they ignored her request for their own reasons.
Gumi, the commander of the Secret Police, had planned on sabotaging the date. It would be simple. If she could find ways to ruin the date, then Luka would not be happy with Lily. And Gumi figured if Luka was unhappy with Lily, then the pink haired girl would move towards Miku.
Miki, on the other hand, had tagged along to prevent Gumi from ruining the date. The redhead believed that Lily did deserve a fair chance at impressing Luka, even if it may hurt Miku's chances with Luka. And she wanted to spend some time alone with Gumi.
"Okay, lessee…" Gumi withdrew a slingshot from her mini backpack, and loaded a pebble into it. She climbed up a tree, sat down on a branch, and took aim at the pink haired idol. "I think I can make it from here…"
"Ah! No! Gumi-nee! You can't!" Miki quickly scrambled up the tree. She sat down beside Gumi, and snatched the slingshot away from the older girl. "That's wrong!" The
Gumi stared at her now vacant hands. "Eh- Oi! Miki-chan!" she carefully twirled around on the branch. "Gimme it back!" She stretched her arm out, trying to grasp onto the slingshot in Miki's grip.
The younger girl scooted away from Gumi. Carefully, she stood up and shifted towards the body of the tree. "No, Gumi-nee!" she protested. "You can't hurt them! That's bad... Miku-nee wouldn't be happy if she heard about this."
"I don't care. I'm doing this so Miku'll finally be happy." The green haired girl continue her advances. For a better vantage point, she stood up and began to step towards Miki.
"I understand that you want her to be happy..." Miki began, her back now pressed against the tree trunk. "But what about you? Even though you're trying to make her happy, you never seem happy yourself..."
At this, Gumi stopped. She balanced herself on the (thankfully) thick branch, and frowned at the younger girl. Her expression was a little apprehensive, and she did not want to reveal any more about her emotions than necessary.
But Miki was able to see past Gumi's defenses. Just by peering into those emerald eyes, the red haired girl was able to see just how conflicted Gumi was.
"Gumi-nee, you..." Miki bit down on her bottom lip as the elder Vocaloid trapped her between the tree and herself.
The green haired girl had put her arms up, hands pressed against the tree trunk on either side of Miki's head. The younger girl was truly trapped. "What is it, Miki?" Her emerald eyes narrowed a little bit, as if daring the other girl to press on.
The redhead gulped, and clutched the slingshot to her chest. "You still have feelings for Miku-nee, don't you...?" She whispered, as she closed her eyes. Those words were painful to utter, but it was a reoccurring thought that had been going through her mind. The last time she had asked Gumi this, they had been interrupted by the crazy resident brunette who was on the hunt for Kagamine blood.
The question was only met with silence.
And the silence was killing Miki.
A soft sigh escaped Gumi's lips. "Maybe," she whispered, as she shut her own eyes. "I don't know. Sometimes I still feel really pissed off when I look at Miku," she explained, her voice tightening as she struggled to come to terms with what she felt for her ex. "And sometimes I kinda miss what we used to be… Or I'm just really comfortable with just being friends." Her jaw clenched, and she gently pressed her forehead against the petite girls. There was no real reason for this action, other than the simple fact that Gumi was hurting and she needed some sort of comort.
The petite girl felt her cheeks flush, and her heart beat quicken. Timidly, Miki opened one eye and looked at Gumi's face. It was easy to see that the older girl meant every word that she had said. Gumi really was conflicted when it came to her feelings for Miku. "O-oh…" she mumbled awkwardly. "I… I figured as much…" To be honest, she was a little upset that Gumi's feelings on Miku were not clear cut. But it couldn't be helped.
Yet Miki's tone of hurt and disappointment did not go unnoticed by the green haired girl. "Why do you keep asking me about Miku, anyway?" Gumi asked, her lips turned into a clear frown. "I don't get it. It doesn't make any sense to me at all." Her eyelids fluttered open, and her famous pair of emerald eyes looked at the younger girl.
"Ah—Th-that's because… Nn…" Miki bit down on her lip, and looked down at the slingshot that was clutched between her petite hands. There was no way she could avoid this.
"Are you jealous or something?" Gumi asked, her tone a little sarcastic even though she was trying to make light of the situation. She couldn't help that even at times like this, her snarky attitude shown through.
"J-jealous—N-no—W-well.." Miki shifted from one foot to another, clearly uncomfortable with the situation and their close proximity. "M-maybe—eep!" While shifting her balance, she had lost her footing and slipped off the branch. The ground was quickly approaching her, and she shut her eyes tight as she braced for the impact that was sure to follow.
But never happened.
Miki felt a sharp tug on the back of her favorite navy blue and red plaid shirt. Startled that the ground was no longer rushing up to meet her, she turned her red eyes up. They widened when she realized that Gumi was gripping onto the back of her shirt, and had her free arm wrapped around the branch of the tree.
"Idiot!" Gumi snapped down at the still shocked girl. "Are you trying to kill yourself or something!"
"No! I just—It was an accident!" Miki stumbled over her words, as she frantically waved her arms to express how sorry she was. "I'm so sorry!"
"STOP MOVING OR WE'LL BOTH FALL!"
"GOMEN NASAI!" Gumi's outburst only caused Miki to panic all the more. The redhead's arms now moved in a wind-mill like motion as she continued to apologize. "I'M SO SORRY, GUMI-NEE!"
"DAMN IT, I SAID STOP—AH!"
"EEP!"
Thud.
A flutter of orange, red, and brown leaves fluttered up into the air as the pair landed into the small stack of leaves that had been waiting beneath them. Thankfully, the leaves had cushioned their fall. Only a few muffled groans came from the two as they recollected themselves.
"Dammit, Miki!" Gumi groaned as she pushed herself up with her hands, and looked down at the girl. "I told you to quit moving around so much!"
"Nn... S-sorry," Miki mumbled, as she rubbed her head and opened her eyes.
Both were surprised to realize that they were in such a compromising position. Miki was laying on the bed of leaves, her long, red hair messily strewn about. Her cheeks were flushed as she stared back at a pair of emerald eyes.
Gumi gulped. She was propped up on her hands and knees, hovering over the petite girl. "Uh..." Heat spread across her face the longer they held one another's gazes.
Miki offered Gumi a timid smile. "Gumi-nee...?" The look in her eyes hinted that Gumi should do something... But the dense green haired girl had no idea what to do.
"Shit!" Gumi jumped up, and quickly pulled the hood of her orange and white stripped hoodie up and over her head. The goggles were quickly pulled on to cover her eyes. Quickly, she snatched the slingshot up from the ground. Her cheeks were still pink but she kept her back to Miki. "Don't get the wrong idea or anything. We gotta focus on the mission, got it?"
"R-right..." Miki sighed, looking a little deflated that nothing had happen. She silently cursed herself for not taking advantage of such a golden opportunity.
The orange and white clad girl marched off; which left girl dressed in plaid wondering what would have happened if she had just pressed her lips against Gumi's...
Lily felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of her face. Her deep blue eyes looked past Luka, and zeroed in on the pair of twins that were hanging upside down from a tree branch. The elder twin was giving her thumbs up while shouting "EVERYTHING'S A-OKAY!". The younger, and slightly more tactful, twin mouthed the words "No sign of Gumi-nee anywhere."
"Did you hear something?" Luka asked Lily, as she plucked off a piece of the cotton candy from the paper stick. She popped into her mouth and looked at Lily expectantly.
"No. I don't hear anything at all," Lily lied, as she forced a smile onto her face. She forced her gaze back onto Luka.
Damn those twins for being so obvious.
Luka shrugged, and began to walk once more. "Oh, alright," she replied. "I thought I heard the little twins here... And I could have sworn I heard someone who sounded like Gumi-chan yelling at some poor soul..."
"Wha- Gumi-chan?" Lily's face faltered as she strode beside her friend. Sure, she had requested the twins for the sole reason of avoiding any sort of trouble... But if Gumi was here...
She quickly scanned the area, looking for the trademark green hair and red-orange goggles.
Her search came up empty.
The pink haired idol took no notice of the blonde's behavior. "Yes, Gumi-chan. But it wouldn't be surprising if the others decided to go to the festival, too," Luka added, as she tore off another piece of the pink and blue fluff. "We don't need to worry about the others being here. We can meet up with them later."
"Right..."
"Because we're on a date right now," Luka concluded, as she held up the piece of cotton candy up to Lily's mouth. Her own cheeks were a faint pink, but she did want Lily to try the cotton candy. "It's good. I promise."
The blonde arched a brow at her friend's action. Lily grinned and chomped down on the cotton candy, careful to avoid biting on her childhood friend's fingers. "Yum." Daringly, she flicked her tongue over the fingers, lapping up any left over cotton candy.
Luka quickly pulled her fingers away, flustered by the act. She quickly looked around, hoping to find something worthwhile to do. Something that would pacify her racing heart.
The blonde puppy laughed, and shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. She looked around as well, and stopped when she spotted a particular stand. "Oi, Lu-chan.."
"Y-yes?"
Lily took one hand out from her pocket and jerked her thumb at the goldfish catching stand. "Wanna give it a go?"
The pinkette looked over the stand and gave her friend a sheepish smile. "You know I was never any good at that game," she said, as she ate another piece of cotton candy. "I don't think I could win a goldfish."
The blonde shook her head and took ahold of Luka's free hand. Brimming with tangible confidence, Lily led the more timid girl to the stand. She released Luka's to pull her wallet out from her pocket.
The stand's vendor was squatting behind the tank of goldfish. A cheeky grin was plastered onto his face as he looked up at the pair. "Gonna try an' win a fish, eh?" he asked, as he took the money from Lily's outstretched hand.
"Yup. And we're gonna get one, too," Lily proclaimed, as she picked up one of the scoopers. She squatted in front of the tank and pushed up the sleeves of her jacket. "Alright! Let's do this!"
Luka stood behind her, bent over a little to observe her friend. She tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear. "Good luck, Li-chan!"
The blonde idol was determined to get a goldfish or two. She watched the fish swim about the tank, and waited for one of them to halt. To her supreme satisfaction, an orange and white goldfish stopped swimming in front of her. "HIYAH!" The blonde shouted as she scooped the fish into the air.
"Oh! You did it, Li-chan!" Luka clapped her hands, clearly impressed by the feat.
The vendor wordlessly wrapped the fish up in a plastic bag filled with water. He tied a string around the top and handed it to the grinning blonde. "Right then. A fish for ya, eh?"
The victorious girl took the bag from the vendor. She brought the bag up to her face, and stared at the goldfish. Oddly enough, the fish was completely calm, not bothered by the change of surroundings. Lily sat down cross-legged in front of the tank, and carefully set the plastic bag down on her lap. "Right then. Your turn, Lu-chan," she said, as she looked up at the pinkette with her deep blue eyes.
"H-huh? M-me?" Luka stammered, clearly caught off guard by the suggestion. "But I'm not any good at this game.."
Lily shook her head, and pat the ground next to her. Obediently, Luka knelt down beside Lily.
"I'll help ya out," Lily said, as she handed the scooper to the wary pinkette. "Trust me. You'll be a goldfish scooping pro after tonight!"
"Oi! Don't go catchin' all my fish, ya hear?" the vendor teased, as he smirked at the sight of Luka staring at the scooper.
Uncertain of her skills, Luka stared down at the fish tank. Her light blue eyes watched the goldfish swim through the water, occasionally thrashing their tail out at the top. "I- I don't think I can do this," she stammered. The scoop in her trembled as she looked at Lily helplessly.
The blonde only grinned at Luka, and shook her head. "Geez, you're hopeless sometimes," she teased. "Have a little faith in yourself!" She shifted a little, so she was now closer to Luka. Carefully, Lily put her hand on top of Luka's so they were both gripping the scooper. "Look, I'll even help ya out."
The pink haired girl blushed, and made sure she was staring at the fish tank. "O-okay..." She was hyperaware of how quickly her heart was beating.
If just having Lily's hand on top of hers caused this sort of reaction from her, she was almost afraid to see what else could happen.
"Don't worry, koneko-chan," Lily said quietly, almost whispering into the pinkette's ear. "You'll catch a goldfish."
"R-right..."
Lily guided Luka's hand, the scooper now hovering over the tank. "So. You basically just watch the fish," the blonde explained, her voice still soft. It was soothing to the pinkette, and she slowly relaxed her tense shoulders. "And once a fish stops moving, you just go and scoop up the fish," Lily concluded.
Luka nodded. Her light blue eyes scanned the tank. Wait for a fish to stop moving...
There.
An orange goldfish with a black spot on it's back halted in front of Luka.
"On the count of three... One... Two... Three!"
Both Lily and Luka moved their hand in unison. The scoop swished underneath the water and the chosen goldfish flew up into the air.
"YOU DID IT!"
"Ah! I did-..."
The goldfish landed back into the water and swam towards the retreating school of fish. Lily began to laugh, but stopped when she noticed the deflated look on Luka's face. "Ah geez.." She scrunched her nose up. "Damn those goldfish!"
Luka pouted. "I really thought I had it, too," she sighed. "Maybe I'm no good-"
"Don't say that!" Lily interrupted, as she shook her head. The blonde pulled out more money from her wallet and shoved it into the vendor's hand. "Just try again, okay? You know what to do now, so I bet ya could do it without my help."
A flash of doubt crossed Luka's face as she looked at her date. "Do you really think so?"
The blonde gave the pinkette a thumbs up and winked. "I know so, koneko-chan."
At this, Luka felt her heart skip a beat. "Ah, okay..." She gripped the scooper tightly as she focused on the task at hand.
The fish stayed huddled together for a moment more before they collectively decided to disperse. This time a plain, white goldfish wandered towards the waiting pinkette. Luka held her breathe as she watched the fish stop. Silently, she counted down from three before she brought the scoop down to the surface of the water. To her amazement, she was able to scoop the goldfish up without breaking the fragile netting of the scoop, or lose the goldfish once more.
"I- I did it!" Luka exclaimed with a look of glee on her face.
Lily grinned. "I told ya so."
The vendor whistled, impressed that a beginner had been able to catch the fish. He wrapped the white fish up in another plastic bubble filled with water. With another piece of string, he tied the bag shut and handed it over to the ecstatic pinkette.
Luka's graceful fingers took a hold of the string. She stared at the goldfish within the plastic bag, and let out a tiny squeal of joy. "She's so cute!"
"She? How can you tell it's a girl?" Lily asked, her lips curved into a smile of amusement.
"Because she's just graceful looking!" The pinkette tore her gaze away from the white fish. Still excited over the successful goldfish scooping, she threw her arms around the blonde. "Thank you so much for showing me how to catch Yuki!"
The unexpected hug caused Lily's face to turn bright pink. "Eeehh? Wha- nah- it's no big deal," she said quickly. "Wait... 'Yuki'?"
"Yes, I named her." The pinkette gave her friend another tight squeeze before speaking once more. "Isn't it a cute name?" Luka pulled away from Lily and smiled. She stood up, and held the bottom of the bag with one hand and the string in the other. "Yuki-chan! 'Yuki' as in snow, because she's white," she explained as she gave the goldfish an affectionate smile.
This caused the blonde to look down at the plastic bag in her lap. "Huh... I wonder what I should name this fella, then," she mumbled, as she grabbed onto the bag's string and stood up.
The pinkette began to walk away from the goldfish catching stand, and slowed her pace down to allow her friend to fall into step with her. It seemed that more time had passed than they had realized, and so the more time-conscious girl decided to walk back towards the mansion. "Mm.. 'Koujiiro-kun'," Luka stated. The smile on her face had widened as she looked at her friend for approval.
"'Koujiiro' means saffron..." Lily said slowly. Saffron? What kind of name was that! Clearly the fish was orange and white in color. "He's a goldfish! He's freaking orange and white, Luka-chan!"
"Yes... He is..." Now it was Luka's turn to look confused. Her pink eyebrows creased together as she stared at Lily blankly. "Saffron is a shade of orange..."
"Oh..." Lily looked away, embarrassed. Boy, did she feel like an idiot.
Luka only giggled when her friend avoided her gaze. "You never did pay attention when we went over colors in art class, koinu," she laughed airily.
"Yeah, yeah.. I knew saffron was orange. I was just testing you."
"Of course," Luka shook her head.
The pair walked in silence; the blonde unwilling to admit to her dumb mistake, and the pink haired girl was simply content with spending alone time with her friend. The sun had set over the horizon, and the air had become chillier than before. The pink haired kitten instinctively moved closer to the blonde puppy, seeking another source of warmth. The kitten linked arms with the puppy, and rested her head against the puppy's shoulder. And the puppy neither moved away, nor made any move to bring the kitten closer.
And so they walked in silence, shoulder to shoulder, each carrying their respective goldfish in their hands.
That is, until the koinu had decided to break the silence.
"We're almost home," Lily pointed out lamely, noting that the vendors, crowds of people, and autumn trees were replaced with the gates enclosing the larger houses.
"Mhmm..."
They approached the gate that closed off their home to the prying eyes of the general public. Lily punched in the combination into the keypad, granting access into the estate. The gates opened slightly, creating a path wide enough for the two to enter. As they passed through the gates, a quiet groan of metal was heard as the gates close behind them.
"...Did you have fun today?" Lily asked.
"I always have fun when we hang out, Lily-chan!"
"I mean.. You know... It was a date..." the blonde clarified. Was Luka always so dense?
The gravel of the driveway crunched beneath their feet as they continued to walk.
"Well, yes, of course I had fun on our date." Luka quickened her pace so she was walking ahead of Lily. She skipped up the steps and stopped in front of the large, double doors that served as the main entrance into the mansion.
Lily followed her friend up the steps and stopped beside Luka. "Wait- seriously? You had fun on the date?"
Luka laughed, and nodded once. Admittedly, the fact that them hanging out was now known as a date flustered her a bit. She had never imagined going on a date with her best friend. But it wasn't a bad thing, she reasoned. It had been a lot of fun.
Once more, she wrapped her arms around Lily. "Yes, I had fun," Luka stated. "Thank you for today. It was nice.. And I have a new friend, too!" She peeled herself off of the blonde, and held up the plastic bag that contained Yuki-chan. "I never thought I would be able to catch her, but you taught me how to do it!"
Lily didn't know whether to be embarrassed or dumbfounded over the simple fact that goldfish catching had made the date a success. "Uh... Right... No problem!" she said awkwardly, with a grin forced onto her face.
So was this the part where she tried to get a kiss?
Luka nodded, and pulled her keys out from her purse. She fumbled with them in her search for the right key. "Ah- there it is!" The key was quickly glided into the keyhole. Twist. And the door was unlocked. The pinkette opened the door and looked back at her friend. "Hm? Are you alright, Lily-chan-"
"NOOO! NOT THE FISH!"
Gumi was hidden behind the bushes. In her hand was the slingshot, loaded with a pebble. Her goggles had been put on over her eyes. "Night vision activate.." she mumbled, as she tapped the side of them once. A while back, her technologically inclined friend, Akita Neru, had modified them to have a night vision mode. Back then, Gumi had thought it was a useless addition to her goggles... But now she was mentally praising the tech-geek blonde.
Curled up in a balk beside tue green haired commander was Furukawa Miki. The petite girl had fallen asleep while waiting for Lily and Luka to return from their date.
"Ah! They're back!" Gumi whispered excitedly, unaware that her companion was already fast asleep. She watched Luka skip up towards the front door, and exchange some words with Lily. To her amusement, it would seem that Lily was unsure of what to do next... And that Luka had no idea what to think of Lily's lack of response. It seemed that the pink haired girl was ready to head inside...
Whatever. Gumi aimed at the plastic bag that Luka had held up into the air. "Sorry, fishy. I gotta take you down if I want the night to end badly for them," she muttered, as she pulled back on the slingshot.
"NOOO! NOT THE FISH!" a high pitched voice shouted.
"Wha-?" There was no time for Gumi to spin around to locate the owner of the voice... For the owner had launched herself at Gumi.
Together, the two fell onto the ground with a thud. Kagamine Rin wrestled the slingshot out of Gumi's clutches. "DON'T WORRY, I SAVED THE DAY!" The fourteen year old blonde stood up from behind the bushes. One hand was on her hips, and the other held the potential weapon up in the air. Her black sneaker clad foot was pressed down on the back of the green haired girl. "NOTHING CAN GET PAST THE HAWK-LIKE VISION OF THE GREAT RIN-SAMA! NOTHING I TELL YOU! AHAHA! NOT EVEN GUMI-NEE CAN ESCAPE MY WATCHFUL EYES! THAT'S RIGHT WORLD! KAGAMINE RIN SINGLE HANDEDLY TOOK DOWN THE GREAT KUNOICHI GUMI!"
From behind a tree a few meters away, Kagamine Len put his head in one hand. "Onee-chan... You were supposed to stay quiet," he muttered to himself as he shook his head in shame.
Both Lily and Luka stared at Rin, who had popped up from behind the bushes that lined the driveway up to the front door of the mansion. The young blonde was shouting something about saving the day...
"What is Rin-chan doing- eep?" Luka's question was interrupted by Lily quickly shoving her into the mansion.
"Well, it's been fun! See ya later, Lu-chan!" Lily's words were rushed. She quickly planted a kiss on Luka's cheek. The blonde stepped back outside, and slammed the door shut, leaving Luka to stand inside the mansion dumbfounded.
The pinkette stared at the large, wooden doors.
"Okay..." Luka shook her head and headed up the staircase to go back to her room.
Lily stormed over to the bushes and glared down at Rin. "What the hell was that about?" she hissed. "You ruined a chance for me to kiss-"
"Gumi-nee was going to hit you with this rock!"
The older blonde girl stared at the younger one. "And where do you see Gumi?" She asked slowly, barely able to contain the rage she felt.
"Eh? What? Are you blind now, Lily-nee?" Rin asked cheekily. She pointed the slingshot down at the ground beneath her feet. "Right here-..."
Ground?
Gumi had just been trapped beneath her foot just a moment before..
"She's not there."
Rin gulped, her blue eyes frantically looking around her. The sleeping redhead had disappeared as well. "What- but I was just standing on Gumi-nee!" she said defensively. "And Miki-nee was right here sleeping!"
"Okay. Well, they're not here."
"BUT, BUT! THEY WERE!"
"I PAID YOU TO MAKE SURE THE DATE WENT SMOOTHLY, NOT TO SCREW UP THE END!" Lily gripped the faux-fur lined hood of Rin's black vest. She began to violently shake the short haired blonde back and forth.
From behid the tree that Len had been hiding behind moments before, Gumi watched Lily furiously shake Rin. She snorted and shook her head at the sight. Escaping from Rin had been so easy. While the neurotic elder twin had spent her time shouting out her triumphant victory, Gumi had simply crawled out from beneath her, thrown the sleeping Miki onto one of her shoulders, and sprinted towards the startled pony-tailed boy. Before Len could even let out a scream, Gumi had jumped up and high kicked Len in the face, successfully knocking him out. And without dropping or disturbing the dreaming redhead that was on her shoulder.
1 point for Kunoichi Gumi, commander of the Secret Police and ninja extraordinaire. 0 points for the Kagamine twins, road roller obsesed and neurotic duo.
Luka was still confused by Lily's odd behavior at the front door. Yet she decided not to spend too much time thinking of a good reason to explain the blonde's actions. Aside from that more than odd ending, the date had been fun. It was simple in idea, and very relaxing. It was something that Luka had thoroughly enjoyed, even though it had been surprising to hear Lily even ask her on a date... Okay, Lily had screamed the idea at Luka while apologizing for throwing the door open at the pinkette's face.
But other than that, yes, the date was a surprise.
She halted in front of the door to her bedroom, a sigh escaping her. Although the date was fun, it caused Luka to feel even more confused about her two suitors. Would Lily really be a good person for her to be in a relationship with? And what about the tealette who was still interested in her.
"Why can't love be simple..." she mumbled to herself. Luka snapped back into reality as she stared at a note that had been taped to her door.
Written in an elegant cursive writing, and not in the expected kana that the Japanese were accustomed to, were English words. Which was no problem to Luka. After all. She was the most skilled Vocaloid when it came to the English department.
"'Sorry to intrude while you were out'..." Luka read the note out loud. She took the note off from the door, her eyes clouded in confusion. Had someone entered her room?
She shook her head, and turned the doorknob. The door swung open, and the lights came on as she flicked the switch beside her door. It only took her a second to notice that something was wrong with her room. Something was out of place; or, rather, something was now there that was not there earlier this afternoon. A change in the room. An addition.
Luka crossed the room, and stopped beside her bed. On the white cotton bed sheets sat a bouquet of red roses, neatly wrapped in wrapping paper and plastic. Beside the flowers was another note written in English script.
"'It would be an honor if you joined me for dinner tomorrow night'," Luka read out loud once more. She felt her heartbeat quicken as her light blue eye looked over the name at the end of the note, and she could have sworn that the beating could be heard a mile away. "'But only if you want to. Sincerely yours, Hatsune Miku.'"
The pinkette sat down beside the bouquet. The plastic bag containing her goldfish was placed onto her lap. She pinched both of her cheeks with her free hand to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.
A second date with the teal haired girl who had caused such drastic changes to her life.
A date following her date with Lily...
Now what to do...
It was nearly midnight, and despite the day's events, most of the mansions residents had finally tucked themselves into bed.
But one was seated at the piano in her bedroom, her teal polished fingers dancing across the ivory keys. They carefully executed the melody to one of Claude DeBussy's masterpieces, "Claire de Lune."
Buzz. Buzz.
The iPhone that was placed on the stand for sheet music for a pianist buzzed to life. The girl stopped playing, yet her eyes remained closed. Slender fingers picked the phone up, and muscle memory allowed them to type in the proper four digit unlock code. She opened her eyes, and looked over the new text message.
The corners of her lips twitched into a tiny smile.
Miku did not have to look at the name of the sender to know who it was from; for the text was short and straight to the point.
Only four words had been sent.
And the text that she had received said, "Yes, I'd like that."
It was the response that she had been hoping to receive all afternoon, ever since she had first set the notes and roses up.
Her un-readable smile was not present on her face. Instead, a truly genuine smile was there.
Miku stood up from the piano bench, and crossed the room. She opened the door to her closet. It would seem that she would need to find an outfit to wear for tomorrow evening.
Note: ah, another chapter has come and gone! I'm sorry for the wait... This chapter would have been posted sooner.. But I went home for the weekend to visit my family. But in my mad rush to pack up my backpack in my dorm room, I failed to pack my laptop charger -_-; So the entire weekend, I had to type up the rest of this chapter on my itouch...
I feel like this chapter was long.. Or maybe it just seems long since I typed it up on my itouch...
Anyway... I decided to work on this chapter rather than write up another chapter to "Matryoshka!", only because I was afraid I would forget about my silly idea for rampant Kagamine Twins for this chapter. XD;;
Reviewer Replies!:
Jak656: thanks for the review! It seems you're pretty quick to review my chapters! Haha I love it! I'm glad you were able to get an emotional experience from the last chapter!
LukaFan: I can't tell you what'll happen! It'd be a spoiler! Ah, I'll clarify what happened with Gumi and Miku more in a future chapter. Patience, my friend! (: thanks for the review though!
PaperCutVictim: yeah, I had to change the genre... XD;; humor was no longer a dominant factor to this story.. Thanks for the review and encouragement! :D now I'll go read your latest chapter, since I see you've updated it!
Meislovely: o.o ... Is Kuro dead?
And thanks for reading, guys!
Thyrokio: As i've noticed, you're quick to catch onto those little hints I've sprinkled in! But like I just told LukaFan, everything'll be revealed in due time! Thanks for your continued support!
Masaru2509: your English is fine! (: it's very good! I'm glad you could feel some emotion through Miku's point of view! Thanks for reading!
IdrewAcow: really? Well, I'm glad I was able to help put you in a better mood!(: and thank you for reading and always reviewing! Much appreciated!
Reviewer: thanks! I've been trying to add some more emotion to the story, so I'm glad to hear that I was successful!
I think I'll watch another episode of it once I find the time to. XD; you make it sound like it's worth all the WTF moments.
Major Mike Powell III: thanks for the constant support! Haha I hope I can continue to meet your expectations, sir! *salutes*
Psychomaid: XD;; I won't reply to every part of review, since we're already having a lengthy discussion on parts of it. I still plan on playing Switzerland for a little longer, though. And yes, the whole Gumi/Miku situation will continue to be revealed throughout "SoL"! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Chinesis' Fan: yes, miku did hide behind a mask. Ah! Well, you're right about Luka truly being a koneko-chan. She really fits the nickname, ne? Haha. Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens next!
Okay... I THINK I replied to everyone... If I missed you, I'm very sorry! ;o;
But I do appreciate all of the reviews! Thank you all so much!
And thank you to everyone who has continued to read SoL! I'm very grateful! o(^▽^)o
(Also. It is now 3:26 AM on Sunday, October 2… x_x insomnia… how I hate you…)
I hope to "see" you all in the next chapter!
Until then, take care! (^-^)/