Slice of Life
Chapter 15 – Melt
I have a cold. Or maybe the flu… or bronchitis… Whatever it is, I caught the virus that has been running rampant around my university's campus. x_x I've basically been sleeping and watching TV at my house all day; but it's too bad that I have to head back to uni this evening so I can keep going to classes.
On the plus side, I've come up with some good ideas from the odd dreams that I've been having because of all of this medicine I've been on!
Disclaimer: I only wish that I owned some Vocaloids! But in reality I'm stuck with this story.
It had been an uneventful and incredibly dull afternoon at the mansion. Kaito and Meiko had taken it upon themselves to go on a week's vacation with one another, much to relief of Lily, Luka and Gakupo. The older Vocaloids were able to finally catch up on some much needed sleep. Luka had remained in her room for most of the day, only leaving to make herself a sandwich in the kitchen for lunch. As for Lily and Gakupo, both had left to go to the recording studio earlier in the day to record their next singles.
The younger Vocaloids, likewise, remained in their wing of the mansion. Both Rin and Len were locked inside their rooms. Although they were in separate rooms, they were easily able to check on one another by crossing through the shared bathroom that connected their rooms.
As for the members of the Secret Police…
They were gathered in Hatsune Miku's room. Or rather, the closet to be exact. Miku stood in the center of the closet, her teal eyes looking over the expansive wardrobe that she had collected over the years. In one hand was a red box of chocolate Pocky, and in the other was one stick of said Pocky. She took a bite from the stick, and walked in front of the section of white clothes. "What should I wear tonight?" she asked her friends.
Megpoid Gumi was laying on the floor of the closet, her arms behind her head. Eyes closed and a passive expression plastered onto her face, she snorted. "Who cares?" she retorted. "Either way, you're on another date with Luka-nee. I doubt it really matters what you wear at this point." The snarky girl opened one emerald eye, and looked at Miku critically. She didn't really want to be here, giving Miku advice on what to wear on a date. Gumi was simply not that kind of person. Dressing up was not something that she was fond of, and even as a child, she never played 'dress up' like the other girls did. It had always seemed like a waste of time. And right now, she was wasting her time even trying to give Miku clothing advice. "Seriously, I wouldn't worry about what you wear. It doesn't matter."
"Ne, ne, Gumi-chan!" Miku exclaimed, as she took finished the treat that was in her hand. "Appearance is important!" Slender, teal-polished fingers plucked a simple white dress from the rack. The girl looked it over and smiled. "Like this one. I wore this on our first date!" She waved the dress over at Gumi's general direction.
The commander of the police opened her other eye, and then proceeded to roll both at Miku's statement. "Yeah, yeah. .."
"Aw, really, Miku-nee!" Furukawa Miki squealed in delight. She had been seated beside Gumi, with her knees drawn up to her chest. Up until that moment she had been silently looking around the closet, mentally creating outfits with the clothes available at hand. Unlike Gumi, Miki had played dress up as a little girl, and was quite fond of putting together a cute outfit. So when Miku had approached her asking for help, the redhead had immediately jumped at the opportunity. "That's such a cute dress! White is definitely a good color on you." The ahoge on her head bounced as Miki nodded her head.
"Thank you, Miki-chan!" Miku giggled. She hung the dress back onto the rack, and went back to browsing through her massive walk-in closet. It didn't bother her that she was dressed only in light gray sporty short shorts, and a pale pink tank top. At the moment, she wasn't trying to impress anyone. "Ne, ne, what color should I wear? Should I wear a dress, or a skirt?" The questions were shot out, rapid fire.
And they were beginning to make Gumi's head spin. Thankfully, Miki quickly took over the speaking role.
"I think a dark color would be best for tonight, since you two are going to a rather nice restaurant," Miki mused, as she stood up. The redhead went and stood beside Miku. "Of course, white is flattering on you. But black might be a good color for dinner." Her red eyes continued to move back and forth as she looked at the clothes in the black section. With one hand, she extended her index finger and hovered over the waiting clothes. "And a dress should be appropriate. I could lend you a nice jacket, too, since it is going to be a little chilly."
Miku smiled at Miki's offer. She was grateful to have a friend like her. "Thank you, Miki-chan!"
The redhead smiled up at Miku. "You're welcome- oh!" Her finger stopped at a simple black strapless dress. Carefully, she took it down from the rack. Holding the dress out at arm's length, her red eyes critically looked over the dress, analyzing every last stitch in it. It seemed like a well-made dress, not that Miki doubted the work of the designer. After all, all of the residents of the mansion were sitting on a more than substantial sum of yen in their bank accounts. So Miki was positive that Miku's finer dresses were no bargain found at a thrift store.
"Ne?" The teal haired girl looked at the dress in her friend's hands. "That? I haven't worn it yet," she admitted, almost sheepishly. "I thought it was really cute, so I bought it... But I haven't found the right time to wear it."
Miki nodded slowly. She rubbed the cloth of the dress between her index finger and thumb. "Well, tonight is definitely a good time to wear it," she replied, as she held the dress up against Miku's torso. "Hold that." The tealette obliged, and watched as the petite girl stepped back to look her over. "Perfect!" Miki's hands clapped together as she gave Miku a warm smile.
"Really?"
"Really!" Miki squealed. "I'll be right back, I have the perfect jacket for you to wear over it!" She ran out of the closet, her ahoge bouncing wildly.
The remaining two stayed in the closet, allowing a silence to fill the area. Gumi was not eager to open her eyes and look at Miku and the dress. Nor was she ready to break the silence. After all, she wasn't interested in things like that to begin with. With a sigh, she frowned to herself… And she became aware that a shadow was suddenly cast over her.
"Do you think the dress will look good on me?" Miku asked as she stood above Gumi. When she received no response, she nudged her ex with her foot. "Gumi-chan! I need your opinion—"
"Holy shit, leave me alone," Gumi snapped back, as she smacked Miku's foot away. "You know I don't really care about stuff like this."
"But I need your help! Just tell me if it looks good on me!"
"Geez, fine…" Emerald eyes fluttered open, and squinted up at the girl hovering over her. Gumi noted that the dress was strapless, but was still modest in length, stopping a little above the knees.
At least there would be nothing hanging out…
She sat up, and shrugged her shoulders.
Miku smiled down expectantly at the other girl. "Well?"
"It's fine."
"That's a relief," Miku laughed airily. "I thought you would tell me that you hated the dress!" She skipped over to the mirror, and looked at her reflection. "Miki-chan does have a good sense of style." The tealette began to strip herself of her clothes, wanting to see how the dress would really look on her. And she figured that she might as well get dressed if she were to leave for her date on time. After all, she only half an hour to get herself ready for said date. It was a good thing that she had the foresight to shower before inviting her best friends into her room to help find an outfit.
Gumi gaped at Miku. A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she began to reprimand the teal haired girl's behavior, "Have some sense of shame! You shouldn't undress in front of people like that!" Her emerald eyes didn't know where to look. It was true, she did have some attraction to Miku, and the fact that that the girl was undressing before her was not helping. Eyes wandered over the freshly exposed skin, and only served to deepen the blush on her cheeks.
"Hm?" Miku looked over her shoulder at the now scarlet faced commander. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, and she gave Gumi a devious smirk. Her tank top was no longer covering her torso, but had not been fully removed either, resting at her elbows. "It's rude to stare, Gumi-chan~" she sang, the teasing edge to her voice quite clear.
"Sh-shut up! I can't help it!" Gumi mumbled. Her eyes finally settled on looking at a spot on the carpet by her feet. "It's not my fault you look good all of the time."
At this Miku blushed. The offhand comment had caught her completely off guard; Gumi hadn't said something like that and seriously meant it since they were dating. "Eh?"
"Seriously.. You always look good no matter what you wear," Gumi continued, still thoroughly embarrassed. "That's why I said it didn't really matter what you wear."
Miku stared at Gumi. "Ah—well… Th-thanks…" She stammered, as she hurriedly slipped the black dress on. Hearing Gumi utter a compliment was rare enough, but two in one day? And within seconds of each other? It was unheard of! Refusing to dwell on this any longer, the teal haired girl fixed her hair, making sure the twin tails were tied appropriately.
The awkward silence that hung in the air was interrupted as Miki burst back into the closet. "Here!" She waved a black and white plaid cropped peacoat at Miku. The jacket was made of light material, but Miki was sure it would be able to provide some warmth if it became colder than expected that night. Smiling, she approached Miku and helped the teal haired girl slip the jacket on. "See? I told you, this outfit is perfect. And you probably won't want to wear heels tonight, so go with a pair of black flats." The cheerful redhead skipped over to the shoes that were neatly lined up along one wall of the closet. She selected a simple pair of black flats, and tossed them towards Miku. The teal girl slipped the flats on, and looked at her reflection in the mirror once more.
Miki smiled, and clapped her hands together ecstatically. "I knew it! This outfit is definitely you! Black and white are your colors," she nodded in agreement with her own statement. "Anyone could see that you're adorable in this!" The girl whipped out her phone and took a snapshot of Miku. The teal haired girl raised an eyebrow at the younger girl's actions. "For memories sake," Miki explained.
"R-Right…" Miku nodded, suddenly feeling nervous and a little flustered. Her cheeks were still a faint pink as she twiddled her thumbs together. "So… This is good, right?"
Both Gumi and Miki exchanged looks with one another. Was Miku losing her composure? They both looked back at the tealette who was nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"You okay?" Gumi asked, as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her black sweatpants. "You look kinda.. nervous."
Miki nodded in agreement with Gumi. "This is different. You're usually so full of confidence," she added, as she thoughtfully put a finger to her chin. "Do you really think you're ready for this date?"
The tealette stiffened a little, surprised that she had lost her composure. The mask that she normally wore was gone, and in its place were her true emotions. The teal idol was nervous and scared about how the date may go. "Ah—Daijoubu! I'm alright," she said quickly, offering the two a shaky smile in hopes that they would drop the matter completely. "I think things will go fine—"
Gumi was quick to interject. "Quit lying about everything, Miku." Her emerald eyes narrowed as she gave her best friend an extremely irritated look. "You're not fine. You're worried, aren't you?"
"Ah—Well—That is…" Miku gulped, and was quick to avoid making eye contact with either the green or red haired girls. "No… I'm not. I'll be alright."
"Mou, Miku-nee," the girl blessed with the curly ahoge whined. "It isn't good to keep your feelings bottled up. You'll just make yourself exhausted and stressed…" Her wide, red eyes were filled with worry as she stared at her teal friend. She silently pleaded that the teal girl would at least open up just a smidge. Miki wasn't acting for Miku to demolish the barriers that she had set up around her heart; but rather, gently take them down one by one. "Please talk to us…"
"Yeah, Miku, you know you can count on us," Gumi's expression softened a little. As frustrated as she may feel when it came to Miku, she was worried about Miku's state of mind. Miku had never been one to completely open up to someone. The tealette had always been on the secretive side, and Gumi had noticed that this aspect of Miku's personality had only been amplified upon becoming a Vocaloid. Even when the two were a couple, it was clear that the twin tailed girl was not ready to let her walls come down. "We're always going to be here for you. Plus, we're worried about you. You never let anyone know how you're doing."
"I'm fine." This time Miku heard her own voice waver a little.
"That's bull shit, and you know it," Gumi snapped. The muscles in her jaw rippled as she clenched her teeth together tightly. "How long have you been like this, huh? How come we didn't notice it sooner—You're hurting, aren't you? You've been scared or sad or something for a while, haven't you?" Her barrage of questions were met with silence. There was no point in trying to push Miku into admitting something that she absolutely refused to admit. Gumi knew better than anyone how stubborn Miku could be. "Whatever. See if I care how your date ends up. Don't text me in the middle of it saying that you need me to come get your sorry ass because Luka ditched you half-way through."
Miki gasped, and stared up at the vicious green haired girl. "Gumi-nee!" A look of horror was on her face. "How could you say that? We're supposed to be trying to keep her in a good mood for her date and—"
"Whatever. I'm leaving. Good luck or whatever, Miku," the commander muttered through clenched teeth. She turned on her heels and exited the closet. The bedroom door slammed shut as the irritated girl headed back to her own bedroom.
Both Miki and Miku stood in silence.
"Ah—M-Miku-nee, I'm sure that Gumi-nee didn't mean any of—"
"No, she meant it," Miku sighed. "Or, rather, most of it." A sad smile was on her face as she looked down at the petite girl who remained in the closet with her.
"M-Miku-nee… Are you crying?"
Miku was quick to wipe away the salty pools that were brimming at her eyes with the butt end of her wrist. There was no point in trying to continue her façade now that Gumi and Miki were both aware that she was not okay, and that she hadn't been okay for a while. With a shake of her teal hair, she turned her back to Miki before she continued to speak. "Gumi-chan doesn't waste her words. She almost always says what she's feeling." A pause as she pulled open a drawer mounted to the wall. Her slender fingers were quick to pluck out a simple silver chain necklace with a musical note as the charm. "That's what I loved about her. That she was always honest, whether she wanted to be or not." Another drawer was pulled open. This time her teal polished fingers pulled out dangling earrings, one in the shape of a treble clef, the other shaped as a bass clef. "Gumi-chan… Is just a very blunt, very honest person. Her words can be cold, but she doesn't mean to always hurt people. Sometimes she's incapable of seeing what kind of affect her words may have on people, but in the end she finds a way to right her wrongs."
Miki only listened in silence as she watched the somber girl put on her selected accessories. Was this how Miku really was when no one was around? Did she always speak with such a melancholic voice?
"But Gumi-chan is just so loveable!" Miku's laugh was half-hearted. "She doesn't like physical contact or extremely personal exchanges, but secretly craves to be loved by someone." The smile on her face only seemed to dull in brilliance as she continued to speak of the green haired girl. "It would be a lie if I said I didn't notice that Gumi-chan had only been helping me because she wants me to be happy with someone. I think that deep down, she's a little angry with me because that someone isn't her. After all, I never did give her a reason for why I had left her…"
"You never told her why you broke up with her?"
"Never… But I do plan on telling her sometime soon. I just feel so awful about it… I can tell that it haunts her every time that we make eye contact. It's like… The look in her eyes change. She'll be fine, and then suddenly it looks like she's trying to protect herself from me. I hate that. I just want things between us to be completely okay again."
"O-oh…"
"Ne, Miki-chan! Maybe if things end badly with Luka-senpai, I could date Gumi-chan again!"
At this, Miki felt her heart drop. Gumi had admitted to her only yesterday that she did feel some sort of attraction to Miku… Left over feelings from their previous romance. But did this mean that they were not unrequited feelings? Did Miku still have some feelings for Gumi…? Her expression became pained as she thought about Miku and Gumi dating once more. "So—Miku-nee—Do you…?"
And the teal haired girl took notice of this change on Miki's face. "Ah, don't worry, Miki-chan. I don't think I like Gumi-chan that way anymore," she said reassuringly. "I was only kidding."
'Mostly kidding', Miku thought to herself. Gumi was quite attractive. But she was quick to dismiss this from her mind. She had already vowed to support Miki and Gumi. She couldn't jump ships and start shipping herself with Gumi! "I'm alright with you wanting to chase after her. Heck, I'll even do my best to help you get past Gumi's walls!"
A sigh of relief escaped Furukawa Miki's lips. One hand gently rested over her heart as she let out another sigh. "Ah, r-really?" she stammered. "That's really nice of you!" The smile was back on Miki's face. Hands clasped behind her back, she swung from the balls of her feet to her heels, and back again. "I really do like Gumi-nee, but I don't think she likes me that way."
Miku raised a brow at this. She folded her arms across her chest, and began to drum her fingers of her right hand against her left forearm. "Hm… Well, we could eventually find out how she feels," she said, as she nodded her head once. Ideas were already springing into her mind of how to coax Gumi into telling her how she felt about their red haired kouhai. "It'd be so easy—Oh! And tonight is such a great night for you to get even closer to her!"
"Huh?" The hopeful look on Miki's face vanished and was replaced with complete and utter confusion.
"Ne, ne!" Miku wagged a teal polished finger at Miki. "Trust me on this! I'm going on a date with Luka-senpai tonight, right?"
"Well—Yes. Of course, that's why you asked Gumi-nee and me to help—"
"So!" The teal haired girl didn't care that she had interrupted Miki. She was simply too excited by her own idea. "You and Gumi-chan could go follow us!"
"I think Gumi-nee was originally planning on doing that.. But I'm not sure if she'll do that now…" The petite girl peered into the drawers that Miku had pulled open. Fascinated with the assortment of jewelry, she couldn't help but reach in and pull out a necklace for a better look at it.
"Oh, no, she probably will," Miku gushed. "Actually, scratch that. Even if she's mad at me, she'd want to make sure that I was okay. That's the kind of person that she is."
"Ah, y-yes, I suppose so… That does sound like she would do that…" Her fingers traced the cursive 'M' charm attached to the chain in her hands.
"Right! And while you two are watching us, you could both go out for dinner at the restaurant, too!"
The necklace slipped from Miki's grip, but Miku was quick to catch the necklace before it hit the floor.
"Wh-wh-what?" Miki stammered, her face suddenly exploding with a deep shade of red. "G-G-Gumi-nee—Me—A date?" The thought was completely ridiculous. There was no way that could possibly happen.
Miku giggled at her friend's adorable reaction. "Aw, you're just so cute!" she sang, as she pulled Miki into a hug. "A date! It's so perfect! Why didn't I think of that sooner? It's the perfect opportunity. You and Gumi-chan can have dinner at a table a little away from mine and watch… And if things get boring for you two, you could always chat her up and hint at her that you like her!"
The red haired girl felt her head spin as her brain struggled to process the information that had been forced upon it. Things were happening too quickly… At this rate…
"And, of course, you'll have to get dressed—Ah! Here, borrow this!" Miku kept one arm wrapped around Miki, securing the girl to her. With her free hand, she pulled a pale pink dress with a black ribbon wrapped around the waist. At the back, the ribbon was neatly tied into a large bow. "It'll be adorable on you! Quick, get dressed!"
"B-But-! Eep!"
Without obtaining any sort of permission, the excited tealette pulled Miki's t-shirt off, along with the pair of sweatpants that she had been wearing. "TAKE IT ALL OFF, MIKI-CHAN!"
"NOOOOOO! GUMI-NEE! SAVE ME!"
"Don't forget, you need to be dressed up for the restaurant, too. I know we're just watching Miku-nee and Lily-nee, but we can't get into the restaurant to watch them if we aren't dressed properly... and please never leave me alone with Miku-nee again...
-Miki"
Gumi stared at her phone's screen. Even after saying those words to Miku, she was still planning on tailing the tealette. Yes, she did feel a little bad about snapping at her friend like that, but there was no way she could contain those words within her mind. They just needed to get out. The girl set the phone down on her bed, and forced herself off of it's comforting embrace.
Get dressed.
For some restaurant.
Geez, this sounded like helping Miku was more trouble than it was worth.
Wait. What did that last sentence say?
Gumi looked back at her phone. She could only imagine what Miki must have gone through.
The pinkette glanced at the silver wristwatch that was strapped to her wrist. She was early by 15 minutes. It was a habit of hers to arrive to any engagement at least ten minutes early… But she was ahead of herself this time. She blamed her nerves.
Her blue eyes glanced over at the window, and she took in her reflection on the clean glass. It was not an act of vanity, as some may have wrongly assumed. But rather, she wanted to make sure that she had not over-dressed or under-dressed. After all, appearance may not be the most important thing when it came to a date, but it was still a heavy factor.
The dress that she wore was pale blue in color, and gently hugged her already curvy body. It cut off just above her knees, and spread out loosely towards the end. This particular dress had one strap, which served as a tie to hold the dress together. The two strands of the strap tied together into a neat little bow that rested snugly against her shoulder. Her long pink hair had been left down, only because Luka had spent most of her time flipping through dresses.
She nodded once in approval of her outfit. It seemed appropriate enough.
"Ah, Luka-senpai! You look so pretty!" Hatsune Miku popped up beside Luka, a wide smile on her face. "I'm sorry if I kept you waiting—I had to help Miki-chan get ready for her date."
"Oh, no, I only just arrived myself-…" Luka blinked, and looked down at Miku.
Did she really just say that Miki was on a date?
The tealette only giggled at the dumbstruck expression that had suddenly slapped itself onto Luka's face. "Yes, Miki-chan is on a date of sorts," she explained to the best of her ability. It wasn't an official date… but if Gumi and Miki were getting dinner together, Miku supposed that it could be called a date.
"Who…?" Luka shook her head. "May I ask who she's going on a date with?" As sudden as this news may be, and as surprising as it was… The kitten help but be a little curious.
"Gumi-chan, of course!" Miku answered, as she began to stride towards the door of the restaurant. She thanked the doorman that graciously held the door open for her and Luka.
Luka followed a step behind Miku, nodding at the answer she had received. "Oh, well that's—Wait, Gumi-chan?" This new piece of information was the equivalent of being drenched with cold water. "Miki-chan—Gumi-chan—?"
The tealette exchanged some quick words with the hostess before she looked back at Luka. "Ne? Oh, right," she blinked a few times. "I did tell you that they weren't dating… But I think there's a shot that they may end up as a couple one day." The girl followed the hostess towards a secluded corner of the restaurant, away from the prying eyes of the press. The hostess halted beside a corner booth, and was quick to light the candle that served as a center piece before leaving the pair alone.
"Ah—R-really now?" There was no shaking the dumbstruck tone in her voice. Instead of choosing to deal with the amount of WTF that had just been dished out to her, Luka decided to simply follow Miku and the hostess. "That's.. Well… Lovely…"
Miku carefully slid into one side of the booth, the smile on her face wider than ever before. "Isn't it?" she squealed. "I'm so glad to see that they're getting dinner together!"
The pinkette took her seat opposite from Miku, and offered the girl a smile. "Yes, that is nice," she agreed. "I just wasn't expecting the two of them to go on a date so suddenly." She paused and tilted her head slightly to one side. "Do you know where they're going to have dinner?"
"Oh! Well, they're actually already here. See?" Miku discreetly pointed at a table a little bit away from them.
The table in question was small, made only for a couple. Two girls sat opposite from one another, with vastly different expressions. On the red haired girl's face was a mixture of elation and nervousness. The green haired girl sitting across from her looked embarrassed that she was out in public wearing a dress.
"Ah—I never would have recognized Gumi-chan in that," Luka breathed, almost in awe. "She's so… adorable."
Miku nodded in agreement. "I know, right! I bought her that dress a while back as a joke gift… I didn't think she would ever wear it."
Both Miku and Luka looked Gumi over with critical eyes.
Gumi was dressed in a white dress that hugged her torso, and billowed out at an angle towards the end of her dress, the left side being shorter than the right. A pick-up style dress. Beneath the layer of white at the bottom of her skirt was a layer of black which peeked out from beneath the white layers. At the top of her dress, lining her bust, was a black lace trim made to taunt anyone who dared to gaze at her well-rounded chest. Unlike Miki's dress, Gumi's had thin black straps. And Gumi's legs? They were covered in a light black, almost gray, stockings, worn only to provide some warmth. White satin ribbons were tied around her left leg, and made a little bow just below her knee. Her shoes were also white in color, and complimented her dress. But most surprising of all was the fact that Gumi had voluntarily left her signature red goggles at the mansion. In place of the goggles was a miniature, chic, black top hat with a white bow.
"Yeah… I definitely wouldn't have recognized her," Luka restated. "She just looks so pretty. I don't understand why she doesn't dress up more, I'm sure she could make anyone fall head over heels for her."
Miku shrugged, and picked up the black leather bound menus that had been placed onto the table. "She doesn't like to dress up," she explained. "She's a little bit of a tomboy, I suppose. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I think that style fits her perfectly… But… She is pretty when she dresses up like this."
The pinkette simply nodded in agreement as she glanced through her own menu. A peaceful silence fell over their table as the pair skimmed through the available meals. It wasn't long before their waiter came to take their orders. Both girls quickly selected something, and the waiter went scurrying off to put the orders into the kitchen. Once the waiter was gone, the two launched into idle conversation; the weather, work. It was pleasant enough, similar to the conversations that they had had back when they went to the café on their last date.
Luka was content with this. Learning more about the other girl was a good thing, she concluded, and would only help her when the time came to select between her two suitors. "Ah, Miku-chan."
"And one day, I really want to go to—Hm?" Miku stopped mid-sentence and raised a brow at Luka.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Luka gave the younger girl an apologetic smile. "But I was wondering, what was your life like before you moved into the mansion?"
"My life?" Miku repeated, unsure if she had heard the other correctly.
"Yes."
"What part of my life did you want to hear about?"
"All of it."
The teal haired girl picked up her glass, and swirled it around, her eyes focused on the water that swished within it. "Ah, well," she smiled a little bit. "I was a really shy kid growing up. I had a hard time making friends because I was afraid of embarrassing myself. But I did manage to make some friends. A few of the neighborhood kids that I grew up with went to the same elementary and junior high schools as me, so we were all close back then," she explained, before she took a sip of water. "I guess I was popular enough… People never really said anything bad about me or anything like that. My grades were good and the teachers liked me because I was always very polite. My parents were big on manners, too, since I'm an only child. They didn't want me to bring about a bad reputation to our family name."
Luka nodded. That was typical. Most parents would want their kids to grow up to be polite, well-mannered adults.
"But being so shy had its drawbacks," Miku continued. "You know how we have to take exams for the high schools we want to go to?" Luka nodded. "Well, I ended up getting into the school that I wanted to go to. I was really excited until I realized that none of my friends would be going there with me."
"Ah, I understand," the pinkette smiled a little bit. "The same thing happened to me—"
"But Lily-nee went to the same high school as you, didn't she?"
"Oh—Yes. Lily-chan did."
"You were lucky to have her there with you," the tealette said, as she set her glass back down on the table. "My best friend back then went to a different high school. We stopped talking once we started our first year of high school, and I never felt more alone. But I met Gumi-chan, and things changed after that!" Her expression lightened as she reminisced over old memories. "Gumi-chan helped me open up a little bit more to people. She told me I couldn't be a little girl forever, and that I needed to grow up." There was a pause as she laughed a little. "And when news first spread around the school that I was going to audition to be a Vocaloid, Gumi-chan was the one to stop any awful rumors from spreading about me."
Luka's smile widened at the sight. "Gumi-chan sounds like a very good friend."
"She's my best friend," Miku agreed.
"Ah, I see.. I'm glad that she was able to help you, though," the pinkette added. "It seems like Gumi-chan, to you, is what Lily-chan is to me. Best friends."
The two looked at one another, each thinking about their best friend.
Each had their own mixed feelings toward their best friend.
Luka was struggling to come to terms with what she felt for Lily. Or how she would deal with those feelings.
Miku was struggling to find a way to rid her friendship of the iciness that would make itself known when she was alone with Gumi.
"Maybe we're more alike than we thought," Miku whispered. "I thought that we were completely different, but…"
Luka gulped, and nodded slowly. "After listening to you… I realize now that we're similar. We're both shy deep down," she pointed out. "Well, I tend to be shy most of the time."
The tealette smiled a little bit. "And we both have, ah, problems with our best friends."
"Right.."
"Oi—Onee-chan, watch it!"
"Shaddup, Len!" Rin snapped back, as she mercilessly shoved Len's face into the bushes.
The pair of blondes were huddled together outside of the restaurant, hiding behind the bushes. Once again, they wore matching outfits. Both were dressed in black skinny jeans, all black Vans, and black zip-up track jackets. Once again, they were going for an inconspicuous outfit.
And once again, they failed.
The elder twin peeked through the windows of the restaurant, eyes searching for her targets. No, she hadn't been specifically asked by Lily to sabotage a date or anything. In fact, Lily had told the twins before she left for the studio to not do anything to mess up Luka and Miku's date. But, alas, Rin didn't hear anything about messing up Gumi and Miki's date.
When their red haired Onee-chan told the twins that she was going on a date with Gumi, both of the twins congratulated her. But once Miki had sped off to meet Gumi at the car, the twins sat in Len's room, thinking.
If Gumi and Miki went on a date and things went well, then there would be more dates in the future.
And if all of those dates went well, then Gumi and Miki may potentially become an "official" couple.
And if they were to be a couple, then Miki would spend more time with Gumi.
And if things were to advance enough, then Miki would end up spending her nights in Gumi's room…
Leaving the Kagamine twins alone. They would have no one to go to whenever they had a nightmare.
And Rin found this to be completely unacceptable. Of course, Len, on the other hand, had been perfectly fine with the idea of Gumi and Miki becoming an item. In fact, he was excited to see Miki so happy about this date. The only reason he followed his sister, aside from the fact that he was practically dragged to the restaurant, was so he could stop his sister from ruining any shot at happiness that Miki may have.
Rin smacked her fist into the open palm of her other hand. "Yosh!" she declared, as she spotted the red head and green haired girls. "I have a plan that'll make Miki-nee all ours!"
"Onee-chan, I really think we should just leave them alone…" Len muttered, as he spat out a few leaves. With the back of his hand, he wiped the odd taste of leaves from his tongue. "Miki-nee would probably be really upset if we screw things up for her. You know how much she likes Gumi-nee."
"BUT I WANT TO KEEP HAVING SLEEPOVERS WITH MIKI-NEE!" Rin roared, as she jumped up from her hiding place.
"Onee-chan, calm down-!"
"NEVER!" The elder twin gripped onto the collar of her brother's jacket with both hands and furiously shook him to and fro. "YOU HEAR ME? NEVER! MIKI-NEE IS OURS! GUMI-NEE CAN'T HAVE HER SLEEPING OVER!"
Several people passing by jumped back as the blonde hopped out from the bushes. The girl was still clutching onto her brother's jacket, and she ignored his feebly protests as she ran to the back of the restaurant. "We're gonna break in through the air vents, and drop fire crackers on their table!" she declared. Her sneakers almost groaned in protest as she came to a screeching halt. With both hands now, she lifted Len up into the air. "READY?"
"W-Wait! Put me down-!"
"You're gonna pull me up there once you're on the roof!"
"ONEE-CHAN THIS IS A BAD IDEA- AAH!"
Rin flung her brother through the air, hoping he would land on the roof of the restaurant. When she heard a satisfying thud and a moan of pain come from the roof, she grinned. "Aaawwright! I knew that would work—Oh.. There's a ladder." Her blue eyes stared at the slightly rusted metal ladder that was attached to the side of the building. It had been placed there for any maintenance crew to work on the ventilation systems found on the roof. "Huh… Guess I didn't need to throw Len up there…" With a shrug of her shoulders, Rin climbed up the ladder and joined her brother on the roof. She stood above him, and nudged at his limp body with her sneaker. "Oi, let's go! We gotta date to mess up!"
Len shuddered in pain as he curled up into a ball. He shut his eyes tight, and silently wondered what deity he could have possibly pissed off to deserve such abuse on a regular basis.
Miki's ahoge twitched when she turned her attention to the window of the restaurant. Although they were a bit away from one, she could have sworn she saw a familiar yellow bullet zoom by. "Ah, Gumi-nee, did you hear something?" she asked, as she set her menu down on the table.
"No…"
"Weird…" Miki frowned a little bit. "It sounded like Rin-chan was just outside of the restaurant."
"You're just hearing things. Why the hell would—"
"You're in a restaurant, Gumi-nee. Try to stop swearing while we're here."
"… Whatever."
Miku took a sip from her glass of water, her teal eyes looking at Luka expectantly. If she remembered correctly, Lily was the one who had told her that Luka was a romanticist and adored quiet dinners like this. If all went well, then maybe Miku would be able to gain a few points with Luka… If not, then she wasn't sure what she would do next. Things were becoming a bit too complicated, and it was beginning to overwhelm her. But based on their conversation, it did seem like Luka was genuinely interested in her. Which came as a relief to her.
"Miku-chan?" Luka interrupted the teal haired girl's thoughts. "Are you alright?"
The teal haired girl was quick to respond, "Ah—yes, I'm fine." She offered the older girl a smile. It was effortless now for her to put on her mask and hide behind it.
"Then… May I ask you something?"
"Of course, Luka-senpai."
Luka took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. She needed to collect herself before she continued onward. "Are you really alright?" Her blue eyes looked at the younger girl carefully. "Maybe it's just my imagination, but whenever I see you around the mansion, you seem troubled. You may be smiling, but your smile…" Another pause as she tried to phrase her thoughts properly. "Your smile doesn't seem to reach your eyes. Your eyes look sad, or scared… And when you were talking, too, you seemed a little distant. Like you were upset with the past… Is there something bothering you?"
At this, Miku stiffened a little. Had Luka always been so perceptive? She had been so sure that her mask, her walls, were unbreakable. Not even Gumi had picked up right away on the turmoil that Miku had been feeling lately. "Ah.. Well, that is…" She shrugged her slender, exposed shoulders, and looked down at her lap. "I don't want to be a bother. This is a date, you should be having fun, not worrying about me." One of her teal-polished hands clenched into a fist on the table. This was bad. She hadn't been expecting Luka to bring up such a topic over dinner. What was bothering her even more was the fact that she wasn't able to recompose herself… Being caught off guard twice in one day, once by Gumi and now by Luka. She was losing any sort of control that she had over herself.
The pinkette shook her head, and sighed. "Miku-chan, it's alright. I'm very good at listening to others," she said softly, as she reached out and put her hand on top of Miku's fist. The smaller hand trembled, and almost pulled away, but Luka was quick to give it a gentle squeeze. "I'm worried about you… You don't need to keep your guard up all of the time."
Miku bit down on her bottom lip. No, she wasn't ready to pour her heart out to anyone, let alone Luka. This was bad.
Gumi's emerald eyes continued to glance back at Miku's table. It would seem that the tealette was upset about something and Luka was trying to tear down the walls that Miku had built up around her heart. "Good luck, Luka-nee… I hope you know what you're getting yourself into…" she thought to herself.
Miki looked at her "date", and sighed. The whole night Gumi had been so focused on dissecting Luka and Miku's every move. And she was growing tired of being ignored. "Gumi-nee, you shouldn't stare at them," she pointed out.
"Can't help it," Gumi replied gruffly, as she frowned at Miki. With one hand, she adjusted the top hat on her head so it would not slide off. "She looks like she's hurting. I definitely wasn't expecting that to happen, since she's on a date with Luka-nee."
"I know, me neither," Miki admitted. "But, you know, you look like you're hurting every time you look at Miku-nee and Luka-nee. I know you aren't ready to talk about the past, but I just want you to know that I'm right here… When the time comes, I'll listen to whatever you have to say. Because, well… I like you, and I'm really worried about you." Her cheeks flushed as her red eyes darted away, choosing to focus on the white tablecloth. "I'm worried about you and Miku-nee, actually… Even though you both have some problems with each other, you're really similar… You're both in pain and refuse to let anyone in to help you."
The green haired girl stared at Miki, her mouth opening and then closing as she struggled to find the right thing to say. Hearing genuine words like that tore at her heart. She had no idea that Miki liked her, let alone even paid close attention to her behavior.
"I—I just want to help you. I know Miku-nee won't let me help her right now," Miki added, almost tripping over her own words. "But—But, it seems like Luka-nee will be able to find a way to heal Miku-nee… So.. I just want to be able to do the same for you." Her voice faded out towards the end. Admittedly, the ahoge'd girl was shocked that she had revealed so much about her own thoughts and desires to Gumi.
The commander of the Secret Police remained silent for another moment. She took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. "Ah… I see…" She muttered. "Thank you…"
At this, Miki smiled a little. It wasn't the answer she had been hoping for. But a "thank you" gave her some hope. Maybe she would be able to find a way to help Gumi.
"Onee-chan! This is disgusting! It's so dusty in here!" Len coughed, as he crawled behind his sister.
The two were cramped in the air vents, and it was a miracle that they were able to squeeze into the metal rectangular pipes.
"Geez, Len! Don't you ever shut up? I swear, you sound like a girl when you whine all of the time," Rin retorted. One hand held onto a yellow flashlight, which illuminated their pathway. She maneuvered her free hand to reach into her back pocket and pull out the folded sheet of paper. The elder twin put the flashlight into her mouth, and unfolded the paper. Messily scribbled onto the page was the blueprint for the restaurant's air system. It was something that she had jotted down before leaving the mansion, and she was glad that she had it with her. "Right. So their table is here, so we should go this way, imouto-chan." The neurotic twin turned to the left and continued to crawl through the air vents.
"Wha—I'm not your little sister!" Len whined as he followed her.
"You might as well be. Everyone's right to call you a 'shotacon' and all that."
"Onee-chan!"
Miku jumped up from her seat. She couldn't stay in this suffocating atmosphere, or stay under the gaze of those blue eyes any longer. Not when they were expecting some sort of answer from her. "I-I'm sorry. I can't—Sorry," she apologized quickly before fleeing from the restaurant.
"Miku-chan!" Luka stood up. "Ah-…" She quickly fished out her wallet, and set down some money on the table. Their food hadn't arrived yet, but it would be wrong to not pay for their troubles. "Miku-chan!" She ran after the younger girl.
"Miku?" Gumi's emerald eyes looked away from the flustered red head before her, and took note of the tealette and pinkette that had rushed out of the restaurant. "Shoot—Miki-chan, we have to go." The commander stood up, grabbed the petite girl's hand, and ran out of the restaurant as well.
Miki stumbled behind Gumi, her ahoge bouncing as they went. "Ah—But—The food?"
"We didn't even order."
"Oh yeah…" Miki wasn't going to mention that Gumi was holding her hand. Oh no. She was taking pleasure in this, even if they were running down the sidewalk like mad men.
For the most part, the side walk was clear of pedestrians, much to her relief. The girl slowed her pace down to a walk, and then stopped at the corner of the street. The cool night air condensed her warm breath, allowing her gasps for air to be visible. "Ah… Baka," Miku groaned to herself, as she gulped down air. "I lost my cool… And to run out on Luka-senpai like that…" She shook her head, and looked around. It didn't seem like she had been followed by anyone, and she was grateful that tonight she had not been hawked down by the paparazzi.
The teal haired girl crossed the road, and continued to walk along the side walk. She turned her teal eyes up to the sky, and was slightly disappointed that the lights of the city blocked out the stars. "I really messed up that date… Running away like that… I wouldn't be surprised if Luka-senpai picks Lily-nee over me," she continued to speak to herself. "They are best friends, after all…"
A light breeze kicked in, and sent shivers through Miku's slender frame. The girl regretted dashing out of the restaurant without picking her jacket up from the back of her chair. But this was no time for petty thoughts. She needed to just get back to her room and sleep the rest of the night away. She quickened her pace, heading towards the general direction of the mansion.
"Chotto matte!" a voice shouted. "Wait!"
Miku stiffened a little bit. "Ah—I'm sorry, Luka-senpai!" She began to run once again. "Just forget about tonight and go be with Lily-nee—a'dwah!" The tealette was jerked back by the flushed pinkette, who had pulled onto her hand to stop her from running away once more.
Luka was gasping for air, but she refused to let the younger girl go. She had just run from the restaurant, desperately chasing after the tealette. There was no chance in hell that she would let Miku get away so quickly. "First thing's first…" She said, once she had recovered her breath. "We're still on a date. It'd be rude if you just left me like that."
"Wha-?" Miku stared at the taller girl, eyes wide. After all of that running, all Luka had to say to her was 'Hey, there! We're still on our date so don't run away, okay?'?
Maybe something was seriously wrong with Luka.
"Luka-senpai, are you feeling—Oh…"
The pinkette shoved the black and white plaid jacket into Miku's arms as she looked away. "I brought your jacket along, too," she said. "It's cold out, and you don't want to catch a cold when you have a tour coming up, right?" Luka was embarrassed by her actions. It was un-lady like, and extremely out of character, for her to run around in a dress during the evening… And then to grab Miku and basically tell her not to leave? It was something Luka would not have normally done.
"Th-thank you," Miku mumbled sheepishly, as she pulled the jacket on.
"You're welcome." Luka was quiet for a moment before she began to walk past Miku. "I may have spoken out of turn earlier… But I just wanted you to realize that you don't need to keep things buried within yourself."
The tealette frowned a little bit as she walked beside the older girl. "But I'm fine—"
"Clearly, you're not okay if you ended up running away like that," Luka pointed out. She ran her hand through her hair and sighed. "I may not understand what is going on in your mind, but I understand why you're acting like this. If it weren't for Lily being there for me, I would probably be the same way. Secretive.." She paused, and shook her head. "It's okay to lean on someone if you need to. And sometimes it's even harder to do that when the one person you want to lean on is the person that you're hurting, right?"
"Ah—How did you know that—"
"Because it's the same with me at the moment," Luka answered. "I'm afraid to talk to Lily about everything that's going on right now because I know that deep down, being involved with both her and you is hurting her. It's hurting you, too, and me as well." She looked down at the wide-eyed tealette. "But I understand how you're feeling, Miku-chan. You're worried about me, and yourself, and Lily-chan.. And, of course, Gumi-chan and Miki-chan, right?"
"R-Right…" Miku sighed, and looked away from Luka. "How did you know all of that? Was it obvious?"
"Mm.. No, it wasn't," the elder girl answered. "But I only noticed because you didn't go out of your way to say good morning to me every day like you normally did. And when we did see each other, even though we were with everyone else, your smiles just became more and more fake."
Miku nodded slowly. It was true, she had been trying to keep her façade up.
"But it only became crystal clear once you started talking about Gumi-chan and about high school. You're afraid to open up to people because you ultimately don't want to get hurt. I'm the same way," Luka laughed a little bit at this revelation. Her light blue eyes glanced at the weary tealette beside her. "Maybe we can help each other. Heal each other, possibly." She held a hand out to Miku, and gave her a warm smile. "At least just for now… Tonight. Tonight, I'm yours, and I'll listen to you and be here for you if you need me."
The once secretive and guarded tealette could only look up at Luka in shock. Miku was very aware of the stinging of salty tears that were pooling at the edge of her eyes. She smiled, and quickly wiped them away with the sleeve of her jacket. "R-Right," she said shakily. "Just tonight…" Her teal polished fingers laced themselves with Luka's blue polished fingers.
The pinkette smiled, her cheeks flushing a little at the contact. "Now… Since we're still on a date, I think we should get food," she mused, as she looked around the city street. Her eyes spotted a pork bun stand, and she led the younger girl towards it. "It's chilly out, and I'm sure a nice, fresh, pork bun will warm the both of us right up."
Miku leaned against Luka's arm, and let out a giggle. "Pork buns on a date… We're so classy."
"Very classy."
The two laughed as they stood in front of the vendor's stand. After placing their orders, Miku pulled out the money, refusing to let Luka pay for the food. "You already did a lot for me tonight, and I was the one who asked you out on this date. So I should be the one to pay for the food," she insisted.
Luka simply shook her head, but allowed the younger girl to pay for the buns. She was not about to tell Miku that she had left an ample amount of money on the table back at the restaurant. Now just didn't seem like the most appropriate time for that.
Pork buns in their free hands, they pair walked back towards the mansion. Occasionally, one would give the other a reassuring squeeze of the hand. And the other girl would return the gesture. They were both quiet as they munched on their simple meal, each relishing in the comfort that the other offered on this chilly autumn evening. Soon, tall city buildings were replaced with trees. The sidewalk led them towards a gated community, and the trees were eventually kept behind the gates of the large homes that lined the street. The pinkette was hit with a wave of déjà vu as she watched the younger girl key in the code to open the gates. She allowed Miku to lead them up the gravel driveway.
"Luka-senpai?"
"Yes, Miku-chan?"
"Now that you know about me," she began slowly. "What about you? You mentioned that you were feeling… Stressed. I want you to lean on me if you have to." Miku stopped in front of the large wood doors. The teal girl checked to see if Luka's other hand was vacant before she grabbed it and swung both of their hands. A genuine smile was on her face as she looked up at the older girl. "If I can lean on you, you can lean on me. Not just for tonight, but every night. Every day, even."
Luka didn't need to look in a mirror to envision how dark her cheeks were probably becoming at the moment. "O-Oh.."
"Yup. Tonight… Was a bit of a roller coaster, ne?" Miku giggled. She took a step towards Luka, and her expression softened. "It wasn't what I hoped it would be.. But I think it was still worth it in the end."
"I think so, too," Luka agreed. "Thank you for tonight—"
"No, no. I should be the one thanking you," Miku shook her head. She wrapped her arms around Luka, and hugged her tightly. Rather than drag out the hug, Miku was quick to step back. With her hands now clasped behind her back, she gave Luka a sheepish expression. "You're really something else, Luka-senpai." She turned on her heels, and headed into the mansion. The door did not shut behind her, for Miku knew Luka would enter soon enough.
The pinkette watched the teal haired girl hurry up the steps and turn towards the appropriate hallway. She sighed, and shook her head. The date had been much different than an average date. But now she knew more about Miku. And the things that she had learned about the younger girl was quite surprising.
But what was most surprising was that there had been no attempt to steal another kiss.
Hatsune Miku was full of surprises..
The commander of the Secret Police smiled a little bit as she leaned against the wall of the building, hidden within an alleyway within the city. She had been listening to Megurine Luka's words of comfort, and it had come as a relief to hear Miku accept them. "Good.. Miku's fine," she breathed, as she stood up straight. She felt pressure being applied to her right hand, and she looked down at her companion.
Oh. She had forgotten that she had dragged the other girl from the restaurant to here.
Furukawa Miki smiled up at Gumi. "Luka-nee sure knows the right things to say when it comes to times like this, huh?" The younger girl pulled her hand out of Gumi's grip, and plucked the top hat off the green haired girl's head. Still smiling, she placed the hat on her own head and stuck her tongue out cheekily at Gumi. "Now that their date is getting better, how about we start working on ours?" she asked, almost shyly.
Gumi blushed, and rolled her eyes. "It's not a real date. We're just acting so Luka-nee won't be suspicious," she reminded the other girl. Too bad she was completely unaware that Miku and Miki were expecting this mock date to become a real one.
"Ah, right, right," Miki pouted a little bit. "But, can we at least grab something to eat? I mean.. They did head home now, after all… And we're still in the city."
"Oh yeah," Gumi's brows creased together. "Yeah, we can get dinner… Did you wanna go back to that restaurant or—"
"McDonald's."
"... What?"
"McDonald's for dinner!" Miki repeated. She skipped out of the alley, heading towards the trademark golden arches of the fast food chain. "It's cheap and fast and always good."
Gumi shook her head, and shoved her hands into the pockets of her cropped black peacoat. "Okay. Fine, whatever. We'll get McDonald's."
Miki squealed in delight, but stopped when she heard her phone begin to ring. "Eh?" She slipped the phone out from her clutch purse, and stared at the screen. "Kokoro" was playing, and the name "Kagamine Rin" was displayed. "That's weird…"
"Might as well answer it," Gumi shrugged.
"Okay.." Miki answered the phone. "Moshii, moshii."
"MIKI-NEE! ONEE-CHAN!" Rin's voice nearly exploded the speaker for the cell phone. "Don't be mad but I need a really big favor to ask of you—"
"ONEE-CHAN GOT US ARRESTED!" This time it was Len's voice that shot through the speaker. "I TOLD HER IT WAS A BAD IDEA, BUT NOOOOOOO—"
"SHUT UP LEN, I'M ON THE PHONE!" Rin shouted at her brother.
Both Miki and Gumi stared at the cell phone.
Arrested?
"Rin-chan…" Miki said slowly, as she shut her eyes. She was mentally bracing herself for the load of WTF that was sure to follow. "What exactly happened…?"
"Well, let's just say we accidentally set off some fire crackers in a restaurant. And let's say that a table caught on fire… And let's just say that we're at the police station now. And we kinda need someone to bail us out."
"Oh my—Okay, okay… I'll be there soon…" Miki hung up the phone and looked at Gumi.
Gumi shrugged her shoulders, and kept her hands firmly planted in her coat pockets. "Guess we'll have to get our food to go, huh?"
Note: Huzzah. Awkward date chapter. I'm sorry. I've been sick all day, so I've been writing this story while I was on medication. So I hope that this chapter turned out okay.
Reviewer Replies:
PaperCutVictim: xD; I figured that after Miku's chapter, there needed to be some sort of comedic relief. Hahah. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! :D Can't wait to see an update from you!
Jak656: XDDD Lily is rather violent when she gets riled up, huh? Thanks for reading! (Let me know how things turn out when you get the chance to use that little trick! (: )
IdrewAcow: I love seeing how split my reviewers are on who Luka should be with. But thanks for the review, and for reading the story! :D Much appreciated!
Psychomaid: LOL. The image of someone mindlessly babbling about konko-chan and koinu-chan made me laugh. But yes, I do understand what you're saying. XD I told you, Rin's definitely the wild-card of the group. :P Thanks for the review!
Mr Kat is hot: No offense taken! A lot of people are split between Lily and Miku, so I don't mind that you don't like Miku. xD At this point it's either you love her or hate her, I suppose. After all, we're already 15 chapters in. XD;; I like Lily, too… Out of my versions of the Vocaloids, she's one of my favorites.. Her and Gumi, actually. :P Thanks for the review and for reading!
LukaFan: LOL I SAW THAT VIDEO! Those kids were pretty dumb. Hahaha. Ah, my goldfish are really mellow. Not.. violent…. But thanks! :D
Major Mike Powell III: Oh man, I love seeing your review. It's always fun to read. Hahaha. You don't like Len at all, huh? XD Everytime something happens to him, you always "LOL".
Masaru: Gumi is a very determined person… I don't think nixing a fish would linger on her conscious for too long! And yes, the characters living in the mansion are the Crypton Vocaloids, Internet Co.'s Vocaloids, and Miki. Yuki-chan is the fish. xD; Sorry for the confusion! And thanks for reading and reviewing!
Dingos: I love a crazy Rin. That's why I write her that way. :P I'm glad you really enjoyed the chapter, though! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Okay. I think that's everyone. I think. I'm not sure. The room is sort of spinning right now… Curse these cold medicines. X_x;
Anyway. Thank you all for reading! I hope to see you all again in the next chapter!