Vocaloid: Live Out Your Dreams, Track 12

Track 12 - Spice!

Rin: Yay, track 12 is up!  This is getting good!

Meiko: I know!  I can’t wait to see what happens!

Miku:  Eh?  What are you two talking about?

Rin and Meiko: Nothing, nothing at all!

Miku:  Okay…  *ahem!*  Elise-sensei does not own Vocaloid; she just writes stories about us.

Miku/Rin/Meiko: Enjoy!

This is it:  I’ve finally managed to get her alone with me.  Sure we had to sneak behind the high school, but if I can pull this off, it’ll be totally worth it.

“Len-kun, what’s going on?” Miku asks, looking around in case anyone followed us.

Taking a deep breath, I turn to face the older girl.  “Miku-nee… I brought you here because I… I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” Miku inquires, her cheeks flushing as I move in closer.

I reach out, taking her hand in mine, and I stare purposely into her green eyes.  “Miku-nee, I love you.”

Her eyes widen, her free hand flies up to her mouth in surprise.  “Oh!  Len-kun, I-I didn’t realize…”

“I know,” I say, cupping her cheek in my hand.  Leaning forward, my eyes slip closed as my lips finally touch hers.

She gasps, and I boldly slip my tongue in.  This is too good to be true; if this is a dream, I hope no one wakes me…

…

“Len, what are you doing?!”  Suddenly, I was hit with a pillow and I ended up falling off the bed.  Shaking my head and sitting up with a groan, I looked up to see Rin glaring at me, her face red and her pillow gripped tightly in her hand.

It was just a dream? I thought, running a hand through my messy blonde hair.  “Rin… what was I doing on your bed?”

Before answering, she whacked my with her pillow again.  “Len, you baka!  You were stealing my first kiss, that’s what!”

“Eh?” I responded before the words finally hit me and my face turned bright red.  “EHHHH?!”  I just kissed my sister?!  No wonder it felt so real!

Burying her face in her pillow, I could hear Rin crying, “Waaah!  I lost my first kiss to my brother!”

Standing up quickly, I tried to remedy the situation.  “N-Now wait a minute, Rin!  Just calm down, okay?  It was an accident, and besides, it’s better than losing it to some random jerk, right?”  Not receiving a response, I tried the one thing that might help.  “And technically, I lost my first kiss to you, too.”

“…Really?” Rin asked, peeking out at me.

“Really,” I replied with a nod, my own cheeks flushed from embarrassment.  “I’ve never actually kissed a girl before, so you and I are even.  Let’s just chalk this whole thing up to a case of sleep-walking and swear to never tell anyone, okay?”

“Pinkie promise?” my twin asked, holding out her pinkie.

I rolled my eyes, thinking we were a little old for that, but decided to go ahead if it would get her to cooperate.  “Yeah sure, pinkie promise.”  

The two of us linked pinkies and said simultaneously, “If I break this promise, I have to drink a thousand needles!”

“There.  Now let’s get back to sleep, it’s late and we have work tomorrow,” I said, climbing back into my own bed.

“Okay,” Rin said as she buried herself under her covers.  “Good night, Len.”

“G’night,” I said back to her.  Turning my back to her, I touched my lips, remembering that strange feeling.  The kiss itself was amazing; I just wished that I could’ve saved my first for Miku.

…

Aisuru koto o shira nai (Maybe I’m not so great with feelings and stuff)
Boku ni ha kore de choudoii (Experience taught me to give all that up)
Aijou nante hitsuyou to shinai (Everyone else seems so displeasing to me after you)
Koi no houga raku desho (I don’t need a heartbreaker girl like you)

Nee boku no supaisu (I want you, you know that I do)
Kimi dake ni ima ageruyo (So I will give, I’ll give it all up for you)
Muchuu ni saseru boku no teisuto o (I see it in your eyes, you feel it burning up the room)
Karadajuu de kanji te (I’ll taste of your spices anyway)

As I exited the recording studio, I heard a familiar voice pipe up.  “Pretty racy lyrics you got there, kiddo.”  I turned to see Meiko looking at the lyric sheet for my song “Spice!”

“Hey, gimme that!” I shouted, swiping the paper out of her hand.  “I thought I’d go ahead and record it for the next album, I don’t plan on putting it in this one.”

“Thinking ahead, huh?  You’re a smart kid,” Meiko said with a grin.  “Not to mention a little dirty, hee hee.”

“Oh shut up,” I grumbled.  “I’m 14 years old, I’m not really a kid.”  

“Whatever you say!” the older woman giggled.  “So have you… done it yet?”

I felt my face turn red in an instant.  “W-What?!  No way!  I’ve never even kissed a girl!”  Well technically I have, but I’m not telling HER that!

“Whoops!  I didn’t mean that!” Meiko said quickly, trying not to laugh again.  “By ‘it’, I mean did you confess to Miku yet?”

“Oh,” I muttered, feeling even more embarrassed now.  Meiko found out about my crush on Miku not too long ago, much to my dismay, and since then she had been fairly supportive.  “Uh, no I haven’t.”

“Aw, you’re all red!  It’s so cute!” Meiko commented, ruffling my hair.  

“Hey, cut it out!” I protested, smacking her hand away.  Once we had both calmed down, I told her, “But I’ve made up my mind: I’m going to confess to her after school tomorrow.”

Meiko’s eyes widened and she didn’t say anything for a second.  Then she suddenly pulled me into a hug.  “Oh, that’s wonderful!  My little Len’s growing up!  You just made your big sister very proud!”

We’ve known each other for how long now? I thought, my face red once again from being pressed into her chest.  

Finally getting serious, Meiko pulled away and placed her hands on my shoulders.  “Seriously though, I’m glad you’re taking this step.  I’ve just got one thing to ask you: if things don’t go well, do you think you can still be friends?”

“I… I think so, yes,” I answered with a nod.

“Good,” the brunette said.  “And even if it doesn’t work out, you can consider it a learning experience.  All I can say now is good luck kiddo!”

“Thanks, Meiko!” I said before dashing out to the lobby where Rin was waiting.

Seeing me coming, she asked, “Got everything?”

“Yep, let’s get home.  I’m tired,” I said as the two of us started walking back to the apartment.  “Hey, have you heard anything from Utatane-sempai?”

“Yeah, we’re just gonna be friends, really,” Rin said with a shrug.  “Turns out he’s not looking for anyone right now, but I’m okay like this.”

“I see,” I muttered, secretly a little relieved.  If you’ll recall, Piko Utatane was an older boy that Rin met at a group date.  (I also met him when I had to take her place.)  Apparently he never caught on to my act.

“What about you?” my twin asked.  “Are you gonna do anything about your crush on Miku-nee?”

“Actually, I plan to confess to her tomorrow,” I replied with a small smile.

“No way!” Rin exclaimed, zipping in front of me and grabbing my hand.  “That’s really brave of you, Len!”

For some reason, my face heated up from Rin holding my hand.  I was probably still embarrassed from our accidental kiss last night.  “Y-You think so?”

Nodding quickly, she continued, “It’ll be good for you to tell her.  You always hide your real feelings; it’s not good for you!”  It’s true: I’m really not that good at expressing my feelings.  In fact, Rin is usually the only person I can be completely open with.  “Well, good luck tomorrow!” she said, getting my chest a light smack and causing me to blush again.

As I started making dinner that night, I wondered why in the heck I was so aware of Rin’s touches.  We’re twins, we’ve always been close like that, I thought, trying to collect my thoughts.  So why am I feeling strange around her all of a sudden? Is it because of that kiss…? Shaking my head, I tried not to think about it anymore… although truth be told, it was pretty darn difficult.

…

The next day, I practically bolted out of the classroom at the last bell.  I had barely lasted being around Miku at lunch, but now I could finally catch up to her and tell her how I felt!  Once I was outside, I glanced around for her but didn’t see her.  “Do you think something happened?”

“Considering how popular she is, she might’ve run into some fans,” Luka replied, looking a little worried.

“You should go in and look for her!” Rin piped up.

“You know what?  I will,” I said, standing up and walking straight onto the high school grounds.

It wasn’t easy getting past any teachers that were around, but I did manage to find Miku’s classroom.  I was about to go in when a girl with dark blonde hair came out.  “Oh!  Len-kun, it’s been a while,” she greeted with a smirk.

“Neru-sempai,” I muttered, cursing myself for being so careless.  Back when Neru was still in middle school, she confessed to me only for me to turn her down, since I already liked Miku.  I had forgotten that she was in Miku’s class, but this wasn’t the time for an awkward reunion.  “Have you seen Miku-nee?”

“Hatsune?  I think I saw her with a couple of guys down the hall,” she told me.  “Going to confess to her, are you?”

“Would it bother you if I said yes?” I asked, folding my arms.

Leaning against the wall, Neru replied, “Maybe, maybe not.  But should she reject you, just know that I’m always here.”

“Sorry, not interested,” I said bluntly.  “Now if you’ll excuse me.”  Bowing my head, I headed down the hall hoping to catch Miku.

I finally saw a small crowd with Miku in the center of it.  Apparently she didn’t get out of the building fast enough.  “Oi, Miku-nee!” I called, waving my arm to get her attention.

Spotting me, she smiled.  “Len-kun!  I’m sorry everyone, please excuse me!” she said, bowing her head before running in my direction.

“Run!” I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the halls in an attempt to lose her fans.

We finally ditched them when we hid in the library.  “*Phew!* That was close,” I said, leaning against a shelf.

“I know,” Miku panted.  “You really saved me back there.  Thank you!”  Peeking out to see if the fans had given up, she quickly ducked back.  “We should probably stay here until they leave.”

Letting out a short laugh, I replied, “No complaints here.”  Despite my words, I was feeling somewhat nervous.  We were hiding in a far-off corner of the library, just the two of us, and I was having a difficult time controlling myself.

“?  Are you alright, Len-kun?” the teal-haired girl asked, reaching out to feel my forehead.  “Your face is warm.  Do you feel sick?”

“Hurts…” I mumbled, realizing just how close she was.

“Eh?  Your head hurts?” Miku asked, misreading me completely.  Why does she have to be so dense sometimes?!

Finally, I took her hand off my forehead and managed to say, “It hurts when I’m around you, Miku-nee.”

Tilting her head, Miku commented, “Len-kun, you’re not making any sense.”

Clutching her hand, I gazed into her eyes.  “Miku-nee, I… I love you.”

Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed.  “You… you love me?  Are you serious?”

“Yes,” I said with a nod.

“Oh,” Miku said, looking away with a small frown.  “Len-kun, I didn’t know…”  It was then I noticed that a tear was running down her cheek.

“M-Miku-nee?  Are you okay?” I asked, not expecting this reaction.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice cracking a bit.  “You’re a dear friend, but…”  Miku then looked at me with teary eyes.  “I-I can’t return your feelings.  I’m sorry…”  Her voice trailed off as tears fell down her face.

My heart broke.  Somehow I knew she would say that.  Of course; she was in love with Kaito Shion.  I knew I had no chance, but I confessed anyway only to get rejected and make Miku cry in the process.

Placing one hand on her shoulder, I pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes.  “Don’t cry; it’s not your fault.  I’m the one who confessed to you.  I just… wanted you to know my feelings.”

Sniffling a little, Miku cried, “B-But… I hurt Len-kun!  I don’t know what else to do…”

“Then could you do me a favor?” I asked with a sad smile.  “Will you… will you at least let me have your first kiss?  It’ll give me some closure.”

“My… first kiss?”

“Please, I never ask anything of you,” I begged, bowing my head.  “And after this, we can just go back to being friends, I promise!”

Miku didn’t say anything at first.  After a few moments of silence, she finally said, “…Okay.  I trust you, Len-kun.  And I suppose it’s only fair.”

“Thank you, Miku-nee,” I said, looking her in the eye before leaning forward.  My eyes slipped closed as our lips touched for the first and last time.  Once our lips parted, I just managed to say, “I’m sorry for taking up your time,” before turning around and walking out of the library.

It was odd; for some reason, that kiss wasn’t quite as satisfying as my accidental first.  There was no chemistry, no heavenly feeling like I expected.  Perhaps that was a sign that the two of us really weren’t meant to be… or maybe it meant that Miku wasn’t the person I truly loved.  I remembered the feeling I had when I kissed Rin, and I began to wonder if I was starting to lose my mind.

…

It had been a long time since Len had gone inside the high school, and I was tapping my foot impatiently.  “Rrgh, what’s taking them so long?!”

“I’m sure he and Miku-san will be here soon,” Luka reassured, though she herself sounded a little nervous.

A few seconds later, Miku appeared alone, walking slowly over to the bench that Luka and I were sitting on.  “Oh, you were still waiting?” she asked, and I noticed that her eyes were red.

“Miku-nee, have you been crying?” I asked worriedly.  “And why isn’t Len with you?”

“Eh?  He left before me,” Miku said.  “I thought he would be here already…”

“Then where could he be?” Luka inquired.

As if on cue, my cell phone went off.  “Oh, a text message.  … It’s from Len.”  The message read:

“I’m on the high school roof.  Can you meet me there?”

“You guys go ahead, I’m going to Len,” I said, putting away my cell phone and taking off.

It took me a while to get to the roof; I hadn’t been in the high school very many times and so didn’t know my way around.  After running through the high school for some time, I finally reached the roof and found Len sitting next to the door in the fetal position.  “Len, are you okay?”

Len lifted his head from his folded arms, and seeing me, smiled sadly.  “I got dumped.  Miku-nee and I… are just going to be friends.”

“Oh Len, I’m sorry,” I said sympathetically, crouching down next to him and touching his shoulder.  “Here, you need a hug, don’t you?”  For some reason, he flinched at my touch.  Len had been acting weird since he accidently kissed me in his sleep two nights ago.  Maybe that had something to do with it?  

Speaking firmly, I continued, “Come on, I told you that you shouldn’t keep your feelings hidden like this!  It’s okay to cry, you know?  If anyone deserves to cry, it’s you Len!”

Suddenly, Len leapt at me and pinned me on the floor.  Wincing from the impact, I was about to shout at him until he wrapped his arms around me.  “… How are you always able to see right through me?” His voice was quiet and slightly strained, and then I felt his tears hit my shoulder.  I hugged my brother back, stroking his hair as he clung to me, his shoulders shaking from quiet sobs.

I admit, sometimes I feel that I’m the only person that Len is completely honest with.  In a way, it makes me a bit happy: it’s like I know a side of him that no one else knew, not even Miku and Luka.  I also enjoy the warmth that I feel when we hug each other, and I was glad that I was able to offer Len some comfort and feel that warmth once again.

Next time…

Kaito: Miku-chan, we’ve got a problem.

Miku: What’s wrong?

Kaito: Meiko’s not feeling well, and she’s supposed to be in my MV.  We need a replacement.

Miku: Aww, I hope she feels be-  Wait, what did you say?!

Next time: Track 13 - Cantarella