{Vocaloid} Where the Odd Ones Lie

A New Train of Thought

"Fukase...I..I really need to talk to you about something." Mayu hesitated with every word. Her eyes, half lidded, focused on pinching the skin on her forearm.

Fukase leaned in slightly, mild curiously printed on his face. "Yes? What is it?"
His calmness, somehow, made her panic even more. It isn't the right time to spring this onto him, she thought. Still, her selfishness did not leave her. It was still there, buried by circumstance. Right now, she had the opportunity to shift the narrative. To imbed a seed into his mind while he was so vulnerable. To make him feel the way she did when he had kissed her so quickly, without touching him at all. She wanted to imbed into him the thought of her. To be on his mind more than she, rather obviously, already was.

She sighed to herself, choosing her next words especially carefully.
"I think we need to have a serious talk with Piko." Her voice was stern. She tried to suppress the trembling of her bottom lip.

The tent flap flew open behind them.
Speak of the devil....Piko walked swiftly passed them, paused and turned back slightly.
"Come with me. I need to speak with you."
His voice wasn't very commanding. His demeanor was gentle, but still not in his usual flamboyance. He walked along, waiting for the two to follow him.
                                             ꧁꧂

Fukase and Mayu slowly climbed into the cart,  Piko sitting cross legged with his back against the back wall.
They sit in from if him.
He sighs to catch his breath, and speaks gently and slowly.
"When the two of you were with master..I-I did some snooping."
Fukase tilt his head to the side. "Snooping?"
Piko shook his head, his hair following his motions.
"Yes. I wanted to check on the two of you, and Luka. My curiosity got the best of me...master wasn't there, so I was in the clear. I explored his cart.

Mayu didn't understand the significance of this, but the look on Fukase's face told it all. Sneaking through masters stuff was, indeed, a big deal.

"Piko..I.." Fukase stopped himself for a moment.
"....W-What did you find?"
Piko sighed again, a small smile forming across his lips. He slowly digs under the layer of hay on the floor, revealing a few small Manila envelopes.

"I found some files I think you'd be particularly interested in."
Fukase slowly took the envelopes in his hands, looking to Mayu for direction. She nod to him, reassuring him that it was okay. She trusted Piko wholeheartedly.

His hands shook as he read what was in the files. He squint his eyes, trying to hide the sudden wave of emotion. After a while of reading, he set them down gently and screwed his eyes shut. Before Mayu could pick up the papers and read them herself, Piko spoke out.

"I think that these are your profiles. Why he did your information from you specifically baffles me...I don't understand how the rest of us remember so much, but the two of you remember so little."

...What?

None of this was making much sense to Mayu. She grabbed the files.
In one of them, was a picture of Fukase, and several of his body parts. Her heart softened as she skimmed through him. All of the scars on his body...
She knew his face was terribly disfigured, but she hadn't understood the extent of his injuries.

Male..5"7..17 years...R eye, R hair..
All these things she already knew about him. What was so appalling about this? She read further.

Study: a missing part of a man-made puzzle. Further examination shows missing parts of major organs. Half a heart.