Vocaloid: SHADOWS IN THE SPOTLIGHT [Miku X Luka]

Strawberries - #20

A/N: The following contains sensitive topics such as depression, self-harm and suicide, and also this fic ships female X female and contains strong language, suicide and abuse, so if you have a problem with that then you may want to click off this story. You have been warned.

Luka's PoV

Since the movie-like scene that had played out earlier today, Miku has been a paranoid mess. With every slight thud, tap or creak she heard, she either hid under a blanket, ducked behind the furniture, or ran over to me and clung tightly to me until I assured her that everything was fine.

The heavy rain hammers against the windows, and the chilling whistling of the wind rushes through an open window I had attempted to close earlier, though to no such avail.

Miku presses her shivering, slender body against my side, all the while side-glancing the window nervously. The soft music playing from my newly repaired iPod is barely audible above the sound of the pouring rain.

Unsure of what else to really say or do, I put one arm around her shoulders and gently pull her into a hug. "Everything's fine, Miku." I tell her.

Miku lets out a small, muffled breath, her body still shivering like mad. "I'm scared though..." she whispers in a tiny, tiny voice. "So scared..."

I gently rub her back, trying my best to comfort the scared girl. "I won't let anything happen to you, you know." I assure her.

Miku doesn't respond, and instead falls silent, much to my confusion. After a few moments, in that same small voice, she mutters to herself, "...strawberries..."

"Huh?" I look over to Miku inquisitively. She looks back at me, and for a moment we're sitting silently, just staring. Suddenly, Miku's eyes grow wide and she pulls away, her cheeks slowly turning red.

I watch her, immense confusion sending questions through my mind. "You alright there?" I ask the embarrassed girl, who has hid her face in a fluffy pink pillow.

She looks up at me briefly, opens her mouth to speak, and then closes it again. Her blue orbs look somewhat troubled. I narrow my eyes, whilst refusing to break eye contact.

"I... um..." The tealette averts her gaze for a moment, before biting her lip and staring at me, her head slightly cocked to the side, "Do you use strawberry scented shampoo, by any chance?"

Oh, makes sense. I think to myself as I nod my head. "Yeah, I do." I tell her calmly. Miku smiles faintly.

"It... It smells nice, th-that's all..." She stutters, her cheeks turning slightly red once again. I chuckle at her behaviour, finding it rather adorable. Miku scowls at me, obviously not finding this quite as amusing. "Hey! It isn't funny!"

I shake my head gently, smiling to myself. "No, of course it isn't." I tell her with a small sigh. "Yeah, it's a nice scent, I suppose." I agree, with a small shrug of my shoulders. Miku nods stiffly, and slowly the redness on her face drains away.

A sudden gust of wind causes her to visibly flinch, and she glances back out the window, eyeing the endless rain. "It still hasn't stopped raining..." She sighs.

"Is that a bad thing?" The question slips out without me really thinking about it. Miku looks back over her shoulder, meting my gaze once again.

"I mean..." She squints her eyes, looking for the rights words. "It... just isn't very pleasant weather, don't you think? When it rains, it's really dark outside, and all the colour goes away. It's sad and cold." She explains slowly.

I stare down at the ground. "I guess one could see it like that..." I mutter, "but I like the rain. It's actually really pretty, and... though it may be 'depressing weather', it made me feel like I wasn't crying alone anymore. Ever since I was a child, it just... intrigued me. As I got older... I found it really put me at peace." I respond.

Miku remains silent for a while, before looking back at the rain. "Now that you put it like that..." She murmurs. "That's... I like that. I suppose the rain isn't so bad after all... as long as I'm indoors, that is." Miku chuckles under her breath.

"Whatever floats your boat, Miku." I tell her with a small smile, before standing up from the sofa and stretching. "Are you hungry?"

She shakes her head, her knotty pigtails mimicking the movement. "Nu-uh, not particularly. Thanks though, for asking." She responds.

I shrug my shoulders, following her gaze and watching the raindrops fall, one after another. The droplets of water race each other down the glass, a thrilling race to see who would reach the bottom the fastest. I'm unable to keep a faint smile from spreading across my lips as I recall the childhood memory.

Miku lets out a long yawn, snapping me immediately out of my thoughts. "You tired, Miku?" I ask her, looking up at the clock. "It is getting quite late after all, maybe you should think about calling it a night?"

I imagined she would be more stubborn, but instead she wearily nods her head in agreement. "Yeah, okay, I'll do that." She tells me, before sluggishly standing up and exiting the room. I watch her as she leaves, before turning my attention back to the window.

Thick, dull clouds cover the sky, blocking out the faint moonlight and hiding the pretty little stars away. The rain continues to fall, repeating that 'drip, drip' sound over, and over, and over. Though where most people find it tedious and annoying, I find it relaxing and rather comforting.

Feeling like a child again, I press my hands and forehead against the glass. The cold surface comes off as a shock at first, and sends a shiver down my spine. I perch myself on the window sill and let my thoughts absorb me as I stare into the night.

Some time later, I am awoke from my daydreaming by a timid tap on my shoulder. I twist around to see that Miku has changed her clothes, and is now looking at me with wide, exhausted eyes.

"Do you want me to sleep on the bed again?" She asks me, nodding towards my opened bedroom door.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" I tell her. In response, Miku pouts a little in dissatisfaction, but doesn't put up a fight and instead obediently stumbles back into the room, yelling 'good night' over her shoulder.

A/N: Yay, a new update! XD Sorry, this update took way longer than expected... but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! Oh, and also... Thanks all so much for 2k views!! I initially published this story thinking one or two of my friends would read it... but we've gathered quite an audience here, and I couldn't be more thankful! Thank you! See you all next time~! X3