Erasing the Failure (Gakukai)

Performance

Kaito stepped out onto the stage. Millions of Vocaloid fans began to cheer loudly, excited to hear Kaito's song. But he was afraid.

He never told anyone about his voice.

Taking a deep breath, he summoned all the courage he possessed and raised his hand up to the sky. His clothes transformed into a beautiful module created for the song, Violet. He took the microphone and began his attempt.

"Wakare no...kisetsu ni yureru...hakanaki ichi ni ita"

He could tell this wasn't going to end well. He had already failed. But still he tried.

"Onaji nukumori no kaze.....o dare mo ga sagashite....aruiteru

Deai wa sora....ni nagareru.....ononogu mono shita de

Kasanari yaru.....tokei no hari no....you ni

Yukkuri to, yukkuri to, yukkuri to......mawari hajimeru

Mijikai hari ga....kimi nara, nagai.....hari ga boku ne"

He started to breathe slower, and it hurt to sing.

"Onaji jikan o kizamira kara

Naru yo sudechi ga ii mata deai"

He started coughing and fell over. The microphone crashed to the stage.

He couldn't breathe. It hurt. The fans started booing as the curtain drew closed around him, and he felt someone lift him to his feet and pull him backstage, still coughing.

"Kaito, hang on! Just hang on!" Gakupo cried, sitting him down on a chair. Luka brought him a water bottle and instructed him to drink it. He lifted it to his lips and started to swallow the cold, clear tap water when Satoshi, the producer, walked up.

"What's going on here?" he asked in a stern voice. "I'm pretty sure that Kaito wasn't supposed to screw up that song." His words shot an icy gaze straight through Kaito's heart, and he wanted to cry. He finished drinking and stood up, pasting a smile on his face and using his happy facade.

"Gomen ne, Satoshi-san. Gomennasai," Kaito whispered, lowering his head.

"Hmp. See me in my office. Right now. Gakupo and Luka, back to the house!" he ordered. Kaito kept looking at the floor as he followed Satoshi to the office and sat down in one of the hard metal chairs.

"So. You. What happened out there? Your voice shouldn't be that messed up. Tell me this instant!" Satoshi yelled.

"I....It's b-been....like this....ever since the....car crash," Kaito explained hoarsely. "It hurts....to talk."

"I see. Well, we may have to rethink some things. Because Vocaloids who can't sing? They get....deleted. Uninstalled. I'm sure you won't end up like that, though. Right? You're my perfect Kaito. And you're going to stay that way," Satoshi hissed. He put a roll of coins in each fist and started practicing his punches and kicks.....on Kaito.

Once he had beat Kaito up to his satisfaction, Satoshi shoved the Vocaloid out the door, where he ran straight into Gakupo and Luka.

"Kaito! Are you alright?!" Gakupo exclaimed.

"Is that really Kaito? He looks more like his version of Rolling Girl," Luka observed in a concerned tone. She gave Kaito her hand and he took it, standing up and following them to the car.

"What did he say to you?" Gakupo asked when they reached the house.

"Nothing. Just information on how to fix my screwed-up voice," Kaito replied. He shut the door to his room sharply and went into his bathroom to take a shower and then go to bed. Life and just being alive every day was so tiring.

It couldn't get worse...could it? he asked himself as he washed the blood off his body.

{Song used: Footsteps of Time}