Chapter Text
When I was a kid, I was pretty sick.
Like being in and out of the hospital sick.
I… don't actually remember very much about that time, just that my brother and parents visited whenever they could. My brother always put on these funny little shows to make me smile.
I used to have this group of friends, too. I… don't talk to them anymore.
I don't really get it, but I guess maybe I pushed them away from each other. We were so close, but I never see them nowadays.
I guess people treat me differently, too. Constantly worrying, or doing things for me I could do myself.
To be honest, I've gotten sick of it. Sure, I'm still technically sick, but I'm also able to do a ton of things on my own. Just because I can't do certain things doesn't mean I can't do anything.
I'm sick of people trying to treat me like I'm still a little kid. I want to be more than what I am now. I want to be a person,not just some little sob story people like to help.
Saki is milling about, humming a little tune as she enjoys her day off from school. Her hand is clutched tight onto the strap of her bag as she walks in tandem with everyone else, trying to decide where she should go today.
Maybe I could go to the arcade, and try and win some of those plushies in the claw machines! Or I could go on a little shopping spree…
She finally settles on one place that seems perfect for the day, considering the currently pristine weather and nice temperature. Phoenix Wonderland. A park full of imagination and… wonder—which sounds almost ironic—that always has something for everyone.
She can faintly remember going to see a play here with Tsukasa as a little kid, and quietly muses to herself by the entrance, "Which one was that called again…? I'll remember later," She shakes away the thought from the front of her mind, but the memory still lingers in the back of her head. She goes up to the toll booth, and with a basic ticket for the day, begins her fun.
She found the biggest bucket of popcorn she could reasonably carry with her, and started on the roller coasters, flitting from one ride to the next, even being able to sneak on a few of the ones designed for people much younger than her.
The rides were still what she remembered, despite the loneliness in the ferris wheel as she watched all the people shrink into small figures the higher up she climbed into the rotation. She can see people going about, kids moving much faster than their parents as they rush to get to the front of a line or go back to them to beg for a themed concession or piece of merch.
Until one thing catches her eye as she begins the descent down the loop. A person, dressed in a large, brightly-colored coat with a sheaf of lavender hair, growing slightly in size to her vision, seemingly performing.
…Odd. She thought the performances were only on stage. Had they changed the formula? Usually it was only actors who walked around the park, and they definitely didn't stop and round up a butt ton of kids, who were watching the show with much more attention than Saki thought they would have in their being.
She watches from a distance, not picking up anything being said, seeing the barest flashes of movement as… drones? Yeah, drones, played the roles on the stone pathing. She could continue to watch until her passenger car's windows got obscured by inconvienently-placed trees.
She honestly wanted to go watch the show herself. Once departing the gondola, she makes her way over to where she saw the performance last, stopping in her saunter once she sees an extreme lack of anything happening and a very confused audience. She was about to take a step closer to try and see what was going on when she was suddenly yet politely pushed to the side by park security, causing her to stumble a couple steps.
Saki barely heard the "Excuse me, ma'am," she was given as the guards whisked past her, following a colorful figure as they ran away, the trails of their coat being the only dead giveaway she saw.
She gives a small sigh, almost on the verge of just letting the moment pass and maybe trying to see one of these mysterious, probably unauthorized, shows another day.
Until something flared up in her chest. She didn't know how to describe it, other than chalking it up to some newfound determination. She wasn't understanding exactly why, but she just needed to follow that person. For some reason. It just felt too important of an opportunity to pass up.
She tried her best to discreetly trail behind security, tracing their path as they ran to the park gates, only to stop as they ended there. Maybe the goal was to chase them out of the park? Wouldn't they have issued like, a ban or something on them already? Maybe a bag size limit or tighter security to stop them if they were so bothered by this?
Well, she was definitely going to persist longer than the literal security paid to follow suspicious individuals. The blonde was able to slip behind the guard's backs-she didn't want to seem like an accomplice to the mystery purple person-and exit the park gates, trying to follow any bright splotches of color among the crowd.
The person had seemed smart enough to not wear the flowy coat they wore for their show, probably changing out of it right after escaping security at the gate, but a mop of messy purple hair speedwalking away with a fairly large bag gives away their position to Saki, and she gives chase, weaving between other people in the bustling crowd of a nice day in Shibuya.
She catches up, placing a hand on their shoulder to not only stop them but have a support while she catches her breath, pretty much panting and too adrenaline-full to feel them flinch under her touch.
"I'm… sorry… but I could help but see your show from a distance, and I thought it looked pretty-" She was getting sent into a long, out-of-breath ramble pretty quickly, trying to get them to turn around, only being cut off by them as they looked at her.
"…You saw it?" Was all they said, yellow eyes meeting hers.
Saki shifts to stand fully up, placing her hands on her hips in an almost dramatic fashion, probably much too similar to her older brother in that moment, and smiles,
"Yeah! It was amazing! Do you do them often? I'd love to come see you whenever you perform next!"
The person just looked at her, confusion written all over his face, eyes narrowing as he looked her up and down, "They're fine enough, I don't think they'd be your taste, though."
"No- no, really! I saw a bit of it, and it looks amazing! I'd love to see one if you'd let me. My brother and I always went to theaters when we were younger, Knowing him, I'm sure he'd love to help with your performance—"
"I work alone."
Saki froze.
Ah. Oh.
Ohhhhh.
She probably fumbled this entire interaction, didn't she. How fun.
She didn't have enough time to try and repair the situation, as the person turned back around and started walking away without saying anything else. He seemed much more unapproachable than before, arms crossed over his chest, walking quickly and not even muttering a sorry if someone bumped into him.
Saki was left standing there, one hand reached out slightly as if she wanted to call him back, or chase after him and try to explain everything. She could've done that, but she didn't.
She just put her head down and started on her way home, all of it passing past her in a blur. She doesn't really remember what happened on the train, or if she accidentally tripped on something while walking. She just remembers flopping onto the couch with a frustrated groan.
Why did she do that?!- The conversation was working fine enough, but then she said one thing and it went to hell. She should've thought about what she was about to say, but noooo. She just had to mess it up and now she didn't even know the guy's name. He'd just ran off into the crowd without another word.
She groans into the couch, her face mashed against the cushions, and accidentally attracts the attention of her loud lovely older brother, Tsukasa. He pokes his head over from the banister upstairs, calling down to her from his room.
"Saki! Is everything all right down there? Are you in any pain at all?"
She raises a hand, waving him off without looking up, voice muffled as she responds, "Everything's fine, Tsukasa. I just made a big mistake earlier today…"
She doesn't hear any response, only hearing the soft thump thump thump of footsteps down the stairs, and then her brother is on the other side of the couch, looking at her from the back of it, his brow furrowed.
"What happened? I'm sure it wasn't that big, Saki. There's no reason to be this upset over one thing, is there?" he asks gently, reaching over and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"No, no, it's just…" Saki starts, trailing off as she tries to explain what happened in the last, what, hour? "I went to Phoenix Wonderland earlier today, and I saw this guy there. He was doing a performance with these drones and robots and stuff, but it turns out he wasn't part of the staff there, and was chased out by security… I ended following him because I got curious, and I tried talking to him…"
She pauses, the silence filled with a small "mhm" from Tsukasa.
"I mentioned that maybe you'd wanna help him because I know how much you want to do acting, but he just got all defensive and told me he worked alone before running away," She finishes, huffing and further sinking into the couch.
The other doesn't respond for a moment, his hand leaving Saki's shoulder as he thinks.
"…Saki."
"Yeah, what is it, big bro?"
"What did this… director look like?"
"Well, he was pretty tall, with this long coat, and purple hair—"
"Did his hair have teal streaks in it?"
"…Yeah?" Saki finally looks up from the couch, tilting her head. Tsukasa sounded… much more serious now. That wasn't particularly normal. "Why do you ask?"
"I think I know who you're talking about. I'm pretty sure he's in my school year. There's this guy, Kamishiro. Everyone's talking about him. Stirs up tons of trouble with the disciplinary committee because of these robots he keeps bringing to school. Rumors say he transferred from some prestigious high school. Barely even pays attention in class, too."
Tsukasa looks almost… ticked off at this point, every word he says lacking any of his usual flamboyance. He looks away from her, turning around. "I… just don't want you to get hurt if you see him again."
"Tsukasa-"
"I'm starting dinner. Let me know if there's anything you want added in." The older teen doesn't wait for a response, walking away from his sister with his arms folded over his chest in silence. He turns into the kitchen, and the sounds of drawers opening can be heard.
Saki's face had twisted into a worried frown, and slowly sits up. This was… odd. She's never really seen him act like that before.
She stands up after a few moments' hesitation, and makes her way to her room. She didn't want to think about all of this right now. Maybe just being alone for a bit would help. Pretty much skidding past the doorway, she makes a beeline for her bed, flopping down on it like she did with the couch before.
She flips onto her back, finding her phone after a bit of rummaging, and puts her headphones on her ears. Music would be nice. Maybe she could find some playlist that she could use to drown out everything else around her.
She scrolls through her songs for a bit, before her finger hovers over one she distinctly doesn't remember downloading. It wasn't part of any albums, no playlist, but it said it was saved. She reads over the title carefully to see if she remembers this at all.
"…Untitled…" She murmurs, before thinking to hell with it, and clicks on the play button. If it was a good song, she'd remember to play it more often. If it was bad, she'd just delete it and move on. Odd title for a song, though…
She closes her eyes, about to get comfortable, before a flash of white light overtakes her vision. She flinches, eyes opening a crack to only see pure white and random colorful triangles around her before all of that fades away.
She screws her eyes shut again. What just happened?! Did she suddenly fall asleep or something and now she was dreaming? This was a pretty weird start to a dream, if that. She can hear… beeping? There was some weird music, sure, but also sounds she swears she hears at the arcade whenever she goes.
Hesitantly opening her eyes, she just sees… arcade machines. Games spread across her entire vision, stretching past until she can't see them anymore. Now this was a surprisingly detailed dream, and a weird one too, considering she doesn't really dream this stuff up normally.
She takes a step forward to the first thing she sees. A claw machine, lined up with three others. Peering inside at the prizes inside, she sees a plethora of stuffed animals, all ones oddly similar to ones she owns, whether bought from a store or gifted to her.
She doesn't have the chance to look at the other machines when a voice suddenly sounds out from behind her, clear and too robotic to be human, causing her to jolt slightly.
"You finally made it."
Saki whirls around, and is met with Hatsune fucking Miku herself. She didn't know what she was expecting, but this didn't seem like any Miku she was used to. Instead of the long and bright pigtails, paired with the classic tie and short skirt combo, she sees darker, shorter, and curly pigtails atop her head, and colorful street wear.
She can't get a word in before Miku speaks again, a smirk now on her face, "Like it? You helped build this place, y'know."
"…What?" Was all Saki could utter, staring dumbfoundedly at what was most certainly not any Miku she knows of.
"This SEKAI. You made this—well, not on your own, but… oh great, I'm gonna have to go through the whole spiel again, aren't I?"
"…"
Miku claps her hands together with a huff, the smugness dropping for a moment before she smiles again, although more genuine-looking now. She reaches one hand out, grabbing onto the blond's before leading her to a prize counter, various pieces of Vocaloid merch lining the shelves and pieces of candy under the counter.
"This is a SEKAI. It's made of feelings, and you helped create it," Miku says, hopping up onto the prize counter, legs kicking against the surface. "Something, something, when you find your true feelings it makes a song, yadda yadda yadda—"
She's interrupted when a sudden figure fades in from a smaller, less blinding flash accompanied with the same triangles Saki saw earlier when she got teleported (was she teleported?—) The blond flinches a bit from the shock, shying away from the light.
When she looks again, she sees the same guy she saw earlier that day. The one she absolutely ruined any chances of a positive second interaction with. Oh shit. She wanted to sink into the patterned carpeting beneath her feet right now.
Instead of seeming equally surprised or worried, Miku just giggles at her perfectly reasonable reaction, and hops off the counter, going to harass the SEKAI's newcomer. She stands behind him, poking his shoulders over and over while saying something Saki can't quite make out.
He seems to realize what's happening once fully formed, and is obviously shocked and annoyed, turning around and shoving Miku away from him, crossing his arms over his chest,
"Who the hell are you?" Was all he said, a sharp edge in his voice.
Miku only bounced on her heels, playing innocent, "Aww, c'mon Rui, is that how you're going to act when you're finding your SEKAI?"
Saki was confined to the sidelines. At least he knew his full name now, from both Tsukasa's and Miku's input. She wanted to try and say it herself, but she really did not want him to find out she was here. What if he recognized her?—
"What- even is that—what is this???"
"Your SEKAI, dummy. Your feelings just had to be strong enough to make a whole new world with… like three other people. I think. One of them is already here, don't you wanna say hi?~"
Rui looked up, only to see Saki sitting on the prize counter, outlined with Miku merch, looking absolutely terrified for her damn life. It takes a couple moments for him to fully recognize her, but he just looks slightly more ticked off now, gaze hardening further as the pair make eye contact.
"Oh. You," He mutters, looking away after a bit, seemingly trying to remember her face.
Saki doesn't say anything in response, fingers gripping the edge of the counter even tighter. Awkward silence ensues, the only sounds being the faint sounds of the cabinets and music playing over unseen speakers.
Miku eventually speaks up, seeming a bit more nervous by now, "So you two have met… hm…"
The virtual singer looks at her hand, counting on her fingers, "Well, that's only two more to go. Maybe I could send Len to find them…"
The other two just whip their heads to look at her, their outbursts opposite in energy but mixing together.
"What?"
"What?!"
"…Oh yeah," Miku chuckles, looking at each of them in tandem, "Len's probably around here somewhere. I'll talk to him later to try and get the others in here. We'd rather have all of you meeting sooner rather than later."
She looks around, looking for a certain other Vocaloid, but once seeing that there's nobody there, sighs, and pinches the bridge of her nose. "He's probably by the racing games or something…"
Saki was about to say something else, but was cut off when the slowly-growing-familiar white flash creeps in at the corners of her vision. She looks around frantically, and sees an equally panicked Rui slowly fading into triangles, reversing the way he came in.
"Ghk- What's going on?!-" His voice had probably gone up an octave out of sheer fear, trying to shake off the particles.
Miku seemed unfazed once more, "Oh. You two gotta go. If your feelings stay the same, we'll be seeing each other again. Hold onto that, alright?"
Saki just made a confused "wh—" before her vision was engulfed in a blinding white light, and she flinched, closing her eyes to block it out as Rui did the same.
The music faded, and Saki woke up in her room, the air conditioning being the only sound besides her now panicked breathing and subtle footsteps up the stairs. As she rights herself, leaning against the headboard, a familiar head of blond hair appears in the doorway to her bedroom.
"Is everything alright? I called you down for dinner, but you weren't responding."
Tsukasa looks a bit worried, but the younger sister just gets off her bed, a little unsteady from being warped between worlds, but just puts her hands on her hips and smiles.
"I'm all good, Tsukasa! Just… I fell asleep. That's it!" She says, already beginning to walk past him. She could smell the food from up here, and it was far too good to ignore, overpowering any thoughts about the odd 'SEKAI' she just encountered.
The other just shrugs with a sigh, beginning to walk behind her. "If you say so…"
Hopefully this won't bubble up again.
Hopefully.
Rui jolts up, his back hitting against the chair he was seated in previously, rubbing his head. He was fine. He was just working on the blueprints for his next design. That was it. No weird 'SEKAI.' No literally seeing Hatsune Miku herselfharassing him.
No random arcade world. No girl that he ran into earlier today. That was just a dream. He just dozed off from his fucked up sleep schedule.
…Right?