Piko x Len Magnet Ch. 1

"There are so many Vocaloids here," Rin breathed next to Len, her blue eyes shining. "I mean, Meiko told us about the new team, but I didn't think they would fill up so fast." Len smiled at her, allowing her voice to warm his heart. She gave a little jump. "I want to meet them all!" She looked at him and blinked. "Do you think they'll use demos?" she asked. He shrugged.
"I doubt it. It looks like they have enough to show off right now." Len looked around for their team. He saw a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye and turned towards it. Sure enough, Kaito was waving them over urgently. Len grabbed his sister's wrist and pulled her over.
They slid through the crowd of Vocaloids and eventually, reached Kaito. Meiko, the team captain, was standing behind him and Hatsune Miku wasn't too far from them. Forcing himself not to look at her, Len kept his eyes on Kaito.
"We're not late, are we?" he asked, tapping his foot nervously. Behind him, Miku was loudly talking to Rin. Meiko looked like she was about to burst out laughing. Kaito just rolled his big, blue eyes.
"What do you think, Len?" he asked, impatiently. Len noticed that he was looking over his shoulder at the new team. Len followed his gaze to the unfamiliar group of Vocaloids. "They brought a demo," he heard him mutter. Sure enough, Len noticed a girl with blue hair that faded purple at the tips. When he looked closer, he noticed that her body looked slightly glitched, proving that she was a demo. When he stared into the group for a while longer, he concluded that she was the only one. Len glanced up at Kaito.
"I'm sure she won't compete," he reassured his friend. "After all, they already have a lot of new Vocaloids to show off today. A demo would just drag them down." Before Kaito could reply, Len heard loud feedback from the speakers in the front of the stadium.
"Attention," Sweet Ann called, her honey-sweet voice filling the stadium, "I would like to speak to the four team captains, please." Len noticed a dark-haired girl from the new team stand up. She wore a tank top and had big tattoos on her arms. Suddenly, the demo girl noticed Len and stared at him, her eyes narrowed. Len stared back, wondering what was going on when the girl smiled and nudged her friend. The blond girl next to her looked at Len for a moment and the girls burst into giggles. Feeling his face redden, he looked away.
Len leaned against the wall next to Kaito, wondering what the day would bring. Winter Seasonals always featured group singing and the singers and songs chosen were randomly decided the day of the competition. There was a chance Len wouldn't sing at all.
After what felt like forever, Sweet Ann, Meiko, the new team leader, Luka Megurine, and Leon, reappeared from backstage. Sweet Ann stepped up onto the stage.
"Welcome to the 2012 Winter Seasonal!" Len cheered along with everyone else. "As you all know," she continued when the stadium grew quiet again, "we have a new, fourth, team of Vocaloids due to the large amount of Vocaloid3 androids. The team includes English speaking Vocaloids, Japanese speaking Vocaloids, Korean, and Spanish speaking Vocaloids! Their team leader is Mew!" Len glanced over at the dark haired girl, happy to be able to place a name to the face. Sweet Ann stepped back and Meiko took over, smiling.
"Thank you, Sweet Ann," she purred, sounding very un-Meiko-like. "We have officially switched Rin and Len to their Append forms," Len smiled; he and Rin had stuck with their original forms for as long as they could, but Meiko ordered them to switch recently, "but we will still be using their original voices when necessary. We are also looking forward to the upcoming Appends for Kaito and me. Those of you who were here last fall were lucky enough to hear Kaito's Append Soft demo!" Len noticed that Meiko was glaring at Mew's team. Meiko stepped back and this time, Luka took the stage.
Luka's icy blue eyes gazed over the crowd and when they passed over Len, he felt a shiver run down his spine. "JT2 is very happy to be here and I would like to personally with everyone a happy new year!" Her team cheered briefly. "Gumi and Mizki have both switched to their new voices and there is a rumor of a new Append for me!" Luka smiled broadly. "Well, I guess that's all I have to report, but I wish everyone good luck today!" Next to Len, Kaito rolled his eyes.
Leon took the stage next and Len made sure his translator was on; forgetting that is must have been on for him to understand Sweet Ann at all! "I have nothing to report," Leon said tonelessly. "Everything is the same and nothing has changed." Was it just Len, or did the old Engloid's voice sound bitter? Mew walked up onto the stage and out of the corner of his eye, Len saw Kaito's eyes narrow. He doesn't trust her! Len made a quick mental note.
When it came to trusting people, Kaito was usually right.
"Thank you for having us here," Mew began. Len had expected her voice to sound quiet and cold, like Miriam's or Luka's, but it sounded mature and in control. Mew had no problem speaking in front of crowds. "As you know, the existence of our team destroys your precious idea that only three teams can compete at Seasonal." Len noticed her dripping fury and sarcasm. In that one sentence, she had made enemies with every other Vocaloid team. "My team is able to compete in my languages besides English and Japanese, giving us an advantage over you." Len's hands curled into fists and at that moment, he wanted to punch Mew so hard in the face.
Next to him, Kaito whispered, "They're joking, right? They have the disadvantage because we'll only hear their other Vocaloids through translators, dropping the quality 70%." Len blinked at his friend, surprised. He had a point. Len turned back to Mew, feeling slightly better about his own position in this.
By the time that Len had refocused his attention, Mew had left and Sweet Ann was on the stage again.
"And now," she purred in her honey-sweet English voice, "let the competition begin!" Everyone cheered and, forgetting Mew's potential threat, Len felt himself get caught up in the excitement- the excitement only Seasonal can provide. "The first song will be," Len held his breath, "Circle You, Circle You featuring Hatsune Miku and Luka Megurine." Len felt his face warm again.
He and Miku had been dating for over a year when she dropped him, only a few days ago, for Kaito. Len felt no anger for his blue-haired friend, but despite Miku's plead to remain friends, Len just felt awkward around her.
It wasn't that he still liked her or anything, but even the friendliest break-ups can result in discomfort, right? The music on the stage started up and Len looked away. The two giggling girls from Mew's team were talking to a different Vocaloid now. Len recognized this boy at once. It was Piko Utatane, a trap singer from Luka's team. His hair was long and white and his eyes held two colors. You could argue that his outfit was a dress, but Len never saw it that way.
Leaving Kaito behind, Len walked over. He never really talked to Piko before, but there was always something about the trap singer that caught Len's attention.
"How do you get your hair to stand up like that?" the blond Vocaloid asked curiously. Piko smiled, sending odd shivers through Len's body.
"It's natural," the boy told the blond. The demo girl giggled and then noticed Len. She elbowed the blond who looked over. Suddenly, Len felt very uncomfortable.
He walked closer to them and stood next to Piko. He held out his hand to the girl and introduced himself.
"I'm Kagamine Len." The demo girl smiled broadly and took his hand.
"My name is Aoki Lapis," she told him in a voice sweeter than Sweet Ann's. The diamond on her headband glistened in the light. "And this is SeeU," she added, glancing at her friend. She grinned again. "Do you know Piko?" she asked innocently. Len took a deep breath to prevent his face from warming again.
Summoning his courage, Len asked the girls, "Why were you guys laughing at me before?" SeeU burst out laughing, but again, it was Aoki who answered.
"You don't know?" she giggled. "We thought you were cute!" Len felt his face redden again and next to him, Piko Utatane laughed. His laugh was delicate, but manly at the same time and for some reason, Len felt mesmerized by it. Behind Len, Mew called for her team sharply. Aoki and SeeU sighed.
"Sorry boys," SeeU purred in a high voice, "but we have to go." The girls left and Piko chuckled.
"They seem nice," he commented to Len, his eyes bright. Len looked away for a moment.
He looked back into Piko's flawless face. "Do you think you'll be singing today?" he asked casually. Piko nodded, grimacing slightly.
"Luka hinted that I'll be doing some sort of Magnet," he mumbled. Then he smiled. "Hope it's with someone cute," he chirped. Len forced his face not to heat up again. Do I fall under that category? He wondered. Realizing what he had just thought, he banished the idea immediately. Piko was a boy!
Suddenly, loud feedback screeched and Len looked up at Sweet Ann again.
"Thank you Miku and Luka," she purred, but somehow, her voice didn't sound as cute. "Now, let's spice things up a little," Len's blood ran cold; she was looking right at him, "with a Magnet featuring Piko Utatane and Kagamine Len!"
Len felt his heart stop and he could have easily passed out right then and there. Suddenly, he felt Piko's gaze boring into his skin. He glanced over at the smiling boy and the two started walking towards the stage.
He heard the murmuring of the other Vocaloids as they parted allowing Len and Piko to pass. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his team watching him intently. Rin and Miku were smiling, but Meiko and Kaito were whispering to each other, glancing at him as they spoke.
A few moments later, they reached the stage and climbed up. Sweet Ann handed them both butterfly shaped headphones. Len put them on over his box-art ones, aware of their white coloring. Forcing himself not to shake, he positioned the microphone and turned around, going into position. He didn't dare look at Piko.
Sweet Ann started the music. The beat and tune was too familiar, but up here, on the stage, it sounded foreign.
Piko sang first, and against his will, Len felt himself drinking in the boy's voice. It was smooth, much smoother than Len's, and it was very feminine, but it held a manly quality within. A few lines passed and Len joined in, turning around to face the crowd. He noticed Kaito and Meiko scowling and Len met their gaze.
The two voices blended well together, but the differences in quality were obvious. Every time the choreography called Len and Piko to face each other, he caught a glimpse of a strange emotion in Piko's eyes. Len's mind began to go places it shouldn't.
You're crazy, he told himself firmly, his voice automatically carrying out the second verse. Piko is a guy and so are you! He was just flirting with Aoki and SeeU for Master's sake! Despite his mental fury, Len couldn't ignore the strength of his feelings.
Whether he liked it or not, he was romantically and sexually attracted to Piko Utatane.
After almost four heart-twisting minutes, the last note chimed, ending the nightmare. Len stared into Piko's eyes, praying the emotion wasn't just produced by the song. It was still there, and Piko was smiling.
The two robots left the stage and were both swarmed by their teams.
"That was really good," Rin gasped, smiling. Len glanced over at where Aoki Lapis was standing. She looked the tiniest bit envious and Len didn't blame her one bit. After all, she just witnessed a forbidden love performance featuring the two guys she had just been flirting with not ten minutes ago! Len realized that Kaito and Meiko were still in the back.
Len looked at Miku for the first time. She was smiling too, but sadly.
"Have you asked out Kaito yet?" he asked her, trying not to sound rude. Miku sighed.
"Yea, but he said that he likes someone else," she whispered. Len felt his heart twist in pity. What if he asked out Piko and he said no? Icy panic gripped him. He had to get rid of his Piko thoughts right now! He was crazy!
"I'm sorry," Len told his ex-girlfriend simply while Rin spat, "I bet it's Meiko, that slut!" Len left the two girls to trash Meiko and started to look for Piko again. He found the white-haired Vocaloid talking to Luka, his team leader. Len stood behind him and when he turned around, stuck out his hand.
"Good job," he stammered, unable to think of anything else to say. Piko smiled, sending bolts of lightning down Len's artificial spine. Piko took his hand and Len felt a piece of paper slide into his hand. He looked up at Piko, who nodded, his face holding some seriousness. Len nodded back, feeling his muscles tense up. The two let go and Piko disappeared into the crowd. Making sure that nobody was looking, he opened up the note.
I can see it in your eyes, Kagamine Len of Crypton Future Media. I don't know if you've noticed, but the way you looked at me today is the same way you've been looking at me since we first met, exactly one year ago.
I want to get to know you, everything about you. I think I love you and I know that you feel the same. It's written all over your face.
I know you live in Whirlwood apartments with your sister, Hatsune Miku, KAITO, and MEIKO. Please, if you can, meet me by the fountain tonight at midnight.
-Love, Piko Utatane
Len felt his mouth drop. All of his fear deserted him. Piko loved him back! He reread the note a thousand times, memorizing every word. Piko's hand-writing was as cute as his voice.
Remembering where he was, Len stuffed the note back into his pocket. He started to walk back towards Kaito and Meiko.
During the small journey, he felt Piko's gaze on him, wrapping him like a blanket. It felt nice.
As he approached his friends, fear swamped him again. This wasn't something he could tell them about. These people knew everything about him. He had to act natural, or they would figure him out. The team liked to celebrate after Seasonals; how would he be able to get away from them at midnight? What if this was all a trick and Piko didn't love him at all.
"You did well, Len," Meiko commented, her eyes shining. Len smiled gratefully at her. She glanced at Kaito, who seemed to be sulking a little. "We were just talking about the new team." She eyed Len curiously. "What do you think of them? Kaito said you were talking to a couple of their girls before you went up with what's-his-face." Len felt anger rise, but he kept his voice calm when he replied.
"I was just talking to the demo girl, Aoki Lapis, and her friend, SeeU," he told her. Meiko thought for a moment.
"Mew told me that they brought Aoki because they think that once her full software comes out, she'll be the best on their team," Meiko snorted. "SeeU is one of their most prized singers. She's bilingual, like Luka, but instead of English, she speaks Korean." This surprised Len. He didn't know there were any other bilingual Vocaloids out there. Now Luka has nothing to be smug about!
Len shrugged. "From what I know, Mew seems like a really annoying person," he commented. Kaito chuckled.
Meiko smiled again. "Dude, that girl's bitchier than Luka and Miriam combined. When the leaders were talking earlier, she thanked us for rejecting her request to join our teams and started talking about how amazing her team was." Meiko sighed. "Then she turned to Sweet Ann and started talking about how cute Oliver was." Len looked confused so Meiko explained, "Oliver is a thirteen year old boy who was also developed by PowerFX. Sweet Ann and Big Al are very close to him. They tried to get just him on their team, but he wanted to stay with SeeU and Tone Rion." Len stared at Meiko.
"That's a cruel blow," he mumbled, imagining Sweet Ann's face when Mew was showing off Oliver. His new hatred for Mew almost made him forget about Piko, but love still clouded his mind.
He started thinking about the note. What if Luka wrote it and just asked Piko to deliver it? Luka never really liked Len and he wouldn't put it past her to jump him on his own territory. Plus, all the information on the note was stuff that Len knew that Luka knew. How would Piko know about all of that? When did he even write the note? Why did he want to know everything about Len?
"Len?" Len was snatched away from his thoughts by Kaito's deep voice. "Are you okay?" Len's first reaction was anger. Of course he's okay! He's in love, and as his best friend, Kaito should know that! He should be able to tell! While on the outside, Len wanted to keep it a secret, deep down, he wanted his best friends to know. Piko will know, he told himself.
He glared at Kaito. "I'm fine," he snapped, sounding harsher than he meant to. Kaito's blue eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything. Meiko had left to talk to Luka. Suddenly, without warning, Kaito smiled.
"Who is it?" Len's blood ran cold again and fear pumped through his veins. I take it back! I don't want him to know! He would never let me live it down if he found out!
"What do you mean?" he stammered, trying to sound confused. Kaito sighed.
"Len, I know you well enough by now. Is it the Lapis girl?" Warm relief fill Len's mind. He nodded slightly, allowing heat to fill his face. He was safe for now.
Kaito left to find Meiko, leaving Len on his own. He let his thoughts travel back to Piko, but before he could zone out of the world again, Rin bounced up to him.
"Did you hear that?" she asked him cheerfully. "I sounded great!" Len realized that his sister must have competed.
"Um, yea," he stuttered. She laughed.
"That was a test, Len," Rin giggled. "I didn't sing." She stood next to him and the two slid down to the ground. Suddenly, her face grew serious. "What's wrong?" Len shrugged. He was afraid of snapping at her the way he did with Kaito.
"Nothing," he mumbled. Rin shook her head, but it was true. How could anything really be wrong if Piko loved him? The thought sent a shiver of happiness through Len. Despite his worries, he couldn't ignore the emotion that had been glowing in Piko's eyes. No matter what happened tonight, Len will know that Piko loved him. What could be wrong?
"Whatever," she concluded. "I'm going to go talk to some of the Vocaloid3 guys! Since obviously you weren't paying attention, Sweet Ann closed the competition. Luka's team won." Len felt a pang of disappointment, but he shrugged it off. After all, Piko's team deserved to win. Despite Len's wish for his team to be victorious, he had to admit that Piko and his friends were gifted singers. He stood up with his sister.
"I met a few of them already," he told her, pushing Piko out of his mind. "I can introduce you, if you want." Rin nodded eagerly and they ran over.
Why worry about Piko now? I'm still just a kid.