The Border of Change (1x1 with Sumi & Kaide!)

[Sumirenko]

~The Border of Change~

Long ago, youkai terrorized Japan. Humans were in constant fear of being attacked by these inhuman creatures, and war constantly broke out between the two races. Despite the youkai's extraordinary power, the ingenuity and adaptability that human beings possessed made them serious threats. Blood was spilled on both sides. Tears were shed. Until at last, the mysterious youkai Yukari Yakumo decided that enough was enough, and using all of her strength, she created an alternate world where magic and mystery could reign.

The new world was named "Gensokyo."

A boundary, the Hakurei Barrier, was created to separate the two worlds so that they might never meet again. For nearly two thousand years, the Barrier has accomplished just that, allowing the Outside World to develop in peace. Buildings of wood and straw have been replaced by buildings of metal and glass that stretch into the sky, and the existence of youkai has long since faded into myth.

But now, the unthinkable has happened.

The Barrier has begun to unravel.

When Hatsune Miku unwittingly stumbles across a mysterious tear in space, she rediscovers the ancient land, and learns of the grave danger that has settled over the world. Can the barrier be saved? Or will humans and youkai meet again... and ultimately destroy each other?​

 

[Kaide`]

The Outside World had grown to be a very interesting place over the years. Nations grew, nations fell. Technology advanced into the modern age, humanity seeming to draw closer to the meaning of their existence by the day. What it meant to be alive. What it meant to sentient.

And with it came new breakthroughs. Man began to wonder if it would be possible to walk among the very machines they relied so much on, and in the wake of this curiosity came the androids. Mechanical beings meant to replicate their creators, given dynamic and ever-changing personalities to suit. Laborers, public servants, entertainers. So far, every android had been built with purpose. They were not born into the world like children, free to choose whatever path they may want. Instead they were switched on, told who they were and what they were designed to accomplish. Everything was laid out for them.

There was a critical flaw with having androids that could replicate human emotions, however. Some would say it's a shocker that no one saw it coming. You see, humans had a peculiar dislike for being told what they could and couldn't do. They were notorious for longing to take destiny into their own hands.

And these androids... they were no different.

---

>Not recognized...

Hatsune Miku sat in her personal quarters at Crypton Future Media headquarters, legs dangling freely off the side of her flat bed. Her hands worked at the back of her neck, fiddling with a wire that was plugged into a hidden panel at the base of her neck. It was night time, the moonlight peering in through her window and into the darkness of her room. With it being pretty late, she was trying to call it a night. Trying to plug herself in, to get that equivalency of sleep that humans desperately needed. Yet for some reason, the charge wasn't coming through.

Miku rasped out a sigh, unplugging the wire from her neck. She stared at it in her fingers, trying to figure out why it wasn't recognizing the wire. This hadn't happen in a long time; and she wondered if it was her or the wire that was faulty. Standing up, she set the wire down on her bed and headed over to the door. She pressed a button, the mechanical sliding door opening and allowing her to step out. Not being able to charge at night was a pretty big deal for a mechanical being like her, and it warranted a quick jog over to the tech lab.

She jogged down the hall, enjoying the serenity of an otherwise mostly empty building. She knew the day that was to come was going to be the opposite; with her going down to the heart of Tokyo for promotional business. It was the life of a "Vocaloid", always with something to work on or please people with.

Miku arrived at the lab door, giving a gentle knock before twisting the handle to enter.

"Excuse me, Mr.--" She paused. Swinging the door open, she was... greeted by nothing. No people. She expected to find at least a couple people in here working away. To not find anyone was... rather unusual.

"...!"

What was even more strange, however, was a strange sparking light coming from the back of the otherwise dark room. It was a blurry, floating object that seemed to spark with electricity. Miku stood at the door, hesitating for a moment before gingerly taking steps over towards it. What is this thing...? Where had the technicians gone--

The portal-like thing seemed to react to her approach, and suddenly kicked up. A strong wind began to pull at her, forcing her in towards the portal. The young android realized what was happening too late, and despite her attempts to backpedal against the force of wind, she found herself being lurched forward and enveloped by it's grasp.

>E̡ RÓ ̸RR̴R̀
>em̸e̶ r͝rgen c̶ ỳ ̀s̕h̴u t̢t͡d҉o̢w n..​

 

[Sumirenko]

Unlike the world of humans, Gensokyo has hardly changed or progressed a bit since its separation. While objects and technology from the Outside World occasionally wind up in the youkai paradise, no one really knows what to do with them. They're novelties; collector's items. Only the creative kappa try to dismantle the small electronics to see how they tick. The other youkai let them. Why get so excited over electronics when magic can accomplish so much more?

So everyone lives together in harmony.

...Or more often, in grudging, exasperated acceptance of one another.

But in a world full of such powerful creatures, there are bound to be "incidents" that rise up. People that toe the line. And that's perfectly fine. The Hakurei Shrine maiden is Gensokyo's main enforcer, and she fights to keep the peace and restore order when needed. It's understandably a tough job, and sometimes, she wonders what it would be like to have a moment of peace...

Thunk! Thu-thunk! Thunk!

[spoili]

[/spoili]

Reimu Hakurei let out an audible groan, lifting her head just enough to peer over her folded arms. The irritating sound came from one of the small windows at the front of the shrine, and if Reimu squinted, she could just make out a gaggle of fairies in the distance. Giggling gleefully, the little pests were passing pebbles to each other before flinging them at the shrine. A growl rose in her throat, coming out through clenched teeth. Maybe she could have forgiven them for disturbing her nap. Maybe. But disrespecting her shrine?

Oh, no they don't. I'm going to stuff my purification rod right up their sorry little mouths!

Reimu started to stand, then winced, stopping to stretch and rub her neck. The shrine maiden had fallen asleep at her kitchen table. Again. A half-filled cup of cold tea sat there to prove it, along with an untouched bowl of rice. Reimu went to pop a grain of rice into her mouth and made a face; it had long since become hard and chewy. So much for breakfast. Judging by the harsh sunlight that streamed through her window, it was well past noon, anyway. Hungry, half asleep and sore from sleeping in such an unconventional place, Reimu was ready to dish out some punishment.

She burst from her shrine and flung ofuda at the little hooligans, forcing them to drop their pebbles and run screaming. "Cut that out! If I see so much as a crack on my window, you're paying double the cost to fix it! Do you hear me?!" Reimu kept yelling until she was sure the fairies were out of earshot, then she lowered her purification rod with a huge sigh. Her threats were empty, and she knew it. Fairies didn't have a dime of human money on them. Well, they shouldn't come back for a while, at least. Maybe I can try throwing the rice back into the pot. It's worth a try.

Before Reimu could go back inside, however, she spotted a figure sprawled on the grass. Curiosity getting the better of her, she slowly approached them (her? it looked like a her, to Reimu) until she was looking down at Miku's face. It looked... shiny, in the sun. Weird. Reimu knelt down and poked her with the end of her rod, frowning at the clanging noise she didn't think human skin could make. "Hey..." Reimu murmured, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion, "are you alright? Did you drink too much?"

Huh. Maybe this day would turn out to be interesting, after all.​

 

[Kaide`]

>...
>boot-up initiated. . .

"Nnh..." The seemingly unconscious android let out a breath through her artificial lungs, life beginning to return to her systems once more. The world seemed to fade back into existence for her. Her hearing, sense of touch. It all came flooding back. And so did the sensation of being poked and prodded as she lay on something rather... hard.

Her eyes snapped open, her deep-sea blue tinted eyes seeming to swirl and glint. As odd as it may have looked to Reimu, this was just her eyes adjusting to the sudden rather harsh light of the outside. After a moment, Miku squinted, looking over at the girl that squatted by her with confusion in her expression. "Wait... who..." She would attempt to force herself to sit up, supporting herself with her arms. "What happened?"​

 

[Sumirenko]

Reimu mercifully ended her explorations with her purification rod's handle and twirled it in her fingers, a slight frown on her face as she studied the girl more closely. No matter which angle she turned her head, Reimu could not shake the impression that this girl's skin was way too shiny. Her hair was bright too, sure, but it wasn't nearly as odd as her flesh. Reimu had the weird urge to reach out and touch her just to make sure she wasn't an illusion, but assuming she was real, that would be rather embarrassing to explain.

So instead, Reimu merely shrugged and replied in an even tone of voice. "What happened? That's what I was asking. If you can't remember, my best guess is that you had too much and passed out... but that still doesn't explain what you're doing in the shrine courtyard."

She glanced up at the sky, then deliberately rolled her eyes, standing up and extending her hand for Miku to take. "It's getting too dark out for me to just send you back home. I don't want you eaten; that would give me even more of a headache. Come on, it looks like you're spending the night in my shrine."

When Reimu pulled Miku up, she was startled to feel how cold and hard her hands were. Wait... what? It's like I'm feeling her bones- her skin has no give to it at all! Her body was beginning to tense for action, anticipating a trap or some kind of fight. Reimu opened her mouth to demand answers, then paused, deciding to refrain. For now.

"My name's Reimu. Yes, the shrine maiden. Don't worry- even if you're a youkai, I guess you can come in for tea or something." Reimu muttered carefully, escorting Miku up the shrine's steps and towards her modest living space. The interior of the shrine was really only built for one person, maximum, but it would do for now. "I don't think I've seen you before, though. Maybe you can tell me who..." And what... "you are."​

 

[Kaide`]

... Shrine? It took a few seconds for the word to make sense in Miku's mind. How on Earth did she end up at a shrine? And where were the Crypton personnel? She didn't remember how she got here. There was no way Crypton would have just dumped her out in the middle of nowhere with strangers, right?

[spoili]

[/spoili]

Deciding to just go along with it for the time being, given how Reimu seemed pretty friendly, Miku allowed her to help her up and guide her towards the shrine she spoke of. She couldn't help but notice that she seemed somewhat... phased. As if she sensed something was off. Was she picking up on the fact she wasn't human, or was it something else?

"... Youkai?" Miku mumbled, confused. Alright, now this was weird. She had been called many things in her nine-year lifetime, but a youkai wasn't one of them. "Um. I think you misunderstand? My name's Hatsune Miku. I'm a Vocaloid, not a... youkai. I'm not supposed to be here; I think I already missed what I was supposed to have going on today." Her hand went to her forehead, rubbing it as if she was wracking her brain for answers and memories.​

 

[Sumirenko]

Reimu halted in the middle of pulling a chair out for this strange new girl, raising both of her eyebrows.

"A... A what, now? Vocaloid?" She sounded the word out slowly, each syllable clearly pronounced. The name felt strange on her tongue. What was that- some kind of cult? The Vocaloids, led by an especially powerful youkai, up to no good? Reimu began to massage her temples, muttering something under her breath that Miku could just barely catch: "...great... I try to relax and take it easy for a couple of days, and what do I get? A cult. Good grief."

Remembering that the supposed "cult member" was standing right next to her, Reimu cleared her throat and gestured for Miku to sit down. "So you aren't a youkai. Okay. But what on this green earth is a Vocaloid? I've heard of a lot of things, and that doesn't ring any bells."

While she talked, she decided to light her little stove so she could make them some tea. Whoever this girl was, Reimu had a feeling the stories she was about to tell could take a while.​

 

[Kaide`]

Miku's puzzled state only grew worse as Reimu mirrored her. She tilted her head slightly, taking note of the way she was dressed. Maybe that had something to do with it? Had she, bluntly put, been living under a rock this whole time? She could only assume.

... Not to mention she was pretty sure she heard her mumble something about being a cult member.

Shaking her head slightly, Miku took the offer and went to go sit down, carefully clasping her hands together on her lap. "I'm surprised you haven't heard of me, or what I am." She began, watching as she began to heat up the stove. "I'm not human, but I'm not a 'youkai' either. I'm..." She trailed off, hesitating on the next word. She wouldn't admit it to just anyone, but the word 'machine' was getting harder and harder to call herself by the day. "... a machine." She forced it out, her words noticeably jarred.

She shot her a sheepish smile, knowing how awkward she must be coming off. "Heh. That's what I am. That's why my hands probably felt pretty cold to you and stuff..."​

 

[Sumirenko]

Reimu blinked at the fire within her stove, her dark brown eyes reflecting the light of the flickering flames. Her expression was rather... neutral. It was hard to tell what she was thinking. There was a moment of complete silence, then Reimu turned her head, catching Miku's eye.

"A machine, you say?" Reimu murmured, almost to herself. "There aren't many 'machines' in Gensokyo. I've heard that the kappa on the mountain have some, sure, but... you act like I should know you. But I don't. I haven't heard anything about you being involved in major incidents, or causing any trouble in the Human Village. Something about this isn't... right." The water on the stove was boiling, but Reimu paid it no mind. She had a lot of experience as a mystery-solver, and she felt like she was getting onto something. Something big.

The shrine maiden stood up, clasped her hands behind her back, and stared Miku down. With the dimming light outside and the fire at her back, Reimu was somewhat intimidating. Her lips slowly curved into another frown. "Miku... where do you come from?"

​

 

[Kaide`]

Miku stared her down, seeming particularly unfazed at Reimu's somewhat intimidating demeanor. Part of the reason could've been the fact she was silently running diagnostics in her mind, trying to figure out why there was a sudden gap in her memory. She felt she was onto something. She remembered leaving her room to go talk to the lab techs...

"Sapporo, Japan." Miku answered simply. She glanced up at the interior of the room, continuing. "This is a Japanese shrine, right? Then we're... still in Japan." She trailed off, her gaze moving down at her hands on her lap. "... There's a gap in my memory. Right before I woke up here. I remember going to talk to some people, but... I think I saw something. It was bright and weird, sparking..."

Her brows furrowed.​

 

[Sumirenko]

"...Um..." Reimu's eyebrows creased, and her frown deepened even further. That wasn't ringing any bells. Reimu was getting tired of all this fancy, even alien terminology she couldn't understand. Sapporo, Japan... Japan... I've heard that last word, last incident, with the Occult Balls. But what does it mean? The word called up a vague description of towering buildings, flashing lights, and a long dark path below that had machines like meteors streaking into the distance...

Something clicked. The shrine maiden's eyes snapped wide open. On an impulse, Reimu grabbed Miku's shoulders and clasped them firmly, her voice becoming more urgent in tone.

"Miku, listen to me. I have never heard of a... a village called 'Sapporo, Japan' before. There is no place like that currently existing in Gensokyo. But if you say you saw a flashing light..." Her grip tightened. "Then you shouldn't be here. It shouldn't be possible for you to be here, unless you deliberately forced your way in. Which I don't think you did."

Realizing that Miku probably didn't understand what she was talking about, Reimu took a step back, her expression grim in the firelight.

"Miku... You aren't in Japan anymore. This is Gensokyo. You're in another world."
​

 

[Kaide`]

A surprised look overtook Miku's expression, her eyes widening as Reimu grasped at her shoulders. She listened to what she had to say; how "Japan" did not exist. She watched as she took a step back, giving Miku the apparent revelation of what was going on: she was no longer on the Earth she knew.

Simply staring with the shell-shocked look on her face, it all started to make some semblance of sense. She found the memories again. She remembered coming across the sparking, portal-like thing in the back of the dark room. How it pulled her in with the strength of a great wind. How she blacked out, shutting down...

"... Wait, what..." She mumbled, desperately trying to make sense of what this could mean. "'Another world'? But... there's no other world. There shouldn't be one. There's always been just Earth, right? With modern technology, and..." She looked around the room, her gaze finding it's way back onto Reimu after a few moments. "Not this."​

 

[Sumirenko]

"Not always."

By now, Reimu was no longer wary of Miku. She just looked... tired. This entire situation was a headache. No one was supposed to know about Gensokyo and now here this girl was, sitting at the table of her shrine and looking hopelessly lost. Reimu didn't even know what to do in a situation like this. Usually once you entered Gensokyo, you didn't leave, but she had a feeling that this girl wasn't looking to stay forever. Her throat felt dry. I won't have to hurt her, will I?

Reimu shoved those thoughts aside. She certainly didn't share them with Miku. They would have to cross that bridge when they came to it.

She turned back to the water on the stove, groaning when she saw the water boiling over, running down the rough metal of the pot in streams. That's what she got for ignoring it for so long. Reimu wrapped a cloth around one of her hands before carefully removing the pot from the fire, pouring the liquid into two old-fashioned teacups, then reaching into a nearby cabinet and drawing out a small glass jar. Miku saw the tea leaves within. Tea leaves. A painful reminder of the era she was in- an era without computers, running water or even tea bags.

Reimu felt like she had procrastinated enough by now. Even if this girl wasn't supposed to be here, she deserved answers. Reimu brought the cups over to the table along with a tiny bowl of sugar (at least they had that) and sat down across from the android, folding her hands together.

"I assume you've heard of youkai in Outside World 'folklore.' You know, the creatures of the night? Monsters? Well they aren't just stories. A long time ago, they existed in your world in numbers that even exceeded humans." Reimu dropped a spoonful of sugar into her tea, gazing down at her reflection in the liquid. "From what I've heard, they didn't get along. Youkai killed and ate humans, while humans exterminated every single youkai they could find, regardless of whether or not they were innocent. It was a mess. That's why Gensokyo was created... so the youkai and the humans were separated. So they could both live."

"By now, most youkai prefer to take human-ish shape, unless they're hunting. Or if there's a full moon. And humans exist here, but in small numbers; its my job as shrine maiden to protect them and ensure the peace, just like my mother did before me, and my grandmother... it goes back for a long time. But you aren't supposed to be here." Reimu tilted her head. "Usually there's a barrier in place, keeping people from the Outside World out of ours and vice versa. If you got through, there must be a hole that we don't know about. But I don't remember seeing a distortion nearby..." She suddenly looked apologetic. "Which means it could also be a freak occurrence. I'm afraid you might be here for a while, Miku, until I can figure things out."



​

 

[Kaide`]

Miku eyed the little cup of tea placed before her, noting how it had been made. Miku was still struggling to make sense of everything as she gently cupped the cup in both hands; unfazed by how hot it may have been. She swished it around a little bit, simultaneously listening to Reimu's explanation and wondering when was the last time she even had tea.

Bringing the cup up to her mouth and taking a sip, the tea tasted... rather bland. Unfortunately, a lot of things were like that to her. Tinges of flavor washed over her synthetic tongue, but the flavors were rather hard for her to decipher. Technology was advanced, but not that advanced yet.

When Reimu said she'd have to stay awhile while she figured things out, Miku's eyes widened slowly in realization. She swallowed the tea in her mouth quickly, wincing only slightly at the heat of it. Setting the cup down, she gave her a concerned look.

"Eh...? I don't think that'd work. I- I can't survive without charging. It's the equivalent of sleeping for humans, and... you guys too, I guess."​

 

[Sumirenko]

"Oh, I sleep. Technically, I'm a human- being a shrine maiden is just my job. But... charging? Is that what androids do?" Reimu blinked, then let out a slow sigh, rubbing her forehead once again to relieve her persistent headache. "I guess that makes sense, though I'm not going to pretend I understand much about it. That is a problem. Hm..."

Reimu stirred her cup with the little spoon, peering at the ripples with a thoughtful expression. Her code of honor would never allow her to let Miku 'die,' even if it would technically be easier for her and everyone else. She thought briefly of bringing Miku to the technology-loving kappa, then shuddered as visions of the android being dissected and "inspected" filled her head. Nope. That wasn't an option. So what else could they do?

Reimu took a sip of her tea and swallowed. She was used to taking it hot, so it didn't seem to bother her much. Then she set the cup down, laced her fingers together, and spoke up again. "So, does this charging require energy of some sort? I have a friend who's a magician; she might be able to give you power, somehow. And..." Reimu glanced out the window. "It's pretty late. I'd prefer not to go out at night, if we don't have to. How much longer do you have until you absolutely have to charge?"

As she spoke, Miku noticed that two orbs on the edge of the table had begun to quiver. They each bore the yin-yang symbol, though in red and white. Reimu was getting ready for action... just in case they had to venture out.​

 

[Kaide`]

Miku thought for a moment, running an internal check on the state of her battery life. She was lingering somewhere around 40% capacity, which... well, wasn't much. She hadn't gotten a chance to charge at all prior to being brought here, due to the faulty wire (or faulty self, she feared). A full day of activity certainly took it out of her. She wasn't built for extended battery life per say.

"Assuming I turned myself off tonight..." She trailed off, watching the orbs begin to jitter and shake. Truth be told, Miku hated having to power herself down completely. She much preferred a sort of 'sleep mode', but a complete shutdown would be most battery conservative. "I could probably make it through to tomorrow afternoon, or something." She looked back up at her. "But after that, I don't think I'd make it much longer."​

 

[Sumirenko]

The yin-yang orbs stopped quivering. Reimu let out a soft sigh of relief, downing the rest of her tea fairly quickly. It seemed like a huge weight had lifted off of her shoulders.

"Good. Going out at night would be annoying. The youkai would never stop bothering us because you're with me, and frankly, my wrist gets sore when I use too many spell cards. At least in the morning we'll only have fairies to deal with." The shrine maiden set her cup aside so she could wash it later and blinked at Miku slowly, taking a much closer look at the android now that the tension had settled. If she stayed here, she could actually fit in pretty well. She has everything she needs... except, perhaps, a way to defend herself. We'll need to work on that. The best case scenario is that I can wake up Yukari and persuade her to send Miku home. Worst case...

...Let's not think about that.

"You can take the futon, if you're getting tired." Reimu said quietly, drumming her fingers on the table. "I took a long nap earlier, so I think it's safe to say I'm going to be up for a while. Don't worry- I have a couple of books I can read to pass the time." A tiny smile formed at the corners of her lips. The expression was strange on her face; up until now, Miku had only seen Reimu frown or scowl. "Of course, if you aren't tired, either, I can lend you one. Or we can talk. Whatever you want to do... I'm sure this has to be extremely disorienting for you."​

 

[Kaide`]

Miku let out a gentle giggle, nodding her head in agreement. "Yeah... it has been kind of disorienting for me." That was certainly an understatement. It was as if a grand, bizarre adventure was unraveling before her eyes. It was almost kind of... freeing to the young android. For once she wasn't under the jurisdiction of Crypton. Sure, she (and most other Vocaloids) were more or less free to do as they wished within the facilities... but anything in the outside world? Had to be approved and accompanied by Crypton personnel.

"I should probably sleep soon." Miku mused, her gaze wandering the room in curiosity. She wondered what this place had to offer; what kind of people inhabited it. "... Do you just live alone? Here in this shrine?" She asked after a moments pause. She was genuinely curious.​

 

[Sumirenko]

"I do." Reimu said simply, reaching out to take Miku's teacup, then standing up so she could do the dishes. Do the dishes being a loose term; she threw them in the washbin, but she didn't actually wash them. Miku noticed that the washbin was already piled with bowls and plates, but Reimu didn't seem too concerned. She'd do them later. Definitely. When that was done, she went to sit back down and continued, "I stay at the shrine most of the time, unless someone makes a lot of obnoxious noise. You know, scaring the humans, setting fire to the Forest of Magic... the usual ruckus. Then I have to go out and make them quiet down."

Reimu shrugged, resting her chin on her hands and propping her elbows up on the table. "Sometimes people visit just to annoy me. Aside from that, it's pretty quiet. I take a naps. I read. Whatever I feel like doing." As she spoke, Reimu almost seemed to sigh, as if discontented with her own answer. But by the time she was done talking, she sounded normal again- interested, even.

"What about you? What do you do, out there in the Outside World? Earlier, you made it sound like you were some sort of celebrity."​

 

[Kaide`]

"So you're like a... guardian?" Miku mused quietly to herself, seeming to mull over the term in her head for a moment. "Not only to this shrine, but to others thing as well."

When Reimu asked about what she did in the 'Outside World', Miku seemed to quiet for a second. Her gaze left Reimu's eyes as she considered her answer. "Yeah, you could say that. My kind sing and entertain for the masses. There's a lot of us, but... I'm the most popular." She cracked a wary smile. "I..." Her smile faded after a moment as she hesitated on her words. It was really jarring to say, but at the same time...

"I... don't really like it." What was this, an android defying it's purpose? "Sometimes, I don't think a lot of the other Vocaloids like it very much either."​