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Chapter Text

Kaito sighed, doing a quick headcount to find that all of his bandmates were here. Rin and Len, the mirror duo and synchronization masters; Miku, the pop-favoring singer with an equally bright kotori voice; Luka, the calm and collected bassist with a smooth-as-butter voice (must of had formal training, Kaito thought); Meiko, the strict but caring manager with a strong voice to boot, and him.

Kaito noticed that he was the only person who had no musical inclination— save for being able to shamble some barely-even-adequate songs together. In spite of that, he made this band; The Vocaloids. After a brief practice due to no upcoming street performances, Kaito went back to the school dorms while listening to one of his favorite songs. The song, namely, was Teo (written and arranged by Omoi, sung by Araki).

Admittedly, the song, along with Greenlight Senerade as well (Made by Omoi, sung by Teto) were his favorites. If it weren't for Omoi's music, in fact, Kaito thought he might of given into the bullying during school's run time. Thankfully he didn't, and that's why he was sitting at his desk and wracking his mind for song lyrics. Omoi and wowaka made it look so easy!

Alas, Kaito gave up for the night and prepared for bed after doing the light research Meiko had proposed earlier that day. Right before he was going to sleep, though...

"Let's light them up! The Greenlights, and may they shine on your future! Surely, someday, they'll shine for you too.."

Someone was singing outside. Though.. Kaito didn't recognize her voice, it really was youthful and powerful. Removing the covers, Kaito slipped on his outdoor slippers and cracked the door open to the corridor outside.

Right in alignment with the slightly ajar door, there was a girl wearing a white dress with quarter notes on its skirt. Her tie was also glowing with the other cyan parts of her shoes and detached cuffs, though she continued to sing with Kaito watching her.

"You've began to run, but I'll fulfill that promise I made through and through again! That's what I settled on, for a better world! Let's light them up! The Greenlights! And may they shine on times beyond! And you, surely, someday, will see them shine too..!"

Kaito opened the door fully, but the girl noticed him and promptly vanished. A small charm was left behind, resembling a small diamond-like shape. "Huh.. guess I shouldn't of opened the door.." The blunette picked up the charm and felt an odd surge of creativity strike him like a bolt from the blue. Looks like he would have something for tomorrow's practice!

Chapter Text

Band practice surprisingly was eventful, mainly because of the Untitled Song that Kaito found himself writing at the mad hour of midnight last night. Rin and Len were practicing it in the chorus hall—their practice spot for perfomances— and the others were watching.

"Ah, death should not of taken thee.."
"Three-two-one– kyun!"

Meiko, meanwhile, was quite impressed. "So.. this song you stayed up until midnight writing has the theme of a video game missing its hero?" The blunette nodded, earning himself a hum of approval from Miku. "Well, it surprisingly matches their chemistry well.."

"Hate, kalande, zanshi, palante! Mages are sure maging themselves useful!"
"On the throne with a wry smile, I clutch my scepter with anticipation.."
"Holit, Holit, Holit, once again! Monks won't stop using Holit, are they holidiots!?"

Kaito couldn't help but laugh at the dumb banter the king and soldier had in the song he wrote, primarily because it was incredible that the King, of all people, decides to try being the hero.

"Actually, your majesty, I'm not a hero. But perhaps you can be the hero we need instead!"

"To restore the order of the world, and to protect the peace of the land.."

Once the twins wrapped up their performance, their band mates were applauding them and the blunette who wrote the lyrics. "To be honest, you must of outdone yourself by making lyrics that bounce off of the two roles." Luka inquired, causing Kaito to go sheepish. "Actually, I had a surge of creativity after the inspiration research Meiko told me to do. I.. wrote more than one song, too."

A chorus of 'oh!?'s echoed from the other Vocaloids, though Kaito knew they were surprised in a good way. "One of the other songs is Black Rock Shooter. It's for you to sing, Miku." The blunette handed Miku the lyrics sheet, and she stepped back before starting to sing.

"Black Rock Shooter, where have you been? Can you hear me now..?"

When Miku finished, Rin was practically trying her best to do a standing ovation by herself. "Uh.. wow. If you guys are that excited on the first two, then I guess you'll be surprised even more by the last one." An excited peep from the twins meant they were excited for the last song. Kaito knelt down to his bag to find the binder containing the lyrics, but he realized they were missing. "Wait.. I thought I put the binder in here.."

The blunette fully overturned the contents of the bag, noticing the blue diamond charm fall out with the remaining odds and ends.. oh, that's what the name of the missing song was!

"I can't find the lyrics for Odds&Ends in my bag.. well, I guess I'll have to find them before the next practice session." Meiko sighed at that, a little exasperated. "Okay then.. though the Unnamed Song I think should be called Death Should Not Take Thee. Just.. because of the theming." Kaito nodded, and then renamed the song.

Practice wrapped up, and Kaito was back on his way to the dorms. On his way there, though, he found the girl from last night again. Unlike last time, though, she was trying to get his attention.

Turning into an alleyway, Kaito noticed the girl entering a doorway of sorts. Kaito followed her, slightly entranced..

And found himself in Shibuya no longer.

Well... he came up with a colorful insult for getting himself into trouble. It also looked like he wasn't getting out of it for a good while, too.

Chapter Text

The lost blunette maybe spent around ten minutes wandering the weird dungeon, trying to find an exit. The only good that wandering did, though, just got him even more lost. The girl who lead them here then appeared, and looked awfully surprised to see him. "Wait... you can see me?" Kaito slowly nodded. "Yeah, and the normal teen who can see you is incredibly lost. How the heck do I get out of here?"

Kaito noticed the girl seize up at the question. "Ah... I always used Traport or a Goho-M.. I don't know the way out!" Well, he was screwed. "I'm sorry for being useless, mister! AndI'mevenmoresorryfordraggingyouherewhenneitherofusknowthewayout!!"

Kaito had to take a step back from the girl's rambling, mainly because it seemed like she was blaming herself for getting him into this labyrinth. "Well... I'm not blaming you for getting me lost.. I was trying to find the way out when most likely the exit was right behind me. I'm the one who should be calling myself useless. For what I know, I don't even have a costume remotely as functional as yours." Kaito then noticed he said something odd when the girl looked at him, confused.

"Uh... I only wear this because it's the only way I can remember who I am. Other than that.. no memories. But.. I might of let you write those songs.. uh.. and I couldn't help myself with taking one of them to read over."

The girl then took out a binder, and Kaito recognized it in a heartbeat. "That's Odds&Ends! You should of at least left a note.." the girl then sighed a twinge of sadness in her expression. "I tried to tell you.. but you can only hear me in the real world if I sing."

Kaito nodded, realizing what the girl meant. Footsteps then began coming from up ahead, and Kaito got yanked behind a half-wall. The girl then put a hand on Kaito's shoulder, and he heard her singing.

"Mayday! If you know it's me, please don't hold me close— leave me be!"

'Won't they hear us!?' Kaito thought, though he noticed that the girl's mouth wasn't moving. Looking to his hands, the blunette saw them go pretty much translucent, along with the girl's form as well. A teenager surrounded by cloaked figures appeared, and he was holding a jagged blade that crackled with lightning.

"Hey! Mayday! If you know it's me, please laugh at me— it's only right!"

The teen sighed, and his sword turned into an armored man whose features were beyond normal recognition. "Chrom, how is the preparations for the Symphony Of Shadows?" The armored man mentioned something in another language, and the girl reacted to it with a shocked gasp.

'Chrom' then became a sword again, and the half-wall was blown to smithereens as the girl's song stopped having effect. "We're dead." Kaito muttered, right before realizing that instead of being sarcastic he should of run away. But the girl was frozen to the spot, shaking. "I... I don't want to die.. not yet..!" She fell over, and both her and the blunette flinched as the teen sent another bolt of lightning their way.

The realization that the should-of-been-sarcastic statement was actually going to happen struck Kaito, and he immediately began to panic. That teen, who didn't look much older than him, was going to kill him. Stumbling backwards, the blunette tried to back away. That's when he noticed the girl had grabbed his hand, and was saying something in another language. Before the blunette could even react, both people who were being attacked were surrounded by a dome of light.

Inside the dome, Kaito found himself still sitting down, while the girl was standing again. "Well.. I didn't think I was going to wind up doing this and dragging you into a mess this big... but we don't have much of choice if we're going to survive this madness." Kaito scrambled to his feet, more than a little confused about what was going on. "What did you even do? Also... how were you singing without moving your mouth?" The girl sighed. "I'll explain when I get the chance. Simply put, I gotta Contract myself with you so we can defend ourselves."

"What?" The girl sighed. "Just.. think of it as me giving you my knowledge of combat in exchange for the price of nothing. It's only called Contracting because it can't be undone by most means, save for Corruption and Severing." Kaito pretended to go along with it, and the girl took his hands. "Okay, we both need to say this for it to work."

"Ok..?"

"As a bearer of Light and Performa against the darkness of the Shadows, let the gods and Naga seal this Contract in hopes of silencing the Dissonance for good."

A gentle light envelopes the two of them, and two words are exclaimed by the blunette:

"Carnage Form!"

Chapter Text

"Carnage Form!"

The light exploded into a gale, knocking the sword-wielding teen a decent ten feet away from the blunette, who was now holding a staff with mechanical lights pulsing along the entire weapon. Getting up from a kneeling position, Kaito looked himself over.

His Carnage Form, as it was called, looked like it was based off of a rook in chess, with even a hat to match the theme. The cape clipped on (and staying on) by some magical force also blew in a nonexistent wind, confusing Kaito for a second before jumping back to evade a slash from the teen— who was a Lord.

"Any idea on what happened after the contract??" Kaito dodged an arc of lightning, losing his hat in the process. Uh.. we– we somehow managed to transform... uh, hold on! "What!?" Kaito then found himself flying up to a ledge, with a few blades of wind springing from where he waved his hand below him. "Wait. Was that magic?" Yep! We're a Mage class, so that kind of thing is totally normal! "What even is up with the classes!?"

Ducking to avoid another bolt, Kaito then noticed he'd suddenly gotten an idea to pop up in his head. "Fire.. wait, how do I get that to happen?" Remember? Mage?? "Oh, right!"

Swinging the staff in front of him, a small fireball collided with the ground. Where it landed, though, created a plume of red flames that the Lord rammed into. Said swordsman screeched at the flames, before the armored man's voice echoed again in the unknown language. The Lord flung lightning to the ground, and promptly vanished.

Kaito fell to the ground after that, and his staff reverted back to its true appearance along with his clothes. "Where were you the whole time?" The girl sighed. "I was your weapon. That's how I was prompting those tactics and whatnot." Kaito then deadpanned. "Oh, that explains a lot."

"Lemme guess.. you still don't know what's going on, huh?"

"Yeah?"

The girl then sighed. "First thing first, I'm Kit. Second... uh... I'm gonna explain the two voices thing. Though... how did you hear me?" Kaito shrugged. "My normal life went away in thirty seconds, so I have no idea." Kit sighed, and then began to explain things.

"So... you're able to sing with a silent second voice, allowing you to cast spells without drawing attention to yourself?" Kit nodded. "Yeah, that's how it works! And for the thing involving weapons... I'm technically a being called a Mirage. Unlike a normal Mirage, though, I'm not based off of anything. Or... I don't think I am.."

A quiet phantom memory played out in Kaito's mind, but he dismissed it.

"Well... in turn for helping me navigate this mess and being a Mirage Master, if that's what they're called, I'll help you get your memories back." Kit's face lit up at Kaito's request/offer, and she nodded. "Looking forward to working with you, Master!" She chirped, even doing a little salute.

"I.. don't think the salute is needed.."

After an hour, Kit finally managed to cast Traport, and the Mirage and Master were both in Kaito's room. Oh, and their shoes were off, too. "How come you didn't do that immediately?" Kit shrugged. "Dunno, never occurred to me." Kaito then took a step back. "Wait.. you just spoke normally, and I heard you."

"You can hear me now???" Kit pretty much began jumping for joy at that, and Kaito sighed. It already was late, and he had practice tomorrow. "I have things to do tomorrow, Kit.. uh, can you at least be quiet?" Kit nodded, and pulled her usual vanishing act. There was a little note that fluttered to the ground, and the blunette picked it up.

I'll be joining you there, Master! ＼(・o・)／

He wasn't expecting Kit to actually show up looking like a normal girl the next day. Speaking of which, she confused the entire band by nearly calling him "Master", but she caught herself and called him "Kai-kun" instead.

That was still a little weird.

The band then practiced Odds&Ends together, given that everyone had a part in the song. Although, Kaito was surprised by how good he sounded— usually he'd be off tune— but this time he at least was able to hold some semblance of a note.

After that, and introducing Kit to the band and starting her initiation, Kaito pulled the Mirage aside to speak with her.

"So, how exactly did you change your appearance?" Kit's outfit returned to how she looked in the Idolasphere (she'd explained the dungeon last night), and her ears went from looking normal to being fox ears (and how did he not notice the first two times?). "Well... I don't know. Maybe.. I appear that way in front of others who don't know what I actually look like?"

Kaito merely shrugged in response. It wasn't like either of them had a good explanation for it. Kit's ears then twitched, and her expression shifted to worry. "We have to go to Daitama.. the Corrupted Lord is there.. he's going to attack the convention.." Kaito immediately felt worried about that, also taking note that Kit somehow knew it might happen. "Well.. we'll stop him. Right?" Kit nodded, and the two of them made way to Daitama.

They didn't even notice that they were being followed by a hooded man..

Chapter Text

As both Mirage and Mirage Master got to the convention, they noticed that normal people were coming in without passes or tickets. "So, we won't have much trouble getting in—"

Screams of terror began coming from inside the convention, before suddenly going silent. Being spurred to investigate, the odd duo found themselves confronting the dark Lord again. "Hm.. I should of thought you'd try fighting us again.." Kit merely trembled, her ears folded down in distress. "I can hear his heart crying out from the darkness controlling it.. we have to free him, Master!"

The blunette nodded, and quickly shifted into his Carnage Form as the Lord mirrored them. "I am the traitorous Lord, bearer of Grima's burden. I am Itsuki, Herald Of Dissonance!" An arc of lightning forced Kaito to jump, and the battle then began. More than one person was watching, though. "Morgan, when can we strike?" A boy leaned to his master and whispered, telling them when they could act.

Kaito was trying to keep up with his attacker, but his lack of combat experience really made things hard. Especially because of the fact that he was thin but not active at all. Within only the first ten minutes of the battle, the Mage was winded and ready to hide for a while to get his breath back. C'mon, we can't be running off and hiding! "Kit, I know.. but I can't keep on dodging either—"

One of the arcs of lightning struck Kaito in the chest, launching him into the wall before forcing him to the ground. With some of the remaining voltage coursing through his body, the blunette was left convulsing on the floor, unable to do anything. "Hmph.. I expected more of a fight.." Before the Herald could drive his sword through the Mage, though.. 

"This is enough!" A fireball struck him in the back, disarming the Herald as they were now writhing on the floor from the flames. Struggling to stand, Kaito looked up to see who'd saved him. He.. didn't really think that Meiko was going to be standing over him with a worried look. "Kaito, I wouldn't of known you'd been dragged into this unless you showed up here.." 

The brunette helped Kaito up, and he noticed her Carnage Form seemed to resemble a witch of sorts. "Well, at least I know a thing or two about something that we'll need to do." And, that is?

"Session skills." A boy piped up, causing Kaito to notice that they looked like a Mirage. "Morgan, I couldn't of said it better." Morgan merely sighed, right before becoming Meiko's wand again. "So, all we need to do is just hit his weakness— Fire and Lances. After that, it's simple!" Kaito nodded, finally being able to recover from the shock that the lightning gave him.

The blunette then launched a series of flames at the Herald, and Meiko followed up with her own fire attack before they fell to their knees. Kit then appeared, with a worried look on her face. Both Mirage Masters heard Kit hum something, and the darkness surrounding Itsuki began to fade along with his weapon. "You really don't know....? Freeing me will only advance darkness unto yourself.." Itsuki then vanished, and Kit stumbled a little.

"Well, that was cryptic." Meiko sighed, as both her Carnage Form and Kaito's vanished with the lights. When they came back on, everyone who was attending the convention was in the room. Aside for being dazed, they didn't remember a thing. On the way back to Kaito's dorm, Kit seemed like she was in a slight haze from the battle. Kaito himself, though, was thinking about Itsuki's last words.

'Just what could he mean?'

Later that night, Kaito found himself in a castle of sorts. On the throne in the room, there was a girl with lilac eyes and white wings.

Oracle.. The time Dissonace tears into reality ticks closer.

"What do you mean?"

It will invade, tearing any and all souls into pieces that it can get ahold of. It is a darkness that only can be destroyed by the pure hearted.

"When will it strike?"

That is sadly beyond me. If I had any semblance of knowledge for the date, I would of told you. Yet, there is a power you can use to prepare.

A small crystal made of light appeared in front of the blunette, and he accepted it.

This power is great.. yet you only may use it when you soar in the great skies. Once you take flight, the notes shall reveal themselves to you.

"Okay...?"

I wish you godspeed, Oracle..

Kaito slowly woke from his dream, with a warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest. It nearly drew out an old childhood memory, but the blunette pushed it back.

If he had to fly to get the power of light... how could he even brave his fear to start?

Chapter Text

Kaito realized that band practice had loosened up, mainly because it was the middle of summer and everyone wanted to enjoy their vacations. He decided to send Meiko a text, and the two Mirage Masters met up in Meiko's condo.

"There's most likely going to be an attack at Daitou TV Station.. after all, the chronological order of the initial incidents would be most likely how this would occur.. Kaito, you're paying attention, right?" The blunette only sighed, given that he only had three cryptic pieces of evidence towards the Curse that the Heralds were mentioning.

First, Itsuki had mentioned an advancing darkness.
Second, Tsubasa mentioned a sense of hatred, growing stronger by the passing days.
Third, Touma mentioned a lack of courage that would only intensify the noise in Kit's heart.

To be honest.. he would've been lying if he said he wasn't scared for his Mirage.

Yet, he still was making his way to Daitou with Meiko, to confront the next Herald.. completely unaware that someone was following them with foolish curiosity.

In Daitou, there was darkness everywhere as a duo of singers sang songs of lament and despair. "So.. we have to fight Mamori and Kiria now.." The Corrupted Mirage Masters merely ended their singing, and sighed.

"We are the voices of lament, bound to the chains of the past. We are Kiria and Mamori, Heralds Of Despair!"

The different title most likely meant something bad.. but Meiko and Kaito didn't have time to think about it as the Heralds transformed and attacked them with a flurry of ice. Meiko and Kaito both scattered before launching their own spells at the Heralds, with the person who'd followed them watching in the background. "So.. Kaito-sempai and Meiko-sempai are warriors..?" The teal-haired Vocaloid sighed, accidentally getting Kiria's attention. "Come out, whoever you are!" Miku wimpered as razor-sharp shards of ice struck her hiding spot.

Kaito quickly reacted by grabbing Kiria's attention, but Mamori was slowly making her way to where Miku was. "No!" With Kaito's shocked cry and Miku cowering in fear, everyone suddenly heard two voices chanting some kind of protective ballad. Right as the voices stopped, a shield formed around Miku and prevented Mamori from killing her. "So.. Amatsu is helping you, Oracle?"

"What?"

"I'm speaking of the person who protected this weakling. Only Amatsu would pity the weak."

Kaito was merely clutching his staff, though both Meiko and Miku noticed his grip was tight enough to make his knuckles white.

A small wisp of darkness accompanied the attack that was sent the Armor Knight's way, ensuring she was downed. The two Heralds then regrouped, and Kaito realized that he could feel that something was trying to overrun him with rage. Meiko and Kit freed the Heralds without his help, though any of the unnatural rage that Kaito had vanished when he noticed Kit looked unwell.

The next hour in his dorm felt like an eternity, though Kit only had enough strength to send a note to him thanks to how ill she had suddenly become.

Master, I worry if the Curse the Heralds mention is going to take my life. I might not be fighting for a while.. I'm sorry!

Kaito sighed at the note in his hands. He should've been the one apologizing, because he almost let rage get the better of him.

Something still felt off about him, though. Before the battle, he didn't feel the strange fatigue that he had now. Almost as if something was trying to make him sleep.. for good. In spite of it, he still forced himself awake and out of its grasp.

After all.. he didn't want to become something similar to the Heralds and hurt his friends.

He didn't even know that something was happening to his partner, though.. something that couldn't be prevented.

Chapter Text

Kit had been gone for a while, and the other Vocaloids noticed that Kaito's inspiration for music was steadily declining. Meiko, on the other hand, had connected the dots between Kaito's songs and his secret identity as a Mirage Master.

During one of the practice meetings, she pulled the blunette aside to speak with him.

"I've noticed that you haven't been doing well since Kit had collapsed." Kaito sighed, figuring out what Meiko meant. "I.. I think she might be connected to my inspiration.. after all, it's kind of the reverse of normal Mirage-to-Master relationships." The brunette hummed in agreement, with the two of them unaware that four others were listening in on them. "Though.. unlike the other Mirages.. you know.. Chrom, Ceada, Cain, Tharja, and Darug all rely on their Master's Performa. Kit, on the other hand, bears no resemblance to any of them and instead grants me Performa I don't have. So.. it's a little weird."

A beeping signal from everyone's phones then startled the two Mirage Masters, and Meiko then gasped in realization. "Kaito, we have to go to the broadcast tower— Kit's there, and something's wrong!"

The two Masters then ran off, and Len followed them. In fact— all of the other Vocaloids went with him.

At the broadcast tower, both Kaito and Meiko had to push back the aura of fear that surrounded the tower. Len, now joined by the other Vocaloids, were watching from afar. And like before.. Len broke off from the group to join Kaito and Meiko. Eventually, they got to the top of the tower, and Meiko noticed a box on the antenna that clearly wasn't supposed to be there.

"That box is most likely what's sending the Dissonant signal across Tokyo.. but I can't shoot it down or try climbing up there." Len then made it, also hearing the minor chat that Meiko and Kaito had. "I can climb up there and drop it from the antenna." Both Mirage Masters flinched, realizing that someone had followed them. "Miku told me you guys had magic, but sometimes a little extra help can do more than just powers alone, I think."

The sound of footsteps reached the trio, and they looked up to see someone extremely familiar wearing an outfit covered in white gauze. Their eyes were red too, but Kaito only needed one glance to know who the Mirage was. "Kit!?"

Kit sighed, taking out a crowbar and tapping it on the ground. "You've been able to fell the other Heralds.. but how could you defeat one when you lack the power of the one helping you free them?" Kaito held his tongue, while Len slid away from the group to begin climbing the rod. Meiko had shifted into Carnage Form, and she was ready to fight.

"I am the eclipsed Mirage, bearer of memories long forgotten. I am Kit, Herald Of Chaos!" Some of the gauze on Kit's attire then lashed out at Meiko, right before the Mirage slammed her into the floor. "Meiko!" The brunette was taken out quite fast, given that Kit actually had more strength than what her frame showed. The gauze then snaked up to Len (who was trying to remove the black box on the antenna), and tore him from the rod. Even though the box was off now..

Kaito sprinted over to the railing to try catching the falling blond, but his trajectory flung him over the railing— he was going to fall right to his death. "LEN!"

The boy meanwhile was clutching the box, feeling the wind roar past him. 'I'm sorry, Rin..'

Kaito could only watch— in spite of the fact it still was a very long way down for Len to fall— in complete horror.

Once you take flight, the notes shall reveal themselves to you.

There was something he could try.. but if the girl on the throne was wrong— he'd commit suicide trying to save someone. Taking a leap of faith— literally— Kaito threw himself over the railing.

Everyone on the ground couldn't believe what they were seeing. First, Len was thrown off of the tower by a scary lady with strange powers— and then Kaito jumped the railing right after! Just what was he thinking— Rin thought,— both of them would die!

Kaito thought he'd never have to feel the sensation of the wind rushing by him again. Just like when he was a child.. he was genuinely terrified. The blunette couldn't even open his eyes to watch the ground flash closer— and suddenly, a memory came. A painful one.. that he'd tried to forget.

It was the day before his parents were murdered.. he'd drawn a picture of a girl with fox ears who had a dress with notes on it. "Mommy, this is my best friend! Her name's Kit, and she's a magical kitsune with music powers!" His parents, Prima and Tonio, smiled at that, and pet his head. "Yes she is. I'm sure you must have plenty to tell her, being in a new city!" Prima happily exclaimed. His younger self nodded, his joy showing in his radiant eyes. "I can't wait to tell her about chorus!"

The next day.. he was forced to abandon everything as he jumped from the window of the apartment due to the mad killer chasing him. Since then.. he'd been terrified of falling.. it was something he never wanted to relive again.

The blunette flinched, feeling tears. Were they his? Or Len's? It might of been a miracle neither of them hit the ground... Kaito's thoughts were then interrupted by a surge of courage..

And he opened his eyes.

Len was only a meter away from him, given his descent started earlier than his. With a song echoing around him, he reached out..

"When I was born, I realized I was a copy of humanity, but even then I still sang— a life unending, VOCALOID.."

The crowd that'd gathered at the broadcast tower saw a blinding flash, right before they saw the falling boy being taken to safety by a silver dragon that had appeared out of the middle of nowhere. Namely, that safety was with the boy's sister and their friends.

Rin had no idea what happened, but she was glad that her brother didn't meet a cruel fate on the pavement. Len himself, meanwhile, was kissing the ground. He most likely was going to be traumatized by heights.. but at least he lived.

The dragon then flew an arc over the tower and began circling it. After a few minutes, it flew away.

When Meiko woke up, though, she found that Kit was unconscious... and her entire appearance had reverted to normal. The Herald Of Chaos was no more.

Chapter Text

When Kaito was aware of time again, he found himself in his bed.... but it felt different. Looking around, he realized it was his old room— the one from his childhood. Getting out of the bed, he then realized he could hear crying.

Following the sound, he found a boy with blue hair sobbing on the floor. Was this him? "M-mister..." the child babbled, and they then ran over to him and hugged his legs. "I was so lonely.. but you came back!" The child then stepped away, and Kaito knelt down to be at the small child's eye level. "Um.. it might be a little odd for me to ask.. but what's your name?" The child looked down, seemingly sad again. "K-Kaito Shion." Wait. That was his name.. and the child's!?

"Huh... funny enough, my name's Kaito too." The child looked up at him again, confused. "You're Kaito too? Oh.. I think I know you!" The older blunette nodded, waiting for his younger self to continue.. "You're the sad person who lost his imagination.. right?" Kaito's slight confusion immediately vanished as he felt his blood run cold. What did they even mean?

"Though.. um.. if that's who you are, I guess I'm not Kaito.. but instead.. um.. Innocence! Yeah, that's who I am!" The boy did a little fist pump, though Kaito was still frightened by that interpretation of his personality. "So... Innocence.. why am I here?" Kaito asked, not making an effort to show the unease in his voice.

"This is the place where your imagination has gone.. I'm here to bring it back to you! But.. you might be too sad to want it back.. and that makes me sad too." Kaito sighed, shifting from kneeling to sitting. "What makes you think that?" Innocence took out a paper, and Kaito's eyes went wide at who was in the picture. "We both know her.. though you had abandoned her in the past because you were sad." Guilt began to weigh him down, somehow knowing what the child was talking about.

"Yeah.. you're right. What a friend I must be.." Kaito felt a tear slip from his eye, and noticed that Innocence mirrored him. "So you really are too sad to accept it again.." Innocence put away the paper, and began to walk away. "W-wait! Can you at least—"

Everything went black, and there was an annoying beeping that drew the blunette from his slumber. Where was he?

Slowly opening his eyes, Kaito found himself not in his childhood bedroom, but instead in the bed of a hospital. His memories from what happened were hazy.. but he did remember something.

He saved Len from certian death.

No, there was more than that..

Kit had been Corrupted and lost her sense of self.

He still couldn't remember something, though..

He'd transformed into a dragon. That's how he saved Len.

Dots finally connected, and Kaito realized he most likely was in a Tokyo hospital for some reason. The beeping that had pulled him out of his dream was a pulse monitor, making sure he was most assuredly alive.

Someone else had come into the room, and they were followed by others too.

They were his band mates.. The Vocaloids.

He'd spoken with them for a brief time before they left, though something still felt wrong. Almost as if.. he was missing something.

Kit is gone.

Maybe that was it.

But what if she isn't? And the people she freed are alive?

Didn't seem likely.

Letting out a sigh, Kaito slid back under the white blanket in the hospital bed. Maybe he'd sleep for a while longer..

Chapter Text

Meiko already knew something was off when she heard that Kaito was in the hospital at Nippori. She'd taken the other Vocaloids to visit him, but she also noticed someone sitting outside the door when she was leaving with the others.

That someone was Kit, but she looked considerably weak. "He's forgetting..." she murmured, a look of worry etched into her face. Meiko wanted to ask about what Kit was talking about, but she realized that Kit would of noticed her if she was okay.. and didn't look like a ghost.

That's when it hit her— Kit was in limbo, meaning the Mirage could fade away at any moment. Meiko then got worried. Without Kit, the Heralds wouldn't be able to be freed. On top of that, Kaito would permanently lose his ability to imagine— and the last of his Performa— with her.

With that, she decided to write a song with everyone's help.. and hope that Kit's voice with their lyrics would be enough to save Kaito's Performa.. and Kit herself, too.

With that, The Vocaloids met on an urgent meeting. They had to write a song.. without their songwriter.

The next day, a song had been written. One of an echo that cannot remember who they were, but tried to retain their identity in spite of the limbo that ate away at them.

Meiko hoped it'd be enough to save Kit.. but there only was one way to find out.

Chapter Text

Kaito played the recording that Meiko had found on the internet, and immediately noticed it was music. Although, the orchestrated notes didn't tip off what the song was about. Well, that was until someone began to sing.

"The clock's stopped ticking, forever ago. How long have I been up? I don't know! I can't hold on, but can't let go.. there is nothing to grasp, though! Why can't I see? Why can't I see? The world in monochrome, lacking life.. Please, can't I be.. please, can't I be colorful.. and free?"

As the song continued, even the others who'd made the song were surprised by the emotion in Kit's voice.

"What the hell's going on!? Can't someone tell me!? PLEASE!? I've been changing like channels on TV! I'm black— no, white! NO! Something's not right! My foe is invisible, I don't know how to fight! This overwhelming fear is more than I can take.. up against the Echo in the mirror— ECHO!"

The music continued, and Kaito realized he did forget something. But what was it?

"I'll burn down my house 'till an ugly black! I'll run away never looking back..."

The chorus started again, and Kaito realized he'd forgotten Kit's true nature, and her ties to him. She.. was created by him. Without his belief in her existence.. she was living on borrowed time.

"I'm still up against that Echo in the mirror.. echo........"

With that, the Mirage who'd sung her heart out stepped into the room. "Master, you remembered..!" Kaito sighed as the recording quieted, resting his head in his hands. "I seriously had no idea before now that I created you, Kit. I'm.. sorry for forgetting you.. but where did that part before the last chorus come from?"

Kit then seized up a little, and her eyes fell to the tiles on the floor. "Uh.... I actually don't know. It wasn't in the lyrics the others told me to sing.. maybe.. they came from you, Master?"

Oh. The dream with Innocence..
He really did run without looking back.

"You're right.. they did come from me. I.. guess I was trying to forget something I shouldn't have.. running without looking back."

Later that day, the blunette was discharged in perfect condition. Kit was electric that band practice was going to start up again, but Kaito couldn't stop thinking about the song that'd saved his partner.

Just what was Innocence talking about.. and why couldn't he remember Kit's reliance on him until now?

Chapter Text

The next three days felt like a blur, though Kaito was able to remember what they had done. They had put together a performance with the songs they had written, and they were getting ready for audition for the MusicFes in EnterKingdom. Of the songs they were going to perform, Odds&Ends was going to be their main song.

Although.. their prep was interrupted by Len suddenly getting a feeling of dread about EnterKingdom. Namely, something that was going to happen during the event.

After that happened, Kaito noticed that he could— on brief occasion— see the Heralds going on with their day-to-day life. Yet in spite of this, they continued practice. Well.. until Len took a leave from practice due to the headaches he was getting near frequently.

"I'm kind of worried about Len.." Kit sighed, right after Kaito finished singing Blue Lotus. "It seems like something's off.. but none of us know what. And just knowing that is really starting to annoy me." The blunette sighed. Kit's ears then twitched, and she flinched. "Guys, I think Len might be in trouble.."

Everyone then arrived and Rin and Len's place, and they found him being attacked by a Herald that should of been dead. "It's the evil me!?" Kit yelped, getting the attention of the corrupt Herald. "Hmph.. I thought I did away with you.." Kit's copy threw Len to the ground, and the boy was put into a coughing fit because he was previously being choked.

The Mirage was then flung a few feet away, before being grabbed by the ankle with one of the gauze-snakes. "Now to banish you for good.." The Herald summoned a crowbar, and began advancing on Kit before striking her across the face. She was then struck again, and then was released from the snake when she went limp. Kaito shivered at what looked like blood coming from the Mirage's head, though the Herald sighed. "Pitiful. I was expecting more of a fight from you."

Before the Herald could bash Kit's skull in, a wild flashbang impeded the action. "Wh–"

Kagamine, my power is yours!

When the light cleared, Len was revealed in a Carnage Form. From the glowing lines on his outfit to the lance of light in his hands, the others noticed the outfit fit the description of an electric angel. "Hmph.. so Amatsu lends her power to you in the form of a Contract?"

Len nods, not fully sure of what the Herald meant.

"Black and White.. Truth and Ideals. Which will you choose? This choice must be made."

As Kit's reversal left in a mist of darkness, the three Mirage Masters faintly heard a song.

"I wish that I could live, feeling nothing but the night.."

Chapter Text

Hi.. Kit from beyond the fourth wall here!

This story is being discontinued. Some of you might find it surprising, and maybe a good amount of you are neutral on it.. but my inspiration is pretty much a dried up oasis now for this story.

I tried adding in every idea I got.. and it wound up with the pacing being horrendously fast. As a result, I can't take this anywhere else. If any of you wish, I'll give you permission to finish what I tried to start. Just.. please credit me for the original concept ;-;

I might use the ideas here sometime in the future, but it will not be in the form of a TMS rewrite/sequel. I should've known from the start it was going to crash and burn— all of my past and unposted attempts did the same. Though.. this isn't going to be the last of Mirage Master!Kaito and Mirage!Kit.. so there's still a little hope for the characters here!

Though.. to go with the title.. I'm sorry I had to drop this. But.. I tried and gave up on repairing my massive gaps in story logic, plot holes, and continuity issues. I hope that perhaps you enjoyed it while it was still being updated, and perhaps you'll enjoy my other (and better) works. I'm also focusing now on rewriting some of my first works on the platform, so there's that to look forward to ^-^;

Kit from beyond the fourth wall, heading off to do stuff.. (and maybe play Vanguard.. hint hint?)