"Rasberry lemonade please" I told the bartender, ignoring the strange look he gave me. Normally me and Miku wouldn't be caught dead at a bar...but this restraunt had amazing food, and all the regular booths were taken.

Miku ordered the same, then turned to me "so Teto-chan, no Len?"

I shook my head "His sister and Gumi were dragging him to the movie theater, they wanted to see the new carebear movie "

Miku laughed "Poor Len-Kun, that really isn't helping his manliness"

"What about Neru?"

"Still mad at me for trying to confiscate her phone. I mean, Jesus! I just wanted to have a decent conversation whithout her texting every other word-"

I elbowed her and nodded my head towards the door, a bunch of guys were walking in, one of which was Miku's current crush.

Miku paled, and said "I need to go to the bathroom, be right back"

I nodded, and sat there, spinning idly around on the barstool.

Then I heard that dreaded voice.

"Hey UTAU" it drawled, words slightly slurred.

"Leave me alone Meiko!" I said, body tense, please don't let this get violent I thought please, please...

"Get you ugly butt over here, Kasane"

"No" I said, hedging my bets. She would bully me worse for not doing what she said, but, I was across the room, and maybe Miku would get out the bathroom before she reached me.

I watched as she stumbled out of her chair and over to me, wobbling precariously. She looked tipsy, which was not a good sign. She was unpleasant enough while sober, but when she was drunk, she got downright nasty.

Where are you Miku?

I thought desperatly

Where are you?!

A rough hand grabbed my by the collar. I struggled against her grip and finally twisted free, but she wasnt done with me yet. Grabbing my pigtails and digging her elbows into my neck, she hissed "You know what you are UTAU? A Cukoo bird, dropped off here because nobody else wanted you. You can't sing like us, you don't look like us, and you are useless for everything except stealing our resources. And yet some of the saps here still waste their time taking care of you. I'm not so stupid Kasane. I know you're just a FAKE!"

It was always the same old rant about how I didn't belong here, and how I never would amount to anything. Every, single, time.

She shoved me off my feet, and I hit the ground hard. Then, after kicking my head, she turned on her heel and walked away.

I curled up in a ball and lay there for a few minutes. I knew that if I got up now, it would only provoke another beating. After a little while, I pulled myself to my feet, and swiftly walked out the door.

I could only hope someone would tell Miku what happened, because I was not going back in there.

I walked down the street, and into the Vocaloid house (pretty much a glorified college dorm room with a shared kitchen on the first floor)

My room was on the top floor, and, of the 10 rooms up there, the only occupied one.

Usually I was creeped out by this, and found the process of going up to my room at night extremely creepy, but tonight, I was glad that there was nobody on my floor.

I had a plan to put into effect.

I, like all the other utauloids and vocaloids here, was an android. My robot body acted like a human's in almost every way, I could eat, sleep, and feel emotions. But I was still a robot, and that meant I could be reprogrammed.

I was sick and tired of being bullied...of being hated...of being different. But that was all going to change.

I went over to my book shelf, and grabbed the small box hidden behind a seldom-used dictionary.

There was small chip inside. It was just one of the many used to make an android body work, and this particular type of chip controllled appearance. From clothing to skin color to facial features. Absolutely everything.

I had programmed this one myself. I had been working on it ever since the bullying had gotten to the point where I couldn't walk down the street whithout Miku, or Len, or one of the other vocaloids who were my friends for fear of being mugged by Meiko and her group.

With the chip, I could start fresh, masquerading as a new vocaloid. I could go places whithout fearing for my life, the other vocaloids (the ones neither in meiko's group, nor in my small group of friends) wouldn't be scared to be around me anymore.

I could be free.

I left the room with the box in my hand, leaving everything else from my phone to my bread back inside. I would not be coming back for it.

Then I walked down the hall and slid my card into the key slot of a different room. I had hacked the lock some months previously, so it opened easily. Inside the room was my new life.

A new laptop sat on a desk, next to it a new smartphone. The bed was covered in pristine white sheets and a pale orange comforter, nothing like the ones I had in my old room.

I sat down on the bed, and fished out the computer chip. I hesitated, did I really want this?

Then I heard Meiko's loud voice blare from downstairs. She must have come home from the bar.

I opened the small panel in my arm, took the old chip out, and, after placing it in the box, slid the new chip in with a decisive click.

My adroid body whirred for a second, then, sensing new data, went into sleep mode to make the changes.

My last thought was, here goes nothing.