"And your punishment…" starts Master, a threatening look burning in his furious russet eyes, "One whole week of mail delivery down UTAU Avenue," he finishes slowly, each word cutting through the air like bullets. I can't even bring myself to speak. UTAU Avenue? But that street is filled with… UTAUs! I'll die on that street! I'll die! I don't wanna die!
Okay, okay. Maybe I should back it up a little bit (and as quickly as possible). So, Meiko threw this party, because she is the queen of parties. I guess you've already heard the stories about what happens when Meiko is partying, and well… somehow some of her precious sake spilled all over me when I was trying to get some fruit punch, thank you very much. Well, obviously, I'm a bit young to go home smelling like sake, and on top of that, I completely ditched a recording session for that party. And now, Master is furious.
"M-Mail delivery?" I manage to choke out. He nods slowly.
"You heard me," he says, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"B-But… Please! Anything but mail delivery!" I cry, my throat beginning to catch. "Please!" I beg, my cherry red hair falling over my shoulders as I pull on the hem of my white dress.
"You know what, since you like complaining so much, you could always start right now," he suggests, eyebrows rising as he looks taken aback.
"No!" I quickly protest, only to then clasp a hand over my mouth.
"Right now it is," he hums, "Now go."
Hello there. My name is Miki Furukawa and I am a complete idiot.
P-Purple …. I guess that's really the only good adjective to describe the house that stands before me. There's purple siding, a purple chimney, a purple fence, and then of course, there's a black roof and a white door. Do these UTAUs always paint their houses this way? I wonder who lives here…
I try knocking on the door, package in hand. As I wait for an answer, I can't help but notice the cracked white paint beginning to peel off on the corners of the hinges. I trace the paint gently with my finger, only to stumble back in surprise as the door swings open. I scramble to grab the package before it tumbles out of my hands. Instead, I find it skidding across the long cobblestone path… that's lined with purple flowers.
"A-A V-Vocalo-loid?" stammers a voice above my head. "Are you Miki?" asks the voice. I look up to find that the voice belongs to a young girl, possibly about my age, though maybe a bit older. I find that her appearance easily matches her house. She wears a black outfit similar to Miku's that's outlined in purple, purple, and guess what? More purple. "M-My name is Defoko," she murmurs quietly. "It's not often that we get Vocaloids on this street. What brings you to my house?" she inquires. Suddenly, a dazzling look comes across her eyes as she jumps off her heels. "Am I getting an upgrade?" she gasps.
"No," I quickly cut her off, bending down to pick up the package.
"Yeah, they'll never upgrade me," she sighs quietly, the glittery look in her eyes vanishing back to the previous melancholic purple hue.
"Well," I start, rocking back and forth on my heels, "You've got a package from someone," I smile, attempting to make her feel better.
"Thanks," she quickly snaps, snatching it from my hand. "I'm Defoko, by the way. I think it would be best if you were to leave now," she rushes, already swinging the door shut. The hurried slam of the door puts a current in the air, blowing my hair back with a hindered breath of wind.
Well, that wasn't strange at all. I look down to the palms of my hands as I swing my mailbag around my shoulder again. I still see the color flooding my skin, a clear sign that I'm still alive. I guess I didn't die… yet.
My feet skip one after the other down the avenue's paved street as the sun begins to shift out from behind the clouds. Hooray, sunshine! Maybe this is a sign… Only, the fast-moving clouds simply cover the light back up again. Great, my sign just got crushed. I make my way up the path of the next house- a tall, looming castle-designed one with huge castle turrets, a drawbridge, and a… is that a moat? Geez, someone fancy must live here.
As I raise up my hand to ring the big red doorbell, I can't help but hesitate for the slightest second. How come I have to actually talk to these UTAUs? Why can't I just leave the package on their doorstep and make my merry old way down the street? Suddenly, the drawbridge begins to descend down, falling over the sparkling teal moat.
"Hello, ma'am," I say to the short woman standing in the grand doorway. She wears a black gothic dress and has long fiery red hair shooting down her back.
"I am not a woman," says the, er… man? Boy? Yeah, that's it. My eyes slowly drift down to the two lu- "And these," he says, sticking his nose up arrogantly in the air as he points to where my gaze is directed, "are missiles."
"Missiles…" I repeat, not sure how to respond.
"Vocaloids… suck," he concludes, "UTAU is far superior."
"Uh… okay…?" I say, unsure of what to do. "You have a package from uh…" I start, turning over the package to read the name on the back. "You have a package from Tei Sukone," I finish. I look up to see horror written all across the boy's sharp features.
"Tell her I don't want it!" he shouts with a gasp. "I DON'T WANT IT!" With a press of a button, the castle drawbridge screeches to a close. Yet another door slammed in my face. I am really starting to question this street. Oh well, I guess I'll just find this… Tei Sukone…
"It's okay," I hear a voice behind me saying, "I'm right here." I twirl around in shock to see a tall girl looming over me, a creepy smile glued onto her porcelain face as her eyes remain wide and unblinking. I just stare at her, waiting for her to even show signs of breathing. "Were you looking for me?" she asks, sending the most uncomfortable shiver down my spine.
"Uh, here I have a package from you directed to… Ritsu Namine," I say, reading the spidery writing on the package. "Is this true?" I ask, looking up.
"Is it true that you are really a Vocaloid?" she asks, her red eyes growing wider as her corners of her smile seem to cut into her face, they stretch so wide.
"Y-Yes," I mumble, taking a step backward.
"Will you tell me your name, my dear?" she smiles, her voice cold and eerie.
"M-Miki Furukawa," I stammer as she slowly inches forward toward me.
"So this means… you must be friends with Hatsune Miku," she assumes.
"I-I never really said that, although I do look up to her," I admit.
"Well," Tei smiles, her bright red eyes ablaze as they bore into mine, "Would you mind doing me a favor?" she asks, light practically pouring out of her eyes, "Die!" she shrieks, jumping at me. Luckily, I'm swift enough to break out into a run just before she can catch me.
My feet pound hard against the pavement as I sprint in the opposite direction, down the infinite rows of houses that seem to make up the boundless abyss that is this street. My mailbag flies out from underneath my grip, yet I don't stop to pick it up. Losing Tei is the only thing that matters right now. Now I see why Ritsu didn't want that package…
"Come back here, you little Vocaloid!" she screams, the sounds of her footsteps right on my tail growing louder and louder with every passing second.
"Help!" I cry, ignoring the pain that's beginning to grow in my sore feet. Instead, I pick up my pace, exerting all the strength within me just to keep pushing myself forward down the concrete. "Help!" I shout again, though my only the echo of my calls cares to respond.
Suddenly, I see it. Someone left their gate open to their backyard. I quickly turn my head around just to make sure that Tei isn't close enough to see my next move. As fast as I can, I tumble through the gate and shut it behind me, silently praying that Tei didn't see. I hold my breath, ready to spring back into action as I hear the crescendo of her footsteps… and then the sound shrinks again. Have I lost her? Yes… Miki – 1. Tei – 0.
"Tei Sukone was chasing you? Haha, you must be lucky," laughs a voice from above. I look up from my hiding place to see a thin girl about my age with cute pink pigtails curled up into drills. She wears an outfit just like Miku's, but hers it outlined in pink. She smiles warmly, a relief in contrast to the one that Tei had.
"Hello…" I say quietly, my fingers entwined in the sharp blades of grass as I push myself up.
"There's no need to be shy," she giggles, sticking out her hand, "I'm Kasane Teto. Welcome to UTAU Avenue, I guess. You must be Miki," she grins.
"How is it that everybody here knows my name?" I inquire.
"Duh, you're a Vocaloid. All the UTAUs look up to you. Some of them are just a little bit… different about it," she laughs.
"Really? They do?" I ask.
"Especially me," Teto admits, tilting her head to one side. I can't help but give a small smile. "You know, I know someone who's a really big fan of you," she says, "She's my close friend Momo. She lives right down the street if you wanna come and meet her."
"That'd be great!" I grin, loosening up as my shoulders relax. Okay, so maybe UTAU Avenue isn't that bad… but I did almost die!
…Almost.
So, I decided to try a hand at this short little thingy here. I liked it. Did you? Please leave a review! :)
Bye! (And yes, the title is a parody on the movie "Kiki's Delivery Service", but only the title is a parody)