VocaLaments
Chapter 1: Meiko
What do people think when they think Vocaloid? They think Miku. Hatsune Miku. They think about her sometimes inspiring, sometimes funny, but always incredible music, her stunning looks, and her voice. That voice that seems ethereal, but so human at the same time, so attainable. That high pitched, annoying, bratty, beautiful voice. What's the last thing anyone ever thinks of when they think Vocaloid? Meiko. Sakine Meiko.
They'll normally think "Miku, the perfect one, then Kagamine Len and Rin, those adorable kids with the suspiciously unspecified relationship (I mean, twins? Lovers? Mirror images? MARRIED TEENS? What the hell's Master causing to go on with those two?), then Megurine Luka, the cool, sophisticated beauty with the fun side. Oh, yeah, and wasn't there another? Kaito, right? Yeah, Shion Kaito, the one with the blue hair. He's at least good at backup singing. Wait, I think there was one more. Nah, I listed all the important ones." Yeah, important. Which I guess I'm not. Nope, no one remembers the FIRST GOD DAMN VOCALOID, DO THEY?
Sorry, I just… I wish I could be remembered. Is that so bad? …I used to be the only, the best. I was better than regular people, and I was respected for it. I was the Vocaloid, Meiko. Even if Vocaloids weren't popular back then, I was content.
Then Kaito came along. He was a nice guy, and a pretty good singer. Though I guess I was a little harsh, brash, whatever ( fine, I was a total bitch), he was so sweet he saw right through it. Now, I ain't no tsundere. I don't hide my affection for people under a layer of hostility, my affection just isn't that affectionate. But Kaito and and I balanced each other out, as he knew that my constant insults were just my way of saying I cared. And so, we became a pretty good team. Until the day Master (the guy who made us, or at least oversaw the creation) told us that there would be new Vocaloids coming in soon. Naturally, I was thrilled. Kaito had turned out well enough, so I thought that even more would be even better. But then he told us that they would have new technology in them that would make them sound even better, but we wouldn't get an upgrade until he figured out how well the new tech was, not just the way it sounded, but how the new 'loids would be received. I was slightly concerned with this, but shook off the feeling. No matter how good they sound, you're still the original, I told myself. But then, BaKaito and I had a routine concert scheduled by the master. He even said he had a surprise. I had no clue what it could be, but I just went on preparing for the concert.
We did as well as we could've hoped, which was pretty damn good. The crowd went wild. Although we didn't have quite as many fans as some of the human pop stars, we had a good amount, and they were devoted. But then we learned what Master's surprise was: he was revealing the new Vocaloids at this concert! I was so excited that I'd finally get to hear them, and he decided to reveal her first: Hatsune Miku. I was shocked when I first saw her: she was young, pretty, and although I had only seen her for a couple seconds, I could tell she was bubbly, fun, and optimistic, the kind of person everyone wants to be around. And then I heard her voice.
And it was beautiful.
There was so much passion in her voice, like she really lived what she was doing; of course, we all love singing, but I guess there was something special about her. It was high, but she could still hit the low notes. And the crowd loved her, loved her like they had never loved BaKaito and me. And she loved them, you could just feel it. She was like a shining beacon of light that reached to the heavens, but still shared some of her light with everyone around her. I don't even remember what she was singing, something about the world being hers.
And the concert was over before I knew it. Everyone was disappointed, especially the crowd, but BaKaito didn't even try to hide it. And me? ...Fine, I was disappointed too. She came over to us, and immediately made friends with us. Well, with the popsicle, that is. I tried my best to be friendly, but I guess it didn't really seem it. Later, BaKaito told her about my "unusual ways of showing affection," and she understood. Still, as friendly as we were to each other, there was some unresolved conflict. In time, the other Vocaloids came. Rin, the demon in an angel's skin, Len, the shota-in-denial and the logical mind that balanced out Rin, and Luka, the older, level-headed girl with the weird octopus-thing always around her. And they all had the new tech in 'em. Pretty soon, I felt like I was drowning in talent, talent that I could never achieve. Remember that unresolved conflict I was told ya about earlier? That all came pouring out once I saw Miku's 01 tattoo: the tattoo that sould have been mine.
There was a fight, we both said some things we weren't proud of: I called her a wannabe number 1 Vocaloid that sounds like a nine-year-old girl with a diva complex, and she said that I was old, outdated, and useless for anything but backup. Surprisingly, it was me who ran out crying. Yeah, me. Big, scary, tough-as-nails Meiko ran out crying. I guess it was because I knew it was true: I really was useless. I wasn't even number one anymore, I was just Meiko, the old, outdated, useless-for-anything-but-backup one. Even Popsicle was more popular, because everyone thought he and Miku had a thing.
Wow, I must sound like a Miku hater. I'm not, I swear! You heard me say her voice was beautiful, and I meant it. But… it's difficult, just feeling like I'm replaced. Even though Vocaloid became incredibly popular, I never got many more fans. They all went to Miku or the twins, with Luka getting a good amount of her own. BaKaito's really the only one who gets what I feel like. But even then, not really. He was never number one, only to become zero. As I thought through all of this sitting under my favorite tree outside the Vocaloid mansion, BaKaito came out and started talking to me. He said Miku was sorry, and she never wanted to fight, and that everyone else was too. They would've stopped the fight, but they thought the bad blood between Miku and I had to be spilt before we could move on, and I guess he was right. After talking with Popsicle, I went inside, and although my eyes were puffy and red, everyone tried to seem normal, except for Miku. She immediately walked up and started apologizing nonstop, but I just held up one hand to quiet her, and held out my other for her to shake. She seemed stunned for a moment, then smiled and shook. Ever since, we've been fine, but… I guess I'm still a little bitter. …I just… I want to be remembered. Not even the best, but I want to actually be Meiko again. Meiko, the great singer, the Vocaloid, the first. And now, people either just see me as that one alcoholic, or don't even know me at all.
All I want is to be Meiko.
Author's Note:
So, yeah. This. Well, I'm a HUGE otaku (if only there was a GOOD Pokemon anime), so of course, I love Vocaloid. Although Len's my favorite, with Luka in second place, this story might've brought Meiko up to third. I got SO FREAKING SAD when writing it. ;_;
So, I recently looked up a list of the most popular Vocaloids, and it had Miku in first (of course), Len in second, Rin in third, Luka in fourth, and Kaito in seventh. Where was Meiko? Twenty-fourth. It just made me feel so sad, so I had to write this. And yes, I know that Miku wasn't revealed during a concert, that was plot. Some of the information might be a little off, so if you see anything, please let me know.
I'm probably going to try to do one of these for all the main Vocaloids (Miku, Len/Rin, Kaito, Luka, Meiko) and I might even do one for Teto. I KNOW SHE'S NOT A VOCALOID. Hers could be about wanting to be a Vocaloid, though. I already have ideas for all of them but Luka's, so I'll probably be putting up another sometime relatively soon. My next is most likely going to be Rin/Len, just 'cause I love the two so freaking much. Especially Len. If you liked reading this, then review, follow, or fav.
I'll try and update soon. Bye!