"I hope I'm not in trouble," Marou muttered as she made her way back toward Meiko's classroom after school. She turned around the corner and-
WHAM!
"AGH!"
"Ack!"
She was then thrown to the floor, but immediately jumped back up. "Hey, watch where you're-!" She stopped mid-sentence, staring at the person she'd ran into.
It was the girl with the pigtails.
"Hey, it's you!" Marou held out a hand, which the girl gladly accepted. Once she was completely up, Marou smiled at her. "Thanks for playing the piano! You were really good at it."
The girl smiled. "And you were really good at singing."
"What's your name?"
"It's Miku. Hatsune Miku." Miku smiled at Marou.
"I'm Okawara Marou." Marou shook Miku's hand happily.
"What a nice name! I hope that we become great friends!" Miku turned around and waved behind her. "I will see you tomorrow!"
Marou waved back. "See you, Miku!"
Suddenly, she remembered her appointment with Meiko-sensei. "Oh! Right!" She rushed down the hallway to the music room and opened the door. And then froze.
"Er, hi ..?"
Everyone she knew(A/N: all of the Vocaloids except for Miku) was there. She faintly wondered if Meiko-sensei had brought her there to embarrass her in front of a crowd. They all stopped talking once she had entered and turned around to face her. There was an awkward silence.
A small scarlet-headed girl with drill-like pigtails peeked around a boy with indigo hair. "Why is everyone so ... AH! It's HER!" The girl skipped out of the crowd up to Marou and squeezed her hand exitedly. "Welcome! So you're the one that's going to be the new Voca-" She was cut off by a hand clapped over her mouth. Rin, the owner of the hand, laughed nervously.
"H-hey, Rou-chan! Heheh ... don't mind Teto, she's always chattering away like that. Heheheh ..." Rin pushed Teto away, causing a protesting squeal from the little girl.
Meiko-sensei suddenly appeared out of nowhere, with her usual scowl in place. Her expression lightened just a bit when she saw Marou. "Oh, the newbie actually showed up!" Meiko sat in her desk chair, then pointed to the stool in front of the desk. "Sit down, newbie. Wait until I get back." With that, Meiko walked bck out the door.
Marou hesitantly obeyed, glancing back at the Vocaloid members, who stood, whispering amongst themselves.
"Is that scrawny little thing really the new Vocaloid?" The indigo-haired boy from before fiddled with the scarf wrapped around his neck as he asked the question.
A boy that looked identical to him, but with a red scarf, answered quietly. "I don't know, Kaito, but Meiko-sama's judgement is never wrong." He narrowed his eyes, glancing down. "Or rarely, if not never."
Neru, who was borrowing her friend's phone, texted something and glanced up. "Marou-chan will be just fine as the new group member." She texted something else and sent it.
Mika looked up at them. "She sang today in music. Everyone thought she was really good. Even Meiko-sensei was stunned for as little while." She glanced back down.
Len sighed and looked over at his sister. "But we still don't know if she has what it takes to be a Vocaloid ..."
Rin snorted. "Meh! Like Rou-chan would let anything beat her! Shadowloid is gonna be wishing that they never existed if, no, when, she's accepted!" She paused to lean back in her seat, but since it was a chair with no back, she fell right off, knocking Kaito, who was behind her, down with her. "EEEEEEEKK!"
In five seconds flat, Rin was sprawled across Kaito and they were both on the floor. Rin was so red that it would've made the sun jealous. And then Kaito started laughing.
"R-Rin-chan! I didn't know that you were into me that much! Hahahahaha!" Rin flushed an angry shade of puce and struggled to get up. Len was staring at his sister, his face red as well. Mika looked down at them, expressionless. And of course Meiko chose that exact moment to walk back in.
"I'm ba- WHOA! KAGAMINE, YOU DIRTY LITTLE GIRL!" If it was possible, Rin flushed even darker and leaped up.
"Urrr!" She kicked Kaito angrily. "PERVERT!"
Kaito grunted and dragged himself up. "Aww, why'd you get up? I was enjoying that little show ..." he shut up as Rin, Len and Mika shot him identical looks of rage. Meiko stared at them and turned around slowly.
"Ooookaay ... now where was I?" She caught sight of Maro again. "Ah, right! Newbie!" She sat in her desk chair again. "Well, you don't have a clue of why I called you here, now do you?" Marou shook her head slowly, though she had pretty much figured it out be now. Meiko sighed. "All right. I'll tell you.
I am one of the leaders of the Vocaloid. The Vocaloid is an elite fighting force that uses music to demolish evil. Simple right? Oh, but it doesn't end there. This particular evil is a force called Shadowloid. Shadowloid also uses music, but it's not the same kind that we use. Their notes are alluring, yes, melodic, yes, but they contain darkness. Their songs are of sadness and despair, of lost hope and wilted dreams. If this music gets ahold of you, then you, too will become a Shadowloid, forced to sing of darkness and depress-"
"SENSEI!"
"Eh ..?" She looked over at Marou, who's eyes were now glazed over as she gripped the edge of the chair. Meiko blinked as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Eh ... sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare you. I just get carried away sometimes, when I talk about them..." Meiko cleared her throat and resumed their discussion. "Anyhoo, Vocaloid has joined forces with the other voice force, Utauloid, but we still need a few more members."
Meiko paused, expecting Marou to ask 'But why did you pick me, instead of just anyone?' like the rest of the Vocaloids had done, so that she could get a chance to insult her. But she had underestimated Marou, because, as we recall from the second chapter, Marou was a bright girl, so her reply was much different from what Meiko had expected.
"So you want me to join because you think that I have a superior music talent, aside from those gathered here?"
There was an audible gasp from many of the Vocaloid members, as well as Meiko herself. Gumi grinned and nudged Luka. "See, what'd I tell ya? She's the perfect new member!"
"The first one to ever get it right ..." Neru muttered, abandoning her texting for once to look up at Marou. Even Kaito was dumbfounded. Rin grinned and nudged her brother.
"She's definitely in!" Len allowed himself a small smile.
"But she doesn't know the risks ..."
Meiko cleared her throat again. "Erm, yes. That's correct. And I think that you have what it takes. However, there is one test that we will have to perform, to see what tone you are in." She continued quickly before Marou got a chance to answer. "The voice test. Now, I will ask you to sing from the lowest note you can sing, to the highest note you can sing. Name the note as you voice it." Meiko leaned back in her chair. "You may begin."
Marou sang without hesitation. From low A to hi A, high B to even higher B and at last she struggled with the last few notes.
"Seeeeeeee(C), Deeeeeeeee(D), E-e-" She swallowed and tried again. The Vocaloid members, even Teto, held their breaths in anticipation. Marou sighed and finally, finally,
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee(E!)!" She let her breath out in a whoosh of air. "Whew. Well, did I pass?" She looked up at Meiko. For once, the sensei was speechless. Then, Marou heard laughter. She turned around to look at a scarlet-haired boy, about 16 from how tall he was. He eventually stopped laughing, wiping away tears.
"Well! We know that THIS one is full of surprises!" He shut up as he was cuffed over the head by a buy with long purple hair that was tied in a ponytail. Somehow, he had gotten away with wearing a kimono.
"Quiet, Ted! It's time for the sensei to judge." Ted fell to the floor and the boy looked down at him curiously. Luka scowled.
"Gakupo, you knocked him out! Idiot!" And then Luka knocked Gakupo out. Meiko snapped out her daze.
"Megurine! No knocking people out! detention tomorrow!" Luka stared at her.
"No fair, Gakupo knocked Ted out!" Meiko smirked.
"Then I guess you have to tell him he has detention when he wakes up, don't you?"
"But-but-"
"NO BUTS! Now, Marou-san..." Meiko riveted her attention back to Marou. "You, I am pleased to say, passed the expectations. You are now a member of Vocaloid." Marou smiled as her friends cheered.
"Now, other day after school is when the Vocaloid meetings are." she handed Marou a small badge, a music note made of clear crystal with a silver plate surrounding it. "Here is your badge. Always, ALWAYS keep it with you. I expect some of your friends to explain what it does to you." Meiko stretched, bones popping, and got up. "Report here on Wednsday. Until then, you can do whatever you want. You are all dismissed."
The Vocaloids were out of that room instantly, chattering about their new member. Teto was last to leave, dragging her poor unconsious brother out by his leg. Meanwhile, luka had to stay with Gakupo until he woke up. Woe.
Len and Rin walked along with Marou, heading back to their neighborhood. Rin cheered in exitement.
"ROU-CHAN! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU GOT ACCEPTED!" She slapped Marou on the back, causing her to nearly topple over.
"Oww .. Rin! if you want to leap around, join the cheerleading club!" Rin beamed apologetically.
"Sorry, can't help but-"
"Hah. new member, eh? Wonder if it'll end up like the last one."
They looked up to see someone floating on midair. The boy had skin only one shade lighter than Marou and dark brown curls that fell into his hazel eyes. And of course, he carried standard bad-guy protocol- Da Sneer.
Rin shouted, "Hey, it's YOU again!"
Something clicked in Marou's head. She stared at the boy floating in midair.
"Aiko?"
Aiko stopped sneering and stared at her in shock. "Ma ...rou?"
He scowled again, eyes shading over.
"I never thought I'd see your face again."
And then he lunged foward.
Starri: Yay! I got this done in only 5 hours! *checks watch* or maybe six.
Len: What? CLIFFHANGER!
Rin: You are so evil!
Ted:*groans* Uuuuggghh ... what happened?
Teto: Ted! You're alive! *mutters while turning away* shoot. now i don't get his room.
Marou: It's Aiko!
Aiko: It's me!
Starri: it's you two!
Marou&Aiko: YOU BITCH/BASTARD!
Starri: What a happy reunion! Anyways, next chapter will be all about Luka's time with Gakupo when they're alone in that room. So stay tuned! BTW, here are some missed ages:
Gumi:14
Mika:14
Starri:And I can't add any more OCs cause I already have too many characters lol. Thanks for the reviews guys! More! More! XD
Marou: please review so that I can murder this bastard. *scowls at Aiko, who scowls back*
Starri: dun worry, they're gonna be in loooove as the story goes on!
Marou&Aiko: WHAT?
Rin&Teto: If you review we'll get accepted into the cheerleading squad! So R&R! :D :D