Hatsune Miku x Senko: A Slithering Surprise

Chapter 2: "She"

"Now whaddaya guys prefer? I got Swiss Miss, Starbucks, and Ghirardelli, enough o' each to last till summer," I ask. "Normally, I'd go for a Starbucks brand hot cocoa, but I hear that Ghirardelli's got the best chocolate around," Shiro informs. "I could go for a Swiss Miss," Kuroto chooses. "Ghirardelli sounds fine tah me," Sora requests. "Alright, let's do this," I optimistically smile. I get all four hot cocoas ready, then ask Shiro to help me bring them out. We sit down in front of the fireplace, and watch the fire start to die down. Seeing this, Shiro throws more logs in the fire, and we wait as the pile starts to catch flames.

Suddenly, I start to get a lonely feeling in my heart, and look down, upset. Sora notices, and comes over to comfort me. "Are you okay?" Sora tilts her head, rubbing a tear from my cheek. "I'm okay, it's just... I know I have you guys to be there for me, but you're only our friends," I explain. Shiro adds, "And the last person that had ever loved us was our mother, before she passed away last year, but I found a boyfriend last summer, and Senko has yet to find someone."

"So it's a lover you want? I know a place," Sora tells me, "First time I ever had a crush on Kuroto, I had accidentally run a red light in Marfa." "Well, love at first... red light?" Kuroto thinks, "I was the one who actually pulled her over." "What we're trying to say is, you might find your true love in Marfa," Sora suggests. "Thanks, Sora," I smile, and go to the garage, grabbing my keys.

I hop in my 4x4 camper shell Dodge Ram, with chains on the tires so I don't drift, and open the garage door. I leave the garage, and head north towards Marfa. The road is quiet, no traffic at all. I then see a snowplow coming in the opposite direction, clearing snow for some cars behind it. A few minutes later, I reach Marfa, and I suddenly get the urge to stop by at the PetSmart that was recently built here. I back into a parking spot, get out, lock the truck up, and head in, grabbing a shopping cart.

I go to the reptile section, and my mind tells me to get a heat lamp, 10 bags of aspen snake bedding, and then go to the reptiles themselves. Interesting. Why did my mind take me here? I think to myself. I notice an enclosure that is blocked off on the sides by steel sandwiched between two thick layers of glass, with only little holes in the steel that barely allow you to see the animal inside. I notice an employee walking my way, and I flag him down.

"Excuse me, sir?" I call to him. "What's up?" he walks to me. "What's up with this enclosure?" I ask. "Well, our manager says the steel is there for in case the inside layer of glass breaks. The steel panels you see are sandwiched between two layers of military-grade bulletproof glass," he informs me. "A ferocious animal. Also, I notice it's on sale for $50. Aren't animals usually worth around $100?" I tell him, confused. "We are trying to get rid of her as quickly as possible. She is not cooperating well with the staff, and many members, as well as customers, have gotten injured. This is the last day she can be bought before we have to put her down," the employee looks at the cage. I hear a bang on the cage from the inside, followed by a muffled word that I swear was "Noo!".

"I'll take her," I say, noticing that whatever "she" is has turquoise scales, an odd color for a snake, especially one of this size. "Excellent," the employee says, pulling out a hand-held radio, "Sir, she's been chosen again." Moments later, two more guys come over with industrial package carts and carefully slide the enclosure onto them. I notice another metal panel on top, this time it's titanium, and has a few holes in a corner so "she" can breathe. "A strange and supposedly powerful creature, considering the defenses," I say to myself. The employee then says, "Go take your stuff to the cash register. We'll meet you outside with her." "You got it!" I give him a thumbs-up, and push my cart to the checkout.

The items all get scanned, and the cashier says, "$147.78, please." I take out my wallet and hand her two $100 dollar bills, which she then gives me $52.22 in change. "Thank you!" I tell her. "Merry Christmas, ma'am," she smiles. I head out to my truck and open the back up. Here comes the employee, escorted by the two men from earlier with "her" in tow, still in the same enclosure. "So I get the cage, too?" I ask. "It's $50 for her, the cage, and a military-grade tranquilizer gun, for in case she goes rogue," he tells me while the two men load "her" into the bed. "Why a tranquilizer?" I gasp.

"Apparently, the last time someone bought her, she sent him to the hospital with a broken... y'know," he tells me, "He apparently tried to 'do it' with her, and she was not happy. You'll see why when you get home." I blush, "T-that pervert!" "Anyway, we had to tranq' her before we put her back in, she'll wake up in 30 minutes, and you might also need a key to unlock handcuffs. Again, you'll see why when you get home," he informs me. The guys finish loading "her" into the back of my truck, and I hop into the bed for a quick second.

I could tell "she" was scared. "Don't worry," I say in a soothing voice, putting my hand up to a side of the enclosure, "I'm gonna getcha home, getcha out, and I'll take care of ya, whoever you are." I close up the bed, get in the truck, and drive home.