Story: Sweet Dreams Reimu

Chapter 1

“I'm home...”

The pneumatic front door to my house closed behind me as I took off my shoes and put them on the rack. I got home a bit late today, after work several of my coworkers took me out for drinks. I only started my new job a few weeks ago so I felt like I had to go so they wouldn't think I was standoffish. We had a few beers then I excused myself as soon as was polite. Even so it was well after dark by the time I got home.

I slid open the privacy door leading to the rest of the apartment and found the room in shambles. The newspaper was knocked off the coffee table and the pages were scattered all over the living room floor. The flower vase was lying on its side and the carpet beneath it was wet. The orchids blooms were gone, only stems were sticking out of the vase.

“Yuyu! Puff!”

My pet Reimu was sitting on the floor in the middle of the hallway. Her cheeks were bulged as she while she used puff-puff on me.

“Yuwaaa! Reimu's is hungry because Mister wasn't here! Bring munch-munch, lots is okay! Understand, easy!”

I sighed. “Alright, I understand.” I stepped around the wet spot on the carpet to keep my socks dry and walked into the kitchen.

Just inside the child door on the kitchen I narrowly avoided stepping into a pile of anko. Reimu must really have been upset, it's been a long time since she left Mister Poo-Poo outside of Mister Toilet. I opened one of the cabinets and pulled on a half-empty bag of dry Yukkuri food. Reimu bounced eagerly in place as I measured a handful into a stainless steel yukkuri food bowl and set it down in it's usual spot next to the refrigerator.

Despite her eagerness, Reimu remembered to wait until I gave the signal before pouncing on the bowl. I ignored the crunching sounds and Reimu's cry of “Happiness~!” as I inspected the latch on the kitchen's child door. It seemed to be working properly, it latched properly with a click as I opened and closed it several times experimentally. I guess I must have forgotten to close it properly when I left for work this morning. I was in a rush and I didn't test the latch when I left Reimu in the kitchen for the day.

I wasn't thrilled with Reimu's behavior but it was as much my fault as hers. On the other hand, the matter of the poo-poo would have to be dealt with. I walked over to the refrigerator just as Reimu finished the last of her food.

“Yuwaa! Mister was late with the munch-munch, pitiful Reimu's Mister Tummy was growling. Uneasy Mister should give Reimu sweet-sweets as compensation, easy! ”

The key to dealing with yukkuri is to not argue with them. From their point of view, their reasoning is inescapable and anyone who doesn't “understand, easy” needs to be punished. Instead I took a different tact.

“Huh? When was I late with the munch-munch? Reimu's can't be hungry because her Mister Tummy isn't growling right now is it?”

This stopped Reimu in mid-demand, you could see her struggling to process it in her mind. Yukkuri understand the passage of time as a concept but they process information based on what they sense and feel in the present. Wild yukkuri understand they need to cache away food for the winter time but it is instinctual rather then a rational act. Reimu was upset because she was hungry because her dinner was late. However, since she just ate she was no longer hungry. The more she thought about it, the less sense her indignation made until finally she wasn't even aware she was angry anymore.

“Yu! Does Mister have a sweet-sweet for cute Reimu who ate all her munch-munch?”

There we are, one problem solved. There was still one other thing...

“Reimu, what is that over there by Mister Door?”

Reimu's braids drooped and she pulled them close as she adverted her eyes. She knew that she did something bad.

“Yuguuu....”

“Reimu,” I told her firmly. “You know that you are supposed to make poo-poo in the toilet.” I pointed to the plastic try near the garbage can. The tray had a picture of Alice winking as it did the Poo-poo dance. The picture was captioned Good yukkuri make Mister Poo-Poo here!

“Yuwaaaa...” Reimu blushed in shame and covered her eyes with the ends of her braids. “Reimu, look at me,” I instructed her. She quivered as she uncovered her eyes which were glistening with unshed tears.

“Reimu, you know what you have to do when you don't make poo-poo in the toilet.”

“Yuyuyu...!” Reimu hesitated and stalled but eventually she picked up the poo-poo and carried it to the toilet. When she finished I knelt down to pet her soft hair. “That's right Reimu, that's how we take it easy together.” Reimu hid her face as she buried her head in my hand.

With the incident resolved I left Reimu in the kitchen while I fixed the rest of the apartment. I sopped up the water in the carpet with a towel and gathered up the newspaper to be placed with the other recyclables. I stood the flower vase back up and threw away the stems, I decided I would take Reimu with me to the park tomorrow so she could gather new flowers.

Reimu was hiding in her yukkuri bed when I went back to the kitchen. Using soft words I slowly coxed her out.

“Yuguuu...is Mister still angry with Reimu?” I gave a little laugh and rubbed her on her head, “No, I'm not angry. Mister was just following the rules when he made Reimu pick up her poo-poo.” I picked up Reimu and carried her with me back to the living room. “And now the rules say that Mister has to watch Mister Drama with Reimu before bedtime.”

Reimu perked up as we watched her favorite nighttime drama. It was about a love triangle between a Reimu-type, a Marisa-type, and an Alice-type. It didn't make much sense to me, as far as I know there has never been a situation where there has been a Reimu x Alice or Marisa x Alice pairing. The romantic tension between the Reimu and Marisa who were competing over Alice didn't make much sense either, they loved each other too but neither one would back down from being the dominant one in the relationship?

Reimu was already starting to nod off when tomorrow's preview for the drama began playing. I carefully picked her up and carried her to the kitchen. This time I forgot about the water and my socks made a squishing sound as I walked over to Reimu's bed. Gently I set her down on the cushion and wrapped the old shirt she used as bedding around her. As quietly as I could with my wet socks, I padded out of the kitchen. I took one last look before I flicked on the light switch for the night.

“Sweet dreams, Reimu.”

Notes: The position of the names in a pairing indicates who is the dominant one in a relationship, in AxB 'A' is the dominant one and 'B' is the passive one. In BxA, 'B' would be the dominant one and 'A' would be the passive one.

I like your stories

Chapter 2

Today I was going to take Reimu to visit a friend and her pet, another yukkuri Reimu-type. Reimu is very excited, last night they spent an hour on yuChat talking about the latest episode of “Yukkuri Love Typhoon”, the drama they both watch. After I put her to bed I could hear her sleep-laughing contently.

This morning I prepared everything I needed for the trip. I prepared sandwiches and a thermos with sweet tea and packed them in my backpack. I lined an orange box with towels and a t-shirt as padding to carry Reimu in. I also packed an emergency bottle of orange juice, just in case.

I instructed Reimu to use the toilet before we left, the trip to my friend's house would take at least an hour and I didn't want any accidents. Reimu obediently performed the Poo-Poo Dance and when she finished I praised her and rewarded her with a sweet-sweet.

“Yu! Yuwaa!” Reimu yelped with joy and pounced on the treat, devouring it with cries of “Happiness~!” I smiled and held her in my lap stroking her hair as she sang contentedly. Eventually her song faded out as the tranquilizers took effect and she fell asleep.

Carefully so I wouldn't wake her, I picked Reimu up and placed her in the orange box. She sighed and buried herself in the towels and clothing. Quietly I closed the lid and taped it shut with packing tape. I slung the backpack straps over my shoulders and propped the door open with my foot so I could pick up the orange box. I stepped out of the apartment and the pneumatic door closed and locked the door behind me.

• * *

It was a short walk to the bus stop, it was only one block away and across the street. While I waited for the bus arrive, a family of yukkuri sang to us from a screened balcony of an apartment above. The Alice had a nice voice and although Marisa's was not as good she sang a credible backup to Alice. The little koyukkuri sang an energetic, although slightly off-key counterpoint to their father, Alice. When they finished, there was a smattering of applause from people waiting at the bus stop.

My mood was a little brighter as Alice herded her Little Ones back inside the apartment. Maybe there really is something to this easiness that yukkuri always talk about. Or maybe it was just the arrival of the bus. As we lined up for bus I noticed one guy who was muttering to himself while staring darkly at the balcony where the yukkuri were singing earlier. Belatedly I remembered that he was one of the ones who didn't clap when they finished. I resolved to keep my distance from him, even if it meant standing for the entire bus trip.

After the passengers finished disembarking we slowly filed onto the bus. The driver gave me the nod when I flashed the bus pass in the holder I have attached to my backpack straps and I quickly sat down in a seat near the front of the bus. Fortunately the guy walked past me without a glance and headed to the back of the bus. I sighed in relief and settled in for the ride.

The trip was mostly uneventful, it was a Monday so most people were already at work or in school. There were plenty of empty seats so I was able to set down Reimu's box instead of carrying it in my lap. After about half an hour the bus hit an area of town where they were repaving the roads. The bus began to rattle as we hit steel plates and transitions between the old asphalt and the new.

There was a crying sound from the back of the bus. A young woman who was kind of cute was quietly trying to shush a young yukkuri Alice in her handbag. The shaking of the bus must have woken her up, and scared by the noise and darkness she popped out and began to cry.

I noticed the guy from before glaring at the yukkuri. He was sitting in the row across the aisle from the young woman. As the Alice continued to cry he began to look angrier and angrier. Finally he must have snapped because he punched the seat cushion in front of him with a loud thwack.

“Can't you shut that damn thing up?” The young woman looked frantic as she stared at the guy while Alice continued to wail. “I'm tired of listening to these shit for brains manjuu, do something about it right now or I'll do something instead.”

The other passengers were beginning to look a little scared, the situation was getting tense and a little dangerous. I gripped Reimu's box tightly but I remained glued to the seat like everyone else.

It was a man in the very back of the bus who broke the tableau. He stood up from the bench seat in the back of the bus and stared down at the angry man, right in his eyes. “Cut it out right now, I'm not kidding. I don't care about what's going on but you are not going to bully this lady.”

The angry man glared right back at the other man but the momentum was shifting. No one said a word but the other passengers began to sit up a little straighter. Silently, support began to gather for the young woman and her yukkuri.

The angry man seemed to take this in and his shoulders slumped and he settle back into his seat. The other man settled into the seat next to the young woman but didn't take his eyes off him for a moment. At the next stop the angry man abruptly got up and began to stalk down the aisle.

My heart jumped as he headed towards me but he turned and got off through the doors in the middle of the bus. The tension in the bus collectively relaxed as the situation diffused. The man turned to the young woman who was thanking him. I saw them shake hands before they were lost behind the press of bodies of new passengers boarding the bus.

I picked up Reimu's box to offer the seat to an old woman who was boarding the bus. She thanked me and I nodded to her in return as I settled the box on my lap. I settled back in my seat and closed my eyes as I listened to Reimu's little sleep yu's as she slept, dreaming of the sweet taste of fresh oranges.

I kinda have my reservation about allowing yukkuris on busses, but then again, I have my reservation about having any kind of pet on busses, yukkuris just have even more reasons to not be there than an average pet.
Specially when guys like the angry dude are bit more common out of yukkuris infamous problems, and considering how some people can easily get into fist fights in busses like nothing when they shouldn't, one of those angry dudes daring to throw a pet yu out of the window wouldn't be farfetch'd, I would really recommend pet yu owners to avoid public transport because of this and well, since no pet should be on those.

Chapter 3

While I'm working during the day, Reimu spends a lot of time on yuPlay Online. yuPlay is an online MMO game designed specifically for yukkuri. Many owners pay a monthly subscription fee as entertainment as well as a virtual daycare service for their pets. The sophistication of the service demonstrates the immense purchasing power of the pet yukkuri market.

In order to play the owner must purchase a yuBox system and controller. The yuBox controller is fairly large, it is about the size of a sofa. When it first launched many owners complained about how bulky the controller was. Later versions were slimmer but their were limits to how small they could make it while still being large enough to hold a fully grown yukkuri.

The yuBox is designed like a yukkuri sized movie theater. Inside the box, the yukkuri sits on a platform in front of a projector LCD display. There is a green screen behind them and a camera behind the glass of the display. The yuBox is equipped with a 5.1 surround sound stereo system and an embedded microphone system.

The yuBox control system is ingenious, the platform is a four axis controller. The platform slides a few inches in several directions: forward and back, from side to side, it rotates, and moves up and down. Yukkuri are able to control it in the same unknown way they control a suii. This system is called the Suii Remote or Suii-mote

The system software uses the camera and facial recognition technology to replicate the yukkuri as their online avatar. The microphone accepts voice commands and is also used for in-game chat. The display and sound system help to create an immersive world for the yukkuri to play in.

Yukkuri are allowed to wander around in the yuPlay virtual world. The world is separated into different zones simulating different environments like a forest, a beach, and even little yukkuri towns. Yukkuri are able to safely meet and play with other yukkuri.

Interactions are carefully monitored by yuPlay moderators. Personal Moderators monitor up to thirty yukkuri at a time and watch to make sure they are getting along with other yukkuri. Zone Moderators keep an eye out for developing situations in their assigned areas. Security Moderators inspect transcripts and video records looking for human abusers who sneak into the game to cyberbully yukkuri. It is also expected that human owners with monitor their yukkuri's online activity and put a filter on yukkuri whose behavior they don't approve of.

For all the technological sophistication that went into developing the system, the yuPlay game itself is fairly simple which is elegance in itself. It turns out that yukkuri actually prefer games they make up themselves to human designed scenarios. Rather then develop additional content, yuPlay developers refined the game engine and hired additional support staff to administrate and moderate the game system.

The result was nothing less then astonishing, it turns out that yukkuri were able to establish the first large scale, online community where everyone could simply “take it easy.” Sociologists sure had something to say about that and it's implications for human society.

As much as Reimu enjoys yuPlay she is always happier to spend time with me when I'm home and sometimes she forgets to logout when she hears my key rattle in the door. She would rather play with me in a real park then play in the virtual yuPark. It's just as well, I don't think I have enough space for the human system and controller, the Suii Human Remote or SuiiHu.

Tonight, Reimu played with the yuBox while I did the dishes. I was toweling off my hands to pick her up when I realized that she fell asleep while playing. On the display I could see other yukkuri and I could hear them telling her “Wake up, easy.”, “Wake up, ze!”, “Nhohoho! Such a country-bumpkin.”

I used the owner keyboard override to log her out, and gently carried her to her bed. I tucked her in and left her to dream about electronic Sweet-Sweets.

Nhohoho!

While I question the necessity of being so humongous or having a frigging home theatre (humans play game with less, why should pets get better stuff? Dammit I wished I played my vidya with a home theatre!), I applaud the idea of Yuplay Online, as a way to help reduce the feeling of loneliness and longing of pet yu's who don't have partner and whose owner have to work for many hours.
And who knows, the right sub routines like virtual pet like childs could also help to discard the need of real koyukkuris in the pet's life!

randomhaxofkindness said:
The result was nothing less then astonishing, it turns out that yukkuri were able to establish the first large scale, online community where everyone could simply “take it easy.” Sociologists sure had something to say about that and it's implications for human society.

It's the same for human mmo's or other online communities, if you have good moderation, monitoring and filter all the "ruffians and troublemakers" any online community may look like paradise compared to real life.
OYP kinda is an example of that, moderation did it's job, all the rabid anti abyusers and rabid anti family friendly were kicked out and now we enjoy a peaceful and carefree community. (which considering the topic it's focused on it's rather outstanding.)

lol It's funny in family friendly stories how abusers are portrayed as potential mass shooters or something.

YukkurisMustDie

Well if we had to be fair, the rabid abyuser would be close to the mass shooter, (by rabid I don't mean the guy that does it in it's home or only attacks yukkuris that really are bothering others), meanwhile the rabid lovers would be eco terrorists kidnapping pets and throwing them in the wild or attacking people for daring to harm a yukkuri (even if the harm was because the yukkuri was a shithead attacking them, destroying their property or nearly wounding a pet/kid.)

There are wackos in any camp, so don't be surprised, kinda why OYP is very strict on it's rules to avoid those wackos to ruin our fun.

A yu-second life?

I like it!

JusticeItEasy said:
While I question the necessity of being so humongous or having a frigging home theatre (humans play game with less, why should pets get better stuff? Dammit I wished I played my vidya with a home theatre!).

The size of the yuBox controller is a reference to the early XBox controllers. yuPlay Online is a reference to Sony's online services for the PS3 and PSP Vita, and of course the Suii-mote and SuiiHu are a reference to the Wii-mote and WiiU respectively. The final line is a roundabout reference to Asimov's androids dreaming about electric sheep.

randomhaxofkindness

Yeah, yeah, all the references were obvious, it still doesn't change the fact we are basically giving a home theatre + some serious big ass console to a talking manjuu pet. I think it's stretching it a bit too much when an average good quality HD tv with the console should be as good for a yukkuri. Doesn't help that it takes soo much space that the big bro can't get the human interface for it because the main set leaves no room in his home.

I like the idea of the mmo since it will help a lot to make yu's not feel lonely and be happier, but I still think there is too much wasted hardware and space on them when, well, they are just pets, you don't give your pet a royal bed while you're sleeping in the cold floor...

I see it the same as giving a kid a 22" 720p flatscreen, a $50 5.1 stereo system, a XBox 360 with Kinect, an XBox Live subscription and telling to go play in his room. Yukkuri are capable of human speech so in some ways I feel they would be regarded more like surrogate children then merely as pets.

Yukkuris have a weird hybrid sentience between animalistic behaviour and humanistic behaviour, speech is not how you measure their true mental capacity, because it's cheated through the magic that makes them alive.

But then again, I also buff up my nicehead's intelligence to the point of being proto tool makers and have a better understanding of their enviroment and the non yu's, so to each their own I guess.

...

Now I really want to write those "HOTYR True Endverse" Short Stories...specially the one about how the tragical Reimu and Patchouli family of the main story come out with their idea of using 2 suiis like a truck to facilitate munch munch gathering...

Heh, I think the drive returned, thanks Random, your lil stories helped.