Hi it's MoNoChRoMaDdiCt. Sorry for the long absence, it's been over a year since I've written much of anything Vocaloid related. I don't want to end up like other authors who don't finish their stories. Really, sorry.

I still haven't written anything for TTB. I guess that makes me a bad author, ah ha~. So I tried to write something else, just so you know I'm not dead.

Anyways, though it's called Proof of Life, it's not based off of the song by the similar name, but a group of songs both Vocaloid and not. This story is a lot different from my other one, it's slightly inspired by a true story, but only if you squint.

Rated: T, Mystery/Hurt-Comfort + Romance

Rin x Len x ?

Feel free to give constructive criticism it has been a while since I've written I probably need to improve.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid, its characters or songs or anything but the story idea. I also do not own any of the songs or lyrics referenced within this fanfic.

Chapter 1: Ame to Asphalt

He opened and closed his hands again and again slowly, watching the motion with soft tired looking eyes. He must have done it a thousand times, and yet he continued to repeat it. Why? Well, he really wasn't sure of it.

Lifting his head he watched as the rain drops from above fell on the hard asphalt below him. They splashed against the road he stood on in heavy quantities. He was wondering how long the storm had gone on, if it was even that. Something was strange about this particular rainfall and he couldn't quite place it. His eyes fell to his hands again. The ends of his long almost feminine fingers twitched. He felt out of control.

Like these hands of his could destroy some overwhelming reality.

Confused by those thoughts he tore his eyes away from his hands, simultaneously dropping his arms to his sides. But, now that he thought of it, something was indeed strange. He could see it was raining, with the way people ran with umbrellas, holding coats close to them, in fear of being soaked through. He could see it in the way the trees swayed under the pressure of the winds, being beaten by the rain in the process.

Yet, something was still off.

To him, it didn't seem to be like it normally was. He closed his eyes trying to process it. Ah, wasn't rain normally… wet? There wasn't any sign of cold either even though it was usually associated with the rain. How could that be possible?

Running his hands along the coat he was wearing, he noticed it completely dry. But it wasn't a raincoat; it didn't have those repelling abilities. Opening his eyes again, he held out his hands far in front of him, attempting to at least catch one drop. But he felt nothing. A confused expression passed over his face and he looked around again.

A harsh wind was blowing, he could see it in the way a leaf was swept up, and back down. It bounced along in the sky as if swaying to its own tune. Yet that same wind caused no effect on him. His hair stayed in the normal messy fashion he had tied it in that morning. He never could get it to lie down flat.

But he wasn't holding an umbrella. His hair should be soaked, pressing against his forehead. He should be feeling a chill, his loose coat sweeping against his sides. This was… too illogical.

The leaf fluttered down, coming to rest at his feet. He stared down at it as it dropped into a puddle, too watered down to move on its own accord. He was standing in that puddle. The soles of his shoes starting to tear and he remembered how he wanted to find a job, so that he could buy his own this time. That way, he wouldn't burden his mother.

He made to step back; the pond could ruin his footwear before he had a chance to get a new pair. But he noticed something. The water wasn't washing over his shoes, nor soaking through to his feet.

Too strange… then his eyes widened and he knelt down, directly over it, just to make sure of what he was seeing.

.

.

.

In the clear water,

.

.

.

.

All that reflected was the trees behind him.

Chapter 1

"Hauuuuuh"

She let out a deep sigh as the heels of her boots crunched over the soft ground. With the way her soles sunk into the soil, it was obvious that it must have rained recently. She paid it no mind and continued her trek across the playground.

It looked to be unused, yet not qualified as abandoned. Perhaps there just weren't many children in this particular area. "Not like then…" she mumbled to herself. Her blonde hair was cropped short falling just past her ears. Two white clips held back the fringe that would otherwise fall into her cerulean eyes.

Those eyes stayed focused on the ground lifting a few times just to make sure she wasn't going to bump into anything. "It hasn't changed" She noted aloud. She paused for a moment and cast a gaze over the place.

A tall structure that she never knew the name of, housed a slide and many compartments that small children could climb to. Next to that was a swing set which could seat up to four.

She sighed again when there was a short beep sound from inside her pocket. She looked down, before slipping her hand inside and removing a mobile phone. It wasn't the best quality but it also wasn't the worst. She wondered why she had such a thing when she didn't really talk to anyone.

Pressing a button she caused the screen to alight displaying a message that told her she had one mail. She wondered if she should open it, after all she already knew who it was from. It couldn't hurt though. With another flick of her finger she opened it and started reading.

From: Dad

Rin, I know you're upset but you need to spend some time with your Mother too.

She stared at the message her eyes lingering on the word "Mother". With a disgusted face she pressed the button to turn off the display and stuffed the offending thing back into her pocket with a huff.

"I don't have a Mother"

She scoffed and turned to her side as if her Father was standing right next to her as he spoke those words. Her Father had told her, only a week ago, that he was going on a trip and she wouldn't be able to come along nor could she stay at their apartment.

…

"But then where will I be staying?" She asked her eyes widening in confusion. Sure her dad could be a bit of a space case sometimes, but it wasn't possible for him to completely neglect his only daughter's wellbeing. Right?

"With Haku"

He replied with that same cheer he always had on his face. At the name Rin's face paled and she looked up unsure if she had heard the man correctly.

"H-Ha-Haku?" She stuttered. "Who is that, someone from your work?"

She already knew the answer but she didn't want to believe it.

He chuckled. "No Silly, It's your Mother"

Rin's demeanor darkened, her hands twitching by her sides. The book she had held slipped through her grasp and fell to the floor landing upended there. Mother, she hated that word and everything that it meant.

Her father went on talking not sensing the tenseness in the atmosphere. "I've already called her and made the arrangements. She will get your old room ready for you and you two can spend some quality time together. Won't that be nice?"

Rin continued to stare at him, not really seeing him. She tuned out his words hearing only the ringing in her ears. It was like the world was over, like she was being told that she has failed High School, or that her best friend had suddenly taken ill and died. Although it didn't seem that extreme, for Rin it was.

"So there's nothing to worry about" Her Father was saying. "She misses you a lot" he smiled again and looked up noticing Rin's expression and stepped forward. "Rin?" he inquired. When she didn't respond he took her by the shoulders and shook her.

With the sudden movement, she snapped out of her daze and looked up at her father's worried face. "Rin?" he repeated. "Are you sick? Should I call your doctor?" Panic flashed in his eyes that matched hers. And then she moved.

With a sharp jerk of her arm, she was away from him. He watched her in confusion one hand already moving for his phone. Rin knelt and picked up her fallen book, dusting it off and snapping it shut.

"That woman… Is no Mother"

She scowled.

…

In the end she was forced to pack her belongings into a bag and get on a plane because of one little fact. She was only 16. It meant that no matter how much she hated it, no matter how much she'd rather run off, she was under her Fathers care and had to abide by what he said.

Rin sighed frustrated and ran a hand through her blonde locks, effectively messing up the soft white bow that sat on her right side. Her eyes widened and she quickly dropped the bag she was carrying to fix it. Once she was sure that it was back in its proper place, she bent to pick up her bag again.

A month, she was forced to stay here for 3 months. If it wasn't enough trouble that she had to come here in the first place, she had to stay for 90 days! Rin couldn't believe it and had to wonder if dear Kami-sama was punishing her.

Without warning she looked a little to her left to an area across from the park she stood in. Although there was nothing she could really see from where she stood, the corners of her lips twitched down into a frown.

"I don't want to…"

She whispered so softly not even the wind could hear her. That's right, her Father could make her come to this town, but he couldn't force her to go to the house. Nope~ Rin was going to avoid it at all costs. She had decided this while on the plane, even if it was to spite her father, she simply really didn't want to go back to that place.

At least not until she had to.

Right now, she just wanted to waste a bit of time. She could easily make up a believable excuse to her father. That's right; she'd say she was reminiscing. It wasn't exactly a lie. She looked around the park, her eyes coming to rest on the empty swings.

After all, she had been here many times before.

Before…

Before..

"Hauuuuh~"

Rin shook her head and stretched her arms above her head. In one fluid movement she walked forward and plopped down on one of the swings. She allowed her bag to slip through her fingers and fall beside her. It wasn't like she had brought anything breakable. Just some clothes and books as well as the usual hygiene products, she had tried to take a bag of oranges with her but they had been confiscated at the airport due to some rules or something.

That was completely unfair to oranges, and all orange kind!

But then again, when it came to authority, there was really nothing she could do. It was what got her there in the first place. She'd have to go shopping later though. Once her hands were free, she clasped them around the chains of the swing. Rin ran her hands over the metal links getting a feel for it again. It had been soo long since the last time she had swung.

Unconsciously she glanced over at the swing on her direct left and sighed again. "Stupid" she told herself and turned her head the other direction. Holding onto the chains tightly she leaned her body back closing her eyes and wondered what would happen if she had let herself fall. Would she get hurt? Would she die?!

Rin laughed half-heartedly and opened her eyes. That was ridiculous; the swing wasn't even far enough off the ground for her to suffer any more than a sore behind. Her shoes dug into the ground and she sat up pushing herself backwards and then with a kick of her legs she began swinging.

Air rushed past her face, rustling the stray strands of her hair. She breathed in as she swung backwards letting it out again as momentum threw her back the other way. Her small hands slipped down the chain as the sounds of the metal squeaking filled the park.

Rin continued to swing, her hair becoming slightly tangled by the wind. She had closed her eyes again lost in the silence, as she swung higher and higher wondering if she could suddenly lift off towards the sky if she went high enough.

Curious, she opened her eyes, peering around to see if she was still on the swing. She was looking at the right side of her. Now that she was further into the park, she could see across the street easily. There was a mass of black gathered there, and it took her a while to figure out that it was a group of people all holding umbrellas.

She wondered why, was it supposed to rain, and why all black? As she descended again, it hit her. Her eyes seemed to become a shade lighter, almost as if light had departed from them. "Ah, I wonder if it's a coincidence" she muttered. "Or maybe it's inevitable"

The day that she returns, after 5 years of being gone, something like that is going on right across the street from the place she chooses to visit.

"Death is such a dreadful thing"

She sighed.

A crowd had gathered comparable to a mob of smoke. People were standing like shadows in an area much too small for the immense magnitude of those who has come to attend the event.

Nearly the entire town was there. From the people who worked in the market place, to school teachers and church members also including the town's judge. Even those with busy schedules had set aside time for that day, choosing of their own wish to come.

One thing remained the same throughout the gathered mass of people, they all were dressed head to toe in black. Black overcoats, black dresses, skirts and trousers; everything was black yet nothing could be dark enough to mimic the sorrow in their hearts.

Most of the general public carried with them, umbrellas which were of course that same morose absence of color as the clothing they wore. Absence was the key. Someone's presence was missing.

Someone would never return.

The groups moved about their parasols giving the impression that they were spinning as if they were dancing. No one would dare try such a thing at that event though, no one was happy. Different degrees of sadness filled the eyes and faces of all the people.

Maybe the sadness would someday become a roaming wind in the sky and search for a place to disappear, but for now it was all very clear. A woman stood in a corner of the area which was set up. Tissues pressed to her eyes with a bowed head, she cried into the arms of a couple of mourning women surrounding her.

Her bubble-gum colored hair could just be seen over the upper limb of one of the older women. It wasn't her natural color, more of a product of an accident with the wrong dye. Her son had smiled and told her it was beautiful so now…

She decided to repeat that happy error.

Over to her left, town members were in a long formed line. Even the children there followed the order instead of playing; no one was in the mood to play. Each individual had clasped in their hands, a single white lily. (1)

As the line inched onwards slowly, person by person, would approach a large box that sat elevated at the front. It was just over 5 feet long, and not too wide. Residents of the town would lay their lilies within the borders of the box, along the sides of a figure laying there inside.

The many white floras made it look simply like a bed; a mere resting place of petals or even perhaps clouds. It was as if it could lift up and carry the figure off to another place. But he… would never move again.

Although he appeared to be only sleeping, it was already known that the life had left his body. His already pale skin looked almost translucent. It was only visible in his face and the hands that were placed on his chest with intertwined fingers.

He was only 17. 3 months short of becoming an adult. No amount of wishes could give it back. No amount of belief could cause him to be reborn. As more flowers overwhelmed the case, the amount of people around it began to disperse.

After a long while no one remained within meters of it, save for a single girl. Black ribbons decorated her hair that was nearly completely hidden from view as she approached the box from a different direction than the other townspeople.

Black silk gloves covered her small hands, which clutched tightly to a flower of her own. She held it as if her life depended on it yet gently enough not to drop a single petal of the red flower. Aside from her forest tinted eyes, it was the only color on her person.

The red carnation (2) made her stand out almost as much as the pink haired lady. It was as if she embodied importance. As she reached the edges of the case, her eyes shook violently threatening to spill more tears down her princess face.

She didn't want to cry anymore, not when there wasn't any merciless rain drops to mix with it. Those tears had already created a river as the storm washed it away. She parted her lips to speak only to utter a strangled cry and shut her mouth again immediately after.

Slowly, unsure, she directed her soft gaze downward and had to cup a hand to her mouth to prevent the loud sob that was brewing. Salty water slipped over hands as she was forced to give in to the sadness that overwhelmed her heart.

"-en! Len! Len!"

She sobbed, crying his name even though her voice could never reach him. With a snap, the stem of her flower broke in her hands. Gasping she looked down and lifted the remaining part of the carnation.

Broken

Broken like her shattered self.

Suddenly she felt dizzy. Standing became too much for her and she nearly collapsed onto the case. As she lurched forward, a trace of green fell from her lacy head-wear. She curled herself inward, her tears falling onto the hands of the boy.

Seeing this she lifted her own shaking one allowing it to hover in midair above his for a moment. Hesitating, she opened and closed her fingers afraid that whatever she touched she would destroy. Her fingers moved closer all the more, fueled by the desire just to feel his again.

Centimeters per a second.

As her gloved fingertips finally touched down, her eyes widened and she tore herself violently away dropping the flower onto his hands as she departed from the scene. She nearly knocked into a display of pictures. The top most one was wrapped in yellow ribbons depicting a cheerful looking blonde haired boy with bright ocean eyes.

As the hem of her dress vanished from sight, a boy in exact likeness to the one in the picture moved from behind the wall of a large stone structure. Empty blue eyes watched emotionless as the girl ran off.

He opened his mouth

And vanished.

Rin's shoes hit the ground with a loud thump, and she ran forward a bit before coming to a complete stop. Behind her the swing was making its last few sweeps and then finally ceased.

She yawned as she looked up at the sky, which had taken on a purple-pink hue. The air was starting to get colder and she wasn't wearing a jacket despite it being mid-September. How long had she been sitting there? She had lost track of the time.

Rin didn't want to check on her phone, because she knew there were probably more messages. She would rather ignore them, since they were all reminders of that thing that she didn't want to do.

Retrieving her bag, Rin looked around the other things a park had to offer. Spotting one thing in particular, Rin backed up and ran climbing the slide. It was smaller than her, but she could manage her way up to the top until she had reached the highest part of the wooden structure.

When she was little, Rin would stand there and declare to everyone that she was a queen and had to be obeyed. Back then other children would laugh or ignore her, except…

The memory made her laugh, but her heart wasn't in it. Looking over the park, she felt she could see the whole town.

Momentarily Rin wondered what would happen if she decided to jump from it, it was certainly higher than the swing seat. Her eyes flickered down upon realizing this and she sighed again before slipping back down the slide.

On her feet again she realized she really couldn't stay there forever and decided to walk around town some more. "At least until it's too dark to see" she told herself. Rin was never really fond of the dark.

With another sigh she bid the old park farewell and steered her way towards the entrance of it. A bench sat on her side of the footpath and she considered sitting there for a moment, before deciding against it. She needed to make more progress than a few feet or it would be really obvious she was stalling.

Giving the bench a fleeting look she adjusted her bag, folded her arms and crossed to the other side. There was no one out except for her as far as she could see. Good, Rin preferred it that way. She didn't really want to come across any people she may or may not know.

As her heel touched down on the other pavement she glanced up at the entry way to another place reading 'Cemetery'. She frowned at the sign, even though it looked peaceful and inviting, surrounded by flowers and stone birds, she knew better.

Rin's gaze shifted to look deeper into the gloomy area. It looked empty. "Ah those people must have gone home" she muttered to herself thinking of the small group she had seen gathered there hours before.

Without meaning to her eyes turned towards a certain direction looking at something too far to see. Upon realizing this Rin tore her eyes away from the Cemetery gate.

"Just keep walking"

Rin told herself and turned her head, absentmindedly playing with the edges of her pure white ribbon. She did just that, and started moving onward away from the park and away from all else that street held.

She kept her eyes fixed on the asphalt just letting her feet carry her somewhere. Somewhere, anywhere. She just needed to go. It was obvious that she was avoiding things.

Many things.

…

After a while, Rin had stopped and looked up mechanically. Before her stood a nice looking house with pale shutters and a large door. It wasn't a particularly grandeur building, but it was fairly modern and appealing. A path led up to it, trailed on the sides in yellow and orange flowers. They looked to be well watered.

With a squeak, Rin turned her boots and started up the route leading to the stairs. 'It hasn't changed' she noted mentally. She sauntered slowly, taking in everything she saw. 'It hasn't changed at all'. She almost felt like a kid again walking up this familiar path.

Rin halted, eyes widening as she realized she had made it to the front door. When did that happen? She stared at the wood her eyes following every indent and curve in the craftsmanship. Memories flashed in her mind. How many times had she opened this door, without a worry?

Must have been hundreds

She raised a hand. Should she knock, or just walk in? Would the door even be unlocked? She didn't even have a key. Was 'that person' home now? Thoughts and worries filled her head and she gasped.

"AH! I forgot to buy oranges!"

Rin exclaimed and with that she dropped her bag at the entryway and tore off down the street. Behind her, the curtains from one of the windows shifted over with a pale hand holding them, red eyes watched as Rin disappeared around a turn.

"Thank you for your service!"

The man handed Rin her bag of oranges quite amazed at the sheer amount the girl had bought. She took the bag and bowed her head, her bow bobbing as she did. The man caught sight of the bow and something seemed to flicker in his eyes.

"Hey, I know that bow. Is that you? Rin Hitoshi?(3)."

Rin froze, and ran a hand through her short blonde hair. "Ah yes" she responded almost shyly while avoiding eye contact. She hadn't thought she would be recognized.

The man laughed. "I thought so!" he exclaimed. "The oranges should have tipped me off, you always loved those. You used to come here all the time, you and that-"

Rin cut him off. "I really must be going Mother wants me home" she lied flatly. The man looked taken aback but nodded. "Have a nice night it was nice seeing you again." Rin didn't reply and the man turned to talk to another person. Rin caught her name in his sentence and sighed.

Totting her bag of oranges happily in one hand she wondered what kind of excuse she would give to her "mother" to explain her lateness. A glance at the clock told her it was past 8 PM.

"Ehhhchuuu!"

Rin sneezed and shivered. She hadn't expected it to get this cold and all she was wearing was a short-sleeved orange shirt, leggings with a jean skirt over the top and boots that reached her calf.

She couldn't help but to have been ignorant of the weather change. It was a lot warmer back home, and she had been protesting coming in the first place. "Note to self, find a smarter way to rebel next time."

It would be horrible if she had gotten sick.

Then just as she was thinking that she still didn't want to go there even now, a drop of water fell on her face. Followed by another on her arm, and suddenly. It was pouring.

"Just my luck~"

She lamented and started to run for shelter. Rin looked wildly around, holding tightly to her precious fruit making sure none of them fell. She couldn't see anything that could be used to shelter her now. The rain grew stronger beating down on her and she nearly groaned in frustration.

Finally she spotted something and ran, passing an iron gate. Her heels squished against the wet grass, but she continued on her eyes set on a large stone structure not too far away. With a final spurt Rin managed to reach said structure and ducked under it.

She looked at her clothes and sighed in relief. They were wet but they weren't soaked at least. Placing her shopping bag down, Rin started to wring out her clothing. She then looked out at the area around her and realized.

She had run into the cemetery.

Rin's lips formed a tight line and she looked down again and lifted one of the fruits from her bag. "Oh well, nowhere to go now" She stated and started to peel the fruit. She had become very good at it and could have an orange ready to eat within a few seconds.

She could even do so with her eyes closed. Rin slipped a piece of it into her mouth savoring the taste before looking around. She spotted a plaque with some words written on it nearby. Her finger trailed across the lettering.

"Ka…ga…mi…ne?"

Rin read. 'Mirror sound? Sound of a mirror how odd.' She thought. She looked at it more closely and came to realized that the large stone structure she was under was a vault. It probably belonged to a rich family considering most people just buried their loved ones.

The name didn't sound familiar though. Perhaps it was old. Placing a hand on the side, as she finished the last of her orange with the other, she whispered a thank you for the helpfulness in sheltering her.

"I would offer you an orange, but they are much too good, perhaps I could do something to repay you later."

she told it and then laughed despite herself. She was talking to a rock. Not exactly, but stone was a rock right? She turned back around and kneeled down fishing another orange out of the bag as she watched over the area again.

"Although I'm not able to believe that anything was left behind. I just wish, that the thing could have been saved"

Rin whispered to no one in particular. Her eyes fell on a certain grave and she looked down blocking off her sight and took a deep breath.

Over to her left on the opposite side of the vault a translucent figure stared at her, blue eyes watching her without a word.

Rin held out a hand outstretched in front of her. Ah, she didn't feel anything that must mean that the storm had stopped. She pulled back her arm looking at her palm for a moment before picking up her considerably lighter grocery bag.

She had eaten nearly all of her oranges.

Telling herself that she needed to stop was hard, she loved eating those citrusy fruits. However, she would have to go and buy more if she finished them too quickly. Judging by how dark the sky had gotten, Rin was sure that it was a bad idea.

The market was more than likely closed. As she stepped out from under the vault she pondered over it. "They should make a 24-hour orange market. That way orange lovers like me will never have to go without" She mumbled walking across the damp grass.

Rin sighed. "Ah~ only in my dreams I guess" she pulled out her phone thanking the earlier rain for washing the stickiness off her fingers and checked the time.

1:40 AM

Rin snapped it shut. Ah~ she sure was late. She was definitely going to have to come up with a good excuse. Stuffing her phone back into her pocket she looked up for the way out and froze. Her cerulean eyes locked onto a single tombstone.

There was no avoiding it now, not when she could see it so clearly. The words etched onto it seemed to stick out even in the darkness as she found her feet moving her over to it. An empty feeling she never got used to, started to fill her making her feel heavier as she came to a stop directly in front of it.

Rin was shaking, but not from cold this time. Her eyes stayed completely focused on the grave in front of her and then.

Unable to stop it anymore, that feeling weighed down on her causing Rin to drop to her knees on the soggy ground. Her leggings were becoming dirty by the still wet grass but she paid it no mind.

It was like she couldn't even feel it. Rin let out another sigh as she fell further before the tombstone. She was hunched over her hands buried in the grass, her body hiding the inscribed name there from anyone else' view. She stared at it motionless and silent before she softly began to speak.

"I hope that you are watching and gazing at me from way up high." Rin's eyes scanned and reread the words of the epitaph over and over. "Like a shadow that I can't see somewhere far in the sky"

Above her the sky started clearing. The storm was over. It was still dark outside, but the moon shined down as if it had the same capabilities as the missing sun. Rin continued to whisper as if she could sense the change. "Please always be-"

"Watching over you"

Another voice called out behind Rin, interrupting her with the words she was about to say. It caused her to gasp. Her eyes lit up with a sort of ethereal glee and she turned seeing a boy standing just behind her in the cemetery.

…

Catching a flash of his blonde hair in the moons glow.

…

Rin opened her mouth to speak a name.

Ame to Asphalt or Rain and Asphalt is by 40mP feat Hatsune Miku.

I used a lot of references to the song here and a few representations of the lyrics mostly from Sunny Subs.

Footnotes

(1)White Lilies: A funeral flower that symbolizes purity and appears at funerals more often than other varieties.

(2)Red Carnations: Similar to red roses, red carnations express strong feelings, yearning and true love. Also a common flower for a funeral.

(3)Hitoshi: I chose this as a last name for Rin based off of HitoshizukushiP or the Producer of the song "proof of life", which I used for the title. Ah~ ha uncreative I know. I didn't want Rin and Len having the same last name.

Constructive criticism is welcome! Review if you want

Ah~ I haven't written in forever. I feel like this completely sucks. I hope I didn't confuse anyone. I wanted the funeral scene to not have any actual funeral words in it. I also gave clues and hints as to whom some of the important characters are. I wonder if anyone can tell. It took me about 12 days to write all this, which is a BIG change from how fast I used to write. So that means I might not get to update it as often as when TTB first started. Sorry in advance

But yes, I'm back.

~ MoNoChRoMaDdiCt