The whole world glowed a blazing crimson. The air was filled with the roar of the fire and the screams of the hunted, and the Hunters were the loudest of all. Their triumphant yelling was overpowered by the hollow shrieks of the beasts they rode, and they dragged in their wake a symphony of destruction.

The town was lost. This small village, accustomed to a fairly peaceful life, never stood a chance against the Hunters' raid. By then the whole town was ablaze, the houses already pillaged and most of the people slaughtered. Now they ran rampant, destroying what little was left, hunting down the last terrified survivors.

Among the few unfortunate souls left alive still, a pair of children crouched, huddled behind a pile of charred wood which had once been part of a house. They were twins, no older than twelve years, a fraternal pair of a boy and a girl. They had light skin, large, cobalt-blue eyes, and soft, golden-blonde hair which shone even in the flickering red glow of the fire all around them. Their own parents were alre4dy dead, murdered when the Hunters burned down their house, but the children had survived, barely, hiding from the Hunters and escaping before they were swallowed by the fire.

They were too young to have to witness such terrible events, but they would not die yet. They'd made it thus far on nothing more than quick-thinking and their stubborn determination to survive. They were terrified, yes, but at least they were together. They felt a sort of instinctive responsibility for each other, and as long as the other was alive, they forced back the shock and fear and grief. There would be time for tears later, they knew, as long as they made it out of this ordeal alive.

They were the only ones left now. The screams in the distance had all faded out, with only the steady crackle of the fire and the yells of the Hunters. They gripped each other's hands tightly, their only comfort amid this chaos. They couldn't stay here. The fire had already died down in this area, but the settling wood around them was ready to collapse, and if they weren't crushed by the falling debris, they'd be found by the Hunters if they stayed still too long. They had to move.

Slowly, as quietly as possible, they got to their feet, scanning the area as they thought of where they could run.

"The forest, Rin," The younger of the pair, a boy by the name of Len, murmured softly, pointing to an opening in the wood which lead out of the rubble of the destroyed house. "The brush would give us cover, and it's not too far from here."

Rin frowned slightly. "But the next town is the other way," she whispered, pointing to the direction opposite where Len had.

"That town is bigger than ours was," Len replied in a quiet tone. "If they haven't already destroyed that town, then they'll surely go there next. Plus the way there is through farmland. If we went that way, we'd be easier to spot."

After a moment, Rin nodded in agreement, and they went the way Len had suggested. Rin, being the more athletic of the two, went first, pushing charred planks of wood out of the way as she went, while still trying not to make too much noise. Once they were out of the building, or what was left of it, they crept along the dark alley behind the ruined buildings, still gripping each other's hands tightly.

A loud crash up ahead, plus loud pounding footsteps alerted them to an approaching Hunter. Quickly, Len pulled them both down, huddling behind an old barrel. Ahead, they could hear the Hunter, riding one of the monstrous beasts that Hunters were known for commanding, as he passed the alley slowly, searching for victims, no doubt. Not even daring to breath, the twins listened with building fear as the Hunter paused, staring down the alley, then eventually kept on moving.

Once he could be heard no more, Rin and Len got to their feet quickly, moving down the alley quickly. It opened up to a street at the end, and with a quick look to make sure it was empty, they ran across to the cover of the next alley.

The buildings here were still largely ablaze, and though the walls here were brick, the heat and the crackle of the fire made them anxious. They stayed to one side of the alley, walking quickly, when they heard a loud creak come from the wall across from them.

The creak dragged on, followed by a crash and the sound of crumbling stone, and the twins sped up, not waiting to see what it was. A moment later, the wall behind them crumbled, and a Hunter burst through the newly made hole, laughing maniacally amid the blazing fire. Immediately, Rin was pulling her brother down the alley at top speed, but they'd already been spotted, and the Hunter gave chase. As the twins burst from the alley, they ran in front of another Hunter, and the one chasing them crashed into the new one, buying the children more time as they ducked behind another building, and behind that, the forest.

The thick cover of trees and bushes hid them from sight, but the Hunters were still chasing, not wanting to lose their prey. The twins kept running, looking everywhere for some place to hide, but nothing came to sight. Behind them, the crashing sounds of their pursuers grew steadily louder.

They came to a place where the ground dipped down suddenly, and they ran along the top, careful not to fall. But then a Hunter broke through the brush to their side, and Rin jumped down, Len stumbling after her. Gaining momentum as they went, they couldn't stop when the ground stopped completely, and several feet below ran a river, not very wide, but very deep. They couldn't stop, so they jumped, rolling to the ground at the other end. Scrambling to their feet, they kept running, changing direction to follow the river, keeping low so as not to be seen.

A thunderous roar echoed behind them, followed by the sounds of an enraged Hunter and beast tearing apart the forest as they chased after the two children who'd escaped their sight. Ahead of them, the forest opened up into a large lake. Nowhere to go but back. However, there was no room for that, either, as the Hunter that had first started the chase finally caught up, rage blazing in his eyes.

The Hunter reared up on his beast, ready to attack, and in a split second consideration, Rin pushed Len out of the way, letting the beast's claws slash across her back.

"Rin!" Len cried, as his twin fell to the ground, unconscious. The Hunter reached down to grab her, lifting her up by her blood-soaked shirt. He laughed darkly, and with one strong motion, threw the girl far into the lake. Len watched in horror as his twin sunk below the surface of the water, and then his attention was stolen by the beast now standing before him.

Len had never seen one of the monsters that Hunters rode close up before, and now that he could, he felt even more afraid of them. Larger than a horse and built like an ox, it's obsidian fur matted with blood. Large white horns twisted out on each side of its head, and it's snarling face bared not two, but five sneering, blood-red eyes. A deep growled rolled from the beast's mouth, and it reared up at it's master's command, lifting its massive clawed paws, as Len could only watch in shock.

The Hunter was stopped abruptly, however, by a loud blast, that tore through the side of the beast's face. The beast let out a howl, backing up in distress as blood as black as the beast itself spilled from its wounded head. Several feet behind Len stood a man, brandishing a large firearm, smoke drifting from the barrel. The Hunter scowled, glaring at the man, then after a moment, rode away back into the forest.

Trembling, Len stared up at the man who'd driven off the Hunter, eyes wide. "Wh-who are you...?" He stammered, his voice catching in his throat.

The man stared down at him coldly, no trace of emotion in his broad face or his dark, hard eyes. He put away his weapon, and walked towards the small blonde boy slowly. Something in those eyes made Len fear the man almost as much as the Hunter, and he wanted to back away, but the shock he was in wouldn't allow him to move.

Without a word, the man grabbed Len, picking him up and carrying the boy under his arm, ignoring the child's protests. He carried the boy along the edge of the lake, to a place where a large boat had been anchored, and boarded the ship with the child —but he was no savior. The life Len would be forced to live from here on out would be one of a slave, and in time, he'd come to resent the man who'd saved him from death at the hands of the Hunters, more than the Hunters who'd robbed him of the twin he'd cared for so dearly.

But his twin was not dead.

Rin came to as she sank within the depths of the cold water, in terrible pain, her vision clouded by her own blood, but not dead. When she regained consciousness, that never-wavering determination sparked back into life again. She swam to the surface, her lungs burning, half-filled with water, and she gasped for breath, coughing. Her head throbbed and her body ached, but she forced herself to swim to shore. She wouldn't give up here. She needed to make sure Len was okay.

She dragged herself onto the muddy grass, coughing up water. After a minute, she got to her feet slowly, looking around for any sign of her twin, fearing the worst. She'd hoped he'd be safe, feared he'd be dead, but instead he was simply... gone. It was possibly the worst thing she could have imagined. Even if he'd been dead, she could have given him a proper funeral, cried over him, and eventually moved on, as people tended to do. And if he'd been alive, even better! Instead he seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Len would never have left without Rin, so where was he? There was no blood on the ground besides her own. Did that mean he wasn't dead? Had the Hunters kidnapped him, instead of killing him? Why would they do that? She didn't know, but as long as there was the slightest chance Len was alive, her body wouldn't let her grieve over him, and she couldn't let it go. He was her only family left. She had to know what had become of him, especially because if he was alive, he could quite possibly be suffering an even worse fate.

So instead of sadness, as others might have felt in such a situation, her heart burned with anger. This was all because of the Hunters. She couldn't forgive anyone who'd harm her twin, whatever they'd done to him. She would make them pay. And maybe, in chasing down the Hunters, she'd learn of her brother's fate, too.

With this in mind, she trudged back through the forest, into her old town. All was eerily silent, even the fire dying down, the air full of ash, the ground littered with bodies. Though the sight of all her old neighbors lying dead at her feet made her feel deep remorse, none of them were the body she was searching for, so she passed them all with hardly a second glance. She searched through the debris of the houses for something to stop the blood dripping from her back, until finally she stumbled across a salvaged chest, buried under wood and ash and charcoal, but the contents of the trunk, clean, folded clothes, were completely untouched.

Discarding her own bloody, soot-covered clothes, she took a new set of clothes from the chest, but not before taking one shirt, far too large for her, and tearing it up, wrapping it around her torso to close the wound as best as she could. It wasn't perfect, but it'd last her until she could make it to the closest town. She just hoped Len hadn't been right about it being destroyed as well.

There was nothing left of this town. Everyone was dead, but Rin didn't have time to mourn them all. She was determined to find Len, or at least whatever would be left of him. So with one final look cast upon the ruins of this village, she embarked on her journey, onto the next town.

~oOo~

"Mikuo! Can you go get some onions from the market?" A teenage girl called, leaning out a flower-filled window sill. Her long teal hair and eyes were matched by those of her brother, Mikuo. She was fourteen, and he was seventeen, and currently sitting idly in their backyard garden, drawing people and animals that came into sight of the yard. She was in the kitchen, making lunch for them both and their father, who would be coming home from his job in the forge for his break soon.

Mikuo looked up at his sister, named Miku, and put aside his sketchbook. "Sure. How many?"

Mikuo considered it for a moment. "Two yellow, and a leek. Here's the money for it," She held her hand out the window, and Mikuo took the money she handed him. "Thanks a bunch."

"No problem," he said, waving as he walked out the fence gate.

It was a short walk to the market stall where you could buy onions, but today the whole town seemed to be stirring with some dreadful topic. All around there were people hanging their heads, gasping, whispering in somber tones. While Mikuo himself wasn't the type to pay attention to gossip, he couldn't help picking up bits and pieces of what the townsfolk were saying.

"Isn't it just terrible—"

"—Had relatives there—"

"No one left, they said—"

As the boy reached the stall he was looking for, even there, the shop keeper was speaking to a friend. The elderly woman seemed to be comforting her friend. Not wanting to bother them, Mikuo took his time picking the onions he'd been sent to collect, then waited patiently for the other woman to depart.

"Good evening, Mikuo," the shopkeeper said, smiling softly. "Helping out your sister today, hmm?"

Politely, Mikuo nodded, handing the woman the money required. "What's everyone talking about? Everyone seems to be upset..."

"You haven't heard?" The woman raised an eyebrow. "Well, the word just got out today, I suppose."

"Something bad happened, right?" Mikuo asked, concerned.

Sighing, the kind old woman said. "The neighboring village was attacked. Some men were out hunting just this morning, but when they reached the edge of the town next to ours, it had been reduced to ashes. It doesn't seem there was any survivors."

"Attacked?! By whom?" Mikuo asked, shocked. He'd never really cared about the smaller town, but since it wasn't too far, trade between the two had been fairly common. Many of the people in this town visited every once in a while, and some had relatives over there.

The woman looked at Mikuo with a dark look. "Surely even you've heard of the Hunters?"

Mikuo's eyes went wide. "The group of bandits who ride those huge beasts found up in the mountains? I thought that was just a rumor!"

"No, the Hunters are real," the woman assured him. "They're unpredictable, and very dangerous. They completely destroyed that town. I'm just glad we've been spared somehow."

"And there's really no one left?"

The woman shook her head. "The men who'd been hunting checked all the houses—or what was left of them. There wasn't a soul left alive. If anyone survived, then they're gone now."

"I... see. Well, thank you," Mikuo said, turning to leave. Miku was waiting on him.

"You take care, dear," The woman called, as Mikuo headed off into the crowd.

It was busy as ever, people bustling around to do errands, or make it home for noon. But among all the people, one scene caught Mikuo's attention amid the crowd. At one stall, where a middle-aged man sold fruit, there was a girl, hiding among the shadows. She had a sneaky, guilty expression, as she scanned around her, and tried to grab a fruit when the stall vendor wasn't looking. The gesture wasn't missed by the sharp-witted man, though, and the next moment he'd grabbed the girl by the wrist, twisting her arm. He said something angrily, and the girl, though small, shouted something back defiantly, which made the vendor madder.

"Hey, hey, what's going on?" Mikuo said, walking up to the two before he even thought about it. The vendor looked up at him, irate.

"This little brat was trying to lift an apple off me without paying!" The man growled, twisting the girl's arm some more.

The girl winced, gritting her teeth. "Let me go, you dumb old man!"

Glaring at the kid, the man was about to yell something back, but Mikuo quickly said, "Hey, how about I pay for her? I'll handle her, okay?"

The vendor stared at him skeptically, still rather angry, but Mikuo pulled the girl from his grip, handing him the appropriate amount of money. "Here, don't sweat it, really. Sorry to have bothered you."

With that, Mikuo dragged the girl away from the stall, into a place where it was less crowded, then he turned to look at her. "What were you thinking? You know you can't just take things that aren't yours! If you want an apple, you have to pay!"

The girl set her jaw, glaring up at the older boy. "Well I don't have money, okay?!"

"Then get some from your parents!"

"I don't have parents, either!"

Mikuo blinked, staring down at the girl. She was a thin, blonde girl, who couldn't have been older than eleven or twelve. Upon further inspection, her hair was rather dirty, and none her clothes seemed to fit her quite right. There was an orphanage in this town run by nuns, but none of the kids from there ever looked like this.

After a moment of considering the girl, Mikuo said, "...You're not from here, are you?"

"What of it?" The girl asked fiercely, balling her hands up into fists.

"Where'd you come from, then?" Mikuo asked, curious.

Glaring at the ground, she muttered, "...The town over."

Mikuo's eyes went wide. "You mean the one-"

"The one that was destroyed, yeah!" The girl snapped, scowling. "By the Hunters!"

Mikuo put his hands up, trying to get her to quiet down. "Hey, keep it down! If you go around yelling that, you'll send everyone into a panic."

The girl didn't seem to care, as she yelled, "Who cares?! I'm gonna beat them anyway, and then they won't bother anyone!"

Mikuo snorted, raising an eyebrow. "You? Not like that you aren't."

"I will! I'll take them down!"

"Sure," Mikuo said, rolling his eyes. He tossed the girl the apple he'd bought because of her. "Anyway, here. You don't have any home now, right? Come on, you may as well come with me."

"Who says I need your help?!" The girl shot, too proud for her own good.

Mikuo looked at her with an eyebrow raised again. "You don't need to say anything. There's no way a kid who can't even swipe an apple from a stall without being spotted can survive without any family. Besides, that apple ain't gonna be very filling. Lunch is almost ready at home."

The child scowled at her feet, holding the apple tightly. "...Fine."

"Then come along," Mikuo said, waving his arm as a gesture to follow. "So what's your name?"

"...Rin," the girl muttered, trailing just a little behind the teenager. "Rin Kagamine."

"I'm Mikuo Hatsune," Mikuo said, walking down the street briskly. He'd taken far longer to buy Miku's onions than he'd meant to, and she'd probably be getting pretty impatient by now. "How long have you been on your own for?"

"...Two days," Rin muttered, still staring at the red fruit in her hands, but not eating it. She must've been terribly hungry, but perhaps she wanted to save it for her meal.

"And how old are you?"

"Twelve."

Mikuo glanced at the blonde girl. She was small, but her pride let her carry herself as if she wasn't, and her very core seemed to burn like fire, with a stubborn determination that told Mikuo this girl wasn't the type to make idle threats. If she said she'd ruin the Hunters, she'd likely do it or die trying. "What's a kid like you doing plotting revenge? Most kids would just be scared in your position, or at least be glad they're alive."

Rin's face twisted up into a painful look, full of hurt and hate and loneliness. "...They took my brother." Then the fire was back, and she looked up at Mikuo fiercely. "I have to find him! He's the only family I have left now, and I won't let them take him!"

"Taken, you say? I didn't think the Hunters were the kind to take prisoners. I'd heard they just slaughtered everyone," Mikuo said slowly, watching for Rin's reaction.

"Well they took him! He wasn't there, there wasn't even any blood, so they must have!"

"Well, if they did take him, which I doubt," Mikuo said, staring at the girl seriously. "He's probably dead by now."

Rin glowered at the ground, saying through gritted teeth, "...I know that. He may be dead, but I don't care! As long as there's a chance he's alive, I'm gonna find him! And I'll make the Hunters pay for ever taking him!"

Mikuo sighed. Clearly she wasn't to be dissuaded easily, but then again, he'd likely feel the same if his own sister was kidnapped. At least, if he couldn't stop her, he could make sure she didn't get herself killed right away.

Miku was waiting for him when he got back. She was standing in the open doorway, tapping her foot against the ground and her finger against her forearm, clearly annoyed. When she saw her brother, she likely would have asked him how in the world it took him a half an hour to pick up three onions, had she not seen the small, raggedy-looking girl following him silently. Instead her annoyance changed to confusion, and she looked up at Mikuo questioningly.

"Who's this?" Miku asked, gesturing to the girl.

"A guest," Mikuo said, hoping this would go down well. "You don't mind having an extra member for lunch, do you?"

Miku frowned, confused. "No... But who is she? And where'd she come from?"

Mikuo nudged Rin, and she stuck out her jaw, saying roughly, "My name is Rin."

"I'm Miku," said the teal-haired girl, still rather bemused. "Come in, sit down. Lunch will be done once I add in these last vegetables."

Mikuo handed his sister the onions he'd bought at the market. "Sorry I took so long." He washed his hands, helping Miku by chopping up one of the onions. "Have you heard what happened in the neighboring town?"

"The rumors about the Hunters? Sure," Miku said, shrugging, as she stirred her stew, adding vegetables and spices.

"Well, that girl is from the town that was destroyed," Mikuo said softly. "She doesn't have any family now except a brother who apparently was kidnapped by the Hunters, and she seems absolutely hell-bent on chasing them down."

"You're kidding!" Miku said in disbelief.

Mikuo shook his head. "Just look at the state she's in. She's not from here, that's for sure. Where else could she have come from on her own?"

Miku pursed her lips. "Well... that's true," she admitted. "So what are we gonna do? Send her off to the orphanage?"

"Well..." Mikuo said slowly, shrugging his shoulders. Miku looked at him incredulously.

"What? You're not thinking that we could take care of her, are you? No, absolutely not!"

"Come, on, Miku! You know what'll happen if we send her to the orphanage. A stubborn, one-track minded kid like her would probably run off the first chance she got, and end up getting herself killed!"

Miku looked at her brother sternly. "Listen, Mikuo, things are fine now, but that's only because Daddy's good at his job, and we're careful with our money. One extra person to take care of could seriously stretch our money. Besides, what do you think we'll be able to do for her? Stop her? If she's really so stubborn, she'll go no matter what you do."

"I know we can't stop her," Mikuo said, sighing. "But we could at least prepare her, more than a bunch of nuns ever could."

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"We could teach her how to make money, so she doesn't get in trouble trying to shoplift again-"

Miku raised an eyebrow. "She was doing what?!"

Mikuo waved his hand impatiently. "Whatever, that's already done. She was scolded by both the shopkeeper and me, so I don't think she'll try it again. She only did it because she didn't have any money. And that's why she needs to learn how to make money! Then she wouldn't need to steal, right?"

Miku pursed her lips, but eventually nodded.

"And we could help her get strong, so she actually has a fighting chance," Mikuo added. "She could help with chores."

"Mikuo, I said we can't!" Miku said, frowning.

"Why don't we just ask Dad?" Mikuo insisted.

"Ask me what?" The arguing siblings turned in surprise to see their father standing in the doorway, looking rather puzzled. "What's the problem, you two?"

"Dad!" Mikuo said, surprised.

"Daddy, listen to this! Mikuo wants to-" Miku began, but their father put up his hand, smiling.

"Hold on, the talk can wait," He said calmly, looking at where the blonde girl was sitting quietly at the table. He walked up to her, smiling kindly. "And who might you be?"

Rin looked down at her lap, frowning stubbornly. "It's Rin. Rin Kagamine."

"My name is Kaito, Rin. I'm the father of those two," he gestured to Miku and Mikuo. "I see you're joining us for lunch?"

Oddly shy, Rin nodded quietly.

Serving the now-ready stew in a bowl to her father, Miku said, "But Daddy, listen! Mikuo wants us to take care of her!"

"It'd be better than sending her off to the orphanage!" Mikuo countered.

Skillfully ignoring his children's bickering, Kaito turned to Rin. "You don't have any parents?"

Rin shook her head. "They were killed by the Hunters."

"That's terrible," Kaito said, as Miku put down a bowl of soup for the young girl.

Rin frowned determinedly. "Yeah, but what's worse is that they took my twin! I have to find him!"

"See?" Mikuo said pointedly, more to Miku than anyone else. "She wants to chase down the Hunters! Those namby-pamby nuns won't help her at all with that! They'd just let her go off without a care!"

"So you have a twin, eh? Do you really plan to find the Hunters, then?"

Rin nodded quickly. "I have to know what happened to him! Even if he's... already dead... I have to know! I'll make the Hunters pay for taking him!"

"That's a ridiculous idea!" Miku declared. "And if she wants to go on her suicide mission, then we can't do anything to stop her!"

"It'd be terrible if we let her go without preparing her somehow! That's like leaving her to die!" Mikuo countered.

Kaito smiled at Rin. "You have determination, I see. You'll go far with that sort of fire in your heart. But the way you are, you wouldn't be able to do very much. If you're going to go out on your own, you'll need to know how to make money, and cook food, and you'll need to know how to fight, of course! And it just so happens that I myself am a blacksmith."

Rin looked up in interest. "You make weapons?"

"And tools, too. But yes, I work with metal. The Hunters use swords, and of course they have those beasts they ride. Surely you weren't planning on taking them on bare-handed?"

Rin blushed, looking at her toes.

"Well, how about this? I'll make you a weapon," Kaito offered. "But, there's one problem. Weapons aren't cheap, you see? So how about we make a deal: You stay here and work for, say, two or so years, to pay off the money required for the weapon. And while you're here, you can learn and train and become strong. Does that sound like a plan?"

"But Daddy!" Miku protested. "We don't have that sort of money!"

"If she's working, then it won't be a problem," Kaito said, then to Rin. "It wouldn't be easy, but we'd be here to help you. What do you say, Rin?"

Rin hardly needed to consider it. He'd had her at the offer to make her a weapon. "Y-yes, please!" She said eagerly. "I'll work hard!"

Kaito smiled. "That's the spirit! Now, eat up! We gotta get some meat on you!"

Miku sighed, sitting down with her bowl last. "Well, I guess that's that. I take it I'll be the one to teach her how to cook?"

"Much appreciated," Kaito replied. "And since this was Mikuo's idea, you're going to help her learn how to fight."

"Yes, sir," Mikuo responded, grinning. "I kind of expected as much anyway."

"But that can all wait for tomorrow," Kaito said. "I'm sure you must be tired. And hungry!" Kaito laughed, as Rin scarfed down her food quickly. "Miku, could you take Rin to town today to buy her some better-fitting clothes than those? She'll likely need a bath, too."

"Alright, then," Miku agreed.

"Good! And since you'll be living with us for the next two years, why don't you tell us a little more about yourself?" Kaito suggested.

Rin blushed, then smiled. The blonde girl spent the rest of the meal laughing and chatting with her new family, and though the carnage of her old town was still fresh in her memory, and plans to take down the Hunters simmered in the back of her mind, things were all right. Even without her twin whom she loved so dearly by her side, for now, she was at ease. The storm was yet to come.