This is my first submission here ^^ I hope you'll all enjoy this Vocaloid adaption of 'Little Red Riding Hood'. Just a few things to share before I begin though... my grammar and vocabulary is limited so I hope you guys wouldn't mind if I make a few mistakes here and there. I'll try to minimize errors if I can...

Disclaimer: Vocaloid isn't my property.

EDIT/ I didn't know that there was an option to enable or disable anonymous reviews O_O Sorry guys, anonymous reviews are now enabled!

EDIT2/ Spotted and fixed a contradictory statement in the passage.

EDIT3/ I removed the weekly update from the summary because I don't really want to guarantee something I may not be able to do. I have tons of unfinished homework so I may not be able to update for some weeks. Therefore, updates will be done randomly. Meanwhile, keep the reviews coming, I do check my mail!

"The Red Spade" - Act 1: The girl in the woods

Fairytales and myths were very common in this village.

One of them, according to one of the villagers, involved the mysterious and spooky disappearance of several kind-hearted young and beautiful maidens after they had been sent into the woods. There had been no traces and clues as to where they might have gone to, and nobody in the village had even seen them after the incident.

There were vague and peculiar explanations following the disappearances of the young maidens in the village. Some said that the village chief had sacrificed them to a demon lord of some sort living deep in the woods where nobody could find him. Others had claimed that the maidens must have been kidnapped by pirates on their way home, or they have decided to leave the village in pursuit of their dreams.

Kagamine Rin thought that all of the myths and tales heard in this village were nonsense created by people who wanted to wreck havoc by spreading gibberish and false tales to everyone.

She knew that there were no such things as pirates wandering in the woods when this village was so poor. It didn't make sense for the pirates to target one of the poorest villages in this island. Also, how the heck would demons even exist when there are already no such things as ghosts, or any supernatural beings for goodness sake?

Call it denial if you may, but Kagamine Rin chose not to believe in such things because she didn't want to scare herself to death.

Soft emerald eyes met crimson ones when Kagamine Rin lifted up her head from the table to look at whoever had slammed the wooden door open. An angry scowl replaced the tired frown on her pale and lifeless face when she noticed that the wooden door leading outside the village was halfway destroyed by the brutality of the brunette.

The wooden door creaked back and forth, looking as though it may collapse any minute now. Bits and pieces of wood from the wooden door itself dropped casually onto the rough and dark floorboard, contributing to all of the dusts that had conveniently gathered there after a month's break from cleaning the house.

"What the heck?" Meiko cursed, turning to look at how the door was swaying hopelessly to and fro.

A drip of water made its way down from the wooden ceiling. It hit the brunette's left bare arm, causing said woman to swear and curse, each one getting worse after another. Said brunette averted her gaze from the door and tilted her head to look at the wooden ceiling immediately, her face distorted in a flurry of emotions that Kagamine Rin was unable to comprehend.

Rin observed with her half-lidded eyes at how the floorboards below the brunette seemed to creak and tremble with every step she took. It almost seemed like the floorboards below would give way any moment now… they were practically living in an abandoned rotten house!

The brunette pulled one of the stools out from under the table, and sat swiftly on it. There were a few items, Kagamine Rin noticed, that the brunette was carrying. One of them appeared to be a dagger of some sort… and the other was a basket that apparently looked as if it didn't have anything inside.

"What are those?" Rin asked as Meiko proceeded to place those items on top of the table carefully. It was rare to see her acting so gently. Usually she'd just throw the items on top of the table with a swing of her arm, even if the items were precious rations or maybe gifts from the other villagers.

The items she had been holding must have been very precious, Rin noted mentally in her mind.

"Those?" Meiko shot Rin a blank look. "They're going to be very useful to the both of us in the future."

"I asked what they were, not whom they were for," Rin retorted snappishly, shooting Meiko a venomous glare that screamed of fury and death.

Kagamine Rin was normally cheerful, calm and collected. She wouldn't lash out on random people unless there was an acceptable reason for her to, but somehow, she just didn't feel like being herself today. Truth be told, she was seriously sick and tired of people treating her like a toddler or maybe an innocent child, hiding things from her intentionally.

Sakine Meiko was one of the women treating her as such. Rin had asked her about their financial condition multiple times in the past, and all she got for an answer was an 'hm' or a 'don't worry, kid'. It was always these vague answers that had unnerved her because she didn't like being kept in the dark, and even if the truth was harsh, she just wanted the adults to tell it straight in her face.

Why couldn't the adults just treat her as one of them? She wanted to help, seriously, but she couldn't… not when those selfish adults refused to reveal anything to her. It made her feel so helpless, so left out, and not to mention lonely.

"Thinking of something?" Meiko's voice brought Rin back into reality. Her eyebrows were arched, and her crimson eyes were carefully scrutinizing Rin's expression.

"Nothing in particular." Rin pouted her cherry colored lips in annoyance.

"I've always thought of you as the type who wouldn't sulk or pout at anything," Meiko stated blankly, folding her arms neatly across her chest and leaning forward. "I guess I was wrong, huh."

"Don't change the topic, idiot." Rin tore her gaze from the brunette, finding her crimson eyes that had been clouded in amusement and humor a bit too intense for her to look at.

"There wasn't a topic to begin with in the first place," came the stiff reply from the brunette. With a sad frown, she leaned back and stretched her arms out on the table.

"Oh yeah? You haven't told me what these items are for!" Rin scoffed, running a slim and pale hand down her dirty blonde hair.

"Fine, fine," Meiko replied hesitantly, grabbing the dagger on the table and wrapping her fingers around the hilt. "This is for self-defense purposes. This is extremely helpful when you are in a situation whereby somebody is going to threaten your life. All you have to do is to stab the aggressive attacker multiple times."

Rin grimaced at the brunette's choice of words. The tone of her voice, coupled with the serious expression on her face, made it sound like she was going to commit arson, murder or the like. There was, after all, no other reason for the brunette to bring a dagger along with her since there wasn't a single soul in the village who would threaten her life. Most people, Rin remembered, got along well with her because she was rather friendly and sociable.

Kagamine Rin was so caught up in her thought… she didn't even notice that she had slipped her tongue and mumbled whatever she had been thinking in her head in one swift go.

"I'm not going to kill anyone. Hell, Rin," Meiko snapped irritably, "Where did you get those thoughts from? Do I look like the genocidal, suicidal mass-murdering psychopaths you see or hear in those fairytales?"

Rin could feel the heat gathering in her cheeks. Her face must have been as red as the rose petals since Meiko burst out laughing when she looked her way.

She immediately brought her hands up to her face and tried to cover herself with her palms. She could still feel blood rushing up to her head, and she knew that the heat wouldn't go away that fast, so it was the only way to save herself from further embarrassment.

Meiko's laughter subsided instantly when she opened her mouth to speak. "This will be very handy when one is going to the woods."

"Why would you need a dagger if you're going into the woods?" Rin bluntly said, removing her hands from her face. She let her arms fall limply by her sides.

"Your grandmother is living in a cottage deep inside the woods."

An annoyed and cross expression slowly crept its way up to Rin's face. "I asked why you need a dagger, not why one would get their ass in there. For goodness sake, can you not listen and understand proper English—"

"— There have been tales and stories of those maidens getting kidnapped by foul demons in the woods." The brunette pursed her lips, letting her fingers slide over the rough ridges of the hilt of the dagger. "I haven't seen your Grandmother for ages now. I don't know what happened to her because she hasn't written a single letter to us ever since my last visit. This dagger here is to ensure that we'll be able to defend ourselves should a demon attack us. That way, we'll make it safely to and fro."

There was an uncomfortable silence that slid between the two of them for a good few minutes. Rin gazed at Meiko's expression, realizing that she was indeed, very very serious about what she had just said. Something warm bubbled in the back of Rin's throat, and she felt like gagging. She was losing it, she knew, because her control over her emotions was slipping away slowly—

— and she ended up losing it all, breaking into bouts of laughter while her shoulders heaved up and down in sheer delight.

She clutched her stomach in pain with her left hand, tears forming on the side of her squinted eyes. She slammed the table multiple times with her right palm in joy, laughing at what the brunette had just said minutes ago. It was unbearable, really, and she was finding everything just a tad too ridiculous for her to handle.

"S-Sorry," Rin mumbled between laughters. "I-It's j-just too f-f… f-funny! Ha!"

"What's so funny?" Meiko hissed, a displeased frown forming slowly on her face. Her perfect eyebrows were arched in annoyance and, perhaps, anger.

"I d-don't b-believe you would… haha…" Rin was still shaking in uncontrollable laughter. "… Believe in t-things as s-stupid as those… Pwwh… Hahaha!"

"Not funny, Rin. And it's not ridiculous or stupid. It's true; there are demons lurking in the woods. You just don't know when they will strike."

It took a few minutes for Rin to regain her composure. She tried to calm herself down, taking in deep breaths of air greedily from her surroundings, before she was about to open her mouth to throw more insults and not so witty comments and retorts to the brunette's absolutely stupid claim.

"So… When are you leaving for the woods?"

Meiko raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about me going into the woods?"

"What?" Rin's expression was torn between disbelief and surprise.

"This dagger is for you, kid," Meiko mumbled, pushing the hilt of the dagger forward towards Rin. "And the basket is for you, too. Get your ass in there and check if Grandmother's all right. Make sure you pick some fruits on your way there and put them in the basket for grandma."

"But you were the one who said there are demons living deep in the woods!" Rin screamed, pointing an accusing finger at Meiko's strangely calm expression. "You're going to send me there despite those wicked and strange rumors you hear?"

"I wasn't the one who said that there weren't such things like demons, trolls, and the like." Meiko shrugged casually.

Rin gave out a nervous chuckle, starting to regret what she had said before. "So you're sending me, a kid, to the woods where I may get lost and hungry and never return?"

"You'll be fine with the dagger," Meiko simply said, "Besides, I've drawn up a map for you. Just follow the route and you'll be fine, that I guarantee."

Rin could not believe what she had just heard. She kept her mouth shut, shaking her head to clear her mind of the confusion and mixed emotions she was feeling at the moment.

It was true that she didn't believe in the tales involving trolls, demons, ghosts and supernatural stuff that were circulating around the village madly. But that was only because she hadn't seen them with her own eyes, so she just shook them off as false and worthless claims made by rodents and useless freaks in the village. Also, it was better for her to choose not to believe in such things because she wanted to live without fear in this village.

What good would it do to believe in such things? One would only cause fear and disturbance in their lives. No, Rin wouldn't want that.

There was, however, still room for doubt in her mind. She knew that there was this possibility of their existence, no matter how small it may be.

Despite that, she knew there was no point arguing with Meiko since she was bound to lose no matter how good or how bad her points were. She had to go, even if she was reluctant to go.

Kagamine Rin grumbled and swore before heading back into her room, not sparing the brunette another glance.

She knew she should have kept her mouth shut right from the very beginning.

The soft and shining rays from the sun made the blonde wince slightly before she squeezed her eyes shut, finding it terribly difficult for her to adjust to the brightness of the atmosphere. It was abnormally warm for an afternoon, and beads of perspiration were already starting to gather at her smooth neck and the roots of her silky hair.

Kagamine Rin took quick, long strides across the luscious green grasses, trampling casually on innocent white lilies and cat flowers on her way through. There were a few multicolored butterflies fluttering their wings gracefully in mid-air, but the blonde disregarded their existence. She swung her arm wildly when she saw any flying insects approaching her, ignoring the fact that there might be bees and they might sting her since she had been the one who had been aggressive enough to provoke the bees in the first place.

With the basket in one of her hands, and a piece of paper clutched in the other, the blonde swiftly made her way through the woods, hoping to get the job done before dark.

It was strangely quiet, Rin noticed. There weren't any traces of a single animal near the area. She hadn't even heard the mewls of a stray cat or the noisy squawking of random birds in the area. All she could hear was the sound of her own hasty and quivering footsteps and her harsh gasps and breaths resonating throughout the spacious clearing.

She stopped in her tracks when she arrived at a fork, the supposedly single route splitting into two. With a low growl, she brought up the horrible paper containing what looked more like a doodle than a map. Her emerald eyes scanned swiftly through the map, trying to locate where she was.

She sighed when she realized she was already quite near from her targeted destination. There were only a few more meters before she'd arrive at her grandmother's cottage. There was something, she recalled, Meiko had instructed her to do before she reached there, though…

Oh, yes. It had something to do with picking some poisonous and random fruits for her beloved grandmother.

She took a brief look around the area, trying to look for any fruits in the area. Maybe, if she were lucky, she would find pineapples and bananas on the trees…

Which was clearly downright impossible because those fruits didn't grow on trees.

Her eyes glinted all of a sudden, and her lips curled into a wry smirk when she spotted red, juicy apples lying below some of the fresh trees. She took the route on her left and trod straight to where the fruits were lying on, immediately picking them up and dumping them messily into the weaved basket on her hand. There were traces of mud stuck on the supposedly smooth and shiny surfaces of the apples, but she hadn't bothered to wipe them clean off.

She had only managed to pick up about five of them when she realized the skies above her had began to grow dark. The golden sun had already descended halfway down one of the clouds…

Kagamine Rin had to hurry because it would be nightfall soon.

She grabbed another three more apples, ignoring the ones that were lying below another tree a few meters away from where she stood, and quickly made her way to the path on her right.

"Demons and ghosts don't exist," she uttered, more like she was trying to convince herself than the others. "Just a few more meters and I'll—!"

Her face beamed with glee and delight when she caught sight of the wooden cottage behind a few bushes and vines. She decided to cut her way through instead of following the direct route leading straight to the entrance of the cottage. The rough edges of the vines around the bushes managed to cut her pale and white leg, and she winced a little, but she didn't check the wound because she was finally here, at her destination, and she was desperate to go home straight after this stupid job of hers.

The cottage was old and worn out, looking much worse than her house in the village.

There were two round windows, one on each side of the wooden door, and the glass windows were filled with dusts and sharp cracks. The door of the cottage seemed a little better than the windows because there had been no cracks or whatsoever present, but there were a few protruding rough edges. Whoever constructed this cottage must have either used the poorest and lousiest materials they could find, or they had poor and absolutely lousy craftsmanship. Rin suspected it was the former.

The door was just lying invitingly and warm in front of her. All she had to do was knock once, twice, or maybe thrice, then she'd be granted access and maybe get herself treated with one or two lovely homemade dishes. After all, grandmothers were supposed to be able to whip up traditionally good-tasting meals, hm? She was also hungry…

Speaking of which, she hadn't met her grandmother for years. The last time she saw her was when she was about six years old, so she briefly wondered how much her grandmother had changed, or how much she had changed for the matter. Maybe her grandmother wouldn't even be able to recognize her now, and would pass her off as some stranger from the village.

With a frown gracing upon her lips, Kagamine Rin mustered all her courage and strode up to the wooden door. She balled her fists, conveniently wrinkling up the paper containing the map that Meiko had drawn, and knocked at the sturdy wooden surface once before she realized that the door was, in fact, not locked at all.

There was a small opening, but it wasn't big enough for her to see anyone inside. With a slight soft push, the door opened, revealing the contents of the room in front of her.

Kagamine Rin widened her eyes at the sight that greeted her.

A/N: I have already finished typing the next two chapters ^^

Dumdum... Len appears in the next chapter as... well, I'm guessing all of you should have already guessed it by now. So, stay tuned to the next chapter of Drag- No, The Red Spade!

Reviews and comments are gladly welcomed... Reviews make me happy for some reason.

So review!