Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid in any way, shape, or form.

Song: Karakuri 卍Burst ~ Rin & Len Kagamine [Append POWER]

KARAKURI 卍 BURST

~RIN~

Carefully stepping outside into the warm summer night, I walk up to my elaborate carriage. Stepping inside with careful movements, I sit down and make myself comfortable. Smiling to myself, I inform the driver, "Kiyokawa Village, please,". Picking the carriage up by its handles, I'm off into the night. I stare at the passing scenery, and hope nothing goes wrong tonight.

I can't help but remember the last meeting with Miku I had…

Placed on the wide table in front of me was a giant blueprint of what appeared to be a village. Must be a new assignment. Scanning the paper, I try to figure out what Miku is planning.

"Rin? Come here. Everyone's waiting for you." Miku gives me a slow but steady smile. I walk towards her, and kneel before her. I feel Miku's shoe tapping my head – bow down lower. I do so, and I wait for her to order me up. The point of her shoe slides under my chin, and forces my head up.

"Rin, dear, I have a new mission for you. It appears that a certain village knows what I'm up to. They don't seem to approve, so I think I might as well get rid of them, don't you think?" The teal-haired woman stares down at me, waiting for a response.

"Of course, Miku-sama." I reply.

"Anyways, because of this, I want the village destroyed. Who else to send but my beloved number one? Rin, I know you can do this, right?" She stares at me with expectant eyes, and I smile in return.

"Yes, Miku-sama."

"Now, I don't think you'll mind that I'll be sending others with you on this mission, right Rin?"

I refrain from frowning – Miku knows that I prefer solo missions over group ones. Why is she forcing others with me? "Of course not, Miku-sama. May I ask? How many will accompany me on this mission?"

"Ten others. Due to the village being fairly large, I know one person couldn't complete this alone – even you Rin. Of course, you are the one in charge of them all. Just make sure the village is destroyed – preferably no survivors. Now, this mission is a bit tricky, so listen closely. In order to avoid suspicion, everyone must enter the village at different times, either alone or with one other person. Each person will have a designated time to arrive, and in order for this plan to work, everyone must be on time. The ten that will be accompanying you are my top ten, all highly reliable, so there shouldn't be any problem. Now, since there are ten people, there will be five groups of two – Rin, you will be alone. Four will be at the corners of the village, while the last group will be in the middle of the village. At the specified time, the center group will light a firework. Once set off, start the mission."

"Miku-sama, won't fireworks be suspicious?"

"No, because on the night I plan the attack, the village will be celebrating the Tanabata Festival. They will think the fireworks are a new 'tradition' or something trivial like that. On a final note, do you have any demands Rin?" Miku stares down at me, her foot still under my chin. It's becoming tiring, but I ignore the pain.

Thinking hard, I come up with a couple of demands. "I plan to burn the village. It's the most efficient way, and I assume there must be plenty of materials at the village to start a fire. But when the signal is fired, I want my 'partners' to make sure everything is aflame – and make sure they use any means necessary to start the fires. Once that happens, they must leave immediately."

Sighing, Miku begins, "You're demands will be met. I will give everyone a copy of the map, telling everyone their spots. The times you need to worry about are when you need to arrive and when the firework will be set off."

"And what time will I be arriving?" I inquire.

"You will arrive at 11:45 PM. The firework is to be set off at midnight."

"I will not shame you, Miku-sama."

"Of course not, Rin, when have you ever shamed me?" Giving me a sly smirk, my master removes her foot from beneath my jaw, and concludes the meeting.

When I return to the present, I realize that I've arrived at the Kiyokawa village.

"Thank you." I smile to the carrier, and hand him a wad of bills. When he leaves, I stare at the gates. I smile to myself, and put my hands on the thick wooden doors.

~LEN~

Finishing off the tedious paperwork, I shuffle the papers, and try to find a place to file them away. Opening several drawers, I finally settle on the one to my right. Opening it slowly, I peer inside, checking for extra space to store the paper. As I stare into the drawer, I notice the necklace. It's simple – just a chain with a little metal heart. Even so, I drop the meaningless papers on the floor, and grab the necklace.

Even though it's been 12 years, I still remember that fateful day.

"Hey Len?"

"Yeah, Rin?"

"I'm bored."

The conversation went on like this for a bit, when we heard someone open the front door.

"Mom and Dad must be back from the grocery store!" Rin shouted, rushing to see our parents. But, when she got to the intruders, it wasn't our parents. Three unfamiliar strangers stood in our house, and both Rin and I were confused. "Who are you?" Rin asked innocently.

Her reply was a tall man with dark blue hair picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder. My reaction was to attack the man, but that resulted with the female of the group ordering the other male to grab me. As I was screaming, kicking, trying to save my twin, the teal-haired female said to the man holding me: "Hiyama, the boy." He knew what this meant, and removed a small pocket knife from a hidden sheath. Slowly sliding it out, he gripped the knife and dug it deep into my right eye. The pain was unbearable. Half of my eye-sight was red, and in the distance I could see Rin being carried off, outside, away from me. When they had left, I noticed Rin's beloved locket on the floor.

Ever since that day, I kept that locket. For Rin's memory. I know she's alive, I just haven't found her. Anger seeps through my body, how could the one person I truly love just disappear? I slam my fists on my desk in anger. It's not fair. I just want her back.

"Len?" I hear a female voice, and I turn. It's Meiko, one of my colleagues. "Are you okay?" She looks worried. I realize she must have heard my little outburst, and I try to act like nothing's wrong.

"I'm fine, don't worry!" Giving a false smile, I walk past Meiko, and out the door.

~RIN~

When I open the gate doors, I see a multitude of vivid colors and loud noises. The festival looks lively, and I'm grateful. Preparing for the event, I take out a blood-red chrysanthemum and place it at the front gates. The tell-tale sign of the Hana Kira. I walk further into the village, searching for a way to start the fire. Nothing catches my eye, except for a few torches lighting some paths within the town. "Not very creative" I think to myself. Sighing, I look up to the sky. The moon is giant and bright. The full moon is illuminated by paper lanterns, creating a stunning picture. Wait – paper lanterns? Paper lanterns were lit from the inside with candles! The paper will be extremely flammable for the fire, and since lanterns are probably covering the entire village tonight, supply will not be a problem.

Trying to find something to do while I wait for 15 minutes gets tiring. I'm losing my patience, and I'm sick of staring at the sky. Just when I'm about give up, I see a magnificent crimson firework burst into the sky. Show time.

As people stare in awe at the sky, I get into action. Peeling off my confining obi, I toss it to the ground. My white kimono flows behind me, revealing my short red kimono, white thigh-highs, and geta sandals. I ready my weapons – a gun in my left hand & a katana in my right – and I start the attack. Finding the first lantern line I can find, I cut the thin thread easily with one strike. A row of paper lanterns fall to the ground, and most of them don't catch on fire. A few do, and start on some wooden buildings. People try to run away, but before I can attack them, I see village guards charging towards me.

Laughing, I point my gun at one and shoot at point-blank range. The man falls to the ground instantly, so I turn my attention to the other men coming for me. Gripping my sword tighter, I slash at a few guards. My attack hits two men, and one falls to ground. I finish him off with a quick stab. The other man tries to grab me, so I duck and slice off his legs. Jumping up quickly, I turning to my right, more men. To my left, even more men. I point my gun at several men, shooting wildly. Hitting about 7 men, they all fall to the ground with fatal wounds. I turn to the right, and start slashing violently. Severing heads and limbs, I know I'm making good progress. When I finish the first round of men, I turn around. I see about 15 men coming after me. This is just too easy. I stand still for 3 seconds straight, laughing manically, and proceed with my attack. Hardly moving, I cut off three men's heads in a row, shoot a couple, and stab the others to death.

When I finish with the guards, I check for wounds. Nothing appears to be too serious, so I continue on. It appears all the guards came after me, so I begin the next hunt. Several people run past, and I realize I recognize one face.

"Gumi!" I shout over the chaos, and she turns.

"Rin!" She smiles at me, and runs towards me.

"Did you set everything on fire?" I question her.

"We did what we could. Almost everything is on fire. Do you need any help?"

"No, just get out of here! Run back to Miku-sama, tell her that everyone is safe."

"But you're still fighting!" I see fear in Gumi's eyes, and I just laugh lightly.

"I'll be fine. The worst of it is done. Now go!" Gumi is hesitant, but she returns to running towards the front gate.

I focus my attention back towards the fiery village, and I just smile. Ah, the sight is beautiful. Flapping reds and oranges, crimson stains on the ground, the chaotic noise. This is where I belong.

~LEN~

I decide to calm myself by taking a quick walk. It all seemed fine, but ten minutes in my walk, a frantic woman comes up to me, panting heavily.

"Sir, please, the village!" Her words are broken up, and I'm struggling to understand her. "Follow me!" She shouts, and turns around.

I follow the woman towards a village. I see smoke – lots of it. When we enter the village, everything is broken. Fire has engulfed the entire town, and few people remain. I shout to the woman that she must get help, and she turns back around. I breath in, unsheathe my sword, and I can only hope that the culprit is still here. I chose the main path, looking down allies, checking for anyone. My search feels futile, but when I take a right, I see her. Standing alone around piles of junk. Not moving an inch. I walk up towards her, hoping she doesn't hear me. Right as I'm about to strike, the girl turns around.

Blonde hair sways in the wind, a crazed smile plastered on the girls face. A blood-red chrysanthemum is tucked into her bun, and I have a feeling that it's her. The Hana Kira. My face contorts into disgust, and the girl just smiles wider.

"The famous Hana Kira-me, what a surprise." My voice is drenched in hatred, and the girl can tell.

"Oh, must we be so disrespectful?" The girl's face creeps into a smile, and I want to slap her.

"What else would you like me to call you? A fucking murderer?" My voice rises in anger, and the girl responds with a laugh.

"A fucking murderer? Hmm, not bad, it's kinda got a nice ring to it, huh?" Her smirk seems plastered onto her face. "Well, let's not keep you waiting. Shall we?"

Staying silent, I use all the force I can into this one blow. The girl blocks it quickly with her sword, and we're both struggling to win.

"S-Scared?" The girl asks. Her voice wavers under the pressure, and I smirk back.

"Hell no." Pushing harder, the girl responds with a push twice as strong. I stumble backwards, but quickly regain my strength and force my sword down. The blow hardly affects the girl, yet again, and she is still smirking. I glare at her, but the more I do, the more familiar that face becomes. Blonde hair, porcelain skin, and of course, those eyes. My strength falters, and the girl tries to take advantage. I dodge quickly, but I'm in shock.

"R-Rin?" I whisper it, but the girl seems to hear me. She stops as well, and her features soften.

"What did you call me?"

"I said, Rin?"

"…Len?" She says quietly after.

"I-It's me, Len."

Rin stands in shock, just staring at me.

"No. Len's not real." She shakes her head violently, and I drop my sword down. It clatters loudly, and I walk over to my sister. I put my arms around her shaking shoulders, and she slowly puts her small arms around me.

"I am real, Rin." I whisper in her ear, but she stays silent. After several seconds pass by, I realize she's crying. Her body is shaking, and her sobs become louder with each passing second. "Shh, don't cry Rin!" I squeeze her closer, and she hugs me back.

"L-Len!"

"I'm right here, don't worry." It's finally happening. My beloved sister, back in my arms.

Suddenly, a thought strikes me. Back up should be arriving very soon. I need to get Rin out of here. "Rin! Rin, we have to leave!" I grab her hand but won't budge.

"Where are we going?" her voice is timid, unlike her powerful voice from behind. She sounds just like a child.

"Anywhere. They're after you. More police are coming. We have to leave. Now!"

"I'm scared." Her voice is even quieter, and I have to strain my ears to listen.

"I know. Don't worry, Lenny's here to protect you." Rin smiles vaguely at the nickname she gave me, and she slowly begins to follow me. We finally end up at the front gates again, but it's surrounded. I spot familiar faces: Gakupo, Meiko, even Luka. We're trapped. My heart skips a beat, and I don't know what to do.

"Len! You found her?" Gakupo rushes towards me, disbelief etched into his face. I'm speechless. Rin's hand is still gripping mine, and she squeezes tighter.

"Len? Did you find her?" Gakupo's voice is starting to show annoyance, but I can't reply. "Fine," Gakupo pauses, and attempts to yank Rin away from me. He manages to rip the two of us apart, and Rin's screaming now.

Gakupo and now Meiko are both trying to restrain her. Rin is screaming at the top of her lungs, "LEN! LEN SAVE ME!"

My mind is blank, and I can't think of anything to do. For 5 seconds straight, I stand still. Suddenly, I lose it, and I'm rushing to pull those monsters off of my Rin.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" I push them off her, and Rin is bawling now. I pull her up and run. I run past the police, past everybody. We'll make it, I know we will.

As Rin and I are running as fast as we can, I feel someone ram into the back of me, causing me to fall to the ground. Rin has let go of my hand, and I see that Meiko has got her.

I've failed. I found Rin, but I let her down. What will happen now? I stare into my sister's eyes, and she starts crying again.

The person who knocked me down has now lifted me up and is shoving handcuffs on me. Oh god. What have I done?

~RIN~

After Len and I were captured, we were put into jail. We were in separate cells, but right next door. It felt like years that we were in that cell, but in reality it was only a short 3 day period. When that was over, we were both sentenced to death. For as many crimes as I committed, it wasn't shocking. But Len had just resisted the police, so why was he dying too?

On the third day, the guards finally opened the cell doors. I stumbled out, and was led by several guards to a guillotine. Two were set up, and I saw Len sitting in front of one.

"Len!" My voice called out to him, and he looked at me with sad eyes.

"Rin…I'm happy we were able to see each other one last time before the end."

I'm silent, and I feel silent tears pour down my face. The guards shove me down, and place my head in the slot. I swallow, and realize that this is the end. I will never see Len again. I breath in, and hope for a quick death.

So the suffix "-me" is a derogatory term, meaning that you think the person is lower than you. I got this information from: /Main/JapaneseHonorifics So I'm not quite sure if it's correct or not. I'm going to assume so, because it will help with Rin's nickname, and how Len thinks low of her.

And Rin's nickname is Hana Kira which translates into Flower Killer. This refers to Rin being a well-known killer, and that she is famous for leaving one blood-red flower at the crime scene, whether it be a single or multiple kill.

And the idea with cutting the paper lanterns was my friend Jannie's. So, I can't claim that part. And Kiyokawa village is a real village, I just didn't want to think of a name because I'm lazy. And one more thing [I know, I'm a rambler], I used carriage instead of rickshaw, because rickshaw is an ugly word. And this is a really rough draft. Maybe I'll edit it. Maybe.