I may make a sequel to this...

Re: To clear things up, I decided to make Len older in this. In actual Vocaloid terms, he is considered to be the youngest of the two, but this is fanfiction; not every detail has to be accurate. There are even some songs (and other fanfictions) that portray him to be older than Rin. Besides, Vocaloid is intended to be a "free-for-all" when it comes to personal opinions on the characters.

Sorry for this lecture, but I didn't want people to be confused on my personal choices, or to be close-minded on such facts.

I never did like the winter season that much. It's always too cold to keep yourself warm enough, and the snow constantly finds a way to meet your skin without fail. I shivered as said winter managed to seep itself through the green, ratted sweater that I wore.

"Len, are you sure that you don't want the blanket? We can even share, if you want." My sister sniffled out, slipping off the worn, grey blanket that was wrapped around her. She handed it to me with one of her sincere smiles.

I took it and wrapped it back around her. "I already told you, I'm fine, Rin. Besides, this winter is a lot warmer than last year's!" Even though we both knew it was a lie, I still smiled brightly at her.

She sighed raggedly and scooted closer to me on our makeshift, cardboard seat. "You know that the only reason I listen to you is because you were born twenty minutes earlier, right?"

"Twenty minutes that I'm proud of!" I said cheerfully, ruffling her short, blonde hair.

"Len" Rin screeched out, freeing her hands from the confinement of the blanket and using them to shield her hair.

But the fun didn't last long. It never does.

That screech caused her to take a big gulp of air, and I soon found myself rubbing her back. I watched as she hacked violently into her tiny hands. Even through the three layers of clothing, and the blanket, I could still feel more bones than flesh on her back- and every cough that wracked through her swollen lungs.

I knew that she got sick easily when we were younger, but I never thought anything of it until last winter. She started out with just a normal cough, yet it turned brutal within days- a violent coughing that spotted her lips and hands with crimson. It didn't take me long to figure out what it was, or how much time she had left. It was an illness worse than tuberculosis. I knew about the cure, but it was something that only the wealthy could afford, not some alley-kids. So I chose to do what any good, big brother would do; to treat my sister like the princess that she deserves to be. With the laws of 2202 keeping orphanages banned, and no parents or relatives to turn to, I would like say that I'm doing a pretty good job at keeping her happy. Rin has never said anything about it otherwise.

I could feel my eyes burn as I watched Rin take out an old, stained cloth to wipe at the liquid on her hands and mouth.

"It's lasting longer. It won't be long until..."

"Have you decided on what you want to do for our fourteenth birthday? It's only three weeks away now." It was kind of a random question, but it was also important.

Her blue eyes danced with confusion. "Me? But, I chose last year. It's your turn to choose."

I shrugged. "I draw a blank everytime it comes to planning something. Remember what happened last time?"

I knew she remembered by the way the red-tinge on her nose spread across her face. "How could I forget? You had us try to eat lunch in a tree, which made us fall out of the tree, and then we almost got arrested because we landed on an elderly couple!"

"You see? All the more reason why you should choose. And it can be anything that you want to do."

Rin shook her head, looking at the snow-covered ground. "It's useless, Len. We don't have enough. Besides, us mixing in with regular people is illegal now."

She was right. The laws have been getting stricter every year. "Don't worry about that." I said after a moment. "Just tell me what you want to do. I'm curious."

She looked up to the gray sky just as a light snowfall began, a small smile gracing her reddened lips. "I've always wanted to go dancing. But it's stupid, isn't it?"

"No, it's not stupid at all."

"Are you ready?" I asked nervously, carefully holding Rin's present in front of me. It was my first, serious present to her, and the Christmas music in the background was not helping at all.

"For the hundredth time, yes! Now can I take this scarf off? It's starting to hurt my eyes."

I laughed a bit, she never could be patient. "Alright then, take it off." I watched in amusement as she pulled the scarf off in annoyance within seconds, flinging it behind her without a second thought. But the moment her eyes landed on the present that I held in my hands, her annoyance vanished- tears sparkling in her eyes with a delicate hand covering her gaping mouth.

"Happy birthday." I said softly, letting my small smile quiver a bit.

"How-" she was cut off by another one of her violent coughs. "Is this... is this why you were gone so much?" She panted out, wiping at the red liquid that she knew was splotched around her mouth. "How did you even get something like this?"

"Ms. Sakine. She told me that if I cleaned and organized her shop's storage, then I would be able to take any dress I wanted from there. Sorry if it's a bit dusty." It was a simple flowy, short-sleeved, ankle length dress with a satin black ribbon tied around the middle, but there was no bow to it. It didn't have any of the fancy decorations like feathers or jewels, but the way that the fabric seemed to shine two different shades of pink made up for it. At least, that's what I hoped for.

She stumbled towards me and gave me a gentle hug. "It's beautiful. Thank you." I swallowed thickly when I noticed how her voice wavered at the end.

"You're welcome. Now get dressed into that, we have somewhere else we need to go." I turned around and walked a few feet away to give her privacy.

Even with the distance, I could still hear her sigh. "Fine, but I'm leaving my pants on... and I'm taking the blanket with me. It's cold out here."

I forced out a laugh.

"Where exactly are we going?" Rin questioned as I lead her through the pathway in the forest.

"It's supposed to be a surprise. But I guess I can give you a hint. That is, if you want it?"

I heard her groan. "I'll take the hint. But you should know by now that I hate waiting for surprises."

I smiled as we walked alongside a partially frozen stream. "Where does this stream lead to?"

"Uh... through the center of town?"

"Well, yes. But where else does it lead to?" I asked as we crossed over the stream's bridge, heading straight towards the miniature clearing not to far ahead.

"Wait, our tree? You mean our tree is still there?!" The excitement in her voice almost made me cry. Almost.

I stopped just outside of the clearing, and gestured to the frost covered sapling in the middle of it all. "I don't know, is it?"

Her brown eyes gleamed as she wobbled into the clearing. Glancing at how each, towering tree sparkled with the intricate designs of frost and snow around her, and how the moonlight lit up the growing sapling in the midst of it all. I wonder if she still remembers the day of when we planted it together. It was the last time we saw mom and dad alive, after all.

It was amazing to see her standing there. So full of life and wonder.

Then she started to cough.

Rin sagged to her knees in the glittering snow, hacking until she dyed the innocent white beneath her a vicious red. A red that splattered the pink of her dress, and the gray of her blanket.

"It's almost time. I know it is."

I shakily walked over to her, rubbing her back until she finished coughing.

"I-I'm sorry about that." She whispered, slowly grabbing handfuls of snow and piling it onto the reddened patch beneath her- turning it into a spotted mess of reds, whites, and pinks.

I crouched in front of her. "What are you sorry for? Things happen." The forced smile on my face trembled as I cleaned the trickling scarlet from the corners of her mouth with the cuff of my sweater.

Rin gently pushed my hand away and looked at me with dull, blue eyes. "You don't have to do that."

"Her eyes are not shining anymore."

The faint playing of a popular Christmas song in the background brought me back to reality, making me stand up and extend a hand towards Rin- the one streaked with bits of red behind my back. "I know this isn't what you probably had in mind, but... may I have this dance?"

She may have smiled, but her eyes were turning blank. "Of course. It's more than I could ever hope for." I helped her stand up when she stumbled and fell, twice. "Sorry. I can't- I can't feel my legs that much."

I blinked at the fuzziness surrounding my vision. "It's probably colder out here than I thought."

"Maybe."

I held her up firmly by the waist while we rocked slightly back and forth in a circle; closing my eyes as I listened to the of crunching snow, and the sound of her melodious humming to the tune of the violin.

"I had a dream about mom and dad last night." Rin said suddenly, causing a halt in our dancing.

"Really? What did they say?" My voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

I felt a warmth on my shoulder when she gave a short, wet cough. "They said... that they can't wait for me to be with them again." Another short cough. "And that you're a really, good big brother for taking care of me. Thank you, for everything."

"She knew all along."

I could feel icy trails sliding down my face, I guess there was no use in hiding them anymore. "I did what I could."

She wrapped her arms around me in a loose hug. "I'm sorry. I can't hear you anymore."

Those two sentences caused everything that I've ever faked in front of her, to shatter like a mirror.

I held her back tightly, sobbing into her frail shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you that I loved you, one last time."

Even when she colored my shoulder red with blood, or when her arms limply fell away with a single breath, I still kept a firm hold on her. I did nothing but cradle her against me, shedding every tear that I had ever tried to hide from her.

I never did like the winter season that much. It's always too cold to keep yourself warm enough, and the snow constantly finds a way to meet your skin without fail. But now, I'm not so sure what to think.

I realized that Rin's character description was way off days after I published this. Oops. XD

But at least it's fixed now! (This was actually for my creative writing class final. Hence the character description fail.)