I haven't written anything in a long time. But meanwhile, I've fallen in love with Vocaloids. I love all of them, yes, including Gackpoid and the new Vocaloid, Luka Megurine. Probably 'cause our names are similar, but ah, that has nothing to do with what I'm gonna write.
Akuno series (or rather, the Evil series: consisting of Rin Kagamine's 'Daughter of Evil', Len Kagamine's 'Servant of Evil', and another song by Rin Kagamine, 'Regret Message') was one of the main Vocaloid songs that made me totally fall in love with these amazing softwares. Therefore, I was inspired to write them in my own version. No, I'm not deviating; although some of you may say I am. This is based on the Akuno series by the Kagamine twins. It involves the plot of 'Daughter of Evil' and 'Servant of Evil'. No 'Regret Message'.
Disclaimer: Naturally, I don't own any of the songs by Vocaloids, or Vocaloids themselves. I'm just one of the rabid fans XD
The Flower of Evil blooms daintily
Though it shines madly, so beautiful a flower,
Ah, there are so many thorns to it, it can't be touched
Once upon a time, there was a kingdom. It was called the Golden Kingdom, because of its shining glories of the past and unmatchable riches that stood out the most in the continent.
At the apex of this powerful kingdom, there reigned a young princess. Her will and words were the absolute in the kingdom. Everything and anything she wanted was hers. Anyone who dared object against her was silenced, in any other ways. Soon, the piled wealth built up the mighty power and came to have countless subjects in the court.
However, there was one thing that the lovely princess didn't know.
The hypocritical subjects had screened her eyes and covered her ears; they were only busy lifting their names up high in front of the sovereignty. Shadowing the royalty's eyes, the subjects squeezed every last penny from the poor people of the Golden Kingdom, lining their own pockets. The poor princess was just their puppet, smiling and dancing as they pulled the strings, always sitting pretty at her throne but doing nothing more. The people of the Golden Kingdom, no matter how hard they worked, and no matter how tight they fastened their belts, could not even get one decent meal. Their tearful deploring didn't reach the princess, for the walls of the palace blocked them all out. The foolish subjects took no notice of them and did not think of telling the princess; the foolish princess, too, was not interested in finding out what was going on beyond the golden walls of the luxurious palace.
The people of the Golden Kingdom called her none other than, the 'daughter of evil'.
"Huh?" the fork hovered over the beautiful cake; the icing was flawless, shining and glittering pearly white. How many hours the head cook must have slaved to bake that one small cake, she had no idea, nor was she interested. But the confused expression was directed at the servant, who had paused before pouring the tea from the skillfully crafted silver tea pot. Steadily, unflinching, the servant with the same blonde hair as the princess met her gaze.
"What was that, Len? Did you say that it was time for me to take part in the politics myself?"
"Yes, your highness," said the servant, calm and fluent, "the administration with the subjects as your substitute has come to its limits. The people of the Golden Kingdom are now starving and destitute; and because you're the representative head of the state, they are sure to lay the blame on you foremost. Before that happens, you should act swiftly and secure the people's support-"
A small groan interrupted the servant's speech. Over the princess' luxurious gown, the whipped cream of the cake had made a white stain. The princess' lovely face quickly crumpled into a frown.
"My dress," said the princess, "it's ruined." The angry glare darted towards the servant. He remained still.
"It's all because you've been blathering while I was having a tea time." the blame was preposterous; yet, she was the princess. Her will was the law. The servant, knowing the fact all too well, wordlessly bowed to her.
"I'm sorry, your highness," he apologized. A sharp clink was heard as the silver fork was thrown on the marble floor.
"Forget it. Clean this up. I don't want this cake anymore." Fuming, the princess held her skirt tightly in her hands and trotted out of the room, her blonde hair fluttering; her ladies-in-waiting followed after her. Silent as ever, the servant only stared at her disappearing back.
The new gown was stunning. Decorating the shoulder line were glossy black feathers; the skirt billowed out elegantly. The golden dress matching well with her hair, the princess seemed to be in much better mood since the ruined afternoon tea.
"Len," said the princess, looking back at her faithful servant. A smile like that of a little devil was dancing on her face, "Think of it as a punishment for your mistake from last time. You're to accompany me to the conference in the Azure Kingdom."
The look of slight surprise flitted over the servant's features. However, it was soon replaced by a faint smile.
"As you wish, your highness." He said, nonchalantly.
"I remember the last time I visited the Azure Kingdom," the princess went on, not aware of the servant's momentary stir, "it was small and cramped, of course, but there were so many pretty furniture and ornaments; probably because it's the centre of the continent's trade. I want all of it to be mine. Don't you think there'll be ways to make them mine? Ways other than transactions and businesses. If not-"
The princess' innocent and gleeful smile disappeared as soon as she saw the servant's face; what was he thinking? His normally impassive face, which used to smile only at her, had shown other emotion than the usual. But it vanished as soon as it had appeared; silently, the servant bowed.
"As you wish," was his only response before he turned around and walked away to prepare the carriage. And the princess was left to wonder what had come over him, feeling strangely disturbed for no clear reason.
The small town of the Azure Kingdom happened to be preparing for its annual flower festival. When the elegant coach carrying the royal princess of the Golden Kingdom and her servant arrived at the town, the townspeople exchanged rumors in whispers.
"Why's the princess of the Golden Kingdom here?"
"Probably because of our flower festival. I hear it's quite famous internationally."
"I've heard," one particular whisper reached the ears of Len, the servant of the princess, "that the princess of the Golden Kingdom has long lost the support of her people."
The worried expression passed the servant's face. When the townspeople saw him, they ceased their whispering and hurried back to their daily business. The servant stood still. The corruption of the Golden Kingdom's court had already been spread wide all over the continent. Something had to be done. If they were to survive; no, if she were to survive…
Something caught his sight. What was it? His quick eyes chased the object fast. It was a girl, and from the looks of her, she was probably a peasant, born and bred in this town. She had her long green hair tied in twin tails. Although her gown was simple and without any excessive decoration, she had a certain charm about her. He felt attracted to her, like he had never been. He was totally devoted to his princess, that was utterly undisputed, but this girl… pulled him so magically, he wasn't exactly sure what it was. When she said hello to a passing neighbor and gave her a smile, the servant realized what it was that so captivated him: it was her kind smile; her angelic voice…
"- Len?" at the sound of his name being repeated, the servant immediately broke off from his reverie and turned to face the princess. The princess' worried and concerned look, which was shown as rarely as the servant's smile, instantly made the servant focus on the ruling royalty who was seated in the coach.
"What's wrong? Is everything alright?" she asked. The servant smiled, as if to comfort her.
"Yes, your highness. I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts."
"Or…" the princess' gaze quickly followed what he had been staring at: long green hair, white dress, and the smile that shone… "Were you looking at something?"
The servant did not answer, merely shaking his head; the princess let it go as well, thinking nothing of it. The coach went on, continuing the tour. The town was peaceful, beautiful. It was starting to bore the princess when she caught sight of the man she was familiar with: the blue hair, with a scarf matching the color. A glorious smile played about the princess' face; she would go to him, say greetings, and may be have a conversation or two-
Her pleasant thoughts shattered when she saw there was another person with him. It was the girl, with long green hair tied in twin tails, and the selfsame pretty smile. The prince of the Azure Kingdom, looking frugal and kindhearted as always, was holding her hand.
And he was smiling at her like he had never done to anyone else.
"… stop," the servant did not quite catch what the princess said. He gave her a questioning look, which she returned with reddened face and angered expression. Her small, fisted hands were trembling.
"Stop the coach!!!" an exasperated shout escaped the princess' lips.
The coach was stopped, and the entourage visited the nearby café to meet the princess' demand for an afternoon tea. She was not in the good mood, the servant noticed; she had her arms crossed, which was her habit when she was mad. She was not even touching the tea he had poured out for her, or the variety of biscuits and cookies that were served in the porcelain dish. At the sound of the townspeople laughing, she frowned harder.
"Why are they laughing?" she muttered, "this is not fun at all."
The servant was wondering what exactly had happened when Prince Kaito approached them, with the lovely girl of green at his side. The servant froze.
"Good afternoon, princess," said the prince good-naturedly. The princess stood up from her chair and gave him a painfully charming smile.
"Good afternoon," replied the princess; her gaze was spiked on the girl of green. Innocently, the girl smiled and curtsied. The princess only gave her a curt nod.
"Miku, this is Princess Rin of the Golden Kingdom," said the prince, as he gestured at the princess, who was managing to keep a very straight and noble posture, "Princess, this is Miku, my fiancée. We will be married soon after the flower festival."
Something cracked in Len's heart; it was the walls of his heart that were cracked at the news. However, before tending to his own broken heart, he quickly stole a glance at the princess. She was expressionless; what was she thinking? He worried the impact the prince's words would give to his princess. Would she lose her temper, or…?
The momentary silence was broken when the princess gave the prince a radiant smile and bowed her head. The respectable words were exchanged-polite congratulations, shy appreciations- and the prince, giving his excuses, bid his farewell and walked away with his soon-to-be bride. The princess was staring hard at the happy couple. It was hard to know what she was thinking, even for the veteran servant as Len. He was about to say something when she abruptly turned around and headed to the coach.
"We're leaving," she said, "Come, Len. Let's go home."
Len gave a backward glance at the tea and the cookies; they had all gone cold.
The royal chamber was a mess; furniture were dented, the curtains and fabrics ripped to shreds; smaller ornaments were smashed into pieces, the pictures on the wall angrily slashed. It was as if some wild beast had been released in the room. Wordlessly, the servant put his tea tray on the tea table that was wobbling dangerously because it had lost a leg. The princess was seated on the chair, the only undamaged piece of furniture in the room at the window. He approached her as carefully as he could. The sunlight didn't show the princess' face clearly, but he was sure she had no expression on her face.
"Your highness?" the servant saw no reaction. As he was about to bow, turn around and leave, the princess' lips moved.
"Len," she said. He stopped and met her eyes. To his shock, they were wet; her cheeks were wet as well. She had been crying.
Not saying anything, the servant knelt down and put his arm around the smaller princess; the princess broke into sobs as she held on tight to him. The servant closed his eyes, merely patting her back quietly to soothe her.
"Len…" she whispered between the sobs; the servant listened hard to hear her words.
"Please… make her disappear… I want her to go away… I… can't stand her next to the prince…" the sob continued on, but the patting had ceased.
The crack spread across the heart in the fraction of seconds; it shattered and broke into countless small pieces. Swallowing his own tears, Len managed to whisper back.
"As you wish… my princess."
The revolutionary war was spread all across the continent. Tired of the excessive tax, the outrageous inequalities and the royalty's deafness to its people's cries, the populace of the Golden Kingdom had finally stood up against their own ruler. Their target was one and only: Princess Rin, the 'daughter of evil'. Not only did the people of the Golden Kingdom wage war, but the people from other countries, who were fed up with immoral tyranny of the princess, were joining the revolutionary army to support them get rid of the sovereignty. There were rumors of certain royalties of other kingdoms controlling and backing the revolutionary army, but none were actually confirmed true. The army of the Golden Kingdom, no matter how hard they fought, was vastly outnumbered and little by little, pushed back to the boundary of the capital city.
However, without a proper leader, the revolutionary army would have been nothing more than an unorganized flock of squabbling birds. And this charismatic leader of the army was whom the people most talked about.
This leader was a woman, and a beautiful one. She always wore red armor at the battle, which matched her scarlet eyes and hair. But despite her beauty, she was such a vicious warrior in the battlefield that almost hundreds of soldiers were slaughtered by her hands. There was even a rumor that her hair and armor were actually stained red from the blood of the foes she had killed. With her brutality at the battlefield and ingenious tactics, she easily led her troops to victory. Her awe-inspiring beauty and matchless fierceness earned her the nickname, 'the messiah in crimson armor'. Such as it was, the people both looked up to her- and feared her.
Another battle was over; another town had fallen into the hands of the revolutionists. They were victorious, triumphant. Though the army was ruthless against anyone who stood up to them, they also welcomed people of the same cause and did not harm the weak and defenseless; of course, all these were the orders of the leader. And this leader, looking around at the town that was demolished from the battle, shouted orders in a loud, clear voice.
"Carry the wounded back to the camp and search for any survivors that may be left in the town! Do not harm them unless they give you any reason to do so!"
Her orders were met with the unanimous shout of "Yes, ma'am!" The swordswoman again gazed at the town. All these killings and destruction… it pained her to see them. So many had died unnecessarily; if she were to bring an end to this chaos, she had to march faster, and ultimately finish this war…
"Ma'am!" somebody called; the swordswoman looked back. The soldier came up to her, then whispered, "The prince has come to the camp; he wants to speak with you."
"The prince?" the swordswoman lifted an eyebrow, "For what reason?" but the soldier merely shook his head, and gestured her to the camp. Wondering to herself, she entered the red leader's tent to greet the prince, who was seated on a chair.
Prince Kaito of the Azure Kingdom stared at her in cold blue eyes. His face was frozen in nonchalance. What could have possibly made this man into such a cold person? The swordswoman thought briefly before she bowed to the royalty. She waited for him to speak.
"I've been hearing some strange rumors, Captain Meiko," he said slowly, "that you were recruiting the people of the Golden Kingdom, and that you were actually feeding them and taking care of them. What is that about? Didn't I order you to kill every single one of them?"
"I beg your pardon, your highness," Meiko answered, unflinching, "But now is the time we need every able soldiers for the troop. We will soon be heading to the capital city to capture the princess. The surrendered people of the Golden Kingdom have already pledged their allegiance and loyalty to the revolutionary army. And I believe that the cause for this war is to help the people, not to wipe them all out."
The last statement was a bold one, and she tensed for a moment. The prince of the Azure Kingdom, nowadays, was an unpredictable man. He was callous, heartless, and merciless. What would he do? She stared warily at him as he closed his eyes and leaned his chin on one hand. He was remembering: the bloodied floor of Miku's flower shop; the lifeless eyes; and the coldness that froze his heart and bones as he picked her up, and held her in his arms…
"- Miku," He whispered.
"Your highness?" Meiko called to him; what was he doing? He was, as she could see, lost in his own train of thoughts. At her voice, he opened his eyes. For a moment, she thought she saw his eyes glitter, but that was gone in a second. His blue eyes, as usual, were hard and lightless. The corners of his lips twisted upwards in a smile that couldn't mean good.
"That's all fine, then," he said, thoughtful, "When we've finished using them… we'll take them one by one and kill them… that wouldn't be too bad at all."
Those words brought chill to the swordswoman; however, she managed not to show it.
"How long will it take for the army reach the capital?" the prince asked.
"Not long, my prince," she answered, "It will take no more than a month from here to capture the capital city."
The prince nodded, satisfied. At that cue, the swordswoman bowed her head and turned to leave, when he called her again. She looked back at the prince, whose lips were smiling- although his eyes weren't.
"Captain," he said, "I will be looking forward to a good result."
She wordlessly bowed and left the tent. The sky had turned grey while she had been discussing with the prince; it soon began to rain. But the swordswoman did not move, nor did she avoid the rain. Instead, she just simply stood there, letting the rain drench her. It was as if she was trying to wash the redness off from her hair and armor with the falling drops of water.
The revolutionary army was unstoppable; strengthened with reinforcements from the other kingdoms of the country and the citizens of the Golden Kingdom, it stormed through the frontier of the capital and soon seized the city. Tired from the long war, the soldiers of the Golden Kingdom were no match for the fierce army of the people. Not before long, the royal palace itself was taken over as well. The soldiers flooded into the luxurious palace. It was too quiet, the swordswoman noticed; quickly, she ordered the scouts to search the palace. While they were gone, she touched the golden walls of the entrance corridor; such extravagance, such lavishness were all based upon the sweat and tears of the people. The thought filled her with anger once more.
"Captain!" one of the scouts, who had left, ran back to her, "I found a girl who seemed to be the princess in the throne room, but there was no one else; They all seemed to have run away in advance!"
"Guard the doors! No one goes in, or out! I shall go see the princess myself!" the soldiers immediately obeyed, and the swordswoman walked in the direction of the throne room. Only the sounds of her footsteps echoed against the hollow marble floor of the palace. Her hold on her trusted sword tightened.
The young princess, as still as a statue, was sitting on the magnificent throne; her dress and jewelries stunningly elaborate. Even faced with an impending crisis that could cost her own life, the princess was calm, undisturbed. The swordswoman walked to the princess, stopping just in front of her.
"Princess of the Golden Kingdom," she spoke in the clear, loud voice. She drew the sword from the scabbard and pointed it at the princess' lovely neck, "you, the royal ruler, who should have taken your people's welfare as the foremost priority, have instead abused your title and status to fill your own selfish desires. I ask you, on behalf of the rulers of the other kingdoms and the people of the Golden Kingdom: are you ready to atone for your crimes with your life?"
The princess merely stared at the swordswoman. The girl was too composed, it made the swordswoman doubt for a moment if the girl had gone mad from the daunting threat. However, a small, scornful smile lit the princess' lips.
"How disrespectful," said the princess. The swordswoman narrowed her eyes, "Though I may not be interested in politics, I haveheard of you, the messiah in crimson armor. It seems that my fault is grievous, since the messiah came all the way to see me."
"Princess, you have gone too far. You starved the heart of people and murdered for your own benefits," the grip on the hilt of the sword tightened. The swordswoman shouted in enraged tone, "you arrogant tyrant! Even if you died hundred times, it would never suffice for the deeds you have committed!"
"- I am aware of that," said the princess, still unwavering, "so did I run away or hide myself? No, I didn't. You see me sitting here, going nowhere. Here I am."
The 'princess' remained excruciatingly serene; she was thinking of the last encounter with her 'servant'…
"Len! Help me!" Rin clawed at his servant's jacket, clinging to him. Tears of terror flooded from her eyes and wet her lovely face, staining his jacket, "they've come to kill me! I don't want to die! Len, please! Help me!!"
Rin held on tight to him. Though the panic died down a little, she was shaking like a baby bird, scared and fearful.
"They all ran away; there's no one left but you," she whispered, "I'm so scared… what do I do, Len? I don't want to die…"
The hands that grasped onto him trembled. Len bit his lower lip; he closed his eyes and collected his thoughts. Yes, this was the only way. She had to live. That was why he had been chosen to become the servant, and she the princess…
He took off his jacket. Then wordlessly, he began to untie his tie. "Quick, put these on," he said to Rin who looked up, "Hurry! We'll swap clothes. You put my clothes on, and run away."
Slowly, the realization dawned onto Rin's face. Her face, full of agony and internal struggle, glanced up to him in horror. "No. No, Len… You can't…"
"… It'll be alright," said Len, trying to smile as he always did. He wiped a teardrop from Rin's cheek as he did; she threw her arms around him, hugging him tight and sobbing onto his shoulder. Patting her back, he spoke in a soothing voice: "Don't worry; we're twins."
He felt his own tears springing up to his eyes before whispering, "Rin."
He had always thought that he would die for his sister.
Now the time had come, and he was well-prepared; he was not scared, not one bit.
To protect you, he always thought,
- I shall even become the evil itself.
"Look now!" the princess shouted; the swordswoman, holding the sword to the princess' throat, flinched a little at such display of dignity, "the daughter of evil is sitting right here! Judge me if you can, Messiah!"
A crunching noise was made as a foot crushed it. A young girl, wearing the servant's clothes, looked back at the faraway palace tearfully. Her face was tortured in myriads of anguish.
"Len," she murmured, as if to herself.
The prison cell was cold and barren; it did not suit the royal princess at all. However, she remained wordless as she sat behind the bars, hardly moving. Every time she did, the metallic clangs of the shackles binding her wrists echoed throughout the jail.
"Your sentence has been decided," the swordswoman monotonously informed the princess, "at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, you will be executed at the central square."
The princess showed no reaction; then, she closed and opened her eyes again, pondering the news.
"Three o'clock…" she murmured, "What a perfect timing."
"But as the last respectful treatment to suit the royalty, the execution time may be delayed a little if you wish."
"No," the princess turned to look at the swordswoman directly in the eyes; there was so much will in them, it unnerved the leader of the revolution, "I think that time will be quite appropriate."
The silence fell in the prison again, the princess staring vacantly at the small window high up on the wall. The swordswoman, throwing the princess one last look, turned around to leave the lifeless penitentiary.
The crowd was gathered at the central square, every single one of them looking up at the guillotine that was placed on the wooden platform rising above the ground. It seemed that almost entire populace of the Golden Kingdom had come to watch; and almost every one of them was delightedly talking about what was going to happen: the execution of the 'daughter of evil'.
"Do you hear that, Princess?" the blue-haired prince glanced mockingly at the princess, whose head was trapped between the wooden holders, her hands tied behind her back, "All these people are gathered to watch you die. All of them had been your so-called people, oppressed and exploited for your own advantage. The toll of the bell will sound like a signal of salvation to them."
The princess said nothing. Her eyes were not on the clock of the church bell-tower that was ticking to the fateful hour, nor was she looking at the gathered people who were shouting and jeering. She was strangely calm, ever since she had been captured.
The long hand of the clock reached number twelve, and the bell began to toll, clear and loud. The crowd began to cheer wildly. And despite all the noise, and the imminent death, the princess smiled. The last words escaped her lips:
"Oh. It's time for snack."
The blade fell. The fanatic cheer shot up from the people. And a single girl, who had her face hidden behind the hood of her cloak, covered her face and screamed soundlessly.
The day was warm. As the small, ornate clock began to sing out, signaling that it was now three o'clock in the afternoon, Rin looked up expectantly, smiling wide, as Len skillfully balanced a plate with the afternoon snack and tea in one hand.
"Today's snack, madam," he said jokingly, "is briosche."
"Oh," Rin, also jokingly, stuck out her lips and crossed her arms, "I was expecting an ice cream."
The two were silent for a moment, then burst out laughing at the same time. Rin wiped the tears from her eyes as she tried to control herself, and Len, chuckling, poured the tea into the cup.
The sun was warm, and its rays touched both of their hairs in the same golden color.
The flower of evil falls pitifully in the radiant color
The people of later generation spoke of her like this:
Ah, she truly was the daughter of evil