Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid. If I did, Rin and Len would... well, a lot of things.
Again, Rin is out on the town. She knows that this isn't what That Person wanted, but she can't stay away. Whenever her blood starts to boil... she needs to satisfy it. Not that she will ever be able to fully do that.
She's looking at the clock - 2 am - when she feels a tug on her ankle. Looking down, she finds that one bloody arm is wrapped tightly around it, a look of agony on the owner's face. Her mouth spreads into a wide grin as she kicks the guy in the face, watching him fly backwards into the pile of bodies.
The sound of running feet reaches her ears, causing her to turn around. Her white kimono flaps in a non existent breeze as she does so, contrasting with the black outfit of the intruder. Without hesitating, Rin flicks her katana, effectively slicing his hand off. The man is in shock for one perfectly silent moment, before a scream rips free of his throat. Rin considers ending his life there, but then again, the screams are so beautiful...
The blonde-haired girl cringes at her own thoughts, a sickening feeling pooling in her stomach, the image of green hair flashing across her inner eyelids. With another quick swipe of her blade, she ends the man's life. It was a merciful move. Rin wants to destroy, not make others suffer. There's a difference...
But really, does it matter? People, they're all just puppets, meant to be hacked to pieces. That's why Rin turns her manic grin towards the other men in black coats - reinforcements - with her katana drawn. "Will you be the test subjects for this blade of mine?" She charges towards them, eyes showing she's ready to kill. But they are, too.
...
It's 3 am, and Rin is gripping one arm painfully, remembering those words. Just stay? she thinks, somewhat amused. How could anyone ask that of her? She has an insatiable thirst for destruction, and even when her body is wounded, that thirst won't go away. It doesn't matter if these strangers tear her apart; humans are just puppets, anyway. Rin's no different.
She brushes a hand over the white bandage covering her left eye. Or what's left of it, at least. The memories associated with the injury are ones that she'd prefer to forget.
The sound of confident footsteps makes her face spread into another insane grin. Even among the ones with the black coats, there is only one person who walks like that. And it is this person that she finds intriguing.
She makes an effort to stand up, even though every bone in her body is protesting. There he is, standing unconcerned across from her. His eyes are cold as ice, but there's a fire burning somewhere in there. A fire to kill Rin. And she knows it. "I'll destroy you, too!" she taunts, laughing. She gestures to the rotting corpses around her, some of them fresh, others less so. "Do you think this is enough for me? It's not! And you're next!"
He readies his gun. Rin holds the katana out in front of her. "For what purpose was I created? Can you tell me the answer?"
Len stood amongst the carnage, coolly watching the white kimonos be dyed red. His gun remained tightly clenched in his hand, the only indication that he was more than indifferent. No, he was angry. He would finish this. Just like these people, he was going to kill the others. Until every one...
The ones in white kimonos - the terrorists - how funny that they dress in white, like they're the pure ones. There's nothing pure about them. There is only good and evil in this world, like black and white, and those people were black. Evil couldn't be allowed to continue, and that was why Len would finish it. Them. Every last one of them.
There are no coincidences. Len believes that firmly. When a terrorist comes across his path, it is his destiny to kill them. The other black coats behind him watch as a shot is fired and another terrorist collapses in the pool of blood. Blood that covers almost every street by now.
"Follow the script," Len orders his subordinates. "When I snap my fingers, eradicate the evil!" He snaps, and the soldiers disperse.
...
A few hours later, Len looks up at the clock. 3 am. The others have gone back long ago, but Len? He can't imagine it.
Just stay? He chuckles to himself. How can he return to base when the evil is still out here? He won't let them go; he'd rather chase them to the end of the earth. And why not? Humans are nothing more than zombies that blindly follow orders. It's despicable.
He brings a hand up tentatively, spreading the fingers over the black eyepatch. The memories associated with it... they are his purpose. He will cling to them to the end.
Suddenly, he hears it. Even among the hordes of the dead, he can make out that ragged breathing. In his carefully measured step, he rounds the corner. Her. Even though he's injured, he vows to kill her today. This one can not continue. She is evil, too; the soul of depravity.
"I will eliminate all," he states evenly, gun at ready, "until not even a speckle of their ash remains. That goes for you, too."
Her smile only widens.
"You want to know for what purpose you are living right now? I will tell you the answer."
Rin slowly trudges into the dark room. Every fiber of her body aches, as if she's being torn apart, roasted alive, and crushed to a pulp simultaneously. But she will continue to walk forward, refuse to die, because she needs to destroy it. Everything. She will do it with her own hands.
Her reflexes are severely lowered. That's why, when the kick comes, she isn't ready for it. She quickly doubles over, clutching her wounded stomach. She doesn't need to look up to know who it is because she already knows. It's the same person as always. And this person brings her foot down onto the top of Rin's head, pushing her further down.
"I did say to stay," comes the measured voice, distant yet clearly enjoying the noises of pain coming from the blonde. "Are you really that stupid? Worthless... you can't even follow orders."
Rin bites her lip, unsure of how to respond. Every word is a needle in her chest. When her heart has already died, why does it still hurt? A dead thing can't be hurt anymore...
"Whatever. I guess worthless is as worthless does; there's no hope for you. Maybe my domestication methods might whip some obedience into you." A high-heel clad foot makes its way to Rin's chin, harshly lifting up the blonde's face to stare at the speaker's. As usual, Miku is wearing that sadistic smile, the glare on her glasses not quite masking her amusement.
Rin feels like she's suffocating. For what purpose was I created? The pain floods her body, and she closes her eyes. Please tell me the answer.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" asks the cold voice of their director. Len doesn't speak. "When I give an order, captain, even if it is just to stay, I expect it to be obeyed."
Only evil obeys orders like a dog, thinks Len to himself, eyes narrowing. Either the director doesn't see it or doesn't care. Sighing, the man leans back.
"There will be repercussions for this. Consequences must be dealt when orders are not obeyed."
Len remains outwardly unaffected. "I understand, sir." No one else in the room pays him any mind.
"Very good. Dismissed."
Len whips around on his heels, facing the other high-ranking officers in the enforcement corps. Captains Luka and Meiko are leaning over a map.
"Those darn terrorists..."
"We should move forces A and D to sector 5. Otherwise, we might get overrun there..."
"What I don't understand is why there's a problem to begin with. We are superior to them in number and skill. So what's saving them?"
"Maybe the fact that their base of operations is hidden. We can't really hide ourselves when we're the official enforcement division."
"Nah, that was never a problem before. It's like they have some sort of super weapon..."
Len clenches his fists. A super-weapon. That's what she is, and yesterday, he failed to kill her. He will not fail again.
"But we have a super-weapon, too, right?" Meiko looks over at the pink-haired officer. "I mean, Captain Len is quite effective, despite being so young."
"It isn't good enough," Luka hisses, glancing over at Len. He doesn't pretend not to be listening, but he does turn to the director.
"Sir, I request permission to work extra time. Now."
The director seems to consider this. "Very well. But only after your punishment."
"Yes, sir."
...
Kaito glances over at his fellow black coat. Len mercilessly, mechanically, pulls the trigger on the gun once more, and another scream rings out. Kaito knows he should be used to this, but the blue-haired man can't help wincing. "Hey, Len..."
Another shot, another scream. "What?" He doesn't even look over, focused intently on the mob of white in front of them.
"Well, I was thinking... you do a lot of overtime."
"What of it?" Another shot.
"Well, nothing, I suppose. That's great, I mean. But why? Why bother doing more work than you have to?"
Len lowers the gun, turning his cold stare on his partner. "Is that all it is to you? A job?" A pause, during which only another scream can be heard, somewhere in the distance. Whether friend or foe, neither can tell. "I suppose it doesn't really matter what you think," decides the blond-haired officer apathetically, "but to me, this is a holy duty. The evil in this world must be eradicated, and until that is done, I shall not rest. That is my job."
Kaito protests. "Yes, but-" He's cut off by Len pointing the gun at him, and another shot. The bluenette goes wide-eyed, realizes that he isn't dead, and turns around just in time to see a person collapse behind him. "Len, that was a civilian!" He turns back to the captain. "You just murdered an innocent!"
"Did I?" Those cerulean eyes betray no remorse. "Was he really innocent? How do you know? Did you know him yourself? Did he never do a single bad thing in his life? Did he stop the killing?" All Kaito can do in response is open and close his mouth. "He is no innocent. No one here is." Another pause. "He had a gun on him. He was going to shoot you. Don't be so naive."
"A-Are you really going to keep this up?" presses the bluenette to the captain's retreating back. The blond tilts his head slightly in Kaito's direction, but doesn't turn around. "I mean, you're only 14, Len... why not live a happy life somewhere safe?"
"That is the life for the corrupted and weak," replies Len evenly, walking away. "I will not stand by and let evil flourish. Everyone must be killed." He stops, raising a hand to his face, tracing the line of the new scar. The one he received earlier that day, as 'punishment.' "Myself included, I wonder?" It was more a comment to himself, but Kaito hears and holds his breath. Len gives a mirthless laugh. "I do not know."
Rin stares up at the sky, the one that seems as red as the blood on the ground. Even the night sky is red, now. Or is this simply her thirst? There is no answer to that, just as there is no answer to her existence.
"How fragile humans are," she murmurs to herself, eyes betraying a momentary display of weakness. Longing. On the inside of her eyelids is the one that she lost, the one who brought her world crashing down, the one that rid her life of meaning, the one that she loved, the one that she killed. It is not a sea of green or red, rather-
Measured footsteps come towards her. The ones she knows. The ones that excite and kindle rage in her simultaneously. She turns to it. "I have an insatiable thirst for destruction! Fragile, brittle, frail humans! What is your purpose? Nothing more than discarded puppets!" She's laughing now, though she doesn't really know what's funny. Maybe it's just the insanity that she knows she has.
The gun is lowered. As inexplicable as Rin's laughter, Len draws his blade, the one that always lays unused in his sheath. "I will eliminate all! There will be no end to this destruction until I end it. Perish, vanish, die!" He grits his teeth. "After all, evildoers are nothing more than zombies that blindly follow orders."
"Maybe I am!" yells Rin, her blade swinging towards the one in black. He quickly responds, placing them in a deadlock at the handle. "Maybe I'm just a mindless zombie. What do you plan to do about it? Toss me away?"
"Filth! I'll cleanse the world of your existence!"
"You think that that's enough for me? It's not!"
"I'll destroy you! I'll destroy everything you stand for, everything you fight for!"
"I'll destroy you! I'll destroy all humans, all of those stupid people! What worth do any of you have!? What worth do I have? Why was I created?"
"You want to know why?" Len pushes her back, readying himself again. "I'll give you an answer!"
Then he notices something he never has before. The white bandage over her eye. He wonders, for a fleeting moment, a doubt passing through his mind like a lightning bolt, piercing and destructive. The place where their blades connected feels like electricity now.
She notices him bring a hand up to the black eyepatch. Was that always there? She feels a memory go through her mind, the one she has suppressed for so long. So this is...
In the past
"Don't cry, Rin," comforted Len soothingly, holding his dear sister in his arms. Rin's face remained buried in his grimy shoulder, her body wracked with sobs. "It's okay. We'll find food soon."
Rin looked up at him. "Mother... father... what'll we do?"
Len's eyes narrowed with repressed tears. "We'll figure it out, Rin. I don't... we'll figure it out." He ruffled her hair, where a (previously) white bow sat. The smile was pained.
Rin recognized the gesture as her brother's favorite. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in again. "I'm scared," she murmured.
'I am too,' Len mouthed to the black sky. He couldn't let his sister hear that. Even as the younger twin, he needed to be strong. "I'll protect you."
The sound of footsteps drawing nearer startled them both. There shouldn't be anyone going down a dark alley like this. Snapping his head towards the noise, Len saw a girl with short green pigtails. She was talking to another girl behind her - both in white lab coats.
"Ah, what a drag," the green-haired girl was saying. "I don't know where we're gonna find an experimental subject for this project, but imagine the edge we would have on that obnoxious enforcement corps if we did..." She turned her head to Len and Rin, only just noticing them. Then a cruel smile came over her face. "Well, well. Orphans, huh? I think we just found our test subject."
Rin's arms tightened around Len's neck, too scared to realize that Len was shaking, too.
"Which one do you want, Miku?" asked the other girl as the green-haired one - Miku - drew nearer. "I mean, the boy would be a better pick, don't you think?"
Miku laughed; it was a harsh, disturbing sound. "Sure, and have him struggle all the way through it. I think it'd be easier to start with the girl. Breaking her spirit will be easier."
"If we can't choose, why not just take both?"
"Oh, please. Then we'll never break them. How about we just take the girl and go?"
"Sounds fair enough."
Miku got closer, leaning over and stretching out a hand for Rin's arm. Rin buried her face in her brother's chest, and Len gave the stranger his fiercest glare - which was very fierce, indeed, when it came to his sister's safety. "Don't you dare touch her," he snarled.
But the green-haired girl just narrowed her eyes. She stood up at her full height, glaring down at the boy like he was a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Then, swiftly, she kicked him. While Len clutched his chest, she grabbed Rin out of his arms. Rin gave a yelp. Len looked up. "Rin!" The pain in his voice was tragic.
"Shut up, filth," said Miku coldly. She took the knife offered by her friend. "You're annoying. But you know what? It doesn't really matter, 'cuz I'm going to take your sister here off to slaughter, and you'll never see her again. All because you couldn't protect her."
Len shakily stood up. "Don't," he croaked, "I won't let you."
The stranger snorted. "Oh, please. What can you do to stop me? Or do you think you're some kind of superhero or something? Well, let me show you just how helpless you are." And she brought the knife down - right in Len's eye. The scream that followed was blood-curdling. "Aw, now you don't match, though, do you? Well, I can fix that." And another, shriller scream followed, this one by Rin. "That's better. You ought to use that eye you have left to look at your sister, kid; it'll be the last chance you'll ever get."
"Rin!" Len screeched, stretching out an arm towards his twin in that stranger's arms. "Let her go! Let her leave! Don't take her away! Rin!"
"Len!" Rin sobbed, stretching out her own hand towards him, the other covering her bleeding eye. "Don't take me away from him! I can't leave my brother all alone! Len!"
And, just for good measure, the other girl kicked Len one more time so he couldn't go after them. The boy watched, helpless, as his sister was taken away. Just after he had lost his parents. He slammed his fists against the ground. "I couldn't save her..." he choked out, tears and blood mixing with the dirt. "I failed to protect her. And now she's going to die. It's all...it's all my fault."
That day, Len vowed he would destroy the evil that ruined his family. Evil like that preys on the weak, that destroys happiness. He would rid the world of that kind of awful thing, and then he'd get rid of the world, too. There was no point to having a world like this, where Rin was dead. Rin was such a sweet, gentle girl, and she had to endure so much pain... Len would destroy the world for her.
...
"What's going to happen to Len?" asked Rin meekly, eyeing the whip in her captor's hand carefully.
"Oh, that sorry excuse for a human being? We killed him," Miku said casually. "Just like we'll kill you if you don't turn out right."
"Why?" Rin's voice was broken, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why would you kill Len? What did he ever do? He was so kind..."
"What a ridiculous question," laughed Miku, handing the weapon to her fellow 'experimenter.' "Why do I need a reason to kill? Humans are nothing more than puppets, meant to be destroyed. Just like you. There's no purpose to any of it, no 'whys.' If I feel like it, I'll kill. And that's what you are going to think, too, when we're done with you."
Rin felt empty. "What are you going to do with me, then?"
Miku knelt down next to the blonde. In a low voice, she said, "We're going to torture you until there's nothing left to be broken, and then you'll be our ultimate weapon. We terrorists will use you to win. That's all humans are good for, being used. And when we're done with you, we'll throw you away. Your entire purpose shall be to destroy."
Rin felt new tears in her eyes. That was it? That was all? Was life really so meaningless? Was that why her parents died? Was that what her fate was going to be? Was there any point, any at all, to anything? If not... then this world was rotten.
Len knew that a world without his sister needed to be destroyed.
Rin knew that a world that would kill her brother needed to be destroyed.
But if that was why they are doing this...
Then why are they at each other's throats right now, about to kill each other?
Why are they fighting anyone, anything, if the other is alive?
What has their purpose been all this time?
"For what purpose am I living right now?"
I will tell you the answer.
And that's the end. Or it would be, if I didn't write a disproportionately sappy epilogue. It kind of doesn't fit in with the mood, though, so I published it as a separate chapter. Read if you wish; R&R, please.