Chapter two already, because I can. This chapter will probably be much longer, and will have a lot of mainly Rin in it. Since I'm making it up as I go along, there may be some unexpected twists, but who knows? I think that's what makes storywriting more exciting. Oo, I just rhymed.

Chapter Two: Manji Training

Kagamine Len's POV

Something tickles my nose, and I swat at it. "Leave it out, Rin-chan..." I mumble sleepily. Silence. I open my eyes, blinking away dreams. "Rin-chan?" Her bed is empty. Hmm. It's not often she wakes up first. I slide my legs out of bed, stretching, and something falls onto the carpet. "What the..." I pick it up, frowning. But this is...my eyes open wide. Rin's hair?! I pull back her covers. Her bed is cold. She hasn't been here for a while. I bolt downstairs, skidding to a stop when I see that the door to Papa's armour room is slightly ajar. I push it open, stepping into the darkened room. The armour cabinet is empty, and there are more locks of blonde hair on the ground. Oh, God... "Rin-chan? Rin-chan!" I yell, searching for her. I stumble into Mama and Papa's room desperately, panting. Both of them sit up, watching me.

"Len?" Mama calls. "What's wrong?"

"R-Rin-chan's gone..."

"WHAT?!" Papa booms. His eyes land on the bedside table, and- oh, God. More hair. "The letter. It's gone." We look at each other for a long moment, and finally the news sinks in. I drop to my knees, my breath coming in ragged sobs.

"She...she cut her hair...and...she took the armour..." Papa and Mama comes to crouch beside me. "She went in my place, didn't she?"

Kagamine Rin's POV

I tie the stallion up by the fence, and take my place among the ranks of young men. Some are my age, while others are in their twenties and even thirties. Apart from a few over-confident ones, most of them look terrified. Behind me, a mother is gripping her son's hand and refusing to let go. Guards are trying to prise them apart, but the woman sobs uncontrollably.

"No! Please, don't make him go!" she wails, holding on for dear life. Suddenly, the nearest guard raises his sword, and wish a whoosh, the woman's cries turn to screams of agony. I stare at the newly-amputated hand on the floor, and at the woman's bleeding arm. The guard doesn't show even a flicker of emotion, and the brown-haired boy is shoved forward to join the others as the woman is led away, crying.

"Why would they do that?" I whisper out loud.

"All they care about is saving their own asses," the boy next to me replies quietly. "They don't care about us." I turn my head to see a tall, pink haired guy with startling blue eyes. He looks back at me. "Say, you're a little small to be a Manji. How old are you?"

"Fifteen," I reply softly, lowering my voice so it sounds more boyish. "You?"

"Seventeen. I'm Megurine Luki." He offers his hand to shake, and I accept it, nodding.

"Kagamine Ri-" I pause. I'm not Kagamine Rin anymore...am I? "Rinto. Kagamine Rinto." Luki watches me for a second, but then he nods.

"This sucks," he sighs. "My mother can't take care of herself without me, so God knows how she's gonna cope. My sister Luka's living abroad, so she'll be all alone."

"Isn't she married?"

"Widowed."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"Nah, don't be. He was a jerk. How about your family?"

"My parents are okay, I guess...and I have a twin brother. He's older than me by 15 minutes. He's great...I hate that I have to leave him behind."

"Sheesh. Sorry about that."

"Not your fault." We stand in silence for a few minutes. "So...we're fighting against the Karakuri warriors, huh?"

"You mean the puppet warriors? Yup. Although, I don't see how a bunch of kids are gonna help. We're just more lives for the Emperor to play around with." I blink. That sounds like something Len would say...

"Rin-chan!" a voice from the other side of the wall yells. I freeze. Luki frowns.

"Who's that?" he asks. I force myself to calm down.

"No idea," I say as casually as possible.

"Rin-chan! It's me, Len!" I stare forward, not even daring to blink. "RIN-CHAN!"

"Rin's a girl's name, isn't it? Doesn't he know it's only boys in here?" Luki asks, glancing over his shoulder.

"Guess not."

"Rin-chan, please! Don't do this!" Len screams. I ignore him. Finally, a guard's cold voice cuts in.

"There's no Rin in there," he growls. "Go away."

"Don't you get it? My sister's in there!" Len protests. The guard laughs harshly.

"Go home, little boy. Go home to your parents and forget about your sister. She's not here."

Yes, she is, I want to scream. I'm here, Len...I'm sorry for running away. I love you...don't come after me. You'll only get yourself hurt. Forget about me. You can't mourn forever. I'll see you again, someday...

"Attention, everyone!" a voice says, snapping me back to reality. I blink as a small green haired girl takes to the stage. She looks about my age, but as she passes, the guards salute her respectfully. "My name is Megpoid Gumi. Welcome, each and every one of you young gentlemen. We'll take a rolecall now. When you hear your family name, just say your full name and let me know you're here, okay?" She begins to work her way through the names, eventually reaching the Ms. "Megurine?"

"Megurine Luki," Luki says, lifting his head.

"Kagamine?" I don't respond, and Gumi frowns. "Kagamine?" Luki nudges me.

"That's you," he hisses. "Say something!"

"Kagamine Rinto," I say weakly, raising my hand. Gumi nods, ticking me off the list. Luki watches me, concerned.

"You okay? You look a little sick."

"I'm a little dizzy," I admit. Len's voice swims through my mind. Suddenly, my knees buckle, and Luki catches my fall before I can faceplant the cold ground.

"Rinto-san?" he says, sounding concerned.

"I'm...fine..." I mumble, slowly drifting into unconsciousness.

"What's wrong with him?" Gumi's shrill voice asks.

"He just fainted, I think.." Luki replies.

"Oh. There's always one. Take him into the medical tent, over there." I'm lifted by what I think is Luki, and draped over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. The last of my consciousness slips, and just before I pass out, I register one name, one face, one voice.

Kagamine Len. (A/N: I feel bad for tearing them apart now..)

~ Time Skip (well, that escalated quickly) ~

"Mnh.."

"Rinto-san."

"Ehh..?"

"Rinto-san, wake up." Someone shakes my shoulder, and I burrow further into the pillow.

"Go away.."

"You fainted. You need to get up, now. They're starting the training."

"What?" I ask, sitting bolt upright. My head throbs, and it takes me a moment to focus on Luki's face. He's leaning against the doorframe.

"The training, remember? Now, can you walk?"

"Uuh...yes?" I blink. Luki rolls his eyes, and I stumble to my feet. "Sorry about that."

"No worries. Although, you could have warned me."

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Gumi-sama's waiting for us. Let's go and catch up with the others." I follow him out of the door, and immediately the sunlight just about frazzles my eyes. Sweet mother of...remind me to invest in shades.

"Jeez," I mutter. "Are they trying to blind us?" Luki grins.

"Who knows?" he laughs, rolling his eyes. Gumi signals us over to the main group. "Let's do this thing."

~ Hours of Brutal Training Later ~

"That...was...awful!" I splutter, collapsing on the floor. Luki flops down beside me, panting.

"It's only day one," he points out helpfully. I glare at him.

"Thanks for reminding me," I groan. Every bone and muscle in my body aches, and a bead of sweat trickles down my forehead. Jeez, how do boys deal with this stuff?

"Quit slacking, you two!" Gumi grins brightly. "We're only getting started." Luki and I stare at each other.

"WHAT?!"

"Come on~!" Gumi smiles. "We have a lot of work to do!"

"Come on," Luki sighs. "She'll just keep pestering us until we get up."

"Ugh, fine..." I mumble, allowing him to yank me up onto my feet. I run my fingers through my short hair, sighing. Gumi skips away from us, her sword clanging against her hip. "How is she so happy?"

"I have no idea," Luki admits. Gumi suddenly materialises on stage - how did she get there so fast? - and claps for attention.

"If you'd just like to stop training for a moment," she smiles, her eyes skimming over all the guys fighting and practising. "We're gonna take a break from our session and head over to the armour tent." She gestures to a fairly large tent to our right. "You're all going to be measured, and then we'll give each of you your own manji uniform, okay?" My heart thuds. M-Manji uniform? But...that means I'll have to take off the armour...they'll see I'm a girl...oh, no.

"I can't go in there," I hiss without thinking. Luki frowns at me.

"Why?"

"Because...I...uh..." I search my brain frantically for an acceptable excuse, but come up blank. Then again...it's not really obvious that I'm a girl, in terms of body shape. I'm not really developed like some of the girls at school. Maybe I can get away with this after all...

"Well?" Luki prompts.

"Never mind," I sigh. "Come on, let's go."

~ Inside the Armour Tent ~

"It's your turn," Luki whispers, coming out from behind a curtain. He's changed into a sleek black suit and a white armband with the Manji emblem in red is tightly resting around his upper arm. A black cap shaped much like a pilot or a sailor's cap is settled on his head. He looks transformed.

"Thanks," I nod, taking a deep breath and walking through into a smaller area. A man with a blue scarf and a woman with short brown hair, both in Manji uniforms, smile at me.

"Name?" the woman asks.

"Kagamine Rinto," I say automatically. The woman consults her list and nods after a moment. Her partner looks me up and down.

"You're a little short to be a Manji...don't you think so, Mei-chan?" he comments, looking at the woman.

"Hush, Kaito-kun. Don't be mean." She smiles encouragingly at me. "I'm Sakine Meiko. This is Shion Kaito." The man, Kaito, nods in my direction. "Alright, let's begin by removing this armour." She helps me to remove the heavy metal plates, and I sigh with relief when I see that it doesn't make me look too much like a girl. Still, I can't stop my shoulders from trembling. Meiko smiles gently. "Don't be nervous," she soothes. "Kaito and I were just like you once."

"I thought it was just boys allowed to join the army?" I ask. Meiko sniffs.

"It used to be that both men and women could join, but then they decided we weren't strong enough, so they let most of the girls go." She sighs sadly. "Well, when I say 'let them go', I mean-"

"They murdered them," Kaito says bluntly. Meiko stares at him, horrified.

"Kaito-kun!" she hisses.

"What? He deserves to know," he shrugs, turning to me. "They were a liability; if the army's secrets ever got out and into the wrong hands, who knows what could happen? They knew too much, so the army got rid of them." I blink, shocked.

"So...but how come...you and Gumi-sama..." I murmur, glancing at Meiko.

"We were the only two left. Gumi-sama proved herself useful, and the Emperor hired her as one of his personal bodyguards, and one of the leaders of the Kyoto army. And me? Well, with my combined strength and knack for making armour and uniforms...what's not to love?" I nod slowly. "Hehe, don't look so worried! I'm a big softie, really. It's only when I'm in combat that I really let rip."

"Innuendo..." Kaito grins. Meiko swats at him.

"Shut up!" she giggles. I guess Meiko and Kaito are an item. I decide not to ask, just in case they're not and it makes everything really awkward. Instead, I just sigh and half-smile. Meiko turns to me. "Okay, let's get those measurements." She takes out a tape measure and stretches it out. "Lift your arms, please..." I do as she asks, and after a couple of minutes of measuring things like height, leg length, arm length, torso length, and various other places, she puts the tape measure away and nods. "Alrighty, it looks like you're done!" Kaito rummages in a large cupboard, and passes a neatly folded uniform to Meiko, who then hands it to me. "Step behind that screen and get changed." I nod and do so, feeling the smooth material pass over my skin. I set the cap on my head and step out. Meiko claps, her face lighting up. "Perfect!"

"It suits ya, short round," Kaito smiles.

"Short round?" I repeat, sniffing.

"I'm just kidding with you," he laughs. "Don't take it so seriously."

"I'll see you around, kid," Meiko smiles, waving. I wave back and step out into the main area, leaving them both behind. My new uniform feels stiff, and I take a deep breath, loosening up. I catch sight of myself in a mirror as I head outside. Wow. I look good...but I don't really look like me...although, I guess that's good...right?

~ Later ~

"Alright, everyone. It's almost time to call it a day. We'll resume training at six in the morning. Your tents are right over there-" Gumi's voice is interrupted by a sudden flash of light followed by a crash, and I turn to see smoke billowing from one of the tents. I can make out the silhouettes of four people. They step into the light, and I gasp. The Karakuri warriors. Three girls and a boy stand before me. There is a purple-haired girl with a hood, a pink haired girl, and a petite one with dark brown hair, who doesn't look more than about ten years old. The boy has white hair, and while one eye is green, the other is blue. Heterochromia, I register.

"Rinto-san, get back!" Luki yells. Gumi leads us and a small group of guys into a gap between two tents.

"Alright. This is what we've been training you for. You are Manji warriors, fighting for Kyoto. Now's your chance to get rid of those damn puppet soldiers once and for all! Now, go!" she commands. Luki and I head around the armour tent, but I stop a few feet away from the entrance, hesitating.

"Come on, Rinto-san!" Luki calls. I look over my shoulder. Meiko and Kaito...are they okay? Do they know what's going on?

"I'll just be a second!" I reply, shoving my way through the curtain and into the measuring room. Kaito blinks at me, alarmed.

"Rinto-san?" he says.

"Karakuri warriors," I pant. "Outside." Kaito and Meiko exchange worried glances. Meiko takes her sword from the table, and Kaito grabs his from near the cupboard.

"Let's go," Meiko sighs. "I hoped it wouldn't come to this..."

"What else did you expect?" Kaito mutters. "Miku and her minions will stop at nothing to bring us and the Emperor down. You know that."

"I guess, but-"

"There's no time to waste, you two. We need to get out there and defend the camp," I say, more sharply than I intended. Meiko and Kaito look at me, then at each other, and eventually they nod.

"Let's go," Meiko says, and I lead them out into the open. Kaito narrows his eyes as he catches sight of the Karakuri warriors. I can see the fury burning inside him, waiting to get out, and suddenly, before Meiko or I can grab him, he sprints forward, his sword ready. "KAITO-KUN!" Meiko screams, but Kaito's not listening. He runs towards the purple haired girl. She looks at him, and smiles. Before we can register what's going on, there's a gunshot, and Kaito freezes. His eyes widen, and he looks down to see the blood staining his uniform. He shakily turns to Meiko, who gasps, tears flooding her eyes. She looks like she's about to run, but I take hold of her hand and squeeze it, begging her not to move.

"M-Mei-chan.." Kaito chokes. More gunshots ring out through the camp. One, two, three...Kaito's body lurches with each, like he's being Tasered. Slowly, he falls onto his knees, and after a long and painful second, he hits the ground face first. Meiko screams, her voice agonized. She slowly tears her gaze from his body, her pained stares turning to murderous glares as her eyes land on the purple haired girl. Her jaw clenches, and her eyes blaze with fury.

"Meiko-san," I warn. "Don't."

"Bastards," she growls. "You BASTARDS!" The Karakuri warriors smile at her evilly. The purple haired girl tosses her gun up and down, bored.

"One down," the small girl smirks. "Who's next?"

Everything happens very fast after that. Manji soldiers attack from all sides, but the Karakuri warriors dodge their attacks easily. The boy is unbelievably fast. The tiny dark haired girl moves as nimbly as a ballet dancer out of the way of any weapons aimed at her, and the pinkette laughs as she and the small girl send the men on a wild goose chase around the camp. The purple haired one just smiles, watching the carnage unfold. Slowly, other figures appear behind her. Oh, God. Puppets. They head forward, armed with impossibly sharp blades, and run straight towards the advancing Manji soldiers.

I glare at the purple haired girl, and she meets my gaze. A strange flicker of surprise flashes in her eyes, and she raises her eyebrows, looking almost impressed. Wait, what?

"Girls. Piko-kun," she calls. The other three retreat to her side immediately, still poised to fight. The Manji soldiers begin to charge, and the purple haired one whispers something in the boy's ear. He glances at me, and nods.

"Got it," he smirks, splitting from the pack and heading right for me. Meiko is not beside me; she's crouching by Kaito's limp body, sobbing. I know I can't count on her to help me out. But...Luki...

"Luki-san!" I yell. Luki looks up from the fight a few hundred yards away. I'm about to yell at him to get over here and help me, but I freeze. He doesn't see the puppet's blade heading for his neck before I do. Oh, God. I've distracted him right at the crucial moment. "LOOK OUT!" I scream, but it's too late. Luki turns, and all I hear is the thud...as his decapitated head hits the stone ground. My gaze is glued to it. His eyes are still open, and I watch the light fade from them. Oh, God...what have I done...?

"Gotcha!" the white haired boy whispers in my ear, and I turn just to see his fist heading towards my face. It hits me in the forehead, and stars burst through my vision. I hit the ground, dazed. I try and grab for my sword, but my fingers are numb and clumsy. The boy smiles down at me. I swear I see a flicker of something sorrowful or sad...or at least something sane in his eyes for a moment, but then it's gone and he kicks me in the stomach, knocking the breath out of me. I desperately try to gulp down some air. Suddenly, though, the boy lifts me as easily as a feather and begins running back towards the purple haired girl.

"Good work, Piko-kun," I hear her say. "Miku-sama will be pleased. Miki-chan! Yuki-chan! Fall back!" The pinkette and the small dark haired girl are back at her side, and the purple haired one smiles at them. "What do you think?"

"A little small," the petite one, who I'm guessing is Yuki, sniffs. She can talk.

"She'll have to do."

"Are you sure about this, Yukari-chan?" the boy, Piko, asks. "She's a novice. An amateur-"

"She'll have to do," Yukari repeats. "Puppets!" Each of the puppet creatures retreat, leaving a bunch of Manji soldiers standing there. Some lay dead on the floor, and images of Kaito and Luki flash through my mind. I'm sorry.

That's all I can manage, before I slip into a restless unconsciousness.

WELL. I'm just gonna go hide before you Luki and Kaito fans come and kill me, 'kay? Great. I'll see you guys next chapter, then? Good o3o