Me: An update, like, finally! Wowzers!

Random reader: Shut up! You made me wait for a month or so! And you dare say 'finally'?

Me: Okay, so, I was like, busy and stuff, and I didn't have time to update despite the fact that I had already written this chapter a long time ago...

Random reader: That is just an excuse!

Me: -sweatdrops- I'm sorry... I'll make it up to you readers, okay? I'll give you another update within a week or two. Promise.

Random reader: That's better.

Me: I'd like to thank orangeer, Xviera Siramad, .Seahorse, biscute-head, Lulu De Rushe, woodspritethatconqueredpeople, NightsTheVocaloid, Cookiemonster599, Krnyong, Pupstar and Bunny for reviewing the last chapter! Thank you for the overwhelming response! I love you guys to the max and I promise the next chapter will be something even better (I made it extra long and fluffy just for you guys~). I hope you guys haven't given up the fic yet ~ T_T Sorry for the late update.

This chapter is dedicated to all of the people who have reviewed this fic.

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one.


"The Red Spade" - Act 4: Deal with the demon


But she hadn't.

Kagamine Rin gasped in complete shock when she saw the raging flames of the wild fire on one of the trees getting bigger and bigger as the villagers attempted to put it out by pouring large amounts of water on it. It had managed to burn a few crops here and there, and had also managed to set ablaze one of the unused huts in the deserted part of the village.

The flames of the ferocious fire were spreading rapidly to and fro. Tree branches were burnt and reduced to soot and ashes within a few minutes, and the hut was no doubt going to be next. There were a few haystacks and barrels arranged neatly beside the burning hut, and if they didn't stop the fire from spreading any further, there were going to be unavoidable injuries and losses.

Panic fogged her mind and stopped her from thinking calmly and normally. She couldn't even think right if she wanted to, because she was too nervous and too afraid to think of any solutions that may help her prevent the flames from destroying her very own village and her very own home.

She caught sight of the brunette she had been looking for in the morning in the corner of her eye. Said brunette was, like the rest of the villagers, throwing water to the flames in a desperate attempt to cease the raging fire.

Kagamine Rin hurried to where her brunette guardian stood, and tapped softly on her shoulder. The brunette turned around with a hiss, startling Rin with her extremely curt and murderous look. She suppressed a shudder and willed herself to speak as calmly as she would normally do at home.

"How did—" Meiko interrupted her with a sentence of her own before she could finish saying hers.

"—Save the questions for later! Rin, quick—" Meiko clicked her tongue impatiently, turning to scowl at the blazing flames. "—Get a bucket of water from the well and help put out this fire before it spreads or destroy anything! Don't go inside the houses because the flames are spreading fast!"

Kagamine Rin nodded, knowing very well how dangerous their situation was right now. She turned around and walked a few steps before breaking into a run, speeding through some of the villagers and heading for the well located at the southern part of the village.

She panted, feeling dizzy under the heat of the sun, and tried to move quicker and faster, if that was even possible. Her knees and ankles were starting to hurt very badly, and with each step she took, she felt like her actions were draining the life out of her. After all, this was her home, the home she had grew accustomed to since she was a baby, and what could be more important than defending her own home? The pain she felt on her legs wouldn't and couldn't compare.

She arrived at the well and wiped away the beads of sweat that had gathered on her forehead. She observed a few men running back and forth with their buckets, some rushing to the origin of the flames and others trying to get more water into their empty wooden buckets.

She limped forward until she was a few inches away from the well, and looked into the deep, dark ends of the well. She then looked around her surroundings, trying to look for an unused, available bucket—

—And there it was! Somebody had offered one to her kindly, and for a moment there she thought that the pale hand offering and holding the bucket out to her was looking a little too familiar for her liking. She'd recognize that hand from somewhere, but she couldn't quite remember where she had seen it.

The man who had offered it to her was also looking a little too suspicious. He had his face well hidden by his top hat, so she couldn't see him properly. Somehow, something about this 'help' seemed to be a little too… strange.

That was the least of her worries right now. She shouldn't be thinking of her past when there was a fire up there in the village! She should just accept any help she could get and get her butt there immediately.

"Thank you, sir!" With a cheesy grin, Kagamine Rin grabbed the bucket offered to her only to find that the bucket was not empty at all in the first place — it had been heavy, and she'd almost collapse under the weight of the bucket combined with the liquid inside it.

There was a dark, amused chuckle resonating from above her, and Kagamine Rin turned to look at the man to say something amongst the lines of 'what's so funny?' when her eyes widened in horror.

She was looking into those sadistic red eyes only that horrible creature would possess.

She dropped the bucket on the ground, spilling the water messily over the protruding surface of the hard granite.

There was no doubt about it — it was indeed that thing she met in the cottage yesterday. His pale skin complex, his twisted smirk that screamed of bloodlust, and his beautifully put up blonde hair… it all looked exactly the same. The only thing different about him was the top hat he was wearing under the shimmering and hot golden sunlight.

"Shit!" Rin cursed, stumbling a few steps back carelessly and desperately to get away from this… thing, this man who had almost killed her yesterday. However, she was not of the right mind at the moment, and hence she had carelessly tripped over one of the rocks on the ground, causing her to let out a sharp yelp before she closed her eyes and waited for the impact and the pain to come.

It didn't.

She opened her eyes once more, shrieking when she saw his a few inches away from hers. He had wrapped his arms around her waist and caught her before her body had managed to come into contact with the ground. Her very first instinct was to push at him to get away from him immediately no matter what the cost might be.

To her surprise, he let her go with another amused chuckle.

She swore, picking up the lines that Meiko had previously used in the house, and took a few steps away from him, her eyes narrowed in terror. She gritted her teeth and clenched her knuckles until it turned white when she saw him approaching her slowly.

"So you were the one responsible for the fire!" She screamed accusingly, raw anger engulfing her mind and soul.

"It was you, not me," he spoke, that smirk of his never leaving his face, "what, you think I wouldn't know what you were thinking back then? You thought you were smart?"

"I never said I was smart!" She shot back, her face red with fury. She could feel it… her voice was starting to tremble with anger, and if she didn't control her emotions soon…

"You didn't say it," he gritted his teeth, mocking her words, "but you were thinking it."

Kagamine Rin froze, not knowing what to say to his claim. She knew it was true no matter how hard she tried to deny it — she was indeed thinking that last night. She should've thought of the consequences of her own actions, should've considered at least thrice before she decided to act all smart and stuff, should've thought of the possibility of this man tailing her back to the village… but she didn't.

"You thought I was a fool, human," he uttered, his voice soft and at the same time creepy, "but you were wrong. I have been living on Earth longer than you can ever imagine, girl. You just don't know it."

"So what if I was planning on fleeing and not returning?" She spat, her voice filled with disgust. She turned her attention to the screams and cries heard in the background, coming from the direction of the source of the fire. She pointed a finger in that direction, a vein popping up on the side of her head.

"Those people are innocent! My decision didn't have anything to do with them! It was mine, and mine alone! Why are you dragging innocent people into your twisted little game?"

"I already told you," he replied hotly, "I am, in fact, very hungry right now, and since I don't have any food, I'll do what I please to satisfy my hunger. Your decision may not have any effects on the lives of this people, but mine certainly do."

"You're sick—" Rin growled, chewing on her bottom lip nervously when she heard more cries in the background. She felt the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, but she didn't care. "—You are downright despicable! I… I'll get those people to get rid of you by telling them the cause of the fire—"

"—It's no use. They can't see me." He shrugged, watching her uncaringly as she continued drawing blood from her delicate bottom lip.

"It doesn't matter, human," the blonde-haired man added, expressing his last word with mockery, "if you don't hurry, your village and your friends may be burnt into a crisp…"

Rin felt panic rise within her once more. She watched as the blonde man started to change, his form slowly darkening until she couldn't make out the smooth contours of his face anymore. The darkness around him slowly started to disperse until he completely disappeared into thin air without any warning.

So, he disappeared. Maybe he decided to leave her alone or maybe he had regretted his so called decision? In any case, Rin wasn't going to bother herself thinking of that stupid man. She had better things to do.

On his place stood another unused bucket. He must have left it behind… Kagamine Rin gulped, and grabbed the bucket without a second thought.

She made her way back, feeling the liquid in it splash on the ground as she ran. She took quicker and longer strides this time, feeling the familiar tingling and throbbing of her leg. It hurt, it really did…

She stopped when she finally reached her destination, and stared with a horrified expression at the extent and size of the flames now. It had increased its size, spreading into the barns and a few tree houses a few meters away from the barrels and haystacks, which were now completely burnt to ashes.

The hut that used to be there was also no longer there.

It was her turn to help.

She stood slightly a few meters away from the flames and splashed all of the contents of the bucket into the raging flames, earning a thumbs up and a grin from the brunette standing beside her.

It was short-lived. Both of them cried out, stupefied, when they realized the contents of the bucket only made the fire grow bigger.

"Idiot—" Meiko cursed under her breath, eyeing Rin with a vicious glare. If looks could kill, then Rin would have been dead by now. "—That was oil, you idiot—"

"Oil?" Rin shrieked, completely shocked and ignorant of this fact. Yes, she should've thought of it… why would somebody like him, who had supposedly started that stupid fire, suddenly change his mind and help put the flames out? He was a monster, a demon, a sadist, and there was absolutely no reason to his sudden change of attitude!

She was stupid to trust that smug, insane psychopath!

The flames got bigger, enveloping the whole of the few remaining trees in the area. The tree houses were burnt instantly, leaving no traces of its previous existence behind.

"Missy," One of the men snarled, shooting daggers in his eyes, "if you ain't got nothing to help, then just stand 'ere and remain still! You givin' us more trouble then we already have, ya hear?"

She flinched, watching as the man continued to put out the fire with the bucket of water. She hadn't meant to make anything worse than it already was! She wanted to help, and she sincerely tried to do so already, but that stupid arrogant snob of a demon managed to con her and make her spill oil on the fire instead! It was his fault that she was unable to do anything now…

"Need help?" Came the familiar voice of that smug psychopath from behind her. She could feel his breath trickling on her smooth ear shell, and she immediately whipped around to glare at him.

He leapt away from her almost instantly, landing smoothly and safely on top of one of the tree houses in front of her.

"Put the flames out!" She yelled, extremely pissed off with that devious look glued on his face.

"Why should I?" He questioned, examining his nails from a distance. Rin gritted her teeth again, resisting the urge to throw a witty remark at him or to lunge at him with that bucket of hers.

"I—"

"Oi, Rin!" The voice of the brunette brought Rin's attention away from the offending male. "Who the heck are you talking to?"

"Meiko," she hissed, her voice barely above a whisper, "this man is the cause of it all — he started that fire, and he intends to destroy the whole of the village because it makes him extremely satisfied—"

Meiko shot her a blank look, and Rin could feel her heart thumping as realization began to hit her mind. What was it that that demon man had said just now? It had been something about others not being able to see him…

So it was true. Others weren't able to see him, but Rin could.

It wasn't a lie. It wasn't a trick to deceive her. It was the truth.

But why?

"Nobody's there," Meiko simply snapped, turning her attention back to the rapidly increasing flames.

Shit. Kagamine Rin had to do something now. The flames were going to spread to her house, and if she didn't do something quick, she would be left with nowhere but the streets to sleep at! Why could she do, though? She could go back and get another bucket of water, but the water wasn't going to help since the man could just start another fire with a flick of his wrist.

Unless…

"Stop the fire—" Rin pleaded, her voice filled with sorrow and agony, "—please!"

"What do I get in exchange for that?" The blonde-haired man smirked at the sight of her defeated expression.

"I'll bring you food," Rin simply said, not sparing him a single look in his direction, "everyday."

Something warm fell onto her hands, and she turned to see herself holding a new bucket in her hands. She wrinkled her nose at the sight of it, remembering how she had effectively caused the fire to be bigger just now.

"Use this," he said from afar, "just dump it into the fire and it'll be gone instantly."

"Oil?" Rin raised a brow.

"Aren't you going to listen, human?"

She was extremely hesitant in obeying his instructions after that incident just now. He was, after all, rather tricky, and for all Kagamine Rin knew, he could just be lying to her. He could be secretly plotting to grotesquely murder all the villagers and destroy the whole of this village for his sick, perverted little desires. One splash was all it took to end this whole fire… in an agonizing way, or a peaceful way.

The village was basically in her hands.

One splash…

She did as told.


Me: Okay, so that's it for this chapter! Guys, please remember to review and comment. I do check my mail, and I get really happy when I find a review here. C:

Reader: Oh really.

Me: Yes! Speaking of which... I'm going to do a cosplay on Vocaloid later this year, but I don't know which character to do! Are there any experienced cosplayers out there that may give me a tip or two for a newbie like me? Teehee~

Reader: ... -ignores-

Me: H-hey! You're ignoring me!

Reader: Serve you right for ignoring me the last chapter.

Me: ... Anyway, don't hesitate to talk to me via PMs or reviews! I don't bite :D Stay tuned to the next chapter next week! (And I promise it will be a fast update to make it up to you guys... sorry. I really am sorry. x.x)