A/N: It's the last chapter… So…
Warning: Character Death, and slight blood/gore scenes.
Black and Ashes
Yamamoto was walking down the clear white hallways, a hot cup of coffee in his hand. His glasses slid down his nose, his free hand went up to push it back to its place. A tired sigh escaped his lips; he had just learned of the virus that corrupted Len's system. Another sigh escaped his lips, as his hand travelled across his black locks. "Why must Len be troublesome?" he complained out loud. He mentally insulted himself for letting a small virus corrupt Len's system… In fact, how did that virus entered their systems anyway? Yamamoto has a slight hunch that someone was pulling strings from behind his back; he's probably trying to stain Yamamoto's reputation, the man who designed the unit Hatsune Miku, the first Vocaloid who rose to the top—Meiko and Kaito was at first not popular, but they gained popularity, nonetheless.
Yamamoto also has this hunch that someone here in Crypton is working with their enemy companies who's also producing Vocaloids; one of said companies is INTERNET CO. with their popular Vocaloids: Gackupo, Megpoid, and Lily. 'This place is just full of backstabbers,' Yamamoto thought angrily, taking a few sips from his coffee.
The scientist was busy listing off his suspects mentally, when he heard a familiar voice. He saw a door slightly opened, a sliver of light peeked out of the opened door. Acting like a stealthy ninja, Yamamoto pressed his back against the wall, slowly leaning towards the door.
"A-ano," Yamamoto recognized the voice as Nakamura. He immediately made a distasteful face, but he remained quiet and listened on. "Miku-chan, have you seen Len?"
'Len? Why's he looking for Len?' Yamamoto thought, then a struck of realization hit him. Nakamura must be the one! He must be the one sabotaged Yamamoto's 'Kagamine Len'! He must be the one planted that virus into his system. Yamamoto seethed with anger, his teeth made grinding sounds… No, he still doesn't have any proof of Nakamura's betrayal…
"Len-kun?" there was a pause, it was Miku who was talking. "Umm, I think he's with Rin-chan right now…"
There was a long silence, Yamamoto raised a brow and tried to peek inside, he saw Nakamura's back against him. Yamamoto thought Nakamura was about to leave because he made no attempt to continue, but Nakamura stood planted in his place. 'If you got anything to say, just say it Nakamura,' Yamamoto thought, mentally urging Nakamura to continue.
As if hearing his thoughts, Nakamura nervously looked around—which made Yamamoto to pull back—and made sure there was no one was eavesdropping on them, only that he forgot to check outside to see if someone was there. With a heavy breath, Nakamura continued, "I mean the old Len… Did you see him?"
Yamamoto's brows rose even more, old Len? Does Nakamura mean the one that malfunctioned almost a month ago? The Len who acted violent just because Rin was gone? Yamamoto almost laughed at the thought, really? Robots and their emotions… However, Yamamoto kept his cool and continued to listen. Come to think of it, why was Nakamura looking for him? Isn't that Len supposed to be disposed of a few weeks ago? Yamamoto then realized something, 'Isn't Nakamura the one assigned to dispose Len? Then… Why is he looking for him?' Yamamoto has this sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach, a theory already forming in his head, 'Don't tell me Nakamura…'
"Oh, the other Len… Ah… No, I haven't seen him for the past few days," Miku replied, there was a moment of silence.
"That's alright," Nakamura replied, "Thanks anyway, Miku-chan."
Yamamoto peeled himself off the wall, his half-drank coffee was totally forgotten and he had thrown it to a nearby trash bin. He stood straight, his chest rose arrogantly, and he stood right in front of the door way. As expected. Nakamura swung the door open, and met Yamamoto with wide eyes.
"Y-Yamamoto-san!" he exclaimed, his voice full of surprise. "What are you doing here?" he asked anxiously. Yamamoto knew he was nervous, the scientist was sweating like a sinner caught red-handed.
Yamamoto observed him with cool eyes, the sides of his lips creased as he frowned. "Nakamura-san…" he started, totally ignoring Nakamura's question, "Where's Len?" he asked, testing Nakamura.
Nakamura made a nervous gulp, "Ah—Len-kun? H-he's with Rin-chan…" he replied, his black eyes refused to stare back at Yamamoto's cold ones.
Yamamoto's frown deepened, he opened his mouth to continue, but Miku slipped out of the doorway, giving the two scientists a bewildered look. "Ah, Yamamoto-san? Is there a problem?" she asked innocently, tilting her head to the side. Yamamoto replied with a kind smile and told her not to worry, and just go back to the others. Miku reluctantly nodded her head, and skipped down the hallway.
As soon as Miku disappeared from their sight, Yamamoto's gaze went back to Nakamura, giving him a cold stare. Tension filled the hall, Nakamura was sweating profusely, his gaze fixed on the perfectly tiled floor. Yamamoto was observing the man with a critical eye, "Where is he?" he repeated, his voice cold and sharp.
Nakamura nearly jumped a foot, surprised by Yamamoto's sharp voice. He was caught, and he knew it. His hand automatically went to rub the back of his neck, a habit he had since he was young and if he's under pressure. "Ah… I don't know what you mean, Yamamoto-san," he replied, his eyes still refused to meet with Yamamoto's.
Yamamoto never loses his cool, even in front of his colleagues; however, Nakamura was testing his patience, after too much pressure—in other words, Len—Yamamoto had been a wreck, and that virus lingering around their system was shaking his patience. Without another word, Yamamoto walked down the hall in a very fast pace, heading for the lab where Len had used to stay. Nakamura was caught of guard, he was dumbfounded for a moment, before asking out loud, "Y-Yamamoto-san, where are you going?" he asked, following the man's fast pace.
Yamamoto did not stop, his face hard with determination. As he reached the lab, he opened the door with much force that it swung wildly and hit the wall, and bounced back into a closing position. Nakamura had to stop for a moment so that the door would not hit him. He gently pushed the door opened, he observed Yamamoto with nervousness. The man was checking the room, glancing around, checking if there was something out of place. Finding none, he went towards the computer stationed by the side of the room. Flicking the switch open, he waited for it to start up.
"Yamamoto-san?" Nakamura called out nervously. He knew what fate awaits him, he knew the moment Yamamoto checks the log, the man would know that someone had re-activated Len; and the number one suspect is Nakamura. It took less-than two minutes for Yamamoto to check the log, and he saw that someone indeed re-activated Len, and that there was an error that occurred.
Yamamoto stood motionless, it was the second time ever he was left speechless, unable to utter a single word. He stared at the screen with such awe that his jaw dropped a few centimeters. He knew… He knew the danger a malfunctioning Vocaloid possess, he even experienced it first hand, and it even happened to him twice in his life—the first one was a malfunctioning Miku, who nearly killed him with a knife, and the second was a KAITO unit (and Len too, but it was just a slight malfunction, nothing big as what had happened to the Miku unit and the KAITO unit). It was always been a glitch in their system, that whenever they malfunctioned, they always gets violent, it was something the scientists cannot fix no-matter what they do.
Nakamura mentally prepared himself for the incoming insults and curses, he was ready to be called an 'idiot' and 'irresponsible'; because he really is an idiot, blinded by his admiration to Miku that he had acted dumbly and allowed his emotions to get him. When Yamamoto had turned around, Nakamura flinched, ready for anything coming from Yamamoto.
Unexpectedly, Yamamoto rushed towards him and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Alert the security," he ordered, his face serious, and it no longer has that cold look. However, there was slight anxiousness present in his eyes.
"Wha—Why?" Nakamura asked, his brows furrowed together in confusion.
"No time," Yamamoto replied hurriedly, "Just tell them a malfunctioning Len unit is on the loose, and is roaming around the building," he said, and he hurried down the hall, leaving Nakamura confused in his place.
It took for Nakamura a whole minute to compose himself before heading towards the head security. What made Yamamoto so anxious? Of course he would not know, because a Vocaloid never threatened his life.
He has no idea what danger he had released.
Luka was busying herself with the very same book she was reading a few days ago, a thin-framed glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, her blue eyes focused on every word on the brown pages of the novel. Yet, she would glance up once and a while, and she would chuckle silently as she watch the Kagamine play around like they have used too. Oh, wait—it was not them, they were replacements. Strangely, though, they appear just as the same as the old Kagamine pair. However, Luka had noticed some improvement with their voices. Currently, the Kagamine are singing, and while at it, they were tormenting Kaito by threatening him to hide his stock of ice cream.
Luka looked back down to her book, a ghost of a smile rested upon her lips.
"Rin Rin shigunaru mushi shitara,
Ihan kippu kitte shimau zo~!" Rin sang, dancing around with Len, a huge grin was plastered on the male Kagamine, swinging Rin around playfully.
"Mimi o sumasete kiite ne~!" the female Kagamine sang her last line, her white bow bounced on top of her head, as she hop around.
"Mimi o sumasenakute mo kikoe teru~!" Len finished loud, playfully tackling the hopping Rin. The Kagamine pair laughed loudly as they collapsed on their sofa, Rin hugged Len tightly, burying her face on the crook of is neck. Len buried his head on Rin's bright blond locks, inhaling her citrus-y scent.
Luka smiled warmly at the sight. She turned her head to the side when she felt the sofa shifted, Kaito had scooted closer to her, and leaned his head near her ear.
"It's kinda creepy, right?" he asked, his voice low, while his eyes fixed at the Kagamine pair.
Luka stared at him, her brows furrowed together in confusion. "What do you mean? They appear normal to me…"
"That's what I meant!" Kaito said, his voice raising a few volumes, however, the Kagamine pair was too busy with each other to take a glance towards the two older Vocaloids' direction. "It's just so weird!" he exclaimed, waving his arms in an exaggerated manner. "It's like… It's like…"
"Like what?" Luka asked, her brows rose even higher.
"It's like…" Kaito sighed, a distant look on his face, "It's like they never died…"
Luka frowned, "Len never died," she pointed out.
"Well, technically, he doesn't, but still…" Kaito groaned in frustration, messing his blue locks, "It's just so weird!"
Luka shook her head, and returned her attention back to her book.
"Rin~!" Len whined, pulling the girl by the arm, "Where're you going?" he asked, a playful pout on his lips.
Rin pulled her arm back, raising a finger in front of Len's face, "Wait here," she ordered, "I'll just go get something," she said, before marching off towards the door. Len crossed his arms stubbornly and flopped back down to the yellow fluffy sofa.
The moment Rin's presence disappeared from the room, almost instantly, the atmosphere changed. Luka suddenly felt the hair on the back of her neck stood, she also felt Kaito scoot even closer to her. Looking up for a moment, she saw Len intently staring at her, a slight smirk on his lips. She immediately looked down, Len was scaring her with that look he was giving her. Kaito immediately noticed the uneasiness of the pinkette, taking a quick glance to the blond sitting almost half-way across the room, he saw that Len was observing them intently, with one side of his lips twitched upward into a smirk.
A blanket of silence surrounded the room, the two older Vocaloids found it hard to move a limb, and stayed frozen in their places, anxiousness danced around their chests. After a few moments, Len shattered the deafening silence, "Kaito-nii," he called out, his voice somehow sounded amused. "Are you trying to do something to Luka-nee?" he asked out loud, amusement reflected from his eyes.
Luka jumped at the question, a blush spread across her face like a plague. She immediately moved away from the bewildered Kaito; her actions received an amused chuckle from Len.
"Eh? What so you mean?" Kaito asked, his brows rose in confusion.
Len chuckled, "Really? You're such an idiot, BaKaito-nii," he said bluntly, a grin spread across his face. Kaito flushed, between anger and embarrassment.
"Hey!" Kaito started. "Who do you think you are?" he asked, a deep frown on his face. That amused look on the blond's face somehow angered Kaito, and he felt the need to rip it out of his face.
Len checked his nails, his smirk grew ever so slightly. "Who do you think?" he replied. Before Kaito could have the chance to retort, the door swung open, revealing a grinning Rin with a bundle of oranges and bananas in her arms. Len's expression had immediately changed, once a cruel smirk, was now replace by a warm smile. He strode over Rin and took the bundle of bananas from her, "Thank you~!" he sang cheerfully, giving Rin a huge grin. The girl smile back.
The two flopped down to their sofa, peeling their fruits, and ate them happily.
Luka and Kaito exchanged looks, "It's weirder than I thought," the bluenet blurted.
Len had told Rin to wait in her room once again, the blond Vocaloid walked down the hall, and heading towards the kitchen. He was having too much fun! And Rin's too gullible for her own good! And Kaito's heated face, priceless! However, it did not meet Len's usual standard of entertainment. He let out a sigh, he wondered where the other Len was, he hasn't seen him since their meeting back then—which was a few days ago. Len couldn't help but chuckle, the other Len's face was just so funny! He looked so miserable and pathetic!
Len wondered whether the other Len was already disposed, or he was just hiding, or he already killed himself (via suicide). It was such a shame, Len's ultimate form of entertainment was now gone. Kaito wasn't much of a replacement…
Soon, the blond Vocaloid reached the kitchen, and twisted the knob open. At first he stood frozen in his place, as he noticed another person inside the room. Speaking of the devil! It was him! A smirk graced Len's lips; Oh, he'll have more fun with this.
Though, Len felt a slight déjà vu… As if he had seen this scene before…
A few days ago… Ah, right. It was just the same as their last meeting—
Only that, he was the one inside the room…
The blond Vocaloid, Kagamine Len cowered by the deepest and darkest corner of the room. His eyes were wide, and his irises was shaking, and so was his form. He tightly pressed his knees closer to his chest, a shaky grin on his lips. "Rinrinrinrinrinrinrinrin," he muttered repeatedly, every now and then, a laugh would escape his lips, "Hahaha! Rinrinrinrinrinrinrinrin! Hahaha!"
Rin? Where are you? Where am I? Hahaha, who am I? Rin? Rin? I want you! WHERE ARE YOU? HAHAHA!
Hahahaha! So many letters! Bright letters! What? An error? What's an error? Am I an error?
Len giggled like a madman, his pupil turned to small slits, and his eyes would wander around aimlessly. Red filled his vision.
REDREDREDREDREDREDREDREDRED!
Hahahahaha! Red is a wonderful color! But Rin, why aren't you red? I want you red! So we could be red! HAHAHAHAHA!
"Hehehehe," he giggled, his grin nearly reached his ears.
What's this? Another me? Hahaha, he looks funny! Oh, wait—I'm funny! Hahahaha!
Why's that? Why isn't he red? Why am I not red? I WANT RED! RED! RED! RED! RED!
Hehehehenh…
Len's nails dug down his scalp, drawing dark crimson blood slowly slid from his head.
CRACK!
Len froze, his hands dropping to his sides, yet, his eyes were still wide, with his eyes into slits. His head pulled back, as his face faced the ceiling, his grin nearly reached his ears. "HAHAHA! RINRINRIN! HAHAHA! LENLENLENRINRIN! HAHAHAHA!" he laughed, half screaming, his voice came out scratched and forced, it almost has a haunting sound. His bloodied nails went to his throat, furiously scratching the skin. His laughter never ceased, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. "RIN! WHERE ARE YOU?" he screeched, his nails went to scratch the side of his face.
He continued his laughter, "HAHAHAHAHAH—AH?" he suddenly stopped in mid laugh, his last huff came out high and cracked. His hands once again dropped to his side, he rolled his head around, a wide smirk on his lips. "I want to have fun," he said in a whiny voice, however, his face reflected that of insanity. It was then he remembered the other Len roaming around the facility. His sneer reached his ears, standing up, he staggered out of the room, giggling gleefully as he walked down the brightly lit hallway.
"Where are you~? Where are you~?" he chanted, uncontrollable laughter would escape his lips. "LENLENLENLENLENLEN~!" his chants continued, his head would bob side-to-side, a huge grin on his face. The Vocaloid soon stopped in front of a familiar room—which was the kitchen—and forcefully swung the door, he was expecting someone to be in the room, but it was empty. Walking inside, and closing the door behind him, Len stared at the yellow fruit placed on the kitchen's counter. He stared at it intently, raising it in front of his eyes, tilting it to different angles. He placed it back down when something gleamed by the corner of his eyes, following the source of the light, his eyes landed on a metal utensil: a knife.
He walked over it, his wide eyes stared at it curiously. He took it by the hilt with one hand, he raised the metal blade in front of him, his face reflected on it. One of his finger touched the sharp side of the blade, crimson blood soon drip from his finger. A delighted grin graced his lips, satisfied with the red liquid dripping from his finger.
He chuckled softly, bringing his bloodied finger to his lips, and he licked the blood off it. "Hehe, sweet…"
He was too busy sucking the awfully flavored liquid from his finger to notice another person within the room.
(Replacement) Len casually strode over the other blond Vocaloid, readying an arrogant grin in his lips. He clasped a hand over the other Len's shoulder, and peered from behind the other shoulder, "What are you…" Len started, however, his voice trailed off, losing its arrogance, his eyes stared wide at the bloodied blade on the other Len's hand. His mouth fell agape, he glanced up to look at Len's face, his eyes widen even more. Wide red and blue eyes stared back at him, a trail of drool slid down the side of Len's mouth, and loop-sided grin plastered on his face.
For the first time ever, the replacement(Len) felt scared. Peeling his hand away from Len's shoulder, he slowly backed away, his eyes stared intently at the red gleaming blade Len was holding. The other blond turned fully to him, revealing his bloodied neck, and the thin trail of blood by the side of his head. Len's grin appear inhumane, it looked very disturbing; like it was cut off from someone else's face, and plastered on him. The replacement felt something jump from within his chest, jumping at a very fast pace, as sweat made his blond locks stick to his pale skin. His lips lost its arrogant sneer, his eyes no longer held its usual amused look, and he no longer posses his usual cocky aura; everything was replaced with fear.
"Hahaha," the bloodied blond laughed, pointing a shaking finger at him, "Y-you l-look so p-pathetic!" he said between laughs, his red eye rolled around, while his blue eye stayed fixed on the other Len's eyes. He staggered towards the shaken blond, both of his arms hung loosely by his sides, and his body constantly swayed from side to side. The frightened Vocaloid slowly backed away, however, with every step he took back, Len would just step forward. Soon, the blond felt the knob scratching his clothed back, his hand slowly went to his back, and gripped the metal knob tightly. Twisting it open, the blond bolted down the brightly lit hallway, turning expertly with every intersection.
Left, right, right…
Len felt a slight hope as he caught sight of the lounging room, it doesn't matter if the other Vocaloids hated him, he just wanted to get away from the madman following him. The madman that bear his own face…
Len's 'heart' skipped a few beats, as he heard the echoing laughter of the other Vocaloid, as if it was coming from every direction.
However, he focused on getting to that door, and to get away from the nightmare following him. As he reached the door, he immediately opened it…
But no one was there.
"Do you really think you could get away that easily? Len-kun~?" came the voice of the other Vocaloid, his now-scratchy voice echoed from all corners. His voice held a mocking tone that awfully reminded Len of how he had treated the other one.
Len turned around.
"Surprise~!"
Horror and pain filled Len's face, his hands went to clutch his pain-filled side, the side where the madman had struck him with his blade. Len fell backward, and landed painfully on his back. Wide eyes stared back at him, pleasure filled the other's eyes, and a maniacal grin plastered on his face. The blond madman raised the knife in front of his face, observing the beautiful scarlet drip down to the floor.
"I've always wanted to know what's the color of your blood," the other Len started, his eyes still fixed on the dripping scarlet, "Hehehenh, it's red after all."
Len desperately and pathetically crawled away, a vain attempt of escaping. He knew his fate was already sealed, the way Len looked at him, he knew he'll never see anyone, other than that mad look that will haunt him in his death bed.
The bleeding Vocaloid slowly lost his color, his life source pooled around his form like a red halo. Len sat on top of him, and he took his yellow tie. "Len-kun?" Len asked, his lips twitched uncontrollably, "You said you're better than me… I wonder what happens if I do this," Len declared out loud, placing the knife by the other Len's neck.
"Ahh," the other Len closed his eyes shut, fearing and knowing what Len would do. He felt pain in his scalp when Len took him by his blond locks, gripping it tightly that it almost came out of its roots. The replacement fully expects the pain to erupt from his throat, but instead, he felt the cool metal against his cheek and slowly slid down until his jaw. He whimpered uncharacteristically, feeling very pathetic at the moment. Soon, the blade left his skin.
"Open your eyes," Len sang by his ear. The other Len refused to do so, "Open it," Len sang again, his usual voice was now scratchy and hoarse. Still, the other Len refused. It was then he felt something wet moving around his wounded cheek, reluctantly, he opened his eyes only to find Len licking the blood off his cheek. "Sweet," he said. A pair of blue eyes stared back at mismatched eyes; Len's grin grew, raising himself back up, he positioned the knife right above of the other Len's eye. The bleeding Vocaloid immediately closed his eyes, which made Len frown. Putting the knife down—by stabbing it to the other Len's arm—Len placed his right thumb on the upper eyelid of the other Len's (left) eye, and he placed his pointer on the lower eyelid. Len forcefully opened the other's eyes.
The moment Len saw the bright blue iris, Len's finger slid down and entered the other's socket.
Len screamed.
The insane one laughed gleefully, digging his bloodied finger around Len's sockets, blood spurted from where his left eye was used to be, some of it stained the old Len's face. Pulling and scratching inside Len's socket, metal wires started to protrude from the corner of his eyes.
Len screamed even more.
The bleeding Vocaloid tried to pry the insane blond off him, but every time he would, Len would dig even deeper in his sockets. The replacement's hand blindly scratched Len's face, but it was not enough to pry him off. He tried freeing his pinned arm, but found it stuck with the metal blade piercing it to the floor.
As if eternity had passed, Len finally removed his fingers from the other's eyes. Bringing up his fingers near his face, he started to lick the scarlet blood off it. The other Len began to struggle from underneath Len, his free hand tried to push Len away, yet, whatever he does, he can't make him budge. His hand went to grasp the blade's hilt instead, however, Len took hold of his arm, and painfully twisted it into strange angle. The bleeding Vocaloid screamed his throat out, then there was a loud tearing sound. The other Len whipped his head to the side, his eyes wide in horror, as he found that Len had tore off his arm from its sockets. Pain spread like electricity through out his body, his back arched as another scream emitted from his mouth.
Len then took hold of the blade's hilt, pulled it out from the other's arm. The other Len's arm throbbed painfully, and numb at the same time. Len once again took hold of the other's blond hair, pulling him painfully upwards. Once again, the blade was placed on his neck, barely grazing it.
Len's hand shook, his eyes were wider than before and a shaky grin plastered on his face. Leaning down, "Scream," he whispered.
The other Len felt pain by his chest, where Len just stabbed him. The blade slid down, tearing his clothes and skin open, with blood spurting and oozing out of the open wound. Len twisted the blade, drawing a scream from the other Len.
His scream shook, Len playfully twisted the knife from with in the other's, his grin grew every second.
Len pulled the knife out, and slit the other's throat. The other Len made a gurgling sound, blood poured out from his mouth, while blood spurted from his open throat. Len started giggling, finding pleasure in the other's pain.
Red is such a wonderful color, ne?
Rin's head snapped up, she thought she heard a scream. "Len?" she whispered under her breath, she stood up from her bed and slowly approached the door. Reluctantly opening it, she walked out, and glanced around the empty halls, searching for her brother. "What's taking him so long?" she muttered, walking down the hallway with no direction.
Then she noticed Meiko and Kaito running towards her, she raised a brow. The two Vocaloids stopped in front of her, "Rin!" Kaito breathed out, as if relieved. Rin's brows rose even more.
"What's up?" Rin asked, tilting her head to the side, her bow swayed with her movement.
"Where's Len?" Meiko asked straight-forwardly. Her eyes stared hard at Rin.
Rin's face scrunched up in confusion, "I don't know…" she replied. The two Vocaloids groaned in frustration; they looked very stressed as Rin have observed, "Is there something wrong?" she demanded, pouting her lips in a stubborn way.
Meiko shook her head, waving her hand, "It's nothing… Where's the last time you saw him?" she asked once again. Rin frowned, Meiko had not answered her question.
Sighing through her nose, "Right outside my room…" she replied, she crossed her arms like a child. "What do you want with him anyway?" she asked, hoping that they would answer her question.
The two Vocaloids exchanged looks, "Let's try the kitchen," Meiko told Kaito. Rin frowned, they were ignoring her. Kaito turned to her and smiled widely, it looked fake.
"Just stay in your room, Rin-chan," he said, as he started to lead her back to her room. The male ignored the blonde's protests, and forcefully—yet, gently—led Rin back to her room. "Just stay here," Kaio ordered, sliding the door close.
Rin growled in frustration. She stomped towards the door and gripped the knob hard. She was about to rip it open, but she heard Meiko spoke.
"Damn it," Meiko cursed, "If we don't find 'him', someone will be in deep shit."
"H-hey, at least Rin's safe…" Kaito replied, his voice slowly faded as they walked away, "I guess…"
Kaito's last statement sent chills down Rin's spine. What does he meant?
"Oh! Shut up!" came Meiko's shout that jolted Rin, "Let's just do what the scientists want, alright?"
Rin heard Kaito mumble something, but she did not understand it. She pressed her ear on the door, waiting for Meiko and Kaito's voice to fade. A few minutes passed, Rin opened the door, and took a peek down the hall, glancing to her left and right. Meiko and Kaito was nowhere in sight. Rin stepped out, Meiko said they'll be checking the kitchen, well then, Rin will check the lounging area. And so, Rin started to walk, heading for that room.
Soon, she was standing in front of the door. She placed her hand on the knob and slowly opened it. The room was strangely dark, and eerily quiet… Or so she thought. Rin then heard sobbing sounds, 'Strange,' she thought. Rin entered the room, her hand went to search for the light switch by the wall. She sighed in relief as she felt the switch, she flicked it open, and bright lights filled the once dark room.
Rin heard the sobs once again, getting louder this time. Turning her head around, her breath got caught on her throat, and her knees started to shake. Fear and nervousness fluttered within her chest. In the middle of the room was Len, hunched over something—Rin couldn't distinguish what it was. Len's form shook with every sob, and a pool of red liquid formed from underneath him.
Rin felt worried yet scared at the same time, slowly, she started to approach Len. "Len?" she called his name, her feet carefully glided towards him.
Len's form suddenly froze. Rin raised a brow, "Len?" she called once again. She heard a faint splash, she looked down and saw she was stepping on the dark red liquid. She followed the trail of liquid back to Len, then she saw a pair of legs—other than Len own legs—underneath Len. And by the corner, she caught sight of a dismembered arm.
Tears formed from the corner of her eyes, and her knees shook terribly. Len sobs turned louder, his form once again shook. Rin made a step back when Len stood up, his shoulders shook with every sob. Rin's heart jumped from within her chest, the alarms in her head rang loudly. Len slowly turned around.
Rin's eyes widen.
"Rin…"
Rin had thought Len was sobbing, but no, he was chuckling. An inhumane grin was plastered in his face, it sent chills down Rin's spine. A pair of mismatched eyes stared at her widely, insanity reflected off from them. Rin took another step back, her hand went to her jumping chest.
"Rin," the name rolled out of Len's mouth, slowly stepping towards her.
Rin's breath hitched as she caught sight of the form behind Len.
It was another Len… There was a huge hole on his chest, he was missing an arm, his face was barely recognizable, and his hair was heavily stained with blood.
Tears started to flow, "L-Len," she whispered, her knees nearly lose its strength. Bright blue eyes stared back at the Vocaloid standing in front of her. She clutched her clothe tightly, her eyes reflected anger—and fear. "W-why?" she asked, her voice shook.
Len laughed instead, slowly approaching her. He stopped until they were just a feet away. His grin widened, "Rin…"
Rin realized the closeness of the other Kagamine. She was about to step back but Len placed a firm—and bloodied—hand on her bare shoulder, staining it with the red color. Rin's form shook in fear, tears fell like rivers from her eyes.
Len pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her petite form.
"Rin," Len whispered by her ear. Rin wants to pull away, but Len's hold was strong, he wouldn't even budge. "Aishiteru…" he whispered.
Rin would've believed him if his voice did not sound insane.
Rin struggled from within his grasps, try to pry his heavily stained arms off her. Len pulled back, however his arms are still around her. Len flashed him a grin, a grin that Rin found very disturbing.
"I never said goodbye," he said, a thoughtful look occupied his face. Then his grin returned, "Goodbye," he said.
The last thing Rin saw was his face, his inhumane grin, the insane glint in his eyes…
And the last thing she ever heard was her own scream.
Meiko and Kaito arrived the kitchen, but they found it empty. Then they proceeded on opening every room, looking for him. Meiko opened a door, but it was only filled with lab equipments. Closing the door, Meiko turned to Kaito, "Damn it," she cursed loudly, gritting her teeth. Kaito felt a little nervous from under the brunette's glare. "Where the hell is he?" she shouted out of frustration.
Kaito shuffled in his feet. They were looking for Len, the two Len to be exact. Yamamoto ordered them to look, and warned them of the danger the old Len posses. As soon they learned of such a thing, they immediately went on the job. Luka and Miku was also looking for them.
Kaito sighed, "What now?" he asked, anxiousness fluttered from within his chest. He was worried of Luka and Miku, he was having thoughts of the old Len attacking them. But then he thought of the other Len… What would Len do to the replacement? Kaito doesn't know if he should be worried of the replacement or not—the replacement did acted like an asshole on Kaito.
Meiko shrugged her shoulders, "I don't kno—"
"Meiko! Kaito!" Before Meiko could finish her sentence, she was cut off by the shouts of their names. The pair turned around, and saw Miku running towards them, she doesn't have Luka by her side.
"Where's Luka?" Kaito blurted by the time Miku was within their reach.
Miku furiously shook her head, tears stained her cheeks. "We got problem," she said. Kaito and Meiko's eyes widen, "C'mon!" Miku took hold of their wrists and they bolted off.
"Where are we going?" Meiko shouted.
Miku shook her head, and continued.
Left, right, right…
The trio stopped in front of the lounging room. The doorway was blocked by a few scientists, and Luka was standing by the side, her face was stained by tears as well. Kaito and Meiko's face scrunched up in confusion. "What's going on?" Meiko demanded, finally losing her patience.
Yamamoto suddenly stepped out of the room, a grim look on his face. Meiko suddenly took him by the collar, "What's going on?" she asked.
Yamamoto glanced at her, before calmly removing her fist off him, "Take a look for yourself," was his answer, his voice monotonous. Meiko and Kaito exchanged looks before squeezing their way to the doorway. When they entered, Meiko and Kaito's jaw dropped. The sight in front of them was… horrible.
Meiko looked away, tears started to gather around the corner of her eyes. "Not again," she muttered before rushing out of the room.
There lay in the middle of the room was Len's lifeless body, and a few feet downwards was…
Rin. Her eyes were void of its usual brightness, and it was lifeless. A trail of dark crimson slid down the side of her chin, her arms were filled with large gashes, her thighs were cut in half, and there was a deep hole by her chest.
Kaito placed a comforting hand on Meiko's and Miku's shoulder. Miku looked up at him, Kaito shook his head, as his eyes gazed at the floor.
"Where's the other Len?" Kaito asked.
Miku shook her head, a sob shook her shoulders. "They can't find him…" she answered.
Indeed, the old Kagamine was gone without a trace… Not even a single drop of blood to lead where he was.
Epilogue
In a place certain place, a place full of rubble and melted metal posts. A broken down building stood in its place.
On top of the rubble of cement sat a lone blond boy, with what seems to be a porcelain doll in his hands.
A huge smile was on the boy's lips, his eyes hidden behind a mess of blond hair. His clothes were dirtied, and stained with a dark brown color. He whispered a soft tune under his breath, singing to the 'doll' in his arms. The 'doll' has an uncanny resemblance to the boy, her face pale and slightly stained by a dark brown color. Her blue eyes stared vacantly to space, and her body lacked a few a limbs. She no longer has her right arm, and instead was jumble of wires and melted metal, also, her thighs were long gone. Her once beautiful blonde hair was now a mess and had hardened from dirt.
The boy held her hand, rubbing her knuckles soothingly as he sang to her. His voice held a haunting sound, it sounded scratched and hoarse. His eyes stared at her face intently, his smile growing ever so slightly.
His eyes stared fixed on her pale, dirty face.
On her face was a small smile.
The very same smile that makes his chest flutters.
"I'll never leave you," the boy whispered, pulling her closer to him. "As long as you're smiling… I'll be happy," he declared, twirling a lock of her blonde hair playfully.
"I love you, Rin."
The boy giggled as he said those words.
His smile grew when 'Rin' replied.
"I know… Len."
A/N: Hello~! I finally finished it! (Wohoo! Party time! *dances*) Not only that, it's pretty long too!
So, what d'ya think of the chapter? What do you think of the whole story? Good? Bad? Horrible? Did you like it? If so, why? If not, why? (I'm interviewing you~!)
Hahaha, at least Len still ends up with Rin, right? In a twisted kind of way. *shot*
Review and tell me your opinions. If you have any questions, just ask! And if you saw any mistakes, just point it out, 'kay?
The songs that influenced this chapter (and story). You better try checking it out!:
Alesana's 'The Murderer', 'Hymn for the Shameless', and 'Endings Without Stories'. (I suggest you try listening to Alesana)
And some Vocaloid songs: Len's Yanderenka.
Written while listening to: Len's Hot Cocoa, and Rin's Rin Rin Signal.
