Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Vocaloid or any associated characters or settings.

A Legend in the Writing

Everyone knew the Gate Capitan's daughter was cursed. They said it was an affliction passed down from the girl's barbarian mother. All it took was one wrong word, one careless action, one perceived slight against her, and the only warning anyone would have would be her eyes suddenly turning red. In an instant the normally well behaved girl would turn into a berserk lunatic capable of crushing a man's bones. Upon calming down from the rage, the girl would remember nothing of the event except a red haze that seemed to creep across her vision. The staff of the palace called it Red Rage, and every person in the Imperial Palace learned to watch their steps around the woman. She was one of the best swordsmen in the castle, and could easily take down grown men of twice her size and experience.

Meiko was easily the single most dangerous person in the Palace, and everyone knew it.

xXx

When the Head Cook's children had first learned to crawl, they vanished the moment their mother took her eyes off them. They were found four hours later in the Empress's bedchambers, a journey spanning half the palace, two flights of stairs, and numerous guards, all of whom saw nothing. From the moment they learned to walk, they were busy getting into places people did not want them to be. Locks, moats, traps, high walls, vicious dogs, and eagle-eyed guards merely slowed the twin troublemakers down, and never once had they been caught. The guards always responded by tightening security in the vain hope of catching the tricksters, while the aging Emperor boasted up and down that his palace was the single most secure place in the world because of it.

There was not a vault in the world that could stand up to Rin and Len Kagamine.

xXx

When the Steward's daughter first learned to sing, her tutors praised her as a prodigy. Her voice was strong and pure, able to turn the most poorly written song into a masterpiece. When she sung songs of tragedy she moved the audience to tears, when she sung songs of happiness it always lifted ones' heart, and when she sung songs of horror even the bravest of souls felt the sudden urge to go hide under their bed. It was more than music though. People danced to her call, falling to their knees in vain hopes of impressing her and hung onto her every word as if it came from the gods themselves. Folks tried to break into the Imperial Palace just to hear her sing, and even the Emperor himself could be swayed by her words.

There was magic in Miku Hatsune's voice, though no one knew it, not even Miku.

xXx

There is a statue in the gardens that surround the Imperial Palace. It is the image of a spirit, which had been plundered from the northern lands. One day, the Caretaker's son made an offering of iced cream to the statue as a joke. The offering pleased the spirit, who appeared to the boy and revealed to him the secrets of magic. The boy embraced this new knowledge wholly. Blessings, curses, cures, enchantments, conjurations, he learned them all. The elements bent to his will, and the worldly energies flowed to his command. The Imperial Archmage of the palace scoffed at the boy's skill, writing it off as merely sloppy, spirit powered children's tricks. Those who knew the boy would be quick to disagree however.

Kaito was a strong and focused mage, and despite what the Archmage said, every ounce of power he used came directly from himself.

xXx

There was an odd sort of friendship between the five of them. Meiko, being the oldest, had appointed herself the designated 'big sister' of the group, and was constantly looking out for everyone, and no one dared argue with her decisions for fear of her curse. Kaito seemed to jump from being the group's source of laughs, to being the stand-by guardian whenever Meiko was incapitated. Miku simply got along with everyone and seemed to have settled into the role as the group's peacekeeper, a role that took on great importance with the discovery that her singing could bring Meiko out of a rage. Rin and Len fell under the collective wings of the group, and were always listening for the latest news, gossip, or targets that looked like they might be a challenge.

The Imperial Palace had been the place they had grown up, the place where their parents lived and worked, the place where they had each perfected their respective skills, and the place that was most interested in putting those skills to work. Their past, present, and future seemed inevitably linked with the Empire and the Imperial family.

The will of the Gods is a strange thing however, and not a single mortal alive can claim to know it in its entirety. The means of the Gods are also vast, and they often influence the mortal world in ways that are entirely unexpected.

xXx

Dragon attacks were not unknown to the people of the Empire. The dragons occasionally emerged from their remote hideouts and terrorized settlements for various reasons. Sometimes it was hunger, in which the dragons would attack the herders and their livestock. Other times it was greed, which resulted in the dragons carrying off loads of gold, valuable artworks, or other treasures. Occasionally it was vengeance, the previous Emperor had even outlawed dragon hunting due to the fact the practice simply caused more attacks. Most dragon hunters never made it back anyway. A dragon was a tough and highly intelligent creature. Its armoured scales could defect arrows and swords, its breath produced fire hot enough to melt steel, and one blow from its claws could topple a tower. Most people didn't even realize how intelligent dragons were. They were perfectly capable of understanding human speech and even speaking it, they could plan ahead and strategize as well as any human, and some of the eldest dragons were rumoured to know magic. But aside from the attacks, the dragons preferred to hide away in their remote sanctuaries, and even the rashest dragon would think twice about assaulting the heartlands of the Empire, and the great legions which guarded them.

Scar however, was not like most dragons. A large five pronged gash ran across his face giving him his name, and the people of the mountains were always on the lookout for him. He was ambitious and bold. He would attack the mountain farmers and devour entire herds of cattle in a single raid. Merchant caravans coming through the passes would be ambushed and slaughtered, their hard earned riches joining Scar's growing horde. His attacks were always carefully planned and executed with such precision that the surprised victims didn't even have time to grab their bows before he was on them.

One night however, he left his mountain cave and began to venture towards the Empire's heartlands. He was careful, making sure to hide himself in the daylight, and only taking to the skies on nights when the moon and stars were hidden. He ignored the small towns he passed, and when he was hungry he contented himself with a wayward lamb or a stray cow whose disappearance would not be unexpected. Secrecy and surprise was going to be his greatest ally when he struck.

In one night the riches of the Imperial City would be his.

In one night, he would destroy the entire city. In one night, he would destabilize the entire region. In one night he would start the downfall of one of the greatest empires the world had known. In one night he would change the destinies of five people forever.

Authors Note: Having seen many pictures of the vocaloids as a fantasy adventure party. I decided to try my hand at making a fanfic for it.

Admittedly I am secretly hoping someone will read this and decide they can do better. In which case I wish them the best of luck.