SS: I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! FROM THE DEAD!
Vocaloids: She died?!
SS: Yes! From assessments!
Vocaloids: Oh... =_=
To khester824- I'm so sorry, when I got your review I was already half way of typing this chapter so I tried to squeeze in a small 'date' between Rin and Len. But right now, this story slwoly coming to a close so i do apologise for wrecking your brain ^^ hope you can still think properly
To my other readers/ followers/ favouritors- HERE'S YOUR CHAPTER!
Vocaloids: gaaaah! get into position!
The Wolf who fell in Love with Little Red Riding Hood
Pages Stained in Red
Once upon a time there lived a girl who spent a majority of her life in solitude. Her parents were far too engrossed in their work to be able to spend special time with their daughter. However, they gave her books, many books. Books that told tales of damsels dreaming of their true love, princesses in distress yet haven't lost sight of hope, charming princes that risk their lives to rescue the fair maidens and despicable and evil witches and villains.
Due to her many dull moments of being alone, the girl devoured the books desperately. She read and read; her eager and curious eyes scanning over the words, eating up the story they told and flipping the crisp pages to allow the story to progress. She grew a deep love for fairytales, stories that told of other worlds; bright, happy and magical worlds.
However, this resulted in her becoming naïve. She became a girl filled with happy dreams, longings to find her true love and being swept off her feet by a dashing man. As she grew up, she was unaware of the world's harsh reality. One day, she fell in love, deeply in love. She strongly believed this was indeed her true love. But, the person she fell for didn't return her feelings. He loved another.
Her heart broke and her world shattered. The girl fell into despair and misery. In her depression, madness started to creep up on her. On a stormy night, she flipped through her beloved books of fairytales. She blamed the creators of such tales, blinding one's eyes to the world around them, fooling them into believing all's well that ends well.
The depressed mad girl tore the pages from their covers. Finally, she decided: "I'll find a way to exact vengeance on them…the fairytale characters… No one deserves to have a happy ending."
A rumble was heard in the sky of dark clouds and rain fell down upon the village. This was the kind of weather no one would like to venture out however clusters of leather black shoes walked in time on the wet cobblestones. A large crowd walked through the rain, each person had a black cloak or hood draped over them.
In the distant, the church bell rang. Its rings echoed throughout the village. Several people at the front were carrying a coffin, which had a garland of lilies on its hard surface, on their shoulders.
Kaito was following the coffin carriers closely with a grim expression on his face. In the dull light his ocean blue hair appeared black, matching his dark royal outfit.
The rain fell heavily as the villagers continued their march. Somewhere in the crowd, Rin shivered from the dampness that clung to her skin. She pulled the black hood closer to her body, in attempt to keep warm. Underneath she was wearing a high-collar black dress with black lace on the edges. She bit her lips as she felt tears pricking her eyes again.
Suddenly she felt an arm wrap around her. Rin looked up and saw Len, who had been walking beside. He looked at her with the same sadness in his eyes yet she felt reassured.
Finally the crowd arrived at the cemetery. A priest stood with a waterproof cloak. Rin didn't pay any attention to his words that he read out. She couldn't take her eyes off the coffin, which was now placed in the recently dug out grave. All she could think about was the person inside...
Flashback
"I'm sorry," the doctor sighed, "She's long gone... That blow she was given had already ended her life."
That's what Kaito had told all of them in the early morning. Rin was devastated. Miku, one of her best friends, was dead... No, killed.
Kaito allowed them to visit when they had heard the news. Rin was standing at Miku's alter. Her body was covered with a thin yet large veil. Lilies decorated the altar's base. A thicker cloth was covering her torso so that no one could see the bloody marks that stained her body.
Another cloth was covering her eyes too. Kaito must have not wanted to look at those poor lifeless eyes of hers. No one would want too...
Kaito sat at the stairs of the altar with his face buried in his hands. Rin wept at the sight of Miku's body. Meiko and Neru stood next to their friend's altar and silently wept too.
Len stood at the base of the stairs, watching the companions mourn over Cinderella's death with guilt tugging at his heart.
End of flashback
The funeral ended and the villagers slowly departed after reassuring and giving small encouragements to the prince. Kaito didn't answer nor a word was spoken form his lips. All he could do was sadly watch with dull eyes as the coffin, which holds his loved one, was lowered into a hole and dirt was piled onto its smooth surface.
After the coffin was buried and everyone had left, the prince turned to the ones remaining; Meiko, Neru, Rin and Len.
"I want you all to see me at the palace," he nodded and watch the prince walked back to the gloomy-looking castle in the rain.
Zeito was wiping the red-stained blades of his katar. (A/N: Please read next author's note!) The rain fell heavily, almost forming a silver curtain at the cave's opening. The huntsman gazed out to the grey world for a bit then turned to Zatsune.
(A/N: I seem to have forgotten to mention what a katar was. It's blades that are secured onto a gauntlet forming claws, similar to what the Wolverine has. Now that you have the idea of the 'claw-like' weapon, think who could really have killed Miku ^^)
The witch was reclining in a simple cushioned chair. She hadn't tied her long ebony black hair back into its pigtails. Her red ribbons dangled on the chair's armrest uselessly. Zeito watched her as she flipped through the pages of 'Cinderella'. Secretly, he though she was even more beautiful with her hair down. However the expression she wore on her porcelain white face made Zeito unable to speak his thoughts.
Her ruby red eyes skimmed across the pages with a deadly look in them. A frown was upon her lips. When Zatsune reached the final page of the book, the frown curled into a smile. There was the sound of paper ripping as she tore the page out and folded it neatly.
"Cinderalla's happy ending has come to a close," she chuckled, "Now it's the other princesses' turn."
Zeito said nothing as Zatsune dramatically stood up and threw the book into a dustbin. Her long hair trailed behind her as she walked towards an old bookshelf. Her slender hand danced over the books' spines. His eyes filled with more concern when she selected another volume.
The blue-haired sat at his throne with his eyes closed and a thoughtful expression over his face. A clock could be heard in the quiet, each tick was loud and distinct.
"So your friend is a friend?" Kaito finally spoke, looking up.
Rin nodded. She was standing in front of Kaito with Len at her side and Meiko and Neru behind her. "Yes he is," she explained, "He took the role of the character the Wolf."
There was a thoughtful pause before Kaito spoke again, "And you believe that he didn't…kill Miku?"
"No!" cried Rin, "He was with me the whole ti-"
Len cut her off, "I was sent to assassinate you two." Everyone turned to the blonde boy with shocked faces. Kaito's ocean blue eyes grew dark. "But," Len continued, "I didn't kill her. I didn't have the heart to do so. What Rin claimed was true. After my failed attempt, I decided to accompany her."
Rin slightly blushed at the memory when they were in the garden. There was yet another silence and the clock could be heard again.
"So the events have decided to replay themselves," the prince muttered.
"What do you by that?" Neru asked.
Kaito rubbed his temples. "It was one year ago," he retold, "My parents held a ball and all those worthy were invited. That was where I first met Miku."
"Cinderella," Meiko murmured recalling the fairy tale story.
"She and I fell in love with one another in one night," Kaito explained, "However, unbeknownst to me; she was given that task to assassinate me. She tried but failed due to her love and we decided to run away together. The only trace that was left was one of Miku's glass slippers."
"Did Miku mention who gave her the task?" asked Meiko.
"She described the person had a black hood over them and wore a mask. I think she mentioned them being female due to the voice.'
Rin felt Len flinched beside her. She turned to turn and saw a pale complexion had spread over his face.
"If the person is masked, then the job of finding the culprit will be much more difficult," sighed Neru.
"No it won't," Len spoke slightly shaky. All eyes once again turned to him.
"Why is that?" inquired Kaito.
The wolf looked up to the prince with hard eyes. "The one who turned Cinderella into an assassin is the same person who gave the task to me."
Rain fell heavily as two hooded figures trudged through the wet grounds. They walked through the forest and continued in a certain direction. Trees slowly grew less and less until the soil underneath their feet was replaced with sand. The sound of waves crashing onto rocks was heard over the falling rain.
They were at the seashore. The beach looked empty and gloomy with the grey sky over it and the black waters. The two continued walking along the beach, towards a peninsula of rocks. When they reached the very point, they came to a stop.
"What now?" Zeito whispered.
"Patience dear," Zatsune replied sweetly. She pulled a conch shell from beneath her hood.
She raised the pearly object to her lips and below. A long low note resonates over the churning waves. Zatsune tucked the shell back in and quickly secured her mask over her face.
Zeito made sure his hood as positioned carefully so his face could not be recognized as well. Suddenly there was a splash and a purple sparkle could be seen beneath the black waves.
A girl emerged to the surface. Her long pink locks floated in the water and also covered her bare torso. The girl's pale blue-purple eyes narrowed at the masked Zatsune and, with a quick flick of her strong purple scaled tail, sent a wave of water towards the two.
Zatsune and Zeito took a step back, just in time to miss the aggressive action.
"You!" shouted the girl, "How dare you come back to these shores!"
Zatsune merely smiled at the mermaid, "I never said you won't see me ever again Luka."
Luka gave a loud hiss at the witch. "What do you want?" she spat.
"Why do you always speak like that to me?" pouted Zatsune sarcastically.
"Because you…! You promised me that I'll be with the one I love!" wailed Luka.
Zatsune shocked her head, "I never said that," she replied, "I only said there MIGHT be a chance you'll be with him. It wasn't my fault that he fell for another."
The mermaid cupped her hands over her ears. "Don't mention that!" Luka cried.
"But you should be grateful Luka my dear," smirked Zatsune, "If I didn't feel nice on that day, you would be sea foam now."
Luka stared at the masked witch with eyes of hatred and sadness. "What are you here for?" she mumbled.
The witch crouched down so she could be more levelled with the water maiden below. "A pearl," she stated, "That has the power to grant anyone's desires."
Pale blue-purple eyes widened. "You want what?!" Luka exclaimed, "No! First you break my heart and now you want me to betray my kingdom?!"
A cruel smile curled onto Zatsune's lips, "Unless you want me to cut a certain sea-loving prince's life."
"You wouldn't," gasped Luka. There was no reply except for the sinister smile. The mermaid bit her lip and slowly dove down into the waters.
"Are you sure you want this Zatsune?" Zeito softly questioned her. She didn't reply to him and he gazed at her back with much concern. After a while, Luka resurfaced panting.
"Well?" Zatsune asked expectedly.
Luka gave her a glare and reluctantly handed a pearl; that was the size of a tennis ball, which was emitting a magical glow from its centre. "Here," she puffed.
The witch's smile grew wider as she took the precious orb then pulled something out from underneath her cloak, "Thank you for your hard efforts Luka. Now let me end that all that suffering in your heart!" laughed Zatsune insanely.
Luka's eyes widened at the sight of a gun barrel. "Zatsune, don't!" Zeito cried as he lunged forward.
BANG!
There was a splash as the little mermaid's body sunk down into the black depths. Red mixed with the murky colours. As Luka's bloody body drifting into the watery depths, it slowly faded into the bubbles. In her last moments, the little mermaid saw the image of her loved one reflected in the disappearing bubbles.
Rin and Len were walking through the wet forest. Len's hand was holding Rin's cold ones as a reassurance for her. Her eyes were still puffy from crying.
"Where are we going Len?" Rin softly asked.
"Somewhere," he replied, "To ease your mind from today's events."
Flashback
Kaito's expression had gone hard and serious after hearing Len's claim."If you know the culprit than where are they?" he asked.
"I think its best I do not say their location now," Len solemnly stated, "Today has been a hard and tiring day. All of us need to recover for the sudden loss of Cinderella. Don't you think, your Highness?"
The prince's eyes widened and he slumped back on his throne and heaved a sigh. It was true. The loss of his love has cut him to his very core. He's only making it worst by throwing more on his already full plate.
"Very well," Kaito mumbled, "Thank you all though for coming and sharing your information."Everyone gave a polite bow before leaving the heartbroken prince time to heal his deeply inflicted wounds in his heart.
End of flashback
Len suddenly stopped a few metres away from a thicket and signalled Rin to crouch down low. He then pointed forward and her eyes followed his finger's direction.
"Look."
There, in the thick thicket, lay a mother doe with two spotted fawns snuggled up by her side. Rin drew in a gasp at the sight. Never has she seen a deer before in the forest for they were shy creatures and to see a mother doe with her fawns was a much rarer sight due to the mother's cautious instinct.
The rain the made the small family to reside in their warm leafy homes and watching the little babies dozing off was an adorable sight for Rin. Len felt happy to see the sparkle return to her eyes. They quietly left the deer family in silence.
Len showed Rin more creatures of the forest that were tucked in their cosy homes. They found a squirrel couple curled up to one another in a tree's hollow, spied on a little field mouse who took refuge underneath a giant toadstool and watched baby birds peeped from underneath their mother's dry wings.
Throughout their entire walk, Len kept Rin's hand in his reassuringly warm one.
"That was the most wonderful walk on a rainy day that I ever had," breathed Rin.
"I'm glad," Len smiled.
The two stopped by the lake and meet up with Rei and Rui. They watched as the swan performed a beautiful ballet piece then the woodcutter invited them to his hut to recline in on the wet day.
For the first time in the gloomy grey day, Rin felt a little lighter than this morning. She gazed at Len when they were sitting down by the small fire hearth at Rei's place. Her heart swelled a little in happiness at the sight of the soft orange glow on his face. He put in a lot of effort to make me feel better… The thought of that makes me…love him more.
She extended one hand to rest it on Len's knee. He looked up at her in surprise before giving it a small pat. Rin felt a blush creeping up and Len chuckled. Rui and Rei shared a small smile between one another.
Not many words were spoken on that rainy afternoon and no words were needed to be spoken. The feelings that could be felt from the other person, the small yet comforting warmth shared in between was enough for all of them.
Days passed and the rain still hadn't lifted. Villagers raced in and out of the stores they needed to buy from before quickly heading to their homes to escape the downpour. Len stayed by Rin, even at night. Her mother didn't mind at all. No one made any comments at the sight of the red hooded girl being accompanied by a wolf, thanks to Kaito's warning.
The friends would often visit the prince. He appeared to be doing well but there was a sad look in his dark blue eyes.
All seemed well and pleasant despite the wet weather however such tranquil days never seem to last long.
Loud knocks were sounded behind the large wooden door. There were groans from upside and then a pause. Another set of knocks were then heard again and the groans grew louder.
"Can someone get that?"
"No, it's too early," muttered seven voices.
"Fine, I'll get it then!" shouted a feminine voice, "Jeez, to think, they're making a lady do the work…" Blankets were thrown aside and Meiko unhappy got out of bed. She scratched her messy short brown hair as she made her way downstairs. More knocks were rattling on the door. "Okay, okay!" she growled, "I'm coming!" She swung open the door and gave a loud yawn. "What ya want?"
A hooded figure stood by the door. Long black locks escaped from underneath the hood and a mask covered the person's eyes. A basket was hanging from their arm. "Hello madam, I'm selling apples," the figure softly stated.
"Apples?" repeated Meiko drowsily, "Don't need 'em. Have plenty already."
"But they're magic apples," persisted the seller holding one shiny red fruit out, "One bite and all your wishes come true."
"Look hotshot," Meiko yawned, "I don't believe in that magic-" Her maroon eyes snapped open and quickly took in the seller's appearance. Shady hood… Mask… Female voice…
Snow White immediately leapt into action. She quickly back flipped and grabbed her crossbow which was resting by the door. The figure smirked and threw the apple she was holding at Meiko. The fruit burst and released smoke into the room.
Meiko coughed but quickly grabbed a rug from the couch and swung it through the air, clearly the smoke. The figure took the chance to charge forward. Meiko took aim and fired one shot from her cross bow. The 'seller' leapt into the air, dodging the arrow and dove down, a boot heel aimed downwards at Meiko. She quickly got out in time, resulting in the sound of breaking floorboards as the figure crashed down.
"Hey what's all the commotion?!" cried the dwarfs.
Meiko looked up, "Guys, help me out instead of sleeping!" she demanded. Suddenly the figure threw a large apple at her. Meiko saw the attack and launched an arrow. The large thrown apple suddenly parted, forming a mouth with large fangs. As it sailed through the air the red fruit skin peeled off, revealing a live skull of a canine creature. It headed straight to Meiko's neck. There were two cries and a bone snapping noise.
"MEIKO!"
The figure darted out of the doorway with an arrow sticking out of their shoulder while Meiko collapsed onto the wooden ground with and a menacing skull clumping down on her broken neck.
A soft rumble of thunder was enough to shake Zeito out of his slumber. He jolted up on the couch he was sleeping on. A thin layer of sweat covered his face. His crimson red eyes scanned the dark cave. He couldn't see Zatsune. Where did she go…?
The huntsman got up on his feet. Panic took over his heart as Zeito frantically search the cave for the witch. His breathing quicken until he heard wet footsteps and loud pants. Zeito shiftly turned to see a dishevelled Zatsune.
"Zatsune!" he cried and rushed up to her. She merely brushed past him, hardly acknowledging him. That's when Zeito noticed the arrow protruding out of her shoulder. "What have you done?!"
"Its fine," she muttered as she dropped her wet hood on the ground and slumped down on her chair.
The crimson-red haired hurried about the cave to obtain first-aid equipments then scrambled to his beloved one's side as she attempts to pull the arrow out. "Here, allow me," he said gently, reaching out to her shoulder.
Zatsune's flashed bright. "Don't touch me!" she snapped, sharply turning towards him and harshly slapped his hand away, "I don't need your help!" That's when Zeito had a good look into her eyes.
Those pupils had lost all signs of sanity and were a crazed mixture of red and black instead of a beautiful ruby glints and calmness.
There was a loud cry as the arrow was yanked out. Zatsune shakily stood up and staggered to where a fruit basket was laid on the table. Her thing lips curled into a smile and mad laughter escaped from them. "Ha ha ha! Snow White is finally gone!" she cackled and stabbed the arrow through an apple. "That teaches you to play a coy character that speaks of love at first sight!"
Zeito watched in horror as Zatsune continuously stab the arrow over and over through the fruit, laughing her head off, until only the dull white pulp was left.
"Zatsune..."
Rin, Len, Katio and Neru stood before a glass coffin in the middle of a meadow. The rain had stopped but the sky was still stormy. Seven small men finished arranging apple blossom branches around the coffin then took a step back and swept off their rag caps and solemnly bowed their bald heads.
"Why...," sniffed Rin, "First Miku now..." she didn't finish for hiccups choked her voice then a small sob broke out.
Neru took a step forward and placed a small basket of Meiko's favourite red fruit. She was trying to fight back tears in her sand yellow eyes.
Kaito helped one for the dwarfs to lay Meiko's large and much loved crossbow next to the basket.
Len gently squeezed Rin's shoulder in reassurance. "This has gone too far...," he mumbled.
Rin wiped her wet eyes and look up at her wolf. "Len...?" she squeaked.
His grip slightly tightened as his face hardened. It's been a while since I paid a visit to the witch.
Love is like a rose. It appears beautiful and passionate however all roses hide deadly thorns. If you leave the rose for too long, it dies. If you hold on it too tight, blood is drawn from the thorns. This rose has fallen and its red petals scatter across the floor like blood drops.
What shall the pages be stained in? What is the correct colour for a page? If a page is white, the audience won't be entertained by a blank page. So it must be dye in a certain colour. Now which do you think is best; black or red?
SS: Using the metaphor I gave, who can guess whose love is the fallen rose? It's quite obvious I think
Meiko: Wow I died
SS: Yes, you did and to hose who didn't read my reply to khester824, THIS STORY IS COMING TO AN END SOON!
Vocaloids: *gasp*
SS: Review please~!