Author's Note: Rewritten as of 27 April 2020. No change to the plot.

"Moonshine. The stuff of life, they say. Strong stuff…illegal stuff." The man took a long draw on his cigarette, a grey cloud of smoke rushing out to engulf his face.

Kagamine Len choked. He had never been a smoker, nor did he intend to pick up the habit. His grandfather was one, and the old man was dead now - he passed when Len was just a toddler. Len would prefer not to end up the same way.

"You really want to work here, kid?" The man crushed his cigarette in an ashtray, the orange embers still glowing. "You ain't going to have no future, coming here. No one ever lasts long." He leant forward, peering at Len. Len swallowed and nodded. His throat was dry. They had nothing left to lose.

They needed it, the moonshine, the alcohol he hoped to get out of this job. They needed its intoxicating properties. Without it, everyone would be doomed - not just him and his family, but also their entire village. They would all burn because of his failure.

The man still looked suspicious, but Len refused to budge - unless he got the job, he would not leave this shack. Finally, the man sat back in his chair and nodded. "I see fire in your eyes, boy," he croaked, his voice low and gravelly. "You ain't leaving till you get what you want, whatever that may be. The drink? The money?" He laughed. "You can get whatever you want, but at what expense? But it's not my business to care. You start work tomorrow - now get out of my shack." Len hastily thanked him and scampered out of the room, his heart racing.

He had achieved his goal. Now he just needed to find his way out of this forest and make it back to his village. They would be pleased to know about his success, and perhaps they would no longer clamour for her destruction. Though, what if they insisted? He stopped, suddenly seized with dread - what if despite his efforts, the elders still wanted to get rid of her?

Yes, she was dangerous. She had a power none of them could possibly comprehend, and the elders, strict and unmovable as they were, had never liked uncertainty. But he couldn't bear the thought of her being killed, or whatever the elders might have in store for her. The chill of fear ran down his back, and he broke into a run, cutting through the long grass to get back home.

He wished people could see how gentle she was, really. She was perfectly safe around him, which was why he was the one tasked with watching her. Everyone knew she wouldn't hurt him, but that had led to some unpleasantness too - many a time the elders had used him as a bargaining chip, and it had reached the point where he was sick of the theatrics, the screaming and the sobbing, the feeling of a metal blade cold against his throat.

Sure, the elders wouldn't really kill him, and he was under strict instructions to appear as terrified as possible, but even she was beginning to grow aware of the ruse. Hence why he was here now, trying to get his hands on moonshine. The elders vaguely stated that it would help to control her, but they didn't bother explaining further.

Whatever their reasons, he hoped the alcohol wouldn't hurt her. Underneath the manic depression and the awesome power she possessed, she was the gentlest soul he ever knew and he couldn't bear to see her in pain. She had suffered enough, trying to get used to the memories of the previous Guardians. From what she shared, not all those memories were pretty. She doubted her suitability for the role - she didn't want to rampage through the village, hurting people and destroying property, but sometimes the memories overwhelmed her and she lost control.

The village was within sight, and he felt his feet slow. From this distance, the place looked peaceful and undisturbed, a haven for lost souls. Smoke curled picturesquely from straw thatched roofs and the community was surrounded by holy trees, protected by the Guardian. They were a blessed people, chosen by the gods to live sheltered lives away from other people. His venture into the human world, as commanded by the elders, had been the first time anyone left their village in a long while.

They were self-sufficient, and they knew of several inventions of modern man. The gods shared these inventions as they saw fit, like telephones and lightbulbs and agriculture. Some people had their own tobacco plants, which they used to produce cigarettes. So, they chose to live an idyllic life away from plague and war, avoiding the rest of mankind.

Even so, the world outside was hardly different from his home. He did not see the wreckage and ruin of war, which the elders had warned him about. All he saw was the peaceful countryside and dark, sheltered forests. He wandered for days, looking for places hidden in the forest - he guessed that the people he was looking for might hide in the darkness - but even then it took a week before a group of bandits caught him and brought him to the man who gave him the job.

He took shaky steps towards his village. He could not dally out here any longer - the villagers could see long and far, and no doubt would have noticed his return. Drawing in a deep breath, he thought about reuniting with her and his spirits lifted slightly. After his meeting with the elders, he would be free to look for her, and perhaps for a while, he could just relax and be himself.

"So, he agreed to hire you, this man?" one elder rumbled, and Len nodded, lacing his fingers together and placing them in front of him. All three elders looked at each other, and he couldn't tell if they were pleased or not. Did he not fulfil everything they had asked of him?

"I've been asked to return tomorrow. It is not too far from here. Then I can learn the art of brewing moonshine, and we will no longer have to fear the rampage," Len spoke, breaking the silence. His village had no alcohol, which was strange since they had other vices - but the gods had decided, for some reason, to let them know about tobacco and not liquor. Who dared question the ways of the gods? His village was not very innovative, so all they ever did was just take direction from prayer.

It was only after repeated praying that the gods finally divulged the Guardian's secret - moonshine, they whispered - and then the elders sent him on a journey to learn how to make this mysterious drink. In Len's opinion, none of it made any sense, but he knew better than to question his orders.

"Observe and learn from this man," another elder said, a quieter man than the first. "It is best if you could obtain a sample and let us study how it affects the Guardian. We do not understand why this alcohol might be her weakness, but the gods have spoken and they do not lie." The third elder nodded at this. Len simply bowed in acknowledgement, awaiting their dismissal, and the first elder waved his hand, giving him permission to leave. His meeting was concluded.

He left the House of the Elders with a sigh of relief, stepping out of the dim, musky building into the fresh sunshine outside. His parents were waiting for him, both looking worried, and he embraced them, glad to see their faces again. His little sister, Rin, was there too, though she seemed more curious than relieved to see him. "Len, where did you go?" she asked. "Miku missed you so much! She told me when I was playing in the forest."

His mother immediately shushed her. "Don't speak her name!" she hissed, glancing at the sky as though worried the gods would condemn them for the lack of respect. "She is the Guardian now, the conduit of the gods. She is no longer mortal like us. If you want to speak her name you must say it in full, and remember to show the utmost deference," their mother reminded Rin. The little girl nodded, clearly not understanding a word, but the older woman was so frantic that even Len felt conflicted. He knew that the Guardian was not frightening in the least, but the way everyone behaved would imply otherwise.

"I'm going to see her," he told his parents. His mother looked up from Rin, surprised. "I need to tell her that the elders found a way to help her - she would be so relieved. I'll see you later." He turned to leave, but before he could go, his father caught his elbow. He glanced back - his father, usually jovial and carefree, now looked uncharacteristically worn. His father had stopped smiling as much ever since Miku became the Guardian. There were lines around his eyes and mouth, a result of all the frowning he did nowadays.

"Len," he said in his deep, slow voice. "I know you are good friends but don't forget her status now, and the danger she poses. She could destroy us all on a bad day, and there is nothing to protect you from her wrath." He paused. "She's a danger to all of us, and your mother and I would prefer it," he glanced at his wife, who nodded ever so slightly, "if you didn't visit her as much. She is no longer like the rest of us - she is the Guardian, the High Priestess of the gods, and no longer an ordinary mortal girl."

His chest felt tight. "I can't just abandon her," he argued. "I'm all she has left! Her whole life changed overnight. She was forcibly removed from her home and dumped in the grove - how can I just leave her alone like that?" His father looked a little guilty, but Len went on. "She's only been the Guardian for two months, but look at the amount of responsibility she has to take on. She's eighteen! I'm eighteen too, would you abandon me the same way if I became the Guardian?"

His parents both stayed silent. He sighed. "I'm going to visit her now. She has no friends left other than me, and I'm not going to be like the rest of you. I refuse to leave her on her own." This time, when he turned away, he was not called back. He followed the path out of the village to the holy forests that surrounded them on either side, a protective barrier of natural greenery. It felt like stepping into an entirely different world - sunlight filtered through the canopy, dappling the forest floor. Birds chirped merrily, and the sounds of humanity faded into nothing despite the forest being right next to the village.

It felt as though he stepped past an invisible border into the realm of magic and nature - and in truth, he knew he had. He was in the Forest of the Gods now, the realm of the Guardian, the land where her word, and only hers, held true.

"Len!" He heard a familiar voice call his name, and before he could react, he felt slender arms wrap around his waist. A soft, achingly familiar person pressed herself to his back, her soft skin and her body moulding perfectly to his. He couldn't help but sigh quietly, a sound of longing. "How was your trip?" she asked, eager to listen to his stories. He pried her hands loose from around him so he could turn to face her. The Guardian Hatsune Miku, his childhood friend, someone he once hoped would be more than a friend, and before this whole Guardian business, the beauty of the village.

The Guardian was someone chosen by the gods themselves to be their conduit and priestess. She was always a maiden of astounding beauty and pure heart. She oversaw the sacred forest that protected their village. The gods spoke to the villagers through her, though sometimes they came to the villagers directly via dreams. The Guardian was chosen the day she turned eighteen, but they were primed their whole lives to take up the role as it was always obvious who the next Guardian would be. She was always born with green hair.

The previous Guardian, Nakajima Gumi, served faithfully till the age of two hundred and eighteen before she gave up her position. It was the same day Miku turned eighteen, just two months ago. Gumi passed away after that, and they held a respectful funeral for her, sending her spirit to the heavens to reside with the gods. Len often wondered how long Miku would outlive him by. Decades, or even centuries perhaps.

"Let's not talk about that for now." He looked into her eyes - they were a bright green that reminded him of the flourishing forest around them. He could see his reflection in her gaze. "It's been a week since I left. How are things around here? Anything I should know about?" She smiled and pulled him to a nearby log, perching herself daintily upon it. He followed suit, making himself comfortable. It would be a long chat.

"Well," she began, "a few things happened, actually. Rin popped by plenty, she was so curious about why I was in the forest by myself." A flicker of sadness passed over her face, and it made his chest tighten. "The elders are constructing a hut in my forest. I'm not sure why, but I suppose as long as they are not using more wood than is necessary, I can leave them alone."

The hut interested him. He wondered what it was for. "It's so strange," Miku continued, "that in the past people just called me Miku and they always talked to me. Now, every time I come to the village, they keep their faces down and hurry past me. If they must speak to me, they address me fearfully as the Guardian. Am I really that frightening?"

"No, you aren't." He took her hands in his. They were dainty and small, just like the rest of her. Miku was an orphan his family adopted, born to their mysterious neighbour - the woman had been found wandering in the forest, and the villagers took her in on the condition that she would never speak of them to the outside world. She left without a word or a trace the night her daughter was born. Sometimes, Len wondered what happened to her after she left.

Since Miku was born mere months after him, he had known her his entire life, and they grew up as close as siblings. When he was a child, he did not know of the fate in store for her, but as he grew older he noticed the other villagers whispering about her hair and her beauty and her strange origins. Slowly, he realised she was marked to be the next Guardian, taking over the position of Gumi, who had served for two centuries by that point. Back then, he did not know what this entailed - he thought she would still stay with them. But when she turned eighteen, she was dragged away by the elders, and he realised how much everything would change.

She told him things about her life and her tasks. As Guardian, she carried out the ritual that was the formal induction into her role, and during the ceremony, she took in the Guardian's spirit - a conglomerate of memories that were meant to help her in her duties. But sometimes those memories overwhelmed her, especially Gumi's, who had witnessed the events of the First World War and was unspeakably scarred by the carnage men could inflict on each other. Sometimes, Miku said, her eyes dark, Gumi's soul would rise to the surface and attempt to replicate the atrocities she saw, and that was where all their problems began.

It would be so much easier if the gods could just remove this damaged portion of the Guardian's spirit, but they couldn't without destroying the spirit entirely. If that happened, Miku would have nothing to guide her, no knowledge on how to maintain the grove or protect the village. The elders decided this was too important to risk, so they told her to live with it. At first, she did, Miku really tried to suppress the previous Guardian, but she lacked the wisdom and experience to keep those memories down for long. And when Gumi's scarred past broke through, the entire village suffered.

Gumi never shared what she saw in the outside world. No one else knew either for, besides the Guardian who had no choice but to step out and protect their village from intruders, no one ventured out of their village during wartime. What Gumi saw haunted her for the rest of her life, and even now lingering residue of her trauma remained in her soul and memories. "I can feel her, you know." Miku's voice was small. "I feel her struggling to break free so she can cleanse the world of its evil." She shuddered, removing her hands from his. "You should go. I don't know if I can protect you should I lose control again."

"You won't hurt me." He leant forward, catching her chin with his fingers, turning her back to face him. She looked upset, but she didn't struggle or pull away. "I know you wouldn't. And you know it too. I think even Gumi wouldn't hurt me, you and I are too close." He pressed his forehead against hers, resting there with his eyes shut. She sighed, her sweet breath fanning against his face. "Don't worry so much. I've found a solution. The elders said it might work, and we'll try it once we can."

"So I've heard. They wouldn't tell me what it was," she answered. "Len, what if one day I lose control completely and Gumi takes over? What if I turn into a monster?" Her voice was filled with fear. "I'm terrified that the gods would abandon me. They can't always reassure me that things will work out. This is a battle I must fight on my own - they said I can suppress her, but I can't find the power to do so." Her eyes were lit with worry. "I don't think I can meet everyone's expectations. I'm no one special, not really."

"Are you questioning the gods?" She immediately shook her head, and he smiled. "Then you have the power. If they said you did, then shouldn't you believe them?" He caught her hand, and she stared at him, desperately seeking reassurance. "Trust in yourself, the same way I trust you - the same way the entire village trusts you." It was a small white lie - they believed she would kill them all one day - but he hoped it would help her feel better. She nodded slowly, a tremulous smile on her face, and he hugged her close, a gesture of comfort.

She returned his embrace, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He had never felt more at peace than he did now. If only things could be different - if only she was a normal girl, and not the Guardian. He thought they might have married and raised a family together. But she wasn't an ordinary girl, she was the voice of the gods, and she would live on long after he died. She would never be allowed to have a family, as it would distract her from her main duties. But he still dreamed at times of a different future.

He knew he could not be her lover. But at least he could be a friend, and at this moment, friendship was what mattered - the fact that there was one person who had faith in her. He would be that friend, then. He would never leave her.