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Kᴏᴛᴏɴᴇ

I nodded, very, very, slowly.

"Oh, you're just a damsel of a girl, aren't you?" the masquerader murmured, gloved hands ever so gently raising my chin to meet their gaze. "Full of compassion and justice. Let the crows peck out the heart of the world so long as the princess gets her happy ending--

"Watch your tongue. Slander will get you nowhere," I snarled back, swatting their hand away.

"Or what? What can those calloused hands of yours do?"

"Strangle you."

"That's harsh. All I did was compliment you,"

I furrowed my brows. "Accusing me of such selfishnesses isn't a compliment in the least!"

They mused, "Such a damsel."

Yessiree, I was having a spectacular night. I hope you can pick up on my sarcasm there. I was practically a puppet held by wretched strings, and all I wanted was my first good night's rest outside that cursed manor in a decade. A ruffled pillow, clean sheets, and an intact mattress. Heck, I didn't care if I had to share a bed with my brother. I kick a ton in my sleep--he wouldn't have lasted a night. Is one good rest too much to ask for?

We arrived at Jun's house a few hours after Hibiki. Jun and Haruka had some big conversation, staring at each other a little too much and speaking with both admiration and disgust. Daichi and I were told we were on our own after that, but we could stay with Jun as long as we felt, unless Kaosu came back for Daichi or something. The two of us made refuge in the guest bedroom, which was identical to Jun's own.

After sundown, Sora ran off with Jun and Haruka to go fetch a sword. I would have believed if they were lying, because the look she had in her eyes at the mere mention of it had her ghostly pale. Maybe I would have accompanied her if I hadn't seen it.

It wasn't long until Hibiki passed out, and I couldn't bare walking past that room for a single moment. The same way you get a shiver running down your spine--if that feeling could materialized, then it would have been creeping under the door's frame like smoke creeping through vents. I didn't care enough to investigate though.

The guest's room was bland and empty, yes, but the bed was still comfy, save for how stiff it was. I had the whole mattress to myself after Daichi rolled off. On his own accord too. It surprised me that Tomoe didn't fight us for the free room, instead taking a place on the living room couch, until Sora very specifically said:

"Tomoe's sleeping on the couch because he's too good for the floor, and too handsy in general for bed sharing. Not that he wants to get handsy with anyone, specifically. His is more of a hands-on-anybody sort of thing."

And thus, I neither wanted to check on Hibiki nor Tomoe, even if it would have been nice to converse with someone while my mind was too lively for rest.

A digital clock rested above the door, shining a prominent 2:03. Moonlight curiously peeked through the window, as if to laugh at my tossing and turning. The room would have been too bare if it weren't for a closet, empty enough to hide in. The door creaked open and closed and open and closed, repeating adjacent to the howl of the wind.

I laid awake for another twenty minutes or so, puzzled over how my brother and I would make a living in such a city, until the wind howled a bit too much for my comforts.

First, I grabbed a scrunchie and tied back my hair. Platinum, straight, and always in my face. I could never think properly without my hair primly tied back.

Next, I very daintily pulled off the sheets, and slid off the bed and into my slippers, sparing Daichi a single glance as I tiptoed towards the window. He was sound asleep, and somehow, the wood-boarded floors didn't creak the slightest wince.

Finally, I got a good look at the city's skyline.

Another apartment building was across the street from the one I was in, but behind it, buildings of all sorts peeked out from the darkness, radiating a sense of life throughout the streets. No one was visible from that point, but the lights painted an entire gala of people a few miles away. Not to mention the roaring sounds of the street, the honks of cars, and the occasional fire siren. Jun's street was emptied, though. The streetlights illuminated single spheres beneath them, and I could see a figure smoking a cigarette across the street, before they threw it on the ground, stepped on it, and continued walking.

I may not be the best at describing settings, but I sure did expect more. In the daylight, Anzen Rozu was breathtaking and filled with all sorts of people. Maybe, just maybe, I thought, night time in the city was simply for the shady sorts.

Then, it hit me. It actually hit me. I must have been peering out the window a little too much, because someone threw a paper airplane at me, and it poked me in the eye. I sauntered back with a yelp, and a twitching eye, more surprised then hurt at such a bizarre occurrence. Who threw paper airplanes at people in the middle of the night?

I kept backing up, until I bumped into something soft.

"Daichi?" I inhaled a sharp breath, and whizzed around, eyes widened, to take in as much as possible in the increasingly dim lighting.

Fear struck me like a knife, and I bled anger. It was a force of habits, feeling angry in the face of fear. I couldn't help it, but my brother always commended how strong I seemed.

Nonetheless, I had never seen that face before, and I had no idea why it was there. "Who the hell are you?! How did you get in here?" I demanded, hating how meek my voice sounded.

A volto mask met my wrath, covering the entire face of the intruder. Black, but lined white around the edges of a pattern set to seem like there was a half face mask on top of the full faced one. Complete and utter anonymity. No other features, other then the mask, were visible in the darkness. If I stepped back into the moonlight, then maybe I could see them more clearly...

Rip the mask off, pushed my inner monologue, but my nails bit into the flesh of my palms in protest.

"You're Kotone, correct?" said the stranger. Voice altered by whatever speech device was on the other side of the mask. Maybe it was someone from the Evarthil Factories, come to take me away and implant my organs into whatever mechanical beast they came up with.

This is where we return to the present. The dialogue I began my account with, I mean. I am not restating what was so rudely said to me, so you'll just have to try to remember it.

Such a damsel, they had said. I muttered a curse under my breath, and I turned to Daichi. The stranger did too.

Their first mistake.

I leapt past who I assumed to be a burglar, and my hands went straight for the closet's doors, slamming them against the wall with such force that someone, someone should have woken up. My brother particularly.

The intruder turned around, barely visible. Dark, navy blue eyes. Any way to identify them other than a silly mask was ideal.

My gaze ravaged the closet. It wasn't as empty as I had thought. Scissors were on the top shelf. I just had to rea--

An undulating, slithering power slid along my bones, like a cat brushing against my legs for attention.

I gave into temptations. I lunged forward, knocking them onto the bed, and yanked the mask right off their face. Fingers curled around their neck, which was noticeably flesh, other gripping the mask, clenching it in my hands. I felt warm, plated skin similar to the scales of a snake's.
At least they really weren't some robotic spy, come to claim me. The way they squeaked in shock at my grip made sure of it.

"Aleister Crowley, I'm living a charmed life. I didn't know you were capable of such..." she gasped--no, he gasped, "selfishnesses."

It was Kaosu. But it wasn't. Same eyes like midnight, cheekbones like Hibiki, but there weren't any stitches around the corners of his very smiling mouth. The awful dyed hair was snipped off, with the longest hair reaching down to his chin, a messy and curly shade of black. In other words, he wasn't as much as an absolute mess.

Speaking of the new pronoun, it had to be true. I still had one hand over his throat, and I could feel an adam's apple. Even if it's unnecessary to mention, I do vividly remember Tomoe going "Hah, I told you so! Kaosu was way too flat!"

"You almost killed my brother," I fumed, tightening my grasp.

He, Kaosu of all people--which I still couldn't believe--winced, sitting up on the bed. "H-hey, hey, hey, lighten up. He's not dead yet. Just have to keep an eye on him before you loose an eye,"

I stumbled back, only stopping when my ankle hit the wall, dropping the stupid mask well away. "Loose an eye?"

"Well, if you'll allow me to explain, then maybe I can correct myself. I don't get everything right all the time," he cupped his hand over his neck, rubbing the skin as if I had done some major damage. Scales, I remembered. I felt scales entwined with flesh.

Biting my lip to hide a scowl at that statement, I barked back, "What did you do to everyone? Why haven't they woken up yet?"

"Just silenced the air around them. Wouldn't want anyone to miss on beauty sleep. It really leaves a mark," he purred, dragging a finger from the corner of his lips to an inch away to his eye.

"How did you change your gender? And get rid of those scars? What about the scales?"

"You can't change your damned gender in a night. You ask too many questions anyway." Kaosu snorted, a dash too loudly, and covered his mouth in apology to such a beastly noise. Then, he sauntered around the bed, and crouched next to my drooling brother. I took in every moment, preparing myself to vault over the mattress if it came to it.

"How sweet. The loving, protective sister," he mused, one hand dangerously close to Daichi's journal. The one he had treasured for so long. The one I had stolen straight from the Earl of the Von Faecero household, "can't even protect her brother."

Dread and fury tangled themselves together in my mind, and I could feel my stomach vaulting itself for me.

No. No. None of this was real. I didn't believe a shred of it. It couldn't have been. The person who leapt to strangle someone else as soon as they had the chance... that wasn't me. That was not me.
If I was to show how scared I was, he'd sense it, lunging for my jugular, no doubt. But my fear molded itself into rage too quickly, almost drastically. All rationale had ceased.

My mouth dried, but I uttered with buckets of caution, "You're playing with my emotions."

Kaosu was already clutching the journal, but he rose to face me. Staring at me like a deer in the headlights. The wind caressed my stance from behind, blowing my ponytail onto my face. I swept it away, spitting out strands of hair with a cringe. So much for a dramatic moment.

He tucked the notebook into whatever clothing he wore, which I had barely seen yet, and ran both hands through his hair. Then he covered his face with his hands, collecting himself for a few moments. "Twins," he exhaled, pacing across the room, as graceful as a doe. I still would have believed it if he weren't male.

"Yes, we're twins," I crossed my arms. "and you still haven't answered all my questions. How did you even get inside of this room?"

Kaosu stopped in front of me, peering down at me as if we weren't the same size. I kept repeating the words, don't be lured into a false sense of security, you could be stabbed at any moment, into my mind.

"I want to test a theory. Why don't you accompany me somewhere tonight? I know that you won't forget a smidge of tonight. I'll even answer some things." He said, his tone too soft, coaxing an animal before the slaughter. Was I the animal?

I glared at the spot where he shoved away Daichi's book. Left side of chest. Daichi... anything for my brother was worth it. We were all we had.

"Yes, and in return, I'll give you back your brother's journal. Fantastic--we'll both get what we want."

"Am I going to die?" I said, almost croaking.

"No, you're going to live. You and that temper."

I responded with a time-saving gesture that heavily relied on my middle finger.

"Is it what it is," he winked. Kaosu then flipped the lock on the window, and raised it completely open. Delirious joy painted his features.

"What are you doing? We'r--"

"We are on the third floor. Not as dangerous as the fourth. If you don't follow me, I'll be keeping the notebook." Kaosu chimed, pushing one leg over the ledge of the window, then the other, and leaping from the sill. I could feel my lungs freeze, and I stuck my head out the window and looked down.

He landed in a bush, on his backside, hair and attire now littered with leaves. I watched, cautiously as usual, as he rose to one knee, then stood, not even bothering to pluck a twig from his hair. Waiting. For me. I gulped, praying this night would not end with a slitted throat.

Speaking of clothes, I was particularly surprised at his choice of clothes. You'd expect a fluffy pink feather scarf, leopard print and heels. I certainly expected that from the sententious way he carried himself. Especially when I though he was a she.

A deep v-neck shirt, plainly grey, and black trousers. Unhooked navy duffle coat, that was a bit too long for his figure, but still matched his eyes. Lean and wiry, and it dawned upon me how easily it must have been to crossdress. And lastly, the sprinkle of chaos we've all been waiting for, no shoes. Bare, pale feet.

"Hurry up, I'm getting bored!" Kaosu shouted, cupping his mouth with his hands. Dammit, he'd wake up the whole street at this point.

I had one foot out the window when I realized I was wearing nothing but undergarments. Well, I'd call them undergarments, but I've been told that those thinly lined but long pants and chemise and such would be considered pajamas outside Tekonn. Rightly so, since I used them both ways, saying damn traditions. I'm glad that I wasn't alone in that thought.

Hesitation was my downfall. It was only moments until I arched my back incorrectly, and plummeted to what I believed would have been a broken spine. But you'll have guessed who broke my fall.

"Please, get off me," Kaosu whispered.

"Wow, I've never heard you plead before," I said, masking my grin with a perfected poker face, rising. Years of working for the Von Faeceros had helped some.

In response, he just mimicked me in a whine, and I didn't bother to help him to his feet. I noted that I would have fallen onto concrete if he hadn't broken my fall.

"You're worried about your pjs?" Kaosu said, too casually, picking that out-of-place twig from his hair.

"Oh, Everlasting Embodiment Of Chaos, you'd have to be insane to believe that that was my biggest worry."

He snapped his fingers, and gave a feline grin. "Lucky for you, I'm legally registered as insane. I mean, that would explain the voices. They whisper the most marvelous things to me. Did you know that one of Anzen Rozu's most popular Council Members sold themselves out to the Evarthil factories?

"Kaosu--"

The amusement went sour. "Enough with titles, bitter nicknames and all. I want to be casual. I'm never casual. I can't even spell it with a hand behind my back."

I squinted. "I don't think that's how it works,"

"Who knows? Knows. Nose." He rambled swiftly, before flicking my nose. My whole face cringed, and I stepped back.

"Stop that," I hissed.

"No thanks," Kaosu grinned. In the dim lighting provided by a nearby lamppost, I realized one of my observations were very wrong. Those glasgow scars were still present; I decided to ignore it. At least they seemed to have healed--there weren't any more foul stitches pulling together to hide a shark's teeth.

"Well," I started, "isn't 'Kaosu' your real name?"

His eyes widened, and he paced in place. I wondered how a bare foot might feel against the cement of the sidewalk. "I should hate my parents if my name were that stupid. I do, and my name is pretty stupid, but to be named at birth after a downfall that wasn't my faul--"

"Wait, speak more slowly. Explain."

He stopped in his tracks. "You say what's on your mind, one thing, and I'll say one too. I'll let you have one more free question before we're off."

I should have asked what was the meaning of it all, where he was taking me, or why. But instead, I pondered aloud,

"What's your name?"

Kaosu's expression was sunny but cold, like a clear winter morning. Beautiful, but if you stayed too long in it, something was going to get frostbite and fall off.

"Nice to meet you, damsel-in-distress. My name's Bastien."