Author's Note:
For your information, the video included above refers to the song played later on in the chapter, as well as the lovely night sky. Additionally, Bastien has character art. ＾＾
▼▼

"Bastien," I repeated aloud. "Isn't that short for Sebastian?"

"No, it's not." He grumbled back at me, hands on his hips.

It was a little strange, learning that someone who you've grown to hate in such little time was nothing like the mold you've burned into your mind. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you can't. It doesn't, and didn't matter anyway.

That was when I came to the most fabulous of conclusions. "You have a brother, don't you?"

"I don't like where this question is going,"

"His name is 'Seb', isn't it?"

Bastien, Kaosu, whatever his name was, grimaced. "Yes, you're right. The clever damsel figures out I have a petty name."

I bit my lip to stifle a smile at the sound of even more ridiculous names, and another hilariously fantastic thought. "Do people call you Bastien the bastard?"

"That phrase was so toxic to my ears it gave me gastroparesis," He replied. "but nonetheless, are you ready to depart?"

I was smiling at his stupid name, and I couldn't help it, but I gave an assured nod."Do you intend on telling anyone any of this?"

Bastien scratched his head, and stared up at the moon. Almost a full moon, but not quite. A piece was missing. "The real question is, do you?"

"Well, I'll have to, I'm apart of the opposing team here. I'm sure everyone would love to hear you've been crossdressing

He slid an arm around me, hand resting on my waist, and I must have frozen in disgust. "After tomorrow morning, you may have a very different perspective."

No.

I tilted my head, and from the very corner of my eye--

Scales. Bloody scales. Too clear in the lamplight, gleaming a sleek silver. The bones were visible around the sides and similar to bats, only their veins stook out greatly in contrast. Moonlight glazed the talon at the apex of each wing. Wings, I tell you, that I hadn't noticed before.

"Reptilian bastard, you were going to kill me after all!" I spat, flailing my arms about in any attempt to get away. "Get away from me, get away from m--" I had started to chant, before my mouth was muffled by a coarse hand. Half a butterfly was tattooed on the palm. That explained the gloves before, but not the ripped ring finger...

"Calm down. You'll wake up the whole street at this poi--"

Panicked, adrenaline took over as I tried to break free. I had turned myself around amidst the hustle. I raised my foot, and my knee went up, and hit the-point-of-no-return.

He let out an awkward scream. Every muscle in Bastien's face tightened, and his face went a solid red. Those wings responded too, flinching and folding behind his back, vanishing from my sight before vanishing altogether. I stopped watching him for a moment after that.

I took a four very precise steps backwards, and looked for a weapon. Leaves, tattered, newspaper, fire hydrant, branch, or my own feeble shoes, flats that would likely hurt more to loose. A Branch? Branch would do, I'd decided. I picked up a reasonably sized branch, and held it out at him. "D-do you just make those things appear? Were you going to kidnap me?"

"You little bi--" He grasped for air, with his back to me, stopping himself before uttering very, very dangerous words.

"Finish your statement," I dared.

Bastien's features curled in disgust once he'd finally turned around, eyebrows furrowing, lips frowning, and eyes seething rage before it all flickered away, calming into an unsettling patience. "Why... why did you do that?"

I could feel myself spitting as I talked, but I didn't give a damn. "Why the hell did you touch me?"

"Man, tonight you're ruining everything. I've heard way too many questions from you anyway..."

"Is that so?"

"...yes, and I have one for you. Two, actually." His amusement finally returned, and I could have sworn I saw a bead of sweat on his forehead, which he promptly wiped away with that navy duffle coat of his. I could have sworn I'd seen scales on his neck, pushing me to hold a firmer grasp on my branch.

My toes curled in my shoes. "Spit it out, then."

"Do you really think a flimsy twig can do a thing against me?" He said, before turning away, at some noise in the distance.

Red exploded in my vision, and I couldn't breathe fast enough, couldn't think above the roar in my head. One heartbeat, I was staring at him--the next, I hurled that branch at him with all my strength.

I barely saw that y-shaped stick as it flew threw the air, so fast th--

And it slammed into his head.

Bastien whirled around, a hand raising to the back of his head, eyes wide.

I already had my shoe in my hand. Damn it all, I could just buy another one, I'd considered.

"I dare you. Hit me again. Come on."

I flung the other shoe right at his head, as swift and as hard as the first one.

It missed.

"Dearest, can't we just kiss and hug and get it over with?" The personality I had remembered from our first meeting finally leaking through.

Bastien had possessed my brother for who knows how long, and I wasn't about the let that slide. But... I really did want Daichi's notebook back.

He held my shoe out in front of me, stretching his arm forward. A peace offering.

I took it, and was swiftly tangled in the same web that started the whole fight. I didn't have time to let out a single breath as two arms were wrapped around me, wings spread wide. That was when realization slammed into me as hard as that branch slammed into him.

"Please don't dro--"

We shot into the sky, fast as a shooting star. Before my yelp finished echoing, the city had yawned wide beneath us. Lights. Way too many lights. Bastien's hands slid under my knees while the other wrapped around my back and ribs, and we flew up, up, and up, into the star-freckled night, into the liquid dark and singing wind.

And for a brief moment, I felt infinite. Nothing mattered but the vast expanse that extended below me. The gentle smell of cinnamon coated the air, and the moon seemed much larger then before. One of them, at least. Couldn't see the other on a day like then.

Bastien was grinning his ass off, teeth and all.

I wondered what Daichi would thought of me then. The scenery was too much for me. I couldn't help but smile right back. I also wondered what the androids and Sora were up to, but they weren't my main concern.

"Where are we going?" He asked me, stealing the words right off my tongue. "Tekonn or The Shadou Empire. You tell me."

I almost gulped. We were flying towards a specific direction, no matter my lack of response. Wings, covered in scales, carrying us this far. Did Hibiki have wings too? Was it a demon thing? I'd have to find out. "The Shadou Empire,"

"Fantastic. We'll have to avoid the old woman, as well as keep you away from the bloodhound noses of demons."

"Uh..."

Bastien gazed at me, a dark brow arched in contemplation. I swallowed hard, but held his stare. A minute later he nodded as if coming to some sort of conclusion about me.

I couldn't help but avoid his gaze the rest of the flight, watching how quickly clouds went by. I was still holding onto one of my shoes very, very tightly.

"Close your eyes," Bastien broke the silence.

When I asked why, he shook his head. "Demons roam the land, many who can pluck images from your mind with a good amount of interrogation. If shown that you've been here before, it'll kill you."

I didn't ask more after that. It took about ten minutes before he said I could open my eyes.

His landing was as smooth as his takeoff, though he kept an arm beneath my shoulders as my knees buckled at the adjustment. I shook off his touch, and took a deep breath in adjustment.

We were in some grand, larger-then-normal room, seeming to have flown in through an open window. Everything had an aged, and throughly detailed, dark flair to it. It was nothing but surreal, to the intricate weavings on the rug to the tall candelabrum sufficing for a lamp. Not to mention it seemed to be daytime outside.

I could have mentioned a million other details about the room, and illustrated every piece of furniture, with not a speck of dust in sight.

Bastien cleared his throat, and my eyes darted towards him. He was standing by the one piece in the room that was covered by a thin blanket, splayed over rather lazily, to hide the shape of a rather obvious grand piano. With one side of his mouth quirking upwards, he threw off the sheet, revealing the piano, which seemed older then the two of us combined.

The edges of every slab of wood piecing together the piano were carved like the frame of a painting, curving around ever so slightly, tinted a rusty gold. It was rightly so; the sides and lid displayed an painted forest, with lush greenery and a river running by the horizon. Every side had a different perspective of a the forest, and a different story. And lastly, the keys were the wrong color. Black notes were white, and white notes black. Daichi would have loved such a sight.

Bastien whisked another blanket off the seat, much less dramatically, and gestured towards it all.

"Voila," He announced, "my pride and joy in this world."

"I thought you were too busy kissing strangers or something,"

"I do like snatching kisses, and vice versa."

Before I could jab at that statement, he swerved in front of the keys, lifting the back of his coat as pompously as a maestro would lift their tailcoat. And Tomoe too, I supposed.

Bastien turned to me, eyes gleaming. "Y'know, when I was young, maybe a wee bit older then you..."

"I already know this is one of those back-in-my-day stories," I interrupted.

"... I remember stalking an old, wrinkly merchant."

I neared, daring to rest an elbow on the closed lid of the piano.

"He was very, very stupid too," he continued, "letting a foul-mouthed child near his cart. But he was also pretty grim. So I stole a storybook from him."

"I would expect no more from you."

Bastien chuckled, but went on. "I memorized every inch of that book. From the way the calligraphy of every word, to the moral of every story. Those were the good ol' days when books were still written by hands."

I nodded.

"One thing struck me, as odd as it may seem. The author's signature was smudged in every point it was written. I scarcely remember the grim old dude saying it was someone named This-Knee."

My eyed immediately went to his knees. "Which one?"

"No, not that knee. This-Knee."

And I thought Bastien was a stupid name. "If you say so,"

"Y-you've never heard of them?"

I propped my head on a fist, and licked a tooth, imagining for a moment how bizarre it would feel to have as many teeth as him. "Never heard of them," I repeated.

Bastien's hands went to the piano, gracefully flicking his wrists ever so slightly. His fingers danced up and down the piano, almost giddy. "I haven't touched one of these since I was last in the castle."

"When was that?"

His grin became feline, "Let me serenade you with a song that I can barely remember," and ignored my question. He pressed his fingers onto the keys, beginning a waltz of some sort. "I know you..." he hummed, gesturing for me to join in.

I merely blinked, and he kept on humming to the music. It painted an image in my mind, of a bittersweet rendezvous, or a dalliance that lasted a minute too short. The melody was warm, and it picked at my mind like there was something to say, but I couldn't pinpoint it.

It wasn't until the end of the song that it clarified.

"You'll love me at once, the way you did once..."

The last few chords echoed through the air, I must have missed a lyric or two, and Bastien calmly twirled to face me. "You... you remembered."

Scratch that, not calmly at all. His navy eyes were glossed over, hands twitching. He held his hands together, and I looked down at them both. A butterfly. Half of one on each palm. Should've asked about it, but I didn't.

My nails bit into my palms. "Is that what all this is about? Some stupid song?"

"How did you know it?"

"I don't know. Those lyrics were at the tip of my tongue from the beginning."

"Fascinating."

"Why are you barefoot?"

He laughed for a moment, wiping away tears from his eyes. "Out of all the things I show you, of all the things I reveal about myself, in no more then two hours, you wonder why I prefer to let my toes be free."

I'm not the best at comforting, but I tried, at least. I laced my fingers into his, getting a firm grip on his hand, and squeezed it. Look at me now, I thought to myself. Comforting a creature that could rip me to shreds. Razor-sharp teeth, scales and wings. I should've asked what was the meaning of it all, taking me to the Empire, and everything. But again, I didn't.

"I'm sorry I've been a little rude lately," I tried.

"I did try to kidnap you, so don't go bowing down just yet. Coming back home after so long made me a little nostalgic, and a little more insane then usual. Do you remember anything else, maybe?"

"No."

He stood from the piano, dusted himself off, and observed the surroundings. "The night's still young, how about we crash a party hosted by a succubus?"

I paled, and I think I felt my whole body cringe. "I'm in my pajamas. Isn't it, uh, a party?"

"It is! The succubus's ball. It's only a hallway or two away, I'm certain." He stepped away from the piano, and paced over to the window. I stood my ground. By then, I saw him more for his archaicness and less for those glasgow scars on his face, tracing up to the cheekbones from the corners of his mouth. I'd have to ask him about that too, I thought.

"What time is it in Anzen Rozu? The Capital?"

"An two hours and a half 'till sunrise,"

I considered my options. I could go forwards on the night, explore the mysterious Empire that wouldn't allow a single foreigner missing demon ancestry through it's borders, and attend a bourgeoisie's frivolous party, succubus or not. Or, I could beg for Daichi's notebook, and hurry back before anyone noticed I was gone.

Bastien stretched his hand out to me, and with it, I saw a dalliance in itself.

I took that chance.

The rest was only snapshots; short flashes of vision sandwiched between long stretches of darkness...

Pacing through the halls, laughter echoing through my ears.

A chandelier, swaying above me. More laughter. Posh, pretentious laughter.

A violet gown, not embedded with a single sequin but instead, lavishly accentuated in black, like the iron spirals of a gate.

I wore a volto mask, matching Bastien's own, praying with all my might that no one would see through the facade.

A woman, the succubus, kept a steady eye on me. Of all the grandiloquent characters I had seen, she was the only one without a mask. Striking beauty, and a resemblance to not Bastien, but Hibiki.

More laughing. It echoed through my ears. Again. And again.

Bastien handed me a flute glass, filled with a clear, orange liquid. It tasted like iron. It tasted like blood.

I lost track of time. I had danced with at least two dozen visitants with a variety of masquerades. A smile that wasn't my own was sewn onto my lips.

They found out I was human, but no one said a word. I was pulled away with a group of servitors before I could shriek.

Bastien euthanized them with their own syringes before they could touch me. I hit him--I slapped him on the cheek. He still helped me afterwards.

When my conscience returned to me, I was lying in a cold, dank alleyway. It was still daytime. Bastien was kneeling beside me with a reddened cheek, it was not the result of some suggestive flirtation. He was in his usual getup, duffle coat and no shoes, while I was still in a purple dress.

"That," he swallowed, "was the best night I'd had in years."

My head was throbbing. Pounding. Sweltering.

"Damsel, get up. There's still one last thing you have to do."

I groaned, and shielded my eyes from the light. My hair was splayed out against the cemented floor, and my shoes were missing. "What t-time..."

"Relax. We've got ten minutes before sunrise. We're just... filling in the gaps of the afternoon."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Without me asking whatsoever, he pulled me to my feet, and I could have sworn I was going to hurl. Or, maybe I did, and I didn't notice.

Standing behind me, he gestured forwards. People. Walking across a street. There was another alley, a crosswalk away, and... Daichi's journal, on the floor.

"It's all yours. Just remember, please, I did it f--"

You wouldn't believe how desperately I've tried to remember what he said. But it was too late. Much, much too late. I had leapt across the sidewalk, running towards that book. I saw Daichi, and Haruka. But I didn't care. I just had to get his book back.

The moment I had my fingers on it, my vision went black again. Cinnamon wafted by. I opened my eyes.

I was back in Jun's room. Staring at the ceiling. I turned, and Daichi was there. Hugging his journal in his sleep. My eyes fluttered closed, and I could finally slee--

"TRAITOR!"