A happy Teto half-walked, half-skipped away from one screen of a multi-screen movie theater and out into the lobby. A more subdued Len followed her.

"...my favorite part," Teto babbled, "was when they disemboweled the zombie with a pick-axe. Decomposing guts all over the place! Wasn't that great?"

"...yeah, I guess so," Len said unconvincingly, as he shoved an empty popcorn box into an already-full trash can.

Teto paused and turned to him. "Didn't you like the movie?" she asked in surprise. "I thought you would like it."

"Oh, it was alright," Len said. "Sorry. It just wasn't that scary. The special effects weren't very special, y'know?"

"In that case," Teto said smugly, "you'll have to do better, 'cause it's your turn to choose the movie next time."

"...yeah, about that?" Len said. "Before we leave, can I, uh, ask you a question, Teto?"

"Sure!" Teto chirped. She followed Len to a lobby bench, and waited for him to speak.

A blushing Len began to fidget. "Wassup?" Teto asked. "...Len? Is something wrong?"

"Uh, we've gone out on a few dates now," Len said, "and, I was wondering if, uh, you'd like to, uh, make it official and stuff, and, uh, go steady with me?"

The smile faded from Teto's face. She looked at Len with suddenly sad eyes, and then she hung her head.

Len grimaced. "Oh... I guess that's a 'no', huh?"

"I want to say 'yes'," Teto said quietly, as she stared down at the lobby carpet. "I really like you too, Len. But if you want me to be your girlfriend, there's something I have to show you."

"...uh, OK," a confused Len said. "Wait, do you mean right now?"

"Yes," Teto said, as she grabbed Len's hand and led him towards the exit. "I probably should have done this before now, before you started to like me. I had better get it over with now."

She pulled Len out of the theater and along a nearly-empty late-evening sidewalk. "Wait up, Teto," said Len, stumbling a bit to keep up with her. "What's got into you? You're kinda scarin' me."

Just wait, Teto thought to herself bitterly. I haven't even begun to scare you. She stopped and looked all around them. Satisfied that no one was watching them, she dragged Len into a narrow city alley.

The nearby lights of the theater marquee cast crazy shadows across the high building walls on both sides of the otherwise dark alley. "What are you doing, Teto?" asked Len. "It might not be safe here."

"It might not be," Teto agreed, as she pulled him to the end of the alley, and then let go of his hand. "But only for you, Len."

And then, Teto began to unbutton her blouse.

"Hey, wait a minute, Teto!" an alarmed Len said. "You don't have to, uh... I didn't mean that I wanted to... I mean, not that I don't want to, someday, but... but..."

And then, Len stared in mute disbelief at the impossibly long dark shapes that slowly unfolded from Teto's back and filled the narrow alley, blocking the light behind Teto and shrouding him in darkness.

"...wings?" Len whispered.

"Yes," said Teto. While holding up her blouse with both hands, she turned slightly, swinging one wing towards him. "Here. Touch it, Len."

Len reached out and brushed the leathery surface of the dragon-like wing. "Wow. It's warm... Do they, uh, work? I mean, can you fly?"

"Yes," Teto said again. "If I were human, just unfolding them would shatter my sternum. But I'm not human, Len. Well, half not human."

Five minutes ago, Len would have laughed at this line, thinking Teto was making one of her jokes. But the evidence was now before his eyes. "...not human?" he squeaked. "Then... what are you, Teto?"

"That's what I have to show you," Teto said. Her voice suddenly deepened, filling the alley and ringing in Len's ears. "...I'M SORRY, LEN. I MUST NOT HIDE THIS FROM YOU. FORGIVE ME FOR SHOWING YOU."

Len's senses began to fail him. He awkwardly stumbled back until he felt the concrete wall of the dead-end of the alley behind him. And then, he found himself petrified, as if he were fixed against the wall.

Both sides of the alley receded into black infinity, along with the broken concrete beneath his feet. The sounds of the city faded away to silent vacuum. The sky moved sideways and the ground gave way.

There was nothing but Kagamine Len, a wall of lunar stone behind him, and a thing before him that no longer was Kasane Teto.

Its form defied his vision. It continually shifted in both appearance and position, like superimposed films played at different speeds. Its body was both feline and serpentine, with the dull color of dried blood.

And its head... Len wasn't even sure if it had one head, or two, or three. The only thing that Len could clearly follow was its eyes. Its horrible eyes pulsed with a pallid light that both burned and chilled him.

BEHOLD MY FULL TRANSFORMATION... A CHANGING WITHOUT LIMIT OR END, the thing said. Len no longer heard its voice; rather, its words seemed to echo in his head, leaving him dizzy and nauseous.

I AM CHIMERA, it said, referring to itself with plural wording on purpose. MY ANCESTORS LIVED IN THE ENDLESS CHAOS BEYOND THE FIRMAMENT. THEY DID BATTLE FIERCELY WITH THE OLD GODS.

The thing leaned in close, filling Len's vision with madness. AND THEY PREYED ON THE HUMANS. THEY ESPECIALLY PREYED ON THE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN, THE CHILDREN STILL SOFT AND FULL OF LIFE. THE YOUNG, LIKE YOU.

It reared back and exhaled a plume of fire. WERE I NOT HALF-HUMAN MYSELF, I WOULD BAKE THE STILL-LIVING FLESH FROM YOUR BONES. OR PERHAPS I WOULD SAVOR THE SWEET BLOOD FROM YOUR STILL-BEATING HEART.

And then, the thing reached out with a... claw? talon? serpentine tail?... and caressed Len's cheek. Len vaguely felt a trickle against the numb skin of his face. He prayed it was a trail of sweat, or a tear.

EVEN IF YOU DID NOT FIND ME VERY TERRIBLE, the thing said, DO YOU THINK YOU CAN BRIDGE THE DIVIDE BETWEEN CHIMERA AND HUMAN? I AM BOTH CHIMERA AND HUMAN, AND I MUST CARRY THIS DIVIDE WITHIN ME.

I FEAR THAT I SHALL SOMEDAY LOSE MYSELF IN THE DIVIDE. I FEAR THAT I WILL LET LOOSE THE CHAOS OF CHIMERA UPON THIS NEW WORLD. THIS IS MY CURSE, LEN. BE VERY SURE THAT YOU WOULD SHARE IT WITH ME.

The thing drew back, both in position and size. "BE VERY SURE, LEN," it said again, with sadness in a voice more human.

By the time Len regained the ability to move and speak, Teto had returned to her familiar cute drill-haired female form. Her clothes had reappeared with her human body, but she still had to do up her blouse after dismissing her wings.

Teto took a deep breath, and then turned to face Len. He was vacantly staring at her— with a wide smile, to her surprise. Uh oh, Teto thought, I must have overdone it. I think I broke his tiny mind. "Um, Len?" she asked. "Are you OK?"

"That was TOTALLY AWESOME!" Len suddenly yelled.

Teto did a double-take. "Wait— WHAT?"

"If I had known you were going to do that," Len said excitedly, "we could have just skipped the movie! Man, I've never been so scared in my life!"

"You say that as if it were a good thing," Teto said.

"It doesn't have to be a bad thing," Len said. "Listen, Teto. My twin sister is a ruthless sociopath with a road roller, and Big Sister Luka is a merciless dominatrix. And if you think Miku can't be scary, just come between her and her leeks!

"I live every day of my life in fear of the women around me. I'm used to it, and I can handle it. Sometimes, it's even kind of fun. You don't have to be afraid of scaring me, Teto."

"But..." Teto said weakly. "But it's not just that, Len. I'm not fully human. I'm a monster—"

Len took the liberty of resting his hands on Teto's shoulders. "I don't care if you are a monster, sometimes," he said. "You're also Teto, and that's all I care about. But if anybody else ever calls you a monster, tell me, and I'll kick his butt."

Then Len grinned sheepishly and rubbed his neck. "Well, that is, I'll kick his butt if he still has a butt left to kick after you get through with him..."

And then, he frowned. "Teto? Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry! Hey, c'mon, don't cry! I'm sorry!"

Teto brushed away tears of joy, and then she hugged Len tightly. "You are so fool," she said softly. "...Oh, I'm sorry too, Len. I haven't answered your question. Len? Yes."

"Yes... what?" Len asked.

"Yes, I'll go steady with you." said Teto. "Congratulations: you now have a girlfriend. But your girlfriend is a chimera."

"Not a problem," said Len.