Klaus was hot and cold following their last uncomfortable interaction. Either he was silent and irritable, twitching in rage- or, he was entirely way too pleasant. It was a daily cycle. Just when Winona thought that she was making progress with him and he'd start giving her details about his investigations of the murders, he'd suddenly withdraw and stop cooperating altogether. If she insisted that he continue, he'd lash out cruelly- sometimes even going as far as to insult her intelligence. Then, after he'd realize the gravity of his words and how they had upset her, he'd be so nice and gentle that it almost made her sick. He'd pick up books for her to read and shower her with honeyed words and to his expectations, it never actually made her feel any better when he did this. It just made her so much more aware of his delirium.

When he put his hands on her for the second time, she knew that something must be done. She couldn't continue acting as his prisoner in that hotel room.

It happened when she'd grown detached from the situation. She wouldn't speak to him. She couldn't- after all, it always just caused her more pain if she'd respond to her shattered friend, and after many days enduring his cycle of abuse, she simply couldn't spend her energy on him anymore. At first, Klaus simply joined her silence. However, with time, her quietness just enrages him even more. He lunged at her suddenly and pinned her against the wall, holding her shoulders so tightly that his claws dug deep into her skin. The searing hot pain caused her to cry out- and it seemed that her voice struck recognition inside of him. He removed himself from her immediately, muttering apologies as she slid to the floor in absolute shock. He was begging her for her forgiveness feverishly- but she wasn't hearing any of it.

"Get away from me"

"Princess, please-"

Her gaze was indirect and her eyes, weighted by her fatigue, didn't even look at him. She was giving him an order. She made it clear in her voice that she was not asking him to leave, but demanding him to leave. "Get away from me, Klaus." The fierce vulnerability in her words injured him. He said nothing, then disappeared into a puff of smoke, leaving her there bleeding from her shoulders and trembling. And, she sat there for a very long time, staring down at a speck in the carpet until the shock wore off and the pain intensified. She forced herself to clean up in the shower.

That was the last straw.

She didn't see him for two whole days after that. She didn't know what he was up to, and she simply didn't care. All she was worried about was that he might come back with bloodlust in his eyes and take out all of his frustrations onto her.

She was in survival mode. She wasn't thinking about all of the good times that she had shared with Klaus. She wasn't thinking about the lovely late-night talks that they shared in the Aether. She simply wasn't reminiscing the friend that kept her company for half of her life and had kept her safe for so long- because if she did think about that, even for a second, she might not survive. Her pity and sympathy for him would get in the way. Winona refused to be Klaus's victim. Certainly not when she had her brother still left to deal with.

So, she ordered room service.

Steak dinner with a side of mashed potatoes with gravy. She didn't even eat red meat. In fact, red meat disgusted her. Granted, it wasn't really the meal she was interested in.

She sat there on the bed as she waited, her unfocused, vacant eyes staring off into the plain white wall above the light switch. She was going over her plan over and over and over in her head until she ironed out every possible kink- every possible scenario that could occur that might lead to her failure. Every element of risk had to be eliminated if she was going to survive. She had to have a response prepared for anything that Klaus might say or do. Winona had to be sure that her strategic precaution was foolproof.

The knock at the door startled her.

"Room service!"

She jumped to her feet and darted to the door, opening it and forcing a smile at the housekeeper who handed her a meal on a wooden tray. She nodded and whispered a "Thank you," then as the housekeeper turned away, she looked up and down the hallway before returning to the room and shutting the door. Gently, she set the meal onto the dresser across from the bed. Her shaking fingers hovered over the plate, grasping the steak knife that sat on the tray with the rest of the silverware. She looked into her reflection in the silver glint- and although the girl in the reflection was identical to herself, it didn't feel like it was truly her. She sighed and moved away from the fragrant meal atop the dresser, sitting on the bed and twirling the blade in her hands.

Then, she buried her weapon under the pillow.

The chat he'd had with his Master was fresh in his mind the entire journey back to the city. He spent most of his time on those trains wondering just how he was going to pull this off. He was beginning to wish that he had allowed Vector to pressure Winona into joining the Chaotix- it certainly would have made this venture very convenient for him. At least he knew that she was staying at the Oceanview Hotel, but he was a bit concerned with how exactly he was going to keep an eye on her. After all, his mother had implied that his invisibility may not work on her for very long. And, there was also the issue with Klaus. He would have to find some way to sneak around that territorial lap-dog of a demon.

No matter, he had confidence that he'd figure it out with some time. He pushed away his concerns as he stepped off of the train and exited the city's station. He debated bringing the belongings that he carried on his back home before he left for the hotel, but he shook off the idea. He didn't want to handle this mission irresponsibly. Even if he was operating in the comfort of his home city, he shouldn't allow himself to get distracted or sidetracked. His first priority was to find Winona and figure out what to do from there. So, he headed straight for the Oceanview.

It seemed that the hotel had resumed normal operation as if the murder hadn't even happened. In fact, it almost seemed busier than normal- the parking lot was spilling over the brim with cars. It was so full that some people opted to park on the curb of the street. He expected that, of course. It always happened like that. Supposed ghost hunters. Self-proclaimed Mediums. Admirers of the macabre. They liked to gather after particularly gruesome cases- usually ones that sparked rumors after being plastered all over the news. If he were to be honest, he'd say that those types of people were definitely not his favorite. They were disrespectful, in his opinion. In his Clan, he was taught that the Spirits were meant to be revered. The dead should be admired and appreciated, not gawked at and pestered like zoo animals in a cage.

He refused to even glance at the Paranormal Investigator group that he pushed out of his way with a nudge of his shoulder. He also ignored them when they cussed at him bitterly, keeping his back turned to them as he faced the receptionist who recognized Espio as she laid her eyes on him. She seemed overwhelmed with the sheer amount of people in the lobby and stuttered as she greeted him.

"Good afternoon, detective." She glanced nervously at the group behind him, "I hope you don't need to get into that room again- it's no longer a crime scene and we're all booked up well into December-"

"-No, Ma'am. Actually, I'm here for something unrelated. I'm looking for a resident staying here. Her name is Winona Aetherborn-"

"-I'm sorry, detective. I can't give out information regarding our long term residents, it's against company policy to violate their privacy." The clerk sat herself on the black leather swivel chair behind the desk while the eavesdropping trio of Paranormal Investigators behind him scoffed in annoyance. Espio raised his chin and smiled politely.

"I am here on business, Ma'am." He dug into his pocket and handed her his credentials, which included a badge that was begrudgingly issued to the Chaotix by Law Enforcement. He didn't like using the Chaotix for Shinobi matters, but in this case, he felt as though he had no choice. "You see, we have reason to suspect that Miss Aetherborn may have been a key witness in an isolated incident downtown." Espio lied with ease, "I must have contact with her as soon as possible."

The receptionist glanced at the golden badge in his hands then quickly nodded, "O-Oh, of course. Just um," Her eyes flashed up at the long line forming behind the Chameleon, "Just give me a second," Then, to the dismay of the crowd of people in the lobby waiting to check-in, she began to rifle through a file of papers in a drawer in the desk when suddenly a thought occurred to her and she looked back up to him with a frazzled expression, "Oh, you know what? She checked out four or five days ago."

His disappointment manifested into a huff and he turned to leave, but then quickly swiveled back to face her, "Did she maybe give you an idea of where she might be headed? Maybe she mentioned a different hotel?"

The receptionist shook her head, "No. She was real quiet about it. Actually, she seemed pretty worked up about something. Really nervous. You know, we actually got a couple of noise complaints throughout her visit. Someone called the front desk about some arguing, but when we checked in on her she was all by herself. We figured it was a mistake but," She shrugged, "I thought maybe it was a phone call with a shitty boyfriend or something."

Espio mulled over this new information for a moment then nodded, "Thank you for your time," The Chameleon then pushed through the angry bodies in the line to the desk, receiving unhappy glares until he exited the hotel.

Well, he was in a pickle now- but it was nothing more than a roadblock that he, no doubt, would overcome. He pondered his next move as he sat at a bench near the street outside the Oceanview while the sound of police sirens sounded in the distance. It seemed like there was an infinite number of scenarios that might have influenced Winona to check out of the hotel- but considering what the receptionist had told him, he was able to narrow down those possibilities significantly. Though, he couldn't help but focus solely on Klaus. After all, Winona herself had mentioned that her Demon partner was capable of turning against her, even admitting that it was a genuine fear of hers. And, the more he thought about it, the more his gut agreed with him. Ultimately, however, he decided that making assumptions and assuming the worst was a waste of time.

He couldn't guess where the Princess might have gone to. So, he decided he was going to have to sweep the city and comb through every single nearby hotel. Which was, not just an exhausting task- but also horrendously inefficient. He'd been out looking for hours and had only gotten through half of the hotels in the city by the time the sun started setting. He planned to pull an all-nighter if he had to, and he was on his way to the next hotel when he felt a vibration emitting against his right thigh. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. He was receiving a call from Vector.

He put the phone to his ear, "What's up?"

"Hey, uh, are you still doing ninja business?" Espio could hear the Crocodile shuffling papers around on the other end of the line,

Espio sighed, "Yes, Vector."

"Any idea when you'll be back?"

"I'm stationed in the city for this one, I imagine I'll be back tonight to sleep if I can't find what we're looking for, but I'll likely be gone again in the morning."

"Really? The city? Dude, you've got to come back here now. We just got an insane case-"

"You know I can't do that, Vector-"

"It's time-sensitive, Es. Please, if you're in the city you have to come back-"

Espio shook his head and looked down the vacant road that he stood on. At first, Espio told himself that he didn't have any time for that. But then, an idea occurred to him. "Is it related to the other murders?"

"I-I don't know. It happened only a few hours ago-"

"-Hours ago?!" Espio couldn't restrict the shock in his voice. They'd never been called so early to a case before.

"You heard me. They haven't even moved the body yet. Please, you've got to come back. I can't bring Charmy on this one, it's too… gnarly."

The Chameleon was going to say no, but he had an odd feeling about this particular case. Vector made it sound serious, and Espio would regret not taking the opportunity to work the case if there was a possibility that it might be related to the other sixteen killings. They had run into Winona the last time while she was conducting an investigation of her own, who's to say that the same thing wouldn't happen again? With the hope that his luck would turn around, he replied to Vector with reluctance.

"...Alright. Text me the address and I'll be there."

Vector celebrated on the other end of the phone, "Thank you, buddy, I'll make it worth your while!"

By the time Espio arrived at the address Vector had sent him, droplets of rain began to fall from the sky from the dark clouds that obscured the radiant crescent moon. It was like a movie with a cliche ambiance that made his stomach twist in knots. The flashing of police vehicles reflected into his eyes from the puddles forming on the concrete brick of the alleyway. He had to climb under the police tape as he walked slowly to his partner, who was crouched at the very end of the alley. The rain mixed with the blood splatter, making it drip and pool on the floor and walls. When he reached Vector's side, he was able to take his first peek at the body. And, he only needed a second to see it and immediately look away.

The gruesome scene was visible even behind the darkness of his eyelids. The shocked face of the dead woman on the ground was ingrained in his memory- she was sprawled there, sitting up against the wall with her limbs limp at her sides, and her neck contorted unnaturally close to her left shoulder. There was a gaping chunk missing from her throat as if someone had taken a giant bite from her jugular. It wasn't the gore that forced him to look away, but it was the intense aura of dread that infected the body. Vector must have also noticed the potent odor of sulfur- because his partner turned to face him with his hand pressing one of Vanilla's handkerchiefs firmly to his snout.

"Yeah, there's no doubt about it, Es. It smells just like one of em'."

Espio agreed. Though, at the same time, the Chameleon sensed something different about the nature of the scene. There were no pentagrams on the walls- there was no chicken-scratch otherworldly language written in blood- it was just a woman who had been presumably eaten to death. It gave him an awful feeling. What disturbed him the most was the victim's face- which looked like nothing more than a soulless shell of its former self. Almost deflated looking.

"Looks like we have a long night ahead of us." Said the Ninja with a sigh, "I assume there were no witnesses?"

"Actually, there was." Vector flipped open a silver lighter and lit a cigarette between his lips before turning to his partner, "Little lady over there," The Crocodile nodded his head toward a teenage girl sitting on a bench on the other side of the yellow tape. She had streaky mascara smudged on her cheeks and red watering eyes that looked up at the police anxiously as she recounted what she had seen. "She saw the whole thing from her cash register at the gas station where she works, just across the street. Problem is, cops don't believe her."

"Because…?"

"Because she said that the killer was a monster." Vector let the smoke escape his mouth as he spoke and wiped his glistening face that was wet from the rain, "We can't let these cops deal with this stuff. They don't even know what's goin' on! They think the victims are bein' gassed- that's their explanation for the smell."

Espio shook his head, "Let's allow these amateurs to go wild with their theories- it should keep them off of our backs." The two detectives stepped away from the body almost in unison, seeking relief from the overwhelming odor. "Answer me honestly, what do you think the probability is that we might run into Winona after this case?"

Vector snapped his head to his partner as if he was caught off guard, "Uh, I don't know? Why are you so interested in her anyway? You were weird about it the other day. I dunno if I've ever heard you praise somebody besides yourself before-"

The Chameleon rolled his eyes, "She's eccentric and naive. But, I owe her respect for what she's done for Charmy. Not only that, but you're right to want her on our team. Her skills would be useful for us." He sighed and gave up trying to justify himself, looking back at the body as he reached the sidewalk, "I'll admit, I don't feel confident about this case."

"Woah, the almighty ninja god isn't confident for once." Vector's sarcastic teasing went unappreciated. Espio did nothing more than cross his arms in annoyance, ignoring the Crocodile's comment altogether. "You're right though, it might be tough to solve this one without her help."

"You're missing the big picture, Vector. Even if we did have her help, how are we going to convict a demon for this crime?"

Vector waved his hand at Espio dismissively, "You worry too much, Es. We're gonna figure this out one way or another! Thirty years from now, they're going to be demanding an explanation for all this. Imagine if we're the ones who give them all the answers! We'll be rich and justice will be served. Winona will be happy, the city will be happy, and we'll be happy."

Espio sighed, "I can't say that I share your enthusiasm."

Winona woke when the light from the hallway suddenly flooded over her face as the door opened. She squinted her blurry eyes, reaching for her golden framed glasses promptly. By the time she'd set them on her face, the door closed and a familiar odor wafted over her as she was left in darkness. She was frozen in place and her heart began a rhythmic thump that was loud in her ears- even louder than the thunder outside.

She didn't even remember going to bed, so she figured that she must have simply fallen asleep as she anxiously waited for Klaus to return. Under the cover of the dark, she reached for the steak knife under her pillow and held it beneath the blanket as she sat up slowly. Her eyes would not acclimate to her dark surroundings fast enough, so she swallowed her fear and spoke out into the void.

"K-Klaus? Is that you?"

"You've been sleeping for a while." His voice was quiet and strange- and she noticed that it came from all directions, "I came by earlier but I didn't want to wake you. At first I was happy because… I thought you wouldn't be here when I came back. But then… I found something." His tone drifted from pleasant to dull, to bitter within seconds, "I'll admit, it stings. I thought you were better than that."

"What?" Winona turned and flicked on the light in a panic, but Klaus kept himself mostly obscured in the shadowy corner of the room. She cleared her throat and did her best to seem calm. All the while, she kept the knife in her firm grasp, "What do you mean, Klaus?"

Lightning caused the room to flash with bright white light, illuminating Klaus's body for just a split second. She couldn't tell if it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but she thought that maybe- just maybe- she'd seen the glitter of bright red blood between his teeth. She forced down the warm rising fear in her chest and attempted an innocent smile, easing her trembling shoulders.

He was changed. She could tell. There was just so much that gave it away- his odor- his altered appearance- but most of all, what made it the most obvious was the venomous black foggy aura that cloaked his body and climbed up the side of the bed that she laid on. She kept a straight face as she pulled her legs away from the edge and carefully eyed him as he held up a little piece of paper between two fingers, then tossed it in her direction so that it landed right into her lap.

"Oh, this?" It was The Chaotix's business card, the one that Espio had given her in the diner. She crumpled it in her left hand, hoping it would appease him, "They gave it to me after the exorcism. It's nothing really-"

"You're lying." He smiled at her sadly, "I always know when you're lying. Your nose, you crinkle it when you lie." He sighed, "You see, Princess, I know you better than anybody else. I know your habits, your interests, your desires… your weaknesses." She gulped silently as he continued and stepped forward from the darkness, exposing his changed body. He was now taller by a whole foot and his fur was exceptionally thicker and coarse-looking. His horns were much longer and his claws were so much sharper. The more of himself that he revealed, the less confident Winona was beginning to feel in herself. "I know that you've seen those men behind my back. It's okay to admit it. Denying it is futile."

Winona felt the pressure of tears behind her eyes, but she held them back, "They were just doing their job, Klaus. I didn't even leave the hotel like you asked, all I did was offer them my assistance."

"Princess, I've told you- mortals-" He grit his teeth and looked away from her. The expression on his face was animalistic. "Especially that Chameleon- they're no good for you."

"I appreciate that you're looking out for me, Klaus," She spoke carefully, "But with all due respect, you do not command me. You may merely give me your advice. I should not be forced to take it. We're supposed to be working together, and yet you've left me in the dark-"

"I've left you in the dark?!" He spat as he stepped forward and the light illuminated even more of his monstrous body, "You're the one who suggested we implement this silly rule of transparency! And yet, even you can't be honest! You chose the company of that Chameleon and his blubbering fool of a partner over me- your own Soul Link!"

"I have never chosen anybody over you, Klaus! Frankly, I don't understand you!" She felt her anger begin to veil her fear, "I also don't understand this vendetta you have against that Chameleon! He's done nothing to you!"

"I know the morality of men better than you ever will. I, for one, question his intentions."

She shouted at him, "And I question yours!"

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" He was inches away from her within seconds, blasting his spit at her as he shouted- looming over her face as his weight held her down onto the bed. "SHUT UP, YOU UNGRATEFUL, INCONSIDERATE BRAT!" He grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her as he screamed at her. She finally allowed the tears in her eyes to fall when he raised his right fist.

In the same instant, Winona raised her knife.