Unravel

by ChiioUnicorn

Megaton is overrun by monsters with its last two chevaliers slaughtered. The Chevalerie are forced to assign their weakest unit, Shimoda Rin, to keep the city safe. Struggling to discern friend and foe alike, all she wants is a quiet life. An enemy alliance threatens humanity's survival. Will Rin rise up and become what the world needs her to be?

4. The Same Stitch

a/n: The real story begins. This chapter was like, intense for me... so enjoy! Finally, other characters are further introduced. Yay for pet projects going serious. Seriously mainstream. I kid.

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Meiko's POV

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Up until now, I had believed I played my role well as Student Council President. Ever since I was a first year, I've been the quintessential honor student. Every year I coordinated the school events and fundraisers.

That is, until the beginning of this year…

Five. Five deaths occurred here during the first two weeks of school. All of them had been students.

The sky turned to dusk as the setting sun's rays dyed the hallway a brilliant gold. It was laughable, how even a place like this school could almost be mistaken for a heavenly haven when the light lustered off the stainless steel interior. The ceiling was designed in a sharp, geometric cut that stretched throughout the halls, and the triangle ceiling lights gave off the gritty impression of the interior as a whole. I hated walking around here at this time of day - when my paranoia would reach its peak as I checked every corner and under every stairwell for any unwanted troublemakers lurking around doing who knows what.

It was bad enough this school's reputation was blacklisted by the public for having a history of recurring juvenile violence. My father, the chairman was having a hard time petitioning the board of directors to increase the budget for the school. There had been too many cuts to the revenue as of the past two years - and we were only digging deeper in financial woe.

Other poor schools across the nation have been hard as well.

The result has been a worsening of the nation's rich schools, poor schools divide — and its racial divide, because many poor districts are also heavily minority.

And the gap has only been getting wider — here in the suburbs north of Calico, and in many places across the nation. In the years following the recent financial crisis, school districts serving poor communities generally have been hit harder than more affluent districts.

By far, Megaton Public High School was one of the poorest schools in the country. It was no secret that MPHS was downtrodden by society. Almost half of the student population consisted of juvenile delinquents with multiple offenses etched in their permanent records. Serious offenses that would be on their shoulders for the rest of their lives.

Consider this school as opposed to Eluvia Academy- we were two school districts in the same state separated by an enormous financial gulf. Eluvia, consisted of students coming from wealthy families, was flush with resources. Their academy has four different spaces for theater performances, two gyms, an Olympic-size pool and an espresso bar.

Meanwhile, Megaton Public High School, with its mostly minority student body, had been struggled for the past twelve years. As many as twenty six students share a single computer. The locker rooms looked like dungeons, and the downgraded maintenance around here was starting to rear its ugly head.

Just because students were low income here within this district, it didn't mean they shouldn't have the same opportunities kids in surrounding districts have. It seriously angered me to see our school being ignored like this when it was the state's responsibility to regulate the money like they should be doing - instead of sitting on their asses and boasting about their "generous" funding to more renowned schools that shone with prestige and wealth, using "more valuable" kids as tools for success.

"It makes me sick just comparing us like ants on a hill." I muttered aloud, feeling my blood boil as I examined the neglected premises of Megaton Public High School. "Living in fear of being trampled on for the rest of our lives."

As I passed the science lab, I felt a twinge of shame upon seeing the large piece of plywood covering the six foot hole next to the teacher's desk. When a water pipe began leaking in the classroom, our district was required to remove the asbestos around the aged pipes as part of the repairs. The workers had ripped open a large hole in the wall to repair it before slapping on the plywood and painting over it.

Sometimes, if you listened closely you could hear the burbling of the pipes throughout the school hallways. Right now, it was like the school was alive and angry - the gloomy walls towered over me like dead trees. As for that reason… that was why I was here so late.

That incident that had caused the school to close last week due to police investigating what a member from the art club had found afterschool - the corpse of the art club president who died with a petrified expression. Regrettably enough, this wasn't the first time a death had occurred on campus… and the memory of the last death had caused a chaotic unrest - all because of that brute, Len. Kagamine Len.

Our school already had a long standing history of violence… but Kagamine was by the the worst offender.

The name left a bitter taste in my mouth. For two years, he has been nothing but a thorn in my side through and through. He was a loner with an attendance record so poor it would make even the strictest teachers here want to claw their eyes out before being forced to emasculate themselves before the board. I've heard from the grapevine that he was often challenged by other delinquents who wanted to take his title of being the strongest kid in school. I have had unfortunate experiences of having to deal with the aftermath of his violent, nightmarish tantrums that left classrooms battered, desks and seats smashed with glass everywhere.

Kagamine was one of the biggest reasons why the lack of authority here was a major problem. His was a jarring influence on the students since the day he arrived here. Due to his ruthless reputation and unapologetic insubordination, many of the delinquents he had gained respect and fear from opted to follow his example - from students picking fights on campus to lighting fires behind the schools to smoking in the bathrooms.

He never sought fights, oh no. He simply did not care.

Ill behavior was contagious, especially in hard times when the school couldn't even scrape up enough money to sent students on field trips or replace broken equipment. Without healthy outlets, young people here had to find ways to entertain themselves.

Imagine my relief when the principal finally made the decision to suspend him last year after he killed one of those gang members from the Timber Wolves. When I heard the news, I wanted to cry with relief. There truly is a God, I had exclaimed when I praised the heavens that day. No more would I have to deal with blubbering teachers terrified of having that brute in their class too frightened to do their jobs. My father had gotten an earful from them begging to have him transferred. Kagamine had been the worst problem child at our school. With him suspended, I had thought the worst of the school's days would blow over.

I was so very wrong.

With another student dead and the school closed until further notice, there was a murderer on the loose. Would they strike again? If so, who would it be this time?

I made my way down the empty corridor, keeping right until I reached the door with the bronze nameplate spelling out the head office in steel letters. I rang the bell once until a click resonated, allowing me access.

"Here to see the chairman again, Meiko?" The secretary asked me with a terse smile as she straightened her posture, her hands neatly folded in her lap.

"Yes. Is he in?"

The woman nodded towards the door with my father's name on it.

"He's expecting you. Go on in."

Swiveling around his chair, I met my father's grim countenance as I entered his office. He was the chairman of this school, but due to his busy schedule outside of the premises he hardly had time to come home. He had a lot of meetings with the board to discuss the future of MPHS, that being funding and improvements to the current teaching system. Progress was slow, but promising with his persistent efforts. He worked hard for the sake of this school's tomorrow, leaving me in charge.

"...Meiko. I trust you know what's happened yesterday since I was unable to come home?"

"Yes, I understand." I replied curtly, getting right down to business. "Mr. Chairman, the public has been made aware of the death at our school." My fists clenched at my sides. "This is the fifth student casualty."

"Indeed. I gave my formal consolations to his parents and spoke with the teachers. They have agreed to address the incident and hold an assembly about safety. Then they may resume their lessons as usual. As for the investigation, the police say forensics confirm the DNA from deceased has belonged to the president of the art club. His body appears to be completely petrified, same as the others. However before death… the victim was…"

I remembered seeing the horrible state of the body and felt my stomach lurch. I refused to falter and continued.

"The fifth victim, second year student - Furude Takuto, was eviscerated." The graphic contents that described his death made my stomach churn. The nature of this killer chilled me to the bones. "The exact cause of death is unknown. Whether it was extreme blood loss or shock, that remains to be seen." There was a hard edge to his words, and I could barely contain my anger at the culprit who had the sick gall to desecrate an innocent student like this. "There are no other leads right now."

Chairman went on to conclude that the school would reopen tomorrow now that the investigation was finished. Apparently, the board managed to keep the media at bay from harassing the staff or students for interviews.

I had a very bad premonition about what would happen in the future… this horrible, gut-wrenching feeling that made my stomach churn… and the next words I spoke came out hesitant and bleak.

"Chairman, I have a feeling the culprit is closer to home… though I have no proof. If the prefects reported no break-ins or disturbances during after school hours, then I assume the criminal must have access inside the school." The chairman kept quiet as he listened to me. "The culprit must be aware of how the prefects make their patrol during after school hours. Their patrol pattern is tight and consistent, and they would have reported any disturbance." I spoke up earnestly. "When they reported that they didn't hear or see anyone, but I just can't imagine someone could have just broken in without leaving anything behind! Not when things were so quiet."

There were twenty nine security cameras in the school, and even they weren't enough. They were hidden around where only a handful of people, including myself, knew their exact locations. None of the footage gave off anything out of the ordinary. It was frustrating.

"What do you mean to say, Meiko?"

"My point is, the killer must be someone from the inside. And only someone from the the same side can snuff them out…" I allowed my sentence to trail off meaningfully, knowing he would understand what I meant. The silence that followed was so resonating it deafened my ears.

Finally, my father's eyes narrowed in realization as his tone dropped in warning.

"Rid that thought from your mind this instant. I know what you intend to do." He was a man with a large build, his brown hair slicked back and his beard trimmed. "I won't risk my daughter lurking around the premises when there is a murderer on the loose." Father replied sternly. "The situation is bad enough with someone from this school possibly being the culprit."

I slapped my palms onto his desk, daring to press the matter further. I knew I was testing my luck, but this was too important to let go of.

"Sir, please understand! We can't allow the board to shut us down. If one more death occurs here, then we'll be forced to close the school! Our plans to reform this school haven't even begun!" I slammed my hands on his desk again, impassioned by my furious protests. "Our students will have nowhere else to go if we stand by and do nothing while we let this murderer do what they want! There isn't a school anywhere else who will accept them. The Board of Education is a matter for you to deal with… so please entrust this matter to me! I will do whatever it takes to make this school a safe place! I won't work alone on this - I'll cooperate with the police if I must!"

"Meiko, you still have your responsibilities as a student here. What about your club activities and your homework?"

"Chairman, I don't mean to brag, but my grades have been above the 90th percentile since my first year attending here." I answered in a curt voice, keeping my chin high as I persisted in convincing him to put his trust in me. "If we don't take any chances, there's no chance of this school becoming any safer than it was yesterday. There are some risks we'll need to take."

Our gazes were locked in a silent battle, refusing to lose ground.

"Someday, I will be the one to take over your position." I told him in a derisive tone, one that contradicted my position as a student. I straightened up and crossed my arms. "Therefore, let this be my first test to prove myself to you."

After several minutes, Chairman let out a long sigh that sounded reminiscent to a deflating balloon. He stroked his chin before eying me with a exasperated look.

"It's clear where you got that proud and stubborn streak from. You have too much of your mother in you." His voice went soft. The mention of my mother caught me off-guard, and my tongue laid limp in my mouth. I had no memory of her, considering she had died from an illness during when I was only two years old. I had often wondered about her, wishing to know what she had been like. Even pictures and stories told from my father weren't enough to paint what she must have been like in life.

For a moment, I caught a glimpse of the lonely man behind the strong image of the chairman I was so used to seeing. It caught me off guard. He looked caught between nostalgia and sadness.

Father seldom spoke of her, but I knew he had loved her deeply - I could tell. As curious as I was to continue asking more about her - given that I only knew her by the memories he had of her - we still had the murderer to deal with.

The sun dyed the room a brilliant red. I stepped back to give him the space he needed, knowing that no words were needed when he was still mourning. Once he regained his composure, he returned to the stern, untethered chairman once again.

"Tell me more of your plan, then." He ordered before pausing to add. "...Daughter, I might be… no- there's no lying about it. By relying on your help, I would be putting you in a precarious position right now. I have to ask…" He looked at me straight in the eye. "Are you certain you're ready to take on this task?"

"Yes, you can trust me." I answered in a steely voice. "For the most part, I plan to observe the other students during the school hours. After the day ends, I will join the prefects in their patrols and have them circulate the perimeters in different intervals. I will also ask the art club members more about Takuto. Anything they might know about him may prove useful." I said. "Please. Help me find the culprit behind all this."

"... Very well. I will grant you permission to take as many men as you need to look for evidence. On one condition." I repressed my instinct to bristle, keeping myself from bristling in defense. I waited in silence, wondering what he would have me do in exchange for this chance. Chairman ran a hand through his slicked back chestnut hair before levelling me with a serious gaze.

"For once, can you call me Papa like you used to? When you refer to me as 'Chairman', it makes me feel old…" He furrowed his brows and pinched his temple, clearly troubled. The grave mood changed into one of exasperating, almost comedic fashion that matched the state of the Chairman's inner parental crisis.

"C-Chairman… Please be serious. Besides, I was a little girl then."

My experience growing up highlights the value of benign neglect. I had ample time alone to roam the woods around Megaton, ride my bike, and make painfully stupid decisions during my rebellious phase in middle school… that which I don't care to dwell on.

As such, I kept my social group small, and I often spent large chunks of time in solitude. My father had never been negligent, but neither had he been overly involved in every single aspect of my life. Chairman had his own interests to pursue and shouldn't feel any guilt for doing so.

Much to my relief, the large man sat up in his chair and went back to his old self.

"No? I won't push it then. In any case, there is one other thing I failed to mention up until now." He seemed to hesitate as he glanced at me, as if unsure I would react well to what he had to say next. As though a chain of murders in the school could affect me than it did now… I could certainly handle what other news he had.

"Please go on." I nodded seriously to show him I was listening. A shadow fell over his face as he took a swig of his coffee that had gone cold. He rubbed his temple as though to relieve the stress of this semester's paperwork. My brows furrowed at this. Whatever he had to tell me… I could already sense it was something unpleasant. After a long pause, he licked his dry lips before speaking up in a strangely calm, controlled voice.

"I spoke with Mr. Dell on the phone last week. You've met him before… do you remember?"

"Yes. He's the guardian of Kagamine Len…" My eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What did he say?" I didn't show it but right now I felt as though I were sitting on pins and needles. I didn't like this. For Chairman to suddenly bring him up… why now?

"He informed me that Len's disposition hearing was just recently concluded. The boy was released from juvenile hall not too long ago, but he's on probation." Chairman didn't so much as flinch at my barbed tone and continued calmly. "The paperwork has been filled out. Starting next Monday, Kagamine Len will be repeating his first year."

"...What?" Blood drained from my face hearing that. The news repeated itself in my head like a broken record. I couldn't gauge the situation right away. "Father, you can't be serious! You know what he did last year! Even for someone like him, we can't possibly have another murderer-!" My protests were silenced once Chairman directed a sharp, disapproving look at me. He stood up, his larger form lumbering over me. His eyes were so full of disappointment it actually stung. The rest of my words were lodged in my throat as he interjected in a low, controlled voice.

"I'm well aware of what happened last year. I don't intend to take this matter lightly." Chairman rumbled in a way that made my stomach sink. "Contrary to the rumors, what happened was merely an accident. It pains me remembering we lost a student that day… but from the testimonies gathered from the other Timber Wolves, they themselves admitted that Kagamine reacted in self-defense."

"What he did was brutality, not self-defense." I hissed under my breath, unable to suppress the spike of anger that reverberated throughout my bones. Involuntary manslaughter or not… from what I remembered, Kagamine hadn't so much as batted an eye at the fact that he had killed another kid - one that was his age. On the day the police came to our school to apprehend them, all I could see was how utterly detached he had looked then… his eyes had been dead, soulless even. It was as though the blood on his hands didn't matter.

Kagamine Len… the mere whisper of his name left my blood singing in my ears. The current title holder of the "strongest kid" or in Megaton, my ass... ever since that mongrel enrolled here, he's proved to be nothing more than a persistent headache that wouldn't go away.

"Lone wolf", they called him. Hah. He was a filthy cur that would defile the campus grounds into a lawless colosseum if he returned. I couldn't let that happen.

In my eyes, that mongrel was a remorseless menace. At only fifteen years old, he was complete monster. He didn't respect authority, he didn't show an ounce of humanity, and he was far too volatile for the staff to control. He was violent - arrogant - with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The rumors of his ridiculous strength wasn't unfounded. Not only that, but his temper tantrums were the worst to deal with. I would know that better than anyone else since I've had the unfortunate position of being forced to deal with the aftermaths of his rampages. There was no doubt about it. Up until the recent chain of murders, that boy was the worst unprecedented disaster that ever hit this school. Everywhere he went, destruction was sure to follow.

Bolstered by my inner tirade, I defiantly glared at the man before me before he could interrupt me.

"With the way our budget is now, we can't afford any more incidents that involve him. I'll never accept him being back here. Never. Anyone but him!"

"Meiko!" Chairman rose his voice sharply. "The Kagamine boy has took responsibility for his actions and served his time. What would you have me do? Throw him out on the streets? With his record being the way it is, no other school will accept him."

"Which is exactly why we ought to do the same." I bitterly answered. "He cares nothing for school, Chairman! Look at all the absences from his attendance record! If he doesn't want to be here and learn, then good riddance!" My anger was getting the best of me, loosening my tongue. But I couldn't let it go. "I came to you hoping you would understand that I am trying to make this school safer than it was before. Allowing Kagamine back will be detrimental to my- our progress!"

"Meiko…" Chairman started in a warning tone, but this time, I pushed back. Glaring up at him, I rounded the desk and marched up to him until his chest was level with the top of my head.

"Two murderers in the school is a disaster waiting to happen! I don't understand why you are giving him leeway after the all trouble he's caused!" Kagamine's record was so full of offenses that would reduce even the toughest disciplinary officer to tears. "He needs professional help, father. We are a school, not a pscyh ward and most certainly not a nursery!"

"I didn't expect you to approve of my decision." He began in a steady voice. "I can't deny that he struggles with anger management, however, I believe that he has reasons for being the way he is today. That is why we are here - to help him hone his emotional control." Then he went on to direct his lecture at my behavior. "You talk about him as though he is a sociopath, but remember - he is still a minor. Albeit a troubled one…" The man let his voice trail off as he looked out the window. It was raining hard nonstop. The weather had been like this for days on end. It didn't sit well with me. "And you must admit that in lieu of the… pandemoniums involving him…" He quickened his speech when my eyes started to narrow with impatience. "I believe there are hidden depths beneath what we see of him at present." He turned to me, chuckling at my confusion. "Well, I can't prove it right now… but that remains to be seen. The point is, Meiko, that I still consider him a student at this school. Nothing about that has changed."

Chairman… you make Kagamine sound like he's some diamond in the rough. Truly, my father's sentimentality would be the death of us all. Whether it was the man's compassion or pity for this "troubled boy", I didn't know. All that I was certain was that if you invite the bull in, you can expect the place to become a red bullring with the rest of the troubled students cheering the chaos on.

As insane as it sounded, I wanted to slam my head against the billboard and knock myself unconscious for the rest of this year - if only to avoid dealing with another fiasco having to do with classrooms wrecked beyond recognition and students with broken bones.

"In any case, I was under the impression that you shared my beliefs of upholding equality at this school." Chairman crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"Yes, but Chairman-!" I could feel a migraine coming on.

"We care about all our students here. Everyone deserves a second chance at education. This could very well be the boy's last chance to rejoin the community and play a societal role… to go on and graduate and find a job… to raise a decent family." His brown eyes softened just the slightest as he regarded me. "My child, would you have me deprive him of that chance when others like him would fight tooth and nail for the same opportunity? Do you think I could do that knowing it could have been my daughter instead of him in this situation?"

… I knew I hadn't always been the picture-perfect role model I was today. Even though father hadn't intended to do so, his words hit close to home as guilty memories of the times I rebelled against him during middle school resurfaced.

I gritted my teeth, lowering my head so he couldn't see my face reddening in anger and shame at being lectured like this.

"...No… father. Of course not."

A large, callused hand landed on my shoulder. His ministrations were gentle as he squeezed me.

"In return for extending your authority and finding the killer in this school, I want you to support my decision. Granted, I don't expect you to tail him at every turn… and if I turn out to be wrong, you may, of course, feel free to rub it in my face for the rest of our lives." He told me cheerfully, but his eyes were serious. "It was a hard decision to make. But I think I would regret it more if I turned my back on a child than having to pay a thousand dollars worth of damaged school property value."

At his softly spoke declaration, I felt my anger fizzle out like steam though my displeasure remained. Goodness, why did he have to act like a cool adult when it suited him? It wasn't fair play. Even so, my body relaxed at his kind touch, and I slowly stepped out of his grasp to meet his gaze.

"Chairman, I don't enforce rules around here because I enjoy being a tyrant. I understand it isn't always easy to follow them… but I don't tolerate murder or any other unjustified crimes." I challenged the students and cracked the whip not because I want to, but because there was no one else who would push them as hard as I would. Every student here had potential, but they wouldn't do anything about it unless it was shoved right under their noses.

"So that means…?" Chairman intoned hopefully, and I repressed the urge to sigh.

"Yes, fine. I will support your decision..." Seeing the hopeful glimmer in his eyes piece a knife through my conscience, I averted my eyes and forced all my pride aside to murmur that one word he wanted to hear most. "Father." Hearing his sharp inhale, I didn't dare look back to see how he would react to my sudden change of addressment. I wasn't comfortable enough to witness him throwing aside professional protocol to have an emotional moment as a father.

Still... when Kagamine comes back here, he and I were going to have a little talk. Even if I had to get five men to tie him down and force him to sit through what I had to say.

He would listen to me.

Whether he liked it or not.

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Unravel

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Chapter Three

The Same Stitch

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Kaito's POV

09:11 AM

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Monday morning, same as always. If my life could be described as moments captured by a camera, I would call it living within a sepian city. The only source of living color would be my blue hair and clothes as I waded through hell and high water. All life around me seemed gray right now, more so than usual.

"When you get back, don't forget to buy the booze, useless brat!" Uncle shouted behind me in a drunken stupor as I sprinted down the steps. He slumped against the doorway, red-faced and eyes glazed over. "Damn ingrate… you kids nowadays don't know how to treat your folks right." Keeping my eyes ahead of me, I made sure not to slam the door behind me as I left behind the shoddy rundown duplex I was obligated to call "home". Even with my back turned, I could still hear my aunt screaming at my uncle from inside the kitchen.

"You lazy good-for-nothin'! How could you get fired for drinking on the job again?! This is the fifth time…!"

"Don't go raising your voice at me, woman!" The old man bellowed back, cursing her out in the open. "I worked overtime for these past nine years raising that boy and sending him to school, and I barely got enough to scrape by for nuthin' else! This is the thanks I get?!"

"It's wrong to want to understand each other," my dad had rasped to me on his deathbed all those years ago. "People just can't understand each other. It just hurts them more because the closer you get… the truth of the matter is that you couldn't be any further away from them. To be unable to gauge their true pain… is the worst."

"This is exactly the kind of attitude I'm talking about! You're always at home passed out in front of the television with these filthy beer cans everywhere! The least thing you could do is clean up after yourself!"

"No matter what, Kaito. Be a good child and smile." My father, a shell of his former self, had begged me as his gaunt and spindly hand wrapped around my smaller, chubbier one. "Never act like you could ever hope to judge someone under the illusion that you could ever understand them."

Their argument commenced in a full-out screaming match as the neighbors nearby shook their heads at newest cacophony. The neighbors never said anything, more interested in keeping to themselves as they avoided my line of sight. The kitchen window slammed shut, muffling their hysterical voices as the sound of something breaking shattered my peace of mind.

Since the day I moved in with them, I did the one thing I'd always done ever since I was a child - I ran far away from that place as fast as my legs could carry me.

Many times I had watched their heated exchanges blow out into uncontrollable fits of rage borne from a lack of understanding one another. Ever since I was taken under their wing after my father died from overworking himself, it was their frequent exchanges and slamming of the cheap, creaky doors that kept me awake at night. I used to try to muffle out their shrill voices by pressing torn, dusty pillows against my ears. I gave up a few weeks later and instead opted to clamber onto the roof and name all the constellations I could find until the last of their words died out after midnight.

My mind went over the things I had done this morning. Dry the laundry outside? Check. Wash and dry the dishes? Check. Made dinner for tonight? Check.

People wouldn't hear about it on the evening news, and they may not even realize how poverty may be affecting parental roles in this generation, but we were in the midst of a parental neglect trend. Simply put, the lack of time, ability, or permission to be alone and wind down was a silent source of stress, undiscussed yet pervasive. Overtime and a lack of available funds from welfare caused, in large measure, the primary stress for caretakers. Contemporary demands, especially for parents of young children, would be considered unsustainable in our economic crisis.

I grew up alone, under that yellow roof with cracked tiles. By keeping to myself with a smile, I learned a lot from watching people from the sidelines. I was well aware my peers considered me an oddball, and so - when they pretended not to see me, that left them open for me to see what lingered behind their masks.

Now, I have never been interested in being the judge of others' characters, much less of my aunt and uncle. We were poor with barely enough money to scrap by. No expenses could be spared aside from the bare necessities. I wouldn't consider their treatment towards me warm or inviting, and their day-to-day habits were questionable - but I was in no place to pass judgment on them when I knew I was an uncontrolled factor in their life - a cause of their stress. Of course, I could hardly blame myself - but I couldn't condone the way they handled their stress… considering they took it out on each other (and myself) in destructive ways. That was why I neither condemned or condoned the delinquents at school. Like me, many of them had harsh upbringings or worse. They struggled, too. If I hadn't discovered my fascination for psychology and lore - I could have very well ended up like those kids on the wrong side of town.

With no one to talk to and constantly left to my own devices, whether it was having to clean up after my uncle after he passed out from home… or being treated by my aunt with the cold shoulder.

I had no reason to complain. I didn't starve, and despite their aggressions - they had never struck me. It was just a loveless arrangement. It could have been worse.

But I guess… it was pretty lonely growing up - not knowing love or the warmth of a parent's hand - I had long forgotten what that felt like years ago.

I kept true to my promise to dad, though.

I never pressed my opinions and smiled like a good boy would… as if doing so would lessen the fact that I was a burden. Somehow, it didn't hurt as much when I thought it that way.

My bookbag swung as I raced across the cracked sidewalk, hurrying to get to school on time. I adjusted the strap on my shoulder as I left my troubles at home behind me. It would be faster if I took the bus, but given my motion sickness it wasn't an option. Ugh. I shuddered at the thought of sitting idly in a rocking bus full of noisy people. Just remembering the last time I was forced to take a ride during stormy weather was enough to make my stomach queasy.

Though I was a lover of the humanities, I possessed an innate appreciation for the fine arts as well. My hand reached inside my bag before pulling out my own copy of The Greatest Kingdoms in the World - the Le Luc Monarchy. With a smile, I looked over the embellished cover. I really love this edition; it had to be, by far, my favorite issue up to date.

Most aren't aware there's so much to draw back on history lessons such as the last princess of Rorrim - Riliane Le Luc, otherwise known as Riliane III. I flipped open the book and leafed through the yellowed pages until I stopped at a portrait of Riliane III, the final monarch before the fall of the Le Luc Monarchy.

Rorrim, the Lost Kingdom, was once a beautiful land that had been ruled by the Le Luc family for generations. It was lost to time and history, having mysteriously disappeared almost a millennium ago. The records of such a place were scarce to the point where historians would be locked in a debate as to what happened to the land. Some even questioned if it even existed in the first place, as absurd as it sounded.

The capital of this country was named after the lost kingdom - Rorrim. Rorrim Capitol was where the king's court took place, just beyond the Ambrosia Palace.

What knowledge the ancient text provided about the Le Luc family suggested that they were a long line of successful but ruthless monarchs. Dating back to Louis Le Luc, the man who conquered the wild lands, he had become the first king. Throughout his life, he imposed the belief that mankind should intimately know hardship and strength - lest they become lax and weak, in other words, to be corrupted by depravity. Whereupon his long rule, his last wish on his deathbed was for his legacy to be unbreakable and unbent - to have his bloodline be known as the greatest rulers in the world.

For nineteen generations, the Louis's descendants ruled Rorrim with iron fists with fierce pride rivaling their brutality. Tempered by harsh lands and even harsher teachings of the king of conquerors, the the Le Lucs forced their kingdom to prosper through sheer force and ambition - beyond unimaginable heights at the cost of enslaving their people. They built armies and conquered other nations. Their technology was amazing, even considered advanced for their era. Though they could be considered tyrants, all in all - it was undeniable that the monarchs of the Le Luc family had no qualms of taking what they were entitled to rule. Their kingdom had been feared by other world powers for a reason.

The motif that represented Le Luc family's long line of rulers was the bright amaryllis, which was rumored to bloom across the nation at the birth of their prosperous yet violent monarchy.

During the time of Riliane III's rule, the prosperous era had come to an end due to civil unrest and a massive shortage of food due to unpredictable, almost supernatural climate changes with no explanation as to why they occurred. In short, Rorrim had already been at the cusp of destructive civil war by the time the crown was passed down to her. The power which the royal family of the Le Luc had held for so many generations collapsed in on itself.

"Following the death of Lilith Le Luc, queen of Rorrim, the crown was passed down to her younger sister, Riliane Le Luc - whereupon her grand ceremony deemed her the princess ruling over the Kingdom of Rorrim the natural resources of the land had already depleted itself, causing a great drought across the lands…" I read aloud the words as I trotted down the streets, keeping wary of the crosslights at the intersections. "Though initially beloved and cherished by her people before taking the throne, Riliane II's reign ultimately proved to be a short-lived and unpopular one."

Interesting. I read the footnotes below.

Historians would have many believe that due to Riliane's empathetic nature she would have been a worthy future queen when she came of age. In reality, she had the sad reputation of losing the entire Le Luc empire to the Riphoste Rebellion primarily due to lack of experience and underestimating their will and resources from outside the country to reform the nation. History text suggested she had been betrayed by usurping noblemen within her castle, having been taken advantage of her sheltered, innocent mind. She was more or less a scapegoat for the people symbolizing the hatred of the Le Luc monarchy. Having been exhausted with her forefathers' oppression and believing her to be a weak ruler - they overthrew the Le Luc Monarchy and executed the princess.

All in all, despite the princess's best attempts - she had indeed led her people but never truly ruled over their hearts.

The portrait of the golden-haired princess displayed her knelt beside a grand mirror, which was prominently known as the missing artifact from the Le Luc Monarchy. It was the family's treasured heirloom. The footnotes called it the 'Mirror of Moirai'. The princess bore a somber demeanor despite her supposedly sunny personality. The smile on her lips was weak as water. Her shoulders were sagged as though burdened with the weight of the world, or rather - her fallen kingdom.

So young, so tragic… after having lost so much, the princess had been fated to carry all the sins of her forefathers and her people's dreams that could never come to fruition.

Compassion for this young, proud princess bled from my gaping heart as though someone had plunged a knife at my back. Her path as the martyr princess, though a noble and toilsome one, was certainly not something I envied. I wiped a tear from my eye, clutching the throbbing ache at my chest. Be still, my bleeding heart. I had no shame being moved by this tragic tale, as a real man didn't cry for himself - but for others.

The book trembled in my hands as I painstakingly shut the book with a hard, painful swallow. Call me mawkish or a ridiculous emotional wreck, but I was beyond help right now. I wasn't even exaggerating.

But why… what reason could there be…

Why… why wasn't there a movie out about this yet?!

"Bwaaaa!" My inelegant, manly sobs put off the people around me as they threw me alarmed glances before scurrying off to avoid my gaze. "Oh, princess! Why?! To met such a terrible fate-?!" I could barely contain myself from tearing out the pages if not for my love of books. My lament was suddenly drowned out by a sudden downpour as thunder roared above me. I was soaked in seconds from head to toe as a result of having been so engulfed in my reading that I had failed to notice my surroundings yet again.

Incredulously enough, I had somehow managed to arrive at the front gates of the school despite being engrossed in my book. Students around me were rushing past to get inside, fighting against the strong winds to keep themselves from being blown away. I simply stood there, unsure of whether to be amazed or infuriated by the timing of the situation.

In this case… I was at the right place at the wrong time?

"...Well, that's what I call a real shower." I calmly fixed my glasses in spite of the uncomfortable feeling of having my clothes stick to my skin like glue. Instead of getting angry, I smiled brilliantly at the heavens above. "Your sense of humor is as refreshing as this downpour, God." I laughed aloud to humor said divinity, bewildering a group of girls who whispered to each other in hushed voices.

"Look, It's that weird junior again. The total brain geek? I thought he was mental before, but why's he just loitering around in those wet clothes laughing to himself?"

"Clearly he has some issues. He's just standing there, laughing and carrying on a conversation all by himself!"

"Shh! He'll hear you!"

Keen as a fox, I turned my head in the direction of where my ears picked up their voices. They froze once I smiled and waved at them in a friendly manner.

"Hello, ladies! Care to join me in a philosophical discussion regarding the weather? Ah, more specifically… don't those cumulonimbus clouds remind you of the sexy brains we have?" I groped at the air with both hands as I approached them under the sheltered entrance. Despite having the best intentions in mind, something on my face have scared them off because they screamed in terror as soon as I came near them.

"S-Stay away from us, you dodgy weirdo!"

"D-Don't look at us with those mad eyes!"

"EEEK! H-h-he's panting like a wet dog! RUN!"

"Uh… hey, wait! Ladies, don't go!" I reached out to stop them but failed. They ran like the wind. Why did they treat me like I'm a low class pervert no better than a local panty raider? For some reason, this happened a lot when I tried to make friends. Feeling petulant, I frowned as I watched them scurry through the doors. "So I'm dodgy now...?"

What went wrong this time?

I stroked my chin in thought, wondering if girls just didn't like talking about icky anatomy parts like the brain in general. They seemed to be sensitive towards graphic topics, anyhow. Hmm, I wonder. I had my answer once I glanced at the glass door that reflected my surroundings.

"Oh good lord, what in seven hells is that- oh wait, it's just me." The young man reflected back at me was a bedraggled, half-dead mess. My hair had fallen into my eyes and the cold rain gave me a pale, almost sickly pallor. My eyes were sunken from lack of sleep, and my cheeks were gaunt. I had lost weight this month due to my poor diet and lack of nutrients from all the ice cream I splurged on using my allowance.

What can I say? I've never been a meat lover.

The fact that I was insanely tall didn't help matters either. Good Lord, no wonder they hightailed it and ran. I looked like a spindly, looming zombie casted from one of those cheap budget horror shows. Or more like a blue Slenderman. I could see my debut being played out in my mind's eye. My imaginary audience would have been bemoaning at my arrival and regretting the time they couldn't take back buying seats inside a cramped cinema. Instead they would have to make sure they didn't waste their ticket money by sitting through my hammy acting.

Being in the limelight was intense. All that pressure, man… I don't think I could do it.

A cold spray of water splashed against my heels as students pushed past to make it through the doors, forcing me back to the present. Hahaha. My mind runs away with my imagination sometimes.

"Still, it's been pouring nonstop in this area for almost a week now." I murmured to myself aloud, craning my neck to watch the darkening sky. "Even though the weather forecast said it was only supposed to be windy… it's almost like there's something ominous about it."

Huh. Weird.

"Excuse me, you there!" A curt voice caught my attention as I stared ahead to see a sophomore boy from the student council talking to a small blonde girl by the main gate. A violent gust of wind nearly knocked me flat, and I had to shield my eyes from the sharp impact.

"Um. May I help you?" The girl shouted over the wind, clinging to her umbrella from the onslaught of rain. "What is it?"

"We need to go over the student handbook, if you please! Your outfit violates the dress code!"

They were both clinging to their umbrellas, their hair and clothes flapping in the wind. A crack of thunder roared from above, causing them and myself to jump.

"...Right now? Here?" The girl stared at the council member as though he had grown two heads. "Well, would you mind so terribly as to let inside first? I'd much prefer to be warm and dry instead of catching my death out here."

Though hesitating at first, the flushed boy guided her inside. I followed them, not letting myself get caught up in a storm a moment longer.

"Excuse me!" I was about to dry off in the bathroom until the boy from before called out to me. He was using his back to lean all his weight against the doors, but to no avail. The wind howled behind him, persistently clawing through the entrance. "Help me with the doors! I can't do it with this wind…! Hurry, my back is freezing!" Of course, I obliged. Out of the corner of my eye, I sensed the blonde trying to escape but it didn't cross my mind to say anything about it then. It took all our strength to succeed. Even after we managed to lock up, the storm caused the doors to rattle from outside.

"Man…" I wrung the water from my hair and scarf. I took of my specs and wiped it dry with the end of my shirttail. One sorry look at my soggy book told me I was going to get fined big time. With a heavy sigh, I stared out the window and knitted my brows into an expression of deep concern. It wasn't amusing anymore.

In all my years living here, I've never seen the weather get this bad. Things were looking grim. If this storm didn't clear up soon, the buses wouldn't run and the school would have to keep the students here until it died down.

"Gahhh…" My breath was white. Inside the chilly school, my breath seemed to freeze and cloud up against my face. Why was it so cold now? Don't tell me the heater was busted again. I was not looking forward to freezing to death in class. That was it. I didn't care if I was tardy. I needed a towel from the bathroom right now.

"... In any case, the sewing kit you're carrying isn't allowed here in school except for home economics room. Even then, the school provides those so long as they stay inside the classroom." I turned my head to find the older boy chastising the blonde girl he had caught earlier. "I understand that you're new here and things can be overwhelming during the first couple weeks, but rules are rules. I can't abide by this not even a bit." Tut, tut. It looked like she hadn't managed to sneak away like planned. Now she was getting the lecture of her life. Her thinly veiled displeasure was akin to a child whose hand was caught inside the cookie jar- it made me chuckle. For some reason, something about the unreadable expression in the girl's eyes piqued my interest. I found myself staying put. "But continuing… your skirt length, nail attachments, shoes, accessories, bag, and the straps of your top are all in violation of school rules."

The more I looked at this blondie, the more something dawned on me. That faint but indignant downturn of her lips, her dark makeup and attire, and the fact that her height was just shy from average…

Most of all, there was that bespectacled black bunny in her arms. I hadn't noticed it until now.

"Ah…!" A memory of helping a blonde freshman out of trouble on the first day of school flashed through my mind. A lightbulb went off in my head. It was that sassy Gothic Lolita blonde!

But what was her name again… Ri… something. Risa? Rilakkuma? Rihanna? I wracked my brain trying to remember. I was always bad with memorizing names.

"May I see your student ID? Hmm… Okay, miss Shimoda Rin. Please come with me to security checkpoint."

That was it! Rin!

Ding, ding, ding! Winner!

"So many changes. I don't remember this place being a private academy." Rin snipped before shaking her head. "Pardon me, but I do have class to attend. Why don't we talk about this some other time over tea? And in any case…" She cleared her throat, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I went to school like this yesterday when I attended orientation, and no one said anything. Aside from that, my dress is not provocative in the least!" She stepped forward and prodded a finger at herself. "Not to mention other students far more crass than I have been wearing belly rings, combat boots, and hiked shorts!"

"And those students are serving detention right now." The second-year student pointed out. "Sorry, but we went easy on you all since it was your first day. Now that you went over the rules with the Council President yesterday, however, you're expected to follow the rules. It's not only a matter of appearance - it's also safety." he said, handing her his clipboard. "Starting today, we give those who violate said rules detention after school. Sign your name here and put down the time you're available to serve your detention today." He reached over to take her sewing kit. "Also, I'll have to confiscate that."

"No. I don't see the problem." Rin refused and shrank back, batting away the pen he offered. "I wear these clothes as a form of art: to express my inner self. Clothes are made to stylize one's nature, not to subdue." She guarded her sewing kit against her chest like her life depended on it, glowering at the fourth-year student as though he were a thief. "Besides, it's not like dressing up like this will affect my studies."

"But it will." An austere voice cut in, interrupting their conversation. It was my classmate as well as the chairman's daughter, Meiko Sakine. With not a single hair out of place and every fold of her uniform ironed, it seemed she was untouchable even with a hellstorm just outside.

Did she have some secret power?

The student council president made her way down the steps with that confident air that never failed to demand undivided attention. Her sharp brown eyes sought out Rin's as she continued in a coolly composed voice. In her hands she carried two gym towels, which she handed over to both students before continuing.

"Living by the school rules prepares you for society. So long as this building stands, we are all equal here. We all abide under the same conditions." Her tone came out clipped and cold. "Starting today, we expect you will follow school guidelines if you wish to continue attending here. Dyed hair and spiked accessories are out of the question, as they are profane and could contain hidden weapons." She stopped in front of them to take in the sight of the other girl's outfit, raising a thin brow. "What's this? I'm sure you're aware that it's not the holidays."

Meiko was known as the ideal student role model of the school. She was awed and admired by everyone, including the staff, as a prim and proper class president on honor roll. Truth be told though, I've watched her for a long time as one of her admirers since my first year. I doubted she even knew I existed. Even though we were in the same grade, she was in the more advanced classes. It was also hard to approach her, as her polite but strict demeanor put others at arm's length. She seemed to be on another completely different scale from the rest of us.

Yet the more I observed Meiko, the more I came to realize that statuesque, perfectional composure of hers was merely a front. Still, I had to give credit where it was due. She was very good at acting the part. Even I was fooled for months before I finally started noticing the way her jaw tightened or the slight crease of her forehead when the lunacy of having to deal with stressful situations got to her. She executed everything perfectly, from grades to sports to disciplining unruly students. She dealt with problems with cold, rational logic.

The prefects here would only listen to her orders, and the teachers acted like whipped dogs around her since she brought up the school average with her flawless GPA. Even the toughest delinquents here were wary of her, knowing full well that she didn't need to resort to violence to get them kicked to the lowest rung on the school ladder.

Of course, despite how frightening she sounded with the influence she had over the school… she would never stoop so low as to get anyone expelled out of spite.

Still, I didn't envy her position as the council president one bit. As the chairman's daughter, she likely had a lot of expectations to carry on those small shoulders of hers.

"Still… something's different about her today…" I muttered to myself. Leaning against a nearby pillar, I searched her eyes as I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

The brunette's mood was afoul, moreso than usual. She obviously didn't look happy to be here. For her, that was unusual. I wondered why that was… what could've happened that caused a crack in her mask? She wasn't wearing it with practiced ease like she usually did...

"Ohh, you may see it that way." Rin's eyes seemed to light up as she dried her hair. "But for me, every day for me is Halloween. Days full of tricks and treats… and the ensuing horror of reality is just the icing on the top." Emitting creepy giggles, her face went from surly to darkly pleased within seconds. Her sudden change in character was strange...

"I see." If Rin's sudden behavior creeped her out, Meiko gave no indication of showing it. Instead her expression remained unreadable as she closed her eyes. "Interesting as that may be, please head to the infirmary immediately. The school nurse will provide you something more appropriate than…" she paused to give her a sidelong glance, "Whatever that is you're wearing." Rin's appalled reaction to Prez's blunt, no-nonsense remarks was one of the times I wished I had a camera to capture that moment forever.

Now, I don't know much about fashion, but I had to admit that the Gothic blonde's dress looked like it came out of a storybook. Based on deep sea colors, inspired by mermaids and sirens, and even the pink underskirt reminded me of peeking corals. The tight bodice appeared to be made to resemble scales, and the bust pieces were shaped like a pair of fanned out seashells. The layered skirts were fashioned to a jellyfish's body, with patterns running up and down like trailing tentacles. Even the apron had an anchor Holding her braided half updo were tiny, glittering orange starfish scattered across the back of her hair.

The garter around her thigh appeared to fashioned in the shape of seaweed. The horseshoe that hung at the back of her sash was a nice touch. Rather than those heels she wore yesterday, she had ribbon flats today. They were a soft turquoise, similar to ballet shoes. She certainly had an interesting choice in fashion. Her makeup was left unaffected from the storm's rampage, but I assumed she had applied a waterproof brand.

The Gothic blonde danced around Meiko like a rhythm of water, causing them to inevitably follow her mesmerizing movements.

"This dress happens to be a part of my upcoming line, from the Deluded Depths. I'll have you know that this design is inspired by the Little Mermaid!" Rin informed them with her shoulders tossed back with pride, and then her voice went soft. "It was my favorite fairytale from childhood… he used to read it to me all the time." For a moment she was off in her own world. The look on her face puzzled not just me, but the others as well. Then her face pinched into one of distaste once she returned to her senses. "And I've seen what the nurse has to offer. I won't be seen wearing sweat pants. I'd sooner settle for the dresses I make for myself, thank you."

Now, that surprised me.

That tiny blonde freshman made her own clothesline despite her age?

Amazing.

"You… made that dress yourself?" Miss Prez seemed to think so, too, given by the grudging respect shown on her face.

Riin gave a small but absolute nod. "That's right, and I have many more in stock." Stock? Was she into retail merchandise, or something? Or rather, was she making a living off her own clothesline? No one would have ever guessed she was the business-savvy type with just a glance. Even I didn't see that coming.

A tense silence enveloped as both Meiko and her underling exchanged troubled glances. They may be used to being on the end of angry yelling or violent threats, but dealing with someone like Rin was a first.

Speaking of which, Rin's face had already shifted into a thoughtful expression, then a faint smile appeared as she tilted her head.

"...Miss President, don't you think art has many forms? In this case, isn't fashion a means to freely express individuality?" Rin asked, hugging her dark bunny close to her chest. "I thought this school's slogan encouraged students to freely express themselves with pride as students attending Megaton."

Meiko's face scrunched up in pensive silence. Ha! Of course, someone as serious and authoritative as her couldn't pass up an reasonable debate. Especially not when her very position was being questioned in the first place.

"Well… I… can't say you don't have a point, but things are different here at school. Artistic venture is indeed a privilege exercised in this day and age." Prez sighed, her conflicted expression shifted between uncertainty and sympathy, but eventually she schooled her features into a calm mask of indifference. "It pains me that we cannot reach an understanding… but rules are rules. I don't make them - I only enforce them." She looked into Rin's eyes with her own, putting a hand on her hip. "Would you mind telling me your name?" There was a note of genuine curiosity in her voice.

"Rin. Shimoda Rin." The girl answered with a faint yet gratuitous smile. "I just moved to Megaton a few weeks prior to the school's opening. I consider myself fortunate to meet you like this in person, miss President."

"Likewise, Rin." Meiko gave a curt nod before her gaze wandered over in my direction. Our eyes met. Her face betrayed her emotions as surprise flitted across her features. Quick as a wink, however, her expression returned to her unperturbed mask of indifference. I didn't miss the annoyed glance she threw me, though.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I can't abide by your state of dress no matter the reason. It wouldn't be fair to others if I did." Meiko's words were cut and dry as always. "A disarray in clothes is a disarray in heart. Of course it's not that I'm personally judging your taste in fashion. I have never been one who cared for those things." Brown eyes pierced into blue ones. "Even if it isn't me, one of the prefects here will still write you up for detention should you continue acting freely on your whims." With that said, Meiko turned on her heel and headed up the stairwell. Clearly, their conversation was done.

"Ah, miss President, wait for me!" The other council member tripped over himself trying to catch up with her, but not before writing up a warning notice and handing it to Rin. Meiko was about to turn the corner just as the boy jogged up to her side. Before disappearing out of sight, however, she inclined her head in Rin's direction one last time.

"Shimoda Rin, I will remember your name. I did not expect you to be courteous about this… as rude as that sounds." The president remarked before turning away. "Stay out of trouble, and I can assume our next meeting will be far more pleasant." With that, both council members disappeared.

"Negotiation failed, Ossa… oh well." Rin sighed to herself, twirling a curled stand around her finger. "Still, I suppose this wasn't a total waste of time. Miss President is astonishingly civil in person despite my initial judgement. I was expecting her to be more oppressive." Throwing the towel into a nearby bin, she spun on her heels and danced with her bunny. "Just as planned, we get to stay after school without any risk of suspicion. This is good. We are one step closer to finding who has been doing these atrocious things..." Her voice went low as she whispered in the bunny's ear. She was too far away for me to actually hear what she said, but my ears picked up the words "auntie" and "annoying job" and "the sweets ban will finally be lifted"?

"What a puzzling girl." I was baffled by her odd behavior and even odder choice of words. It sounded like she wanted to stay after school for some reason. Being nosy as I was, I wanted to find out why. That was my pet peeve - once I got curious, I couldn't stand leaving a question unanswered.

Still, color me impressed. I was starting to feel a strange affinity with this Rin girl - not romantic attraction, necessarily. I was just pleasantly surprised to find that someone could embrace their individuality so unapologetically and without shame.

Someone like me.

…

I watched the blonde freshman leave with a spring in her step. She was in a surprisingly good mood for someone who was just reprimanded with the threat of detention.

"It's settled." I proclaimed and pounded a fist into my palm, a fiery determination I hadn't felt in years burning bright inside me like a fire. "I'll come to understand the mechanisms of her human mind even if it kills me. So far, every encounter with her has proved to be far too interesting to dissuade myself from." Well, I'd have to work around my chores and homework, but Rin was now officially on my watch list. Was it weird that I liked the fact that watching people and trying to figure them out excited me? Probably, yes.

But Rin and Meiko were uncommon… which was precisely why I wanted to pick them apart and put them back together again with my delusional, egotistical ways of profiling them. Gah, I would make for a great criminal psychologist or a counselor in the future!

… Well, maybe not the "counselor" part. My mind was like a bag of marbles, constantly spilling everywhere with incomprehensible thought processing.

The mechanisms of my mind were an enigma. I didn't know how I'd react if someone would be able to read me… eek. That's invasive and personal… no wonder I drove people away with my way of thinking?

With a decisive grin, I finally kept my delayed appointment with the bathroom. As I walked off, I could feel my heart bouncing with excitement.

To think I was dreading having to attend another year here with boring, unchallengeable classes. Now, I was positively tickled pink with anticipation. This year was going to be a very interesting one. I could feel it in my bones.

---

To clear the air, most students here were raised on the rules of the chairman ever since he took over a couple years ago. It's the other category of students, or rather "delinquents" who were under the red radar of the school board. Under the chairman's guidance, the staff was attempting to curb the disorderly conduct in our school. It would take time, for sure. Whenever he dropped by the classrooms, he was actually a pretty nice guy despite all his muscles and beard and manliness. I felt scrawny compared to him.

No one worked as hard as the Student Council President, though. Well, Meiko herself was special. Smart, beautiful, and sharp as a tack, too. To top it off, she earned the highest marks in our graduating class. Of course, I was going to change that this year.

After all, I could see Meiko being the most likely candidate to take over this school. Not just because of her prestige. She worked on everything throughout the day that I didn't see her having any time to herself. Being unofficially in charge despite her position as a student must be a rigid, lonesome routine that only she could make the best of. Even despite all that, she stood tall.

Which was why this sudden meeting with her felt unprecedented.

"Hi~ miss President!" I opened the door to the empty classroom with a hearty greeting. Morning lectures had ended and it was study hall for us third-years. "I was surprised when one of the students told me you wanted to see me." I tried to break the ice with a laugh as I stepped inside, rubbing the back of my neck. "Even though we're in the same homeroom, it's rare we get to talk if at all."

"... That's right." Meiko didn't mince words. Still, she seemed to have an interesting character beneath that calm mask of indifference. You just had to press the right buttons with her to find that persona. I couldn't wait to find out what they were.

"You asked if you could speak to me alone…" I began, suddenly realizing we were in the empty classroom. At her lack of response, my heart thudded in my chest. I stood a respectable distance away from her, scratching my cheek. Well, this was certainly… awkward.

It was like one of those romantic scenes from a shoujo manga - yes I read shoujo manga - wherein the main heroine confesses her love to the average protagonist! Oh wait, I should be face-to-face with her for this. Taking that into consideration, I closed the gap between us and grabbed her hands to show how moved I was by her act of courage and love!

"Miss Prez! Could it be that you've fallen for me?!"

Blatant confusion was written all over her face. Her bewilderment increased as she dropped her eyes at our joined hands before arching a delicate brow. "While I have no idea what you're going on about, you are very much advised to let go of my hand now."

Overwhelmed by her valiant attempt to save her pride in a situation like this, I found myself speaking up on her behalf.

"I see! You poor thing," I took off my glasses with a despondent sigh, feeling my heart swell in pity at her lack of initiative until now. "It's because of my status as an average youth and low income that you would obviously hold off on speaking your feelings up until now! But behind my visage as a psychology fanatic who else but you would notice the hunk behind the geek? Truly, you are amazing!"

Truly, she knew a genius when she saw one.

"Are you some kind of idiot?" Meiko uttered, staring at me incredulously. Then her eyes narrowed as she gave me a long once-over before tensing up. Without missing a beat, she coldly gave a glance to her imprisoned wrist. With a burst of strength I didn't expect coming from her, she ripped herself free from my hold and shoved me back so hard I actually ended up stumbling a bit.

"You presume far too much, Shion." Meiko told me in the flattest tone I heard from her all day. She brushed herself off as she crossed her arms. "I didn't ask you to meet me with that in mind. I barely know you. So whatever delusions you are under, keep me out of them."

Ouch. I gaped at her sharp words, clutching my chest dramatically.

"Miss Prez… how could you say such things… I think my heart is broken."

"Yes, well, that won't be the only thing broken if you dare lay your hands on me again." Meiko huffed in reply, turning away from me. "Back to the main subject at hand. My reason for calling you out here was because I wanted to question your recent behavior as of late."

"My… behavior?" I inclined my head, picking up on her intoned suspicion despite her casual display. "I'm not sure I understand, miss Prez."

Her sleek bob cut tickled her jawline as she brushed past me, reaching behind to lock the door before spearing me with an icy glare.

"Since last year, I have had the strangest feeling of someone's eyes following me around at school. I thought I was going crazy, feeling like I was being watched no matter where I went. It was like I was being hunted." Just then, her hand was holding the front of my scarf in a vice-like grip. "Tell me, is that what you like to do with your victims? Keep to yourself with an unassuming position before going in for the kill?" With an insistent pull, she forced me to bend down to meet the full ferocity of her gaze. "It was you, wasn't it?"

Wait, what?

My breath hitched in my throat at the accusation as I awaited her next words with bated breath.

"I know you've been watching me for some time."

"You've taken an interest in those around you yet nine times out of ten you never engage in casual conversation with them, myself included. What are you plotting?"

"H-Hold on, Prez. I seriously don't know what you're talking about!" I waved my hands frantically in attempt to placate her. "A-anyway, hasn't this become a huge misunderstanding?! Sure I've observed you from afar from time to time, but I mean-" Rendered paralyzed by the hostile way she was treating me, I was stammering and stuttering like a bumbling idiot.

"Speak up, Shion Kaito. Why don't you just admit you get off from that voyeurism of yours before wrangling up those corpses like puppets on strings?" Meiko breathed against the skin of my neck, causing hot shivers to jolt up my spine. "It would make things much easier for you."

Sakine Meiko, the most admired girl in school and a very pretty one at that was actually touching me but also laying down the most bone-chilling interrogation I've ever had to go through in my life. Her face was so close. This would be considered the closest I've ever scored with a girl if not for the fact that she looked like she wanted to hang me up by my feet dangling off the school roof. If she wanted to, she could crush my throat in the palm of her hand and I could picture her getting away with it. Bearing the brunt of her complete wrath shook me to the core, and I felt the draining sensation that if things kept going like this I'd probably wet myself before I even knew what happened.

Wow, I really ought to man up, shouldn't I?

A crack of thunder shattered my train of thought as Meiko's scorned visage filled my vision again, outlined by the sudden flash of lightning that exploded in the room.

"Ahhh, Prez!" Finally, I broke under pressure and wasn't too proud to beg for mercy. "Your judging eyes are piercing through my conscience!" I clutched at the front of my vest, my voice coming out in a choked gasp. "I confess! I was the one who hoarded all the ice cream during our freshman track meet that day! I'm sorry! I know it was petty, but I was starving and it was my birthday and...!"

My incessant blubbering startled the ace student as her brown eyes went wide in response.

"Wait, you were the thief responsible that day even though we made sure to hide it-" She suddenly shook her head before glaring at me again. "No, never mind that. Don't try to distract me. You know that's not what I'm looking for-"

"It's clear you think of me as a knave! But on my word, I promise you there isn't a single bone in my bone that would sully pure, maidenly hearts like yours! My intentions are noble! Honest!" I bowed before her as well as I could with her hand still coiled around my scarf. Her eyes pierced through mine as though expressing her desire to emasculate me, and my knees turned to jelly. "I-It wasn't me who went on a panty raid last summer during the girls' volleyball meet here!"

I was well-aware that with my bigger frame, I could wrestle her off and make a run for it… but that was the same as saying I could jump off a cliff and survive, but there was no guarantee. I didn't want to make this a situation where it went from "out of the frying pan and into the oven". Besides, no real man would simply go up against a girl who had a brown belt in judo.

Yes, I admit my "people watching" deemed me questionable enough as a sick stalker, but I wasn't some kind of pervert, really! Believe it or not, even I have standards!

Meiko studied me, her face tightening with anger before relaxing. She abruptly released me with a long winded sigh. Exasperated, she rubbed her temple as though a headache were coming on.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

I opted to melt against one of the chairs for support, as though my knees would give way at any moment. I didn't realize I hadn't been holding my breath until a croaky wheeze escaped me. I fanned myself, trying to cool off my flaming face.

Wow, that was intense.

"Uh. I can't say I do?" I intoned carefully after some hesitation, unable to muster the nerve to give her even the weakest of grins. "Prez, I'm well aware this will sound like a stupid question at this point, but… have I done something to upset you?"

"Forget it. How could I ever think someone like you would possess the gall of committing heinous crimes at school?" Meiko ignored me in favor of scolding herself, her fingers drumming on a nearby desk. Her expression was drawn deep in thought. "Petty theft is one thing, but expecting too much from a hack was a blunder on my part."

"Uh…" I started to say but faltered, not sure how I was supposed to address her after what happened. For starters, I think she insulted me just now - but more importantly, what was it that she thought I did to warrant such hostility on her part?

Hearing my voice, Meiko turned to me. A brief flash of conflict crossing her eyes before they hardened again.

"I apologize. It was wrong of me to attack you without any evidence. I will refrain from doing such things in the future." For a moment, she paused before nodding to herself in resolution. "You deserve to know why I did that, at least. I'm certain you're aware of the recent murders here, am I right?" At my hesitant nod, she continued. "Yes… well. I have been on the lookout for suspicious characters as of late. It seems to me that the culprit operates inside the school as either a student or teacher… but perhaps my method of finding said culprit could be considered… rash."

"Ah ha… well, that's one way to look at it." I laughed nervously, holding my hands up in defense when she gave me a piercing stare again. "I've always been told I'm too nosy for my own good… but I'm not the murderer, President Meiko."

"Yes. It's true you've had contact with Furude and the other deceased students… but the look in your eyes was honest when I interrogated you." Meiko acknowledged my defense with derisive noise. "You may be spineless, or at worst - a prowler… but our discussion has proved to me that you're innocent."

I sat there, astonished and unsure whether to be offended or relieved at that statement. I decided to be the latter. I nodded.

"Thanks a lot, President Meiko."

"Indeed, well…" Checking her nails, Meiko inclined her head towards me with a frown tugging at her lips. "Eavesdropping notwithstanding."

"Ohh, caught." I surrendered with a slight laugh. "S-Sharp as expected of you, Prez. I guess you really did see me this morning."

"Anyone would have noticed you skulking around sooner or later." Meiko responded coolly as she moved past me to unlock the door. As she lingered by the exit, however, she threw me a glance over her shoulder. "Keep in mind how others view the school through you. Act appropriately. It's bad enough I have these troublesome reports about you and your afterschool experiments in the chem lab." Turning away from me, she let out a long exhale. For a moment, she seemed sullen. "Goodness. First that freshman girl from this morning, now you? Students can't behave however they please…"

Despite her grumbling, I could see how much the deaths of those poor students bothered her. It affected her more than she'd care to let on. I felt bad for those poor kids when I heard about it, and naturally, of course, a sense of wariness. I even wondered if it was considered safe coming to school any more.

But for the president - she didn't even have the luxury to think about her own safety. The other students came first in her mind, and I was sure if I asked about it she would vehemently deny it and say it was for the sake of appearances.

I was sure of it. Despite her distant attitude, she cared more about everyone here more than she let on.

Still, I don't think the thought of her walking around with that unhappy look on her face didn't sit well with me. But what could I do? Hm.

"You're always so serious, Prez…" Really, I was surprised no one had ever suggested her to have fun once in awhile. She always looked so surly. I studied her intently before an idea lit up in my head like a lightbulb. I broke into a slow, impish grin.

Well, something must be done about that frown of hers. Even if it was a dumb idea, it might help get her mind off things if only for a little while.

Mwahahaha, it was time for some payback anyway. Consider this revenge for scaring the hell out of me earlier, Mei-Mei.

"Today is just full of surprises! Imagine what would everyone think if they found out our ironclad and authoritarian Prez happens to be an avid fan of Miraculous Ladybug." I said in a lazy drawl, earning her puzzled stare before her eyes widened in shock as I reached into the broom closet to pull out a set of girly manga. Yes, her secret stash was now exposed.

Ahh, this was the second time today I wish I had a camera. The look on the president's face had my insides rolling

"Bwahahaha!" I wiped a fake tear from my eye as I forced myself into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, trying to egg her on. "Hoo boy. I know I would never be able to look at her the same way again."

"Give those back!"

Just as the smaller girl lunged for me, I reeled back with a grin.

"I remember the day I caught you playing with your Ladybug figurine in private, pretending to be a heroine of justice." I remarked, making her even more flustered at the recalled memory. Using my height to my advantage, I dangled the books just shy of her reach. If anything, this made her angrier. "My image of you did, like, a complete 360 that day."

Meiko stopped attacking me long enough to consider what I said, appearing confused.

"That's… isn't that a full circle?" Then she shook her head and went for another grab at her stuff. "I-In any case, hand those over at once!" Her voice was getting louder and losing control of that carefully built composure earlier.

I paused, then shrugged and danced away.

"After all, how could I ever look up to someone who happens to be an utter romantic with such childish tastes in entertainment?" I shrugged with a chuckle, playfully bopping her head before lifting the books further away from her reach. "I know I wouldn't be able to take her seriously after that. Someone like that who pretended to be a stickler for the rules, but in reality she's an utter sentimentalist." I gave a mock gasp before shouting towards the open door when random students occasionally peeked inside to witness our hubbub. "Hey, everyone! Did you know the president is really an enthusiast for passionate romance!?" I all but screamed the last part before my fuming, red-faced classmate resorted to covering my mouth with both hands.

Murmurs erupted from outside as a small group of spectators formed right by the door, whispering to each other and eying us doubtfully.

"You bastard, all you're good for is blabbing without thinking...! Are you trying to make an enemy out of me?!" The brunette hissed. "Look at what you've done! You're giving them the wrong idea!"

"Hey, isn't that the president and brain geek? Why are they alone here together?" Our classmates' whispers reached our ears.

"No way, don't tell me…"

"Whoa, are they seriously flirting? Man, get a room… at a hotel or something."

"To think I once looked up to Meiko. Turns out she has weird taste in men."

Wait, what?

I almost dropped the books in shock.

Did they think we were… messing around like that? Was that what the situation looked like to them? I mean, sure, I was just kidding earlier with the classroom confession thing, but it's another thing when I actually end up in an awkward situation I didn't even cause!

This wasn't what I wanted! My bachelor heart wasn't ready for this!

Just as I let my guard down, Meiko took advantage of my flustered state and grabbed the books to hide them away. With a scowl, she turned on the other students and opened her mouth to give them an earful.

"What are you punks looking at, huh?!" Her manner of speech changed into one of a rough-talking, hardened malefactor who regularly prowled the streets. "Does this look like a show to you?" Everyone, including myself, was taken aback as the usually prim and proper president violently slammed a foot against the doorway, her long skirt billowing out. The shadow that had fallen over her eyes was one of a scorned woman pushed too far. Her transformation was scary. "Today's not a good day to cross me, so all of you start marching before I decide to assign you all to clean-up duty in the boys' bathrooms for the next three months! Well? Any volunteers, you lowly janitors?!"

With collective cries of disgust and fear, everyone rushed the hell out of dodge.

I found myself backing away when she turned on me, her anger boiling over.

Whoa, whoa. Don't tell me these were her true colors?

We locked eyes for a minute, neither of us saying anything. I thought of apologizing, but then the tension fizzled out before I could do anything to rectify the situation. Her temper coolled as she took several deep breaths, glancing at me and looking somewhat embarrassed.

Against my better judgment, I smirked.

"Hey, Prez. The heat getting to you? You're looking a little red there."

"Quiet! Don't look at me! I know I don't have a cute personality to begin with, but even I don't take well to being teased."

"Aha… sorry, sorry." I chuckled, wiping the sweat of my brow. "Still, it's kind of fun to see this side of you. I mean, so many of our classmates call you a robot. I was starting to wonder if that were true."

The earlier tension forgotten, Meiko frowned in distaste.

"They think I'm a robot…?"

"Beep boop." I replied with a simper.

"Tsk…! Really, what nerve!" Her face twisted into a scowl as she scoffed, turning away. "I-I am unconcerned with their opinions! Therefore, don't make a habit of mocking me if you value your free time after school!" As she made to shove her stack of manga under her desk, she stole a questioning glance at me before biting her lip. She looked torn between speaking up or leaving altogether, so I decided for her.

"It's fine, don't worry. I won't tell anyone about your alternate otaku personality."

"Don't call it that!" She harrumphed and stomped away like an angry hen, her feathers ruffled. Still, I could sense that what happened earlier had given her a chance to blow off some steam. She seemed a bit more relaxed now. Her shoulders were no longer hunched as she got ready for class.

Heh heh, that said - she totally digs me.

The bell rang, and classmates piled in.

Meiko didn't so much as glance or acknowledge me. In fact, she deliberately ignored me for the rest of the day. As expected, she didn't pass a note expressing her complaints from earlier. She also didn't thank me either for keeping her hobby a secret.

I was just your everyday psych maniac. If I offered her formal consolation about the deaths or my sympathies, she would politely brush me off.

Call me a nosy, obnoxious person, but the spirit of curiosity can't be contained with words. Only the truth could allow those with hungry minds to brave the depths of unique minds. After all, how could I ever hope to become a psychologist if I didn't take the time to truly look and understand those around me? Well. Everyone has their own personal tales. Analyzing the remnants of one's past is an important clue into understanding their psyche. Despite reservations, it seems this girl has her own interesting story to tell, along with Rin and that Lone Wolf.

Stories of which I hope to unravel for myself.

I stole one last glance at Meiko. If she felt my gaze, she didn't react. She sat there like a proper lady, keeping her eyes on the board and listening intently to our teacher's lecture. When another girl whispered to her if she could be tutored later, the president actually smiled and agreed to help.

Still, I chuckled to myself as I opened my notebook to copy the lecture from the board, so long as that stressed, knitted brow stayed off her face - I can jest at her with my conscience at ease.

Minutes ticked by and the day dragged on. I was taking notes and concentrated on highlighting the important parts when something strange happened. Something was coiling itself around my ankle, and then I felt a sharp sensation prick my calf. My pencil dropped to the floor, rolling at my feet as I let out a yelp.

The shout caused some of the students to turn my way in curiosity. The teacher had noticed as well. Even Meiko was regarding me with faint interest. She rose a brow at me questioningly as a silent inquiry if there was a reason I had disrupted the class.

The portly professor was asking me if I was alright, but I wasn't paying attention to him or anything else.

Quickly, I searched under my desk. Nothing. I could have sworn something had bit me just now, though. Then something slithered out of the peripheral of my vision as I followed the movement where the end of a snake's tail was wriggling out the door.

I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was seeing things induced by the sudden spike of fever rushing through my head, especially when there was no snake once I looked again.

"Kaito!" I jolted hearing my name spoken so sharply. It was the teacher. He didn't look amused in the slightest. "Daydreaming again? If you are unwell, feel free to take a step out for a breather. Come back when you've returned to earth." Snorts of laughter were muffled by the other students as they sneered at me.

Well… as snide as the teacher had said it, maybe he was right. I didn't feel like myself. My head felt so heavy all of a sudden, and the energy I had this morning was gone. I couldn't even muster the strength to say anything. It was like a rock was lodged in my throat. I nodded dumbly and gathering my things before heading out.

As I passed Meiko's desk, I thought I saw her stony expression fall away to vexation and…. worry?

Maybe I really was hallucinating.

Somehow, the walk to the door felt long and tiresome. Did being outside in the rain make me sick?

"Gughh… thirsty…" As soon as I shut the door behind me, I massaged my parched throat. My voice came out hoarse and dry. "Ugh, my body feels worse than I thought. Even walking makes me feel tired." I muttered to myself, leaning against the wall for support. "Maybe I should see… the nurse…"

My body was growing wearier with each step, and then I heard it - the sound of hissing. Then I stumbled into darkness. I hadn't realized I was already on the ground until I felt the cold sensation of that same slithery feeling wrapping itself around my neck, cutting off my oxygen. I attempted to reach out and cry out for help but whatever was choking me had only tightened its hold. My eyes were bulging out of my sockets, and saliva dripped from my mouth in vain attempt to get air. Distantly, I heard the footfalls of heels clacking against the floor as someone made their approach.

Someone… help me!

"Uchhh…!" My vision went black, and the last thing I saw was a pair of heels belonging to a woman. Snakes were coiling a circle around her feet as she stopped in front of me. I remembered craning my neck to get a good look at her face, but something scaly had wrapped itself around my head - suffocating me, blinding me.

Who…?

My outstretched hand hit the ground.

And then, my world faded to darkness.

---

Rin's POV

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.

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The day was progressing at the pace of dripping molasses. I glanced at the clock's hands ticking the minutes away, internally wishing I could be at home already. It was already noon, and lunch break had ended shortly. Just as the brunette president had warned me, as soon as I left my first class today a perfect had been waiting for me just outside the door. He had been carrying a detention slip with my name on it for violating the dress code, and I was expected to show up at the counselor's office afterschool.

Wandering past the cafeteria, I glanced outside the windows that displayed the grainy city view. It was still raining. An ominous fog enveloped the school, reminding me of ghosts.

My cheeks puffed. Really, there was nothing wrong with I was wearing! Why did I have to be penned out like a criminal?

Was there no escape from this?

I was an aspiring artist, not a role model student like Miss Perfect President. My fashion sense was mine alone. I had every right to wear whatever I so desired. Even if it means I have to run away from prefects every day for the rest of my life, I would do just that.

Although… it's not as though I let myself get detention by accident. In honesty, I knew this would happen. My first real mission had begun not long after I arrived here.

For some time, the school had been closed up until now due to the chain of serial murders that occurred here.

It had been the work of a monster.

Auntie Lola used her connections with the city police to get the information she wanted to show me. All cases showed on five deaths here. All of them were members of the Art Club, and they were all male students. Their deaths followed a pattern, ending with petrification - death by fright caused by the heart stopping. But that wasn't all. The most jarring details were that - their rib cages had been torn open with their organs spilled out. Aside from numerous defensive wounds, the victims' necks had been marred with puncture wounds.

Their blood had been completely drained dry.

Was the murderer a vampire like Auntie Lola had suggested?

Or…?

I knitted my face in deep concentration, trying to connect the details. This strange weather, the sadistic nature of their deaths, the fact that all the deceased victims had been males. Most of all - I remembered from the pictures that those puncture wounds had resembled bite marks.

But what kind of monster could have done this, and how would I go about finding them? Hollow Yves was useful, but his monster alarm system wasn't exactly subtle to say in the least. I had resorted to stuffing him in the bottom of my bag so I wouldn't be on the receiving end of bewildered stares whenever he so much as cackled.

"When it comes to finding out who your enemy is, never jump to the first conclusion." Auntie Lola had warned me before I left the mansion. She pushed the photos of the murdered boys towards me from across her desk. "Based on my experiences, these serial murders at your school sound as though they could be the work of a vampire. All the corpses were always discovered by the school staff during mornings. Therefore, that could only mean the murders only occurred late at night when the prefects finally ended their shifts." She had said, noting my silence. "I expect this is common knowledge, even for a beginner like you - but many monsters are known to have heightened powers at night. This is because of the fact that they are nocturnal… which would make sense to assume this killer could be one of them."

"...Yes, but what reason could there be for students to be staying that late?" I had finally asked her in return, causing her to grimace.

"There are many reasons. Those male students could have been enthralled or blackmailed by the perpetrator."

"Auntie… you say that this could be the work of a vampire, but…"

"I can't confirm it for sure. I only said the murderer could be a vampire. That doesn't mean I'm right." The scowl on her face was clear in my mind when she turned on me with obvious distaste. "Since you skipped out on patrol the other night even after I specifically ordered you to take your duty as a chevalier seriously… I forbade Dina and the rest of the maids from baking you snacks until further notice." At my shock and horror, she had continued with an angry countenance. "You may be my niece, but I don't tolerate slackers on the job. Just to be clear, I'm having the girls tail you and drag you back to the mansion if you try to haggle the anyone at school or sneak into town to buy sweets." Her dark eyes flashed. "So don't even think of trying to pull the wool over my eyes again. Are we clear, young lady?"

"What?! Auntie Lola, you know how groggy and unfocused I become when my blood sugar goes down! If I can't provide my stomach with the substance it needs, I'll become a zombie!" I had cried out in protest, shaking my head stubbornly. "You would deprive my body of the only luxury that's supported my health all these years?"

A slam on the desk as well as the thundering of her voice had informed me the last of her patience had dried up.

Uh oh… wonderful job, Rin. Open mouth - insert foot. Now I've really done gone and made her mad. Say goodbye to happy, stress-free days.

"Your duty as a chevalier, your health, and your gluttonous gorging on sweets have nothing, not even the slightest to do with one another!" Auntie pointed a finger at me and continued to bark at me. "Before you plan to start screwing around, go beat up a monster for once and show me the soul you collected from them! Then I'll allow Dina to serve at your every whim whenever you so much as crave anything sugary for that asinine sweet tooth of yours!"

Well, I remembered thinking at the time, Dina did have a Master's culinary degree in pastry making…

Therefore, I had caved and bowed my head - kissing goodbye to the mont blancs Dina had gone through the trouble of preparing that morning.

"... I understand. Then you promise that, once I bring you the head of the monster who's behind this - you'll never intrude on my sweets time ever again? Never ever?"

"You…" Auntie's temper had quelled as she had let out a long-suffering groan, rubbing her temple. "We have monsters murdering students your age and all you can think about is your next dessert? What are you even doing with your life…?" She had lifted her eyes to the heavens, praying. "Leon, wherever you are, please grant me wisdom and patience to deal with your child…"

Hmph, did she really have to bring up father like that?

Regardless, that was why I was slaving afterschool without a drop of sugar to sustain my youthful, energetic optimism as a heroine. I hadn't even needed to take my insulin all day because of the change in my diet.

Ha ha ha.

So, yes. I purposely brought this punishment on myself so I could investigate the crime scene myself. Not with forensic equipment, but instead… with magic.

Still. No matter how many times they threatened me with detention, there was absolutely no way I would resort to wearing mundane, tasteless clothes. That brunette class president was just like my auntie Lola, no doubt about it. They would get along swimmingly. I could see them lecturing their underlings about following rules and carrying out expectations.

I would find the monster who did this.

Oh, but… monster hunting was indeed a drag like I feared. Studying, going to school here, or arguing about clothes… this line of work really wasn't compatible with me. Anything worth doing was worth having someone else do for me.

"Hmph…"

After finishing the lunch I brought from home, I was heading to gym when a new fight had erupted in the middle of the hall. A crowd had formed around the two first-year boys launching themselves at each other. Their torn sleeves, mismatched street clothes, and spiked collars warranted that they were from the wrong side of town. The taller boy had slicked back hair with a skull shaped insignia blazing on the back of his leather jacket. The shorter guy had a green mohawk and multiple gauges on his face. He had even shaved off his brows in favor of piercing metal beads there.

"GRRK!" A solid kick landed against the mohawk boy's stomach as he leaned over and spat out, "Damn you, dirty cheater!"

"Not enough for you? Hah! Want some more, punk?!"

Being the shameless spectator I was, my interest was piqued and my walk to the dreaded gym class came to a halt. I crouched behind a steel pillar to safely observe the fight from afar. I was no stranger to witnessing raw, dirty fights like these - but this was the first time I had experienced within a school grounds.

"Oh! That looks painful…" I blurted in a hushed tone, hugging Ossa for comfort. I shrank further behind the pillar as if it would protect me from the impact of their brutal exchange. Then I tilted my head, noting that if one of them simply aimed for his suplex this fight would be over in minutes. Of course, then again, I was no master of combat by any means.

Those two were certainly going at it like two savage animals vying for dominance. They exchanged punch after punch. At some point, the taller boy tackled the other into a nearby billboard and caused all the papers to fly everywhere. He rolled on top of him and started beating his face in.

How savage...

Whatever what the fight was about, it must have been something personal for them to be doing this out in the open.

I covered my mouth to contain a gasp as the mohawk boy blocked the last punch and flicked out a switchblade. Spitting out a curse, he lunged it at the other boy's throat. Screams erupted from the crowd. Some students roared in approval while others ran off to get the teachers.

Strange enough, there weren't any prefects in sight. Just what were those useless adults doing? Drinking in the staff room and complaining about their mediocre salaries?

Back to the present, however.

Two gangs, supposedly where those two boys hailed from, shoved aside the other students to observe with cold eyes. They barked insults to each other, their stances aggressive and challenging. They didn't do anything to help or halt the fight, however. It must have been part of a gang code.

At my old school, this kind of display would have surely made the female students faint in shock. My old teachers would have squawked and drag them out the doors by their ears.

"Heehee…" Imagining how it would have played out, I couldn't suppress the giggle that escaped me even as my painted lips quirked into a smile. I couldn't help it. It was too amusing. Then I caught myself. Oh yes, it truly was twisted and inappropriate of me to be drawing out amusement from this savage fight. Yes… any sensible, decent person would put a stop to this right away.

…

…

…

Buuut I was not sensible or decent by any measure at all, so that was that. Besides, this was a man'sfight. I didn't see any reason why I should involve myself in any petty squabbles that had nothing to do with me.

The angel sitting on my shoulder dressed as Auntie Lola was tugging at my ear and scolding me to do something about their situation. The devil dressed as Lily, however, grinned decisively and lazily suggested that I kick both boys to the curb to show them who was truly in charge around here. The thought of it made me giggle.

Ahh… sometimes I do miss Lily.

Shrugging off the moral dilemma, I opted for the neutral solution - I walked away. The fight would eventually resolve itself and so I started for the gym once more. Putting an end to one fight would mean that others would be expecting me to break other fights in the near future. That was someone else's job.

"Clear out! Break it up and hand over your weapons!"

Oh, speak of the devil. Or in this case, this one was a Delilah.

With tremendous strength I never expected from the class president, she somehow managed to wrestle between the two boys and disarm them. After throwing the taller boy over her shoulder, he landed on the ground with a painful thud. The mohawk boy, on the other hand, was immediately dealt with a punch to the face.

"AGH! MY NOSE!"

With a sweep of her leg, President Meiko knocked Mohawk boy to the ground and kept him pinned with a knee as she twisted his arms behind his back.

"Confiscate this knife, if you please. And make sure you separate these two before escorting them to the counselor's office immediately." The brunette ordered the pair of prefects that had arrived. "You boys are going to have a nice talk about your suspension. Take the time to cool off while you're at it. You have " She snapped at them before pushing them forward to be caught by the older men. For a moment, she stopped as though sensing something.

Then Meiko turned around to meet my unsuspecting gaze. Her brown eyes widened momentarily upon seeing me, then upon noticing my current attire the surprise left her face. Her expression became neutral though I sensed from her a flicker of disapproval. Turning on her heel, she parted her way through the crowd of students and left.

For an ordinary student, she had surprisingly good senses…. How did she even know I was here?

Then again, for her to simply barge and break up a fight like it was nothing… perhaps she wasn't as ordinary as I thought?

That fight had been nothing compared to what I had seen weeks ago - on that night when I had met that strange Lone Wolf who had fought off multiple enemies at once. He hadn't even gotten a scratch. He had moved with a beastlike ferocity I had never seen before. I had never considered fighting a true art, but with the perfectly executed techniques he had demonstrated- that was the closest I had ever considered doing so.

From the way he had moved… it was as though he had been born to fight. The memory of his searing, steely blue eyes remained still fresh in my mind. The rumbling timbre of his voice, the quiet taunts… most of all, the intense look in his eyes when he had spilled blood… it was like he thrived on the violence he created.

I found myself questioning how anyone could get drunk on such savagery. Then I remembered this was why humans loved exerting their power over others… to torture and watch them writhe on the ground, begging for mercy.

"Torture… mercy…" I suddenly uttered, inhaling sharply at those words. A cold weight sharply dropped to the pit of my stomach.

But then… if anyone could end up becoming that way… did that make me any different?

Was I… doomed to follow that path… just like my...?

Ossa's glassy eyes bored into my own, reflecting my fearful visage. Out of the corner of his eye, I saw something that made my heart stop. I froze and felt that terrible sensation of someone watching me. Dread filled me as chills ran up and down my spine. Slowly, painstakingly - I turned around to see a mirror that was standing right before me.

No…

A mirror? Why was it here?!

The noises of the fight going on in the background fell deaf on my eyes, and all I could focus was the still life inside that reflection.

But not for much longer…!

"D-don't come near me…" I had to go right now. Panic rushed through my veins as knees turned to jelly. The mirror was calling to me. I staggered back in horror, bumping into another student who sneered at me before shouldering me aside to leave. Still, that mirror remained.

I had to get as far away as possible. I had to escape! But my legs wouldn't move no matter how much my mind screamed to do so. I was rooted to the spot, paralyzed in fear. It was all her. I could feel her watching me from inside that mirror, trying to get in my head like so many times before. I clutched my head in pain as her deadly whispers filled my ears. Her demure smile masked the bloodlust - the insanity - that urged me to fall into a void I could never escape from.

Mother…

A voice from the past echoed in my mind, the memory of the cult leader touching my shoulder as he whispered a secret in my ear.

"Should you ever wish to see your mother…"

No.

"Stand before a mirror and call her name three times."

"Bloody… Mary…!" My breath left me in a ragged gasp.

"And she will appear."

The moment I blinked, a crack appeared in the mirror and blood spattered across the surface. Then it was gone. A distorted hallucination caused by my mind's instability.

No, no… need to calm down… can't let myself feel fear, or…!

"Come to me, my daughter." A ghost of that bloody maiden flickered in the mirror, momentarily replacing my reflection. "Come." Once she called to me, my legs sprang to life as I blindly made a run for the next door I saw and locked on both sides without thinking.

It was then I realized my mistake.

I was inside the girls' bathroom.

"Riiin~" A death rattling voice called to me sweetly. Suddenly, I was face-to-face with an array of mirrors. Once again, she appeared. A face I hadn't seen in years. "You've avoided me for so long, Rin. Why? I was so lonely. Even if you haven't looked in a mirror for years that doesn't mean I will ever disappear."

"No…!" My voice came out croaked and hoarse as my body went cold. "Stop it, stop it…! You're not real!"

Dark memories from my past resurfaced, causing my breath to fall short. Blood, worms, and hooded figures writhing at an occult circle as they chanted before a large mirror - the painted scene erupted before my eyes, causing me to see red. The ropes… the ropes… the ropes were too tight, and I couldn't break free no matter how much I screamed or cried…!

"No, no… I don't want to…" I managed to say in a choked whisper, reliving the memories all over again. "Don't make me become…!" I shielded my vision and sank the the cold floor. Ossa fell to the ground, completely forgotten. Helpless against her horrendous stare that threatened to swallow me up, I curled up into a ball and yanked at my hair to dispel the agony that was trying to claw its way to the surface!

Then my blindfold fell away as they moved me before a mirror where the woman who looked like mother appeared from. Her white dress was bloodstained and tattered. Her once peaceful, demure face broke into a twisted grin that would forever scar my mind.

Something forced me to look up, like a power that pulled to me. I was staring into the eyes of a madwoman. Despite the fog misting over her silhouette, I could still make out her expression. Her mad laughter echoed throughout the room as the lights went on and off. She was reaching out to me, and blood oozed from the mirrors and into the sink.

"Come, my dear. You can't hide from mother forever, you know. Even during our best games of hide and seek… don't you remember how I would always win?" I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling my energy being drained from attempting to resist her influencing my mind. I couldn't let her in. No more.

"No!"

"All you have to do is say my name again. Say it." she purred, whispering dark promises. "Say it again and one more time. And I will protect you from these monsters. It's easy."

"Disappear!" I covered my ears, screaming. "You're not my mother! You're nothing but a dying scream! The end of my nightmares!"

Hearing that, her face fell away to murderous fury. She slammed her fists against the glass, the shards cutting into her skin she screamed out to me.

"You disobedient child! For once, why can't you do as I say?!"

SLAM. SLAM.

Each time her fists shook the mirror, more cracks appeared and splintered across the surface. I shrank back, terrified out of my mind.

Mother is dead. She isn't real.

Mother is dead. She isn't real.

Mother is...

"Let me out! You can't keep me locked away forever!" Bloody Mary continued to scream, her eyes bloodshot and frenzied. The lights shook from the sheer force of her strikes. A disgusted sneer curled her lips as she looked down on me. "Say. My. Name."

A darker, demonic voice took over as her face changed into that of a vengeful entity whose eyes were gouged out.

Terrified, I let out a scream.

"Denial is futile. Our fates are already entwined." She seethed. "You will come to me one of these days. And when you do… you'll realize what you've been missing all these years."

"NO!" I suddenly felt very disgusting. "Never!" I covered my mouth with clammy hands, forcing the bile that had risen down my throat. I closed my eyes and fought back the tears that threatened to well up in my eyes. "Please stop it…"

And then, silence.

Hesitantly, I raised my head to find that I was alone. No blood on the walls, no flickering lights, and no woman trapped in the mirrors. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath the whole time until a wave of dizziness hit me.

That surprised me… I hadn't been close to an attack like that in years. I didn't want these things to start coming back now. I needed to get myself together.

After my home had been destroyed all those years ago, I had been confined to a sanatorium due to these… "hallucinations" as they called it. I had seen many doctors for my condition. They had called it catoptrophobia - an unexplainable fear of mirrors.

They thought I was crazy because they could not see what I see when they showed me a mirror. I was kept in the sanatorium for years until my relatives finally took me in. But no matter where I went, the ghost followed.

Bloody Mary was her name. She was what was left of my mother… after she became a monster. Mother used to be a kind, sweet lady. She was the one who taught me how to sew and braid hair. But then one day… someone came to our doorstep and broke the news that father had died… and Lily had went missing during a mission at that time.

It was like something broke inside her.

From then on, she was never the same.

And long after that… horrible things began happening. Things I did not wish to remember. But deep down, I knew. That fire that destroyed my village and everyone else I had known as a child… it hadn't been an accident.

It was all my fault… Bloody Mary…!

Because of her, I was like this - I could never be normal ever again.

No one believed me when I said her ghost haunted me wherever I went - appearing through mirrors and tormenting me. How could they? Mother had been dead for years, and even Auntie Lola - who I had begged to listen to me as a child - she had told me many times that she had seen Bloody Mary vanquished herself - her very soul had been extinguished, she had claimed to me so many times.

I thought I was going insane. Perhaps I already was - because no matter how much I tried to forget and live on - Bloody Mary would emerge from the back of my mind just like now. I had been careful to avoid mirrors for years, and now the stress was finally taking its toll.

How much longer until she finally disappears?

"Haa… ha…" My knees buckled as I moved to rise, only to wobble like a fawn. Frustrated at myself for showing weakness at a time like this, I furiously dabbed the cold sweat that had gathered at my forehead. With the wall's support, I finally managed to stand just as the door burst open.

"Sacré bleu! I thought I heard screaming and came to help right away!" An alarmed girl around my age swept her gaze across the bathroom before her eyes landed on me. A shocked gasp escaped her throat as she wasted no time hurrying to my side. "Are you alright, tourterelle? You're pale as a dovey, you are!"

"I… I'm fine, thank you." My throat was clammy as I stammered out my reply, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. "I hate to trouble you, but… could you help me to the sink? My blood sugar has been low all day, so sometimes I get these… episodes." I feigned my embarrassment with a sheepish smile, maintaining that ill girl front as the newcomer obliged to my request.

I was not lying when I said what I said. It was true that I would get disoriented and fatigued when my blood sugar was too low. In addition, there were times when my mood fell at its lowest to anxiety and irritability. Gluttony was not the only reason I indulged in sweets. Of course, sometimes I had to take insulin when my blood sugar spiked to higher than average levels. I've had this condition for as long as I could remember. As such, the doctors have instructed me to always carry a glucometer and insulin pens. And if I felt faint or sweaty, I was advised to drink juice right away.

As the girl retrieved Ossa from the ground and handed him back to me, I held him close to my chest and inwardly apologized to him in my head for my neglect. Still, I did feel guilty seeing the genuine concern on the girl's face. Just a smidge.

"Ahh~ no worries, mon ami." For a stranger, she was certainly affectionate. The perky girl was fussing over me and such, steadying me in case I fell. "Some girls overheard your cries outside but were too frightened to do anything. I can see that you were just having a little personal situation." Her corkscrew curls bounced across her shoulders as she tilted her head at me. "Still, would you like me to take you to the infirmary if you're feeling unwell?"

"No, no. That won't be necessary, thank you." After I splashed water on my face - taking care to directly avoid looking into the mirrors - the girl handed me something soft to dry off with. I blinked after realizing I had just wiped my face using an embroidered handkerchief, one that spelled out the initials. "T. K…?"

"Teto Kasane, first year!" The girl chirped in reply, flashing me a dazzling smile. Unlike Kaito, she didn't expect me to shake hands with her. Her personality was so debonair that she didn't need to. "Charmed, I'm sure… miss…?"

"Shimoda Rin, also a first year." I returned the greeting with a faint smile of my own, biting my lower lip. "Ah, it seems I've dirtied your handkerchief. I'll give it back once I laundry it."

"Ah, non non. Keep it as a token of this momentous occasion! Besides, I have plenty at home."

Any protests I had meant to say were cast to the wind in face of this glitzy, vibrant girl. I noticed she was well-dressed for someone who attended this school. That was certainly saying something considering how casual this place could be described as. Her white blouse was ironed and tied off with a magenta ribbon. Navy straps crossed over her back, buttoning down to those frilly suspender shorts. To top it off, a matching beret with a small red ribbon rested on the crown of her head.

Leaning against the tiled wall, she crossed her legs, giving me a view of those adorable brown kneesocks and navy ankle boots.

Her style leaned towards a more classy look.

"I must say, miss Shimoda. I do love your whimsical choice in fashion. That seashell apron, those ballet flats, the coral lining… eek! Is that a new line from Kamui-sama's fashion week I never heard about?!" Teto gushed, clapping her hands as she followed me outside the bathroom. I blinked, surprised that she followed Rosette Radiance like I did. "As you can see, I try to dress at my best around here. But your clothes are absolutely adorable. You must tell me wear you got that mermaid-like ensemble! I have never seen anything like it!"

After a while, I had managed to calm myself down once we were in the hallway. I had thanked her for the input on my dress before confessing that I had made it myself. Seeing her delighted astonishment warmed me to the cockles more than any compliment had ever done, leaving my cheeks rosy with pride.

It's true I could be considered vain... but my dressmaking was a sensitive subject for me. Any feedback was welcome to my ears, within reasonable sense. There were times when I could be weak to flattery, but hearing her genuine praise over my handiwork made all those years of hard work worth it.

As it turned out, we shared the same gym period. We weren't in many classes together, but it was nice to find someone who appreciated the aesthetics of fashion as much as I did. Teto came off as a little chatty, but she seemed bubbly and genuinely nice. Listening to her was a welcome distraction. It was a sense of normalcy. I felt like an ordinary girl just having a fun chat with a friend. Thinking this put me at ease, and I was able to push the bathroom incident to the back of my mind.

Much to my delight, it turned out that she was the daughter of the baker who owned Kasane Boulangerie-Pâtisserie. I should have guessed it earlier. It was evident by her mannerisms and her romantic way of speech that she was a foreigner. My guess had been confirmed when she told me her family was from another country across the sea. She had invited me to come over for tea and try some samples for the latest batch of this month's sweets. I almost accepted, and then I remembered Auntie's threat from this morning. It took all the willpower I had to utter a pained 'I'm-sorry-I-can't'.

She had smiled and said she understood, but her crestfallen look had mirrored the despair that ached in my heart.

By the time we arrived in gym, class had already begun. The soft-spoken teacher, Miss Ann, was a young and pretty thing - but she was painfully timid and lacked confidence as a new teacher. She didn't know how to handle the students when they got rowdy. I truly felt sympathy for her, as she was very kind and caring. As soon as we walked in, she had assigned us to sit on the bleachers so we could go over today's schedule.

"I do like how you do your hair, Teto. Do you perm it?" I whispered to her, pressing Ossa's droopy ear against my lips so miss Ann couldn't see me talking.

"Oh non~." Teto giggled, bouncing a ringlet in the palm of her hand. "These girls are au natural~"

"A-Ahem!" Miss Ann raised her voice over the whispers circulating the class. She fiddled restlessly with her side plait before speaking up again. "C-Class, as you know… due to the weather, we are unable to swim today as planned. Unfortunately, the gym equipment is in no condition to be used right now as i-it's a bit outdated…" Hearing the grumbling from the first year boys, she hastily went on to add. "H-However, that d-does not mean I intend to force you all to take a health test or anything of the like! Especially not when we're finally back in school!"

"So, sweet cheeks, what you got for us to do then? Don't tell me you're gonna let us play dodgeball when the only balls around here are those gigantic hooters of yours!" A roughneck guffawed at miss Ann from above us, causing the rest of his friends to hoot and holler at her expense. The poor woman was struggling to maintain her composure even as her cheeks reddened in mortified anger.

How repulsive. My lips twitched into a disgusted frown hearing the misogynist insults thrown at her. The other students either joined in the laughter or kept their heads bowed in silence. It truly was a revolting display of cowardice and petty bullying.

"B-Boys, how dare you speak to your teacher like that!" Miss Ann's eyes shone bright with unshed tears as she crossed her arms over her chest in a self-conscious manner. "I-If you keep disrespecting me like this, I'll s-send you to the office!" She looked so humiliated that I felt a surge of pity for her. "A-As for what I have planned today, we will be cleaning up the pool! Vigorous c-cleaning is considered a healthy exercise, too!"

Dear me. I knew she was new at her job, but still...

I closed my eyes, repressing a sigh. Oh, miss Ann, don't say that. They'll never take you seriously if cleaning is what you have planned for us.

If anything, this made the boys laugh even harder.

"Bwahaha! Oh my god, she's serious! Hey teacher, go ahead and just send us to detention! You'd just be giving us a free pass to a snooze session!"

"Yeah! No gym equipment means no sports! Screw your schedule! You're just wasting our time!"

Their booing erupted in the gym, influencing other like-minded individuals to join in the taunting.

I wanted to give the boys a piece of my mind. They certainly deserved it. Their laughter reminded me of howling hyenas in the decrepit savannah. Because they were miserable at the bottom of the food chain, they had to take it out on someone else.

Before I could decide what to do however, I sensed a change in miss Ann. A sharp inhale escaped the woman as something unreadable flashed across her eyes. I couldn't tell what it was, but from the way the temperature suddenly dropped several degrees - I could sense that she was truly fed up now. No… to be more precise, it looked as though she were about ready to snap.

But that look in her eyes… it was too chaotic to be considered normal for a mundy woman. Her pupils had shrank into slits akin to a reptile. It was only for a moment, but I had already seen it for myself.

Were those… snake eyes?

Just then, Hollow Yves began moving inside my purse. It began to cackle. Alarmed, I quickly sat on top of my purse so no one could hear it. Its dry laughter was muffled from the books weighing down on him, and the boys' laughter drowned out his rattling voice.

Miss Ann… her sudden change in character and those unmistakable snake eyes. It probably shouldn't have come off as that surprising, but I was still left in awe.

The first monster I've encountered and it happened to be the sweet, unassuming miss Ann?

To be honest, I never would have guessed...

Miss Ann looked like she wanted to bite the boys' heads off. Just as she opened her mouth, however, the door suddenly opened to reveal a hooded figure hunched against the frame. Once he stepped into the open, however, he lifted his head for all of us to see.

Suddenly, the boys weren't laughing anymore. I even had the satisfaction of seeing disbelief mixed with astonishment wiping the grins off their faces. In fact, no one was making a sound. I, too, found myself caught up in the moment as we all watched the blond boy scuffle his way towards us in complete silence. The tension in the gym was so palpable you could cut it with wire.

"That's… Lone Wolf!" A girl whispered to her friend a step below us. "I thought he was banned from coming to school! Why is he here?"

"Damn it…!" The scoundrel from earlier cursed under his breath, his face pale. "Shit, this blows…! If he's here, that means he got busted out of juvie!"

So this was him. The Lone Wolf.

Kagamine Len.

"O-Oh, your guardian called me to inform that you would be running late, Len." Miss Ann reverted back to her usual shy self. With a nervous laugh, she stepped aside for him to reach the table. "Um… I guess congratulations are in order? Welcome back! I-If you don't mind, please put your name down over here so I can write you up for attending today… aha..." At his deadpan look, she waved her hands frantically. "O-Of course, if your hands are injured or something - feel free to just take a seat anywhere! I'll, uh, figure something out! Ahaha!"

Not saying a word, the blond took the pencil she had shakily offered before brushing past her to do as she asked.

With that ratty white parka, torn jeans, and messy ponytail - this was the boy I had encountered that night - the one who had almost piledrived my face a living example of what a human pancake would have looked like.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised to see him here. I was even more shocked that the loner from that night turned out to be the infamous Lone Wolf here.

Hollow Yves kept laughing, much to my frustration. I could feel prying eyes wandering towards me in question as I desperately tried to silence the dry laughter as best as I could. Still, it looked like the Lone Wolf was still commanding all the attention.

Aloof as ever, the blond boy hadn't even so much acknowledged or flinched at the bitter, degrading insults being thrown his way. If he heard them, he didn't give any indication of noticing or caring. I doubted he was deaf, though, considering how he had managed to pull me out of hiding after delivering that deadly beatdown to the gang that had cornered him in the arcade.

"Oh la la~ looking fine as always, that hunkmuffin is~ the troublemakers are always the ones with the most complicated personalities." Beside me, Teto was oogling him like a diehard romantic, much to my astonishment.

"T-Teto, are you truly serious right now?" I asked in a hushed voice, frowning in concern.

"Eh?" Teto blinked at me before sighing dreamily. "Oui. It's true that his dangerous reputation precedes him… and true, he could be open to some fashion consultation. However~!" She fanned her overheated face. "Ahh~ beneath that shoddy parka, monsieur Len is such a fine specimen of a man that the gods would forgive him no matter how heinous his crimes are!" Then she gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. "Could it be that you don't find the strong and silent type attractive, Rin?"

"That isn't the point." I shook my head before crossing my arms over Ossa protectively. Besides, my heart already belonged to someone. "I'm just surprised you can even talk like that in this kind of situation."

"Oh ho ho~ so innocent you are, Rin. Let me impart some words of wisdom then." Leaning over to me, she cupped her palm to whisper in my ear even as her eyes were drawn to the surly wolf below us. "Men are awkward with matters of the heart. They don't like it when people can tell what they're thinking. That's why they put on the tough act."

"Hmm…" I murmured in thought, nodding absentmindedly.

"For example, mo- er, men like Len, I mean, are like onions. They both have layers. You have to peel back those tough, unappealing aspects that happened to be the densest layers." At my vexed reaction, she sighed and waved a hand. "Well… it seems I'm not explaining things very well, but the heart of the matter is… the onion has a distinct sweetness to it at the very core after peeling back all those layers."

I frowned, still unable to gauge what Teto was trying to say. So then, all I understood from what she said was that the wolf boy was an onion. Still. Why an onion of all things? It left me discouraged and a little frustrated. However, my confusion served to amuse Teto as she patted my cheek.

"You're still young, dearie~! You're thinking too deeply on what I just said, but don't worry!" A mischievous glimmer flashed in her eyes as she nudged me. "Just so you know, these eyes of mine tell no lies. They give me a premonition as to the most likely outcomes, you see." She took me gently the shoulders and turned me towards the front… right in the direction of the wolf's heavy stare.

His eyes landed on mine, and I stilled. That penetrating gaze bore into mine as he stood there, idly listening to miss Ann as she gave him the attendance sheet to fill out. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was flat out staring at me. His narrowed eyes were intense but gave no indication as to what he could have been thinking. They burned into mine so hot that I almost felt holes at the back of my head. It was rude, for certain, but what bothered me more was the fact I couldn't read him at all.

I truly had no idea what he was thinking.

I maintained a passive air as we stared at one another, but inside I was squirming in discomfort. I shifted under the weight of his heavy gaze.

Why me?

Why was he looking at me?

Had he recognized me from the other night? If so, then what was he planning to do about it? What did he have in mind for me? He had acted so disparaging when he had released me that night when I could have reported him to the police, but maybe someone else had brought him in and perhaps he had assumed it was me? No, no… that couldn't be possible - it was only us that night. No one else could have seen what he did to that gang.

Kagamine Len…. hot-blooded, hot-tempered, and all around hot. If Teto had meant to tell me that things weren't what they seemed - that Len wasn't what he seemed, I could very well accost to that. Right now, he seemed indifferent and bored.

That was the face of a sleeping beast. I wasn't fooled by that chilly exterior in the least.

I've heard about the volcanic warpaths of destruction he left behind whenever someone truly angered him. His infamous temper was one I didn't want to test for myself.

I think it would be better to be on the devil's bad side than this wolf's. He was quiet, but I had seen for myself what truly lies beneath that mask. He was ironclad with brute strength and an intense vibe that repelled others from getting to close. In battle, he was different. He became so aggressive even I myself was having a hard time meeting his eyes without wondering if he would bash my head open if I did so much as look at him wrong.

The thought sent an unpleasant shiver down my spine.

It wasn't clear in my mind before, but it was then I realized that this wolf had to be a monster. There was no possible way an ordinary human boy could possess that kind of ridiculous strength at his age.

As for the monster that had been been terrorizing the school with these serial murders… there was no way he could be behind it… could he?

"Oh la la, such a passionate exchange! You two are looking great! I can feel the air sizzling between you like the hot candelabras of love!" Teto squealed in a hushed voice that only I could hear. She shook my arm excitedly. "I've never seen Len show that much interest in anyone before! Let alone a girl!" With blazing eyes, she turned to me with a giddy countenance. "I think he likes you, Rin!"

"A-Ah, tee hee~! I wonder about that!" I forced a smile, knowing deep down that was impossible. In fact, I had an inkling that it was the exact opposite. If he was always that brazen and aggressive in person, I could see us getting along as well as a house on fire. The image didn't make for a pleasing one.

First things first… I would have to confirm that he was indeed a monster. I dug into the bottom of my purse, clenching Hollow Yves in my closed fist.

If he was indeed a monster and somehow connected to the recent murders… then I would go from there.

---

Len's POV

.

.

.

Shamed, chains thrown over my neck to claim me - to these humans, I had been an animal behind bars of the cage they made to contain me. Such arrogance those mongrels had displayed in treating me.

I was not their pet, neither was I an animal they could ever hope to master.

I was a wolfskin, one with the godlike race of bestial hunters who had hunted the Great Plains long before mankind had even existed.

The most important part of life is how you choose to live it, Dell had told me once he collected me from that juvenile detention center. What did Dell see in those humans that caused his once hard heart to soften? He used to be a great hunter, having eaten many humans before my time - that was why he was massive in his beast form. His true form. But now he was old, tired, and insisted on living among humans for his own reasons I could never comprehend.

The way I saw it, all of humanity should just shrivel up and die. I hate this filthy place they call a "city". It was nothing but a polluted environment that proved just how little respect they showed mother nature. The ashes of their bones should be swept away into the great oceans, the memory of their existence forgotten in time.

Juvenile correction facility. Good riddance to that hellhole. Staying over there for the past six months had been nothing but a waste of time. If those mongrels had hoped sending me to that pit would teach me anything about what my place was in their pathetic excuse for a society, they were in for a world of disappointment.

From the first moment I saw her, I was immediately unimpressed.

I couldn't have not noticed her even if I tried. That human, the one who dressed in strange sea colors like a water nymph, darted about like an eyesore, and hers was an existence like a plume of smoke. I knew if I were to reach out and attempt to touch her, she would slip through my fingers almost as if she had never been there to begin with. The night we had met her wrist had been small around my closed grip, ready to break to pieces just like glass.

That was how insignificant she was.

She was small - fragile, which I found utterly pathetic. Her interactions with others had proven enough. When I had yanked her into the clearing that night, it struck me how tiny and breakable her wrist felt under my closed grip. We were roughly about the same age, but she somehow seemed much smaller than myself. I had known someone else was watching me from the shadows after that foolish confrontation, but imagine my astonishment upon finding it had been someone like her. If my sense of smell were as half as good as Dell's I probably would've been able to identify her much sooner.

What I lacked in smell I made up for in my sense of hearing. My ears could pick up even the buzzing of a fly from miles away, and the whispers she had exchanged with the two-faced elitist sitting next to her on the bleachers hadn't failed to reach my ears.

Splash.

Crammed inside this recreational room, the teacher had made us come out here to clean the pool area. Bah. As if I could tolerate being in the same waterhole as the rest of these filthy mongrels. That was why I kept to the sidelines, jamming headphones into my ears and turning my MP3 on full-blast so I could drown out their cacophony.

That wisp of a girl was mopping near the edge of the pool, drifting throughout the room as though she lived in shadows throughout the entirety of her life.

Thinking back to earlier when we had locked gazes, a scoff left my lips. It wouldn't have taken much effort to crush her entirely. That was it. She reminded me of glass - she would break before she would bend.

Ignoring the incessant buzzing of humans flitting about like flies, I instead cast a lazy glare out the windows. Still, that monster responsible for this kind of weather hadn't bothered to clear up this kind of annoyance? Not that I particularly hated the rain, but coming home with my fur all wet was never something I enjoyed. However, listening to the rain like this… it calmed my impatient bloodlust.

I closed my eyes, slightly nauseated by the chemicals that wafted up to my nostrils. Of course, even the toughest cleaning solution would never be enough to purge the filthiness of these mongrels. Whose idea was it to fill a hole with water and decide it would be "fun" to swim in the same filth?

Humans never ceased to baffle me with their odd, harebrained ways of primitive entertainment.

Through the death metal music blaring in my ears, my senses picked up on the faintest whispers reverberating from ways away, on the bleachers where a group of female mongrels were cornering that same blonde girl I had been observing earlier.

"So, you're the satan worshipper everyone's been talking about! Hey, I hear you correspond with demons in order to make blood pacts." A girl with a long brown ponytail draped an arm in front of her, forcing her to cease her rite of cleansing.

"Right?" Another female mongrel had sidled up to her in the manner of a viper, her teeth flashing into a vicious grin. "I heard that you're part of some blood cult bent on spreading your lies and converting us into your slaves, aren't you? Don't lie. We can see it in your eyes." The rest of the girls erupted in a grating, irritable fit of giggles - one I wished to silence forever by ripping out their throats with my fangs before revelling in their agonized silence as they writhed in their own blood, unable to scream.

I was brought out of my churning thoughts when a soft sigh escaped from the blonde.

"It's true… it seems my reputation precedes me here." The small blonde was looking at her nails, seeming disappointed. The other humans looked surprised. "It can't be helped… I suppose I will have to come clean." Meeting their gaze, her downcast eyes grew at their brightest as she tossed her mop aside. "It's true! I proudly worship the Great and Terrible Belphegor. Have you heard of him?"

"Wha…"

Listening to the rambles of the god I've never heard before, I had rose a brow.

"According to the archives, he's known as the one of the seven princes of hell - the Horned entity of gluttony." she said with a faint smile. "Because of him, the sweets I eat taste far more delicious than any other. I have been blessed with a sensitive tongue, you see. My sisters have told me that if you summon him, he can grant riches - the power of discovery - beyond your wildest dreams!" Tilting her head to the side, she giggled. "He can gift you ingenious inventions that would make you a billionaire for many years to come. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

"Uh… wha… are you being serious right now?" The girls stepped away from her, their faces twisted in bewilderment and wariness. I could smell the fear emanating from them as the fanatic pushed her beliefs onto them. The smaller blonde inclined her head in a disarming fashion, tapping her chin with a gloved hand.

"Yes, of course, why wouldn't I be? I take my hardships as a Dark Sister very seriously!" Her blue half-lidded eyes glazed over with mirth as her cheeks flushed. With the delicacy of a flower, she clasped her hands together and leaned towards them. "Oh, it just occurred to me that all this time you must have been expecting an invitation!" A chill fell over the other girls as the former advanced. "Forgive my thoughtlessness up until now, girls! I have terrible manners when the weather's like this - I tend to go into a… trance." She took another step towards them, appearing slightly delirious. "But I must insist that you ladies join me after school! I understand you must be unfamiliar with these proceedings, but if you can help me find a goat, we can perform the sacrifice! We will bathe in its blood before our esteemed lord Belphegor! He will be most pleased."

At this point, I was well aware this "Belphegor" was a false deity created by her imagination. Dell had taught me all about the gods during my puppyhood, and not once have I ever heard of this "horned coveter of forbidden desires".

"She might be a better actress than I expected…" A snort escaped me as I observed from afar. This situation had enveloped to a point where it began to amuse me. With a flicker of interest, I gauged the other girls' reactions, who were clearly questioning the blonde's sanity.

"What the fuck?!" The leader sputtered out, trying to back away from the girl. The others broke into a cold sweat, shivering amongst themselves. "What the hell is wrong with you? What the fuck did you parents do to you for you to end up like this? You're completely batshit!"

"Dear me, there's no need to be shy. I don't bite, I promise~" Taking the leader's hands in hers, the witch dazzled them with a saccharine sweet smile. Realization dawned on her as a gasp left her lips. "I see! You must have compassion for animals! Oh, how admirable! Well, if you're vegan I suppose we can just have a nice chat as over honeydew tea as I teach you how to draw summoning circles of your own. If you practice hard enough, you may even be able to summon a minor demon to do your bidding!" Standing on her tiptoes, she looked positively delighted. "Newcomers are always welcome to join the Dark Sisterhood. Please come to our side - I will bake muffins."

"Holy shit… get away from me!" The ponytailed mongrel snatched her hands away before pushing her back. This time, there was a look of genuine horror on her face. "You're completely fucked up!"

"Oh, is that not to your liking?" The blonde blinked before hiding a frown behind that stuffed rabbit she carried around. "Strange... well, I could always teach you how to make voodoo dolls if you wish to bind them to your enemies?"

"Forget it! Ugh! This was such a waste of time!" The ringleader barked and turned on her heel, but not before shouting at one of the betas and causing her to cower. "You idiot! You never told me she was completely mental, for the love of God!"

"S-Sorry, ma'am!"

Just like that, they left.

"Goodness." The blonde sighed to her rabbit, clearly miffed. "Even though I was lying they didn't have to be so rude. To think I had actually trying to be friendly this time…" Then she tapped a finger on her chin. "Maybe I went a bit far with the bathing in blood part…?"

So, she had been lying all this time as as I thought.

"Hmph." I lifted myself from the wall and turned off my music. Perhaps she was a witch in disguise, given that despite her dark nature - she possessed a strangely positive side that disconcerted me. Not to mention her strange clothes and facial painting they called "makeup". Still, she didn't possess that pungent, aberrant smell or wicked demeanor. Yet… the way she had dealt with those female mongrels was similar to the way witches cast fear hexes on their prey.

"Does she use a glamour to disguise herself?" I murmured to myself. Considering that she had just interacted with Muffet earlier, the only other reason for this was because she, too, walked among monster kind.

Strange… but intriguing.

But even for a witch, she was...

Before I could conclude that line of thought it was then my nose picked up a sweet, dizzying fragrance that overwhelmed my senses. My mind went haywire, and my ears and tail threatened to disrupt into the lycanthropy that had taken me years to control. I bit down on my lip to contain a snarl.

"What… what is this smell?" I sniffed the air, suppressing the urge to growl. My head was spinning - my blood was boiling. The self-control I had maintained until now was rapidly spiralling down to basic primal instinct. Seek, hunt and destroy. My eyes wildly scanned the area to find the source of that irresistible smell that ravaged my senses. Veins threaded across my line of sight as my vision went blood-red.

Ba-thump, ba-thump.

I could hear the thumping hearts from the mongrels, their blood pumping through their veins. I could hear every breath they took. My own heart was beating like a drum, marching to the sound of my next hunt.

Then my eyes landed on the small blonde girl, whose back was turned on me - oblivious to my plight. Shock and realization hit me when I realized that scent was coming from her. I didn't understand why her of all people put me in this state, and she hadn't even done so much as spoken to me. My senses were flooded… my lycanthropy threatened to come out… and my body was on fire because of her?

That small, insignificant creature?

"Don't tell me… how vile!" My hands curled into fists as I fought to control my instincts. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. Why? Why did she smell so sweet? It was… it was… it made me feel weak. It was so nauseating!

Fury rattled me to the core as my inner beast roared to come out. My predatory instincts enveloped me as my mouth twisted downwards into a deep scowl.

Despite her supposed innocence, she had dared put a hex on me when I was caught off-guard? That witch would burn for her impudence. For making me lose control in such a deplorable manner, she would pay for this humiliation!

With my hood up and thoughts plundered by this baffling girl, I didn't notice a group of mongrels knocking into me until it already happened.

"Tch…!" The one who bumped into me turned on me with an angry look marring his ugly features, looming over me with his height like a gangly beanstalk. He grabbed the collar of my parka, growling in my face. "Hey, watch where you're going, you moron! Are you blind or- URK?! K-K-Kagamine?!" His eyes bulged once mine seared into his. He started choking on his words, melting into a whipped coward before me. "Shit, man! I didn't mean-?!"

"Ah?" I turned my fury onto this mongrel, my fuse having been ignited by his arrogance. With my fangs threatening to protrude, my mouth twisted into an animalistic snarl as I regarded him with detached distaste like the lowly filth he was. "You have nerve, swine. As if blaming me for your blunder wasn't enough, now you dare lay your dirty hands on a wolf?" I spat out, cracking my knuckles. "You must long for a painful death."

"AGH!" One of the mongrel's followers paled and squealed like a dying pig, screaming as he hid behind the one responsible for provoking me. "Oh shit, w-we pissed him off! Get out of there, Budo!"

"Fools." With a sneer, I ran my fingers through my messy hair as my hood fell back. Then my face broke into a predatory grin. "You're not even worth an honorable death by my hands, as much as your suffering might promise me some modicum of entertainment." I barked with short laughter at the fear in their eyes, drawing the attention of the other mongrels. "However… I can teach you the meaning of pain." The boy let of me quickly, sputtering out excuses. Stopping him with a raised hand, I silenced the rest of his sentence with a black look. "I don't remember giving you permission to speak, you rabid dog."

"B-B-But Kagamine, please!" The mongrel stammered, clearly sweating in his shoes. "I swear I didn't know it was you…! G-Give me a break already!"

"Oh? Are you saying you didn't mean to challenge me?" I rounded on the taller mongrel like the wolf I was, circling him and his friends like the prey they were. "You're a man, aren't you? At the heart of even a mongrel like you, there should be a warrior's pride. Come - I'm giving you permission to show me your worth."

"He's back… just when we thought he was gone for good…" His flabbergasted friends were already backtracking in retreat, leaving their leader to his fate. I let them go, having already proved my dominance over them.

"That's right, I have returned." Turning my head to briefly regard the rest of the mongrels who decided to watch, I called out to them. "And the first thing I'll do is teach all you mongrels how to wash yourselves clean before you have the right to touch me." My rapacious grin widened as I swept my gaze over the one who had pushed me, whose pallor went bloodless as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Starting with you."

"Wait, wait, wait - Gahhh!" Despite his hulking appearance, he let out an unmanly shriek as I launched at flying drop kick at him with only a fraction of my true strength- any more would have been a waste. The instant my feet connected with his chest he went stumbling to the ground. Still, he managed to get up - this time, with anger bolstering his courage.

"Fucking animal!" he spat the the side before charging at me with a raised fist. The teacher's cries for us to stop fell deaf on our ears.

He was large but clumsy, too slow to respond to my attacks. He didn't even have the instinct to react as I grabbed hold of his arms. He wrestled against me, so I veered away from his bulky hands. I delivered a sharp blow the back of his ankle, forcing him on his knees as I leaped onto his shoulders. It was only until I got upside down in his face to regard him with a savage expression that he finally tried to pull free - only to fall into my trap as I, barely breaking a sweat, twisted over him in an arc before flinging him over my shoulder in a violent throw and sent him flying into the deep end of the pool.

A deafening splash echoed throughout the pool just as the thunder rumbled above us. The mongrel surfaced with a shuddering gasp, his teeth chattering as he swam to get out. Lightning lit up the room as I shook myself out of my aggressive trance.

"Phew." Having let off some steam from that brawl, I felt my senses waver and wind down back to a calm state. With my head tilted skywards, I lazily regarded the rest of the humans watching with palpable fear and awe. "Let that be a lesson to you all, mongrels."

"K-! K-Kagamine Len! Your first day back after your expulsion and you immediately start fights?" The cowardly teacher rose from out of nowhere to scold me, clearly angered. Her primal energy spiked off her in waves, colliding with my own. She pointed towards the door. "Detention after school, young man! Your guardian will hear of this!"

How boorish. Considering that I had even broken a single bone in his body, was that act not merciful enough? Clearly not.

"Don't insult my intelligence, woman." I rumbled in a tone low enough for her ears only, startling her out of her rage. Turning my back on her, I sent an unsmiling glance her way. "Especially not when you sate your appetite in dark waters where no eyes can follow you." I continued to whisper, watching that fear grow in her eyes. "You haven't been close to the waters… afraid the others will see what you really are?" I questioned with a chilly countenance, causing her to pale and retreat in her steps. I eyed her sweater dress before sneering. "It has been unseasonal for fall… but for a creature like yourself - you cannot tolerate extreme heat." Then I cocked my head at the storm. "It seems you've overcompensated for your weakness. How sloppy of you… serpentess."

"...!" The woman's face into one of barely restrained terror. She clammed up and didn't dare meet my gaze, even though she could have had held the advantage - being who she truly was.

Seeing her so unresponsive, I knew I didn't need to say anymore. It seemed that she was now aware that ordering me around was a fatal mistake. So long as she knew her place - I would not need to take extreme measures.

The other humans kept their distance, giving way as I made my leave.

A pure, wonderful silence enveloped the area at long last - which was I could ever ask for. The sounds of the thunderstorm soothed my soul. Hearing nature at its most powerful reminded me of my home in the Kjellberg Mountains. How I missed it.

Unexpectedly, I found myself staring at the same girl with fair hair once again. She was lingering beside the water, so close to the exit. I stopped, slightly puzzled. Unlike the rest, there was no trace of fear in her eyes as she regarded me. She was completely… calm. Her blue gaze was clear as water - it was almost hypnotizing the way she was pulling me in without even saying a word-

Then there was that feeling again. That nauseatingly sweet smell that came from her had already wafted into my nostrils, filling my head - leaving me dazed and incoherent. Never had my blood simmered so strongly in my veins. Against the weight of her stare, I could feel the chains containing my inner beast breaking with every heartbeat - roaring to be freed.

Damn it. I had just taken care of this problem. Even now the witch was still working a hex on me after my demonstration?

Curbing my instincts, I snarled through clenched teeth as I forced myself to remain calm. Apparently, she heard me and her features morphed into an expression of pure bewilderment. Hah, if she thought she could fool me by playing innocent at this point she had a punishment in order.

With slow, deliberate steps I approached the small prey. Her confusion grew with every step I advanced towards her. By instinct, she hastily backed away from until realizing she was just shy of the edge of the water.

"E-Excuse you, but why are you invading my personal-" Her breath hitched when I reached behind her. With the back of my hand, I traced the dip of her spine, making my way up before stopping at her shoulder in a firm grip. She shivered inadvertently at my ministrations before speaking out in an indignant voice.

"W-Who do you think you are! Who said you could touch me?" Slapping my hand away from her, she curled up defensively and shielded herself with the rabbit. "Really, are you some kind of deviant? My body is not a plaything for- UEHH?!"

Lifting her into the air, I swept her off her feet. I kept an arm beneath the back of her knees, causing her legs to dangle. For a moment she was stunned and stared up at me incredulously as though I were a madman. She was so… small, being held captive in my arms. The shine on her lips as well as the warmth from her skin frazzled me. The cold, bestial part of me observed how she trembled when I bolstered my strength to lift her higher against my chest. How easy it would be to wrap my fingers around that pale throat and crush her, to watch the life drain from her eyes - and she wouldn't even be able to fight back. Despite her attempts to hide it, it was clear she was intimidated by this fact.

The rest of the mongrels erupted in disbelieving cries. It then dawned on her what kind of position she was in, and she started to struggle.

"N-No way?! Why is he holding her?!"

"Aww! No fair!"

"Since when was he interested in girls that way?!"

For a moment I held her like a spoiled little princess. Catching her wrists, I pulled her forward and stared deep into her eyes in attempt to draw out her true intentions. By now, the hex should have dispelled - or I would have sniffed out her glamour by now. Instead her reaction was not what I had been expecting. True astonishment made her slacken in my arms, and it was refreshing compared to the strange faces she had been making earlier. I relished how flustered she was becoming - like a caged butterfly frantically attempting to escape.

"Why, I never...! You perverse brute! You dense, entitled beast of burden!" Sharp anger appeared in those infuriatingly beguiling blue eyes. "Put me down this instant, you… you scoundrel! How dare you take such liberties with me?" Her usual soft voice went shrill as she ordered me to drop her that instant, childishly kicking her legs and pounding her tiny fists against my chest. "Do you hear me? I said put me down!" I barely even felt her blows.

So annoying… her voice pierced my ears like a harpy would. A fledgling harpy. She was so noisy… and surprisingly heavy despite her size.

Her sweet smell grew stronger, much to my irritation. My blood roared in my ears as it overtook me in a frenzy, tempting me to let go of my self-control and ravage. So, no matter what I did the spell she cast on me wouldn't break?

I didn't understand. The smell on her was that of a human - so why did she possess such an overwhelming fragrance? It was starting to make me sick.

There was only one thing left to do in a situation like this.

The rest of her protests died on her lips as I regarded her with a dark stare, burning my eyes into hers. My arms held her with the intent of recompensating her wily tricks - for pushing me beyond the limits of my reason.

"Douse yourself in water and purge yourself of that vile scent, witch."

An appalled gasp left her throat as her mouth fell open in dismayed astonishment hearing my deadpan order. Then horrified realization dawned on her eyes as she caught on the meaning of my words. She sputtered, completely lacking the elegance she had displayed earlier.

"Y-You… you wouldn't...!" When I started rocking her back and forth that was when terror took over her. By then she realized I was completely serious. "No, no no no no no. Anything but what you're thinking! Please, my clothes will be ruined!" Her nails dug into the sleeves of my jacket, but I wrestled out of her grip. She resorted to hitting my chest with the force of a butterfly's wings. "Are you listening to me? At least tell me what I did to deserve…-no! Noo…!"

With a heave ho, I did the one thing any rational wolfskin would do in his situation.

"Stop, stop! Don't you dare- EEEK!"

SPLASSSHH!

I had thrown her into the pool.

The onlookers watched the whole thing with stunned silence.

For once, the pool chemicals had served a purpose. Her scent was still present, but at least it was dampened by the water. Finally, my nerves settled down. I observed with detached interest as she was submerged by the water, falling to the bottom of the pool. Her eyes shot open as she frantically swam back to the surface.

"Achh…! Hack!" I watched her flail like a fish as her skirts spread out like a mermaid's tail. The moment she resurfaced she started coughing. So, she didn't drown. I suppose she truly wasn't a witch then… at least, not by nominal standards.

"Rin!" The redhaired elitist rushed past me with her curled ringlets bouncing. I rose a brow in silent inquiry as she pulled the other girl out of the water. Coughing, the witch accepted the hand offered to her before collapsing on her knees.

My eyes had seared holes into the back of the pigtailed mongrel. I had sensed her presence close by and now was when she had decided to intervene?

"Truly, you are a scheming manipulator… Muffet." I muttered to myself, disgusted at how she wore her mask with such unapologetic ease - such shamelessness. It seemed her glamour was working at its full effect. It was clear by the interest sparked in her eyes and those exaggerated acts of kindness that Muffet had taken an interest in the girl. By pretending to be her friend and feigning sympathy to her plight… it truly was a vulgar display of hypnotic cowardice. And to think other monsters called me sadistic when it was the other way around. I failed to see why Muffet would be so highly interested in the human apart from that nauseatingly sweet smell the latter possessed.

Pity. By the time the witch realized she was caught in her web of lies… it would be far too late.

"Are you alright, dearie?" Muffet stroked the other girl's back in comforting motions, not daring to glance my way should I somehow give her position away. The blonde in question looked over her ruined clothes in dismay - the colors were now bleached and distorted. Her shoulders shook in barely restrained anger as she turned on me with a vehemence I had never seen in her up until now.

I returned her glare with a cold, impassive stare of my own. To be so upset over materialistic garbs that could easily be replaced or mended… was she a child? She was beyond puerile - like a spoiled, sheltered little girl. If she truly was that vain of a person then perhaps she did deserve what Muffet or any other monster was planning for her.

The situation ceased to amuse me. With a scoff, I took my leave and ignored her simmering gaze that followed me every step of the way. Like the rest of these mortals, she was not worth any more attention that I had already given her. I no longer cared.

Whether or not she was different from these other mongrels - it did not matter. It wouldn't be long until she turned up dead.

Just like the others.

---

The door burst open with a slam, splashing water everywhere.

"You never gave me the chance to thank you for that humiliating display." Venom dripped from that soft, hissing voice as it reached my ears. I had heard her stomping from across the school long before she had arrived on the roof to confront me. "Thanks to your nonsensical act of cruelty, now I have to start over from scratch! This outfit was my only personal copy of the Deluded Depths line! I'll have you know that these clothes took me a lifetime to make!"

Thunder rumbled around us, followed by a crack of lightning that pierced the grainy sky.

A faint, sardonic smirk grew on my lips.

"I'm surprised you went through the trouble wearing such pretty garbs to flounce around in this rathole." I drawled in a lazy voice before lifting my eyes to the clouds, my hood falling open as I relished the rain washing over me like a tidal wave. "Now then, let's hear the real reason why you decided to follow me all the way out here. You're either very gutsy or woefully naive."

I had come out here to clear my head in the rain - to immerse in solitude. Instead, I found myself having to deal with this intruder.

I fully turned around to find that same girl from earlier, dripping wet and livid like a drenched cat, thrusting something towards me. Then I heard it - dry, hysterical cackles that came from a laughing skull sewn between a lacy black hair ribbon. It was laughing at me from the palm of her hand.

For a moment, I was taken aback before my eyes narrowed in recognition.

"Hollow Yves… it has been awhile since I've seen it in the hands of someone. If you're here, that must mean the previous guardians who watched after this rotting city must be dead by now." Good riddance to those haughty Eluvian male students - I never respected them anyway. They would not be missed. I inclined my head at the girl in a mocking manner. "What say you… chevalier?"

"I know what you are." She seethed, damp gold locks flattened against her wet skin. "Monster."

"I don't deny that." I retorted with a feral grin. "But that doesn't answer why you're here. Don't you know it's not a good idea to dangle meat in front of a starving wolf? Even though I had released you that night we met… twice."

"So you were that white wolfskin in Glacier Forest." Her eyes narrowed as she reached behind the cheap rabbit imitation humans referred to as "plush". "I didn't notice it then… shame. You're far from the North, Lone Wolf. Or would you rather I call you 'puppy?"

My smirk disappeared.

"Only if you have a death wish, chevalier." I answered in a low voice, letting her know I was far from unamused with the derogatory term. "I am no one's pet. As for why I'm here trodding among your disgusting colony of humans - my reasons are my own. They has nothing to do with you." A spike of tension rose between us, further bolstered by the thunderstorm. It was dangerous to be out here alone… at least for her. "As it stands… is it customary for chevaliers to reveal themselves? What do you hope to gain by that?"

She haughtily raised her chin in attempt to appear more intimidating than she really was. "I'll repeat what you said earlier - my reason are my own, and they have nothing to do with you."

I glared at her but said nothing. Instead I turned my back on her to view the skyline. Chevaliers were monster hunters, or so I heard. This naturally made us enemies, like predator and prey. However, the roles always differed depending on who proved to be the better hunter.

A short silence passed between us, one of us waiting for the other to make a move.

Finally, I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. I turned around to face her.

"Well then, are you going to kill me now?"

"...No."

"Oh? And why not?"

"I have no reason to do so, so I won't." She replied, remaining ever mysterious. "These murders that have been occurring the school were clearly done by a monster of high prowess. I will admit that while you did cross my mind as one of the suspects… ultimately, there's no chance that you could have been responsible." My eyes narrowed then I scoffed.

"So you came after me for answers? To beat me to submission until I tell you what I know? You think I know who's responsible?" At her silence, I threw my arms out and invited her to make her first strike. "Go on then, if you have any pride as a chevalier - I invite you to spill my blood."

"Unfortunately, I don't have an ounce of pride as a chevalier." She answered with a bitter smile, keeping her eyes on anywhere but me. "...If I challenged you, I would die."

Oh, there was no doubt about that.

So spoiled, prissy, and lazy - what an abhorrent display of martyring without a true cause. At least she was honest.

"Did you expect conversing with monsters over tea would get you what you want?" I sneered, cocking my head to the side. "Don't make me laugh. You should have known what you signed up for. Out here, the real monsters either want to kill you, rape you, eat you - or all of the above. And if you can't take your job seriously or decide to treat us like a common joke..." I slammed a fist beside her head, drawing closer as I breathed down her neck. "You'll pay the price for your own willful ignorance."

"...How conceited." The last thread of her composure snapped as she roughly jabbed my chest using her elbow, trying to move me aside without success as she possesed little physical strength compared to me. Still, that didn't faze her as she glared past me. "You know nothing about me, Kagamine. There are a lot of things you remain blind to because of that rash, impulsive lack of insight." Lesser wolfskin would have gaped at her if they had heard her words. She actually had the gall to poke at my chest, hard. "For someone who fails to take the time to understand others, you have no right to measure my worth out of your own accord!"

Well, well… the kitten had claws. But that wouldn't make her job easier - nor would it save her for the inevitable. I took a step back, falling into silence before speaking up again.

"You." I sent her a pointed look, causing her to glance at me from over her stuffed rabbit. Still, it baffled me. Geh. A rabbit owning a pet rabbit - how vexing. "You don't belong here."

"...For someone I heard was so quiet, you're rather talkative today." Despite her vexed expression, her tone softened into one of cordiality. "I heard from Teto that you liked being alone in high places like these. I take it you own this roof?"

Bah, Muffet and her big mouth. She and her itsy, bitsy spiders ought to keep their eyes to themselves and stay out of personal affairs. It would get her into big trouble someday.

"No, I mean you don't belong here." I snapped. In two steps, I was standing over her again in a flash. "Under ordinary circumstances, this could very well be considered my territory… however, I care little for what happens to this city."

I took great pleasure in seeing disbelief and surprise in those blue eyes before I decided to rattle her chain. I came closer than before. She looked uncomfortable, moving backwards with each step I advanced towards her. It seemed that discovering I was a monster - a wolfskin, in fact - and knowing what I could do to her had finally made her wary of me, as it should be.

"...So long as monsters willingly register their names and personal information, they are enabled to become citizens of equal status… so long as they don't act out of line. As a chevalier, my job is to only target monsters who violate the treaty." The witch tersely replied, her shoulders rigid as she bit her lower lip before raising her chin in defiance. "From what I gather, it sounds as though you do know these monsters in this big neighborhood. Personally."

Scoffing at her words, I leaned away from her and heard a suppressed sigh of relief. I stared down at the humans through the glass roof of the recreational gym.

"Of course I know them. If you resided within this city - this filthy colony of humans," I spat the word out like it was venom, casting her a glare. "You would know them, too."

Rain dripped down the contours of her pale face, making her glow. Her features softened in confusion as she watched me quietly. The bleak outline behind her only emphasized just how small and insignificant she was in the face of monsters far bigger than her for her to handle by herself.

"These opponents - they're not cheap lowlifes who get off on a heist or robbery, and neither am I." Lowering my headphones to dangle over my neck, I walked towards the railing. "From the moment monsters are born - their lives were set to revolve around killing. Even if they want to live a normal life like what you're saying… it's impossible to do that without at least taking one life." I said, watching her tilt her head. "What a joke. That feared order of yours couldn't even send someone competent to take care of those mindless savages. So they resorted to you? Ha. You won't even last a month here." I scoffed, gauging her reaction. "You'll understand what I mean soon enough."

Having said enough, I pulled up my hood and made to leave until she spoke up again.

"Why not explain it to me now, Len?"

I bristled at the way she pronounced my name, as though it carried no weight. It sounded so light and melodic coming off her tongue - almost musical. It was as though she were provoking me, by purposely calling out to me in such a carefree manner - nothing but a passing breeze. I kept my back to her.

"...I warned you not to address me casually. I am older than you, witch. Do it one more time, and I'll kill you."

"Judging by the nature of your casual threat, you sound no more than a child to me." The girl huffed in reply before adding in afterthought. "And a bully."

Cold anger chilled my veins as I turned around to regard her. Beneath the shadow of my hood, I kept my expression hidden.

Never in my life have I had to deal with such a vain, backtalking, spoiled little girl like her who continued to disrupt my peace and quiet. She kept provoking me. How could anyone like her become a chevalier? Their Order was known for their chastity and honor - a noble band of warriors.

But she looked too young to fit their usual cut. Her inexperience in dealing with monsters was glaringly evident. What else could explain her impudence for chasing after a monster with this little tact?

Clearly, she failed to grasp her position. This is what they called playing with fire.

The nerve of this witch. She thought she could to toy with me using wordplay like those other glamour witches, did she? She was just like that annoying scarecrow, him and his mind games. If she - a mere human - thought she could treat me like a fool and leave this area alive, she would need to be put in her place.

I would not be taken lightly.

Just as I was about to grab her by the arm and give her a threat she wouldn't soon forget - her next words left me standing still.

"You... hate humanity." It was a statement, not a question. For a moment I was taken aback. The look she sent me was devoid of hatred or judgement. "It isn't petty disdain… and it isn't entitled arrogance… what you feel is pure, burning contempt." I couldn't read her expression. "Whenever you look at any of us, all I can see is discord. From how you beat down those other people who provoked you… it was as though you wanted them to understand your feelings." For a moment, she closed her eyes before opening them. This time, they were bright with insight - eyes that seemed to pierce right through my soul. "Rarely have I seen chaos such as yours, Kagamine. The times I have seen it were in people whose pain and despair consumed them… so they take it out on the world."

Another crack of thunder boomed above as the rain fell down from the heavens. The water at our feet reflected us both, including the dark sky.

"Tell me... why do you hate us humans?"

Why, she asks…?

I closed my eyes and suppressed the bitter chuckle that threatened to erupt. Memories of traps, poachers, and the smoke from sacred forests set ablaze for the sake of the industrial movement - it burned before my very eyes. The blood of my own kin being spilled at my paws long before I learned to walk among them. Dishonorable slaughters and violations of what was once holy and revered… did it never occur to them that what they took away could never be returned?

Did their wilful ignorance and entitled arrogance know no bounds?

Nature didn't belong to the humans… all of us, monsters and humans alike - we belonged to her.

"I look forward to the day your kind becomes extinct. All of you are stained by the vulgarity of your sins." I told her in a calm voice, almost smiling out of spite. It would have been easy to kill her like this, alone and vulnerable. Any pragmatic monster would have done so and made her death look like an accident. But there would be no honor in that.

So Instead, I continued talking.

"When humanity dies, the old world will return. The green will grow over the ashes of your bones, and the sea will spread to corners of the world. A paradise untouched by man… as it should be. For the wolfskin… our sacred hunting grounds will be restored."

I pushed back my hood to stare at her, finally acknowledging her existence for what it was.

"My strength exists for protecting the nature of this world. To that end, I have never backed down from a challenge. That is because I intend to become one among my kind - as resilient as a hard diamond… unbreakable." I continued, reaching out to the the rain as it washed over me - body and soul. "I honor nature. Not humanity, not even my lost kin." I said in a whisper. "But when I become stronger, my blood boils… as though I've sought strength and battle for my own sake. When I become stronger, I bask in this newfound power… it is… called the Way of the Hunt. It's not the same as defeating the rubble, not when I'm forced to hold back. Deep inside my heart, I crave bloodshed."

A man with untamed power is no better than a beast, Dell had said to me, but that is what we were. That was what I am. A beast.

After some time, I finally decided that in spite of her transgressions earlier - I would allow her to hear one thing.

"I will tell you one thing only. I am not bound to this city by my own will… if I could have it my way, I would have left years ago."

If not for my mentor… Dell, there would have been nothing else keeping me here.

One day, I would return to the wild where I belonged. To roam free… to hunt, to fight, to survive as I wished far away from here. Away from all this… noise.

"...I see." The girl murmured before turning on her heel. "Even so… as I am also a human… I wish you wouldn't say such things." Her footfalls came to a halt as she lingered by the door. She didn't turn back to me but her voice was softer than I ever heard it before. "You are cruel, Kagamine. I don't condone your acts of needless violence… but then I doubt I can fully comprehend the heart of a monster in one night." A pause. "Still, I… even if you might disagree... I think I might understand your feelings just a little bit." She trailed off for a moment before speaking up again. "Your dream… while that is not the worst dream I have ever heard." Her hand rested on the doorknob. "...It does sound incredibly lonely."

My muscles tensed at the implication of those last words. My jaw tightened as my teeth bared into a inaudible growl as she threw one last, long look over her shoulder towards me before exiting.

Loneliness?

That was fine by me. Such a thing didn't bother As far as I was concerned, I was always on my own for the majority of my life.

"Such a smooth talker as always, little wolf. You must have quite a few love nests lying around at your disposal, you heartbreaker, you." I inwardly bristled at the familiar, sly voice behind me as I glanced over my shoulder to see that annoyance materialize before me. He grinned down at me from his perch, resting his elbow on a crooked knee to assume a lazy slouch. "Truly I envy your luck with ladies. You make it look so effortless."

"Hold that poisonous tongue of yours, scarecrow." I rumbled in a low snarl, narrowing my eyes at him. "We never did finish our last fight. I remember you hightailing it after I destroyed your last collection of jack o'lanterns. It seems a coward like you possesses no shame to suddenly appear out of nowhere."

If anything, my insults seemed to amuse him - and this only increased my irritation. I didn't have the patience to deal with any more mongrels after today.

"Oh my. Did I come at a bad time?"

"Fool. You have a nasty habit of loitering about… were you eavesdropping just now?"

"Oh, indeed." The scarecrow admitted without hesitation. His smile was disgusting to see, as always. "I see you've met the fräulein. Charming, isn't she? Still, to think she really is a chevalier! This makes everything more exciting."

"She'll be offed soon enough." I shut down his gleeful statement with a monotone reply. "Don't be disappointed when things don't go the way you want them, too."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, little wolf." With a laugh, he tilted his straw hat and inclined his head towards me. Teal hair swayed in the wet breeze. Unlike me, he wasn't soaked as he held a parasol high above his head. "After all… as it turns out - the fräulein happens to be the daughter of Bloody Mary."

Her…? That was the daughter of Bloody Mary?

I stopped in my tracks, feeling my ears twitch. "You're not talking about the same…?"

"Indeed. I'm talking about the bloodstained maiden driven mad by love - or a lack of thereof… known in monsterkind as one of the most feared and powerful monsters in the land… well, apart from the Big Bad Wolf… that being Delly-kins, of course.." His eyes flicked to mine, scheming. "Say, didn't Delly-kins know her personally before she went mad?"

Not that I would know. Dell didn't dwell on the past - only the here and now.

"I recall you boasting that you were closer to Bloody Mary than anyone else, wretch." I retorted coldly. "In any case, I'm sure that if any ordinary human had gone mad under unexplained circumstances… it had to have been your doing, am I correct?"

Despite his impish smile, the scarecrow answered my inquiry with an evasive chuckle.

"It's true that I enjoy the misery of humans." A pause. "But it's especially even more enjoyable when I don't even have to cause it. Watching them writhe and struggle on their own before ultimately giving into their despair… there's nothing quite as poetic as that."

Humanity was the name of an animal who could not possess their joys in life without a sacrifice.

"Nothing less expected from someone who possess no heart. As you are unable to gauge emotions of your own, of course you would derive amusement from observing others suffer and toil to fill the void within you." My lips curled into a disdainful sneer. "You are a rotting apple through and through."

"You really are a vicious little thing, Lenny… so cold and brutally impertinent..." The scarecrow trailed off in a low whisper before brightening up as he cheerily went on to add. "That's why we get along so well!"

"I beg to differ." I briefly considered giving into my desire to tear out his vocal cords right then and there before thinking better of it. It was better to ignore him at this point. After all, the scarecrow only said these things to garner attention - and allowing him to get under my skin would shame my pride. As for that girl, whether or not she was the daughter of a human or monster… the apple didn't always fall far from the tree. Sometimes it didn't fall at all.

In any case, it had nothing to do with me.

Ripping off the top layers of my clothes, I threw it aside as I leaped onto the railing. Crouching in a low position, I paid no mind to the hailing rain pouring down my chest and muscled arms. My hair was flattened from the rain, hanging annoyingly low in my vision. My eyes were at their brightest as I took in the smell of blood not too far from here. I concentrated hard to pinpoint the sounds I was looking for.

Then I heard it. West from here. Bloodcurdling screams and claws tearing into flesh before plunging in for the kill.

For the first time since I was freed… I felt alive with anticipation. Vampires… they were attacking the border of town, just close to Glacier Forest wherein my territory lied. The smell of blood drove me into an animalistic frenzy. The dance monsters performed when hunting their prey. That was enough of a reason for me to fight - to kill them all.

And I wouldn't have to hold back.

"My, oh my. What a scary look you're wearing." The raggedy straw doll commented behind me. "It seems the even Big Bad Wolf has quite a conundrum when it comes to mentoring a firebrand like you… if you ditch school to pick a fight, he won't be happy, you know?"

I barely registered his words as the blood roared to life in my ears. I had a hunger I could not deprive - this surge of power and drive that came from the challenge beyond the horizon awakened what I was thought had been dead inside me.

I pulled on a rough-cut jeweled stone, one that contained all my true powers as a wolfskin. It flashed a blazing yellow, shining in my face.

A slow, feral grin twitched onto my lips.

Tonight, I'll plunder heaven blind and steal back from mankind what was rightfully mine. Like the moon, I was eye of the night. Alone and swallowed up in the darkness - damned by the Fates, those heavenly stigmas - to be crowded in this hellhole of mongrels… but even so, I felt alive when the promise of bloodshed swung temptingly in front of my nose like a pendulum.

How I lived was defined by the Way of the Hunt. This was the feeling of being truly alive. A beast was never contained or chained, but instead he thrived on the thrill of conquest out in the wild. Filled with primal bloodlust but truly alive, this was the truth I couldn't deny as a wolfskin.

This was the feeling of being Len Kagamine.

Predators lived by the prey they pursued - this time the predator was me. Out here in the wild, I was free to run rampant.

As I held my beast stone to my left breast, I welcomed the power that I had sealed away - coursing through me. This was lycanthropy. My body was afire, my senses were heightened to the peak under the full moon as the weakness of this body melted away - transforming into my true form as a beast.

Bloodlust like a raging desire filled my whole soul with its curse. Burning with primitive fire, leaving me berserk and basking in this fury.

"It's here, it's here, it's here, IT'S HERE…!" The words escaped me in a mad mantra as I embraced my painful, violent transformation, throwing my head back with a victorious howl. White fur grew all over my lean body, my limbs tearing apart and colliding into each other.

"HRROOOARRR!"

I landed on all fours, the earth shaking at my weight after I lurched off the building with a bloodthirsty snarl. My nose picked up the scent of fledgling vampires. They were moving fast. I crouched low to the ground before breaking off into a sprint, my blood boiling the stronger their scent grew. I left the school and Scarecrow behind, forgotten and alone.

So these vampires thought they would be the hunters under this twilight?

Pretentious bloodsuckers, skulking about like high bred mongrels and acting entitled to whatever they laid eyes on. How I disdained their arrogance. Beneath their pale hides, elegance, and charm - they were hideous to the core. Theirs was an empty depravity that only the worst mongrels would partake in. They resorted to trickery, lies, and emotional manipulation just to make up for the fact that they couldn't ensnare their prey any honorable way. That just proved how weak they were. Those filthy heathens were only a fraction worse than humans - only good when dead.

Do they even bleed, I wonder?

Bats flew over my head, scattering over the moonlight sky. So, those vampires sent out their familiars to scout the area, the area they think they owned.

How wrong they were.

The moment they strayed into my territory, it was them who would become the hunted.

Tonight I would conquer all the odds, leaving my legacy in the destruction that would be forever remembered and feared. I would show the world that tonight… now and forever, the name to remember was Kagamine Len.

The white wolfskin the one who accepted no master but the wild.

"HRARROOOOOOOOOO!"

Time to hunt.

---

Rin's POV

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The moment the nurse caught me dripping water everywhere near the office, she had corralled me into the infirmary to dry off and rest. After she lectured me about playing out in the rain with improper attire, she had insisted that my health came first and fussed over me despite my protests. My mind was elsewhere when she pushed a cup of steaming ginger tea into my hands before closing the curtain so I could have privacy. She had just left to ask the counselor to postpone my detention. Now, I was here left in one of the white beds with the covers up to my chin.

Much to my delight, she had urged me to eat the pudding stored in the mini fridge to alleviate my clamminess. It merited as medical advice, at least. Therefore, my sweets ban was happily abandoned as I gorged myself with vanilla bean pudding topped with whip cream and maraschino cherries.

Hours had passed since school hours ended. I had already snuck my way back in here and hid out of sight until the nighttime fell. By then, the school should have been locked up by now. I could occasionally hear the footsteps of prefects outside. I could have sworn I even heard Madam President's voice. Still, I continued to wait until all was quiet.

"You don't belong here."

Harsh as it sounded, the Lone Wolf had only spoken the truth. But his words had hurt me more than I dared to admit.

"What a joke. That feared order of yours couldn't even send someone competent to take care of those mindless savages. So they resorted to you? Ha. You won't even last a month here."

"I knew that already…" I whispered in the dark, biting my lower lip as I suppressed the urge to cry. I felt ashamed of letting myself become weak. Still, even without him telling me I had already been made painfully aware that anyone would do better at being a chevalier than a useless burden such as myself. The higher-ups treated me as such, and me being E-ranked - I was no more than a mouse thrown in a pit of vipers.

I did not deserve to be called a chevalier, which was why I held no pride for the title. I had only been a child when they had offered me the choice between enlisting into the order… or living the rest of my days with people whom were strangers. I had been desperate to live - to have a purpose. I had gotten what I asked for.

But at what cost?

Even now, the raging inferno that had devastated my village consumed me - taking everything I had loved and leaving just me as the survivor.

What good was it for just me to survive when everyone else died?

For the longest time, I wandered in darkness not knowing what to do with my life. And then I was enlisted into the Chevalerie Order.

Yes… even if I'm alone, whether I question or not if my life is worth meaning - I had to fight on. I mean… that's what I have to do… to fight for everyone's sake. I don't mind what happens to me, but…

If I couldn't save everyone from back then, I…

"You will come to me one of these days." Bloody Mary's whispers reverberate in my head. " And when you do… you'll realize what you've been missing all these years."

A shuddering gasp left my lips as I closed my ears, willing her voice to disappear.

Even before I made the choice to become a chevalier, it hadn't always been like this! I had admired those chevaliers, and I had admired how highly praised my father and Lily were spoken of. To me, they had been heroes who symbolized hope.

Once upon a time, like any other little girl - I had a pure wish.

My wish had been to bring joy and hope to everyone… to protect everyone's smiles just like father had done. Mother and Lily had loved him deeply, but he had left the family when I could barely walk. The only things I had to remember him by were the songs of glory everyone sang about him. My father, Dans Solem… the greatest chevalier in the world - a hero of justice.

But when my mother became a monster, everything I believed in was lost to me. I no longer knew who I was. That's why… when I became a chevalier… how I clung to that purpose - I thought I would be alright if I was a chevalier. Because even with everything I had lost… my wish as a child had come true.

How naive I had been to believe such a thing.

No matter how hard I had worked, no matter how hard I had tried - I could never collect a single monster soul even after defeating one. No matter how many people I had tried to save, they would either die because of my shortcomings as an E-ranked unit, or live on not knowing what I had done for them. I had never flourished. I never advanced. I had been an empty husk… reaching for an ideal in vain.

A hollow chuckle escaped me as I held Ossa to my breast, trembling from the cold.

...But even if my wish had been a naive, foolish passing dream… I could still remember how beautiful it had been to me. Even now, I had admired the me that wished so earnestly to protect everyone's happiness.

"That's why…" I rose out of the bed, retrieving my hanging clothes and putting them back on. "I will continue."

Even if my life was fruitless and hollow as a chevalier, the wish I had once held deep in my heart was the one beautiful thing I had ever prided myself in. Even though I was a fraud as a chevalier, I knew the dream I had as a child had not been wrong. I had many regrets in life. I was well aware that putting others before myself was a hypocrisy.

But still, the desire to protect others with all my strength… it was never something I regretted.

As foolish as it sounded, the more I had observed the Lone Wolf, the more I found myself envying him. Despite his intolerance and unbridled hatred towards humans, he had one thing I could never possess.

Pride.

His eyes told me that he had seen death. I couldn't begin to comprehend the depth of pain he had gone through to reach that point. All I knew about him was that he was a cutthroat with who lacked empathy. Even so, he was strong because he possessed an iron will simply to live for himself. Unlike me, he had a passion to live.

When I saw him fight, it was as though I was watching one man against the rest of the world. It wasn't his overwhelming strength that impressed me - it was the pride behind it. He didn't forgo, the one thing he knew how to do by heart - no matter it was right or wrong - was to fight for himself.

The truth is when he had thrown into the pool… I thought of him cruel not because he ruined my clothes or because of the unexplained maliciousness of the act - but because through the water's reflection I had finally been forced to see myself for the first time in years. To truly look at myself… and remember my old smiling self before the monsters and horror.

He had thrust the oldest mirror from time right under my nose, forcing me to remember the pain and sadness I had long buried within despite all my years of avoiding those things.

It had truly angered me.

Floating in the water and seeing my surprised reflection instead of Bloody Mary, I had bitterly thought… there really was such a girl who existed once, wasn't there?

To say that I disliked the current me... was an understatement.

The girl I used to be, the one who wanted to become a heroine no longer existed. The world was not black and white like I used to believe. Humans could be just as horrible as monsters. The bitter memories of my past reminded me of just that.

Facing head on against that wolf… to think I had thought him as no more than a bully - an angry child who took out his hatred on others. But… it seems that I lost against him because I had been the child all along.

A small, defeated smile tugged at my lips before I could stop myself. I wanted to laugh at how things turned out. Stubborn as I could be, I was never a sore loser.

"Oh, Ossa…" I murmured aloud as I gathered my bespectacled bunny in my arms, holding him tight as I exited the infirmary. "This might sound presumptuous of me, but from now on… maybe I should try doing my best?" The question was left hanging in the air, unanswered. It didn't matter, however.

Right now, there was something important that needed to be dealt with.

Bolstered by a sudden burst of determination, I ran towards the place where I knew the murderer would be lurking about, feeding on her next prey. Or should I say… murderess.

I was completely unsurprised when I discovered prefects slumped all over the halls, including Madam President herself. Judging from the magic residue left in the air, it seemed that the culprit had used a slumber enchantment on them. They would be out for hours, so I didn't have to worry about sneaking around anymore.

"This is it… this is my chance!" With that urged whisper, I sped through the halls, sliding down the iron banisters floor after floor. "If I'm right about this, then I need to hurry!"

Earlier during clean-up, I had gone back to the drawing and examined any clues that had been left behind. The contents that auntie Lola had sent me had helped me out of the pinch. Then there were things I noticed that stood out to me about the nature of these serial murders.

First, there had been the bite marks left on the deceased victims' necks. I had crossreferencd the photos from the case files and compared them to the diagrams depicting the bite marks left behind by different monsters. The marks were similar to that of a vampire's… if not for one glaring piece of evidence.

Forensic scientists from the mage department noted toxic residue from the area which the victims had been bitten. The area around the skin was melted through, and from what I remembered - not many monsters possessed a toxic residue that could melt away layers of skin with such ease. The blood samples were also coagulated into gelatin-like clumps, making them acidic in content. At every death present, there had always been faint traces of acidic saliva left behind the victim's skin… very much like a snake's.

The only monster who could be responsible for that would be a gorgon.

Not to mention a handful of gorgons had the ability to control the weather to their behest, depending on how powerful they were. As it was, gorgons were very much like their snake counterparts - they were very susceptible to extreme climate changes. Being cold-blooded monsters, that meant they were intolerant to extreme heat.

Of course, if they were too cold they could also be endangered.

Autumn in Megaton proved to be unseasonably warm - even hot due to the fact that we were closer to the south. With the weather changing into persistent and freezing rain storms all month round had happened during the timeframe of the murders.

Finally, the fact that all the victims had been young males who had been brutally murdered in orderly fashion suggested that it had been a personal matter on the murderess's part. Once bitten, a gorgon's venom would cause the afflicted to hallucinate and produce fever-like symptoms.

"EYEHAHAHAH! CONFRONTATION IMMINENT!" In the palm of my hand, Hollow Yves was cackling as loud as his voice would allow. If I made a wrong turn, his skull grew cold to the touch and his laughter would die out. I used my intuition to whiff out the monster. I could feel it. Her power was reaching its peak that even a novice such as myself could sense her monster aura. If I got closer to the area she was in, he felt hot and practically wailed with hyena laughter.

It was then I reached the recreational gym that Hollow Yves' empty eye sockets blazed with twin red glows, burning bright as a pair of rubies. His laughter died out in an ominous silence though the grin remained stretched across his face.

So... the gorgon truly was here.

I heard noises of struggling behind the closed doors. There was no point in sneaking in at this point as I knew someone as strong as her would have noticed me by now. Eyes narrowed, I took a deep breath to prepare myself as I finally drew my soul weapon from inside Ossa's stuffing. It was a pair of antique scissors of rustic quality. The blade grew longer in size as I unsheathed it from its magical dimension hidden inside Ossa. By the time I had completely drawn it a dull shine danced across its slender body.

Noitcelfer, the scissor blades that were the size of a saber. When broken apart, I could wield them separately in dual wielding. When brought together, the blades were twice as powerful.

As the name of my soul weapon implied, Noitcelfer was not just a possession - it was forged to connect with my soul itself. It was only because of soul weapons were it possible for chevaliers to collect the souls of monsters.

Yes, even if I was to hand over Ossa during inspection and metal scanning - how could they find a concealed weapon when it was inside another dimension?

But… for some reason, Noitcelfer always rejected every monster soul I tried to feed it to. Monster souls were the key to becoming more powerful. Without it, I could never progress.

I pushed the door open, announcing my presence to the womanly figure ahead of me lingering by the pool. Beside her was a male student she had been dangling over the water by the throat. Hearing my voice, she stopped choking him to listen. I couldn't see his face because of the dim lightning, but seeing as he was breathing - I knew he was unharmed, if not unconscious.

I would have to make sure he stayed that way.

"It seems this tonight will be the last time I will have you as a teacher… Miss Ann." I spoke in a calm, polite voice that was no different than the usual way I spoke to her. "I had admired you for being a lady who carried herself despite hardships. I had hoped the murderess hadn't been you." I almost lowered my eyes but knew that doing so would have meant dropping my guard. "I wanted to be wrong."

Slowly, Miss Ann craned her neck to regard me with a depraved smile, her tongue darting out to sample the blood on her fingers. Her demure, sweet nature was no more - it had only been a front to mask the cruel woman beneath flowery smiles.

"And I had hoped that the new chevalier I had heard about would be another foolish, arrogant boy. Imagine my disappointment when I found out it was my most well-behaved student of them all." Her glamour melted away as her true form emerged into that of a hissing, snake-eyed serpentess. Her beautiful locks gave way to snakes crowning her hair, hissing at me. She shed her slim, womanly figure in place of a long scaly body. She crawled on her belly as her legs melded together to form a slithery tail.

The inhumane power radiating from her terrible gaze was so intense I finally had to look away, remembering that gorgons in their true forms possessed the power to petrify anyone with a single glare.

"You were never good at anything physical that required stamina, Rin. Still, even though you looked like you wanted to complain you always complied to my teaching plans no matter how ridiculous they might have been."

"Thank you for acknowledging my efforts…" I answered slowly, tracing the hilt of Noitcelfer in a calculating fashion as I planned out my next course of action. "Medusa."

A sharp laugh escaped her as she rocked back and forth, clutching her stomach as the snakes on her head swayed in motion.

"So! You knew my name all along! Do tell, Rin, how did you figure it out?"

"When it comes to your kill record, no gorgon has quite the high numbers targeting males like you do." I answered, remaining unabashed as I continued. "The nature of how the boys were murdered were similar to the ones you committed in the past." Remembering how she had reacted to being bullied by those hoodlums earlier as well as her expression mixed with fear and terror when Len dealt with her, her motives had dawned on me by then. "You are unappreciated in your role in human society and are treated as a sex object by men… objectified and used. That is why you butcher them the way you do before killing them."

As the popular saying went, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".

Medusa's laughter died into a terse silence.

"Your enmity towards men is evident, jarring - and in the end, that was what gave you away." Without hesitation, I pointed my scissors towards her. "O monster, your judgement for violating the treaty will be punished by death. By my duty as a chevalier, I hereby carry out your execution."

Those were the words of the deliverance speech - one that a chevalier would say to honor his sworn opponent before killing them.

As I had once respected Medusa as my teacher, I had thought she deserved at least that much.

"You always were a considerate student, Rin. To think you turned out to be a chevalier… a bit young, aren't you?" she chuckled, her body slithering into the water. Gazing down at me, she almost looked sad. I pretended not to notice it as I maintained a cold face. "Life beyond the veil was truly hell. I had thought by coming here… there would be kind men. Men who wouldn't trample over broken hearts. I hoped I would find out if it was a crime to live as you are, even when you are different from others..."

In truth I didn't understand what she was saying, but I listened all the same. No one had ever bothered to do so for her. I would not pretend to act as though I understood her pain, nor would I berate her for her crimes. She knew what she had done though perhaps she failed to foresee the consequences of her actions.

"Hey… Rin. I'll forget I ever saw you if you leave right now." Medusa spoke in a soft, deadly voice. Her serpentine body rose over me as she wrapped herself around the unconscious boy, squeezing him in an embrace that promised death. "A monster I may be, but truth is that I really don't want to kill you. Especially not one as young and promising as you." Unblinking, I glanced down to see the light reflecting off the boy's face.

Much to my inner disbelief, it was Kaito. He was pale and thrashing out in what looked like a nightmare, but he couldn't open his eyes - most likely due to being poisoned by a recent bite.

He had been an oddball when we first met, and I couldn't say I was particularly fond of him… however, he had been the first person to treat me with kindness when I first arrived in Megaton. I also knew that while he came off as an annoyance, he didn't deserve a fate like this.

"It's too late for that. If I looked the other way, I would be no better than an accomplice." Readying myself to attack, I lowered my stance and kept Ossa pressed against my side. "Hypocrisy doesn't sit well with me, Medusa. I never did like it when teachers picked their favorites among students."

The rain had completely stopped then. In the freezing night, I had made a resolve for the first time in years. The air grew colder as Medusa drifted above like a fey spirit. I couldn't read her expression when I had been staring below her the entire time.

Then a callous chuckle escaped her in a hiss as she flung Kaito aside. His body hit the ground in a boneless heap. With a strange song, she called cobras to her side as they slithered from out of the darkness from every corner. Their red eyes pierced the black night, warranting a slow and painful death. Every route of escape was blocked.

There was no turning back now.

"Very well. Come at me!" Medusa commanded in a strong, unwavering voice that echoed throughout the pool room. "Show me what you're made of, little chevalier!"

"Rest easy… teacher." In a voice as sweet as honey, I sent her a faint smile. As I felt my heart racing against the gamble of life or death, I raised my scissors high above my head and going in for the first charge. "I'll kill you gently."

---

a/n: Trivia! What kind of illness does Rin suffer from?

Ding, ding! If you guessed diabetes mellitus type 1, then you get a cookie! Type 1 is determined at birth when the afflicted are unable to produce insulin from the pancreas. When you don't have insulin, the body's sugar levels can get very high - this could result in a dangerous condition called ketoacidosis.

Well! As long as Rin doesn't eat too many sweets and remembers to take her insulin - she will not suffer a slow death from extreme dehydration and death! Just don't tell anyone else, especially not the monsters in your closets. Who knows what they could do with that kind of information.

That about settles the main cast. Surprisingly, Len was tricky to write as I never had to write from the perspective of a vicious cynic before, let alone a misanthrope! Well, at least not one who will take up a leading role alongside Rin.

As you can see, the length of this chapter exceeded my initial expectations, haha. I'm sorry to make it so long if you have a hard time finding your way back from where you left off. I also made this chapter lengthy on purpose to compensate for the fact my updates happen once in a blue moon as of late.

Yes, well. I'm 100% done and ready to sleep forever Wake me up when the humanity dies out and there's only androids to preserve a ruined world. I will join the age of robots with them.