"I am a girl who loves my island, and a girl who loves the sea." The girl sang along to her phone playing the song for the tenth time that day. She had literally nothing else to do, and wouldn't until the preparations were complete. She was only wearing the sweatpants, T-shirt, and hoodie she had come to this place in - other clothing had been provided, but nothing fancy was available to her. She had been told that if her current situation extended, they'd look into some variety, but she couldn't expect much.

Oh well. I'm used to living out of a suitcase, she thought. Any minute now...

Her singing was interrupted by a short cough, and she looked up, startled, before looking down at the papers being slid in front of her. They were written in Dutch, a language that she had spent the past several months trying, with only limited success, to learn to speak. Her reading comprehension was much better, but this was still several years beyond her. "I suppose I have no choice but to trust you on this. They won't be as good as physical copies, of course, but I have permission to take pictures of these and transmit them out of the embassy?"

"To anywhere you like," The older, distinguished looking gentleman confirmed. They were both speaking Japanese - the girl's native language. The room they were in had the elegant wood paneling of the rest of the embassy's public areas. The desk was fine oak - antique, the girl had been assured, shipped up from Nagasaki straight from the original embassy grounds there. "Once you sign these, your safety is technically my responsibility, although it is a duty I will almost certainly delegate. You are not the only thing going on in the world, young Miss. Even though one might be tempted to believe otherwise, if they were restricted to the Japanese media."

The girl laughed. "Teenagers are supposed to think we're the center of the universe. I'm just a bit closer than most." She hesitated, just a moment longer, and then signed in hesitant Latin characters. "So, what happens next, Ambassador?"

"Your debriefing," The Ambassador said. "As I said, most of this will be handled by my subordinates, but if you don't mind I'd like to go over the first part myself. As it will be key to explaining the decision to grant a Japanese national asylum, I expect I'll need to be personally familiar with the details of your . . . early career."

The girl scoffed. "You mean 'why I felt it necessary to take up a life of thought crime?'"

"That, among other things." The Ambassador chuckled. "I admit I'm intensely curious. How is it possible to actually steal a person's heart?"

The girl closed her eyes. "Okay, so, since the full explanation for that and why I decided it was...the best thing to do are pretty connected, and you really need both, why don't I just tell you what happened from the beginning? I assume this room's bugged within an inch of its' life, so once we get through April you can pass me off to a subordinate and review the footage yourself."

"Most perceptive!" The Ambassador actually laughed. "Splendid. Truly worthy of the master thief you claim to be."

The girl grinned broadly. "Welp, that's why I'm getting this sweetheart deal, isn't it? Stealing hearts for Crown and Country in exchange for not ending up in a cell in my homeland?" Rei held up her hand. "I already said not to get your hopes up in that regard, It's a joke. This is still valuable, in the sense of knowing what we're looking for in the future if it happens again. I really hope it doesn't, though. We got entirely too close to the end for comfort a few weeks ago."

A nod. "Indeed. Why not begin with your arrival in Tokyo, Miss…"

Amamiya Rei struggled to get her two suitcases up the stairs of LeBlanc Cafe to the 'apartment' that was to be her new home for the next year. She didn't really pay attention to her surroundings as she found herself needing to kick the first suitcase out of the way to make room for the second. "It's amazing what you can boil a life down to," she commented, albeit to no one. "Ugh, I'd better get ready for bed…" she said again, flipping the lights on and looking around the room. "...once I find it. This place is a dump!"

That was probably a generous assessment. The whole place was illuminated by bare bulbs hanging on wires from the ceiling. Piled up in one corner were a bunch of cardboard boxes, which were either opened or had never been sealed, containing...well, Rei didn't know what and she didn't really want to. It was the owner's stuff, and Seijiro Sakura was welcome to it. She'd give it back to him when she cleaned the place up, as she would inevitably have to do.

Her eyes moved next to the giant, overflowing bookshelf, which she only identified as such because some books peeked out from under the cover of a canvas tarp. Next to that there were some gas cans, an old plant that was in desperate need of some life support, and a ladder left carelessly on the floor.

She saw an old loveseat that had probably once been down in the cafe, but had clearly seen better days and was now retired. Some shelves held enough rice for the shop for several weeks, dry spices, and other things Sojiro would obviously need to run the business. "Fuck, can't a girl even get any privacy!?" she shouted to no one, her voice's sweet alto somewhat ruined by the anger in it. Then she relaxed, noticing the narrow bed in the corner. It, at least, looked clean.

Since the cafe had once been a small house, there was supposedly a shower in the basement. Western-style, but at least she had all the facilities she'd need. It was early spring, and the cold of the winter hadn't quite fled this attic. Still, she'd at least planned for that. She'd need to set up full curtains around the storage area, but for tonight just setting a super-early alarm would have to do.

Throwing open her suitcase, she pulled out a suitable set of pajamas and headed down to the shower. Somewhat surprisingly, it was actually clean to the point of sparkling. "I guess Health Services actually cares about this one," she said, again out loud despite no one being able to hear her. It was set next to the larger ice box, so she supposed Soujiro actually did need to keep up appearances. Regardless, she set the no-brand toiletries she had managed to bring along on the shelf in the shower and quickly rinsed off. She'd need to do it again in the morning before going to school, but for right now, she just needed to deal with the stress and sweat of travel on the trains halfway across the country in a day.

When she was done, she pulled on her panties, being careful to avoid looking down or into the mirror until she was done. Her frame was slim, and she noticed that her bustline seemed a little bigger, although it was still relatively tiny compared to most of her old classmates. Her waist was definitely slimmer, though, and while she'd not qualify as an 'hourglass figure' by any stretch of the imagination, she was at least not unattractive. She'd need to do real measurements for the records, but that could wait until after she'd unpacked. Putting on her glasses over her slate-gray eyes, she noted that, while she'd had to cut her hair short per the new school's rules, the cut she'd managed was at least reasonably attractive, falling straight down the sides of her round face. She let one strand flip down in front of an eye, and sighed. They're gonna make me change it, I just know it.

Getting dressed, she headed back upstairs and laid down on the bed, which, again, surprised her by being reasonably soft and comfortable. What's with that old guy anyway… she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

When she woke up, she wasn't in the same bed. The new one was harder, like she had imagined prison beds were like. She slowly blinked her eyes open and found herself in a room ablaze with a blue light so bright, she mistook it for white for a moment. It took Rei a moment to understand what she was looking at, and with a slowly growing sense of dread, she reached up and pushed against the soft, padded wall. That was when she realized her entire arm, no, both arms, were covered in a coat of a coarse material festooned with straps and buckles. "N-no...no…"

"Ah, welcome, Trickster," Rei spun around, only to realize that her cell had an open-barred door rather than the heavy steel of a modern mental institution. Even more odd, though, was the view out of the cell seemed to be directly into an office. Two small girls, blond, and wearing eyepatches and the cleaner white coats of orderlies, stood side-by-side. The deep voice that had spoken didn't belong to them.

Instead, it clearly belonged to the man behind the desk. He was old, with a bald head and long white hair around it. His body wasn't so much 'fat' as 'egg-shaped', and he stared at her from misshapen eyes, the left significantly larger than the right. His nose extended out inches from his face, drooping down towards the ground as though it couldn't quite support its' own weight.

Rei screamed, slamming into the bars. "LET ME OUT!" she managed as soon as she had calmed down (relatively speaking) to the point of being coherent. The old man was content to let her do this, but one of the girls extended a baton and smacked it on Rei's fists when they tried to close around the bars.

"Show respect in the presence of our Master, Patient!" the girl snapped at Rei.

"The 'you' in reality is still fast asleep," the other said, in a calm, disinterested voice. "You are only experiencing this in a dream."

Rei backed away from the bars. "Aheheh...a dream...I knew that...like, no way I could get from that dum - "

"Silence!" The first girl shouted again. "Our Master demands your attention and respect."

The old man...thing...waved them off. "Come now, Caroline. She is our guest." He looked at her. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Trickster. I see it in your eyes. You don't believe this is a dream...and you are correct. This is a place that exists between dream and reality, between mind and matter. Only those bound by a contract may enter."

Rei giggled. She couldn't help it, it was absurd. "A...a contract? You dress me up as a mental patient and lock me in a cell, and you call me a guest? Okay, is this a game show?"

"Would you like it to be?" The man asked. "Ah, but where are my manners? I am Igor, the master of this place. This is my Velvet Room, a place which appears as you conceive your own existence. Is it truly surprising that you would see the world like this, given your history? At least to you, it shouldn't be. I admit, the coincidence is...fitting."

"Coincidence?" Rei asked. "Can you just say what you mean?"

Igor looked pleased. "Very well. You spoke of a game show earlier. If it pleases you, you may think of what is to come as a game. And the stakes of that game...are ruin, or rehabilitation."

"...what?"

"Rehabilitation toward freedom, and thus, to avoid the ruin that surely awaits you as you are now." Igor...failed to explain. "Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"

Rei laughed bitterly. "Shouldn't I worry about myself first in that department?"

Igor gave her a subtle nod of approval. "However, there is no rule that says you cannot do both." The two girls suddenly turned and stood at attention, facing into the cell. "Oh, pardon me. These two are my assistants. To your right is Caroline. To your left, Justine."

Justine spoke in an almost bored tone, as if reciting a speech she had made hundreds of times but still needed to pretend to care. "The duty of us orderlies is to protect patients like yourself. We are also to be your collaborators…" While her expression didn't change, her tone suddenly became menacing. "...if you remain obedient."

"Now then," Igor picked up the discussion. "It seems our time is almost up. The night is waning, and with the dawn, your reality will return."

The beeping of the alarm jolted Rei to sudden wakefulness. "Gyah...what a dream. Glad I don't have to do this every morning. Except I kinda do." She opened the suitcases she had left at the top of the stairs, and pulled out a small portable laundry bag. I'll just have to live out of these for a bit. She quickly sorted through, and found the Shujin Academy Uniform. "Ugh."

It's just for a year. It's just for a year. Repeating that to herself, she went down to the basement and showered again before the old man could get in. She hated everything about the uniform. The itchy red and black plaid slacks. The shirt that just would never fit her frame right, even after binding her breasts back to the extent they needed it. Then the jacket over it, a size too big so it would hide everything, proudly displaying the school's badge over the breast pocket. "It's...it's just for a year. I can deal with this." She smiled to herself at a sudden thought. Maybe something horrible will happen to the principal and I'll be able to change back by summer. Looking in the mirror, she considered her hairstyle. "Maybe I won't have to cut it. Wigs are expensive." With some brushing and combing, she managed to get her hair to look far shorter than it actually was, neatly combed back and everything. A couple of hairpins to tie it in place, and she nodded and put her glasses on. One bang still fell in front of a lens, but nothing she could do about that. "Probably time to consider contacts."

A voice called down to the basement. "Hey, idiot, get up here! And put on the right uniform! You don't have enough breathing room to screw around right now!"

Rei groaned. "Okay, okay old man! I know the score!" She considered the summer uniform for a moment, but there was no time to figure out how to deal with it now. She ascended the stairs and looked at Sojiro Sakura more closely.

The man wasn't really that old. Sure, he'd lost most of his hair, but it was still healthy-looking and black. He also kept a beard that made him look somewhere between scruffy and distinguished. He was just pulling off his apron, with the simple polo shirt and khakis over it, he looked perfect for the cafe he ran. The one she now lived over. The back wall was lined with displays for the raw coffee beans. There was a small roaster, and a series of glass tubes whose purpose evaded Rei for a moment until she saw that they were filled with water and ground beans already, and had a flame sitting underneath like a culinary science experiment. To her left was the public restroom, the only one she'd have access to at night. Just past that was a kitchenette, not even a full-sized kitchen, with a simple oven and stove combination that would be more at home in an apartment than a restaurant. If Sojiro served anything but curry, Rei was sure there wouldn't be enough burners to supply the whole restaurant. As it was, she wasn't sure how he stayed in business.

Sojiro gave her a slight smile. "Oh, hey, got a present for you. It's from your dad." With that, several small boxes were laid out on the counter. "You sure you need all this stuff?"

Rei grinned broadly. "Hey, thanks for holding onto it for me, Boss," she said gratefully, opening the boxes. "Seriously, I didn't know what I was gonna do." Without waiting for an answer, she opened each bottle in turn and took out several pills, tossing them back along with the cup of water that Sojiro had hastily gotten while she was busy. "Whew. Really, you're a lifesaver."

"Hey, don't exaggerate." Sojiro said, a bit too quickly. "It's not like you'd die without them right?"

Rei leaned against the bar counter, a grateful expression on her face. "That's probably true, but you could have made this year a whole lot harder on me."

Sojiro shook his head. "I don't really get the big deal. Anyway, the school's a ways away. Even though it's Sunday, we've still gotta have a meeting with the Principal. Count yourself lucky. Normally only girls get to ride in the front seat of my car." Rei visibly flinched. "...sorry," he said after a second. "Hard to remember, especially when you look like that."

"Just try to keep it straight in the future, gramps."

The office was about what one would expect - shelves of books and prestigious-looking awards, probably all for the school if Rei was any judge. The man himself did not seem impressive, more of a bureaucrat than an educator. Everything was kept very neat and tidy, though. The computer in the corner was a much older model, judging by the CRT, but she supposed he wasn't playing video games on it or anything. If it worked for him, she wouldn't point out that it showed he couldn't get anything better from the Education Board.

The principal himself was a fat, disgusting slob of a man, wearing a tacky yellow suit. He had no hair to speak of, and Rei was trying very hard to avoid meeting his eyes long enough to tell what color they were. He had a way of speaking that she would best describe as 'arrogant', as if he was maintaining politeness only because he thought it could be used against her later. "I don't know how you convinced your old school to tolerate your deviancy, but let me assure you, one foot out of line and you will be out of here." Rei ground her teeth, but stayed silent. "Oh, and you're to cease taking those pills immediately."

Rei smiled, and Sojiro's eyes widened and he tried to indicate with his look not to say anything, but she was sure she knew what she was doing. "Sir, you cannot legally make that request. At least, you can't kick me out for noncompliance."

"It's a cosmetic procedure," he said dismissively.

Rei pulled out a folder. "I thought you might say that...and that you might lose the paperwork." She opened it. "Officially sealed by the public notary, of course. If you try to claim they're not official or I didn't give them to you, it's a crime." She sorted the papers out. "Medical record, psychiatric record, and the relevant legal code. Also a copy of the school's bylaws, printed from the web site before I left. I took the liberty of highlighting the relevant sections of the latter two. I have a chronic medical condition, the pills and shots are my treatment. Legally speaking. Also, I've been on them for a few years. There are potentially life-threatening complications from stopping now."

"I can have this overturned. You obviously tricked the doctor into giving you a cosmetic treatment you weren't ready for." The principal tried to claim again.

No. Rei realized. He's saying how he thinks this will play out if I fight him. Well, good thing I knew how to be prepared. She just shook her head. "Do that and I can make enough of a fuss that the school's reputation will suffer regardless. Especially if I have an accident because you made me stop. I may not get what I want, but neither do you."

The fat bastard just glared at her. "I will not tolerate threats."

"No threat," Rei said simply. "I did check everything on my way over. You can force me to wear the male uniform. You can try to claim that my lifestyle would be disruptive to the school, but to be honest I think you'll find that doesn't work as well in the long run as you're hoping." The principal scoffed. "I wasn't done. There's a simple way we both get what we want in the end. You let me continue my treatment, I wear the pants and generally don't make a fuss, and this time next year we're done with each other and you can forget this ever happened."

The man looked at her. The look in his eyes told her 'I have had willful little children like you destroyed before. It wouldn't bother me to do it to you.' But, after a moment passed between them, he pretended to move on as if the discussion had never happened. "As I was saying - remember that the terms of your probation require you to remain in school. It's absolutely certain no other school will have you, so if you're expelled you'll be sent to prison."

Where I won't be able to get treated anyway. I get it, I get it, Rei thought, but betrayed nothing of her exasperation. "I understand, Sir. Will that be all?"

"I'm curious what you intend to do about gym class," he said, a little nastiness creeping back into his voice.

Rei shrugged. "If you seriously don't think I haven't thought of that you're not paying attention."

Sojiro suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder. "All right, I've gotta get back to the restaurant and I'm sure this cheeky little boy doesn't know the way…" Before another word could be said Rei found herself dragged out of the office and down the corridor.

The moment Sojiro was out of earshot he was yelling at her. "What was that about!? Are you determined to screw up your second chance before you've even started?"

Rei sighed. "Chief, listen. Did I screw up back then? Hell yeah. Not even gonna deny that. But my only regret is that it probably didn't make a difference in the long term. If I could go back, get it right, and still end up in this spot, I'd do it again." Sojiro stared at her in shock. "I don't give a fuck about his school's precious reputation, but he obviously does. I'll put up with a lot, but when someone threatens you, hit back harder. That's the only way I'm going to survive."

Sojiro glared. "Just remember he can hit a lot harder than you can."

"I know, but is it worth his time?" Rei asked, turning to go down the stairs. "From here on I promise I'll keep my head down, but now I'm pretty sure he won't try to screw with me again just because. Anyway, it's class 2-D, right? This looks like an old-fashioned school layout, so I can find it."

But how do I find the school?! I'm late I'm late I'm late! Rei mentally screamed at herself as she hurried through Shibuya station. Right, right, gotta change lines! She charged up the stairs and stared around. Oh no, where's the JR?! She couldn't see it, so she tried a platform at random, and, as she expected, her commuter pass buzzed at her.

It was at that point that an officer took notice, grabbing her by the shoulder and roughly pulling her back. "Hey, what do you think you're doing? Ditching class?"

Rei gulped. "No, sir, sorry. It's my first day. Transfer student."

"Oh," The officer had the grace to look embarrassed. "Okay, your train's outside, then hang a left into the first building entrance you see, then up the stairs."

"Thanks, I understand." Rei bowed to him, then checked herself and made sure it was a shallower bow. Her hair was still done up in pins, just like yesterday, and she was at least grateful for the men's shoes, which were a little sturdier so she could sprint for it.

Rei took one step outside Aoyama-Ichitome station, and was promptly soaked. "...really?" she asked no one in particular. "It's April."

"Hey, who was that?" Someone asked. Rei made a little 'eep' noise and covered her mouth, realizing it was too high for her current self. "Huh, coulda swore I heard a chick."

Another male voice asked "Was she cute?"

"I dunno, I don't see her…"

Rei sighed and walked along the narrow streets of wooden buildings. The school was still some distance away, but she knew from experience if she ran she'd just get more wet without an umbrella. Still, she wasn't eager to be out in the wet and cold longer than necessary, and her glasses were getting covered in water, making it hard to see. She looked down, and chanced to notice that her phone was buzzing. "Ugh, hope I didn't forget anything."

There was a strange app there, a red icon with a black eye over a starburst, or perhaps an explosion. "Oh, great, a virus." The icon was vibrating and glowing, showing the app was trying to get her attention. "No time to deal with this now. I'll just shut the phone off in class." She put it away and then finally started paying attention to where she was going again, only to find herself staring into the sky blue eyes of the prettiest blonde Rei thought she had ever seen in person. She stepped back, startled. The girl had her wavy hair up in pigtails, which would have been waist-length if she let it hang loose. The top button of her uniform shirt was undone, although she had a black shirt underneath. Rei was confused for a second, before she realized the girl was wearing the PE shirt rather than the regulation blouse, and had chosen to put on long leggings under the skirt. A pair of rugged hiking boots (very much not regulation) gave the ensemble a stylish but roguish touch.

Rei grumbled in realization. "Stupid principal makes me wear the uniform to the letter, but she gets away with that?"

"Well, you are a boy, after all," the girl commented. "Anyway, I don't recognize you. Are you a first-year?"

"Uhh….no, I'm, I mean, I am... " Rei began, but then a car pulled up. The both looked at it as the window rolled down.

The man sitting inside had muscles on muscles, Rei noticed first. He was wearing a white blue hoodie and sweatpants, and even had a stop-watch and whistle hung around his neck. His face was square, all hard lines. Even it somehow gave the impression of being well-muscled. Rei felt herself reflexively swallowing as he leaned out of the window. "Oh, hey Ann. You're going to be late. Why don't you hop in?" His voice was low, and something about it set Rei on edge. He glanced at Rei next, seeming a bit hesitant, but then he put on a false smile. "Uh, you can come too, sure."

Rei shook her head. This time purposely remembering to pitch her voice low, she said "I will be all right.."

"Well, suit yourself," The man said. Ann silently got into the car, and just before it took off, Rei caught a rather familiar expression on her face.

Rei took a deep breath. Wonder what she's hiding. Oh well, can't be bigger than my secret. She was about to turn to walk away when she saw another person with light hair staring her in the face. That was about the only thing the person shared with Ann. First, he was, well, a he. Second, his blond hair was an obvious dye job, done up in spikes. He'd replaced the respectable uniform jacket's buttons with large, bright red ones, and he was wearing a yellow shirt underneath. That was about all she took in before she jumped back in surprise. "Oh, geez, don't scare a gi-guy like that!"

The boy gave her an odd look, standing up slowly. "Huh, that's strange." He shook his head. "Anyway…" He gave her another odd look. "Second year? Never seen you before, though. Guess that's why Kamoshida offered you a ride."

"Uhh...the man in the car?" Rei asked, ignoring a ping from the bugged phone. The boy seemed a little pissed off, but she was creeped out enough by the man to be intrigued by the boy's attitude.

"Yeah. He's the gym teacher," The boy said. "Acts like he owns the place. Captain of the national-level Volleyball team, all the girls are swoonin' over him, rest of the teachers let him do whatever he wants. It's like he's king of his own private castle."

Rei's phone picked that moment to ping at her again. She ignored it. "Look, we're going be late for school. Shujin, right? Do you wish to tell me about it on the way?"

"Sure, man," he boy said, after giving her a weird look at the super-formal speech patterns. "Follow this way, I know a shortcut."

Then the phone pinged again, and Rei felt her head split in two. Not literally, but that was sure how she'd describe it later if anyone were to ask her. When she could see again, the boy was holding his head as well, and the street seemed darker. There was no one around. "Oh, fuck!" She shouted, her voice rising back to its' normal tone. "We're late!"

They sprinted off, the boy in the lead. Amazingly, he had the breath to shout back. "I'm Ryuji, by the way! Sakamoto Ryuji!"

Rei didn't have the breath to control her voice. "I'm, ah, Rei - I mean Ren! Amamiya Ren!"

Ryuji suddenly stopped. Rei almost ran into him, and was terrified that her slip had cost her the masquerade before she'd even made it to class. But that wasn't why Ryuji had stopped. Rei followed what he was looking at. A truly massive European-style castle, with stone blocks taller than two men standing on each other's shoulders, stood on the lot he had led her to, complete with a traditional front gate that read 'Shujin Academy'. "What the fuck?" both of them asked, at the same time.

Rei quickly pulled out her phone. "Thanks, now I'm late on my first day. Some short-cut!"

"I...I don't understand." Ryuji scratched his head. "This should be the school."

"I don't know of a school that looks like that!" Rei screeched, again forgetting to keep her voice low.

Ryuji blinked. "Uh, you okay? You sound like a chick all of a sudden."

Rei screamed again. "You really wanna know, I'll explain after school. But only if you promise to keep quiet about it." Rei looked at the display. "Oh, screw that virus. It's locked on some kind of navigation app."

Ryuji sighed. "Guess I gotta. Here." He pulled out his own phone. "Huh? No signal?"

"In Tokyo?" Rei said disbelievingly. "No way. And I don't see anyone around either." She turned and strode in the front gate.

Ryuji looked at her in complete amazement. "What are you doing?"

"This is clearly a love hotel or something," Rei said. "They've probably got a pay phone." She trudged up the stairs and right up to the massive front gate of the castle. "Okay, does this thing open like a normal door, or…" She took a moment to consider, then turned the surprisingly conventional handle and slammed her shoulder into it. The wooden gate didn't fly open, but it did move more than Rei had expected it to. "Oh...uh...helloooo!" She called out, stepping in. "We're a bit lost, do you have a payphone on the premises?"

Then she actually looked up. She had expected a reception desk. Maybe a grand reception hall. But there was no desk, only a red carpet leading to double stairs, like an audience chamber. The balcony up top had doors leading off in either direction, flanked by a giant picture of the man from the car, clad in heavy plate armor and carrying a shining lance in what he probably thought was a heroic pose. Giant chandeliers hung from the ceiling among the rafters, giving the whole place a warm glow while throwing sinister shadows against the ceiling. She barely noticed that, though, because the hall was far from unoccupied.

Knights. Not samurai, medieval knights, each almost three meters tall, and a good amount of one across. Their legs, while normally proportioned for a regular person, did not match up with their massive torsos and weapons. But the thing that Rei saw first was the eyes. Their faces were concealed beneath heavy plate helmets, just like the rest of them, but the eyes were like glowing yellow headlamps.

Their swords and spears were no more encouraging. Rei finally couldn't take it anymore. She completely dropped any pretense of the 'Ren' act and let out a high-pitched scream of terror.

Ryuji jumped. "What, what is it?!"

"Run you idiot!" Rei didn't even wait to see if he followed behind her, sprinting off. Though judging by the fact that he screamed and the sound of heavier footsteps behind her, she guessed he had gotten the message...until she heard a cry of pain and turned. "Ryuji!"

The boy was on the ground, clutching at his leg. Rei looked up at the approaching soldiers, then down at him. He was too big for her to pick up unless he cooperated, and it looked like he needed a second. She looked around for something to help, and the best she could think of to use against something like that was a nearby garbage can lid. She grabbed it and threw it with all the force she could manage at the 'face' of the knight leading the charge. It had no effect beyond the loud crash of metal on metal, and while Rei was trying to help Ryuji to her feet, she felt herself being grabbed and forcibly restrained.

While Ryuji was spitting out invectives, Rei felt herself being manhandled rather roughly. Then one of her captors paused for a moment, seeming to notice something. It leaned in to stare closely at her face. "Hmm?" It reached up to feel at her chest.

She spat at the thing. "Hands off me, you creep!"

"This one might be interesting. Bring...him...to the Royal Quarters. The other one, straight to the dungeons!" Rei's eyes widened and she began to struggle again, but she felt something heavy hit her in the back of the head and slumped in the creature's arms.

When she came to, she was, at least, still in her uniform. The boy's uniform. Her book bag and gym satchel were the first things she noticed, in one corner. The next was that she was on an obscenely large, heart-shaped bed. "Euw." The word was a complete deadpan. Something in the way the guard had spoken had given her the impression that it would be something like this.

She was obviously still in the castle, but this room was festooned with banners with hearts on them, in an alternating pink and red pattern. She was surrounded with candles, which she assumed were intended to give the room a 'romantic' atmosphere but just made it eerie, with the same effect of shadows hovering overhead.

Then she looked a little closer. The shadows were literally hovering over her, insubstantial but definitely moving. "Ohhhh dear," she said. She got up and tried to make for the book bag, pulling out her hairpins. Since the only people present were the guards, and Ryuji (who she'd have to explain to anyway) the comfort was necessary. It was even more necessary when she realized she was chained to the bed by her ankles. "...great." The chains were actually long enough to reach most of the room, but while she could get to her satchel, and even change if she didn't mind ripping her pants off in a literal sense….she decided uncomfortable as they were, she was better off for the moment.

"Ah, excellent, you're awake!" a jovial voice called out. The door opened, and Kamoshida was there. Except no teacher ever dressed like that during the work day. Rei genuinely hoped no teacher dressed like that at any time, ever, period, especially not where a student might see it.

He was wearing a long, red fur cloak that tried to hide his entire body, but failed to whenever he flailed his arms. In fact, nothing else was concealing his body beyond a bright pink speedo that was so tight against his crotch that David Bowie would be jealous. His chest, covered in hair, was put proudly on display with every movement. But that wasn't the most disturbing thing. That was his eyes. They weren't the dark eyes she'd seen him with in the car. These were wide, hungry eyes that glowed softly with golden light. Somehow, the crown on his head made the overall effect both ridiculous and pathetic, except Rei knew there was no way she could escape the man while she was chained like this.

"Wh-what do you want?" she asked, using her real voice. She realized there was no point pretending - if the principal hadn't told him, the guards certainly did. Please don't let it be what I think it is.

Kamoshida raised an eye at the hair. "Ah, I see. You're quite lovely with your hair down like that," he said, in a way she was sure he thought was suave. "So this is why you were brought to me instead of to your execution."

"Execution?!" Rei couldn't believe it. He was a teacher, not...not…

Kamoshida gave a shrug that had an effect on the cloak Rei wished she didn't have to look at. "Of course, for intruding on the King's lands, of course. But...you might yet be spared…"

Oh kami-sama, it is… "How?"

"Agree to join my harem….all girls in my castle belong to me, after all!" He laughed. "See, I'm even a progressive monarch, for I offer you a choice...be mine, or be my slave."

Rei's mouth moved without her brain's involvement. "Are you kidding me? You're twice my age, your chest is covered in hair, you're dressed like that, and...and...did I mention you're twice my age?" She actually laughed. "This is really hilarious. It would even be pathetic if you weren't crazy."

Kamoshida snapped his fingers, and Rei suddenly found herself being held by the arms. "So that's your answer, then? Fine. I could have used a little...exotic flair in my halls, but if a boy you wish to be, you'll die a man's death."

Rei tried to struggle, but it was no good. A third soldier….the only way she could describe it later was that shadows on the floor flowed together and...reverse-melted into the shape of another of the massive knights, spear already raised to strike. I...someone...someone please save me!

This is truly an unjust game...Rei heard an answering voice in her head, higher and softer than her own. Your chances of winning are almost none...but if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you…

Rei swallowed, calming down. That's right...I just need to know the next move. I can get out of this. I can beat this guy. I can beat all of them.

A third voice in her head answered, this one low, almost casually seductive, and definitely also female. What's wrong? Were you seriously going to let that man have his way with you? And what about your friend? He'll die if you do nothing. Would you forsake him to save yourself?

No way, Rei answered. Sure, he's dense, but he was trying to help.

So you stand by your past? You would do anything, break any bond, violate any taboo, for the sake of those weaker than yourself?

Rei sensed this was important. She couldn't lie to the voice, not if she wanted its' help. But it wasn't a hard choice to make at all. I would.

You wish to live your life as you see fit, unbound by the chains those above would place on you?

I do.

Very well, the mysterious voice answered. I have heeded your resolve.

Pain. The same pain that had accompanied the transition to this world, Rei now realized, only not just in her head, but all through her being, mind, body, and soul. She felt something trying to escape, something that could never truly be split apart from her, but nonetheless would try. Swear it!

Rei screamed, not just her pain but her defiance at Kamoshida. She resumed her struggling, this time with purpose. "I AM THOU! THOU ART I!" Her own voice was overlaid with that of the other woman's inside her head. The other voice spoke with her mouth. "Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!" The winds picked up around her. "Call upon my name, and release thy anger on these fools!"

Kamoshida took a step back away from her, the horror plain on his face. "Wh-what are you? How are you doing this?! This is my castle! My world!"

Rei's face burned as the pain running through her body gathered and took form on top of it. A sudden surge of the wind blew the guards away from her. She began to laugh, the mad cackle of one who finally understood life's joke. The pain was a mask, just like the boy's clothing. And like any mask, it had its' uses, but it was time to rip this one off. She reached up, and tried to do so. A brief tug just brought more pain, as though the mask was part of her face. She reached behind the two corners of the domino mask, noting it had lenses like her glasses. She pulled, hard, even though it felt like ripping off her own face, and feeling the blood trickling down. "ADLER!"

The mask gone, Rei was engulfed in blue flame, flames which formed a face of red, before slowly splitting off and behind the smaller girl, taller even the knights surrounding her. It wore a tight Victorian suit, leaving no doubt that 'it', in fact, was 'she.' Extending back from the red, ruffled jacket were black wings, stretching out like a cloak. But Rei was sure, if one looked closely, that one would find no flesh and bone beneath the red jacket and black pants. Just blue flame. "I am the pillager of Twilight - Adler."

With everyone around her knocked off their feet, Rei herself felt different. She looked down and realized her clothes had changed. Even though she had taken off the mask, there was already another one in place. But more than that, her uniform was a single piece of skin-tight...something. Rubber or latex. It clung to her, but was just thick enough to at least leave some to the imagination. She had a belt with a pouch on it, and a few more rings to hang useful tools on if she survived long enough to grab any. Importantly, she noticed there was no visible bulge along the crotch area. In fact, the only thing that made her not look like a stereotypical 'sexy thief' as portrayed in action movies was the one addition to the outfit she was grateful for - a long trenchcoat that opened in the front, made of black leather.

The winds died down, and her hair fell back into place. That was when she realized the outfit had come with one very helpful addition - a long knife, strapped across the back of her waist. She drew it eagerly and stared at the monsters around her, before setting her gaze directly on the most human-looking of them. "Bring it."