Frozen Feelings

"Well, we're almost there. Don't break into pieces just yet, Tohno." Well, Hinawa was once more in her merciless-little-devil mood, it seemed, as she recklessly pushed the young killer to walk faster during the entire way. Now, they had finally reached her 'home' - amongst the tombstones and walkways, it was eerily quiet, and even though it was still the middle of the day, no single bird or insect made any noise at all. And this was still only the entrance area of the quite large graveyard that even had a small lane of trees in the innermost sections, which was also the goal of the girl and her helpless companion.

Twirling around on the grass after looking back for that short moment, the Kagami girl sighed slightly. Sparkling small droplets of ice falling down, she didn't seem all that devilish for the moment - but so terribly far removed from humanity. Now, finally not around their kind anymore, she seemed free, entrancing - and terribly lonely. The way of hatred is one that can only be walked alone, after all. Each step made the eery atmosphere only worse - especially since even the air had started to cool down the further they went inside of the place, most likely an effect of the lingering Reiatsu of the girl infront of Shiki.

"Welcome to my own little world. Not many go this deep into the graveyard anymore, you know? Better for them, that's for sure." Now, it had turned from a hot early summer day into the temperatures of the night after one, only imagination could tell how cold it was here during the actual night. Just what was behind the trees that kept coming closer? What mysteries, what... danger did this girl really possess, here in her very own kingdom of ice? If Shiki had the breath left after walking all this way to look at the grass and gravestones, he would even notice a small layer of crumbling, glittering ice. But suddenly, Hinawa turned around again.

"Hm? Something wrong?" The cold wind had re-energized her here, and with the refreshed feeling came at least a somewhat more bearable Hinawa.

"Ugh" Why did fate curse Tohno Shiki so much? The aura that permeated from this graveyard felt so imposing, so cold and unforgiving like the Arctic tundra. The Sliver's of luck and blessing's were not on the side of the young man, not a single bit to be found. He had at some point, pondered on how his life took such a instant turn. This ubiquitous and icy aura could be felt, with each step Shiki took towards the location that Hinawa was leading him too. After the first hour, no longer after stepping onto the fallen tombstones, Shiki noticed that he was not being lead to a hospital but― a graveyard. Shiki frowned bitterly at his arrival in this location. Tombstones brought depressing thought's into his mind. A graveyard personified death. For a man who had always lived his life so pristinely and so safely, death was like a grim reaper that he feared to some extent. That is why he always sought to life live to it's fullest, drowning in the great profit of love, compassion, and finding what many young men yearned for. Life however, had never turned out to be a friend to the young man. Thing's were never going to come easy for him, he knew that as though it were second language ― But, couldn't life give him at least one wonderful reward? As far as he knew, he had never once done anything bad. While his life was a trial and error, he still yearned to accomplish great thing's, so how did thing's proceed to a point where a situation was completely out of his hand's, where his life was wrapped around the slender finger's of a time using cat girl and an ice cold girl who locked off all emotions in a sturdy steel cage? Lamentation assailed the young man the closer he walked through this barren wasteland. Hopefully, no wild beast or animal would jump out at him looking for a meal to satiate its need. Moreover, he had to take into account that he was walking along with someone who could potentially end his life in a infinitesimal second of time.

Well, looking closely, he saw that this place wasn't as bad as he first assumed. He noticed tree's and a plain of grass, and while it wasn't beautiful green grass found in his mansion, it still gave him a sense of relief. Filling his body with peace at least. Now he was starting to come around to this place, albeit barely. Now the situation at hand was of the utmost importance to him. Firstly, if he wanted to have a proper team up with Arc and Hinawa, there at least had to be, a collected effort and some connection on all parties. After all, they were holding each other's live's within their hand. One False move ― Spelt death like a guillotine. Then again, what exactly was he needed for anyway's? He had no discernment whatsoever of Arc's condition after having killed her, so he could not possibly know that she wasn't at her full power. Then there was this difficult girl walking a few paces away from him. For Arcueid to rely on someone like Shiki, he must've had a potential, a killing technique, that would decide victory against this mysterious opponent she had been pursuing for some time. While his face was formerly laden with grave emotion's of many kind, they were exited through a small window, when he noticed the countenance of the young girl as she sat down. Lonely―a girl who knew no friends at all. She probably never left this graveyard at all, and lost her path within the world. The world probably cursed her, like they cursed a famous witch within Greek history. Medea. Ah, yes, it is not like she wanted to be a evil witch, but after the growing insult's from her society and the unfortunate gales of betrayal, she became the witch that they wanted, the bane of existence that they constantly cursed her and made her out to be. Maybe, that girl wanted to run away from that and seek a life of loneliness. Shiki couldn't discern what her intention's of living here were, but he could at least try to comfort her.

"Who am...i kidding? she'd bite my head off, the moment I tried to make conversation." He said with a sarcastic chuckle, as he put his hand's in his pocket. He had to thank her once again, for her elemental prowess, his ankle while not fully recovered was bearable enough to walk on. In a few day's time, he would most likely be able to run at top speed again. After a while, Shiki noticed that Hinawa was the one to make conversation first. A blessing in disguise to Shiki, unlike Arc, this young petite ice queen left a sour impression on the young man. So he couldn't possibly foresee that all of his prediction's were in fact, surmise. While they may have seemed true, they weren't exactly correct. "Eh...Nice...Place..you've got here...i guess?" He said with a dry laugh, as he made his way over to her. "Hm...no...nothing's wrong..i'm just lost within my thought's, that's all. " He slowly descended toward's the ground as he sat upright leaning forward as he let his left leg stay placed on the ground, while his right leg lifted to prop up his right arm. Without making a sound or speaking, he directed his gaze toward's her and asked a curious question, as it had arose within his mind. "...So...have you lived here for some time?" It was another assumption, but he felt that this one was more true then his earlier one to whether she could make conversation. Well, even if she started making insult's and curse's, it never hurt to ask....did it?

Geez, this boy really was a piece of work. Sitting down a bit distant besides him - after all, she didn't want to freeze him just yet - her blue eyes flew across the graveyard before fixating onto the idiot sitting besides her. A slightly frowned expression, she did seem grumpy as always, but not as bad as during their encounter in the streets. In fact, any moment spent here calmed her mind and body, this familiar atmosphere helping her quite a bit. She would never admit it, but Hinawa was almost scared of all those people in the city, just like a child is scared of new things most of the time. She had absolutely zero knowledge of how humanity could even survive this cramped in.
"Pfft. Thinking about that Arcueid-girl, are you? I hate to say it, but she at least has an eye for people with talent. No matter how well hidden it is." Wait a second, had that been a compliment from the ice princess? Well, a hidden one, but it was still an approval of his skills, no matter if he believed that he had them or not.
//You'll meet the other me... that's what Nanaya Shiki said. Tche... I really want to know just what the deal is with him...// Even though his current self was more of an idiot than an assassin in her eyes, he at least wasn't an unbearable moron like most humans or even Shinigami. Her eyes still seemed to pierce him with icicles, but that was simply the effect of her Mystic Eyes.
"Of course I've lived here, idiot. Where else do you picture a monster able to kill a human with a touch?" Her voice was nearly emotionless, but maybe even a bit bitter. But no regret was in it, that was for sure. "This place has adapted to my presence. So I'm staying here, unless I have to leave it... And as chance had it, I ran into the other you the last time I left. And I can tell you one thing, Nanaya didn't have such a trouble with his endurance. That small bruise wouldn't have stopped him from simply running through this place like the wind. We could've arrived at our actual destination an hour ago, slowpoke."

Contrary to what that young girl thought of herself, Shiki did not see Hinawa as a monster. A monster was someone who killed for the sake of killing, someone who from some time, knew what they were doing, knew the crimes they were committing, but never once decided to stop and enjoyed what they did as though it affected no one else around them. All of the thing's made a human being a monster did not exactly come to mind when he stared at Hinawa. She seemed like such a fragile girl. However, looks could be deceiving. Shiki knew that without even thinking. If Hinawa was really a monster, she would've killed the man in front of her without a second thought. She didn't want to realize it, but somewhere deep down inside of that small body of her's lied a girl who simply lost her path in this world due to her abilities and her power's. Then Again, maybe this sort of attitude fit her, at least the difficult and demanding part, that is. He was slightly annoyed at the fact, that she thought he was thinking about that hyperactive girl he met not too long ago. His mind was honestly stuck on this opponent he had to face. Whether he liked it or not, he killed that girl, and had to fight beside her as her shield. So, just what should he do against this unknown opponent, again, why did she choose him? Such were the thought's roaming around inside the young man's head. Really, did this girl have to be so difficult? she was starting to make his expectation's seem all the more true, the more he talked to her. "Well Idiot, if you were a monster, why not grow a few horn's and fang's? Maybe then, i would fear you going out into human world." His expression definitely showed that he was in about annoyed a mood as she was he pushed up his glasses. "As far as i can see it you're a girl, a difficult girl, but a girl nonetheless. " He sighed, before pushing his glasses up as he smiled, even if it seemed a bit bitter.

"Also, if i'm supposed to be a guest, i'd like to let you know you're doing a great job so far. I feel very welcomed. " He said this with sarcasm as he scratched his head. There really was no way to combat this girl, so if she wanted to combat him with word's, then he would do the same to her. This was his specialty a reputation of sort's, at least in the eye's of his friend Arihiko. Usually Shiki would treat a stranger nicely, but right now, this girl's personality just didn't sit too well with him. Not to soon after her idiot remark, she spoke of his supposed second personality. "...Here we go with that again, I don't know what your connection is to this 'Nanaya' But, i could care less about my endurance. I never was an athletic man to begin with. Even then, there were a few hospital's back then, why did you drag me here?" Shiki wondered why he didn't just walk off, but quickly discarded the thought as he kept his distance, as well as his eye's staring into the sky. "Ah...." Would these two people really find any agreement or even a small source of friendship?

Ugh, this guy knew how to talk back, and it annoyed her even more. But in a way, it was almost... fun? Not like the battle she had fought with his other self, no, not even close. That enthrancing feeling... Was something she could most likely only feel in the heat of combat. This spineless boy was annoying - but also annoyingly honest in a way. Shaking her head slightly, the ice-girl sighed. In the distance, a slight chirping could be heard - somewhere outside of the cold influence, a few birds had an active talk, it seemed. Just with a lot more chattering than the two killers.
"I can actually grow wings, you know? Just not at will. Does that qualify for a monster then?" Giving a slight smirk, she always had a comeback ready for this boy. Sure, she was never really friendly, not to anyone... But this was by far not her worst. Once someone was on her bad side - like that Arcueid-girl - Hinawa turned into a REAL bitch to them. And even then, the ice princess had no idea why she disliked Arcueid so much... Maybe it was because she wanted this young assassin all for herself? No, that was ridicolous. A being like her could never actually LIKE another human, right?
"Well stupid, think for a moment. If you turned up in a hospital bruised up, don't you think they would call your home? And didn't you just say you didn't want to worry your family? I could've dropped you off at one of those, sure. At least appreciate it a bit when I help your sorry self out, will you? I have everything we need to get you up in short time back at my actual... How would you call it? Home?" The girl was suddenly taking great care to sound especially grumpy with the last sentence instead of her usual lack of emotional expression, as if to negate the positive intent she had and make it invisible. However, tone did not change the message of something.
Standing up again, the ice-girl stretched. She almost let out a small yawn, but there was no way in hell he'd let Tohno hear such a... 'cute' sound from her anytime soon.
"Once you feel ready, get your behind up again. We need to get to the small group of trees over there. My base is hidden behind them."

"No, i don't think that qualifies for a monster miss, instead that qualifies for those angel's you hear about in stories" Tohno said these word's in a tone reminiscent of commentator's or announcer's at a basketball game or football game. He had to admit, despite her difficult disposition, she was already quite fun to tease. He chuckled to himself as he folded his arm's together and kept his eye's placed within the sky. In any event, Shiki was starting to feel much more relaxed as opposed to earlier, when this place gave him the creeps. Yet somewhere deep in his heart, a undeniable sadness filled his heart. He couldn't possibly fathom how such a pretty young girl was forced to live here due to her rejection from society. Shiki could not relate to the feeling, and he didn't feel like he should pity her, since he figured she was a woman of the prideful variety. The least he felt he could do was to have a contest of comeback's between this girl and maybe get her to open up a bit more. He couldn't fix Hinawa's dislike for Arcueid, but he could at least get to know her. Maybe, someday he would actually show her that she could live in the outside world. Whatever the case was, he listened to her as she told him her reason for bringing him here. "...Ah..." Shiki couldn't make a comeback to that one. Simply because, she was right in every meaning of the word. Akiha would definitely reprimand him in full effect, especially since the day was slowly starting to wither away with time. Kohaku and Hisui would probably give him a few glance's before returning to their cleaning, or saying something like;"Shiki-Sama, you really shouldn't make Akiha-sama worry like that". For the first time since he arrived, he had to agree that Hinawa's plan to take him to this graveyard was a more sensible, more prodigal plan.



"You certainly are right...Heh...Wow, i definitely dodged a bullet" He nodded as he smiled thanking her. "Thank You, Hinawa. I apologize for my earlier rudeness" He said, as he semi-mockingly bowed to her on the grass. After all, she was an ice-queen right? Anyway, Shiki got up as she began speaking about the base that she had where he could feel better. Thinking no wrong could come of it, he stood upright, waiting for her to direct him toward's this base.

"A...angel? Pfft. Good joke." Standing up, Hinawa actually quickly diverted her eyes away from the boy and looked up in the sky not unlike him - mostly as to NOT to sound embarassed. She was still a girl, despite her best efforts to be more of a monster than that, so being called an angel was still a compliment... Even if he was only mocking her. She slowly started to actually like this game of wits and words. This was the first time in years she even talked this much... Before meeting that one Vizard she was now 'allied' with, her voice had last been heard two years ago. That was how long she evaded all contact to other sentient life, and not even that was the true extend of her loneliness. But if one never knew the opposite, being lonely was a lot less depressing... But it also took away from being human.
As he got up, though, his next words even caused a VERY slight blush on the face of the ice-girl.
"H-hey, stop being apologetic all of the sudden, idiot. I didn't do this for you or anything, I just don't want your family to keep you from fighting, got it?!" Suddenly sounding more agressive than before, the girl let out a small pout and stomped in the direction of the trees. "Follow me, and thank someone who cares about it, you clear? Good!" Someone was definiatly slightly embarassed. After quickly passing by the view-barrier of the trees, a clearing became visible - and with that, Hinawas home.

In the middle of the clearing stood... something. It almost looked like a small shack you would find in a garden, but instead of wood, it was COMPLETELY made out of purest, silver-white, sparkling ice. A thin trail of melting ice made the ground around it slightly wet, but also froze over quickly, creating a magnitude of beautiful ice-flowers 'blooming' on the ground around it. Placing her right hand upon the wall of the ice-house, the slightly molten parts nearly instantly solidified, building themselves back up. This was a work of art as much as it was a home.
"I wouldn't go inside if I were you. I doubt normal humans can withstand that cold for too long. And besides, you don't have any buisness in a girls room!" Storming inside for a short moment - even though Hinawa had just said that, the 'house' had no door to speak of - she came back out, with a first aid kit in her hands.

Tohno's train of thought was quickly halted, as he redirected his attention towards Hinawa. Judging by her facial expression she tried to hide from his peripheral line of vision, it was clear from a glance that he had caused the icy girl to become flustered. Shiki was man most known for witty remarks. He had always enjoyed teasing his closest friend's, even though some of his joke's could come across as mean depending on the situation, though, only Arihiko was on the end of these jokes he considered going "Too Far". He had to admit, deep down inside his calm heart, he was enjoying this game of wits. He rarely had such a defiant girl countering him word for word, beside's his sister, though the assassin was never that foolish to combat with his sister in a contest of word's. For to do that, would mean ending up in a world of pain. Akiha's wrath could be likened to that of a volcano, or a mighty earthquake. You knew it was coming, yet you did not know when. Such was her wrath, it was not instantaneous, nor was it simple. When you upset Akiha, the best you could do in life is sign a death sentence and say a few good word's. Shiki remember's the first day he was invited to the Tohno household, only to hear that Akiha had threw out all the other guest's that had lived with them over the span of a few year's after she became the head of the clan. "....Eep..." Just imagining how merciless she was, sent a shiver down the spine of the young man, as he pushed his glasses up over his nose. Night was slowly making it's descent upon this graveyard, yet the young man didn't mind it in the slightest. This time was something that, as far as he was concerned, needed to count if they were to face this mystery opponent. A thought rose unbidden, perhaps, it was a small possibility, but perhaps, these two could possibly be friends in the future? Shiki couldn't hope for it, at the best he imagined he would be used for his purpose, then return back to his normal life.

Yet, deep in his heart, he wanted to break this girl out of this hell called a life that she chose to live right now. To him, life had to be cherished, lived to the fullest, enjoying the thing's you love to do the most. For someone to choose a life such as this one, within such a desolate area, what else could one call it but hell? He could never understand the suffering that roasted her soul at a young age, nor could he understand the torment and ridicule she went through. He could never understand Hinawa Kagami, but he could at least try to show her a better way of life. This was something that he had declared within his heart, yet something he had kept to himself. Even if they are to split apart, after surviving their hard fought battle, if Shiki can make a definite impact on this girl's life, he'll at least feel that it was another victory to walk away with. He sure as hell wanted to see her out of this graveyard by the end of everything. Little did he know that having her in the heat, would be bringing her closer to death. Well, such thing's could be re-corrected even if he learned of such a case. He chuckled, smiling at her as she began to reprimand him for his apology. But the young man really couldn't help it, she had saved him from Akiha's dangerous wrath. The venom of that cobra, had surely evaded him like a bullet grazing the side of one's head, missing it's mark by a hair's breadth. Right now, he'd much rather stay here then go back to a angry Akiha for missing his curfew, and HIsui and Kohaku's awkward looks. Kohaku was alway's smiling, and seemed like the motherly type that would give you a pat on the back and a snack if you did wrong. Hisui, well times with her were anything but fun. She didn't listen to him, at least not what she kept calling him "Shiki-sama" when he repeatedly asked her not too. Her cold attitude towards him didn't help either. His luck was as unfortunate as a certain illusion-breaker, when it came to matters within the tohno household.

"Fine Fine, whatever your say, your majesty..." He said as he chuckled even more heartily as he followed her towards the location of which would seem to be her humble abode. Yet, humble was far from what you call it. Upon his arrival, he seen a shack made of pure white ice. Nothing more, nothing less. Judging from the looks, she probably did nothing. Surely, with no electricity here, not even a joy such as TV could be experienced here. "...Are you kidding me?" He said to himself, as he stared at her house. He really became curious from this sight alone. He had to admit, the shack was beautiful, but did she really do nothing here? what a waste He thought. Beside's that depressing thought, he did admit that this was indeed a piece of art. He directed his attention however toward's the owner of this place, Hinawa. "...Ah...Well..." It's not like he could say much to going inside of this place to begin with. It's not like he'd find anything worthy of his attention to begin with. He simply awaited Hinawa's return, and within a few second's that she walked in she quickly made her way back out with a first aid kit. Shiki nodded and brought his hand's out to grab it, he did not expect this girl to be the type to help other's, his instant thought is automatically, that she's giving him this so he can help himself. Would she surprise him or would she meet his expectation's?

The ice-girl had no idea just what the killer behind her was thinking during their small walk. For her, this graveyard was the perfect home... quiet, devoid of all life, and peaceful. After all, a superhuman like her was a danger to everyone. And as if to support his claim, Hinawa handed over the first-aid kit she just retrieved from the ice-shack she lived in, but even though she had been rude and hostile the entire time, took extreme care NOT to touch his hands while doing so, and that looked quite awkward and almost cute. Well, as cute as a girl that was prone to stabbing things could be.
"What, didn't think I could do that much with my ice?" She had heard what he had silently said to himself, thanks to her enhanced senses that surpassed any normal human. Apparently, though, she had missed the entire point as to why he was amazed and... well, in her eyes, simply strange. Feeling pity for her was not only an unknown concept, but also something she would NEVER accept. "There's nothing I can't do, you know." As if to enhance her point, suddenly, the aura around her hands flared up. Crystalizing, floating, like snow, a mass of ice appeared - it molded itself like liquid water, even though it should've been solid as rock. And without much time, it formed a simple chair. With a flick of her wrist, she pointed to the thing now standing besides the young assassin.
"Sit down and hold onto that pack, will you? I'll try to fix up your ankle with it. ... And don't look at me like that all weird, four-eyes. Why do you have those, anyway? Nanaya didn't wear glasses." And with that, with fingers faster than lightning, the girl snatched away the most important thing the young man posessed, besides his knife - and suddenly, she almost dropped them.
"What the... What the hell ARE these?!" The voice of the girl had suddenly changed. Sure, she had already displayed quite a few emotions with her voice alone that were simply harder to notice, but this was both amazement and panic. From around where she had gripped the glasses, the aura around her hand had disappeared - it was as if the glasses pushed it away and surpressed it into her skin.

While Shiki held the first-aid kit softly, he couldn't help but nod at her. Though, that wasn't the real reason why he was in awe. He just couldn't believe life could be lived like this. So Lonely, So desolate, this was never a life he would ever choose to live. Even living the life of a straggler or a homeless man, could be exceedingly more better then living without anyone close to you. Even homeless people knew how to come together, and through hard work, could even turn their life around. However, let us recall, that Shiki still did not know what happened to make her live like this. Whatever it may have been, whatever happened to her, must have been mortifying beyond all belief. He took a deep breath, as he felt a chill from Hinawa's ice creation. By this point, he only found such thing's to be beautiful instead of abnormal. He had to admit, that the abilities were much like her personality cold and precise. "...I'm not sitting down on that..." Shiki said simply, as he looked down at the chair she created. Her hand was nearly enough to give him a frozen leg, and that was from a simple touch. How the hell would he able to sit down in this chair and survive? He sighed, and then placed the box back within her hand's. He gave her a slightly embarrassed and annoyed glare, as he grumbled, and began removing his shirt and his school jacket placing them on the icy chair, at the very least it would give him enough time to sit down, and let her complete her action, hopefully something that wouldn't take very long. His body wasn't overly endowed, right now, one could liken his chest to that of a wonderful young man, with perfect muscles etched throughout his body. With Stamina and Strength to boot. It was certainly something to admire, unlike the disgusting bodies men tended to work their way up to. That sort of gross brawn was enough to make even Shiki lose his lunch. Men like those could only be likened to tools. After removing half of his clothing, he put the school jacket and shirt over the chair. After taking a deep breath he sat down and looked at Hinawa. "Well...H-Hurry up...I could have did this myself, but i'll settle for sitting down and letting you take care of it, even you don't seem like the type" He said, shooting her in the heart with yet another witty remark, or so he would hope.

He didn't forget to grab the first aid kit either, so he was sitting down with everything laid out before Hinawa, so she could properly do whatever she had the intention to do. Everything seemed to be going fine until she decided to curiously look at his glasses, after insulting him with the "Four eyes" Comment. That would've been fine, it was a remark he had heard many times before, nothing too disheartening. But then she did something that she shouldn't have, touching his glasses. His eye's widened in horror, as he started to see lines around his entire vision. Everything around him was just like his childhood, lines and points everywhere, the lines of death that his teacher told him he had as a child. Something he hated, oh so very much. If it were not for these, he probably wouldn't even be wearing glasses. Though, something was strange. Hinawa seemed to be in a state of panic and amazement. "Ah...Um..G-Give those back!" Shiki quickly shot up, and snatched them from her hand just as she took them from his. "God, you honestly don't know how to keep your hand's off of people's, valuables do you, little thief". His tone was slightly icy, but still, there was a reason he didn't let these glasses stay off for long. The only time's he could let these mystical glasses stay off, is when he decided to go to bed each night. Otherwise, if he kept these off for too long, with eyes open he would die. His brain suffering from intense damage, and then the blood vessel's finally breaking, effectively ending his life. He put the glasses back on as he took a deep breath. "Ah...if you wanna know what these are, i'll tell you while you fix me up..." he said, pushing up his glasses, making sure they stayed place their for good.

"Don't you get the wrong idea! I'm helping you so that you can fight, not because I WANT to help you, got it?" Was her quick reply to being told that she was not the type to help others. Well, of course she wasn't. The girl was a murderer, a cold-blooded one, and didn't care for anyone! Not even a bit!... Or maybe she did? Banishing her thoughts away into the darkest regions of her brain, she focused on what was at hand - or rather, no longer in her hand. Almost instantly, the aura that had vanished reappeared around it. With a bit of unease, Hinawa stretched the fingers of her and and twisted her wrist around a bit... What a mysterious feeling, to have a normal hand for only a split moment. She shook the feeling away, and focused. A smirk creeped across her face - but unlike usually, it wasn't malicious or evil, but simply a normal amused one.
"Oh, get off it. It's only a pair of glasses. You're allowed to get angry once I try to steal your pants and send you back home naked." Though that said picture... Wouldn't look too bad, now would it? She girl hated her own weakness for admitting it, but she kind of liked what she got to see right now without his shirt. Considering Shiki was the first male her age she had EVER seen shirtless also didn't help, but could one really imagine her actually embarassed? Not from things others did, that much was for sure, at least for now. She had lived alone long enough to kill off such reactions, but in turn, simply appeared cold and menancing.

Getting down onto the ground infront of Shiki, with a flick of her hands, she pushed his pants up a bit and the shoe halfway off, to reveal the strained body part. This wouldn't be easy for someone with dangerous hands like her, but it was to dangerous in general to let him walk off, take care of it alone and maybe screw up enough to be unable to fight to his fullest against that enemy of Arcueid.
"Alright... Hand me the salve and the bandages first. After that, we'll fix it into a permanent position for now. That whole thing should heal rather quickly." Now, the question was, what was colder? Her fingers or said medical salve? But at least they were still a girls fingers and not a manly mans. "And while you're at it... Tell me the story behind those glasses." Nope, the world 'please' was not in her vocabulary, it seemed.

"Heh, actually, sending me home naked would be much better then you taking these glasses away from me, unless you want my death on your hand's...." That was the young man's reply to Hinawa's nonchalant attitude towards removing his glasses. Now if they were normal glasses that humans wore, then the young man would simply shrug it off and let her play around with them. However, these glasses were made by a magus, one who could create miracles, people that are said to only come once in a long generation of magician's, a sorcerer, or in the case of Shiki's teacher, a sorceress. Her line of work, her entire history, and her entire existence, were all mysteries. In retrospect, Shiki was the only one who knew her personally, as she never was a woman to be get mixed up with too many people and simply went with the flow and her own way of life. Without any retort whatsoever, Shiki handed the bandages and the medical salve to the girl tending to his legs. He had to admit, the closer he got a look at her overall, she was quite honestly the cutest girl he had ever seen during his current stint with high school. Her face while annoyed and mean, only made Shiki smile, could a girl like this really be all that bad? He didn't bother thinking on how she got the way she did, but part of him truly wanted to show her that there was more to the world then living a life of loneliness. "Alright, a please would've been much better, but i suppose i can tell you so you won't touch them again..." Shiki took a deep breath, as he sat calmly within the chair forged from pure ice. "Once upon a time.....back during the time i was a child, i got into a near death accident, that resulted in this wound you see on my chest and my anemia as well..." He continued on, keeping his eyes placed within the sky.

"Well, needless to say, i survived and awoke within a hospital. However, what i saw was anything but normal. Within my peripheral vision, all i saw were lines. I slept in many hour's of the day, to confirm whether it may have been a simple problem, but after a while, i noticed what i had was no normal or simple condition that would disappear over day's, what i had was the Mystic eyes of Death Perception." Shiki pushed up his glasses as he continued on, hoping Hinawa was listening to every word. "Of course, i didn't know what they were at the time, so one day when i decided to grab a knife and play with it, i slid it across one of the lines on a table, and it cut apart like butter. I didn't really try and make an attempt at cutting the table, but when the knife hit even the point of the line it broke in half. Of course as the frightened boy i was back then, i quickly ran out of the hospital in fear. And that's...hehehehehe...that's when i meant Aoko-Sensei." Shiki said as he chuckled lightheartedly, reminiscing on the good times he spent with her. She was the first woman Shiki had ever felt a strong connection with, and was the one who saved his life. "I'll admit, she was a bit mean like you usually are, at first. Since i bumped into her, like an idiot, but eventually we started talking after a while. The more i talked to her, is the more i wanted her to come visit each and every day just to hear insightful thing's like knowledge of the world, or jokes from her journeys. She was honestly not like any girl i met at the time." Shiki couldn't think of one girl that was as eccentric as Aozaki Aoko. The woman was a rebel, Though, she was also peaceful at the same time. She was a myriad of thing's, but not one of them were cruel or heartless. "After the day we first met, we continued to meet up with each other outside the hospital in a nice piece of grass under a tree. "

Shiki then pointed to the knife in his pocket as he pulled it out. "So...i took something sharp like this knife one day, and tried to impress her. Little did i expect that she would slap me for cutting the tree in two, but she embraced me soon after. i was scared at first, i thought i had made my teacher angry. She began asking me about how i could do such thing's, and i told her that it was because of the lines i seen in my vision. I also told her that while i saw these line's i also experienced light headaches on a daily basis. So, on the last few day's i'd ever speak to her. She brought me a pair of glasses and told me to put em' on. Like her loyal soldier i put them on and when i opened my eye's, the line's were gone. With whatever skill's she had, she had effectively nullified the lines. So, these glasses are both the symbol of the times i spent with my teacher and to help preserve my life. You see, the longer i keep these off, the worse my headache get's, until it becomes too much. I think if i left these off for too long, i'd die." Shiki then pulled off his glasses and took a deep breath, showing her the color of his eye's without the glasses. "I also...think that much to my chagrin, that this was the way i was able to kill Arcueid-san. Seem's like object's are not the only thing i can cut..." Without a moment's hesitation he put his glasses back on and smiled peacefully down at Hinawa. "So...That's my story of how i got these guy's..." What exactly would her reaction be to all of this? that question rang in Shiki's mind, as he curiously wondered about it, while awaiting an answer.

For once, Hinawa was silently listening to the story. Her face told of no emotion - even as he compared the 'teacher' he once had to the ice-girl. However, the 'princess' did listen quite deeply to the words, because she was genuinly interested how another killer was easily able to live amongst humans. It couldn't be fun being surrounded by so many individuals that only lived for themselves, right?
//Nearly died, huh... Eyes that see death... Why do I get the feeling I am forgetting something? This really ticks me off...!// Hinawa was not gentle in fixing Tohno up, not even a little bit. In fact, she seemed to get a bit rougher every time he mentioned his 'Sensei' the whole time. Was the girl... jealous? A strange assumption, but she was either that or angry. Most likely, Tohno would suspect the latter, but him speaking so highly of that woman... Had a bad aftertaste for the murderous girl.
//So... that woman saved his life, huh? No wonder he looks up to her so much. Tche... He doesn't realize how lucky he really was. Death is... not the worst thing that can happen to you, Shiki...//

After adjusting the last bandage, the story of the killer had already stopped. The kind of rough treatment, the cold, dangerous fingers stayed lightly on top of the cotton of the bandage for a bit longer. The cold blue eyes of the girl didn't give any information on what she was thinking, but her facial expression was not angry or annoyed at all. More thoughtfull, to be exact. With a sigh, the small girl got up again.
"Those eyes can't be without fail, though. She returned from being killed, remember? I guess I was wrong." Turning away from the young assassin, Hinawa looked up into the sky that was growing darker.
"You're... Born to be a killer. Those eyes, your latent skill, they are both beautiful, you know? But you're not like me. I've chosen to follow my instincts, you surpress them. Heh... In the end, I am the only naturally born killer, unless I count your 'other self' Nanaya." Taking a few steps away, Hinawas voice was almost shaking a bit, but maybe that was just an illusion of the cold night.
"Tche... Your story made me all sentimental. I didn't ask for your biography, you know?!" Turning around, the annoyed expression had apparently returned, but for some strange reason, she also looked almost sad. "But hey, thanks for trusting me. Since we're comrades now, I should probably do the same, or something like that, right? Do you want to know anything about my powers?" Unintentionally, she did not say 'about me', but reduced herself to the supernatural aspect of her body, not even realizing it. But well, she saw herself as a monster that was a threat to humanity, what was to be expected? There was nothing that interesting about her past... Well, besides that one song. That song...
"Well?"

―Something Seemed off.

This is what Shiki's mind told him as he finished his story. She was listening intently as he had wished, but he noticed that her mannerism's and action's became more forceful and rougher then before. This alone caused him to wince slightly, but he bit back the pain and kept his composure relaxed and solemn. "...That's the last time i tell this girl a story," Said the assassin. There was still some hesitation about hanging out with these two females ― Survival would be guaranteed for now, but that depended on the sole factor of teamwork. So far, Arcueid and Hinawa weren't seeing eye to eye, even someone as oblivious as Shiki could be, could see that. There was no fooling his eye's. Hopefully, they would at least be able to hang around each other and find one another bearable to be around. Otherwise, Shiki would be on a one way train to the afterlife. As she finished up her personal handiwork and wrapped up the last bandage's, Shiki took a deep breath and smiled with the same leisure as he had earlier. Worrying wasn't gonna do the young man any good. Moreover, he was sure that they would be able to bear one another's company in order to defeat the opponent. After all, Hinawa was obviously entranced with something about the boy. And Arc was far too weak to fight him alone after Shiki's massacre on her body from the other day. "....Man...i still don't know what came over me," he sighed at the thought of how her body was decapitated. The stream of blood that leaked forth from the mangled and slashed arm's. The memory alone was enough to make Shiki hold in his gastric juice's that tried to knock at his throat. It was so disgusting ― Not the murder per say, but the way he derived even sexual thrill from mutilating her like that. Remembering her personality and how she was when they first met not too long ago didn't help either.


".....Well fortunately she was alive. I didn't feel like ending up in jail or anything. I hear they do some pretty bad shit to ya' while your in there. a spineless guy like me, probably wouldn't even last a few minute's inside there, Haha," Shiki laughed heartily at his slight joke as he pushed his foot on the ground, testing out the feeling so far after being patched and healed up by the ice queen. "...Ah..." Much to his surprise, her job was pretty flawless. It wasn't exactly on the level of an expert from the doctor or anything―But Still great nonetheless. He then instantly turned his direction to Hinawa as she resumed speaking. Listening to her word's, he sighed and gave her a look of displeasure. "That Again? i don't know who it is you saw that night, but i'm no killer. Prior to the murder of that Arcueid girl, i never once aimed to kill anyone, even out of pure malice. I....Just...don't know what came over me. " He still wondered how seeing her caused him to go haywire and attack her like that. It wasn't as though she had threatened him or hurt someone close to him so―What caused him to commit such a heinous act? He became irritated by the unanswered question's that flowed forth from his mind. "Well..there's no use in forcing myself to come up with answers i don't even know myself. " With that conclusion, Shiki turned his attention towards Hinawa and chuckled. Her expressions were not only cute but very endearing for a girl her age. "Your too good for this place. " He thought to himself. He nodded to her as she thanked him on trusting her. "Don't worry about it, it's not like your the type to betray someone in mid course, plus, you still need to find out about the killer in me, right?" He inquired. Then she threw a fastball at him, by asking him about whether he wanted to know about her powers. Well―That certainly did spark a few flames of curiosity within the man's heart. He wanted to ask her about her life instead, so he took a deep inhalation and jumped right to the point. If she gave him an offer, there was no reason not take it; He was very curious about her so far, so anything of proper use would be how her life ended up where it did.

"Instead of your power's...I wanna know about you. From what i see your control with the element of ice is very deadly and if i make anymore sly remark's i may end up in an icy tombstone here...." He finally removed himself from the chair forged from ice, as he picked up his shirt and looked at small plates of ice covering the back of the upper uniform. "You can tell me anything you want, as long as it has something to do with you and not your abilities." After standing only a few paces away from her, he stopped dead in his tracks. There was still the case of melting this off his coat, but he wasn't worried about such little unimportant matter's at the moment. He intently started at Hinawa, half waiting for rejection, half waiting for her to tell him an answer.

"That's what I just said, stupid. You have all the gifts, but... You rejected them. You're not a true killer... You're not like me, after all. Maybe your other self, but you? You're normal... Like everyone else." The voice of the ice princess was suddenly back to the sharp old self, but it also sounded... disappointed? As if she had just lost something important. "You for sure wouldn't last in jail with that attitude, for sure. Without those glasses, you're actually quite fearsome, did you know that? Your true eye-color looks... dangerous. I don't know how to describe it, really. My eyes are always cold, but yours... just tell of death. Quite beautiful... Only your eyes though, don't get the wrong idea now." He should NOT think she was actually giving him a compliment here, after all - that would be bad. For some reason it would be, even though the girl did not know which.

Taking the first aid kit from him again, the tossed it into the ice shack without much of a worry where it would end. Whatever broke, she could restore with a wave of her hand... Ice was so easy to mold and understand, unlike other people. Hinawa would never admit it, but she was a little scared of interacting with anyone.
"Even if you don't believe anything else, you can be sure I don't backstab people. I will help Arcueid... So that she can get the hell away from here afterwards." Flicking some of her blonde hair backwards, the cold blue eyes widened in surprise at his next request, however. Telling him... About herself? Why would that be of ANY importance?! He really wanted to know about the 'person' that she had once been before becoming a killer? Well, she had nothing better to do either way...
"I don't know why you would want to know about me, but heck, if you're weird like that, so be it. Not like I have much to tell... I should probably start with the basics, hm?" The disappointment from earlier had completely vanished - if surpressed or overcome was not yet known.

"Well, for starters, I'm an orphan. Can't remember much of my parents, if anything for that matter... I still have the names memorized, though. Aria and Kiri. No idea why I remember that random detail..." Pondering her own memories which she had not touched in so long, she finally managed to look away from Shikis eyes - and his well-formed body - and stared into the sky. "And... there's one more thing... Just shut up and listen to it, alright? I will never forgive you if you interrupt it." Her voice was dead-serious, but considering she was the resident tsundere here, the truth of the sentence could be questioned. Turning her back to him again - she simply did not feel comfortable doing this any other way - she raised the eyes into the slowly growing dark sky again.

Then, her voice pierced the silence again. And with the voice, came an incredible melody, harmony, and sadness, all in enough quantities to sweep away all living beings on earth. This was... 'Fake Wings'. The only memory the girl formerly known as Eis Nanaya still had.

"Shine, bright morning light, now in the air the spring is coming..."
It was strange - the singing voice of the harsh girl was soft, almost as if lacking emotion - but it was instead full of strong, deep emotions and power.
"Sweet, blowing wind, singing down the hills and valleys... Keep your eyes on me, now we're on the edge of hell... Dear my love, sweet morning light, wait for me you've gone much farther... Too far~..." Raising her voice to the sky, it did not really seem to be aimed at anyone - a lamentation of fate without a reciever, without purpose. Yet still, the song was simply beautiful. Slowly, the ice-girl turned around to the boy behind her. As if enthranced herself, she twirled around the ice aura around her right hand as the song continued.
"Shine, bright morning light, now in the air the spring is coming..." Slowly crystalizing ice, a rose out of fragile, but still beautiful and thorned ice was created, before being thrown into the air and slowly floating down.
The cold eyes did suddenly not seem all that cold. Sure, their stare was freezing - but apparently, not by choice. Just like the entire rest of Hinawas abilities.
"Sweet, blowing wind, blowing down the hills and valleys... Keep your eyes on me, now we're on the edge of hell... Dear my love, sweet morning light, wait for me you've gone much farther, to far~..."
The eyes slightly lowered, Hinawa turned away from Tohno only ever so slightly. Something fell down to the ground - reflecting light into many directions, like a crystal. Curiously, it came from the side of her face now not visible to him.
"That's... My only memory of them. The rest... I... I lived. That's all. I just didn't want to die, but... I never felt like doing much, either..."

"Death....is not as great as you think it is...that's why i'm glad i rejected becoming a murderer in my life. In fact, i wish i could reverse time and take back the day i killed her, but what can i do? what's done is done and i simply have to pay for what i did. " Tohno's tone belied the regret he had in his heart, but still―he was right. There was no use in lamenting over the past. He could pray a thousand times, but nothing would change what has already occurred. Moreover, what good what it do him now?; when he thought about it, his situation was a lot more convenient then what he thought it would be. He was still allowed to live his normal life, and was allowed to come and help them too. In retrospect, Shiki honestly couldn't come up with a way to make things better then they were right now. When he thought deeply on it, they could have really been strict and brutal with him; Hell, they could have even killed him. Its not like they would have been wrong to do so. He attempted to kill one, and he killed one brutally only a few days ago. After listening to her, he spoke with a more serious tone then before, though it still seemed to hold that nonchalant attitude he had during this entire time. "Its...not...like...i'm normal..anyways. Didn't you notice that, the night you met the other me?" To be honest, Shiki had not the slightest idea of who this other man Hinawa kept mentioning was. With a soft smile, he could tell from a glimpse of her expression, that she wasn't too interested in telling of her story, but still―He was curious as to how she ended up where she was, in this decrepit graveyard. For a girl like her, there had to be something better. Shiki felt that she didn't deserve a life of isolation. Despite her attitude, Shiki felt that deep down inside-――that deep down inside――There was a girl trapped, hidden from the cruel reality of the world, a girl cursed by everyone for her abilities, when she never asked for that resentment and hate to begin with. Even if she didn't want anyone's sympathy, Shiki couldn't help but feel sorry for her. No one deserved a hell like that.


As Shiki started to listen to her intently, with his focus directed towards her―his eyes widened in surprise at the name, Kiri. "...Wha...." Why did it sound familiar? There were so many things Shiki lost in his childhood, he never knew that he had a father, nor did he know much about the profession the man was specialized in―what his blood kept trying to force him to become, a assassin. Even as the name surprised him, he still listened. There was no reason to get too off track. She was giving him the information that kept nagging at his mind, the answers to the questions he had been aiming to hear ever since he arrived here. He nodded as the words reached his mind, but still, the name, why did it sound like he knew someone by that name? whatever the case was, he continued to carefully listen to her without breaking his attention. No sooner after she spoke of her background as an orphan, and told him the name of her parents, she told him to listen to one more thing. Perhaps, the one thing today, that would break the man's calm and confident composure he had during the day. He took the time to listen to her, he didn't want to upset her or be ignored for their time together on this mission. Slowly, as the haunting melody left her mouth, and she turned to him, he started to feel his body stop in it's tracks. Not because of any of the ice, nor the cold and oppressive aura he had been feeling ever since he came here but――Wait, did a tear just fall from his eyes? as he stared on watching the petite and rebellious girl sing her wonderful yet depressing melody, he felt as though his heart strings had been gripped by something strong. Something that was not willingly ready to let go. As the song continued on, his cheeks felt wet, it would have been fine to write it off as rain, but such weather did not appear today. Perhaps―――Perhaps, these were tears. Indeed, they could not be mistaken for anything else. "...Ah...."


Why did he feel a connection?; He felt the sense of abandonment, the sense of loss. He didn't expect for a song of all things to leave him in tears, but the way the words were brought out with her voice―――a voice that was hauntingly beautiful, yet held so much sadness that could make even the devil lament. She had no one. Probably, as her life continued she was looking for someone to be there to guide her. Yet, she was never blessed with those things. As she said, once your a monster, no one will look at you like a human. No, once they see the abilities you have, they'll drive you out like a beast, like an animal. That was the cruel world she was forced to experience. When Shiki thought about it, he realized just what she meant, by just how good he had it in his life. Compared to her, he was truly blessed. But, as she finished the song. He knew one thing in his mind, and declared this to himself and spoke aloud; "...I'm...sorry....i...had...this...all wrong....." Without a answer as to why he did this, he walked towards her and knelled down in front of her. No sooner after he got down on his knees, his firm arms enclosed her shoulders and then her entire body. It was painful, her body was unbelievably cold. So, he had to make this quick. Or else he'd probably come down with a cold or worse, be turned into a human icicle. "No matter how much this world...was cruel to you...Hinawa....There....there..exists a few people, that will never betray you, never leave your side...never condemn you. They would look upon you and see the beauty of your abilities, and...the...girl...that's still locked down there...deep inside...." he held her closely his tone held sadness, yet it was still surprisingly direct and caring. "And....today....if only...temporary...you met..such a person...Hinawa...i make this oath to you....as long as you are by my side....you will never have to be alone...even if this world has cursed you...i..will..be the one to pull you out of this hell, that you call a life..." Shiki still held her close, and for some reason, he knew there would be insults to follow, but still. This wasn't meant to be romantic, nor was he trying to give her sympathy, for some reason, he felt that she deserved something better, something better then living the life of a lonely individual who never got to experience the true joys the world had to offer. But that was fine. There was nothing to regret. This was a promise that he was not only making to her, but himself as well. He would show her the light in the dark tunnel that had become her life.

"W-wait, you can't..." The voice raised was... surprisingly weak for Hinawa. What had just happened? For one reason or another, she had repeated the sad melody her mother once tought her... The melody of her family, as far as the ice-girl could remember. For some reason, it had been different from before... This time, the melody awakened something. A sleeping, human heart that she still had... and it hurt like hell, to feel how far apart she was from everyone... right until Shiki suddenly hugged her.
Nearly instantly, the ice princess froze in motion as she felt the warm body of the boy embrace her own, smaller one. She had only turned ever so slightly after seeing him suddenly kneel down, and now, the warmth of his life was suddenly wrapped around her. But... It was different from normal warmth. Unlike sunlight, it didn't burn in her eyes. Unlike humid air, it did not hurt her skin. Instead, it was more like a breaking away of the prison that held her... These arms, this warmth, was nice, calming, and comforting. It was incredible... Or in other words, it was what a hug was supposed to say, just that it was completely new to Hinawa.

Her eyes widened more and more at the boys words. And not fulfilling his predictions, she did not actually assault him with insults this time - but instead, she felt something. She was scared, scared of hurting him like this, but also happy, in a mysterious way. Without even noticing, she had blushed slightly - and this had changed something in her. As she did not reject the warmth, as she welcomed it... her own body started to suddenly warm up. It was as if the simply shed away the cold like an old mantle, throwing it overboard, if only for now.
"S...Shiki, please... If... if you do that, I'll..." Still, Hinawa did her best to keep her hands away from him as far as possible - until her eyes saw something. or rather, didn't see something. The fading memories of her parents swashed away like a fly, the importance of those two names would later be revealed... But for now, the only important part was here. Because what was not visible... was the aura around her hands. As if in slow-motion, with extreme care, as if not to 'break' the boy who had suddenly embraced her, the girl returned the hug. First only very softly - then a bit harder, almost clinging to Shiki now.

Slowly, a few tears were running down her face. This sensation was something unknown to Hinawa... to feel safe, if only for now. To feel... someone who understood her. Without saying another word, the ice princess simply floated in this feeling. It was different from her 'alliance' with the Vizard leader of this town, and for sure as hell different from the begrudging alliance she had forged with Arcueid. Was this... friendship? How stupid, such a thing was not real... or was it?
"That... That would be nice, in a way..." A voice that had lost the sharp edge from before, Hinawa still did not look up at Tohnos face, more so having her head kept against his chest. Thus, it almost sounded a bit mumbled, as if embarassed - but that could not be, right? Finally, she looked up. The normally pale girl was quite a bit red in the face - and to add up, her head felt slightly fuzzy and strange, not being able to catch a clear throught like normally. A side-effect from the 'fever' she had right now. Suddenly, she had a slight sly grin on her face...
Right before suddenly giving the boy who had given her the emotional breakout she had needed so badly a slight, almost shy kiss on the lips. "Still... You can get quite emotional, you crybaby." Saying that while still having tears visible on the face was maybe not the most convincing, but... for once, Hinawa was actually JOKING. What was the world coming to?

Despite Shiki's straightforward embrace, he was actually filled with surprise. He expected Hinawa to curse him, reject him, and reprimand him beyond repair. He expected a negative response, in fact, he would've accepted that. However, Surprise that came down like an avalanche engulfed Shiki. Not only did she accept his embrace, she had kissed him shyly on the lips without even an ounce of hesitation. "...W..Wah..." Shiki was speechless. It wasn't a deep kiss, but still, it was a kiss nonetheless. Shiki would've acted differently, had it been someone else, but coming from her had to be the ultimate form of a surprise attack. Shiki stood there with an expression of pure stupidity plastered over his face. His eyes were widened almost to a point, where they might well pop out of his sockets. Even his cheeks were filled with red in an instant. It seemingly took him moments to recover. After all, this deviated far from what his expectations were. In fact, this blew all of his assumptions to the wind, never to be found again. Still, did he hate it? No, he had to admit the feeling of her lips pressed up against his own, with no hesitation in her actions, were quite the nice sensation. To be honest, he felt a sense of relief. Still, even if she decided to reprimand him, he would have been ready to face the punishment. It wasn't a hollow promise. As long as this man had the time to live, and a heart to keep his body active, he would show this girl that beyond this grave lied a world filled with existent wonders and spectacles to be seen. He sighed inwardly, and looked off to the side with a flustered expression. "S-Shut...up...I...I" Damn, she really got him!; for the first time Tohno Shiki could not come up with a proper come back. Who would've predicted such a cause?

Such a simple kiss had overwhelmed him to such an extent. But judging from her overall reaction, she seems as though she would like to enjoy the things Shiki has to show her. The only problems that could possibly come to mind, is dealing with Arcueid, but that would abate over time. Moreover, Shiki felt proud of his success so far. Sure, the kiss was still hard to recover from, but he was starting to know the girl known as Hinawa Kagami more better then he did from the start of things, and that success filled him with a sense of elation.

"Hehe... Got you speechless at least once, did I?" Chuckling lightly, the ice-girl had no intentions of ending the hug just yet. This feeling, this 'fever', was so nice - completely different from the one she felt during the battle with his other self. It was more caring, and... honest, in a way? It was hard to describe for her in her head, just like it was hard to even understand in the first place. The grasp of the situation had fled her. But one thing was clear - while her cheeks were slightly blushed now - and maybe a bit glittering and wet from the tears she was still losing from time to time - she did not seem to feel any shame for just blatantly kissing him out of the blue - and that was simply the case.
"You're... Quite something, you know? I thought you're just some whiny guy who doesn't know anything, but... You know a lot..." Smiling with truth on her face, her hands on his bare back were not cold at all, having lost their powers for now. In fact, they even had the temperature of a human now. Just like him, but unlike the glasses, a state like this was temporary at best and not willingly created. Resting her head slightly against the surprisingly trained chest of the assassin, the safety Hinawa had felt was still there - as long as Shiki did nothing to betray it, she would follow him, for better or worse. It was hard to see her not despising or at least disliking normal humans, but if he said that the world could be a nice place - someone who had been cursed just like her - then it was worth a shot. He was the 'light' version of a killer, she the 'dark' version... Quite ironic from fate to do it like that.
"Your scar from the accident, right?" moving one of her hands away from his back - but not letting him go in the slightest with the other - she traced the borders of it. "Geez... Quite a bit one at that. Your will to live... Is amazing. I won't forgive you if you give up and not hold true to your promise, got it?" Getting a bit of her grin and usual 'tsundere' personality back, she looked quite cute instead of menacing right now. She herself did not notice, but maybe she had a slight crush on this young man now - even if it was only a girlish, light one. Time only knew what was about to come in the future. Then suddenly, the Kagami girl remembered something.
"Hm... That's kind of funny. I've got a scar similliar to that for as long as I can remember as well, although it's a bit higher... and only about this size. Don't tell me being a potential killer steems from getting nearly killed?" Tracing the shape of the scar she had relatively above her breasts, she couldn't guess that the source were two different beings with similliar backgrounds, just that hers was even older and a more precise strike, thus not actually scarring her entire chest.

Meeting another killer... fighting to near-death, and then meeting his real personality... The last days, more had happened in her life than ever before. But for once, Hinawa felt alive - thus, she did not complain at all. Instead, she was happy, in her own, strange way. Only someone like her could be happy about having to fight an eldritch abomination to the death soon - only a true, born assassin of the supernatural. Finding someone to feel closer to was a nice addition to say the least, and so, the girl simply enjoyed his words for a bit... Not a typical nice-guy, simply someone who didn't go back on his words and held kindness. Quite unlike her, who knew nearly no kindness for others, but maybe that was what drove her closer to him. The princess had no concept of 'love' or anything of the sort in her heart - she followed instinct and her hearts desire, not careful thought.

"...Eh?"

Maybe not quite the reaction that was thought to happen, but pretty much as Shiki traced the scar - that single word left her mouth. No, not because of that tracing - she most likely wouldn't have minded that. However, now, her pretty tight grip onto Tohno lessened a bit, either with shock or because she prepared to chop his head off, nobody could tell that quite yet. One thing, though, definiatly happened... first slowly, but suddenly as fast as the speed of light, her slightly blushed face from attacking him with a kiss earlier turned into a deep red. Well, who would've thought? The ice princess was actually embarased - because Tohno just feeled her up accidentally a bit.
"..." It took her a bit to find her voice again, but the smile from before turned into a frown - an angry one, at that, but not like her earlier anger - not destructive, and more completely and utterly embarassed.
"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-what do you think you're doing, IDIOT!" stuttering like a broken record at first, the glance in her eyes was already getting slightly menancing - when the girl suddenly revealed that within her small frame, she still held the strength of a superhuman. How did that become obvious? Simple, with an armor-percing slap all across his face with the same hand that had just traced his scar. A scar this old should not be able to bleed... But neither of them knew what kind of scar it really was. Only two living people knew the whole story... and two not quite dead and not quite alive people as well.

Pouting with anger, she didn't seem to want to murder him just yet, though. Her slightly faster breathing subsided into normal with a last deep sigh, still at least pink in her face, even if no longer deep red.
"If your aim is that off, it'll end badly in the future for you." glaring, she did definiatly NOT mean the second meaning behind this, but that it even had a secondary meaning escaped her to begin with - after all, she was a girl that lived for battle more than for romance. True, she DID like him in a certain, strange way, but not THAT much. Or did she? Well, she only knew that she was embarassed - and that her fever was slowly subsiding. Not good... she'd have to let go of him soon.

Let go? That is right - not even after giving him a mark to remember on the cheek did she break the hug that they still had. Her being still mad even seemed more played up than real - He had not TRIED to feel her up. If that had been the case... Well, he would have needed help with anything involving hands afterwards. No, not including that, get your mind out of the gutter - because she'd have cut it off as well.

"...Hey, Shiki." After a brief moment of looking to the sides, she regained a bit of her sly, knowing and mean smirk. "We should get going soon, right? Once it's dark, we have to search for Arcueids enemy." It seemed like she simply wanted to move on - but in truth, the girl did not want to let go just yet. So she'd leave it to him, cruel as she was, to escape the hugging embrace and tell her to hurry up - so that Hinawa would not have to deal with accidentally hurting him by having her powers suddenly come active again.

After stretching a bit as the hug ended, the girl had a slight pout on her face for getting her own line thrown back at her so swiftly. Well, she could at least truely and wholeheartedly agree to the fact that killers always seemed to know the best comebacks from anything. The small transparent aura around her hands had returned, and it seemed like she found back to the old self quite easily without her thoughts being obstructed by fever. Her right hand felt surprisingly numb from the slap - it seemed like Shiki had a lot more in his body than he knew. A normal guy would suffer from a severe case of 'snapped neck' and 'death' right now, but he seemed to shrug it off... It was intriguing, like always. But in the end, today, she had learned more about herself than him, surprisingly. But times would change, for sure...
"Let's just get going." With a handwave, the girl signaled Tohno to start following her out of the maze of tombstones only seperated from them by a few trees. Without a second thought, they were going to leave this area through the opposite side to before - right by some nice statues of ice, it seemed. Only if Shiki took the time to actually look at them, he would notice...
That those were not statues. Inside every single one of them, either a human or a Hollow could be seen, encased in ice, eyes dull, but faces still in shock, panic or fear - a garden of death of those dumb enough to stumble into these parts and then pick a fight with Hinawa in her home territory. She had nearly double her strength in this small part of Karakura thanks to how cold it was, while others grew weaker.
Turning back to the killer with a view over her shoulder, the piercing effect of her eyes had returned together with her aura - but she did not seem to carry any malice in it anymore. "Hurry up, will you? If I don't 'deliver' you in time, that Arcueid will never let me hear the end of it. As much as I would like to tick her off a bit, we need her until her enemy is defeated. I don't know much about said enemy... but I do know that people have started disappearing." Seems like the talks were now shifting to the 'work' they'd have to do - and hopefully, Tohno would not take it too badly that she had a garden of corpses in her 'home'.

Tohno sighed inwardly at the bittersweet sensation of not being able to embrace Hinawa. But then, why was that? He was still confused and didn't bother to find any answers, simply because he had none. His mind was slightly oblivious, even to his own feelings, he may have a had comeback for all of his friends but in the face of love he seemed to be little more then a small and meager bug. Shiki stood upright as he dusted off any possible specks of dirt on his clothing while he took a deep breath in order to regain all the composure he had lost. He didn't hate how today had transpired; Today was a big step in the right direction. He had gotten closer then he first expected with this ice queen who still had hidden and latent powers, still unknown, herself. Both of them had potential and if they were to stick together with well needed guidance from the benevolent time user known as Arcueid; then victory against this "enemy" didn't sound too far-fetched. Then again, Shiki couldn't quite say that confidently, this was an unknown enemy after all. Despite what these two females claimed, Shiki felt no sense of power emanating from his form. Maybe, just maybe, his assassination skills worked like a on and off switch with a light. Maybe, if he were to become excited enough by something, or angered, then just maybe he'd be able to bring out this side of himself that they kept talking about so much. In any case, there was no use trying to achieve that now. There attention was wholly directed on getting info and clues. Everything else would follow suit; and Tohno would hopefully be ready at that time. He had too; his life and their lives depended on it. And for once, he sure as hell wasn't going to let his promise go to waste. He was going to push through this enemy, and after they survived, he would show Hinawa the wonders of the world, even though she had experienced the many ugly things within it. In the time they took their leave, and as Shiki followed Hinawa, he did indeed catch a glimpse of the mortifying "Statues". While he was struck with fear at first, he realized, that this was the way of war. In a way, when a warrior won their battles, they would use the body of their fallen foe as a monument for their victory. This was something he had the pleasure of seeing in a few movies, but, the same things applied to the real world. He chuckled nervously and walked faster. "Uwah...she really is...scary..." he said, as he slid his hands within his pockets and kept on walking. "I'm coming i'm coming, Do you really think someone as sweet as that will reprimand us like you do to me?" on that note, he had once again hit her with a comeback and chuckled. It would seem as though chapter 1 of his new life, had been completed, and it had ended on a good note. The question was, just how would everything else fall into place? where would the pendulum of fate take him now?

Hinawa raised one eyebrow slightly with an amused and at the same time annoyed look. She was definiatly back to normal now, and normal meant sarcastic, rude and cold. Though maybe not as much as before. The frozen statues did not phase her at all, she even took a moment to realize what he meant with 'scary'. Those trophies of 'battles' long gone meant nothing to her, it was just a convinient way of keeping herself from the question of how to get rid of the bodies. Her face even became slightly amused as she realized why. "Heh, of course I'm scary. Did the fact escape you that I'm a born killer and assassin? This is nothing compared to what I can do."
A little bit of boasting here and there, the Kagami girl was really proud of being able to so easily kill people. Well, there was not much else she ever developed into, and while she had an amazing IQ, little did she know that being intelligent was something one could also be proud of. Never having visited any schools, her knowledge of... knowledge was limited at best. The sly smile on her face still looked cute, even with death surrounding her. A snow fairy that mercilessly slaughtered all those who were enemies...
"Arcueid might appear sweet, but she's just trying to be manipulative. I can tell, because I do it too." Non-chalantly speaking such horrendous things, she just had another grin on her face, as a few hairs were flicked out of her face. She was walking slightly turned towards Tohno, but did not stop, while saying her words during the entire time. With every step, white, beautiful ice-crystals were blown up into the wind. With a slight sigh, Hinawa looked ahead. No sleep in 2 days now... Well, she could still go on. This was nothing too bad. Little did she know, her sleepiness made her blind to another presence nearby, and Tohno lacked a strongly developed spiritual sense.
"Though... I guess she's not all bad, but I absolutely hate her guts. Who does she think she is, talking to me like she does? Pah, I'm far superior to a weakened ancient wrench like her!" Slight scorn in her voice, it did not seem as if the ice-girl would suddenly start to like Arcueid that quickly, which could become a problem in the future...


With the evening, comes the cold. Even out here, it quickly grew even colder, so it was good that the two left.




Something that could only be called, an evil spirit given living flesh.

He was there, watching. From a tree at first, as soon as the sun had set. The light was his enemy - he had no other choice but to appear now. The sunlight would've burned him into a crisp for sure... To stay in the night was his fate. His curse. And yet, he enjoyed it. His mind was fragmented and insane at best, completely unstable and manical at it's worst. But yet, he did not blindly attack, but only watch. Red eyes piercing the darkness, the slight ruffling of a Kimono.
Then, he leaped. Through the air, onto the air, and away again. Like a bird swooping down, he made little no to noise - but then, he felt it. The intense pain in his entire body, and the cold. He was the one who should've died, but now was still alive, having stolen from the boy infront of him what he had already taken once in full. Now he had a fourth of it - life energy, the combined effort of Reiatsu and the will to live. Now, his bare feet stood on the cold ground right behind the boy who had killed him and stolen it all! The boy who had taken his self! But still, the red eyed menace stilled it's hands. There would be no satisfaction in killing him, even if he could. His eyes saw the lines - running through the body of Tohno Shiki, so many of them. Holding his body together with their precious life energy... As his pain was now felt, he was sure of it. The connection would come into effect, and show Shiki infront of him the same pain...!
"Hello, Shiki. Long time no see." A voice like a whispering. A smirk of unparalleled cruelty, which let the ice-girl infront of him seem like a saint. No, she truely was not a monster. The monster was now behind them, but Hinawa could not see him - having turned her eyes forward. The cold voice of his was different from her coldness - the cold in the girls voice seemed rejecting, but not hostile or completely and utterly surpressing, no, it was sad and longing. But his was seething with hate, detest, and monstrous rage. A rage so cold that it burned his very being to the core.
If Shiki were to turn around, his eyes would most likely not be able to comprehend WHO he was. The old man had taken care of that. But he would make him remember! Every single detail... Yes. A blue kimono, stained here and there with red. Claw-like hands which now slowly regressed back into human-like ones. White, short her, and blood-red eyes like an albino. And even more, very much visible fangs in his mouth.