10 In The Gaps Of What You Call Reality

"Mother! Why did you get up? Are you feeling any better?"

The eyes stared into Raifu for a second longer, before they turned and gently glid away.

Raifu tentatively stepped into the house, closing the door behind her. She flickered on a light, lighting up the house.

"It's not good for you to be in the dark all the time…"

Raifu gulped, careful not to be too loud while she walked. Her tail was stiff in dread, her heart beating in her ears. She stepped into the room, catching her breath as she caught sight of Mother.

She was sitting on an armchair, cloaked by a massive blanket. Her pale skin was sunken in from how little she was eating, her white hair covering her closed eyes. It was almost as if she was asleep.

But she was listening

Mother was always listening

Raifu was tense with fear, sweat dripping down her face as she fought to keep her breath steady. Maybe Mother would let it go?

"You are…scared." Mother's eyes gently opened, revealing her blank, depthless eyes. "You reek of fear. What did you do?"

"I didn't- it was just an accident! Don't-"

Raifu's stuttering was quelled by a single glance.

"Fantoche…" Mother rose from her seat, her blankets sliding onto the floor, revealing graceful, feathered wings. She drifted across to a trembling Raifu. She collapsed onto her, gripping her shoulders with strength surprising for someone as sick as her. She raised her head, her glare drilling into Raifu.

"Look at me…"

Her eyes began to swirl and twist and distort as a hellish familiarity descended upon Raifu. Mother's face melted, molding and twisting into unnatural forms and shapes. Her body began changing too, growing extra pairs of wings beginning to glow with a purplish hue.

The world snapped back to normal as a loud thud was heard from outside the room.

Raifu was shaking with teary eyes, silently thanking God for whatever had caused that sound.

Mother's grip on her shoulder loosened. She leaned back, and collapsed back onto the sofa, dragging the blankets over herself.

She leaned her head back on her arm, closing her eyes.

"We have a visitor. Bring them to me, Fantoche."

Raifu took a second to compose herself, before darting out of the room. She carefully walked through the corridor, relieved that her punishment had been cut short. Her relief would be cut short too though, as she felt something connect with her legs. She screamed as they gave out from underneath her, falling to the ground with an even louder thud. Whipping her head around, she tried to catch a glimpse of her attacker.

Wide, silver eyes, surrounded by a whirlwind of black hair.

Could it really be-?

She didn't look back as she pulled open the door and slammed it behind her. Raifu stumbled to her feet, clumsily rushing over the door, and struggling to open it.

"Go after her, Fantoche. Don't come back without her," Mother whispered. "It will have escalated beyond a simple punishment if you do."

Hands trembling, Raifu pried open the door and ran into the sunlight.

Out of breath, and out of hope, Raifu collapsed onto a park bench under a setting sun. She covered her face with her hands, feeling a sob rising up in her chest. Everything was going wrong. She hadn't been able to find Asrin, despite searching for hours. How did Asrin even find a way inside the house? And there's not way she didn't see Mother…

Her tail flailed around uselessly, making things even worse for her.

"Just- stay still, alright?" She grabbed it and forced it onto her lap. "What do you even do? I don't know why people even have these…"

Somewhere behind her, she heard a stifled laugh, making her jump to her feet. A guilty-looking Asrin was standing there to greet her.

"You…!"

"I'm sorry! I couldn't stop myself…" Asrin smiled, as if she hadn't just broken into her house, seen a monster torture her, and hid from her for the better part of three hours. "It's just, how do you still not know what your tail is used for?"

"That doesn't matter!" Raifu glared at her, trying her best to not get embarrassed.

"Mhm, sure it doesn't. Just wait till you finally get in bed with someone and you have nooo idea what to do."

"W-Wait, what're you saying?" No. There was no way. Surely she couldn't be talking about…that! "How do you even fit a tail into that sort of scenario?"

"Wow, you're as red as a carrot." She squashed Raifu's face together. "A really cute carrot though!"

"Shtop!" She struggled out of Asrin's grip. "I'm not red! And what do you use a tail for!"

"Not denying your cuteness, huh? Either way, that combo of cuteness and cluelessness is gonna drive anyone insane. Just wait till Dante gets a glimpse of you…"Asrin was struggling to stop herself from laughing again from seeing the face of the absolutely dumbstruck Raifu. "Your tail's moving like that cause of puberty! Just think of it as… Nevermind, don't think of it as anything, it just boils down to hormones doing hormonal stuff."

Raifu stared at her silently.

Asrin gave her a sympathetic look. "Did you not have anyone to tell you about these sort of stuff?"

"Uh-"

"Neither did I! I sorta get how you feel, so you can ask me anything you want, and I promise not to judge you too much! I'll be like your dependable older sister!"

"We only just met today though…"

"Pfff, feels like we've known each other for years!"

Raifu looked away from her.

"Y-You don't usually act like this, do you?"

Asrin's eyes glinted as she giggled.

"Oh, sorry to disappoint! I'm like this all the time. Just your luck to be stuck with this weirdo, huh?"

Raifu looked away, a conflicted expression on her face.

"N-No, but you…" Raifu gulped, clenching her fist. "You're scared."

Asrin stared at her, confused.

"Why would I be scared…"

"Maybe not anymore! It is pretty faint, but you were!" Raifu sat back down on the bench. "I can smell it on you…"

"Huh? Smell?"

"Not a bad smell! I mean it is a bad smell… But it's not like you stink or anything!"

Asrin stared at her, remembering what had happened before.

"She said you reeked of fear too…"

A few moments passed in silence.

"There it is. I can smell it on you clearer now." Raifu said softly.

"Yeah, I-I was just remembering how your mother…hugged you!"

Raifu turned pale, shuddering.

"Ah, I'm sorry! Are you alright? Sorry, I'm really stupid like this sometimes. I shouldn't joke about stuff like- "

"Jeez, you worry way too much! I'm fine about that stuff," Raifu gave her a weak smile, which faded. "It's just, Mother told me I had to bring you home or she'll - or I shouldn't come home."

Asrin trembled, before walking off.

"Let's get going then."

"Eh? H-Hold on!" Raifu grabbed her arm, pulling her back as Asrin struggled to walk back. "You can't go! You don't know what Mother'll do to you."

"She won't let you go home if I don't come with you." Asrin turned, shaking, as she grinned. "Just think of it as a sleepover!"

"You can't! I won't let you!"

She pulled Raifu harder, trying to drag her home. "You came running out! You spent hours trying to find me! Are you trying to tell me you weren't trying to drag me back?"

"I wanted to ask you why you broke into my house!"

"I was bored, but it's good that I did since I found that monster in there."

"SHE'S NOT A MONSTER."

Asrin stopped, shocked by the sudden outburst, held in place by Raifu's glare.

"No matter what she looks like, she's still my mother! So don't ever call her that again!"

Something seemed to click in Asrin's head, as her eyes slowly narrowed.

"That was torture she was putting you through."

A soft prod.

Just to make sure.

"It wasn't! It was just…A mother has a right to punish her child if they don't do things correctly!" But her voice was wavering.

Asrin smiled at her, but something about her set off the danger alarms in Raifu's head.

Maybe it was the way her tail was twisting around her body, as if it had a mind of its own. Yet somehow, that mind was completely in sync with her own, as if it was a single mind that had been carved into two.

Maybe it was the way her black hair covered a single eye, not completely able to contain it's glowing, and how the other eye gleamed down at her in all of its beauty.

Maybe it was the way her smile seemed to understand, how it seemed to be capable of feeling, yet how at the same time it felt like she was laughing at her.

"I get how you feel. I really do, Raifu. In fact…" She tilted her head. "I'd say my father and your mother were two very similar people."

She looked so human, but she wasn't. Yet she didn't look like a demon either. That terrifying thing you'd find wailing in the gaps of what you call reality.

Something that just never fits no matter where you try to put it.

"I loved my dad too."

Something you've never seen.

Something you know nothing about.

Something standing right in front of you.

She stepped towards Raifu, her face inches away from hers. A faint familiarity descended over Raifu. The same hellish familiarity every time she felt her mother close to her. But why…?

"You don't see what people are really like when you love them. It's funny how your brain works, isn't it? If you love someone, you'll only ever see the good things about them."

What was it that Lucine had said about Asrin? That's right, he said she was a part time goofball, part time pyscho bitch.

What the hell had he been trying to say?

"But my dad was a dirty person. He did filthy, filthy things behind my back." Asrin giggled. "Well, that wouldn't be right. He did them in front of me too, I just had no one to show me how to see."

The smell of fear was dense and intoxicating ,the stench of terror clutching at her throat. Raifu had no idea whether they were coming from her or from Asrin.

"Except one day, I did see. I watched him do it once. I watched his filthy, filthy hands do what they'd done so many times before."

Was this why she felt so different to everyone else? Why she felt so much softer, so much less intense than everyone else?

"But I can help you! I had to get out of that place alone, but you don't need to! You have me! I'll save you from it all, even if you think you don't need saving! You'll thank me for it, Raifu."

Was it just because she didn't understand what she was really like?

"That's why you wanted to go back? You wanted to help me?"

"Of course!" Asrin was pale and shaking, but still her eyes widened with glee. "Besides, it would be interesting to see what sort of person your mother really is."

Something felt off with what she had said. Something didn't add up. How would she help by going back home? All that'd happen is Mother wouldn't punish her, and it's not as if that was anything bad.

Mother wasn't hurting her in any way. Asrin was just worrying too much. It was fine. There was nothing wrong here. It was-

"A-Asrin? What did- what did you do to your Dad?"

Ah.

That was it.

That smell that had been lingering this whole time.

That secret.

It had come out of hiding.

It was more saturated.

Much more concentrated.

"Raifu! Why would you want to know that?" She grinned widely, flicking the hair out of her face. "Oh well, I suppose I'll indulge you just this once."

Her unhinged laughter rung out into the night, the moon being the only witness to their cursed exchange.

It was the scent of a murderer.