Ryoko stood
in front of me with her arms crossed, and I narrowed my eyes at her as I leaned against my bed. Genesis had given us a simple surveillance assignment earlier this morning, but it required us to be disguised. Ryoko, of course, was insisting I wear something I wouldn’t be caught dead in—a sundress.
“C’mon.” She held out the dress again. “It’s not that bad.”
“I said no.”
She sighed. “It’s not like anyone will recognize you after you use the temporary dye in your hair, and the colored contact lenses. What’s the harm?”
I turned my back on her and stalked over to my closet. Moving clothes around, I sighed and looked through my dresser. I cursed when I found nothing. Ryoko chuckled, but I wasn’t about to wear that dress. I would use the armor clothing if necessary. Before Ryoko could attempt to convince me to wear the dress again, someone rapped on my bedroom door.
“Come in,” I called.
The door opened, and Zane strolled in. “I don’t mean to interrupt you two, but I think the boys are in need of some help.”
Ryoko and I looked at each other and shook our heads with small smiles. Getting the boys to blend in was not going to be easy. Ryoko discarded the dress on my bed, and I followed her out of my room. No sooner had I taken two steps out of the room, I was hit by Raikidan’s annoyance.
“What the hell is this stuff?” He was holding a small bottle with colored liquid in his hand.
“It’s hair dye.”
“It smells awful! You expect me to use this?”
“Sure do.” I spun him around and pushed him toward the bathroom. “Let’s go.”
“Hell no. I’m not using anything that smells this foul.”
“If I have to, you have to.” I shoved him into the bathroom. Raikidan attempted to force his way out, but I pushed him back in. “Ryoko, give me a hand, will you? I need you to keep him still.”
Ryoko pranced into the room and forced Raikidan to sit on the toilet. He struggled against her, but their evenly matched strength kept him from breaking free. I shut the door and squeezed out the dye from the bottle.
Raikidan began to struggle again, and Ryoko rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me sit on you.”
I snickered when he looked at her as if he wasn’t sure to take that as a threat or not. Ryoko stared back at him as if to challenge him, but he took her words as not meaning much. Because he was a dragon, it didn’t surprise me that he wouldn’t think it would be awkward for Ryoko to sit on him. Of course, he probably wasn’t capable of imagining how she planned to do so.
He squirmed in his seat, and Ryoko made good on her threat. She plopped right down on his lap and hung her arms over his shoulders—their faces rather close.
Raikidan stared at her wide-eyed, and Ryoko grinned. “I told you I was going to sit on you if you didn’t behave.”
Raikidan only stared at her in response. I found myself frowning and not liking what I was seeing, but I couldn’t understand why. There was nothing wrong with what she was doing. It was keeping him still, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t warned him. With him also being a dragon, he wasn’t reacting to the situation like a human male would.
“Now, are you going to be good, or am I going to have to continue to sit here?” Ryoko asked Raikidan.
“Get off me.”
“Swear to cooperate and I will.”
Raikidan stared at her for a moment longer and then looked at me, exasperated, but I didn’t do anything to help. He sighed. “Fine.”
“Fine what?” Ryoko challenged.
“Fine, I’ll sit here and let you punish me.”
“Punish you?” She giggled and stood up. “Is that what you think we’re doing to you? Honey, if I was punishing you, it’d be a lot different.” She winked at him. “And way more fun.”
“Why else would you be doing this to me?” He clearly missed her sexual implications, disappointing her.
“Because we have an assignment to accomplish?” I said, my tone sarcastic. “Everyone is wearing hair dye, so quit being a baby and suck it up.”
He glared at me but didn’t say anything more, allowing me to lace my fingers into his hair and coat it with the foul, sticky liquid. Once I was sure his hair was thoroughly dyed, I applied some to his facial hair before stepping back and allowing him to look himself over in the mirror while I discarded the gloves used to protect my hands.
“What did you do to me?” he asked, his eyes wide with shock.
I shrugged. “Just changed your hair color. You won’t see the results until we rinse your hair in a few minutes.”
“Should we be doing something else?” Ryoko asked.
I looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Do you have something specific in mind? “
She strolled over and lightly grabbed his chin. A negative and slightly possessive feeling welled up in the pit of my stomach as she leaned on him and looked him over. That was not a comforting sign. “We could shave his facial hair.”
Raikidan pushed her away and growled. “I will not.”
She blinked in surprise. “What’s wrong with that suggestion? If you like the style, you can grow it back out after. It’s not like it’ll kill you.”
I figured it was best if I swooped in. “Ryoko, why don’t you go see if Rylan needs any help?”
Her brow creased. “You sure?”
I nodded. “I can handle it from here. Including my own dye job.”
“All right, but you’d better not color your hair in a way that won’t go with that dress.”
“I told you I’m not wearing that!”
Raikidan raised his eyebrow with interest. “You were going to wear a dress?”
I sighed and rummaged through the small closet for the hair dye. “Ryoko, just leave.”
She grasped the door handle. “All right, but I’m not giving up on that dress.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed the box I was looking for. Ryoko left as I ripped open the box. Taking my hair out of my hair clip, my shirt changed into a small tank top and I went to work lacing the dye into my hair. Raikidan sat back down and watched me.
“You know, you didn’t have to snap at her. She doesn’t know your hair won’t grow back.”
Raikidan sighed. “I know. I just get defensive sometimes while keeping my secret.”
“Try to work on that if you can. It’s easier to come up with half-truths than full lies. Like this one. Tell people you have a slow hair growth issue, so you like to keep drastic changes to a last resort if you can. Everyone will accept it and leave you alone.”
“I will keep that in mind. Thank you. And thank you for keeping this secret from the others.”
“You don’t have to thank me for that. It’s not my place to tell them.” I turned to face him. “You’re lucky it’s me who knows, though. I’m good at keeping secrets, and even better, trained to come up with half-truths and lies. If you need one, just talk to me.”
Something flashed in his eyes. Shit, did I just give too much away?
Raikidan then nodded. “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
I discarded the gloves I used for my hair. “All right, let’s rinse your hair out.”
“Wha—”
I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him over to the shower. Sliding open the glass door, I ran the water and dunked his head under.
“You know I can do this myself,” Raikidan grumbled.
I let him go, but shoved him into the running water. “All right, then you do it. I’ll go lay your clothes out on your bed.”
“Eira!”
I sprinted out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind me before he could think about grabbing me. Ryoko poked her head out of Rylan’s room as I laughed and made my way over to Raikidan’s room.
“You pushed him into the shower, didn’t you?” I nodded and continued to laugh as I opened the door. “I knew you were up to something. You’re so mean.”
I shut the door and gathered myself before I rummaged through his closet. His selection amazed me, and this wasn’t even what he had in his dresser. When it came to clothes, Ryoko really knew how to shop.
Pulling out a brown leather jacket and a white turtleneck, I laid them out on his queen-sized bed and went over to his dresser. Footsteps thundered down the hall and were followed by the sound of the bedroom door opening and then slamming shut. Raikidan’s breath came slow and deep. I grinned and continued to pretend he wasn’t there.
“I should make you pay for that!”
I turned my head and smirked. His hair was now a deep brown, although it was hard to distinguish it from black since it was still wet. He clutched his drenched shirt in his hands and his soaked pants clung to his muscular form. He looked as if he hadn’t bothered using a towel to dry himself in the least. Lucky Ryoko isn’t here to make her stupid comments.
“I suppose you should, but you won’t.” I turned my eyes back to the dresser and pulled out a pair of denim pants for him.
“You’d better hope this color doesn’t last.”
“Calm down. The next shower you take will rid you of the color. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Good, but that doesn’t mean you’re safe. Why the hell did you push me into the shower?”
I shrugged. “Because I felt like it. Do you have a problem with it?”
“Yes, I do,” he breathed in my ear.
I forced myself not to tense. I hadn’t heard him move. The heat of his body teased my skin. He wasn’t touching me, but that didn’t make me any less uncomfortable. Instead of focusing on how close he was to me, I pulled out a pair of boxers and socks for him. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing. I’ll be changing out of these wet clothes, so there’s no point in making you pay. Plus, I still owe you for respecting me and not forcing me to change my physical appearance when I don’t want to.”
I turned and handed over his clothes. “I would hope you’d extend the same courtesy when the situation presents itself.”
Raikidan took the clothes, but also captured my hands with his in the process, holding eye contact with me. “Of course I would. It’s because of your respect I do, and why I made the changes to myself as I have. I did that for you.”
My pulse slowed. I didn’t know what to say. A part of me didn’t like how that sounded. The other part didn’t mind at all. This was not a comfortable situation.
I pulled away. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”
His brow furrowed. “Why not? It’s the truth.”
I turned away. “It… reminds me of memories I’d rather not remember… “
“But—”
“I made it clear to you back at the village I didn’t want you to make personal decisions because of something I may or may not want. I want you making a personal decision because you really want to.” I headed for the door. “But I should go and finish getting ready.”
“I”—he sighed—“I suppose you should.”
Once my hand wrapped around the doorknob, I stopped and glanced back at him. “For the record, the style does look good on you. I didn’t lie about that. And the color, as much as this will look good, I prefer its natural state. It suits you better, in a good way.”
Raikidan went to say something, but I left his room before he could. When I entered the bathroom, I found Ryoko sitting on the sink. Her hair smelled of the foul dye, and she grinned at me as I entered. “I saw the color you used.”
I chuckled. “Is it going to be a problem?”
“Not at all, Ginger. As a matter of fact, I had an idea that would work out perfectly.”
“You want to look like twins, don’t you?”
“You bet!” Her grin grew wider. “So I grabbed the last box of the same color.”
I smiled and shook my head. “This doesn’t mean I’m wearing that dress.”
She sighed. “Well, if you’re not going to wear that, what are you going to wear?”
I grinned. “Let me rinse out my hair and you’ll see.”
She blinked but didn’t say a word as I made my way over to the shower and rinsed out my hair. Once I was certain I had done a thorough job, I turned the water off and dried it with a towel.
“Okay, your hair is now the color you need it to be. What are you going to wear?” Ryoko demanded to know.
I grinned and let the image of my desired outfit run through my head, my armor responding in turn. My tank top changed into a loose off-the-shoulder shirt with a light red and orange flower, and my sports bra switched to a strapless one. My denim pants changed into black leggings, while long black knee-high socks and boots formed on my bare feet.
Ryoko’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Wow, this is better than what I wanted you to wear! A little work with your hair, and a little makeup, and you’ll look like a completely different person. You won’t even need the colored contact lenses.”
“I’m not wearing makeup.”
“Oh, yes you are. You need to look as little like you as possible. It won’t kill you, I promise.”
“What are you planning to wear?”
“Well… um…” She looked at the floor. “I haven’t figured that out yet. You know me and normal clothes. It’s hard to get them to fit right.”
I sighed. “Go get some armor. I’ll put you in something that will look good.”
Her brow rose. “You?”
“I may not be as fashion inclined as you, but at least I have an idea that I know will work.”
She sucked in a tight breath, her eyes going wide for a moment, showing she didn’t believe me, and then left the bathroom. A few moments later, she came back with the cloth in her hand along with a small wooden box.
“Close the door and put them on.” She looked at me apprehensively and I gave her a stern look. “Ryoko, it’s me. Just change.”
She sighed and did as she was told. I didn’t pay her much mind. I hoped this might help her slightly with her insecurities. “All right, I’m done.”
I looked at her. Had her regular clothes not been sprawled out around her feet, it would have looked as if she had never changed. I motioned for her to move closer to me, and once she was in range of my touch, I grasped her clothing. Thinking hard, I forced the cloth to bend to my will and change.
Her bikini top transformed into a fitted bra and a brown lace-edged tank top. A denim jacket formed over her shoulders and framed her body perfectly. The shorts she was wearing extended into denim pants, and her boots transformed into black laced stilettos. I allowed her to keep her goggles since they added to her look, although I changed the style just a little bit, just in case.
Smiling at my handiwork, I spun her around to face the mirror. “See? What did I tell you?”
Ryoko looked herself over. Her face creased with concern. “I don’t know… I feel like it makes my breasts look even larger, and shows off too much cleavage.”
“And the bikini showed less?”
She chuckled, her cheeks tinting. “I guess you’re right.”
“Now rinse your hair and we’ll dry and style it.”
“We’ll style yours first,” Ryoko insisted as she forced me to sit on the toilet and plugged in the hair dryer. “Mine needs to be in a little longer.”
I muttered to myself but didn’t protest. Ryoko grabbed a large round brush out of a drawer and went about doing my hair and then applying way too much makeup from the wooden box she’d carried in. “There, all done.”
I looked at myself in the mirror as I stood up. I almost didn’t recognize myself. My hair was a flaming orange and curled just above my shoulders. The round brush Ryoko had used made my hair look layered and wavy, and it was full of volume and bounce. I couldn’t stop myself from running my fingers through it. The cover-up she had applied thinned the amount of freckles shown on my face, and my eyes, aside from the color, looked as if they had been taken from a different person. They looked larger and more feminine.
Ryoko smiled. “You look nice.”
“Uh, thanks.”
“Laz, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. We should get you ready, so we can head out.”
“Laz, don’t take what I said the wrong way. You look great without all this treatment, too.”
“Let’s get you ready.”
She sighed and went to rinse her hair. Once she was done, I dried it with the hair dryer and brush. Grabbing a few pins from the wooden box, I gently pinned her sensitive ears into her hair. “Where are the prosthetic ears?”
“On the second-to-top shelf in the closet.”
I left her side and searched for the ears. Once I found them, I secured them to her head and tucked them behind her goggles as an extra measure. Once that was done, I quickly applied her makeup and added a beauty mark by her right eye. Once I was sure her makeup looked nice, I grabbed blue contact lenses out of the wooden box and placed them in her eyes.
Ryoko stood up and looked herself over when I was done. She smiled in approval. “What do you think?”
I shrugged. “I prefer you with dog ears.”
She looked at me and tilted her head. Realizing what I meant, she smiled. She tugged my arm and I allowed her to pull me next to her. She beamed at the sight. Aside from the eyes and other small feature differences, we did look like twins, or in the very least siblings.
Ryoko pulled the wooden box closer. “You’re going to want to switch up some of your earrings and maybe use some other jewelry.”
I nodded and went to work on my ears. I decided to take most of the earrings out and swapped my bell earring for a long hanging earring. I placed its partner earring in my other ear for consistency. Ryoko offered a few metal bracelets and I gladly accepted them. They were of varying sizes, causing them to overlap as they hung around my wrist. I dug out two clip-on earrings for Ryoko and helped her add them to her prosthetics.
“Ready?” I asked. She smiled and nodded, and the two of us left.
Zane whistled low as we entered the living room. “You two sure know how to make a disguise.”
Blaze snaked his arm around Ryoko and me. “I’ll say.”
I elbowed him in the stomach. “Answer is still no.”
He grunted and rubbed his stomach. “Aw, c’mon, Eira. Twins are always the best in bed.”
Ryoko flicked her hair dismissively and walked away from him. “Who cares? Answer still hasn’t changed.”
“Fine.” Blaze sat down on the couch and flipped on the TV.
Once he was no longer looking, I took a quick glance at him to make sure he was ready. His hair was now a dark blonde, wavy, and pulled back into a ponytail, revealing his pierced ears. He wore a navy-blue shirt and denim pants. Sunglasses were perched on his head instead of a hat and bandana, and from the looks of it, he was wearing green contact lenses. He still wore his favorite accessories except for his glove, which had been replaced with a black wristband. He was all set to blend into a crowd of people.
I looked down the hall at the sound of approaching footsteps. Rylan and Raikidan approached and scrutinized us; Ryoko and I did the same to them. Rylan’s hair was now a rich black and wasn’t styled with any cream or gel. His eyes were chocolate brown, which matched his brown leather jacket. He wore a red shirt under the jacket, and denim pants. He no longer sported his chain or lip piercing, although his gauges and clamp earring remained.
Raikidan looked normal enough, even with his hair still styled in the manner it usually was. The clothes I had chosen for him fit well, and although they didn’t fit who he was, they would do for an undercover disguise.
“You look different,” Raikidan said.
I chuckled. “That’s the point, stupid.”
Raikidan crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.
“So, whose idea was it to look like twins?” Rylan asked.
“Mine!” Ryoko claimed. “Like it?”
He chuckled. “It’s interesting, although I would have used the idea on a more involved assignment.”
Ryoko shrugged. “I suppose it would have been a smarter choice to do that, but I couldn’t resist. It’s not like we can’t still use the idea later.”
Seda walked down the hall and greeted us with a small nod. “If you are all set, Genesis has said you may leave.”
I looked around. “Where’s Argus?”
“He’s not going,” Blaze said. “Said something about working on some important project, so Genesis told him he could work on that instead.”
I shrugged. “All right then, let’s be off. Make sure you guys stay in the area you’ve been assigned, and keep your ears open for any useful information.”
Seda held up her hand to stop me. “Hold on, Laz, you forgot about your necklace.”
I looked down at my necklace and touched it. “Oh… right… I suppose it would be best to take it off.”
“Let her wear it,” Rylan said. “It won’t harm anything.”
“Yeah,” Ryoko agreed. “It’s never caused a problem in the past, so why would it now? She could play it off as some trinket a traveling merchant sold her if asked.”
“Very well,” Seda responded before walking off.
Ryoko hooked her arm around mine and dragged me toward the basement door before any more time could be wasted. “Let’s take your car, Sis
. I’ll drive.”
I smirked. “Lead the way, Sis
.”
“Anyone else find Ryoko’s fake ears weird on her?” Blaze asked. The guys murmured in agreement, and I hoped Ryoko heard. It would make her feel a little better about herself if she did.
“So, you know what I wish for?” Ryoko asked me as we headed down the last few steps.
“A million gold pieces?”
She laughed and let go of my arm as we walked toward the garage. “Well, duh! But that’s not what I would wish for right now.”
“Then what would you wish for?”
“That epic music played in the background of my life.”
I laughed. “You’ve been watching too many action movies.”
Ryoko laughed with me. “True, but you have to admit it would be pretty cool, especially in this type of situation. Like epic spy music or something.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I suppose.”
The two of us rounded the corner and walked through the garage until we came to a sleek black car with red racing stripes. Grasping the handle of the passenger-side door, I pulled the wing door out and sat down in the seat. Ryoko sat down in the driver’s seat and started up the vehicle. The car roared to life, and once our doors were shut, she pulled out of the parking spot quickly. “You think this will go as well as Genesis hopes?”
“Personally, I doubt it. She hopes for more than what’s possible most of the time, although I do hope this won’t be a waste of time.”
She smiled and nodded. The garage door opened, and we sped out into the open city. I looked out the window, taking in the city that passed by.
The hot water splashed over my skin, running orange as I laced my fingers through my hair and scrubbed out the hair dye with the special shampoo designed to remove it faster. The assignment had been a complete waste of time. There had been no soldiers to spy on, and no civilian chat worth overhearing. Blaze had become so bored he had walked from his post over to mine and Ryoko’s to chat. Others from our team and from other teams we ran into indicated they were having the same problem all over the city. It was as if the soldiers didn’t exist.
Sighing, I lathered up my hair with my conditioner and allowed its sweet scent to flood into my nose. Once my hair was rinsed and clean, I turned off the water and dried off with a towel. Grabbing a small washcloth from the drawer under the sink, I wiped away the steam that had collected on the mirror and began washing the makeup off my face.
My lip gloss had faded away during the day, and removing the cover-up and eyeshadow required little effort, but the eyeliner and mascara were much harder. I dabbed and I pulled, but neither would come off onto the washcloth. Irritation flared up in me. She would use waterproof makeup.
I rummaged around the closet until I found the small bottle of makeup remover.
I stood in front of the sink and dabbed the remover onto the washcloth. When I looked up at my reflection, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Standing behind me was a sultry woman around my height. She had tan skin, piercing golden eyes, and luscious red lips. Her red and black wavy hair grew past her shoulders, and black wings grew from her back.
I spun around but found no one behind me. I looked around and listened carefully, only to find myself to be the only one in here. There wasn’t a trace of that woman. Who was she and where had she come from? And where had she disappeared to?
Taking a deep breath, I decided I had imagined her. I don’t know why I had, as I was sure I’d never seen anyone like her, but that was the most logical explanation I had. Turning around, I went back to removing the remainder of the makeup from my face until I was sure my skin was clean. Content, I disposed of the cloth in a clothes basket and headed to my room.
Raikidan sat on my windowsill when I entered. He was still in his undercover clothes, and his hair had yet to be rinsed out. The light from the setting sun scattered across his skin, accentuating his unnatural perfection.
“Shower is free for the moment, so if you want to wash up, grab it now before someone else does,” I advised him as I walked over to my dresser.
“What’s so special about your necklace?” Raikidan asked.
I rested my hand on the top of my dresser. “It was… a gift.”
“So was your earring with the bell, but you take that off.”
I sighed. “The tooth is Rylan’s. When he lost it, he made it into a necklace and gave it to me. I promised I’d never take it off.”
“That’s a strange gift to give someone.”
I shrugged and placed the earrings I borrowed from Ryoko on the top of the dresser. “We didn’t have much back then, but he wanted to give me something.”
“You don’t find it weird that it’s his tooth?”
I shook my head. “No, not really.”
“What did you give him?”
I frowned. “That promise. He knew that I couldn’t give him something in return at the time, so I gave him that promise.”
“But you did take it off. You didn’t have it when we met.”
“I had taken it off to replace the leather. It wasn’t in the greatest condition when Rylan gave it to me, and after wearing it for so long, it had worn down to nothing. I was replacing it when the village came under attack.”
“So, you ended up leaving it behind?”
I nodded.
“And you still insist there’s nothing going on between the two of you?”
“Just because someone gives you a gift doesn’t mean there is anything but friendship behind it. Rylan is like an older brother to me, nothing more. I’ve told you this.”
I stiffened and an uncomfortable feeling rushed through me as Raikidan snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me into him. I couldn’t believe he could walk so quietly.
He chuckled low into my ear. “That’s a thoughtful promise to give to him. Now why don’t you make me a promise?”
“Why would I do that? Especially when you’re doing something I’ve told you not to do.”
I felt his grin on my ear. “Because it’d be beneficial to us both.”
“I’m listening.”
“Don’t wear that stupid stuff you call makeup again,” he murmured. “I prefer you this way, without it. You’re perfect as you are.”
My mind went blank and my mouth went dry. How am I supposed to reply to that?
I tried to think of something but failed. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me.
He chuckled low in my ear and let me go. He left my room, but I still didn’t move. I wasn’t sure if I could. Something in his words stirred the memories of the tank’s voice as I had grown.
“Perfection is the desire of your maker. Imperfections will be removed from the equation.”
And Zarda’s awful voice when he saw me the day I came out of my tank and I wasn’t to his exact specifications.
“…Disgusting…”
But all of this was becoming drowned in those words…
“You’re perfect as you are.”
