"Ow! What's with this dark tunnel? I can't see anything. I think I just impaled myself on something."
"What? Can you not see in the dark? Honestly, this is nothing compared to places I've been."
"So what, you can? What are you? How did you even find out about this hidden tunnel?" Noah looks around at the dimly lit tunnel, its stone walls covered in cobwebs, slime, and unknown bugs. He'd never have guessed that such a place could be found just outside the academy walls. Ouran had led him to a water drain along the wall out back where they met, and after swimming through a pocket of water, they entered this underground tunnel. "I'm seriously getting the creeps, and I'm soaked on top of it."
"Oh, stop being such a baby. You'll dry pretty quickly down here. That'll happen sometimes if it rained the day before. You'll get used to it. It must be nice to live such a pampered lifestyle that you can complain about getting a little wet and dirty. This was a good day for me."
Noah finds himself a bit annoyed at Ouran's constant evasiveness. He swears that every time he asks them a question, they give an unrelated response that only leaves him with even more questions. "Pampered? As if! Tahno wouldn't pamper us even on a good day. In fact, I think he makes our lives more difficult than any of the other students. It's annoying too because everyone thinks we're the school idols or something because we supposedly get special treatment from Tahno and even the council. Little do they know, though, the council doesn't like us—especially me—very much, and Tahno's harder on us than he'd ever be on a normal student. I'd gladly switch places with one of them if I could."
"So you're saying that having an entire floor and living quarters isn't being pampered?"
Noah wants to protest, but he realizes that Ouran is kind of right. Looking at it that way, they are pampered. Seeing how much Ouran obviously envies them, Noah can't help but wonder just what their story is. "Hey, I'm not really sure how to ask this, but how am I supposed to refer to you? I mean, I know you said you're both a girl and a boy, and I'm totally cool with that, but what happens if someone has to refer to you with a him or her— which do you prefer people to use? I'm sorry if this comes off as rude."
Ouran laughs. "Aww, you're so cute when you're embarrassed. Honestly, I get asked that all the time, especially by my classmates. When I first transferred in, my classmates were so confused because no one—not even the teacher—knew if they should refer to me as he or she when I was introduced. I basically told them the same as I told you: I'm a boy…and a girl, so they could call me whatever they liked. Didn't help much, though, because it was still awkward for them, so they just say Ouran or even 'they'."
"So basically, you don't identify with one or the other? You really intend to live as both sexes?"
"Well, it's what I am, so why would I choose to confine myself to only one side? I mean, to pick a side is denying myself half my identity. Is that really easier? Can I really say I'm me if I'm not all of me?"
Hearing their words, Noah suddenly feels like a jerk and very insensitive. "I'm sorry, I was being stupid. You're right, you are who you are—you're Ouran. I wish I could be that confident about myself too."
"Hey, don't get me wrong; I hate myself. I hate that I was born this way and the cursed existence I'm forced to live each day. That's not confidence—that's just being factual. It's a fact that I'm both sexes, and choosing to limit myself to one would be like denying half of who I am. But I'll never be able to look in the mirror and say I love myself, because I don't. But it's my fate, so I won't change it either."
Noah suddenly feels depressed, feeling as though Ouran is speaking words right out of his heart. "I can definitely understand that. I hate myself too, so much so that I wish I could die. However, the difference is, I would change if I could. I don't believe in stuff like fate or destiny, and I don't want to be some great savior of the world. I just want to be normal, like I was a long time ago, before my world turned to complete shit and I lost everything." Noah feels his anger flare up and his inner beast stirs, but he quickly stifles it and calms himself. "Don't pay me any mind, I'm just talking nonsense."
"No, I get it. I told you before, I really believe we're soulmates, Helios, because we both got stuck with curses we didn't ask for. We even share a father. Not by blood, of course, but even if he wasn't my real dad, he's the only one I knew. That's why it hurt so much when he left me behind, then she did too."
Noah feels as though a lot of info was just thrown at him, and he doesn't know how to react other than, "Huh?" With a confused expression, he asks, "What do you mean? We share a father? How is that—?"
"Ah, we're finally here! Sorry to cut you off, but you need to be prepared. I know you have tons of questions, and I have loads of answers, but we'll have to talk about them later. For now, though…."
As they round a bend, a huge door comes into view. It's at least 10 feet tall, and several symbols are engraved into the stone, with the frame lined in metal trim. On either side of the door stand two guards, dressed in armor and wielding a sword and shield. They could pass for normal human guards, but once they approach the door and can see the faces clearly, Noah can quickly tell they are not human. They have the faces of monsters, though Noah's not sure he's seen any like them before in books he's read.
"If you wish for entry, you must first pass the security test. Please step forward, both of you." One of the guards motions them forward, and without hesitation, Ouran steps in front of the one on the left.
The other guard looks at Noah and beckons him forward. "Come, stand in front of me, please."
Ouran can see the hesitation on Noah's face and tries to encourage him. "It's okay, Helios, just do as he says. This is just a security measure to make sure no one who's not supposed to get into the city."
"The city? Wait, so are we at the entrance of Hokkaido City then? Bakemon are there too?"
"No, silly, we're not anywhere near Hokkaido City. As if we'd go to that human-infested place."
"Please stand in front of me at once or I will be forced to take action." The guard is agitated.
"Better do as he says, his claws are not something you'd want to play with," Ouran softly warns.
Noah is still unsure, but he can tell that he'll be in trouble if he doesn't do as he's told, so with caution, he stands in front of the guard on the right. In unison, both guards pull out a spray canister, and before Noah has time to even think about blinking, the liquid is already spreading around his eyes. "Hey! What did you…?" Noah rubs his eyes as the liquid starts to burn, but this only lasts for about five seconds before the sensation passes and he's staring at the guard once again. "What was that?"
The guards say nothing, but instead, they each pull down a lever, and with a rumble, the door begins to open. "Welcome to Tourer Kenai. Please enjoy your stay. May your life be long and true."
"Thanks, Glenn, Ted, it's good to be home. Give my regards to your family. Come on, Helios." Ouran walks ahead and through the entrance. Noah is still trying to wrap his head around what just happened, but as the guards glare at him, he quickly runs after Ouran to catch up before they bite his head off.
As soon as he's inside, the doors close behind him, making a loud bang as they do. Noah finally takes a moment to inspect his eyes, worried that they've been changed somehow, but as far as he can feel, they are the same as always. Ouran chuckles at him and then walks over. "Don't worry, your eyes are fine…very fine, actually."
Noah snaps back to attention at Ouran's flirting and asks, "What'd they do to me? What was it?"
"It's an aerosol spray. They do that to everyone who tries to enter the city to be sure they are Bakemon."
"How can they tell from that, though? I mean, if it burned me, then that's no different from a human whose eyes would burn as well, right? What's the difference between the two? Couldn't a human have a resistance to it?"
"Ha! Helios, you crack me up. That'd never happen. For us, it's simply an aerosol spray that irritates our eyes temporarily, but to humans, it's a toxin. If you were human, you would've been dead by now. You're so funny, a real comedian."
Noah isn't sure how to respond, so he just blinks like an idiot, feeling very frustrated and confused. "So what were those guards? They looked kind of human, but they obviously weren't. Were they demons?"
"Demons? No way. They'd take some serious offense to that comment if they could hear you. They're different creatures known as Lamia. They're very strong, and their claws are super deadly. They love human hearts, so they look forward to the times when humans take a wrong turn and end up here. As soon as they die from the toxin, they help themselves to their hearts. I've seen it happen once; it was some gruesome stuff, let me tell you. Anyway, enough about that. Let's get going, as we have a lot to see and not much time." Ouran walks forward and stretches their arms up wide as they shout, "Welcome to Tourer Kenai, the Bakemon Capital City and Hub."