All changes are placed in this color

The monitor in the headmaster’s office flickered on.

“H-hello, are we connected now?” From the speakers came a soft, slightly hesitant voice. It was husky but melodious, a voice that could persuade and calm, the tone of the diplomat.

“I don’t even understand why you bother with these infernal contraptions,” A feminine voice irritably cut in. If the first voice soothed you, the new voice dispelled your prior feelings. This voice seemed to suck out all the warmth in the room, replacing it with the icy grip of fear.

“Wait… I think I know what’s wrong now.”

The window blinked and became black again. Silhouettes could be seen moving around the screen.

“Otoutou, open the light please I don’t think they can see us”

The dim light illuminated a very curious pair of green and brown seats. It seemed very comfortable, constructed from small slim branches woven together to form two seats. They were circular in shape, like a sphere cut in half, opened then hollowed out. The space inside was comfortable enough for a medium-built person to sleep in. In fact, a person was lying on her side, curled up, on one of the seats.

“That should do it,” said the first speaker a bit triumphantly.

At the statement, the girl in the seat stretched and moved to sit up. Another figure, a male this time, walked into the camera’s view and sat down on the unoccupied side. With a gentle smile the boy turned to the camera.

“Bella and Leon Gemenii, reporting in.” He spoke in the same soft voice.

"Seriously Leon, ’reporting in’? What are we, in the military?” the girl interrupted.

“Sorry Bella. I just thought it would seem ri-”

“Never mind explaining let’s just get it over with.” She sighed softly, resting her chin on her hand. Leon coughed softly and pulled out a sheet of paper.

“We’re the new substitute teachers you’ve been trying to contact. I’m the new technician and computer substitute, while bella is the new P.E. substitute. Sorry for the delay but we have a few more things to pack before we arrive. We decided to send this in advance, so all information can be stored and we can begin the jobs immediately.” He said before glancing down at the paper.

“First things first. ‘Race and type’.” He smiled at the camera. “We’re tree spirits.”

“To be more precise, a tree’s spirit would be a more proper term.” Bella added in a slightly bored voice. “Though we seem to be two different beings, we’re actually just one entity in two temporary vessels. Since there is only one soul, one of us is a… I guess ‘copy’ would be the best term.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Though, we’re not really sure who is real and who is not…”

“Our real form is a very special tree, more commonly known as the balete. It is native to an island in Asia.” Leon continued.

Bella shifted slightly, one hand absently stroking her seat. “Due to… Environmental problems, it decided to move to a new location. That’s were we come in. We were created by its mind to serve it and help it adjust in the modern world.”

“Next question is gender. Well the most accurate answer would be both. But in our present state, I’m predominantly male while she’s predominantly female.”

“...moving on, we have no nationality to speak off.” Bella closed her eyes. “We’ve been traveling from place to place, either being hunted or being… Destroyed.” It seemed she kept a tidal wave of rage from breaking as she spat out the word. Leon actually glanced at her, concerned but she motioned for him to continue.

“Our age is exactly 1,324 years 8 months and 17 days,” Leon smiled. “Though physically, we prefer looking around 22.”

“Our build, on the other hand, are both very slim but well-toned.” A cough from his sister interrupts Leon. “But she’s a little more, fine, a lot more well-toned than me. We also share a height of 5 feet, 6 inches.”

“We have a type of heterochromia, where we each have one dark brown eye. However, my other eye is a forest green whilst hers is a deep shade of red.”

“Like our eyes, our bodies also differ from one other. She’s more active by day, since she was created from the leaves of our tree. Thanks to the sun, her skin is nicely tanned, a rich brown in color. Her hair’s green and she prefers keeping it short so it doesnt get in the wa- Hey, ne-chan, wha-”

Bella rolled her eyes as she easily stood up and moved purposefully towards her brother at his place in the console, pushing him aside from his post at the mike.

“Thank you, Leon but I believe it’s my turn. Now, my brother’s skin, on the other hand, is bleached to near-whiteness by the computers that he works with. He’s created from the nocturnal flowers of our tree so he doesn’t take to the sun as much as I do.” Bella eyed her ‘twin’ critically. “He never tans, he just burns. Also he keeps his golden hair a little long; it almost touches his shoulders… Almost.”

“I like my hair that way,” Leon’s voice took on a slight whine as he thoughtfully tugged on a lock.

"all long and messed up?"

Says the person who doesnt take care of hers

“Zip it, Leon. As I was saying, in our real form we shed these silly little disguises. Like in our human form we’re different from each other.”

“Leon’s skin turns dark red in color. It’s soft and quite smooth, like the petals he was based from. His hair is still mainly gold, but it’s sometimes streaked with different colors. The strands are quite fine and the locks reach past his shoulders”

She motioned towards Leon, gesturing for him to pick up where she left off. He looked around for the paper he had dropped and dusted it off before continuing.

“Bella’s skin on the other hand is dark green and a little rough. Her hair turns dark brown and becomes slim little vines. They usually touch the ground around her feet.

“We both have no tail or wings to speak of,” he stated, glancing down at the piece of paper again.

“For our abilities, unsurprisingly, we also vary. Bella’s hair can be controlled by her thoughts, their thickness and strength depending on her mood. They fulfill the role of tentacles; they restrain, pleasure, whatever she desires. Her fingers can also taper into thorns which are sharp enough to cut through fabric but not enough to pierce flesh. Scratching skin…” He glanced at his sister a slightly annoyed look on his sweet face. “is another thing though.”

“Leon’s hair is actually a mix of very special pollens.” His sister once more took over from him. “The gold type, the one his body primarily produces, increases the receiver’s pleasure. The blue puts a person to sleep and the violet paralyzes. Also, his fingers turn into vines, wrapping around a person’s limbs.”

“Both of us are blessed with the language of plants,” Bella shifted slightly, gazing at her twin’s face. “Since we are ‘one’ soul, we can feel what the other feels. For example, if one of us is in trouble the other can easily materialize beside him. If one is in pleasure, both enjoy that feeling.”

“Obviously we both have weaknesses too,” Leon spoke up. “Our main weakness is fire. We’re also allergic to contaminated water and smoke.”

“Mental attacks don’t bother us so much, it takes a while to break down our defense, same with physical attacks.” She sighed, shaking back her mane. “But I can’t see so well in the dark, as Leon can’t see so much under the sun.”

“Another major weakness for us is our home,” Leon murmured almost too quietly. “We need to share the energy we absorb, since we both absorb differently. Unfortunately, not only is our tree the only way we can exchange, it’s also the only way we can stay alive. Being away from it severs our connections with the earth. Like a tree without roots we’ll both dry up.

“Thankfully the tree can provide us a temporary sharing ground… this bed” He motions to the piece of furniture they both were sitting on. “We still need to occasionally sleep inside our tree, to renew our dwindling connection”

“Of course we don’t take our weaknesses as a limit.” The camera captured Bella’s proud face, her eyes lit by an unnerving gleam. “Leon and I are both trained. Our fighting styles are different again. I prefer dealing nasty blows from afar, especially with a strand of my hair as a whip. He prefers hand to hand combat, odd for a weedy runt...”

”Our main motivation for attacking is feeding.” Leon changed the subject, not wanting to talk so much about fighting or getting his sister riled up. “As stated earlier, we absorb nutrients. The difference is that she thrives on what humans call emotions.” A faint blush lit his pallid cheeks. “Unwittingly, I addicted on the human girls’ essence.”

“Oh, you say that like it’s a bad thing.” Bella rolled her eyes. “We both know you enjoy taking it as much as I do.” She said offhandedly making her twin brother turn a darker shade of red.

“Psychologically, we’re alright.” She continued as she turned away from him, her lips curling up in an unnerving smile. “Except for a few violent mood swings here and there, we’re sane… Most of the time. Though in my opinion, Leon tends to be too sweet. Just last week I've seen him talking to a student who skipped classes all the time. Kids like that have to be disciplined.”

“And you’re just a bit too cruel one-chan.” Leon sighed in reply. “And a tad…”

“I’m just giving them what they deserve,” she replied, voice dropping into a hiss as she straightened up. “Destroying the world, who they think they are? And there you are, Johnny-walk-all-over-me-Niceguy, letting yourself get used.”

“I told you time and time again, Bella; I'm capable of protecting myself. You don’t have to worry about me.” The way he said bespoke of resignation, as if this wasn’t the first time nor the last Bella reprimanded him of what she saw as his flaws.

“Not worry?” Bella bristled, her eyes narrowing into slits. “With the peo-“

“Enough onee-chan, please. We have a task to finish.” Leon gently reached out and placed a hand over his twin’s own. With an annoyed sigh, Bella motioned for him to continue and settled back in her seat.

“Moving on, as for ‘likes and dislikes’, I seem to be attracted to the more introverted girls.” He paused for a moment. “I prefer it if food comes to me willingly, though that is rare when they find out what I am. I also have a fondness for smart girls who actually read a lot. I also love the moon, the stars, the night and dusk.

“I dislike animals. I also have a tendency to hurt or leave girls who fight too much. Noise bothers me a lot, and that usually makes me violent.”

“I see it as an improvement.”

“Ne-chan…”

“I don’t really have any preference” Bella smirked as she ignored him, licking her lips. “I love breaking little girls who don’t know their place. Frankly, sweet girls just annoy me.”

“I dislike the dark and I absolutely hate technology.” She shuddered slightly. “Stupid confusing little things”

“they’re not stupid.” Leon said quietly. His voice was drowned though as Bella raised hers.

“Animals I can tolerate, especially birds, but I hate insects particularly bees.”

“Oh, and I have a very special hatred of anyone who even dares to think of hurting my little brother.”

A soft silence descends as she stopped speaking. That last sentence was spoken in a tone so serious and so cold it would not only send shivers up the listener’s spine, but also make the person close the window… if not jump out of it in an attempt to get away.

After a few seconds, Leon finally broke the tension.

“I guess that’s everything.” He said, scanning the document easily. “We’ll arrive in a week.”

“Make that half.” Bella smiled her cold smile as the window turned black again. A few moments and it turned into a file on the desktop and the computer turned off.

“I think I was too serious, don’t you?”

“Ne-chan…”

A week later a new Computer Technician and P.E. Substitute made their home in Shokushu.

Picture references
Human disguises


Real form


Pictures of a balete tree

(Now, that's a great profile. Welcome back, kit. Enjoy the seme side. )

i still think its a little too long.

Thanks again for your help magadon

Thank me by making the students squeal...

A very interesting pair of characters, looking forward to seeing you two take on some unsuspecting students, hah.

@Magadon:
"Oh i willl.... i most definetely will" Bella replied with an evil smile
"Nee-chan... not again please" Le on said softly, sighing
"Oh quit your whining leon and just unpack our things"
"But most of these are yo-" He started to reply before stepping back from a death glare from Bella. "Anything you say nee-chan"

@Contagion: Thanks. I can say the same to you. Maybe a little visit to my humn character once ive setteled in?

Oh gosh, Leon's adorable! XD

Wonderful concept, I can't wait to see them in action.

"umm.... thanks" Leon blushed slightly giving you a slight smile. "Hope ill be seeing you around miss roux?"

Hah!

What a cute way to introduce your characters.

Thanks. I just like to show their interaction *laughs* and its easier to compare them now

I think it highlights your characters well. Contagion is doing a similar sibling rivalry with his monster, and it's worked out pretty damn well for him.

"Thankfully we're not rivals..." Leon smiled in releif.

"Yes because if we were id kick your ass so hard youd land in the next galaxy." bEla said offhandedly.

"weirdly i dont doubt that nee-chan..."



-*laughs*i cant wait to start rping.

I have to agree with Noel. Leon is just too sweet.

(and it's ironic that Noel is Leon spelled backwards... but anyways...)

Why do they refer to each other with japanese words for brother and sister? I thought they didn't have a nationality.

Either way, maybe I can take a botany class or two from them?

oshiete kudasai!

Ironically even with their knowledge of plants (being one themself) they dont teach Botany classes. XD

But you can run into them in the forest or garden under the shade of a balete tree ^_^ Pm me about it?

As for the nicknames, they travel alot so they pick up a few quirks here and there. They also somtimes refer to ech other as Sis, Ate (older sister) and bunso (youngest child).

updated 8/7/08