Mascara - An OC x Mask Coroika fic (Splatoon/Coroika)

Prologue, chapter 0 - Whisper

TW: Slight mention of blood and military topics. Remember, this is all fictional, and rearranged to match the universe of Splatoon. If you don't handle these topics well, please skip this chapter, or avoid reading this. Please read with caution.


Kit limply dragged the tattered and frayed blanket over her shivering, numb body. Her eyes felt almost weighted down from the dark bags tugging down at her scarred and scratched face. A high-pitched ringing in her ear still felt like it was stinging in her throat. The Octoling gulped, draining any saliva causing anything uncomfortable, as if it would be any help.

She strived to reminisce what little exuberant and gleeful memories she had remaining. Dominic, perhaps? He couldn't help but put a smile on her face. She envied how he could stay sane through everything had happened to them, especially with him being more sensitive, and, admittedly, just slightly more wimpy than her...

A small grin came to her face, something she hadn't done in a while. It caused a pricking pain to her face, which had been previously injured earlier that day. She winced, both from the throbbing ache, and the happy memories shattering as negative, traumatising experiences and sights took over the lane of nostalgia. All she could think of was what happened.

The loud bombs and guns, the corpses and blood-- It almost stained her mind, just like the red gooey liquid stained her palms. Even when she closed her eyes, she could still see the tears streaming down innocent civilians' faces, the way they would wail when losing a loved one. She felt guilt, and she cried for every person that was lost. It felt like everyday, it got worse. She obliviously assumed it would get better, or even that she'd eventually get used to it.

Evidently, she never did.

The pain still stung on her face, causing her to shut her eyes closed tight, causing her to tense up. Sweat rolled down like water being sprinkled on her from above, except it wasn't refreshing like it normally would. Kit didn't willingly enter the military, and definitely didn't want to basically be raised there. She could barely remember her life before being kidnapped. Life was different in her area, mostly full of crime. Everything was different in this world.

She turned her head to the alarm clock. It barely illuminated her face, but the subtle lustre it provided still strained her eyes. 'It's currently 2100 now... So if I fell asleep now, I would wake up around 4000, and I'd have approximately 8 hours of rest...' The Octoling pondered, clutching onto the comfort and little warmth of the shabby, scruffy blanket that was supplied to her. Kishutune, or of course, Kit, along with her brother, had planned something.

An escape plan.

She felt confident since they had planned several times in the past, even if not all of their endeavours had been successful. Together, they had recorded all of their errors, as well as all of their greatest, closest moments and techniques. The two octopi knew it, they could feel it. It was tantalisingly out of reach, but as soon as daylight arrived, they would both flee. They'd finally elude this treacherous place permanently.

Kit never shared or expressed why she wanted to leave. It was something she couldn't explain, or atleast... Wouldn't. She couldn't tell anyone, either. It was personal, after all. The only person she knew she could trust was Dominic. Her thoughts trailed off, losing her focus. She thought about Rontyu, after all, how would he feel if she abandoned him after all he's done? How would she tell him? Could she tell him? It gave her a migraine, and she couldn't help but feel hollow. Her thoughts were suddenly cut off by a soft sound hitting her ears, causing them to perk. She groggily sat up, her eyes wrinkled and dry like an un-ironed shirt.

"Psssst!"

"Kit?" Dominic's mellifluous, mellow voice whispered in a sotto voice. The plump tendril on his head twitched and curled apprehensively. Kit took note of that. "Dominic? What's wrong, are you okay?" She acknowledged, her sympathetic, silver eyes looking at him with condolence. The shorter Octoling nodded, although hesitantly. "Erm, I- Wha-what if.." He stuttered, his voice stumbling like it was rolling down a hill. More often than not, Dominic struggled with verbal communication. Usually, he'd be using visual cues, but the darkness was like a void sucking all light in the room, even if Octoling's had subtle night vision.

"What if..Th-the.. P-plan fails..?" He continued. Right after she was confident they'd make it, too. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, furrowing her brows. The grip on her blanket tightened, and so did the air.

Her mouth remained open for a moment, before answering. "I promise we will, Doi. I swear." She slowly rested a calloused, yet welcoming hand on his stiff shoulder. Kit looked deep into his lively, bright blue eyes, shining like puddles. Their tendrils twitched in anticipation, almost in a mutual relation. They shared the moment together, and saved it well. It was rare that moments like this would last long.

His eyes narrowed, and his shoulders fell by his side. "S-Sorry for... Waking you.." He mumbled, turning away from her. He cautiously examined his surroundings again, softly tip-toeing away. Kit sighed, her head looking down at her clenched fists. She eyes him, swallowing down her dignity. "If.." She took a moment to continue her unplanned sentence. "If the plan fails, or goes off track, I promise you will be okay." Kit answered, her voice as shaky as a thin tree branch in a harsh tempest.

Dominic's ears perked, and he felt a warmth deep in his core. "Really, Kit?" He queried, clutching onto his sleeping-uniform tightly. He looked back, his eyes glistening like he was on the brink of tears.

Kit couldn't lie, it felt wrong. It was wrong. She felt it in her ink, deep inside her. Kit knew if it went wrong, she may lose control of the plan. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. Her crumbled by the second. Sweat rolled down to her chin, until it dropped down into the blanket. She promised herself, if anything went wrong, she would keep him safe.

Kit closed her eyes, gently smiling, almost in a maternal way. She answered him in the softest voice she could muster.

"Yes, really."



Thank you so much for reading this book! I've been trying to start this for a while now, and I'm happy to announce that I'm going to begin working on the next chapters. I just want to thank everyone who has given me love and support throughout this long journey, and that I'm grateful for everything. I've had a lot of fun writing this story, and if you notice any typos I missed, I would love it if you could tell me! This is the first real thing I've publicly posted, and I tried my best to keep it entertaining. I do hope it wasn't too predictable...

Thank you, and have a wonderful day! - Kit