Author's Note: New SE story! xD I thought it was time I did a multi-chapter story for SE. But don't worry, it'll be short, like only 5 chapters or something.

Summary: After the failed attempt at Yaga Baba's castle, the gang managed to escape but with their morals crushed. In the effort to brighten things up, Shinigami decides to send them off to a carnival in Japan for some recuperation. The gang arrives in high spirits but soon discovers that the night doesn't quite turn out the way they thought it would...

Extra note: Sorry guys, but Ox and Harvar, Kim and Jackie, Kilik and the twins WON'T be joining them. I had this story planned out to only include the main gang. Sorry to the fans out there.

This is a pretty light-hearted story filled with LOTS OF PAIRINGS (crack included)! I won't be mentioning any of them, you'll just have to read to find out. But don't worry, I won't be doing anything stupid like Soul x Tsubaki or Maka x Patti. No yaoi. No yuri. But please expect triangles xD

With that settled...

ENJOY!

Disclaimer: Don't own. Duh.

"LOOK AT ALL THE PWETTY LIGHTS!"

Patti Thompson exclaimed shrilly with her arms outstretched as if to envelop the bright, bustling fairground that stood before her. The noisy, crowded atmosphere was making her adrenaline charts propel into overdrive. Every sugar-fused fiber in her body was aching to dive into the throngs of people, she just wanted to take off like a bolt and explore the entire place from top to bottom. She wanted to see and try everything it had to offer.

It was truly a kid's wonderland. And in Patti's case, it was a dream come true.

"Let's GO, GO, GO! C'mon, onee-chan! Patti wanna play! NOW!"

The busty blonde tugged at her sister's arm vigorously in an effort to drag her off to find a source of fun. They've been standing by the entrance for two whole minutes and Patti had enough. Any longer and she would be foaming at the mouth.

"Whoa there," She felt her sister pulled free of her grasp. "Slow down Patti, the carnival isn't going anywhere you know,"

"But onee-chan! I wanna PLAY!"

"Yeah, I know, but I think we should vote on where to go first," Liz said in a placating tone. "It'll be more organized that way, and there'll be no arguments later,"

"I agree," chipped in Kid. "I think it's a very balanced idea,"

Liz shot her meister a wary look but decided to ignore his remark. "I vote we find something to eat as our number one priority. I'm starving!" said the eldest Thompson.

"I'm with cowgirl on this. A god like me needs a full stomach to keep him at his divine peak!" said non-other than the boisterous Black Star.

"I'm up for anything," Soul drawled out. He didn't want to make a fuss over such a trivial thing because frankly, it wasn't cool. Guys like smooth Soul Eater Evans let others decide, he'll just go with the flow.

Beside him, his meister nodded along. "Yeah, food sounds okay," she said, shrugging.

Black Star grinned. "How about you, Tsubaki?"

Taken by surprise at being asked, the pretty ninja weapon found herself suddenly tongue-tied as she met the intense gaze of her meister. Then again, it wasn't that unexpected of her to stumble over her words, especially when it came to addressing a certain blue-haired buffoon. A shy Tsubaki is a normal one.

"An-Anything is fine with me," she stammered, quickly looking away.

"Okay, eating it is then," Kid said with finality.

Everyone seemed happy with the verdict. Everyone except one little blonde Thompson.

Patti felt like crying out in frustration. How could these brainless idiots think of food at a time like this? Was she the only one with a proper head on her shoulder? Couldn't they hear the colorful rides calling out to them? Were they not only dumb but deaf too?

The rides were laughing at her, sneering cruelly from beyond her reach. The longer she waited, the more mocking their taunts seemed to be. Patti doesn't like to wait. She doesn't like to be teased either. A dark shadow fell over her innocent face, unknown to the gang who were already beginning their search to find some decent food vendors.

As she was walking along with rest of her friends, all of a sudden, Liz felt a hand on her shoulder. She was pulled roughly around to face a rather sinister looking Patti.

Uh oh.

Liz didn't like the look in Patti's eyes. The way the blue seemed ridden of color, turning it an inky black of burnished malevolence. It was a bad omen if there ever was one.

"I. Want. To. Play."

Four evenly articulated words flowed out of Patti's mouth in a shallow whisper. Four tiny words that sent icy rivulets down everyone's spine.

The entire group stiffened.

Tsubaki turned, feeling a wave of shock and trepidation mixed into one as she glanced nervously between the two demon pistols. On one hand, she was used to seeing fights and all sorts of violent behavior and outbreaks—she was after all the weapon of the infamous Black Star—but what was unfolding before at the moment was something not even dreams could have possibly conceived.

She wasn't the only one who was felt that way. Close by, Soul and Maka were also watching the spectacle in stunned silence. The only ones who were unfazed were the mini shinigami and Liz herself.

So much for the great start to her evening, thought the eldest Thompson with a strained sigh.

"Fine,"

It only took that single begrudging word for things to snap back into focus.

"Oh!" Like an electric shock, the grip on Liz's shoulder was released. Patti blinked, her wide blue eyes returning to their innocent state. She giggled, clapping her hands together. "Yay! PLAY!"

"Wh-What just happened?" startled and confused, Tsubaki shakily inquired.

Liz shook her head. "Don't ask. It's a messed up thing." She sighed again, running a hand through her brown hair. Her face was scrunched up in pained compliance. "Looks like we're going to have to let Patti choose where she wants to go,"

Soul and Maka looked at each other; the confounded countenance between the two was enough for words. In silent agreement, they chose not to ask any question.

"So…the food hunting is off?" Maka spoke up uncertainly.

Kid and Liz exchanged expressive glances before turning their attention to the younger demon pistol who was practically gurgling with pleasure, oblivious to the blatant stares she was receiving. In unintentional but precise harmony, Kid and Liz sighed.

"Yeah," They echoed.

Patti giggled. Finally, the idiots were becoming smarter.

"Uh…wait a minute. Where's Black Star?" asked Soul, looking around the group.

One heartbeat later, a piercing screech of alarm erupted from the long-haired Nakatsukasa. Indeed, the ninja technician was no where to be seen.

Color left Tsubaki's face. She was standing right beside her meister just moments ago. How could he have disappeared without her notice? They were all walking along together before the little incident with Patti and…unless…Tsubaki felt her body slowly growing cold, an unwelcome realization seeping in.

"Looks like the moron was the only one who kept on walking," Maka snorted. "He didn't even realize that we were missing. What a guy…"

Tsubaki looked around, trying to contain her growing fear. There were absolutely people everywhere. How in the world were they going to find Black Star among the crowd?

The weapon bit down on her lower lip, suppressing the urge to scream. It was all her fault. She should have known better than to let Black Star out of her sight. It was her job as the weapon to look after her meister at all times and now because of a momentary distraction, she had lost him—quite literally.

"Don't worry, Tsubaki-chan. He hasn't gone far. I can still sense him with my soul perception," said Maka, noticing the other girl's worried expression. "Seems like he's just walking in a straight line," she held back a laugh. "We could still catch up to him if we hurry. I don't think he knows that he's alone. Yet."

"Well, all right then, what are we waiting for?" said Soul. "Let's—,"

"Hold it!" A sharp, childish voice stopped everyone in their tracks. "You cannot go there!" exclaimed Patti, pointing in the direction which could possibly lead them to their aimless comrade.

Soul blinked. "Why not?"

"You can't, you can't!" She shook her head furiously. "The merry-go-round is that way!" she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I wanna go there! Onee-chan, you said Patti could go play now! You said!"

"Merry-go-round…" Soul mumbled with a frown, looking like he wanted to argue but was efficiently silenced with a smart jab to the ribs by his partner.

Maka's fierce expression read, 'Keep quiet! Don't you dare open your big mouth and make this worst. Just go along with this and don't say anything!'

To which, Soul replied with his own countenance that seemed to say, 'Huh?!'

"And how exactly do you know where the merry-go-round is, Patti?" asked Kid with tactful patience. Up to a few minutes ago, none of them have ever stepped foot in the carnival.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Can't you hear it calling out to you? It's like weeeuuu-weeeuuu-weeeuuu—round and round and round and over and over again!" She pressed both hands against her head, as if to stop herself from spinning into a dizzy. "It's sooooo loud! I can't believe you can't hear it, Kiddo-kun."

There was a beat of silence.

"Only you would hear such things," Liz muttered under her breath. She loved her sister, she really, truly, utterly did. But sometimes, she wondered want it would be like to have a sane one.

"Right. But someone is still going have to fetch Black Star," said Kid.

"I'll go," Tsubaki quickly stepped forward. It was only expected of her. "It won't take long. We can all meet back at the, uhh…merry-go-round."

"No wait, hey Liz, I think you should go with Tsubaki-chan," said Maka.

The eldest Thompson raised a brow at the statement. "Why?"

"Well, you're hungry right? And so is Black Star. You guys could just meet up and find something to eat together. We'll head to the rides on our own and meet up later."

"I think that's a good idea," agreed Kid.

Liz frowned thoughtfully, not saying anything for a short while. "You mean you want to split up?" she ventured at last.

"NOOOO! How could you, Kid-kun?!!" Patti cried out, latching herself onto her sister, crushing Liz with insane force. "NO, NO, NO! Onee-chan is coming with us! She must! She must!"

"Actually," choked out Liz as she struggled to breath through Patti's death grip. People always thought that Liz was the one with attachment issues because the older siblings are normally more protective and clingy. Those people were simply plain wrong. "Splitting up doesn't sound so bad to me,"

"Umm…Patti, your sister's face is turning purple."

"Really?" The blonde let go and stared at her sister excitedly. But her smile soon faded into a frown. "I don't see any purple! Soul-kun is a liar! Liar, liar, pants on fire! Patti hopes Soul-kun BURNS!" For emphasis, she stuck her tongue at him.

"Why did you even bother?" Maka asked quietly.

Soul shook his head. "I have no idea."

"So it's settled," Kid clasped his hand together. "Liz and Tsubaki will go off to join Black Star while the rest of us will venture off elsewhere. Is everyone okay on this?"

"Eating might take some time," declared Liz. "What happens if we can't find you guys at the meeting spot later?"

"Then we'll just meet back here at midnight," was Kid's simple answer.

Liz thought about it for awhile. It seemed like a decent idea. It was probably around 8pm right now. Four hours away from her sister wasn't that long. Patti would manage. It would be a change to both of their surroundings. Shrugging, she said, "Okay with me."

There was a round of agreement and Patti's ebullient yell of "YAY!"

"C'mon, Tsubaki. Let's go find your idiot," said Liz.

"H-hai,"

"Buh bye, onee-chan! Bye, Tsubaki-chan! See you later!"

"Bye, Patti!"

Maka had to pull Soul by the arm to get him to go along with Kid. "See you guys!" she called out.

It wasn't the kind of start everyone had pictured in the beginning but at least it was finally moving along. However, unknown to the whole gang, plenty of surprises still awaited them down the road. The evening might seem uneventful and short now, but it's about to be the longest night of their lives.

"Ooh. Look at that. Seems like a couple of Shibusen is here with us tonight."

"Chi, chi, chi, chi, chi?"

"No. I doubt it's a coincidence. That dirty, old Shinigami must be up to something. Medusa isn't going to like this."

"So, what do we do now? Do we bash them?"

"I wish. But technically, we're still allies at the moment. We'll just have to avoid them for now."

"Chi, chi,"

"Yeah, I don't like it either. But there's nothing we can do about it. Come on, let's just go before one of those annoying brats spots us."

"I'm right behind ya."

"Chi!"

Meanwhile, despite the large number of people, Black Star noticed that his surroundings felt rather hollow for some reason. His company was being unusually quiet; it almost felt like they weren't even there. There was never any replies when he spoke to any one of them, not even from his own trusty weapon.

Black Star did deem the silence to be a teeny bit odd but he quickly brushed it off with the most logical explanation he could think of. Obviously, the sheer radiance of his godly aura must be shining more brightly than usual tonight, leaving them all speechless in his wake. His poor schoolmates probably don't see themselves fit to address him with their unworthy tongues. How could he blame them? He was, after all, a surpasser of god.

Yes, that must be it. It made perfect sense!

So without another care in the world, the young assassin carried on walking through the crowded scene.

Author's Note: Pretty uneventful first chapter but hope you readers will bear with me. Chapter two will be up as soon as possible.

P.S. I apologize for any OOCs. I did try to keep them in character but if I happened to stray in any parts, I'm sorry. I can't stand too much OOCs myself but sometimes its an unknowing mistake..

Anywayz, hope you guys enjoyed it.

R&R plz!