The Black Maid
I sighed as I walked to school with my shoes slapping against the ground.
"Another crappy day at school. I wish I could skip today." I muttered.
If it wasn't obvious yet, let me point out what I'm saying:
I hate school.
Not like when you hate having to get up and go, either. I just despise the place. There are people in the school that want to kill me.
Thinking of that, I shifted my bag so it kept a bit of my shoulder hidden. I heard people walking towards me and I nearly stopped moving. By the sounds of the voices, I picked out Mikado Ryuugamine's voice, a kid at my school.
I knew who was with him so I picked up my walk. I tried to keep from looking suspicious as I rounded the corner. I moved towards the academy building looming over me in silence.
I made it to the doors when Mikado called out to me.
For a second, I believed he hadn't done that and I slipped inside the building.
People in the halls noticed me going to my class and as I passed them, their voices followed me:
"She's actually here…!"
"Do you think she killed…?"
"Where is her mark…?"
I bit my tongue to keep from growling. I didn't care about the rumors or the whispering; it was the people. No one here should be talking about me. They had their own problems to worry about.
As my annoyance became visible, a light wind raced through the hall. I let out a huff that created a ball of smoke as I sat down in a corner where the window was closest.
"This is going to be crappy." I muttered.
"Hey, freak with the mark!"
"God damn…"
I spun around and saw that it was only three beefy teenagers. I glared at them while deeply breathing to calm my annoyance.
"What?" I growled lightly.
"The rumor is you'll fight a color gang." The one in the middle said with a smirk.
I glared at him again while puffs of smoke came out of my mouth. But it was barely seen by anyone.
"And if it's true?" I remarked.
"Then I want to hire you."
I scoffed while turning away from them. They screamed at me to come back and I replied with the one finger wave.
"You don't have the money even if it were true!" I yelled through the halls.
I knew people that were eating lunch in classrooms heard what I said, but I didn't care. Nobody mattered to me.
I walked up the stairs to the roof and I heard someone following me. I easily shrugged it off. Lots of people came up here to eat when there wasn't any room in the classes.
I was soon met with a rush of gentle wind as I opened the roof door. I walked to the farthest corner that I could get to.
No sooner than ten seconds later did the same three teenagers burst through the door. They noticed me as I stared up at the sky before I bit into my apple, pretending to not see them.
"You! We weren't finished yet!"
My fruit was smacked out of my hand then. I grew angry and I huffed out dark gray smoke, which was seen this time. I stomped to my feet and shoved my hand in his face.
"Give me three hundred yen from all of you." I growled.
"What? Why the hell-?!"
"That's my price. Each of you gives me three hundred yen. If you can't pay me, I'll have to kill you guys." I said to them.
The three immediately took out all the money they had as I took out another apple from my bag. Soon, I had nine hundred yen.
"Okay, now that I've got the money-"
"There's my beautiful little freak! Do you need me to rescue you from these creeps?"
"God damn."
An arm wrapped itself around my waist as blonde hair pressed against my head.
"M-Masaomi! What are you-?"
I swung my hand back and knocked the boy in the face with my uneaten apple. The three teenagers were angry for being interrupted and I glared at them.
The look in my eyes told them to back the hell away. They listened without another word as I was released from Masaomi.
"You're such a pig." I growled while looking at Mikado and Anri.
"I can't help it; you're just so beau-!"
I glared at Masaomi before I started to walk away. I was not in the mood to deal with the most flirtatious boy of Raira Academy.
A hand caught my wrist and I spun around once again. It didn't surprise me that it was the blonde again.
"I thought you were done fighting color gangs, Kori." He said quietly so his friends didn't hear.
I yanked my hand free as I glared angrily at him.
"I take what I need; and what I need is money to pay off Tom and Shizuo. Fighting is what I do." That was a lie.
Just like Shizuo, I hated fighting. Though I did excel at it. Scaring color gangs was my forte.
Once I scared someone, they didn't want to gang fight or do anything that involved a confrontation.
"But you-" Masaomi began.
"Leave me alone! It's none of your business which deals I pick!" I hissed, just barely containing it to a whisper.
Masaomi stared down at me in shock before it vanished with a false grin.
I huffed out gray smoke before walking away. I couldn't stand being around him anymore.
I practically ran out of the school when the day was over. I wanted to go home and take a nice, long-
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Hell!"
I took out my cell phone while ignoring the angry glares I received. The caller I.D told me it was Masaomi. I almost didn't answer when I decided against it. He would just keep it up until I answered.
"What?" I growled while slowing to a walk.
"It's nice to feel the love you share Kori," Masaomi teased.
I huffed out some smoke before I bumped into someone. I looked up to see it was the Red Claw gang members.
"What the hell do you want?" I snapped to both people.
Kida whined before saying, "I wanted to walk you home! We never hang out anymore!"
"You didn't kill the Dollars leader like I paid you for. I'm here to make you suffer for it." He told me.
"God damn."
"You say that a lot." The person in front of me stated.
"I feel touched you wanted to be with me so badly. Wait for me where you are and I'll find you." Masaomi declared.
"I don't think so." I said to Kida.
"But why not? You're so lovely that I'll find you like a bird who flies south!" He cried.
At the same time, several more Red Claw members surrounded me.
"Because you shouldn't follow me. And your attempt to say something flirty really failed." I told him.
All of a sudden, one of the gang members swung a lead pipe at me. I darted out of the way easily before kicking them in the knee. He went down with a grunt as I stepped onto his back.
"But don't you love my presence, Kori?" Masaomi whined.
Another gang member ran towards me and I smirked a little.
"I don't want to answer that one." I told him while pushing off the Red Claw I stood on.
"And why not?"
"Because if I tell you my answer, you'll start crying."
I kicked another in the stomach as one latched onto my uniform. I did a quick jab with my elbow. There was a yelp of pain in my ear before I hit them in the chest with my foot.
"Are you fighting again Kori?" Masaomi asked.
That meant he had heard the fighting noises.
"I didn't think you called to spy on me, Masaomi." I growled while huffing out gray smoke.
"I feel so wounded to hear you say that!" I pictured his hand over his heart in a playful manner.
"Whatever."
"You're dead, freak!"
I looked up to see a dagger coming straight for my chest then. I was surprised to see the weapon, but I made a fast move I almost didn't think to do.
"Kori, what's…?"
I let go of the phone so I didn't hear what the rest of the question was. I lunged out of the way and narrowly missed being stabbed in the heart. But my left arm wasn't as lucky. The dagger ripped a deep, large gash from my forearm to my wrist in a jagged manner.
I kept from screaming in pain as I took out a dagger of my own from my right shoe.
"You should have run away when you got the chance." I growled.
With that said, I stabbed my weapon into the Red Claw member's side. He yelled in pain before blacking out.
I took my dagger out and stuffed it back into my shoe. I heard Masaomi screaming for me to answer him. I walked towards my dropped phone before picking it up with my uninjured hand.
"…coming to get you!" He cried.
"I'm fine. Red Claw gang members tried to kill me and failed. Don't come to get me." I told him with a sigh.
"How many were there?" He suddenly asked.
"Five. I'd call the hospital though. I stabbed one in the side so he's bleeding pretty badly." I told Kida.
"…They should die."
That surprised me. He had never said something as horrible as that. And I had known him for a long time.
"Just call the ambulance. No one can kill me as easy as they tried." I said reassuringly, but I doubted he'd listen.
When Masaomi didn't answer me, I started to get really worried. I began to say something when I flinched from the throbbing pain in my arm.
"You don't know that."
Those words stunned me because of how sour he sounded. It was as if this was deadly serious now. But I had been in more horrible situations then this.
"I do know, Masaomi. No one has been able to do it yet." I said while walking away from the unconscious Red Claws.
"…It was different when we were little." He murmured.
"Huh?"
"You used to cry all the time and hold my hand. Back then, you didn't fight, you didn't shut Mikado or me out. What happened?" Masaomi questioned.
Yes…What had happened?
Even after that question, I knew that there was only one answer I could think of saying:
"I don't know…"
Masaomi sighed in what I thought was annoyance. I suddenly felt very dizzy from what I assumed was the lack of blood. I was forced to lean against a brick wall and try to keep from gasping in pain.
"Those guys are going to pay for attacking you like that." Kida growled.
I let out a soft chuckle while noticing a black figure standing over me. I looked up to see that it was Celty. Even though she had no head, I could see she was concerned for me.
"In the state I left them in, I doubt I'll be dealing with them for a month or two." I told him.
I knew I needed to get Masaomi off of the phone soon. The bill was going to be high this month. And I don't take thirty minutes to talk. I didn't like doing that. It made me have to accept more fights.
"As much as I love," emphasize on love, "to talk Masaomi, I've got more important things to do."
"Like what?"
God damn, will the boy not shut up?!
I let out a huff and smoke came out as well. The only way to get him to stop was to lie or hang up. I didn't know which would be easier.
"I've got a number of things that are better than talking to you. Sleeping and eating are one of those things."
"If you want me off the phone, let me take you out after school tomorrow."
Now that annoyed me a lot. I stomped the ground and yelled his name to prove that wasn't funny. A blush grew on my face despite my attempts to hide it from myself and Celty.
"Hey, it's all your choice." Masaomi said with a snicker.
I growled before shaking my head angrily. That boy is as infuriating as when we were kids!
"Fine. But you owe me big for agreeing to it!" I muttered.
Masaomi only laughed as I hung up on him and that was when I dropped my usual demeanor.
"Celty…how'd you find me?" I asked her.
She typed her words on that PDA of hers as I began drifting off. I felt her smack me in the face to wake me up and my eyes jumped open.
"Don't sleep! You'll never wake up! And Izaya said he saw you fighting the Red Claws gang. He told me I better find you so you don't die." She wrote.
"That red eyed troll doesn't know death. I'm not going to die from something like this." I told her.
Celty took her PDA back and retyped everything to change it.
"This is no time for arguments, Kori. Come on, I'll take you to Shinra." She demanded, but I shook my head.
"That boyfriend of yours will do as good as a bunny with this wound. Just take me home. I'll bandage it so it heals over night." I told her.
I felt the frown Celty was giving me but I didn't care. She was another person that didn't bother me if she wasn't happy with my choices.
"People ask questions when they see the Black Maid at hospitals. They always say someone is going to die then. I don't need to worry about that if I go home and-"
"Alright! I didn't need an explanation Kori. I'll take you home." Celty interrupted.
I smiled triumphantly but also wearily. I was glad to be going home.
As soon as Kori had hung up the phone, a Yellow Scarves member walked cautiously towards his leader.
"The Red Claws, who are they?" Masaomi asked without looking at any of his crew.
"One of the newer color gangs. They have red gloves as a symbol of their group." Someone from the back answered.
Masaomi was really glad he had called Kori when he did. There was just something in the way she had been acting when she left. And now he knew"
Kori was still fighting color gangs for money.
Of course, that wasn't what pissed Masaomi off. It wasn't the fact that she was obviously hiding something else either. It was that Kori was getting into fights she could easily die in.
That was one of the few things Kida was not going to allow any longer.
"Eh…Boss?" A goon asked timidly.
"I want the Red Claws found. When that happens, we're going to ruin their lives." Masaomi declared, completely ignoring the guy.
Several members rushed out then, but one of the more loyal ones looked at Kida. She had a sympathetic expression on her face, but it seemed that she also had joy in her features. That was odd.
"You must really like this girl, Boss. I haven't heard you say something like that for anyone." She commented.
When he said nothing, she chuckled more to herself than anything. She was about to leave when she looked back and smiled grimly.
"Have you ever heard of the Black Maid? If not, you should ask around. It's the new talk of Ikebukuro since the Headless Rider isn't really seen anymore."
With that said, she took off. This left Masaomi in a pickle.
Who was the Black Maid?
I thanked Celty again for bringing me home as she drove off. I opened my door and went inside. I stumbled towards my kitchen and grabbed a towel that I used to dab at the blood. When that was done with, I turned on the faucet and made sure the water was warm.
I put my arm in the water and gasped from the pain it brought. But soon, the limb went numb and the dried blood came off in tiny bits like paper.
"God damn, that's a bad cut." I muttered when the blood cleared away.
It was jagged and deep, just like I had thought it would be. And even now, there were parts where blood was seeping back on the surface.
"I'm going to have a scar." I said while huffing out smoke.
I quickly grabbed a roll of gauze and large band aids. I wrapped my arm in the tan cloth with no band aid.
When that was done with, I looked at my reflection in the mirror beside me.
Hair as golden yellow as possible rolled down my shoulders in straight layers. If the sun hit it just right, you could see flecks of black inside my hair. Let's not forget my venomously sick green eyes either. People tended to be terrified of them.
But not those guys.
Masaomi, Mikado, Anri, Celty, Shinra, Shizuo, and Izaya weren't scared.
I sighed before walking into my bedroom. My laptop was where I usually left it on the mattress, so I plopped down beside it. I realized I left the water running and I growled lightly. I forced myself to get back up and turn off the running water.
I went back to my room and threw myself onto the bed, being careful not to crush the laptop. I then pushed the on button for my laptop and waited for everything to boot up.
Power surged with a click and I immediately signed onto the chat room I frequented for people who wanted to hire me.
ENTER Black*Maid
Black*Maid: Any new deals? I've got all night.
Taro Tanaka: You're late. Someone just left while threatening to find you.
Setton: I heard the Yellow Scares are searching for the Red Claws. You can ask them.
"Well that's a surprise. They usually aren't as active as they used to." I muttered with scrunched eyebrows.
Black*Maid: I'll do that. Thanks Setton.
Saika: Um, I heard you take any deal, Black*Maid…
Black*Maid: Not all deals, actually. I pick ones that appeal to me the most.
Kanra: I heard that the Yellow Scares are trying to find the Red Claws because you got hurt. Is that true?
I huffed out a cloud of smoke before growling lowly in anger.
"Damn that Izaya! He's trying to cause trouble again!" I spat.
Black*Maid: No, I wasn't attacked. Where did you hear that?
Kanra: A friend.
PRIVATE MESSAGE!
Setton: How is your arm, Kori? I left in a hurry.
Black*Maid: I told you, it's fine. It'll scar, but that's it.
Setton: Okay; I just wanted to be sure.
END PRIVATE MESSAGE
Taro Tanaka: Black*Maid, have you heard anything about the Dollars?
Black*Maid: Yeah, I know that the Red Claws want the leader dead. I have yet to hear them make a deal with me about that.
I noticed that my cell phone was beeping like crazy at that moment. When I looked at the I.D, I groaned when I saw who it was.
"Masaomi, I want to go to bed!" I yelled while answering the phone.
"But I wanted to make sure my date with you is perfect!"
"Date? I never-!"
Setton: Black*Maid, are you there?
I looked back at the laptop as I realized I had lost track of the conversation.
Black*Maid: Yeah, sorry. I have to take a break though. Someone's calling.
Kanra: Don't be gone too long! We still have a lot to discuss.
"Asshole," I muttered before falling backwards so I stared at the ceiling.
"I hope you're not talking about me. That would wound-"
"You already talked about wounds. Now, finish what you were saying." I growled.
"Well, I figured I'd take you to Russia Sushi and then…"
"…You'll just love our date tomorrow, Kori!"
I blinked myself awake at my name. I was glad I chose that time to take a nap because he had been talking for thirty minutes straight.
"I'm sure I'll be thrilled Masaomi, but can I go to bed now? It's almost midnight. We have school." I whined while sitting up.
"I suppose I can let you go, but tell me you love my-!"
I shut my phone while turning to look at my laptop, where the conversation continued.
Saika: What are you doing, Black*Maid?
Black*Maid: Discussing where to go tomorrow with a kid in my class.
Taro Tanaka: What? You still go to school?
And that's my cue to leave for the night.
Black*Maid: Sorry guys, I've got another call coming. It'll be a long one.
Setton: Who is it?
Black*Maid: My mother.
Black*Maid HAS LEFT
I shut off the laptop while the lights beside the bed were put out as well. I was so exhausted that when I hit my pillows, I was out.
"God damn! What is your deal?" I yelled while smoke puffed out from my mouth.
Ever since I left my home, Red Claws members have been harassing me. And I hadn't gone to school yet.
"We heard a certain green eyed kid nearly killed one of our guys. We just want to repay the favor." One grinned eerily.
I raised my lips in an animalistic growl. I despised being threatened, even by people I didn't know.
"And how the hell do you know it's me?" I snarled.
"The Black Maid has the tattoo of a dark dragon on one of her shoulders. If we find that, then we'll know who you are."
Silence filled the street then. I knew that now would be a good time to run. I knew the direction of the school and I knew that several students would be there already.
"You've got to catch me first." I smirked then before taking off.
They followed me as I ran as hard as I could to get to the school. I heard someone call out my name and my eyes pivoted to the right. It surprised me to see a car coming towards me.
Without thinking, I jumped into the air as high as I could. Sharp metal cut into my left sleeve as the car hit the Red Claw members.
I landed on the roof of the car while waving at the retreating figures of Shizuo and Tom.
"Thank you!" I called out before finishing the distance to school.
"Look Mikado! There's my lovely as a fish, Kori!"
"You're starting to annoy me with your attempts to make me blush, Masaomi."
He looked at me with an expression I couldn't read as an arm wrapped around me. I glared at the blonde then before knocking his limb off me.
"But if I wanted to make you blush, all I'd have to do is-!"
"K-Kori! Are you hurt?" Mikado suddenly cried.
I stopped walking and Masaomi did the same. We were just outside my classroom and I desperately wanted to leave these two.
"I shouldn't be. I have yet to hear people screaming about blood." I told him.
"He must be talking about the tear in your sleeve. Let me fix it with my loving-!"
I clamped a hand over my sleeve where it was ruined. It surprised both boys as I shook my head and smirked slightly.
"I was making a sharp turn to get to school! I must have scraped it against something sharp! It's no big deal!" I hastily said.
I backed into my classroom when Masaomi latched onto my wrist. I frowned at him but didn't try to pull away like I wanted to do so badly.
"What are you-?"
My hand was yanked off of my sleeve and I was forced to show the black dragon tattoo. But I tore free and stomped into the class before turning to the two boys.
"I don't think you'll like me if I get pissed. I'm known to act as if I were Shizuo." I growled.
I heard the murmurs from my classmates as Masaomi frowned at me. I refrained from puffing out smoke in my anger.
"You guys better get to class. The teachers won't be happy if you're late." I said before sitting at my far away desk.
I kept my eyes glued to the window the entire time class went on. The teacher was smart enough to not ask me any questions or give me a hard time.
I just began to relax at lunch when I heard someone walking towards me. I let out a huff of smoke while turning to see who it was.
"God damn…!"
"We paid you! We haven't told you who we want dead yet-!"
"Then tell me. I have plans tonight, but I'll kill them later." I interrupted.
I bit into my apple as the three teenagers looked at each other. I ignored the nod one gave before they turned to me again.
"We want the leader of the Yellow Scarves captured and brought to this rooftop." They said.
As soon as those words came out, I grew angry. I jumped to my feet while puffing out smoke again.
"I need an explanation on why you want their leader dead; and then tell me who it is if I agree." I demanded.
They were eager for it.
"We're part of Red Claws, so we were going to have you kill the Dollars leader when those Yellow Scarves bastards attacked us. Now, our boss wants to repay the favor using you." I was told.
"Hmph, a child's annoyance," I muttered. "I'll kill their leader then. Who is it?"
The looks I received told me I would either hate the answer, or get really pissed.
"His name is Masaomi Kida."
I decided to get really pissed.
"That god damn louse! Why the hell is he telling me to stop fighting color gangs, when he's a leader!?" I screamed.
I was beyond pissed now. I couldn't stand to be around anyone at the moment. Flames shot out of my mouth each time I spoke and I clawed at my hair until my nails had blood in them.
I was at my house at the moment. I skipped out on the rest of school.
Not being able to take my rage out on anyone, I stormed towards my balcony. The tattoo on my left arm flared only once as I jumped off the railing. Since my apartment was on the third floor, it was no surprise someone screamed for help as I fell.
"Ungrateful bastard. I'm so pissed I just might kill him." I growled while grabbing a lamp post.
I swung on it once before landing on my feet. As soon as I touched concrete, I took off running.
I ran until I was cut off my path by a couple Green Hat members. The look I gave them was beyond anger this time.
"What?" I said lowly.
Anyone that knew me would realize they should back off and let me be. But none of these people knew me, which made me smirk sadistically.
"Our boss is done with you. He says to kill the Black Maid."
I grew a very eerie smile that would have fit the Mad Hatter. Smoke billowed from my mouth and it seemed to cause anxiety in the Green Hats. I was glad to find something to put my anger out on.
"You'll regret coming up to me when I'm pissed," I chided before I ran at them.
They were beyond surprised when I kicked the first one I got close to. But they quickly recovered and one tried to grab my arm when I slammed my elbow in his chest.
He fell back and hit the ground on his butt with a hand over the area I hit. I smirked maliciously before a dark mist circled my left hand, where the new scar was.
"What are you!?" One screamed at me.
I made a condescending noise while lifting my hand to show lion sized claws replacing the human limb.
"I'm the Black Maid. Look up the legend. Then you'll know." I growled.
Before I could strike the Green Hats a final time, a bunch of Yellow Scarves guys jumped out from behind trash bins. My clawed hand quickly disappeared as I widened my green eyes in shock.
I hadn't expected that to happen- and I fought on the streets all the time.
"What the-?!"
Someone grabbed my wrist while running away from the color gangs. I was forced to follow whoever was holding onto me and I turned my head to see who had me.
"Masaomi!" I yelled in shock.
He glanced at me with a smirk but he didn't say a word. We ran and ran until we were at Raira Academy. Both of us were out of breath but I was the one to recover quickest.
"What the hell are you doing? You could have been killed if I hadn't recognized you!" I screamed.
Masaomi said nothing to me as his golden eyes stared at my left hand, where the scar was visible. I didn't let it get to me as I began to yell more.
"I'm not your little friend that likes to hold hands in the dark because she's scared of it anymore. I'm not the person you remember." I said while pulling a strand of hair lightly.
At this moment, I forgot that Masaomi was the person that I had been paid to kill. That meant he was very lucky.
"I don't need you watching over me like a hawk, Kida. There's nothing in my past that I care about; the present-"
"You will die Kori! Someone from the other gangs will do it. Doesn't that scare you?" Masaomi cried.
I stomped my foot against the ground in frustration. He was really getting on my nerves now.
"I don't care! Nothing scares me anymore! If I die, then let it happen. The world may not hate each other then!" I snapped.
Masaomi was silent in shock then. I forced myself to not huff out smoke.
A drop of rain hit my nose before a downpour started. My hair and Kida's got soaked before I started to walk away. I hadn't even passed Masaomi when he grabbed both of my shoulders.
I was pinned against the schools brick wall before I could blink.
"You're hiding, Kori," he said in my ear. "Of everyone I know, the one who cares about others the most is you."
I closed my eyes and squirmed against Masaomi. I didn't want to hear any of this. There were things I blocked out, but those words were not one of those things.
"People are killed by me, Kida. I don't care-"
He suddenly let me go, only to snatch my wrist again. I was pulled along and we were running through the rain once more. I couldn't pull away no matter what I did and I soon gave up.
Masaomi stopped when he got to the restaurant that everyone knew:
Russia Sushi.
"Why are we-?"
"You promised me a date. I've been waiting all day!" He smiled, but I saw it was false.
He was as happy as I was- which was about as much as a cat loved a bath. But I was really hungry. So I said nothing about the smile.
Beep! Beep! Bee-!
I flipped open my phone to answer it.
"What?" I growled.
"Why aren't you sitting with me? We came-"
"I didn't officially agree on the date; therefore, I can eat where I want." The phone was shut then.
I just put it away when my waist was quickly snatched. I didn't scream as they swung me into the air, though it made my heart thump in surprise.
When I was finally stopped, I found myself being sat down in a seat in front of Masaomi with Simon sneaking away.
The jerk.
"I doubt you'll be here long. You never ate when I was with you when we were kids." He stated.
"That's because you fed me crap! I never wanted-!"
Beep! Beep!
I glared at my food while answering the phone.
"Yes?" I hissed to make the person know I was pissed.
"Have you finished your deal? I've been waiting for three hours." Izaya's voice mocked.
"I would have called if I-"
"Yes, yes, I know. The Black Maid has missions to accomplish, though. You shouldn't be eating with Kida, Kori-kun."
"I told you to stop calling me that, stalker."
"Oh! You wound me so!"
"Bullshit. You don't care. I'll call later, so stop it."
With that, I hung up and shoved some fatty tuna in my mouth. Personally, I liked coming to Russia Sushi. It was just with Masaomi I didn't like being here.
"Who was that?" Kida asked.
"Not your concern."
The flick of anger in his eyes told me I shouldn't have said that. But it was suddenly gone.
"But you make my heart sparkle like-!"
"Cheesy, Masaomi. You need to get a better pick up line for girls or go gay."
He whined good naturedly but we ate in silence then. I was almost done when I felt him knock his foot against mine.
I froze and glanced up to see if he was staring at me. But he was simply eating.
I went back to my couple of last fatty tuna when my foot was caught by Masaomi's foot. He quickly hooked it against his other foot and thus trapped my limb in his.
This time, my heart jumped a few beats and my eyes widened a little.
He was definitely messing with me now.
I tried to pull my leg back but he tightened his foot grip. When I gave up, I sighed in annoyance.
"Masaomi, let go of-"
"Aw, how cute! The two of you are on a date!"
I turned my head to see Shinra grinning down on both of us. We stared up at him in surprise as he turned his head.
"Hey, Celty! Come look at who I found!" He called out.
I tried to pull my leg back but it was kept firmly in place by Masaomi. I looked at him with a glare to get him to release me, but he didn't make eye contact with me at all.
"They're even holding feet! It's-!"
"Shinra, knock it off!" I barked and I saw Masaomi smirk widely.
"I thought you didn't care what others thought." I then glared at him deeply.
"It doesn't most of the time! But since it's you, I-!"
God damn.
I just gave away my secret that no one knew about. I was an idiot. By the look of surprise on Shinra and Masaomi's faces, they hadn't known it either.
A stain of red started to appear on my cheeks when I jerked my leg free somehow. I scrambled to stand up as I said I had to get home.
Without another word, I rushed out of Russia Sushi and into the rain.
"Kori! Kori, wait!"
"No way! Leave me alone!"
"Come on! You don't care-!"
"Masaomi!"
I stopped dead in my tracks and spun around to face him. The rain was wetting my hair and I was so pissed that I could kill-
"Kill Masaomi Kida."
That was what I should be doing now. My deal had to be finished before tomorrow at school.
I huffed out a cloud of smoke that Kida was sure to notice. But I didn't care.
"Kori, you have to believe me when I tell you-"
"Hey Black Maid!"
I spun my head to see a fist coming straight for my face. I moved out of the way while kicking them in the stomach. I saw that he was a Green Hats member as three others came at me.
"Kori!"
"Wrong time to pick a fight with me. I'm not going to let you get away this time!"
Darkness crawled up my body as my black dragon tattoo turned a deep, bloody crimson. Talons appeared on my hands as teeth as sharp as a raptor replaced my human ones.
Before the dark aura had left, I was lunging at the Green Hat gang with glowing red eyes and glossy, ebony hair.
"You'll die before you can even scream." I said before biting down on ones neck.
I didn't care if Masaomi saw me this way at the moment.
My thoughts were focused on only one thought, and that thought alone:
Kill. Kill Masaomi Kida. Kill him.
And getting these Green Hat members to die was the only thing that stopped me from doing what I had been paid for.
"That's what you get for coming at a bad time." I muttered while spitting the blood from my mouth.
I heard a thump behind me and I turned my head to see Masaomi on the ground in astonishment- and maybe fear. I rubbed the blood from my mouth as the rain pounded against me.
"K-Kori…What have you-?"
"In a very distant and forgotten story, there used to be a girl with a black dragon tattoo. It was unheard of back then. But no one killed her because she would murder anyone without a care in the world. That girl wasn't killing because she enjoyed it, you know. She did it because it was forced on her." I walked over to Masaomi in silence then.
He didn't try to get away, even as my normal self returned. I looked down at him with a grim expression.
"They called her the Black Dragon Maid, because when she comes to kill you, her form changes to what you just witnessed. That girl was my ancient grandmother. She passed the tattoo to my mothers' great grandmother, then to her child, and so on until it came to me."
I wiped the soggy bangs out of my eyes as I stared down at Masaomi.
"I'm the Black Dragon Maid of this generation. I don't have a choice when someone makes a deal with me. I kill everyone that I am told to…"
Kida quickly got to his feet and stared at me blankly, but I knew he was thinking about what I said. I sighed while turning away. I wanted to get home and clean up. Being in blood wasn't something that I liked.
I almost walked away when arms wrapped around my waist and pressed me against Kida's chest tightly, as if the world was falling apart.
"M-Masaomi-!?"
"That's why you've been so distant? You don't want us to know what you are?" He breathed down my neck as he asked this.
"I-It was never because of that!" I cried while squirming under his arms.
I just wanted to get home and clean my clothes free from the blood. Why wasn't I able to yet?
"Then why do you avoid us?"
"Because you and everyone else will die if you get too close!" I yelled.
The weight of those words hit Masaomi like bricks and that allowed me to break free. I wasn't angry, but I wasn't happy either.
I was just so sad…so close to tears that I was already sniffling.
"When people see me with any of you- or anyone else –they want me to kill you in an attempt to hurt me. I say I don't care because it makes everything else easier. I don't have to worry about killing any of you," I sobbed. "So why do you keep coming back? Don't you know that Red Claw wants you dead for being the leader of the Yellow Scarves? Don't you understand I'm being paid to kill you?!"
Masaomi stepped over to me and he looked so sad in that moment. Almost as much as me, actually.
"You got lucky Green Hat came when they did because I would have killed you if you got-"
Kida latched onto my wrist and pulled me away from the bloody mess of the dead bodies I had created. I was shoved into his chest face first and he held me tightly so much that I was nearly suffocated.
"It's okay, Kori. You can cry. No one is here to stop you from doing it." He murmured.
Those words surprised me, but my eyes were already releasing tears before I processed it.
As I started sobbing loudly, relief flooded through me. To cry without anyone seeing it as the breaking point of the Black Maid…it makes everything so simple. So much easier.
I felt like the scared little girl I used to be before I became the legend.
It was so surreal…But so right.
I woke to the sound of my cell phone beeping incessantly. I moaned in annoyance while rolling over to answer the phone.
"Hello?" I croaked.
"Thank goodness I finally got to you!" Mikado's voice answered.
"What? Why?" I asked while dozing off again.
"A bunch of different color gang members just came to school! They're threatening to kill us!" He hastily said.
"What?! How did that happen?" I screeched while jumping to my feet.
"I don't know. They're saying that the Black Maid goes here and that all of us will-!"
"God damn! I'm on my way right now." I shut the phone without another word and ran to get my clothes.
It didn't occur to me to think about the fact that I shouldn't have come home last night. Or the fact blood was still on my face. But I slipped into my spare uniform and took off.
People were screaming and running away by the time I got to Raira Academy. I saw flashes of color in windows even as I pushed passed a gathering crowd.
"Hey! Don't go in there! You'll get killed!" A police officer yelled at me.
I ignored them and ran straight into the school. No color gang members passed me as I dialed Mikado's number. He answered before the first ring was done.
"where are you guys? I'm in the school now." I said.
"The third floor. Some were forced onto the rooftop as well." He informed.
"Stay close to the wall then. I'm going to raise hell." I stated.
I closed the phone and stuffed it in my pocket.
Darkness clouded me as I ran up the third stairs before bursting into the first room. I kept going until I ran into a Red Claw member.
I smirked.
He screamed in terror.
"You'll regret coming to my school and threatening them." I growled before lunging forward.
I sank my teeth into his throat before he could scream again. I made sure that I killed the Red Claw as I slowly let go of him.
I looked in the room to see that Anri Sonohana was here with several other students. But they weren't Mikado or Masaomi.
"Get to safety. Leave the school. I'll save the others." I said while stepping out the door.
All of them ran passed me in fright, eager to get out. They reminded me of sheep- or rabbits –in that moment.
The only one that didn't run off was Anri. She was staring at me in surprise, but it soon went away.
"Everyone is held hostage on this floor and the roof. Please save them, Black Maid!" She pleaded with a bow.
Her request took me by surprise, but I easily shrugged it off with a smirk.
"It may not be a deal, but I'll treat it like one. I shall save everyone." With that, I took off.
I slammed into every room on the third floor and killed all the color gang members that I could. It wasn't easy, and it was pretty annoying.
I mean really. They hear me coming. You think they hide or lock the doors?
Nope.
I walk right in and tear them apart. Every color I meet, I made sure at least two stay alive so their boss knows not to mess with me.
"Black Maid!"
I stopped at the second floor stairs and turned my head to see Red Claws' female boss grinning at me. A puff of smoke came out of my mouth and a tiny flame was with it.
"I have orders to kill almost all of you; I suggest you run away." I taunted and she merely scoffed at me while smirking.
"If you want us gone, then come to the rooftop. All of us against you. Easy, right"
It was a trap. I knew it before her words had been spoken. But I could get out of it easily.
"Fine. I'll destroy all of you." I said before running past her.
It wasn't a wise idea to keep my back turned to an enemy; but she wouldn't raise a knife to me. I'd kill her before she got me.
I burst onto the rooftop and was immediately grabbed by the wrist. I saw it was a Green Hat and I bit down on his hand. My dragon teeth severed that tiny thing with ease.
He jumped back and started screaming, but all eyes were on me.
"All of you will die here and now because of what you've done." I declared while running towards them.
I saw flashes of Raira uniforms huddled close together behind a Yellow Scarves kid. I lunged at him and grabbed for his throat when I saw his face.
I froze as soon as I realized it was Masaomi, the leader of Yellow Scarves. And my friend.
"Wh-What are you-?"
In my shock, I found myself being caught by the throat. Even though I was a folklore, being cut off from air is all it takes to kill anyone.
I felt my feet lift from the ground and I choked while swinging one hand back. I hit the face of who had me and I dropped to my knees, coughing for breath.
I put my glaring red eyes on my friend, but he was grinning down at me.
"Try to kill me later, Black Maid! I'm not here to fight." He told me.
Come to think of it, I hadn't killed any Yellow Scares since I got here.
Smart, Masaomi.
I smirked at him deviously and then said, "I'll have you pay me to not kill you later."
I then ran at the other color gangs. A Green Hat tried to stab my chest but I averted it to my shoulder.
"Come on! Make this more fun! I'm only killing out of boredom now." I said while clambering up the fence.
Every stupid gang person tried to get me and I laughed. My tattoo glowed an ominous orange as I took a deep breath.
"Too slow!" I cried.
All of a sudden, black fire burst from my mouth. It was burning hot, even for me. But I managed to burn all the people severely enough that they'd be in pain for a few days.
When the flame started to disappear, I saw a Red Claw coming towards me with a knife. I smirked while taking another deep breath. As I did that, I noticed my body was becoming more dragon then human.
On my shoulder blades sat cauldron colored wings, my skin was morphing into a scaly red, and my head was more serpent like.
All were signs leading to one thing:
I was going to change forms if I didn't finish this now.
I released a tiny fire ball before jumping off the fence. Everyone watched as I landed beside Masaomi, who still protected the defenseless academy students.
"I'll only say this once: Get out now before I kill all of you. I won't tolerate attacks on these people and my friends. Until now, I haven't used all of my abilities. I suggest running- because I'm going to let it all go in fifteen seconds."
More than half of the gangs listened and they ran off quickly.
I turned my head to stare at Masaomi.
"You guys better do the same. I may not stop myself from killing any of you, friend or not." I warned.
They nodded and hesitantly followed those runaway gang members. I saw that Masaomi was still here though.
"Why aren't you-?"
I felt someone yank my tail and I spun around with a snarl. I was quick to forget that Masaomi was still there as my entire body shifted to the dragon side.
I huffed out smoke as red clouded my vision. I bit into anyone I saw while ignoring cuts that came to my body. I almost killed a Green Hat when a gun was fired.
I stood frozen for a second until I realized my chest was in pain.
Masaomi called out to me as another shot was heard.
I knew I was being shot at and I was probably going to bleed out. But not without a finale, of course.
My wings pumped against the wind before I flew upwards. I felt the blood pouring out of me even as I turned back towards the rooftop.
I enclosed myself with those wings of mine before I fell straight for the roof. Bullets nicked me but not for much damage.
I released a torrent of flames that killed most on immediate contact. I somehow managed to keep from getting Masaomi in my fire, though.
With that flame, I felt one last bullet hit my chest, directly where my heart was. I roared before my form reverted back to my human self.
I saw hardly any color gangs get up as I plummeted to the roof. My eyesight was out of focus by the time someone caught me.
"Kori…?! Wake up! Don't…!"
I barely heard their words as the world became silent, and the light grew dark.
And that was the one time in all my life that I was scared and alone.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
God damn, that was annoying.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"I swear to hell, whoever is calling is going to pay." I opened my eyes and looked at the caller I.D.
Masaomi Kida.
I growled and ignored the call.
It's been three days since my little 'rampage' on the color gangs. My wounds to the chest were easy to recover from, thanks to Shinra taking the bullets out.
But ever since then, I've barely spoken to Masaomi. I think it's because of my deal to kill him, but it might be something else.
Either way, I've been ignoring his calls for a while now; which is something I never do. My phone rang again and I ignored it while closing my eyes.
Time for another nap.
"I know you're in there! Open the door!"
I growled from the annoyance as he pounded on my bedroom door. There was no way in hell I'd open that object for Kida.
Not now, not eve-
Click!
I saw my door swing open and standing there was Masaomi with my spare keys, twirling them on his finger.
"Get out. I don't want to talk." I huffed out smoke to show I was serious.
"I don't want to talk either."
I frowned at him before he walked over to me so he stood directly above me.
"I just came by to do this."
In the blink of an eye, I was pressed against my bed with my arms pinned above me. Masaomi straddled my waist as I started to turn a dark red, meaning I was blushing. And I hardly ever blushed!
"Let me-!"
Silence.
Masaomi pressed his lips against mine in a soft way that made my heart skip several beats.
If it were possible, my face got darker and my arms were released. Kida put one hand on my hair and the other was pressed on the bed, close to my waist.
He slowly pulled back and grinned at me with a slight blush on his own face.
"I made you blush. I knew you'd look cute!" He cried.
"Th-That's not one you can count!"
"But I'll make you blush all the time now that I'm your boyfriend!"
"When did Saki and I let you say that?!"
"It's my pigeon carrying love that lets me-!"
"Oh shut up!"
ENTER Black*Maid
Black*Maid: I regret to inform you- Actually no. I'm HAPPY to say that I will not kill for color gangs anymore. I will choose who I kill, when I want. So all of you that fought on the rooftop with me, better watch your backs. That's all. Black*Maid out.