Synopsis: Royalty met Thief, Thief met Royalty, and they're both about to meet their savoir.
Chapter One
The Princess and the Demon Thief
Princess Maka Albarn almost lost her footing on the vines that grew along her tower because one of the maids had screamed, "The princess is gone!"
"And she won't be returning!" Maka sang under her breath, grasping onto another dark green plant and climbing down. "Though…I hadn't thought it would be this much work…escaping!"
Princess. Rich. All the noblemen wanted her (money). Her father had all the powers in the world and yet here was his daughter, wearing unruly servant clothes and escaping through her window. Why was she running away, in the middle of the night, from such a luxurious life?
"Because my idiot papa informed me I would be wed to a prince from some kingdom or another! Without my consent!" she growled through gritted teeth. She was almost to the ground; if she jumped, the fall would've been painful (and might have created a case of broken limbs) but at least she'd finally be on the ground.
"Okay, here goes!" She decided to go for it. She always was a reckless princess.
Her hands let go and her feet dangled uselessly in the air. And then she was falling, her pigtails flying around her face and her maid dress fluttering about as if she were falling into a dream.
But this was reality.
And reality had a way of making sure you stayed in reality.
She fell atop something rough, hard, bony, not to mention loud.
"OUCH!" a masculine voice below her raged.
"AAH!" she screamed. She realized that she had landed on someone…wearing all black? Was that not considered…suspicious? But then again, a maid climbing out of the princess's window was suspicious as well.
"Get off me!" The stranger shoved her off his back none too gently. She smashed onto the ground, her face buried in cool dirt. Well, they were in a patch of flowers so it'd make sense she became a little dirty.
"But blatantly being shoved is another matter!" she screeched inside her head, throwing the boy icy needle-like glares. She saw that he was wearing a rather large, choppy cloak with an ivory skull mask that fully concealed his face. His get-up made him rather frightening looking but Maka ignored her growing anxiety.
"Hm?" The boy moved his head to her. "And who are you?"
"Wha…how dare you ask for a lady's name before giving yours! Have you no shame?" she hissed. She usually would not have been so poisonous but he had shoved her on her wrong side. Now he was about to pay.
"I have the same amount of shame and pride if that's what you're asking."
She stared at him.
"Are you a thief?" she asked in all seriousness.
"Call me what you want, I honestly don't care. I'm just here for thing and one thing only: the view."
She blinked. "The view? You are within the boundaries of the great King Spirit whose rooms store riches you can't possibly comprehend and here you are talking about views?"
He thought for a moment. "Yes. Is that so strange?"
"Are you insane?"
"Insanity's a gift to see curiosity of the norm. So thank you for the compliment." He stood up and looked around. Maka knew not to expect any help from a person like him so she brushed dirt off her dress and got to her feet.
"I wasn't complimenting you," she said, but he merely gave her a quick glance.
She found it strange that he was taller than her. When they had been on the ground, she couldn't notice the difference. Now he was standing there in front of her, looking left and right as if he was waiting for something…or someone. "Why are you acting so suspicious? Should I be worried?"
"I'd appreciate it if you were more silent, though I know those pretty little lips of yours must chatter like the squirrels in trees, man servant."
She sucked in a sharp breath. "M-man servant?"
"You're wearing a maid's uniform, aren't you? Well, then it's completely fine if I call you man servant," he moved his mask to her and she knew he was grinning, though it was more of a taunting grin than anything else, "Man servant."
"How dare you…!"
But she couldn't finish for the boy flinched at incoming footsteps and suddenly grabbed her mouth, dragging her into her tower's shadow. They were squished together in the darkness, his hand over her lips and their bodies too close for comfort.
Maka tried to talk but she could only make out muffled noises. The boy hissed at her to stop struggling and to be quiet. She followed his orders though only grudgingly.
A moment later, her father's solders strode by, talking about the princess, about her.
"Princess Maka's sure to be displeased about the news."
"Getting married to a complete stranger…I feel sorry for her."
"And her father's an idiot for doing that to her. He knows how she's like and yet he still did that!"
"Shut up! You don't want anyone hearing you bad mouthing the king! Your pay will be cut!"
"Oh, yeah, sorry…."
"But did you hear? One of the maids was screaming about how the Princess wasn't in her room."
"Whoa, really?"
"They're searching everywhere for her right now. I tell you, the Princess will need the help of an expert thief if she's to escape. The king's set up a bunch of soldiers outside and inside the castle now and their orders are to bring her back no matter what."
"Would you let her escape if she popped up in front of you?"
"…Hmm, tough question. We'll see what happens."
They passed the princess's tower, talking about the nightly prowls of dangerous animals and whatnot.
"Damn. I thought I'd be able to get a good look but now I'm in trouble," muttered the boy.
Maka was clutching his arm, trying to free herself but he was amazingly strong. Finally, he noticed her flailing her arms and promptly let go with a very casual, "My apologies."
"You…" she breathed, wiping her lips. "Who are you?"
He came up to her and…
He stroked her cheek so soft, so fast, that she almost thought she had imagined it. "Call me Death the Kid." And then he ran to her tower's vines and began climbing up. Maka gasped and immediately jumped after him, grabbing his ankle and using her weight to heave him back down, which he did. They landed with a thud.
He groaned angrily. "Why are you interfering with my work!" he said, trying to keep his voice to a modest level. "I've never met a maid with this much spunk."
"Didn't you hear those guards?" she asked earnestly. "King Spirit has soldiers all over the place and if you go into the Princess's room, you'll definitely get caught!"
"Man servant," he said disbelievingly (Maka glared at him for calling her that), "what does it matter to you if I am captured or not?"
"It matters because you're the only one who can help me escape from this place!"
He stared at her. "Escape? Why would you want to escape?"
"Because I hate it here!" She pulled on his cloak, gripping it with both her hands. "They make me do such boring activities and I'm never allowed to go places alone and despite it being such a large castle it's…! It's…!" She was breathing hard, feeling the sudden weight of being a princess collapse on her small shoulders. Honor, duty, family, pride, because of those things, she had never made a single friend in her life and that always made her terrible lonely.
The closest people to her were characters from books.
"Suffocating," he finished for her quietly.
She looked at him, feeling something move in her chest. "Suffocating," she repeated, nodding.
Death the Kid took both her hands in his and made them stand up. Maka felt something else lift as she got back on her feet; something else…what could it have been?
"Man servant, I'll agree to steal you from this place…on a few conditions," he said.
"And what are they?"
He held her hands tighter. "You must work for me only until the end of this year. And," he added quickly before she could speak, "You mustn't touch me, nor must you try to leave my place."
She looked down at their hands. "We're holding hands right now."
He chuckled. "This is fine because I'm wearing gloves. My bare skin would kill you on contact."
She stared at him. "Is that a fact?" she deadpanned.
"I'd like to think so." He smiled at her, causing her to sigh tiredly.
"So what kind of work? And why only for a year?"
"You are a servant, are you not? Then, serve me. Also, my reasons do not concern you," he dismissed and she felt slightly put off.
"Fine. I agree to your terms," she said.
He pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear, "Congratulations on your employment with Death." Shivers crawled up her spine and she blushed. No gentleman would ever do such a thing…especially to her! Why, she was the princess! But Death the Kid didn't know that, and Maka was going to make sure to keep it that way.
She pulled away from him. "Of course. And please stop being so physical with a lady."
He chuckled. "My, you certainly don't act like a servant—" Maka froze "—but enough chit chat. We should leave before anyone notices us." He raised his gloved hand and opened out his palm. "Beezlebub." Suddenly, black soul-like figures fluttered from out a black portal from his hand. Soon enough, something flat with wheels came out and he grabbed it. Maka was astounded by this. Was this a type of magic? She had seen various types of magicians come to entertain her father but none of their works seemed as real and as fluid as his.
"What is that?" she asked, indicating the flat object.
"This is Beezlebub, my ride," he said, dropping it onto the ground and laying his foot on it. "Although, I usually don't use him to transport other people. Man servant, you'll be the exception."
"Stop…calling…me…man servant!" said Maka, trying to hold in her anger. Her fists were shaking from rage.
"Then what shall I call you?"
She was about to ask him to address her as Princess Maka but since she was escaping from her castle life, she couldn't make such a childish mistake. "Just Maka is fine."
"Isn't that," he said slowly, as if he was dawning on something, "the same name as the princess?"
"Coincidence," she said simply.
"All right then," he said. She was glad he didn't make a fuss about it. "Little squirrel, come here." He held out his hand.
"Why are you still calling me weird names!" she hissed but he made an impatient noise in his throat and grabbed her wrist. Before she could fight back, he had swung her legs over his arms, carrying her bridal style and soon, he was shooting out into the open on Beezlebub.
Beezlebub made loud rolling noises when it came to the stone pathway so the guards nearest were already fast on Maka and Death the Kid's heels. "They can't hurt me but they can hurt you," he said. "How troublesome." He rolled Beezlebub down the path. Maka wondered what he meant by the guards being unable to hurt him but there was no time to ask.
"Stop! Show yourselves!" cried the incoming wave of guards from behind them. They held swords and spears, common weapons given to her father's soldiers.
"Well I apologize for my lack of immortality," said Maka to Death the Kid, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. She was feeling rather nervous, being held in the arms of a stranger. She knew he was strong for he carried her as if she weighed nothing at all (and she knew exactly how much she weighed) and his natural scent wrapped itself around her, making her feel dizzy from such masculine exposure. She almost appreciated the fact that he wasn't wearing any cologne because the boys she knew always sprayed flowery scents onto themselves to attract the ladies. Suffice to say, Maka always thought it was like being in a stuffy room whenever she was near one of them.
Death the Kid chuckled and she frowned to hide her pleased face. "Your humor is rather charming, isn't it?" he said.
Suddenly, a spear flew past them.
"I think we should hurry," said Death the Kid.
"Y-yes. Let's," agreed Maka.
"The thief's kidnapping one of our maids!" screamed a soldier, pointing at Maka.
"I have to steal something," said Death the Kid matter-of-factly.
Maka wondered what he meant but before she could begin to ponder further, a loud noise from Beezlebub made her cry out and hang onto Death. They were lifting into the air!
"Aahh! W-what's happening! Why are we in the air!" she screamed.
Death the Kid made a strangled noise because Maka was holding onto his neck, forcing him to bend. "Please, let go of me!"
"No, I will not! I'll fall and die from this height!" That wasn't necessarily true, but they had risen to at least ten feet in the air.
"Beezlebub won't drop us. He's a great flyer, trust me," said Death the Kid reassuringly and Maka reluctantly loosened her grip on him.
"Although, it was rather nice being held onto like that," he thought, very much glad that she couldn't see his slightly blushing face.
"Magic! He's using magic to escape!" the soldiers shouted. "Bring him down before he gets away!" The soldiers began pelting Death the Kid with their spears, throwing whatever they could to down the cloaked figure. Death the Kid dodged every one as easily as if it was child's play. However, Maka, not being used to such rough treatment, kept her eyes shut and her mouth screaming in fright.
They were flying near another tower when from the window came another soldier. He held his hand out to the incoming Maka. "My lady, please! Your hand!" The soldier was planning to recapture Maka but she didn't move. Death, however, hesitated. Someone shouted and he turned his head over his shoulder.
Right then, a spear grazed past his mask with enough force to fling it off his face. He groaned more in shock than of pain. His mask landed somewhere in the castle garden.
Maka could clearly see him now.
He was the most handsome boy she had ever laid eyes on, even more handsome than any prince. He had an ethereal beauty to him, as if he didn't belong in this world, but one filled with magic and curses and thieves. However, the thing that caught Maka's attention first was…
"Blood!" she screamed in panic. "You're bleeding! We have to attend to your wound right away!" Death the Kid was bleeding from his head, probably from the force of the spear.
"Damn it." He held onto her tighter. "Beezlebub, enough games. Get us out of here."
As soon as he had said that, Beezlebub shot them off into the distance. Maka looked behind them, feeling something strange in her heart.
She was leaving the castle she grew up in. She was leaving her role as princess. She was leaving everyone she knew there. She was leaving her arranged marriage. But most of all, she was leaving her father and her loneliness.
They flew how many miles, Maka didn't know, but it was some time later when they finally slowed to a halt in the middle of a forest. Death the Kid stepped down from Beezlebub and settled Maka onto her feet. Immediately, she reached her hand to his wound but he caught her wrist tightly.
"Remember the conditions on which you must live on," he said, his golden eyes showing no expression. He let go and she let her hand fall slowly to her side.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
He patted her head as if she was a little girl and she blushed; no one ever treated her like a girl, only as a princess. The feeling was strange to say the least.
"It's quite all right," he said. "Just make sure not to touch me." He held out his hand and like before, a black portal opened up and Beezlebub jumped inside, disappearing.
She breathed out. "Will you tell me why?"
"I don't think I will," he said with a smile. And then with a frown, "I lost my dear mask. Goodness, what shall I do for my nightly prowls now? I'll have him make me a new one."
"Him? There are more people living in your house?"
"House?" He laughed at her ignorance. "I live in a mansion. Mansions are more suitable for Demon Thieves, no?"
"Demon…Thieves?" She gasped. "You…you're not a common thief are you?"
"Of course not. Would a common thief be able to use a demon's powers? I think not," he scoffed.
"Then…you've made a contract with a…real demon?" Her eyes were shaking from fright. What had she done? Demon Thieves were the most horrible, vile creatures around. They were once human beings who sought power through contracts with demons. In return for a life favor, demons would grant their humans half of their demonic powers. Death the Kid was not human then.
He was bound between monster and man.
He stood tall in front of her, his eyes bearing down on her. "Are you afraid of me?"
A gust of wind stirred Maka's hair and dress. Death the Kid's cape fluttered, as if wrapping itself around her.
It would have been a lie if she said she wasn't afraid. She had heard such terrible stories about Demon Thieves, about how some grew mad and were killed by priests or even by their demon because they couldn't keep their end of their bargain. What had Death the Kid agreed to?
"Yes," she said, her voice quivering. "But…"
But he was different.
"But…you knew, didn't you? You knew how it felt to be lonely," she said quietly.
He didn't say anything, but there was a look in his eyes that told her she was right.
"I was always alone. No one ever truly understood me, or even wanted to understand. I might as well have been born on a different planet for all they cared. But you looked at me. You really looked at me. You listened to me. You even…treated me like any other person." She took in a deep breath. "Because of that, I can trust you."
"It seems," he said slowly, his lips barely moving, "that I've been had."
"Huh?"
"You're more interesting than I thought. But don't fall for me now," he laughed and Maka glared at him.
"I wouldn't fall for a person such as you."
"I agree. You deserve a handsome prince by your side."
She didn't say anything to that, afraid that she would let slip that she was the princess.
"Anyway, little squirrel," he said with a sigh, "please follow me." He began speedily walking past the trees and Maka almost had to run to keep up.
"Your…your wound…!" she called, dodging stray rocks and broken branches.
"Will be attended to shortly. Do not your worry yourself over me; I am much more powerful than you will ever become so a little cut is nothing to cry over."
She puffed her cheeks in frustration. "All right, then. I guess it was presumptuous of me to think I would need to care for you. Obviously I was just shown wrong."
He looked at her. "Of course you must care for me."
"Huh?" Her cheeks turned a shade of pink. Was he...
"My mansion will not clean itself. It will be your job to see to it that my adobe is sparkling." He hurried his pace. "Let us go! It's not long until we reach our destination."
"…Yes." She sighed, feeling a bit let down. "Wait, why am I feeling this way? No! This man…demon…Death the Kid has nothing to do with my feelings! Nothing!"
They continued down a wide range of different styled paths. Maka noticed that the further they walked, the darker it became. The trees were denser, large vines with sharp thorns became more apparent, and every now and then, she'd hear the cry of wolves and the flutter of bats' wings. Sometimes, she could have sworn there were glowing pairs of eyes staring at her from the darkness.
Something rushed behind her and she yelped, grabbing onto Death the Kid's cape and looking around.
Death the Kid looked at her, mildly amused. "What's wrong, little squirrel?"
"N-nothing at all…!" she said, her voice a scared whisper. She looked extremely nervous and frightened, her eyes wide and her arms pulled in to her sides. Her quivering hands held onto his cape tighter when she heard another howl rip through the air.
"She almost looks cute that scared," Death the Kid thought with a smirk. Maka forced herself to stay quiet for the next few paces; she didn't want him to tease her but since she wasn't such a brave soldier yet, she kept close to him, gently holding his cape between her fingers.
"You know," he said casually, "you don't have to act so brave."
"Oh, but I do," she said, her voice shaking. She heard another unfamiliar sound and jerked her head in its direction.
"There are more horrors to this world than a simple forest."
"I know that!" she snapped but at that moment, the bushes nearby rustled. She gasped, almost screaming, and her body then moved on its own: Her arms grabbed Death the Kid around his waist and her face buried itself in his back. "What is it! What is it! Is it a monster! Please tell me it's not a monster! It's not a monster! It's not a monster! Oh, my God! It's a monster! It's going to eat us! Someone save me!"
"It's a mouse." Death the Kid stared down at the little creature that had popped out from under the bush. Maka stared at it. The mouse sniffed the air with its nose and, sensing that there was no available food around, scurried off into the next bush.
The Demon Thief and the princess took a moment to glance at each other for the stupidity of it all. And then, Death the Kid chuckled.
"You really are something," he said with a smile.
Maka blushed. "W-weren't you frightened as well! In a forest like this…who knows what dangers lurk in every corner…! And why do you live in such a place, anyway?"
"Because it keeps people away from me," he replied simply with a shrug.
"Away?"
"Yes. Away."
She made a face. "Why would you want people to stay away?" After asking that, she felt stupid. He was in contract with a demon. Most people would have found that horrific and morally wrong. As such, people would usually become…rather, well, aggressive with Demon Thieves.
"They always ruin my symmetry," he replied lightly.
"W-what? Your symmetry?" It seemed…she was wrong about his reasons for locking himself up away from humanity.
"Yes," he said. "My entire mansion is symmetrical, from the tea sets in the sitting room to the knives in the kitchen. It is my life's work to ensure nothing is ever out of place. That is why I am depending on you to keep things in order, little squirrel."
She sighed. "I do not understand you at all…"
"I hope it will stay that way."
Maka felt something lurch in her stomach when he said that. It kind of twirled, rose up into her throat, went back down and spread out in her chest…and then dropped like a stone into a bottomless well.
The feeling was not good.
"Anyway, little squirrel," he said.
"Yes?" she replied sadly.
"Will you please let go of me? I cannot walk with you embracing me. Although I don't mind being like this, I wish to head home and rest."
She screamed and shoved him away. He fell onto his knees, shaking in surprise.
"Wha…what was that for!" he shouted, getting back up and facing her. "My clothes have dirtied because of you! Your job is to clean! Not to make filthy!"
"I'm so sorry!" She bowed deeply, feeling incredibly stupid. "I…am not used to this at all…"
He stared at her, his mouth slightly open. He groaned and grabbed her hand, pulling her after him. "If you are going to be frightened by every little thing then I must guide you. Follow me and you'll stay safe." His words were more annoyed than heartfelt but Maka glowed inside.
"Y-yes…" she said quietly, looking at their connected hands.
It wasn't long until they reached Death the Kid's mansion. But to Maka's complete surprise, it wasn't a mansion at all. It was a…
"Castle?" she gaped, her neck craned up to look at the monstrous size of it. His castle didn't look like hers at all. It had a gothic theme to it, all black with spikes and skulls everywhere. Thorny vines reached up almost every tower and scattered on the roofs were stone and marble statues of demons and monsters. Guarding entrance was a tall black gate that, Maka guess, surrounded the entire castle. Through the gates was a large garden; only roses grew there, giving the place a scent of darkness and red.
As if the knowledge of being trapped in another castle wasn't good enough, thunder suddenly split the sky and it began pouring. Perhaps the clouds wanted the earth to drown because Maka and Death the Kid now looked as if they had jumped inside a pool of water and simply came out with their clothes wet.
"You live in a castle, not mansion!" she screamed because thunder struck again. "That was a complete lie on your part!"
"What are you talking about?" he said. "This is my mansion. A castle is much bigger and grander than this."
"You have your logic mixed up," she breathed out. "You really are insane."
"Thank you." He smiled at her. Without waiting for her to retort, he held out his hand and a black wave spread forth from the large padlock holding the gates shut. A loud, groaning click was heard and right after, they swung open with a creak. "Come," was all he said. He strode toward his castle and Maka followed, feeling cold from the drenched weather.
As they walked through the garden, she marveled at how beautiful his rose garden was. Not a single one was dead, but not one of them was in bloom either; they seemed to be waiting for something.
Death the Kid's castle was much more towering when Maka was finally at the entrance. A set of extremely tall double doors opened automatically when Death the Kid approached them. Maka followed, feeling a bit uneasy. Everything seemed to have a mind of its own somehow….
They entered his castle, the tall doors slamming shut behind them. Maka refused to look behind her and kept her eyes forward. There was no turning back now…!
She looked around at his castle. Everything was indeed…symmetrical. It was almost frightening how even and orderly things were. Like the outside, everything was dark with skulls and spikes and the rooms and halls were lit either by flickering flames or golden chandeliers. The floors were bathed with a blood red carpet. Right now, they were inside a grand room with many doors leading to unknown places. A wide staircase split in two directions at the top: left and right. Maka wondered how many rooms and floors there were. Did Death the Kid have many servants? If so, none of them were courteous enough to welcome him back and to attend to him.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked, looking at her.
She blinked. "Huh?"
"Little squirrel, have you forgotten about your job already?" He sighed despairingly.
She blushed and quickly walked over to him. "I am sorry for being so careless," she said as she took off his cape. He let her do so without much of a fuss.
"I'm drenched, ugh." He wiped water from his face. "Where is he? He should have been here as soon as he heard the gates unlock."
"Who?" asked Maka as she folded the cape carefully and neatly in her arms.
"Well, no matter." He sighed. "You are free to roam about my mansion but please, do not ever go into the west wing."
"What's in the west—"
"It's forbidden." His voice grew stern and his words echoed off the empty walls. It was this that frightened Maka the most. Not his demonic contract, but the look of anger he held.
Had she asked the wrong question?
Death the Kid saw her surprised and frightened face. He looked away and started up the staircase.
"Where are you going?" Maka called, unsure if she should follow him.
"To my room," he said, his voice back to normal but still a bit shaky.
"W-what?" She stepped atop a few steps after him. "Are you not going to show me to my room? Your castle is like a monster! I'll become swallowed!"
He chuckled. "Fret not. My servants will show you around."
"What servants?" she hissed. "No one's here!"
"Everyone, be nice to that little squirrel over there!" he called to his seemingly imaginary servants. He then disappeared into the west wing, leaving Maka alone with her mouth agape.
"Well!" she said angrily, tugging at Death the Kid's cloak none too friendly. She started to pace back and forth. Was someone really coming to get her? Did Death the Kid really have servants? Well, if he did, where were they? Feeling as if something was amiss, she jerked around to her side.
No one was there.
But then she felt something was watching her again and spun in a wide circle.
"Who's there?" she called, her voice echoing.
No one answered.
"Is someone…there?" She looked around, her hands shaking.
Everything seemed a bit scary now that Death the Kid was gone. What was the matter with his castle?
And then, she heard mutterings…whispers…coming from the table lined along the long wall. She took an unsteady step toward it, trying to listen to the voices. She caught only some.
"…strange…"
"…can't believe it…"
"…looks funny…"
"…Kid's choice…"
And then a quick and stern, "SSHHH!"
And everything was quiet again.
"Who's there?" said Maka again, this time stronger. "I know you're there." The only things she saw on the table were a wide variety of weapons cluttered atop each other.
"Oh, let's just show ourselves!" yelled one of the silver pistols.
Maka yelped and jumped back. Did…did she just hear a pistol…talk?
"All right! Let's go and greet the newbie!" yelled the large metal star. Suddenly, it began glowing and there, as if by some kind of magic, stood a boy on the table with blue spikey hair, his hands against his hips and a great smile on his face.
Maka was too surprised to say anything but she needn't bother; the other weapons began glowing as well and soon enough, she was surrounded by unfamiliar faces.
"Who….who are you all?" she asked, placing a hand over her heart. "Or rather…what are you?"
"Kid picked up a real cutie this time," said one of the girls. She had shoulder length orange-blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. Maka couldn't believe how beautiful she looked.
Suddenly, Maka's shoulders were wrapped from behind by another girl. "Hey! What's your name?" the girl said happily. "I'm Patty."
"And I'm her older sister, Liz," said the beautiful girl with orange-blonde hair.
Another girl with long, trailing black hair in a ponytail smiled kindly at Maka. "Hello, my name is Tsubaki. It's very nice to meet you." She bow elegantly.
The boy with spikey blue hair pointed to himself with his thumb. "The name's Black Star! Remember it!"
"O-okay…" said Maka slowly, looking at them all. "I'm Maka…and…who are all of you?"
"Hah?" Black Star looked confused. "We just told you our names. Did you forget already? Well, can't blame you…you seem pretty dim-witted."
"Says the one who can't pass a test to save his life," said Liz.
"Maka, what do you mean?" said Tsubaki as Liz and Black Star began arguing with Patty cheering them on.
"I mean…are you all Death the Kid's servants?"
"Yes, we are."
"This is all of the servants he has?" said Maka, indicating the small circle of people including herself.
Tsubaki shook her head. "Oh, no. There's one more. But he must have gone upstairs already to attend to Kid."
"Who is he? I think Death the Kid had mentioned him before…."
"Ah, he's—"
"Is this her?"
Everyone looked toward the staircase. Maka's eyes widened.
A boy with pure white hair and ruby eyes was stepping down each step almost laze-like. He was dressed in the usual butler uniform but with his handsome face and toned physique, he made it look, Maka failed to produce a better word, good. He was looking straight at Maka which made her feel uneasy.
"Are you Maka?" he said, his voice cutting through everyone's silence like the proclamation of a king.
"Yes, I am," she answered.
"You're the one who made Kid get hurt, aren't you?" He leered at her.
She gulped. What was this boy's injury? He was making Maka feel as small as a mouse trapped between a cat's vicious paws and the snap of a metal trap.
"I admit to that," she said bravely, refusing to back down.
"Try to not to make anything else messed up. I hate working over time."
"Wha…" She gaped at him. "You are blaming me for your laziness?"
"Hah?" He walked right up to her, towering over her. "Don't take things out of context, idiot. I simply hate working when I don't have to."
"But…you are Death the Kid's servant, are you not?" She blinked at him and he looked back, expressionless.
"Why are you guys still standing there?" The boy turned his head to the others, all who jumped except for Black Star. They seemed intimidated by him for some reason. "Show this girl where she's supposed to stay from now on."
And then, without waiting for anyone to say anything, he left back up the stairs, walking into the east wing.
Maka huffed after him. "What is that…that boy's problem? How can he be so lazy?"
Liz scratched her head, looking troubled. "Well, he's…different than us."
"…What do you mean?"
"Well…hrm, I'm not sure if we should be talking about this…."
"Why not?" said Black Star. "Maka's gunna be stayin' with us so it'll be bad if she feels like we're leavin' her out of anything."
The two sisters looked stuck between wanting to say something and not wanting to say anything. But then Patty smiled reassuringly at Maka. "Ah, well…he'll probably be too stubborn to tell you anything anyway so I guess it's better if we do."
"Tell me what?" said Maka, raising her eyebrows.
"Maka…" started Tsubaki gently. "You did see us, right? When we weren't human?"
"Yes…" said Maka slowly, unsure if what she had seen was simply a magic trick or….
"Weren't you…surprised? Or shocked?"
"Of course I was surprised and shocked!" said Maka, beginning to feel something was wrong. "How did everyone do that? Magic?"
"A type of magic, yes," smiled Tsubaki. "Ah, now that you mention it, you and Soul are the only ones alike in this castle."
"I knew it!" cried Maka happily. "I knew this place was a castle! Death the Kid said his home was a mansion but when I told him he lived in a castle he denied me completely but now that even his servants acknowledge—"
"Maka, Maka, listen," said Tsubaki, lowering Maka's hand as she had raised it triumphantly. "What I meant was…you and Soul are the only ones with no connection to this castle…or to its master."
"Death the Kid is this castle's master…isn't he?" Maka looked at them all but they were suddenly very busy cleaning the brass candles far off to the corner. Only Tsubaki stayed, looking at her friends wearily.
"Yes…and no…"
"What does that mean? And is it a problem if I am not associated with your—I mean, our master?"
"No! No, of course it's not a problem."
"Then why mention it?"
"Because it's very important, despite Kid's rather…nonchalant attitude toward it."
"Why is it important?"
"Because maybe, you two can—"
"Wait," Maka said quickly, hugging Death the Kid's cloak to her chest (she didn't realize she was doing that).
It seemed...Death the Kid had failed to tell her some things about his castle. Was it because he didn't want her to know?
Or was it because he simply didn't care enough to tell?
If that was the case then…
Maybe it was better if she didn't meddle into things.
But….
She hugged the Demon Thief's cloak tighter.
But, somehow or another, she couldn't get what he had said to her out of her mind.
"Because I hate it here! It's…! It's…!"
"Suffocating," he finished for her quietly.
"Why don't you start from the beginning? Everything you are saying is…I'm sorry to say…confusing me entirely." She strained a smile, almost not believing that she was even talking.
Tsubaki sighed in relief; she was getting worried that she wasn't making any sense and Maka was gracious enough to let her know.
"All right then…from the beginning."
Next Time on The Demon Thief's Castle!
"You saw them outside, correct?"
"What the hell is she doing here?"
"Where is Death the Kid?"
Author's Note: I was requested to do a KidxMaka story so...here it is! I don't think this'll be as long as my other story. Well, I don't want it to be, ha ha! I want to write a bunch of new stories but writing is pretty time consuming, hence shorter story. I actually wrote this chapter some time ago but never got to finishing it until now. And I'm trying to get out of the First Person POV mode so if you see any FPPOV writing in this chapter...just know that I didn't mean it.
So how was it, guys? Tell me your thoughts.
Thanks for reading The Demon Thief's Castle! I'll see you all in the next chapter! :D