Mkay then, this is the sequel idea. Happy happy joy joy to you all I'm sure. :) Akuma gets the honor of being the title image this time. (Last time it was Kage) If anyone else saw those pics somewhere else, that's because I got them off the Internet. I search for character images extensively, so I have a reference image for the particular character I'm writing. I wouldn't be too surprised if some were actual anime characters, or just fan art.
In what way is a raven like a writing desk?
Poe wrote on both.
-AN
3rd Person's POV:
A sleek, black-painted motorbike zoomed silently up the cobbled stone streets, rider shrouded in darkness that was pierced by the occasional flickering pumpkin streetlamp, revealing a dark bike helmet that hid their eyes. The rumbling purr eased to a stop, and a kickstand was shoved down by a black-booted foot. The rider got off, removing the helmet and shaking out fluffy blonde hair. "Kage, what took you? We've been waiting for…seconds!" Lock called merrily from her stand at the outdoor bar, and the female Nightstalker rolled her eyes, sliding onto the stool beside her friend and waving off a barmaid with a single sharp glance. Shadows shifted, and another black-clothed figure walked calmly out of the empty air, holding two mugs as his brother exited behind him. "How goes the search?" Barrel asked, sipping his drink as Shock absently played lightning across the surface of his.
"Bad. Now that the clan's exposed as real, a lot of murders previously unsolved are being blamed on us, and there's damn few who want to join." Kage grumbled crossly, folding her arms as her friends all made consoling noises. "Hey, where are Akuma and DK?" Shock asked suddenly, looking up from his currently sparking mug. Kage sighed again, shadows curling up from the floor and rubbing against her like affectionate cats. She let them, which put her friends on high alert, because Kage never let anything fawn on her, least of all the shadows. "They're out looking too. But it's damn hard to meet the standards, and plus we just can't be everywhere at once. I know you guys are trying locally, but we need more people out there." She said wearily, and Lock made a face. "DWMA not helping out?" Kage gave her a tired and annoyed glare, as if to say "what do you think?"
"Lord Death isn't stupid. He wants to make sure we aren't a threat, and although he trusts you guys and us, you may very well be on the bottom in a few weeks, and until the new leader is elected, neither me nor Akuma are officially pardoned. The Nightstalker could very well be their next big headache now that Arachnophobia's gone and the Kishin's defeated. If we do rebuild the clan, we still might not get almost any say in the decisions the leader makes, especially me and Akuma." She said absently, resting her chin on her folded arms and staring off into the distance. She remained that way for a while, and then stirred. "Well, I just came to report in, Kid's waiting for me at Gallows Manor." She said, standing and waving to her friends as she walked off into the night, hands in her pockets. She straddled her bike, in a bad enough temper not to put her helmet back on as it roared off, purring its way through the haunted-feeling woods surrounding Halloween Town.
God, sometimes I do wish I was allowed to just kidnap a few bratlings and a meister or two and force the ritual on them. This multi-tasking, not to mention DK, is grating on me like a cheese shredder. If it wasn't for my mental flexibility I would have snatched someone by now. She thought irritably to herself, gunning the engine to go faster. It wasn't like her to use a bike now, not when she was the Nightmare Queen and basically the shadow's goddess. She could shadow-walk like a meister could hold their weapon partner; it was effortless, like breathing. But she loved this bike. It was nice to ride it once in a while. Freeing. Cleansing. She snorted, rolling her eyes as she shook her head, as if to flick away the thought. Like hell I'm ever going to be "cleansed". She thought, staring ahead of her absently as she let shadows flit around her like bats, black as midnight and fluid as water.
Kage's POV:
I knocked, leaning on the doorframe in exhaustion. It opened, and Kid's eyes widened. "Kage! Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, giving me his shoulder to lean on as I managed to stumble to a couch and collapse upon it. "Yeah…" I moaned, accepting the cup of hot cocoa (perfectly symmetrical of course) and letting my muscles ease out of their frozen positions. "Just dog tired?" he asked, sitting on the couch opposite me. I nodded, chugging the drink rapidly and then putting the empty mug down, closing my eyes as I flopped back on the couch. "I'm trying to get father to help, but he just said the same thing you did." He added after a moment of silence, his warm hand resting on my forehead. "Mm-hmm." He sighed, dropping his hand and nudging under me as he lifted my body, putting me back down as my head rested in his lap. "You haven't gotten any sleep in days, have you?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Or eaten?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Or contacted DK and Akuma?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Are you even awake?"
"Mm-hmm."
He chuckled, stroking my hair away from my cheek as his cold ring brushed against my forehead. "You're such a stubborn girl Kage. I don't care how urgent it is, you need sleep and food just as much as anyone. And right now as a Grim Reaper and your boyfriend, you are getting some sleep." He ordered, and I curled into him, nuzzling into his shirt. "Mm-hmm." I mumbled into it, feeling his arms wrap around my waist and hold me as my eyes fluttered shut once more and I slept, the utter blackness and quiet of the completely exhausted and overworked.
Kid's POV:
Kage relaxed into me, her body going limp as I sighed and cuddled her closer, happy she was alright, albeit worked to the bone. "OY!" I looked up as DK kicked the door all the way down the hallway, stomping in with a certain glint in his eyes that made me swallow, Akuma temporarily displaced. "ALRIGHT REAPER-BOY, WHERE'S KAGE?! SHE HASN'T TALKED WITH US FOR-oh, there she is." He roared, then blinked and let Akuma's green eye fade through as he gave himself an annoyed glare. "Sorry Kid, but I couldn't stop him, we haven't heard from her since…two weeks ago." Akuma said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away as I sighed. "She hasn't eaten or slept since then either. Has she ever let herself be driven like this before?" I asked, shifting her so she could be more comfortable on my chest and glancing at the others.
DK snorted and Akuma sighed. "Better question would be when has she not been driven like this." Akuma said wearily as he walked over and gave her a few pokes, DK's eye alight with mischievous curiosity. I gave him a ferocious glare and he scowled, backing away. "Any progress?" I asked, and they sighed, shaking their head. "Nope, nadda, zip, zero, nein, nyet, non, and pretty much nothing. Not even a nibble." Akuma said wearily, collapsing on the couch and kicking his feet up on the coffee table with a sigh. "It's almost as if we have a bad reputation." DK added with grim humor, his face momentarily lighting in a smirk but quickly dissolving into a scowl. I studied them for a moment. Akuma's body sagged imperceptibly, and DK was not speaking as they both closed their eye and breathed out another long sigh. "You're just as exhausted as she is, aren't you?" I asked shrewdly, and Akuma winced as DK gave me another glare, before looking away with a scowl. "Yeah. What you gonna make out of it Reaper boy?" he growled, and Akuma gave me an apologetic wince. "Sorry, everyone's in a bad mood right now, tensions are high and we're pretty much the only thing anyone can blame anything on right now. We're being worked to the bone." He said absently, and I nodded sympathetically.
"I would ask father to help, but he said the same things you did about why we couldn't." I said apologetically, and DK nodded drowsily. "We're gonna bunk here if that's…" he started to mumble, but he pitched forward and lay on the floor, snoring, before he could finish his sentence. I rolled my eyes, getting out from under Kage carefully and tucking her into the couch, finding some spare blankets and pillows and setting them down on the coffee table, getting Kage taken care of before putting a pillow next to Akuma and DK and draping a blanket over the snoring male as he grabbed the pillow, tucking it under his chin and mumbling "Panzerfaust snuggly…" before rolling over and falling deeper asleep. I shook my head in amusement, mentally reminding myself to hold that over his head as I went upstairs to inform Liz and Patty about our guests.
Kage's POV:
I went from fast asleep to instant-awareness in a split second, sitting up with a gasp as my left arm turned into a black blade all the way up to my elbow, grabbing the clothes of the person in front of me and stabbing the sword towards their throat. He grabbed me above the blade, wrenching it to the side as the tip just barely grazed his throat, bringing a sprinkle of blood up against my face as we tumbled off the couch I had been sleeping on and rolled across the floor, trading blows that he blocked with apparent ease. Suddenly the door burst in, and we both looked up as Liz stood there, Patty in hand and a very angry look indeed on her face. "It's okay. Training." I said quickly, and Akuma nodded under me as she let her sister transform back to human, looking even angrier, if that was possible.
Then I noticed they were both in pajamas, and Liz's hair was messed up to a degree she'd never tolerate if she was going out. I think we woke them up… I thought nervously to Akuma, and he swallowed hard. All those in favor of not being torn apart, head for the exit. If there isn't one, make one. DK said quietly, and we looked at each other, then at Liz. "I thought I heard you guys. C'mon, breakfast is ready." Kid said, sticking his head through the door and smiling at us. I looked at Liz, then down at Akuma, then to DK's red and black eye. "Sure. Akuma almost got the jump on me this time." I said, getting off as he nodded and rubbed the thin line of blood on his throat, following me into the kitchen as Liz and Patty both sighed and did the same.