Hey there everyone! Sorry for the long update, been busy with other things and all… Oh and at AnonymousOtaku, I think I will use your idea at another chapter. I don't want their relationship to be revealed just yet. At Nickmirquae, I hope you got the private massage. Gosh, I got quite scared at you review, so I sent you a message to explain myself. No offense! 0.O As you see, I'm not a very good writer, and I am obviously an amateur in this type of things. So I hope you can forgive me if I have mistakes. XD That is all! Warning: Bad language in this chapter. LOL
Chapter Seven (I don't know what to name this chapter)
"Come on! Let's run!" a little boy ran as fast as he could, clutching a girl's hand tightly against his. "Please slow down!" the girl yelled, her feet practically being dragged on the cold, wet pavement. The boy ignored her and increased his speed, stopping for a moment to put the girl on his back.
"We can't' stop! If we do, we will, we will…"
"We will what?"
"We will DIE!"
The girl gasped and snuggled deeply on the boy's back, the rain showing them no mercy. The two ran and ran, both feeling the boiling anger of the presence behind them. They were lucky enough that the creature seemed to be dumb, as it wasn't attacking them despite its power. "I'm scared…" the girl whimpered. The boy tightened his hold on her and tried his best to run faster in the abyss of the night.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you, I promise…"
Liz paced back and forth, her arms crossed and her expression grave. The group rushed Kid and Maka to the hospital and now here they were, sitting in the waiting area, abiding the results as the doctors tended the injured meisters.
"Liz! Would you stop pacing around? You're making me dizzy." Soul complained and stared at her. The older pistol weapon sighed as she took a seat beside her sister. Patty was sitting unusually quiet for once, just silently mumbling some incoherent words as she scribbled some drawings on the paper she picked up on their way. Soul, Liz, and Tsubaki were staring blankly at the floor and Black Star was asleep, snoring loudly as he snuggled his head deeper against the cold wall. All were startled as the door flung open, revealing a doctor and a nurse who were smiling brightly, and both giving off an aura of professionalism.
"Hello everyone. Both of your friends will be fine. Although they had some cuts and bruises, and they were mostly drained of their energy, both should be alright as long as they get some proper rest." The doctor grinned as he announced Kid and Maka's condition in rapid Japanese. The nurse and the doctor bowed to them and exited the room. Soul and Liz had a questioning look and Patty was giggling uncontrollably as Tsubaki and Black Star sighed in relief.
"W-what did he say?" Soul stuttered. Black Star guffawed and slapped his back. "That's right! I forgot that you guys don't know Japanese or any of its cultures."
Tsubaki's eyes beamed like the morning sun. "He said that Maka-chan and Kid-kun should be alright once they get proper rest." The demon scythe nodded gratefully and they proceeded to walk out of the room.
Soft and warm sunlight flooded the environment, tickling Kid's face as he slowly sat up, feeling a lot better from the fight. He glanced at Maka who was peacefully tucked on the other bed, looking frail and weak from the bandages that conceals her cuts. He looked down at himself, and saw that he was also covered in medical gauzes. He reached up to touch his face, feeling the rough texture of the bandage plastered on his soft, silky skin. He slowly removed the materials that bind up his wounds, his face stony and unfazed at the fact that deep wounds were there minutes ago, but now, there was not a single scratch on his body.
"Kid!"
He turned towards the door and saw a blur of colours before he was tackled back to the bed. "Oh Kiddo~!"
"Patty! Liz!" Kid smiled as he hugged the two weapons tightly, almost squeezing the life out of them. Soul and Black Star punched both of his shoulders slightly and laughed. Tsubaki grinned as she took a seat beside Maka's bed. The group were chatting up pretty loudly, asking Kid multiple questions. None of them except Tsubaki noticed that Maka was stirring awake.
"Hi Maka-chan." The chain sickle weapon said. "How are you feeling?"
"Hey Tsubaki-chan. I'm fine, just a little sore." Maka giggled as she watched at the scene before them. Black Star was standing on Kid's bed, proclaiming his greatness and yelling about how big of a star he is, while the others laughed at the young reaper's annoyed look.
"So, how have you been guys?" Soul asked, his face contorted in a serene smile. Kid chuckled for a moment before regaining his composure.
Death was fidgeting for no reason at all.
"Lord Death, are you alright? You've been squirming for quite a while now." Spirit commented, staring at the headmaster who was starting to look around frantically. "I-I'm fine. I just… Something feels different…"
"What… different…?"
"Oh I don't know. I feel like I'm forgetting something… hmmm… Oh well!" Death clasped his big hands together and sat down on a mattress in front of a coffee table. "Care to join me for some tea?" he asked. Spirit gaped at him, looking absolutely foolish as weird thoughts like Death was a random person ran in his head. He slowly, and stealthily, walked towards the red plush mattress and positioned himself in a kneeling order. The death scythe cautiously brought the porcelain teacup to his lips, as he sipped the warm, herbal fluid that made him sigh in comfort as it gave him a fuzzy and full feeling.
Spirit glanced at the figure in front of him, wondering how the man was drinking with his mask on. He shrugged it off as he took another delicate sip of his tea. It was then that he noticed that the life-size mirror behind Death was rippling and glowing. The shinigami looked at the water like surface of his mirror and he tapped on it, revealing the heir to the throne. "Oh, hey there son~!" Death's jovial voice rang out. "What can I do for you?"
Kid stared back, his face void of any emotion; his normally glowing golden orbs were now a dull and dark shade of yellow, completely distant, almost cold-looking. Death's face shaped up to a frown behind his skull mask as he saw his son's tired and pious state. "I have some questions to ask of you, honourable father." Death flinched, hearing the word 'honourable'.
"What is it?"
Spirit shot him a look as Death stared back at his son. Gone was the cheery voice, and was replaced by his dark tone. He could tell something serious was going on.
Cold breeze ran through, caressing the leaves that were floating in the chilling atmosphere. The night sky was so obscure and the stars were shining brightly against the dark contrast. Kid stood in front of a mirror, Maka sitting on a chair behind him. Both meisters were discharged from the hospital and they succeeded in making their friends go away for a while. They thought everything was going alright, until Kid brought up questions.
"Honourable father, are we going to go home now that Maka and I have defeated the witch already? She has a slight madness wavelength that causes insanity, but only few people have been infected by it. We plan to wipe it out tomorrow, so that our mission will be over. Oh, and we have skipped the first day of school, courtesy of finding the witch. There are some things that we don't understand, though."
Death nodded his head in understanding. "I see…" he then clapped his hands together as if remembering something important. "Oh yes~!" he exclaimed, jolly voice coming back. Kid looked at his father incredulously, almost bringing back the life of his dead-like eyes. Death giggled like a small child. "I'm sorry son. I just remembered something. Go on, ask what you want to ask."
Kid furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion before he sighed. "Father, I wanted to know if you were lying to us. Lying to us about the Death Scythes and some three-star meisters coming to other countries. Also, I know that you are hiding something, that being here in Japan is not just about killing the one who caused the madness and restoring sanity. Another thing is our cover. I know it can be of purpose as to lessen suspicion towards us, as Maka and I are foreigners in this country, and what children like us are doing in this place when our parents are abroad. But we had other missions too. And none of the citizens are criticizing our presence! I know we could go on in here without our cover, because we can just make a lie about us, like being on a vacation or something. So I know something is up, father."
Death and Spirit sighed simultaneously at Kid's little speech. They are always impressed at Kid's high and keen observance about the smallest things that can lead to a big conclusion. The boy was just born with that little gift, and combined with his training when he was young, Kid would be a good detective of some sort.
"WOOOOOHOOOOO!"
Patty laughed as she smirked evilly, Black Star and Soul on either side of her, the trio playing a video game in a noisy arcade. Liz sighed irritably as Tsubaki giggled. The older Thompson sister groaned and stomped her foot on the ground as she tried to concentrate on her nails. She made a face as she thought that maybe the arcade was not the best place to put nail polish on, as it has a noisy, rowdy and colourful environment. She gasped as a passerby bumped on her, causing the red polish to stumble down the floor, crimson ink scattering. She glared hard at the hooded boy who caused her distress, and she noticed that one of her shoe was splattered with red nail polish. "Aarrgghh!"
Liz marched after the man, her heels clicking loudly against the cold marble floor. Tsubaki's giggle busted in to a full laugh as she tried to stop herself by covering her mouth and followed Liz who was on a furious hunt.
"OH YEAH!" Patty yelled in the already noisy room, pumping up her fist in victory. Soul slouched in defeat and Black Star glared at her. "I just let you win Patty! A great star like me never loses a battle in video games!"
Soul snorted in a funny way as he draped both of his arms around Patty and the assassin. "Oh yeah?" he chuckled. "What do you call the million of times that I beat you on games at our apartment, huh?"
Black Star grinned proudly and puffed his chest out. "I just let you win at those times too, Soul! AHAHAHA!" Soul grinned and let go of the meister and the younger pistol weapon. "Sure. Whatever you say Black Star."
Liz ran through the crowd, trying to find the man who destroyed her beautiful, favourite, and expensive, nail polish. She knows that Kid would be able to buy her loads of pricey and good quality polishes, as her meister is filthy rich, but for goodness' sake! It was her FAVOURITE! And it was the last one on the store… She growled under her breath as she finally caught up with the heartless culprit. "Hey you!"
The hooded boy turned around and Liz gasped. OMG! He's so cute! She thought. The boy had brown hair and hazel eyes, tan skin that almost looked golden, tall, and handsome. She then moved her head viciously, trying to disregard her thoughts, but failing miserably. She lifted her hand up and waved at him shyly. "U-um… H-hi…" she stuttered. Liz heard someone calling her name, and she realized the familiar voice-Tsubaki- as she was woken from her dreamy stupor. "Hey you! You just spilled my favourite nail polish! Do you know how expensive that was? You need to pay up!"
The boy smirked at her. "What did you say, bitch?" Liz' eyes widened in surprise, and was soon replaced by a hard glare. "Why you!"
"Ha! Don't know any swear words, dick-sucking slut?" the boy said coolly. Liz gritted her teeth and fought the urge to slap, no, PUNCH the bastard. If only he knew she grew up on streets and was one of the worst before. "Shut up you dirt-eating piece of slime, scum-sucking pig, half-witted, dick head, man whore, bastard, jerk ass, snot nose, FUCK FACE!" Liz yelled. The boy took a step back, obviously surprised at her little outburst and the bad curses she just used. Liz heard laughing behind her and she saw Soul, Patty, Black Star and Tsubaki laughing their heads off. "HAHAHA! She got you good bro! HAHAHA!" Soul exclaimed, pointing rudely at the boy. The boy glared at the demon scythe and held up the dirty finger at him.
"Shut up you indolent fool."
Patty and Black Star laughed harder. "Is that all you can do?" The meister asked. "Yeah~! FUCK OFF Y'A FOOL!" Patty grinned wickedly at him. Liz made her knuckles crack loudly as she smiled menacingly. The boy scrambled off after tossing a bunch of paper bills at Liz. The group guffawed as Liz muttered, "I just love bullying little fools."
Death stared at his son calmly, although it kind of irked him that he was looking so… dead. "Alright son. First things first. I eh… kind of forgot to tell you that you having a cover is necessary. Now let me explain. If you are wondering why I enrolled you and Maka-chan to this school, it is because you have a very important mission there as well."
"And what would that be, Lord Death?" Maka peered over Kid's shoulder and interrupted.
"Ah Maka-chan~! Now to continue, I enrolled you there because… You have someone to keep an eye on. You have a duty to protect that person. She belongs in a family called Ethridge. Particularly, Annise Ethridge."
"And what makes her important, father?" Kid asked, his eyebrow raised. "Oh! It is because she seems to be hunted down by a couple of witches that were in my wanted list. Apparently she has something that perks up their interest, in some ways. So all I wanted is for you to find out what the witches are after, and why they are after it. It would be best if you bring home a witch that is interested in her, or bring the girl here directly for some… interrogation. I believe she's around your age, reddish hair and eyes, and the most eye catching thing about her features is her unique necklace that she wears every day. I hope you get the description correctly, Kid. You know that I'm not really good at that. But beware, because she is hunted by witches, she might have a different appearance and name in the school to protect herself from harm."
"Okay father. What about our teammates? Are they going home or are they going to stay here?"
"Well, let's say that they are going to stay for the mean time. Then maybe after a week or so, they should be heading home. Is that all?"
"Yes father. That is all and have a good night."
"WAIT! WAIT! LET ME SPEAK TO MAKA-"
"Bye~! Goodnight~!"
The mirror died down and returned to its original state. Death stretched his arms and sighed deeply. Spirit asked, "Is that what you are forgetting? Telling them about the Ethridge family?" The shinigami turned to him and nodded lightly, before putting a finger under his chin. "But I still feel kind of different… Like something just cracked and went missing…" The death scythe narrowed his eyes and wiped the side of his face for no reason. "Do you want me to check the chambers and the fortress once again?" Death beamed at him and ushered Spirit to go outside. "Yep yep. Go ahead Spirit-kun!"
It has been a week since Zoraida's soul had been recovered, and now it was time for the weapons and Black Star to say goodbye. Maka hugged the girls tightly, before letting them go and stepping back. Kid was shaking hands with Black Star and Soul at the same time, just to satisfy his symmetry desire. The group went ahead and proceeded to the plane, stopping for a moment to wave. The engine then roared to life, and took off, leaving a trail of dust.
"Well… What now?" Maka asked. It was a beautiful and sunny Sunday, so they don't have classes and all. Kid looked at her and smirked. "What about lunch?"
Both meisters proceeded to a restaurant, Maka's eyes bulging at the designs of the building. They went inside and a fancy dressed waiter led them to a table near the window. Once they sat, Maka let a soft but long sigh escape her lips. "Kid… Kenjiro… Whatever I should call you, why are we here?" she hissed. Kid stared at her, his eyes blinked once, twice, before poking her forehead. "To have lunch of course." He said casually. "Yes! We are having lunch, but why in a five-star restaurant?" she whispered viciously. "The foods here are very expensive!"
Kid grinned at her then smirked. "You do know that money is not a problem for me, don't you, 'Shiko-chan?" Maka blushed and grumbled to herself. The waiter approached then with careful steps, treating the meisters like royalty. Maka's lips started to quiver with embarrassment, as she was not used to fancy services. She and Kid ordered, the scythe meister still unsure, and they watched the waiter's departing form.
"So…" Maka started, trying to make a decent conversation. Kid smiled at her and tucked a stay strand of hair behind her ear. Maka's cheeks reddened at his touch. "You know… We could consider this as a date. We need to make up for the lost time since we haven't been able to go out when our friends are here. Do you want to go somewhere after this? We could go see a movie if you want." Kid offered, grinning cheekily, his golden orbs twinkling with… mischief? Maka nodded at him, her blush becoming heavy, as she fiddled with her red plaid skirt. The waiter came and placed their order on the exquisite table.
Soul…
Liz stared at the demon scythe secretly, not noticing Tsubaki's knowing smile. The older pistol weapon had developed feelings for him, which she assumed started when both of them had a talk in the café. Liz bit her lip, and forced herself to look away. The fact that Soul had taken a liking to his meister hurt her deeply. That's why she decided to try and force this rather, unpleasant feeling out of her. It was just a simple crush, simple admiration… She was confident that it would pass away, like that emotion she secretly once had for Kid. For the mean time, she had to endure the pain of seeing someone you like admire someone else.
Tsubaki placed her hand gently above Liz's. The older Thompson was shaking uncontrollably, staring blankly at her hands. Liz looked at the chain sickle weapon (or chain scythe, whatever Tsubaki is) and faked a smile. Tsubaki frowned at this. She grabbed a bottle of water from her bag and handed it to Liz, who took it gratefully and began gulping its contents down until a lone drop was left. She looked to her left and saw Patty and Black Star snoring in their deep slumber. She smiled sincerely, and heaved a deep sigh.
Soul unconsciously glared at the passenger in front of him, gritting his shark-like teeth as ugly thoughts plagued his mind. The said passenger was shivering in fear and was very pale. The demon scythe then huffed to himself and cursed under his breath. One whole week of being in Japan, and his chances of telling Maka how he felt were gone until she comes back or they were to be called in again. He refused to tell her on phone, as it would be too, uncool. Soul grumbled and snatched a pack of chips from the flight attendant who passed by with a cart of treats.
Maka looked around the mall, eyeing each poster so that she would have ideas on what to watch. She decided that she would want to see a horror flick as she tugged on Kid's shirt. The young shinigami nodded at her and bought two tickets. The meisters then entered the dark and chilling atmosphere of the theatre. No lights were turned on, only the dim glow of the screen that was showing trailers for other movies. Maka spotted a seat exactly in the middle, and she grabbed Kid's hand and dragged him there.
The movie started with a surprise, a scary face appeared on the screen accompanied with the very chilling music, earning several gasps from the audiences. Maka bit her lip, restraining a squeal from being voiced out. She wasn't scared out of her wits like others, just surprised at the change of volume, from still, soft music, becoming a loud horrifying one. She looked to her right and saw that Kid didn't even flinch, and he was emotionless as his eyes were dull. She pouted at his lack of reaction, but noticed he was not looking at the screen, but to a girl nearby. She blinked her eyes, confusion taking over her as she looked at the said girl. She almost choked with her own saliva as she saw the one her fiancé was staring at.
Red hair, red eyes… Could she be? Maka stared wide eyed at the figure. The girl fit perfectly with Lord Death's description. At times when they were at school, the two of them would search endlessly for the girl. Both of them would disregard the looks, because of Death's warning about disguising. No, they were just looking for the rare and unique necklace of each student. So far, the meister's have already scanned half on the school's girl population, and they found no ornament. "S-she's the one!" Maka hissed. Kid could have been fooled too, but the first thing he did was look for the necklace. The girl wasn't even wearing any jewelry. But there was something different about her presence. Like she has some kind of magical aura… It was either she was a witch, or she was hiding the necklace that is supposed to have a special purpose, to which the meisters don't know yet.
"Then let's add her to the list of people who could be possibly Annise Ethridge." He murmured very softly, but loud enough for Maka to hear.
"Uhh… Mikage-san?"
Maka turned her head to the right to find the source of the voice. It was her shy classmate, Emi Matsunaga. "Hi Matsunaga-san. How are you?" Maka asked kindly. The girl fidgeted nervously and croaked out, "May I sit beside you?"
"Sure!"
Maka looked at Kid for approval and smiled when he nodded. The last thing she saw before fully focusing on the movie was a glint of gold…
I'm so sorry everyone! I won't be putting a chapter preview again. Also, I don't know when I'm going to update, since I've been very busy, especially with my mom who orders me around with chores.-sighs- Anyways, I would really appreciate reviews. Tell me what you think! ;D Again, I'm so sorry if I offended anyone! I am the type of person who avoids trouble, so I'm really bothered if someone hates me or something. Sorry! (Forgive my wrong spelling and grammar too! And if I overuse some words...) XD
