Yo sorry this took so long. I had a lot to do since the last update. 3 birthdays and holidays came up. I can't promise weekly updates anymore either, but I will try to have a consistent posting schedule.
As Kid rode along ahead of all the others, he looked around him. The area was in total ruin, with broken walls and fallen pillars and unidentifiable piles of stone. It was a relief to have a somewhat clear path ahead of him, however it did little to help with the stress he felt weighing down on him. It made the air feel heavier and distorted his thoughts ever so slightly.
Or, wait...the air did feel heavier, weighed down by the slightest increase of Madness that he could sense now. The feeling was uncomfortable at best and Kid shivered slightly before saying, "I can sense the Kishin's Madness..." He really was just talking to himself in an attempt to calm himself. It didn't work though and soon he swore he saw a shadowy figure ahead, and a thousand arms reaching out to pull him into the Madness.
A three eyed symbol that looked familiar to him flashed in front of his eyes and the air filled with red static. Then it was gone as quick as it came and the dark figure was back, only this time it was grinning a twisted white grin. Kid could feel his own breathing pick up and sweat start to drip down his face, but he couldn't get himself to look away. If he looked away the shadow would...would what? It was just a hallucination caused by the Madness, right? If anything, the shadow's grin widened and a calm, smooth voice echoed from all around, "Don't be scared my old friend. I will protect you."
"KID!" The boy jumped at the sudden shout that jolted him from the illusion and he glanced down at both of his weapons. Their reflections were looking up at him, Liz concerned and Patty a mix of concerned and curious. "Kid?" Patty asked, her concern winning out.
Liz also glanced up at him and asked, "Are you alright?"
Kid didn't answer for a moment, too busy wiping the sweat from his face and getting his breathing back to normal. He knew he wanted to say that, no, he wasn't alright. That what he'd seen was only half as scary as what he'd heard and felt. The oppressive, possessiveness he'd felt and the words that would normally make one feel safe but it sounded wrong and...he felt bad. He felt sorry for the Kishin's Meister if this was what he had to deal with, hell, the guy probably had seen worse from his partner.
"Kid...?" Liz asked again, and this time he actually answered.
"I..I'm fine. I've just never been this stressed before..." He lied, kicking his skateboard back into motion.
"You sure? I mean, um, you didn't look to good a little bit ago." His weapon persisted. Patty even nodded along in agreement.
"Yeah! You looked like you were gonna be sick!" The younger sister added. Kid just sighed and shook his head, not wanting to answer them. After they stopped the Kishin's revival he would tell them about what he'd seen.
"I'll tell you later, I promise. But right now we have to catch up to the witch with the black blood." He said, shivering again at the feel of Madness in the air. For a little while the weapons were quiet and it was beginning to make Kid nervous. The boy had to suppress a sigh of relief when Liz decided to speak up again.
"So Kid, if only the first Kishin arrived here then how come you can sense him?" The girl asked. The shinigami had to think about it but finally decided on what to say.
"To put it simply, or as simply as I can, father had flayed him alive and drained the blood from his body. Then he sealed Vajra's remains and his soul inside the bag fashioned from his skin. He only did so because the Kishin could not be killed, so he still has a soul. Does that make sense?" Kid explained.
"Yup~!" Patty chirped, though Kid wasn't entirely sure she did understand.
"Sure," Liz stated, "About as much sense as everything else in the world. And if his blood was drained, I guess the black blood is meant to replace it?"
"Probably." He stated, he was ready to add on to that, but suddenly Patty shouted.
"Kid! Heat source from behind!" Quickly, the shinigami swerved to the side, just in time to dodge the scorching blast aimed for his back. Kid lost his balance and landed hard on the ground, rolling to a stop. He gripped his weapons tightly so he wouldn't drop them, it would be bad if he lost them in this fight. The attack barely missed him as it tore its way mercilessly through the rubble in its path, obliterating everything. Liz and Patty both yelled, startled and worried they asked if he was okay.
Pushing himself up off the ground, Kid grimaced, but still answered his concerned partners. "I'm fine, but..." He looked around for a moment, then to himself said, "An attack from that distance? Where did it even come from?" Through the thick smoke, the boy could make out a shadowy figure. For a second, he thought he was hallucinating again, that it was the shadow he'd seen. But then he could see the obvious differences, specifically the more beastly figure like the claws on it's hands, the wolfish ears, the mane of fur...yes, it wasn't a hallucination. And soon enough the smoke had cleared almost entirely, revealing the the werewolf Free, with smoke streaming from his mouth. "Magic Canon."
With the appearance of the immortal, Kid quickly got to his feet. "...Is he really immortal? Hm, I'm an idiot...I was too focused on the Kishin's Madness, I almost got us hit." Taking a deep breath in an attempt to stay calm, he loosened his grip on his weapons to something more comfortable. He hadn't even realized he was holding onto them so tightly. Kid brought both his weapons up and fired at the wolf-man, yet the shots didn't seem to do any damage at all.
"Useless." Free said with a triumphant grin, made more unnerving by his inhuman features.
Kid frown in response, narrowing his eyes and glaring at the other. '...An immortal body...so space and time don't effect him? At any rate, I have only one chance to defeat him. I've got to take it...' Squaring his shoulders, the boy was ready to try again. 'Until now, I was completely overpowered...I must be faster! When I succeed, he won't be able to over power me again!'
With a slight growl, Free launched forward, claws splayed to rip and tear as he shouted, "This is the end!" Kid leaped back to avoid the attack coming at him, but one foot had barely touched the ground before the wolf-man was charging him again with another swipe. This time he had to flip backwards to get away, though he fired another round in mid air that still did nothing. Kid wasn't stupid, he knew the man had caught on to his plan already and was trying to force him to slow down. "I am immortal." Once he landed, he jumped back a few more times to put some distance between them.
"In that case...Liz! Patty!" The twin pistols glowed and expanded, the light crawling a bit up kids arms until both became cannons, and three spikes formed along each arm. "Soul Resonance: Executor mode." Kid aimed both cannons at the wolf-man.
"Resonance is stable...Noise at 1.8%..." The girls supplied helpfully. "Feedback in 5...4...3...2..."
Then Patty sang out, "One shoot, one~!"
"Death Cannon." The blast tore through the area to the wolf-man, obliterating everything in it's way. A thick black cloud was left in its' wake and the shinigami let out a sigh of relief when nothing seemed to move. He did not like immortals at all. "...All of this for you." Kid muttered as the weapons returned to their normal forms. But seemingly from nowhere, Free appeared in front of him. He quickly forced back a surprised Kid and put the boy on the defensive.
He put distance between the two of them as quickly as possible, anxiously watching Free in hopes of predicting the werewolf's next move. But the longer nothing happened, the more doubts and fears began to pile up. Kid could feel his hands shaking and breath quicken as his eyes darted about, landing on two halves of a broken pillar and sending his thoughts into overdrive as he tried to piece it together. 'How...how does it fit together...'
Kid's hand twitched as he glanced at the rubble again, and finally pointed at the pieces while saying, "Ah, yes! That's it! This pillar here and that one there form a bigger pillar! And..and that wall there came down...yes! Beautiful!" The boy threw a cautious glance back at the wolf man who watched him curiously, head tilted and ears up like he'd see some dogs do before. The innocuous action did little to help calm his nerves though, and he sank to his knees.
"I'm so wrong...now is not the time to think about this..." Kid took a deep breath then, but he was still sweating nervously and shivering. "But no...I can't seem to think normally..."
"Hey! C'mon Kid, everything's fine. Concentrate!" Liz told him, trying to get him to calm down. Patty also chimed in with a cheerful, 'yeah!'. It didn't seem to work though, even if Kid nodded and stood up again, he was still twitchy and anxious.
"Assembling puzzles, hah! I like that too! Prefer it actually." Free stated, and for a second Kid wondered if he was mocking him. To his surprise, the man seemed genuine in the statement that was accompanied by a fanged grin. Wow, he must be making things really awkward if the enemy was trying to reassure him.
"Shit...I'm so dumb..." The boy once again tried to focus on his opponent. Instead though, his thoughts drifted to a broken statue he saw. 'Shit..where...where is the missing piece of that statue...but wait... it's nose..wait, shut up! Idiot!'
"No, stop...this pillar...impossible...this part...this type..." Kid started sweating and his hands shook hard enough to rattle his weapons. A pulse of concern hit him from Liz as he slowly broke down over ruins, of all things. It was probably the mumbling that did it. But then Kid felt... something. A calming feeling that seemed to hit him from nowhere. At first he'd thought it was Liz or Patty, or maybe both. It took a moment to occur to him that it wasn't them, he knew their wavelengths and that didn't feel like theirs. It was a light and almost playful feeling, yet at the same time there was something darker, heavier...sinister. So who...?
Kid physically flinched away from the feeling, anxiety skyrocketing as the same voice from before echoed in his head. "It's alright my friend, you need to breathe. There is no need to panic." Liz was quick to ask what was wrong, but of course Kid just brushed her off with the promise to explain later. Now he was sure that somehow the Kishin was mistaking him for his dead partner. It explained why the voice referred to him as a friend at least.
It didn't make him feel any better though, in fact, Kid could think of a few problems it could cause. He didn't need to be hearing this voice on top of the stress from facing an immortal and the ruins that should fit together just fine but don't. He couldn't figure out why. Why was it so hard to think? Why couldn't he figure it out? The pillars, the statues, the walls, the immortal, the voice...it was wrong, so very wrong and he couldn't make it right. He wanted to make it right.
Kid tucked Liz under one arm and held his free hand to his head, letting in a high pitched whine. There was this ringing in his ears that wouldn't stop now. "Hahaha! What's the matter? Aren't you happy? We'll see each other again soon!"
"K-kid?! What's wrong?" Liz asked, startled by the sudden noise.
"Asura...?"
"Sis...what's wrong with Kid?" Patty asked her sister, worried about the boy. Sure she'd seen Kid freak out before, but this wasn't the same.
"I don't know Patty...maybe it's the Kishin's Madness." Liz replied. "I mean, he's already confusing himself so the Madness might be making him go crazy, little by little. If thats the case-"
"Relax my friend, or you'll hurt yourself."
"Shut up!" Kid shouted, and immediately Liz bristled.
"Excuse me?!" The girl shouted angrily, but she tried to brush it off when her Meister whined again.
Asura followed along behind Black Star, doing his best to keep up with the kid. He would admit that the boy's speed was impressive, especially for a human his age. Up ahead he could feel his brother and the boy's weapons, but they didn't seem to be going anywhere. Maybe they'd hit some kind of block? It wasn't an enemy, or one he could sense, that much he was sure of.
The boy didn't really ask him any questions, too keen on getting ahead, but he did keep glancing back to be sure Asura was still there. His weapon was the one to ask his name, and they started questioning him like Maka and Soul did before. So he sighed and said, "I would rather not repeat myself three times, so you will have to wait until we reach m...y-your friend." The last part was hastily corrected, and for a brief moment, he was afraid that they'd caught his slip up.
Black Star huffed in frustration on being denied an answer, but quickly got over it. They could hear some kind of ruckus ahead after all, and that probably meant something was going on. However, before bolting off into the next area, Black Star stopped and turned around. "Okay, listen, you stay here. Don't interfere with my fight!"
Asura just blinked and tilted his head, so Tsubaki spoke up her image on the small blade. "Dont worry, we'll be back once it's safe. I don't think you should fight again so soon after..." Her gaze flickered down to his ruined shirt, and he quickly pulled the cloak tightly to hide it.
"Wait..."
"Alright! Let's go Tsubaki!" The ninja shouted, throwing one fist into the air and taking off towards the sounds. Asura reached out to him but the boy was gone, leaving him alone in the hall. He followed after them though, because there didn't seem to be an enemy with his brother. He couldn't sense one anyway.
So he followed and soon he could feel the air weighing down with Madness so thick he felt like gagging. It was a familiar feeling, though in no way comforting. His own Madness wavelength spiked suddenly and all he felt was shear terror. Shaking and gasping, folding his arms tightly around his body as the Madness induced fear slowly subsided to a more bearable flow. It was then that he'd realized it acted as a barrier between Vajra's Madness, rejecting the foreign feeling as if it were a disease.
But it was a double edged sword, he figured. His own Madness protected him from Vajra's, but it weighed heavy on his mind, clawing for more control he wasn't willing to give. Asura was scared of going mad, scared of becoming like Vajra. If he did, he'd be hated and hunted and probably killed and he didn't want to be scared of that. So he worked to suppress the last of his Madness wavelength, shuddered at the suffocating weight of Vajra's Madness, and continued after Black Star and Tsubaki.
He crouched behind the remains of what looked like a wall, cautiously peeking over it to see the the ninja and his brother shouting at each other. He flinched back at the noise and ducked his head behind the ruins. Then Black Star said something that got his attention. "AND YOU! WHO'RE YOU?!"
Asura peeked up over the wall again and this time he caught sight of the werewolf. But still, there was no soul in him when he focused with his soul perception. Was that an illusion? Should he say something? He wasn't sure and he didn't want to get involved right then anyway, so he ducked down again and leaned against the wall. He would just sit and listen for now so Black Star wouldn't get angry at him for interfering like the boy told him not to do.
Liz sighed in relief as both of the boys turned to face Free now. 'We got lucky...now Kid's back to normal and we can take out this werewolf.' The girl thought, though out loud she said, "Fighting this opponent...ah? Look Kid. He's uncomfortable on his left foot!"
"Huh?! Seriously, who is this guy?" Kid said, shaking his head. The Kishinn's Madness seemed to back off some, but Kid could almost feel it clinging to him still. But that was now more incentive to beat this guy and stop the Kishin's revival.
"Who cares?!" Black Star shouted, grinning wildly as he sprinted towards the werewolf. "I'm gonna beat this guy up! Tsubaki!"
"Right!"
"Black Star! We're teaming up." Kid called after his friend.
Asura sighed. This would take a while he figured, since it seems Kid hasn't thought of using his soul perception yet. He should probably say something but...Black Star might get mad at him for ruining the fight. And what if Kid got mad too?
Cautiously he shifted until he was on his knees again to peek over the wall again. Black Star charged the werewolf with surprising speed, taking the man off guard and forcing him to dodge. However it wasn't enough and one of the attacks landed, or rather phased through the wolf man's body. Black Star didn't seem to notice, but the surprised spike in Kid's wavelength showed he did. Good, Kid could handle that then.
It was a relief to know he would not have to interfere. He was not expecting the man to turn back into his human form at all though and he could admit that he'd stared at the man for a good few minutes. He kind of reminded Asura of his old partner, at least in physical stature. And then his brother had to walk right through the illusion, stopping for a brief moment before continuing on. Black Star made to follow after his friend, but Tsubaki spoke up.
"Black Star! What about that boy? We can't leave him, remember what Maka said!" The boy stopped mid stride and blinked at that, glancing behind him and then at Kid.
"Oh, right! Hey Kid! Wait up a sec!" He called out, giving the dark haired boy no time to respond before he took off back the way he'd come from. Black Star almost passed the older Reaper, but Tsubaki had pointed him out when they'd approached and he skidded to a stop. "Hey! What're ya doing here? I know we left you farther back." Asura wasn't sure how to answer that, though he really didn't get the chance as the boy grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Ah well, it doesn't matter! C'mon, we got a Kishin to stop! WOO!"
"Wha...Black Star! Stop pulling him like that!" Tsubaki said, though it was obvious her meister wasn't listening. "I'm so sorry about this! Black Star can be a bit rough with other people." Asura only nodded, having spent a long time with someone like that made it easier to deal with. Once they reached Kid though, he immediately felt uncomfortable under his brother's scrutinizing gaze.
"So...you made it through instead of Maka then?" Kid questioned, and Asura could only nod in response as he couldn't seem to find his voice. He started fidgeting with the edge of his shirt, wringing the cloth in his hands before he realized he was wringing the blood from his clothes. Then he stopped.
Thankfully Tsubaki seemed to pick up on his anxiety as she said, "Kid, Maka and Soul asked us to bring him to you. Said he might have information on the Kishin that could help us if he revives." When the boy glanced back at him, Asura nodded and tried to offer a sincere smile. He wasn't sure it worked though, considering how his nerves were shot at the moment.
"Yeah, and Maka called him 'Asura' too." Black Star added, almost thoughtlessly. Kid however, looked incredibly surprised, his mouth open as he glanced between the weapon and Asura. The older shinigami only nodded again.
"Wait...if you are Asura...why...how are you here? Shouldn't you be dead?!" Asura flinched when Kid shouted the last part. Immediately the younger boy apologized. "I'm sorry it's just...are you immortal then?" The older boy made a 'so-so' motion with his hand, only to hide it in his cloak again when he saw the drying blood on it.
"Um...yes?...sort of..? I'm sorry for not saying anything earlier, I wasn't s-sure how to..." Asura trailed off, and started walking towards where he could sense the witch and werewolf. Kid summoned his skateboard again and quickly adjusted the pace so he was walking beside the other. It struck the older boy as strange when he was in such a hurry before, but then he would admit that he felt some kind of tug towards his brother now that they were so close. Perhaps it had to do with being fragments? Could Kid feel it too? He wasn't sure.
"Hey! Don't forget about me!" Black Star called, falling into step at Asura's other side. "So, about that Kishin...not that I'd need help defeating him, being the star I am, but Kid might need to know a weakness."
Asura nodded as he took a deep breath and said, "I don't know how much Vajra's abilities have changed since he became a Kishin...but I think he still relies heavily on runes. A type of written magic, it's very old but effective. He was a human among gods, so he used them to enhance his strength and durability...by carving them into his skin..."
Asura shivered at the memory of the first time he'd seen them. He'd accidentally walked in on his friend changing, but instead of leaving he'd just stood, staring at the pale scars and some fresher red cuts that he recognized as runes. Vajra had only brushed him off with a jab at Asura, 'What is it my friend? See something you like?'. And of course he'd left, blushing red and complaining quietly about the man being inappropriate instead of questioning him about the runes.
When Kid cleared his throat at the extended silence, the older Reaper continued, "Ah, um, and Vajra's Madness causes hallucinations. They vary, but s-sometimes...um, I don't like them...I had one too many where I was s-saved or...or I escaped..." Asura shook his head quickly, trying to focus. "And he's a weapon so watch out for a partial transformation. Oh, but he is kind of over dramatic sometimes, and very cocky. Um, if he does revive...I-I won't stay around..."
"What why?! Aren't you like, really strong?" Black Star asked and Asura only shrugged. He wasn't sure if he should mention he couldn't use any reaper magics at the moment. Fighting witches would be more difficult too if it were just hand to hand combat. Thankfully he didn't need to worry, as the temple was right ahead and both Kid and Black Star took off ahead, Kid at least tossing a 'Thank You' in his direction as he left. Asura trailed behind them, skeptical about getting closer with the Madness hanging so thickly in the air. If it's so bad outside the building, what would it be like inside? Surely there were some kind of seals restricting the worst of the Madness so it wouldn't spread and affect the humans of the city.
He leaned around the open door in time to see the younger boys catching up with the enemy on the other end of the hall and carefully edged inside. The first thing he did was duck behind the nearest pillar to watch the fight. However, the longer he stood there the heavier the air felt, until he was sure the Madness was starting to condense around him. As the realization dawned that somehow Vajra recognized him, even in the state he was, Asura began to panic.
Quickly, he turned to flee far away from the temple, from the Madness, from Vajra. But Asura didn't even make it to the door before the feeling changed from heavy and suffocating, to gentle, lulling, a trick to make one stay and sleep. And he couldn't resist the pull anymore, not with his tired mind and aching body. Before he could resist, his eyes were closing and the voices of his brother and Black Star were drowned out by Vajra's eerily gentle words echoing in his head, "Good night and sweet dreams my Asura~ I will see you soon."
Asura jolted awake, a strangled scream escaping his throat and when he tried to sit up, he felt something tighten around his waist. Immediately, he tried to twist and squirm away unsure of who it was who had him. Then a voice spoke up, one that sent chills down his spine. "Ah...'Sura, it's not even morning yet...go back to sleep..." The Reaper gasped in shock and, after a brief pause, resumed struggling desperately. He felt his elbow slam into something behind him and the pained groan from the man, no monster, behind him.
Now free Asura scrambled backwards, yelping in fear as he fell back. It wasn't until he hit the hardwood floor that he realized how soft the ground was before...and how little his body hurt and how his mind wasn't weighed down with the feel of Madness...what was going on? Lifting his head, he could see a simple oak dresser at the far wall and a book shelf packed with books. In front of him was a large, queen-sized bed. And it was there that the last person he wanted to see was kneeling, hands on the edge of the bed, his bed he realized.
Vajra's dark eyes gleamed with worry Asura hadn't seen in literal ages as he sat back on his heels, hands held up above his head to show he was unarmed. There was no Madness in his eyes, no deranged smile. It was just... Vajra. The one he knew before he went mad.
"Asura? Are you alright my friend? Did you have another nightmare?" The dark skinned man asked, running a hand through his long, dark brown -almost black really but not quite like his own- hair. He wore no armor nor the black pants or red tunic Asura was most familiar with. Instead, he was dressed in a blue nightshirt and loose fitting brown pants. Asura blinked, confused as his mind tried to wrap around what he was seeing. Soon he realized he too was dressed like Vajra, though as usual he wore black and red, and his confusion increased. Wasn't he just fighting witches who were trying to resurrect the Kishin...?
Yes! He was! His brother was there! And the boy who wanted to surpass god and the scythe Meister with the odd soul. And her weapon, the albino boy named...named...what...what was his name? Actually, what was her name? And the ninja's, and the weapons...what was his brother's name? What was going on? Why couldn't he remember?
Vajra reached out to him slowly as he climbed down from the bed. "Hey...'Sura? You okay? You look a little out of sorts. Was it the nightmare?" His friend asked, carefully reaching out to take the shinigami's hand in his own. Asura immediately reeled back, but he couldn't think of why he would. This was Vajra, right? His oldest friend, his only friend really since the other warriors didn't seem to trust him. Vajra was the only one he could trust. Thankfully Vajra didn't seem to be bothered by the action, he only reached out once more and took his Meister's hand.
Asura was gently pulled to his feet by the other man, who smiled softly as he placed his free hand on the Reaper's shoulder to help steady him. Then he carefully pulled his friend back to the bed, where he laid down right away and pulled him down too. "So...was it a nightmare?" Vajra asked, and Asura nodded. "Ah, my friend, you don't want to tell me? It helps to share them you know...well, so I've heard anyway."
"...I...um, I-I-I don't...I don't really remember it well..." Asura said, trailing off as he curled up beside his friend. "I...um, there was a Kishin...not like those kishin eggs we've hunted, a-a real Kishin..."
"Oh? How strange, what did it look like my friend? I have to wonder as I've never seen one." Vajra asked, propping his head up with his arm and waiting patiently, fully intent on humoring his friend. At first Asura said nothing, biting his lip nervously as he tried to recall.
"I...didn't see it. But it was strange...the Kishin was someone we know...I don't remember who." The Reaper said, shuddering at the thought. Kishin eggs were ugly things, and he would openly admit that he hated them. But the idea of a real Kishin...if lesser ones were so monstrous, what would a true Kishin be like. He didn't want to think about it anymore, but it seemed like the thought wouldn't leave him be. Who was the Kishin again? Why did it seem so important? "Oh! But...I, uh...I had a brother in that dream! A younger brother...and he was friends with some odd people. Um...there was a man covered in stitches and a blue-haired ninja who wants to be better than gods. And Medusa Gorgon was there too, and a werewolf...that's all I remember."
Vajra chuckled, and his Meister had to smile at that. "Sounds pretty strange alright! I think you should lay off the sweets before bed though. I swear the weirdest dreams you have are after you've had sugar. Might help cut back on the nightmares too." The darker man lectured, as if he hadn't been caught raiding the pantry every time alongside Asura. Hell, it was usually his idea anyway. Asura made to argue that point, but Vajra just tucked one arm around him again, laid his head down, and closed his eyes. He was obviously intending to go back to sleep. However, the young shinigami couldn't seem to do the same, an uncomfortable, nagging feeling growing in his head. Something just wasn't right.
Vajra sighed when he wouldn't settle, saying, "Asu, it's late. Go to sleep okay." The tightening of the arm around his waist seemed almost like a warning, and he knew for sure that Vajra could be an impatient man sometimes. But it set off more alarms in his head and he was scared. Not overwhelmingly so, but still there and steadily increasing the more Vajra seemed upset with him and his restlessness. "Asura. Stop it." He was frowning now, eyes open but narrowed in a glare. There was a spike in fear then and a sense of danger that had to be learned. Vajra would hurt him. He'd done it before...hadn't he? Either way he didn't want to know what might happen.
Asura tried to pry himself free again, frantically clawing at the arm pinning him down to no avail. Finally Vajra seemed fed up with him and removed his arm only for two large hands to clamp down tight on the frightened Reaper's shoulders. Asura was forced to lay with Vajra kneeling over him and it was then that the scene flickered before his eyes, he realized what was happening. Back and forth it went, again and again until finally settling on the newer one. The dark, old temple was hauntingly familiar and the scene now...oh god, not again!
Vajra straddling his waist while countless stone soldiers hovered around them, weapons drawn. There were rune-bands around his wrist, but he barely noticed as he was too busy clawing at the hand on his throat. He couldn't tell what was going on entirely, what had happened? Hadn't Vajra been hurt? He was...Vajra...attacked him...hit him in the head with something, he could feel the blood dripping down his face. "...Vajra? W-wha...what are you-!?"
The hand at his throat tightened painfully, and Vajra smiled a twisted grin that stretched farther than humanly possible. There was a demented gleam in his friend's eyes, the look of Madness. "Vaj...ra...s-stop...Can't...breathe..."
"Aww, I'm so sorry 'Sura~. I don't want to do this you know, but I know you wouldn't have gone along with this and I can't protect you like I promised if you keep running out into danger~. I know you must be scared and I know I said I wouldn't ever hurt you, but exceptions can be made when it's for your own good my friend." The hand loosened up just a bit, but Asura could tell his voice was wrong then. Vajra had never sounded so...so hollow, even if he tried to cover it with a cheery tone.
"Let me go Vajra...please..."
"Sorry, can't do that. Good night my little Reaper friend~" That was the moment he noticed Vajra's free hand raised, a large piece of stone rubble clutched tightly in his hand. Asura struggle more as soon as he saw it, knowing full well the intent was to bash his head in. He kicked, clawed, and screamed out, thrashing every which way and trying to push all his strength into every move. He'd managed to throw Vajra off balance, but almost immediately the stone was brought down as hard as his attacker could swing it. The splitting pain tore a blood curdling scream from him and he laid still, whimpering and shaking while the stars cleared from his eyes. "I'd hold still my friend, it will be quicker that way. 'Course If you do keep that up, I get bragging rights! A human who managed to get a god beneath him, squirming and begging. Most people will probably misunderstand, but hey, we'll have a lot more free time soon, something like that could happen you know."
"N-no...please...I want to go home...let's go home Vajra...I-I won't tell father...I p-promise..." He tried begging again, tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes. This wasn't happening, it wasn't real. But he was so scared and he couldn't breathe, could barely think, he wanted to be home. Home with father and Eibon and Excalibur and the rest, because home was safe. Being home meant he would be safe, surrounded by the other warriors who would be able to sense if Vajra tried to hurt him again. "It'll be like this never happened! I swear! We'll go on missions together again and you can protect me!"
Vajra just shook his head slowly and raised the stone again. The tears flowed then, and Asura was sure Vajra was too deep in Madness if he hadn't stopped yet. A choked sob escaped the trapped boy that was soon followed by another shriek as the second blow connected with his temple, sending waves of searing pain through his body that left him writhing on the floor. It didn't stop there either, as Vajra's arm rose for a third time. "N-no...NO MORE! STOP! PLEASE! F-FATHER! FATHER HELP ME! PLEASE, IT HURTS! IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HUR-" The third blow shut him up but he still whimpered and cried softly, hoping somehow Vajra would come to his senses and stop. He didn't even see the fourth coming, but after that he stopped struggling. They came faster then, five, six, seven, and by the time it was up to twelve, he was internally cursing his reaper heritage and subsequent resilience.
The thirteenth, and final blow, never landed though. Instead Asura woke upon the stone floor of the Soul Sanctuary, with sweat pouring down his face and his breath coming in short, quiet gasps. It took a moment or two to stop his shaking, but Asura was glad when it stopped. Red eyes, wide with terror, scanned the area after he'd pushed himself up. At the end of the hall he could see the witch and the werewolf, as well as Kid, Black Star, and their of them focused on what was in front of them. Hanging in chains from the sealing before a twisted and recently ruined statue was a sack of some kind, colored in dark brown with pale rune looking scars crisscrossing the surface. 'Vajra...what happened to you?'
But he quickly came to notice the little things in the scene before him. Kid's lowered weapons and his shaky hands. How wide his eyes looked and how pale he seemed. Black Star tense and ready to fight. The werewolf didn't seem to care much, but the witch that was there knelt before the bag and stared. And past her was an empty needle stuck into what remained of Vajra. It seemed like they had lost, the Kishin would revive soon.
...How fast could he run away, Asura wondered. Probably not fast enough, but it was worth a try.
Next chapter: Vajra's back baby!
