CHAPTER 9

A/N – Hello my dear readers! As usual, you have all my gratitude for the support you're constantly giving to my work, despite the fact that I relentlessly write the weirdest crap LOL. Indeed, last time I left you with a cliffhanger, which hopefully will be sorted out in today's chapter. But do you really think that our blonde will settle with what she's already got on her hands?... Hmm… A lot is at stake it seems, so what will she do? And the answer is…. NOT IMPORTANT, because the great Black Star will have plenty of screen time in this chapter and for that reason alone we should feel blessed in the ultimate god's presence! Or not… And also, more or less important, Kid and Maka will both show up in this chapter ;)


If he had been any less trained in his job, or any less...well... a shinigami, Kid would have certainly been both very upset and very frightened given the situation. But things being as they were, he was neither. Not classically upset anyway, more like increasingly fed up and disgusted with his mission. The young reaper sat up in bed - wincing in pain – and stared at the bandages covering his abdomen. There had been many more wounds, he was sure of it, but the gash in his stomach had not fully healed yet. How useless and absurd, and to think this was yet another of Prince Black Star's 'tests'.

Aside from the Clowns, it turned out that the Stars possessed another magic creature – called the Pharaoh of Anubis or something. The prince had ventured into the room where the Pharaoh was kept, although he had also previously mentioned that said creature was rather out of his control and potentially dangerous to his own safety. And the guard had had no choice but to follow him inside. Kid had seen nothing at first, other than some really peculiar ribbons (actually they were more like bandages) springing from a large, dusty brass sarcophagus which had appeared to be just for decoration. The ribbons had shot and captured Black Star, the prince instantly finding himself awkwardly suspended in the air and upside down. Kid had cut through the blasted things, freeing his charge, but more ribbons had shot from the sarcophagus, some morphing their ends into fists, spears and such and the young shinigami had been eventually disarmed and captured himself before being forcefully pulled inside the sarcophagus.

Once the brass door had slammed shut in his wake, everything had turned pitch black and Kid had found himself stuck and trussed up against something like a body. A malicious, unearthly voice had then warned him that the more he struggled against the bonds, the worse he would make things, before he felt a thousand needles piercing his flesh. Then had come the big one digging into his very stomach and he'd screamed in horror, while his last conscious thought had been the realization that the creature had begun feeding on him.

He'd woken up in his bed at the Temple a while later, to a very worried Chrona and a positively fuming Gur Kylee. On top of everything, after ascertaining that the occurrence had not been Kid's fault – as he'd done nothing to arouse his new master's anger – the fat priest had declared he would not rest until he ate the prince's liver for all the trouble he was constantly causing them. Kid for one had found Kylee's threat rather disturbing and had briefly wondered whether the Temple shinigamis would really consume human flesh.

But all that had been a few days before. Now he was at the palace again and had been apparently laying in a bed clearly not his own, in an entirely unfamiliar bedchamber. Where the hell am I? And it seems to be early morning… which means that last night I wasn't at the Temple… Shit! This is very, very bad!

The reaper knew he should not have done it, but he dropped back onto the soft pillows, sighing softly as he stared blankly at the decorations of the high ceiling. Hell would break loose any moment now.

"You're awake now, isn't that a relief?" a voice suddenly said, causing Kid to jolt upwards startled and nearly bump his forehead against the prince's. "Now, now, lie down. " Unexpectedly gentle hands pushed the reaper back against the pillows as he stared, a bit bewildered, causing Black Star to reach out and thread light fingers through his hair.

"W-what happened? Why am I here, Milord?"

The prince tsked. "During the council meeting yesterday… you fainted."

I fainted? Oh, fuck! Just what the-

"So I brought you here and let you rest. After all, I might have been an inconsiderate master to call you back to service so soon, while you weren't still fully recovered. You were still very weak and… last night you even cried in your sleep"

Black Star was still grinning like an idiot as he said it and the young shinigami just covered his face with his hands, much to his chagrin feeling dry tearstains on his cheeks. Cried in my sleep? What if I said something as well? What has he heard? Has he been watching me sleep? Just how fucked up is this?!

The prince snorted, his amusement obvious. "Of course, that was totally lame! But at least it proves to me that you're not just… not just another magic creature"

Kid removed his hands to suddenly see a serious expression on the blue haired boy's face now, as if he were unexpectedly pleased with his discovery. But it only lasted a few moments before his usual obnoxiously wide smile was back in place.

"At any rate," he went on, "Gur Kylee will be very pissed. I haven't said a word, but I bet Asura was more than pleased to report how you failed at your duty. I'm very much afraid he'll punish you, Kid"

On the contrary, I think he'll be very pleased to know I spent the night in your bed and that you took the trouble to watch over my sleep… The young reaper had a sudden feeling of self-loathing for making such calculations, yet he threw an arm over his face again, sighing dramatically. "The Clowns will eat me, there's no doubt!" he murmured. "He's found a reason to get rid of me and claim that his ward is the only one worthy of protecting you!"

"I don't want his fucking ward protecting me!" Black Star instantly shouted."I don't fucking want him anywhere near me!" Drawing a deep breath, the blue haired boy seemed to calm down as fast as his temper had flared and he rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. "The first time you accompanied me to the Arena, you had your first fight with Asura… Now, if I remember correctly, you called him a bastard and a half-breed. Mind explaining that to me?"

Asura's little story was no secret at the Temple, everybody knew and Gur Kylee was not making a fuss about it in any way, so Kid had assumed that the prince would know it too. Apparently it had been kept from him, though. The King's guard's 'dark secret' was that, unlike the other shinigamis - who were normally created from a fragment of their parent's soul, with or without the help of a mage – Asura had been born by a human woman. So yes, someone else other than the legendary Maximilian and Gala had broken the Ourouboros' law and they had duly suffered the same consequences. But Gur Kylee had begged for their half-breed baby to be spared and given in his care, as the Ourouboros would not allow him to create any children of his own. However, as he'd grown up, young Asura had known of his origins, especially of the noble blood his mother was said to have had and – even though he was illegitimate – he'd always been displeased at having to accept the fate of a mere servant.

"So, for that reason he would not serve me properly. Perhaps… he even thinks I'm below him. At any rate, it seems that your master Kylee is playing a losing game"

The young shinigami blinked – the prince's sudden display of careful logic was almost distressing. "W-what do you mean, Milord?"

But Black Star only grinned mysteriously as he stood up, walking away without another word.


Harthgor, one of the Stars' magic monsters was fighting today, but Kid had made a habit of carefully avoiding the sight of what was going on in the Arena. Everyone was watching, but his duty lied with watching over the prince so he had a good excuse to keep his eyes off the daily slaughter. Asura had promptly called him a coward for refusing to look, but today he couldn't care any less about Asura's insults. What the prince had said, on top of how pleased Gur Kylee indeed seemed to be of the situation, put him on edge. Just what was the game now?

"You probably want to know why I loathe him so," Black Star said, slowly sipping on his wine, eyes on the fight unfolding below, on the sand. "It must have been my fault, but I was curious at the time. See, at some point Asura seemed to fancy a boy of my court, so I randomly asked him what it is that he finds so appealing about other men"

The young shinigami resisted the impulse to look up in shock at the blue haired boy, instead continued to stare in his own lap, pale hands folded limply against the black fabric. Why the hell does he have to bring that up now? And his wife is here too… Asura was close too, possibly even within hearing range as well.

"What did he say, Milord?"

"Nothing. He tried to kiss me"


Get up! I must get up and make him pay for his mistake of having underestimated me!

Slowly, carefully, Maka pushed herself up and off the ground, willing to ignore the pain in her shoulder. Thankfully, it only looked like a bad wound, but didn't really feel like it. The battle axes she'd so recklessly thrown at the monster were nowhere in sight, but the blade of her sword gleamed in the sand nearby, easy enough to grab.

Harthgor was otherwise occupied, but the blonde shuddered in absolute horror seeing how he had multiplied – no doubt by means of magic – and was attacking Evans from all sides. And then the scythe boy fell, she saw him tossed to the ground and pushed around like a rag doll. Her breathing nearly stopped, but then the monster - undoubtedly now certain of victory - made a mistake, returning to his singular form. When she saw him lift his halberd to strike, Maka knew she had to act. Now!

The blonde shot forward, silently, sword raised, reaching Harthgor in the blink of an eye. She leapt upwards, literally climbing the monster's back and, before Harthgor could realize what was happening, her blade went under his chin and sliced his throat. And from that point on, everything turned into a bizarre, slow motion dream.

The monster collapsed on the blood splattered ground, causing her to roll down and off the carcass. Evans was still alive, but badly injured and his eyes were glazed and uncomprehending. Two servants of their House rushed to collect and carry him away as the audience screamed wildly, though only a faint, distant roar now reached her ears.


Training master Ox Ford was saying something. But what? She couldn't focus, not yet. A cup of ale had been shoved under her nose and she'd downed all of it in a few greedy gulps, barely aware of what she was doing. The King was pissed… no, he was intrigued. He wanted her to make another challenge next, fight another of his House. The King could not be defeated, no. They were never meant to survive this game. Ox was sorry, but Evans was already fucked up as it was, he could not be dragged out there unconscious. So it had to be her.


Maka ignored the light dizziness as she stepped under the gates again, back onto the white sand. It must have been the ale as much as the blood loss, but the wound wasn't serious – as Stein had said – and soon enough it wouldn't matter anymore. She was certain that after this one match Galiel would erase her father's debt. Or most of it, at least, so it was worth it. She had never been supposed to survive this day in the first place, so it would at least accomplish something. And bring the fulfillment of Evans' stupid challenge… not that will matter now

There was a wide grin on Prince Black Star's face as the blonde looked up to meet his gaze, he wasn't angry at the loss of his champion monster but clearly intrigued bordering amused. Like he'd found something interesting at last, stirring him from boredom.

"Well, Maka Albarn from the House of Galiel, you have defeated the King's champion," he spoke loudly, casually leaning over the railing of their balcony. "And so, knowing the ambitions of your master too well (laughter was heard in the crowd as he said that), like I said, we are giving you the right to make another challenge to the Star House. We have other magic monsters and other fighters for you to measure up against. But you can challenge anyone from this House really…" Black Star's grin widened even more as he went on. "You can even challenge me if you want!"

Maka gasped in surprise, she clearly hadn't expected the prince to offer himself for a fight in the Arena. Could he really be that reckless as to risk his life in a fight for public entertainment when he was the sole heir to the throne? It probably wasn't recklessness though, he looked strong and must have been a trained fighter. But she wasn't interested in him.

The blonde cleared her throat, willing her voice to steady so it wouldn't come out like a faint, pathetic squeak. "Your Highness, if I can really challenge anyone from your House, then I want to challenge… your shinigami guard"

A thick silence descended over the Arena as she spoke this, countless eyes widened in disbelief and mouths gaping in shock. The smile had momentarily slipped off even from the blue haired boy's face as he stared at her tiny frame.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I am a bit confused," Black Star spoke at last, mirth back in his turquoise eyes and humor in his voice. "You want to challenge who?"

"Your shinigami guard," Maka repeated firmly.

This time the prince was clearly amused and the audience had started chucking at the sight of him, no doubt. "Oh well, I was never one to refuse a woman, haha," he laughed. "So if you really, really, really want to challenge my shinigami guard, then by all means, knock yourself out!"

Now the amusement was general and Maka chewed nervously on her lower lip – it was true that she'd gotten what she'd wanted for the moment, but public humiliation wasn't so easy to put up with. Damn him!


Kid was motionless, staring at the almost petite blonde standing defiantly on the sand, two twin swords hanging on her tiny hips, not really knowing what to think of this. Ashen blond hair and bright green eyes, that almost surreal green… an Emerald. How could this be even possible? I thought Eibon was the last of them, the only one left. Does he know about this girl? Is she a bastard? She must be, otherwise she wouldn't have ended in this situation… The young reaper snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed his prince's gaze on him.

"Milord?"

"Make it interesting, Kid," Black Star said, dropping back in his seat and reaching for his cup. He sighed, rolling his eyes blatantly. "And no, I don't want you to kill her, just… tease her and knock her out"

The prince waved his hand and the Master of Ceremonies stepped forth, flailing his arms to silence the audience enough for his announcement to be audible.

"Maka Albarn of the House of Galiel will fight Prince Black Star's guard, in half an hour!"


"YOU STUPID FUCKING WHORE WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! Are you trying to bring doom over all of us?!" Ox Ford yelled, lunging forward and attempting to grab Maka, only to be stopped by a surprisingly calm Stein.

"It is a lost match anyway, Ox," he spoke gently, "She couldn't handle any of the other Star fighters on her own and in this condition anyway. So it makes no difference, really. Might as well be the prince's shinigami. Have some more ale and calm yourself"

The grey haired doctor took a final drag out of his cigarette as the training master walked away still grumbling and tossed it on the stone floor, glancing thoughtfully at the flickering bud about to go out. "Maka…" he said, not meeting her gaze, "I did not want to live to see this day"

To be continued