Author's Note:
Wow, when I first put out chapter, I immediately got two reviews for it. Two! That's so awesome! Buuuuuuuu~t…I still want more. Heehee! I'm evil. Well, I wanna thank OMGILoveToOmNomNoms for being the first reviewer! And also the anonymous reviewer Akira *cough*Joelle*cough*, I'm glad you liked Joelle being a more prominent character. I noticed that I wasn't really getting into her person that much, and I felt bad, so I'm going to try and make her an even better character! Okay, enough of my ranting, enjoy!
Disclaimer:
I no own anything beside my ideas and OC's…yep, that's it… I don't own the song "Drama Queen" by Family Force 5, Woody from Toy Story, or the Gibb's slap from N.C.I.S….
Chapter Nine: Revelations
The ball hit the pavement and gravel spewed upward, creating a small cloud of dust. Sadly, the cute little cloud had only a few short moments to live, before my foot came crashing down on top of it, as I soared towards the goal post, ready to make the final point to end the game.
We'd been playing basket ball for a good three hours now, and both warring sides were exhausted. The game had been really close, and this last point would decide the victor. Nothing else mattered to me but winning, because telling Spirit I loved him, no matter that it wasn't real and only a bet, was just plain creepy. And there's no telling what could happen…I shudder just thinking about it…
"Soul, block her!" cried Black Star, who was just now getting up off the ground from the place he'd landed. He'd tripped right as Joelle flew by him.
Joelle, who was looking a little too innocent right now, made to block Soul. He was running towards me, determined to take the ball from me.
Joelle easily mimicked Soul's moves, so there was no way for him to get, virtually, anywhere near me. Joelle turned her head and winked at me before going back to blocking an extremely frustrated Soul.
Wait…she winked…meaning…! That was the signal! The freaking signal!
You see, before we started the game, Joelle, Kid, and I came up with certain hand motions and facial movements to mean certain things to do in a play. Winking? That meant something along the lines of 'this is the end! Shoot the basket! NOW!'.
Smirking, I did a sideways glance at Kid, who had been keeping up with me easily the whole way. He was looking at me through his peripheral vision, though still keeping a look-out for surprise attacks.
I winked, and his eyes grew wide before he winked back, letting me know he'd understood.
I smiled, though I hid it from the opposing team, and made like I was going to shoot. Immediately, Tsubaki rushed up to block me, and the fact that she was so immensely tall meant she would probably have no trouble doing so. Hehe, except I tossed it sideways to Kid, while still looking Tsubaki in the eye. Her eyes widened slightly, before traveling over to Kid's form as he caught the ball and made his way to the basket.
I stared in awe as Kid propelled up from the ground, lifted his long, graceful limbs above his head, before flicking his thin wrists and shooting the ball into the hoop.
The ball hit the backboard and rolled precariously on the edge of the rim. Almost as if it were contemplating to fall off. Lazily it swirled around the rim. How many times it circled, I don't think anyone knows. I watched it, dazed, as it slowly made it's way around the hoop, before falling in. We all stared as it hit the ground, jumped up a few times from the impact, and then rolled a few feet before stopping completely.
We had won.
"Yes! Game over! Us - 21, you - 19!" I whooped, while high-fiving Joelle. She was currently doing a victorious, happy dance. You go girl!
I heard groans from the guys on Black Star's team, and a soft sigh from Tsubaki. I couldn't help the satisfied grin that spread across my face at the fact I'd just beat my favorite anime characters of all time at basketball. Giggling into my palm, I saw Kid walk up to me, before smirking that little smirk he smirks when he feels smirky.
…I think I may be a little tired…
I smirked back at him, and lifted my hand up for a high-five expectantly.
But he didn't make any kind of move towards it. No, he just kept staring at me.
I figured he'd just seen a strand of hair out of place on my head, so I reached the hand that wasn't currently raised in a high-five up and checked for any oddities. Feeling none, I looked to Kid in confusion, cocking my head to the side in a question.
My gaze seemed to snap him out of whatever daze he'd been in. He blinked once, slightly startled, before his cheeks went the softest shade of pink. Looking away quickly, he fidgeted with the collar of his shirt before peeking at me out of the corner of his eyes.
"Uh…" I stared up at him dumbly, completely at a loss as to what he was doing. My hand was still raised awkwardly in the air, feeling completely neglected.
Seemingly tired of being embarrassed, -embarrassed of what, I have no idea…- he finally reached out and high-fived me.
I was still fumbling through the recesses of my mind, trying to grasp for an explanation as to why Kid was acting so weird. Deciding it'd be better to freak out later and rejoice in our victory now, I smiled up at him.
This only seemed to make him blush even more.
Confused, I made a mental note to ask Joelle about his odd behaviour. I mean, it came out of freaking NOWHERE!
My mind was beginning to wonder why he was acting this way, so hesitant and…odd. He avoided my gaze, kept fidgetting with his clothes, and even when we did look directly at each others eyes, he'd quickly look the other way, while blushing. Again.
W-wait…was he avoiding me…because he doesn't like me? Was he just being polite before? I was thinking we were becoming friends, hopefully close friends -fangirling that even more might happen…but that was really only a fantasy-, but in reality, he was just trying to be polite, and he'd finally had enough of faking friendship with me? …Had he just been tolerating me this whole time? Couldn't even stand the sight of me anymore?
I could feel the sting in my eyes, the tell-tale sign that I was about to cry.
Before my thoughts could get any farther out of hand, or my eyes to actually tear up, Joelle burst in and wrapped her arms around my neck, effectively breaking me out of my mind's evil depths of…evil.
"Hey! Sara! We won!" cried Joelle happily, oblivious to my inner turmoil. She soon felt something was off, and questioned me with her eyes. I patted her arms around my neck, and mouthed 'I'll tell you later' to her, before forgetting all my screwed up thoughts, and turned back to bask in the glow of pure VICTORY!
Grinning up at her happily, I nodded, before whooping loudly. Then, suddenly regaining the evil glint to my eyes, I let my now icy blue eyes land on Black Star, who was currently glaring daggers at the basket ball. It had landed right by his feet, as if mocking his loss with it's closeness.
"Oh Black Star~" I called, my voice filled with sadistic glee.
At the sound of my voice, Black Star froze, then nervously turned his head to face me, a look of pure terror adorning his features.
"W-what…?" he stuttered back, trying to play dumb. His eyes were darting back and forth, desperately trying to avoid my intense gaze. He soon succumbed and his eyes flickered briefly to mine, before widening in fear. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't tear his eyes away from mine, no matter how hard he tried.
I smiled, a completely normal, innocent smile -compared to the one I adorned just moments before- and said with all the sweetness and cuteness I could muster, "Heehee, since you lost, you have to do the punishment, ne? Heehee, I can't wait~!"
Black Star froze in shock, before immediately passing out.
He was such a drama queen…
"~Oh, snap! Some friend you are to me, Ms. Personality, are you blind to see, you're sucha DRAMA QUEEN!~" I sang out suddenly, effectively scaring the crap out of everybody. I just had an urge to burst out into song, is that so wrong?
"~You're so dramatic, you're so dramatic! Fresh off the choppin' block! You cut me deep, and it hurts a lot! You hit me wit yo best shot! And never gave a second thought! That's too much drama for me mama!" I continued on, now swinging my hips to the beat. My arms thrashed wildly, in a random beat.
…I can't dance…BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO STOP ME!
"~Why do you like to stir it, when I am near you throw fits! You cry oh me, me, me! Ain't you got no decency? You dish it, I-I take it! I wish you'd just stop fakin'~ In your mind your grass is green, but I know youse a drama queeeeee-" I was abruptly cut off by Joelle, who clamped her hand over my mouth.
Once she was sure I wasn't going to break out into song again, she let go, albeit warily.
"Aw! I was just getting to the good part! You know I love that song!" I pouted, giving her my best puppy-dog eyes.
Unfazed, Joelle smacked me upside the head, before giving me a disapproving look. "Sara, you know better than to break out into spontaneous song without giving me fair warning first! If I'd known, I would have joined, but NOOOO, you just left me out. And besides, you've just scarred everyone for life!" she reprimanded me.
If I'd had dog ears right then, they would have drooped in shame.
Pouting, I gave her a timid apology, before smirking and adding a, "Well, it scarred everyone but Black Star, seeing as he's still passed out right now." That comment only succeeded in getting me another Gibb's slap.
"Ow! Dang it, Joelle, those things hurt! Man, you don't have to be so rough-," I started, while rubbing the spot on my head that she'd wacked, before looking up at her.
The reason I'd stopped was because Joelle had her hand raised menacingly, her middle finger pressed down by her thumb. The form for flicking.
She was grinning down at me, but it looked demented and creepy from my point of view, since only I knew what damage her flick could cause.
"N-Now, Joelle, no n-need to be hasty… P-put down your hand… N-no…no, don't come any closer…k-keep THAT HAND AWAY FROM MEE!" I screamed. Before anybody could question my odd behavior, I just up and ran like a bat out of…that hot place…towards Kid, who was watching our little scuffle with amusement, as was everyone else.
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! HELP ME! HER FLICK IS DEADLY! LETHAL! IT CAN KILL! SHE'S KILLED A COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF INSECTS WITH HER FLICK! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! …BUT HELP ME FIRST!" I yelled out in panic while frantically waving my arms around, trying to get the poor saps to understand the gravity of the situation. If they kept standing there like a bunch of idiots, they'd be sitting ducks.
Doomed.
They seemed unimpressed, but fear began to spring up in their eyes as Joelle approached…and boy did she "approach" fast.
Kid seemed to, finally, get the urgency of the situation, because he turned and started running too…but not before letting me catch up. Huh. I'll have to add that to the list of weird things Kid's been doing lately, cause he'd been doing quite a lot.
Well, getting back to the more pressing matters, I was now currently "running like the wind, Bullseye!", as Woody always said, along with Kid. He was keeping up with me well, but, to our dismay, so was Joelle, and she looked fully intent on catching up to us, no matter how long it took.
I looked to Kid, pleading at him with my eyes, begging him to have a plan. He just looked back at me, his eyes showing his hopelessness to the situation at hand. I was losing hope to, and fast. If Joelle caught up with us, we'd be goners.
By this time -it'd been about thirty minutes since Joelle started chasing us- Kid and I had made it past the park, and were now inside the DWMA building. As we rushed down hallways, crashed through rooms, and dashed past assorted students and staff, we finally made it away from Joelle by running into the tunnels below the academy. Luckily, Joelle didn't see us make the abrupt turn into the stairway that led underground. She only rushed past, not seeing mine and Kid's shaking forms hidden in the darkness.
Letting out a relieved sigh as she passed, we decided it'd be best to hide in the underground tunnels for a while.
We walked in comfortable silence, mostly fueled by the relief that Joelle wasn't hot on our trails anymore and the fact that we could relax.
After the three hour long basketball game and thirty minute chase, both Kid and I were spent. Really, I was NOT made to do this much physical activity in one day. It's just not natural.
I trailed my hand lazily across the stone walls, feeling the smooth texture with my fingertips. The coldness the tunnel gave off felt nice on my heated skin.
I let my mind wander, feeling the need for a mental break. I thought of how there was not only Joelle after Kid and I, but Liz and Patty, too. I chuckled at the thought that there were now three demented girls chasing after us.
Kid looked up at the sound, giving me a questioning quirk of his brows. How he managed to keep his expression symmetrical, I'll never know.
"Heh, well, I just noticed how Joelle isn't the only one after us," As I said this, Kid tilted his head to the side, totally not getting it. I giggled into my palm, before explaining. "Liz and Patty, remember? This morning?"
The reminder made him laugh. It was joyous and carefree. It was nice, just us, all alone, enjoying a moment from our shared memories. I thought again of how wonderful it was, to be here with everyone. I realized how I never wanted it to end.
Wait, 'never wanted it to end'? Meaning, I don't want to ever go back home?
And with a start, I realized that I'd never thought of how we were going to get back home…
But I didn't want to go home…. At least, not yet.
I was having too much fun here, and this place is where I've always wanted to be. At home, I always felt like an outsider, like I didn't belong.
I know that sounded cliché, but it's true! Even with my own family, I didn't feel complete there. I always felt as if something were missing. Even with Joelle, there was that same sense of emptiness. Don't get me wrong, she is MOST DEFINITELY my BEST FRIEND, FOR LIFE! I just never felt like I belonged anywhere, not even when she's with me.
But here. Here I feel…whole.
Spending time with everyone has taught me that…to me, this is home.
Stein's manic laugh and dull tone. Spirit's womanizing and doting father image. Liz and Patty's antics. Black Star and Tsubaki's smiles and laughter. Soul's toothy grin. Maka's love of books. Shinigami-sama's childishness that covers his tough, warrior self. And Kid's…everything.
And then, as if this were a time for revelations, I knew. It wasn't just a fan girl crush, or puppy love. Nope.
In the words of Stephanie Meyer, "I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him"
From his love of symmetry, to his Shinigami lineage. His cool black suit, his white striped black hair, the confident air about him…. Everything.
That's right folks. I'm in love with Death the Kid.
We were still wandering the cool and dark corridors in the bowels -I've always wanted to say that- of the DWMA, when I heard the shuffling of feet from the hallway to my right. Pausing, I inclined my head toward the sound. Kid stopped with me, seeing as he had also heard the sound.
Everything went silent, and I was beginning to think that we had just been imagining things, when I heard it.
Whispers.
Kid and I creeped along the hallway, towards the muffled voices.
It got louder and louder as we walked, when suddenly, we came to a door.
I sent a puzzled look to Kid, momentarily confused as to what the door was for. There was something familiar about this setting…
Wait…didn't…Crona live down here?
"You little dummy! …Crona, I'm bored! What are you going to do about it? Huh?" cried an annoying, shrill voice from behind the door. The sound of blows being delt could clearly be heard through thick wood.
Ragnarok.
"Ow! Stop it! Your hitting my head and it hurts! Stop! I don't know how to deal with this kind of situation!"
Crona.
Kid and I shared an equally exasperated look. Sighing, I turned the knob and gently pushed the door forward.
And there they were. Crona, who was laying on the ground in the fetal position. Ragnarok, who was hitting him in the head with his chibi-fists.
I chuckled. "Uh…need any help there, Crona?"
Author's Note:
All right! Soooo…please don't kill me? I know it's been a LONG time, but I decided to start doing chapters a little longer, so I hope it helped! I think my updates will start becoming longer in between each of them, but I'll make sure the chapters have more in length to them! Well, Happy Mother's Day to all! Review please!
REVIEW!
Sincerely, Raven T. ^_^
