"I don't get it either," Liz slouched in her chair, cradling her head. "I asked everything I could with out being obvious. No one could have looked so innocent while lying. Right, Kid?"

"It's possible."

"But he didn't take much, so maybe it was an abduction! The Zodiac kidnapped him!"

"Patty, that's not likely. We have to face facts: we were all fooled."

Kid folded his hands and glared at the air in front of him. This wasn't good in the least. Dominic had spent the last forty-eight hours under surveillance, and he'd seemed perfectly fine. Now he was missing, leaving nothing behind save Maka's clothes, a note, and his engagement ring. Even Patty had looked grave when they had found out.

Black-Star stood in the corner, with Corona and Tsubaki. He was oddly quiet, holding his partner with one arm absently. Tsubaki, herself, found his thoughtful expression very disturbing. "Black-Star? What are you thinking about?" she questioned again, receiving the same answer as the seven other times. Nothing but an absent-minded stare. "Black-Star!"

"Everything is going to be fine," Patty reassured with a tight smile, interrupting the other girl's attempts to get a reaction. They all turned to her, waiting for her nonsensical logic. "We were always fine before."

"Soul and Maka were always here before," Corona whispered, holding his left arm with his right hand. It was a nervous habit he had never learned to control. "If it weren't for them, Asurea would have won. We'd all be in a mad world."

Their heads dropped in acknowledgement. What to do now?

Tsubaki walked over to the large mirror and places a finger to the glass. "Don't bother," Kid didn't get up to clean the finger smudge on the glass. "I tried to call already; they're not there."

"Someone's got to have a plan, then!" Tsubaki shouted, startling everyone. No one had thought she was physically capable of being so loud.

Five pairs of eyes turned to the blue-haired assassin. Even Ragnorok poked out his head to hear what was sure to be a comical declaration of self-confidence. Black-Star looked at all six faces in turn before saying the impossible. "I give up. There's nothing I can do."

Everyone looked to the floor. He had always believed he could do anything at all. If he had lost hope, what could they do? Kid reached into his pocket and pulled out the note that Dominic had left. There wasn't much to it, but on the front, he had drawn three sideways eyes. The sign of Asurea. Under it was a single word in blocky handwriting.

Gottcha.

(-)

"So what was that place like?" Verine asked, pouring some tea.

"Boring. For a place so big, there's not a lot to do," Dominic starched on the couch. "Maka's friends are just as prim as her. Especially Death the Kid; he was a total pain in the as-"

"Domii, watch it. This is a temple to my father," the vivacious woman gestured around her, at the eyes watching them. The middle one in each set was painted a bright red, gleaming like crystal. "There is a limit on the profanity. Besides, Maka is such a darling little thing. She looked so fragile in the rain."

Verine swayed a bit, the way she did when she was remembering something nice. In her mind she was picturing a petit woman shuddering under the weight of a storm. Maka had so much anger and confusion in her then that it seemed to hang around her in a fog of uncertainty. Everything needed to make insanity.

"Hardly," the man scoffed. "She was a bratty little tyrant. I felt like screaming at her half the time."

"Oh, poor thing!" Verine exclaimed, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around him. "It must have been terrible to pretend you loved her for so long."

"It was for you," he nipped her ear lightly; she giggled in response.

"Aw, well," she stood and held out her hand, "We must get on with our little plan, so ups and oust."

The second he touched her hand, they were gone.

(-)

Maka and Soul sat on the beach in a comfortable silence, just happy to be together. The sun was going down, setting the ocean ablaze. Everything would have been perfect if not for the thick air of tragedy that clung to them.

"Soul," Maka breathed, leaning against him, "Did you think there was something wrong with Dominic? Is that why you'd been avoiding us?"

The man tensed, not sure what to say. What's a cool way to get out of this, without admitting that I was jealous, but not lying to her?

"Well," he started. "He was a little-"

"Maka!"

The shout came from high above them. Gazing up, they saw Dominic. He looked terrified, hanging by a chain that was attached to the end of a broom.

And sitting on said broom, was a woman with midnight hair and snowy skin. Blue ribbon snaked around her, stopping just above her thighs. A red scarf was knotted around her eyes, the sign of Asurea stitched into the front. Her sharp toothed grin was twisted and amused, like everything was a game.

"Oh, how cute! You made up with the Scythe-boy," she laughed, waving a hello. Her smile faded into a worried frown. "But what about dear Domii? You can't have both."

"Who are you?" Soul shouted. He and Maka stood up, ready for a fight.

"Moi? Well, I'm Verine. My name is technically Wolverine, but I thought that was too boy-ish," she giggled.

"What do you want?" Maka glanced at her fiancé, who was struggling not to drop the fifty feet to the sand. She had been wrong; the killer had used him.

"Want? Well, I want a lot of things," Verine's voice turned venomous. Even with the cloth, Maka could feel the heat of her glare burning into her. "But most of all, I want your death," she smiled, "or perhaps your friendship. You'd make lovely company, pining away for things you'll never have. It would be delightful to watch that wantonness consume you."

"I don't understand."

"I suppose not," the woman sighed. "Besides, you wouldn't be any fun after you go mad. From what I hear, you're half way there already."

Soul growled, remembering to time when Maka truly had went mad. The Black-Blood had made her act much like Verine was acting now, minus the biting.

"Anyway," Verine continued, showing her filed teeth again. "I want a show. You see, I've been so bored lately. Watching you all squirm should be entertaining for awhile."

"Maka, don't listen to her!" Dominic shouted. "Don't-"

Verine kicked him, causing blood to drip from his mouth to the beach below. "Did I tell you to say anything, pet?" she hissed coldly. Turning back to the two Scythes on the ground, the smile returned, "As I was saying. I want to play a game, and you are invited to join."

There was a silence over the group. Everyone could hear the threat in Verine's words. It wasn't an invitation, but an order.

"What are the rules of your game?" Maka asked shakily.

"Find me," the other woman answered bluntly. "Stop me, and kill me. If you don't complete these tasks in four days, little Domii dies."

With one last smile, she was gone, taking Dominic with her.

(-)

"What?" Liz pushed to get to the mirror. "Kidnapped?"

Maka nodded, looking stricken. "I'm so confused. Do you think it was an act?"

"Maka, you're the best at reading people," Black-Star pointed out. "If you can't tell, you can't expect us to be able to."

The couple in the reflection nearly fell over in shock. Did Black-Star, the 'man who would transcend God', just say someone was better than him at something? What universe was this?

"Soul, Maka, you're on the next flight back, do you understand?" though phrased like a question, Kid's expression made it clear there was no option.

(-)

"Do you think they bought it?"

"Yes, milady, you made it quiet convincing."

"Right, sorry about that. The kick wasn't meant to be that hard."

"It's fine. I didn't need that tooth, anyway."