Beloved Helpless
Chapter 10: Ruled by Secrecy
The world was clamoring and the rabble reached the heavens. The confiscation of weapons and their placement into camps brought up a flurry of questions that were chirped and chattered in the airwaves, in print, and on the web. Were they people? Were they tools? Did they have rights? Did they get to choose?
But they had forgotten.
They didn't know what real discrimination was. Being gathered and torn from their homes was nothing! Being told that they were things was nothing. How would the world reply if the weapons had been hunted down and killed for what they were? What if from birth they were taught to hide themselves away, to hide their very souls? Their youngest children schooled in how to keep moving, to keep looking over their shoulders for the armies of people who were after them? And when they asked why, could they stand to look their boys and girls in the eyes and speak the truth? That they were monsters, evil, hated and thought by the world to deserve nothing but death? Could they bear to see their children killed? Their souls devoured? Their names placed on a list, a prize for the wining like some hunted animal? It'd be far better to crush that child, stop their breathing and spill their blood than let them live with any fleeting thoughts of a world that would show them any pity.
What would the world say then? What sort of moral questions would be raised?
Does someone hate a bird for flying? Does one convict a fish for swimming? Do the mentally challenged go without mercy, do the sick end up blamed for their illnesses and turned away? No. Yet witches were hated for things they could not control. Their tastes for chaos and destruction came from a sway of magic that was given to them in birth. It was not a choice. Now, there was a choice to follow or fight that sway, but whether one was fighting or following was never a question once they were discovered. Only a few were ever shown any kindness and even then they were used for Shibusen's own benefit; fashioned as tools of death and judgment towards their own kind. There had never been mercy. Oh no, collection camps were kind. Too kind.
Besides, wasn't it a far worse crime to take the children of two races and train them to be killers, an army of little hitmen for a god of death? Wasn't it worse to strip away their innocence and dip their hands in blood, bringing the tastes of souls of any kind to the lips of boys and girls before they even had the taste of their first kiss? Discrimination and hate had always been part of the lesson. And how could the witches be held accountable for the measures they had to take? Whoever fought against the self righteous weapon and techs were considered to be beyond redemption when in some cases it had been self-defense from the start. Having to be afraid of the never ending barrage of Shibusen students only proved to raise the fear and desperation within the witch and warlock race, adding to their hatred for the order that Shibusen fought to uphold. It was a circle of hate, of destruction and fear.
Maba-Sama was old and set in her ways, content in her safe palace behind her powerful council of high-level witches and had little pity for her own kind. As long as the old hag was safe, that was all that mattered. The crimes against witches by Shibusen had gone on for far too long. Medusa was far too tired of worrying about hiding to let it continue and had begun to consider a variety of methods of destroying the organization.
The first step to destroying them was infiltration. It was shamefully easy to get her job as nurse in the beginning. A sweet tone, a slight change of clothes, and a solid soul-protect was all she needed. As faculty, it was even easier to gather information from their massive library. In her research, Medusa had found records of Asura, the first Kishin, and how he had almost succeeded in destroying the God of Death and creating a never ending era of chaos and insanity. To simply release Asura would be a desperate move. There was no way to control him and when there was insanity involved, there were no longer any loyalties. She had no intention of destroying one enemy and creating a new, more powerful one. No, it would be far better if one was made that she could control.
So, her experiments with black blood began, but after the events in Italy, it was clear that there were still limitations to the black blood when faced with soul waves. It would take years of more development and most likely a better test subject to perfect it. Soul was an option, but the boy was too stubborn and had obviously found a way to fight it when the blood hadn't taken over; even more evidence that her experimentation with the substance needed more work. So, Medusa was faced with a host of armed and trained soldiers that had killed countless of her kind in the past and two options laid before her: go ahead and release Asura and find a way to survive in the following chaos, or find a different way. There had to be a weakness and a key to it all.
Insanity was the answer she kept coming back to. It was the opposite of the order Shibusen tried so hard to protect. In its roots, it was simply a desire for power in the lack of reason and rules and was particularly attractive to those that were weak. There were none more weak than the simple humans. Insanity didn't have to be spread through infected and ungodly complicated blood, or a released monster that had to be controlled or avoided. It could be spread in fear through a collective of people. It was simple, so very simple and in the right position, she could control every bit of it. If the humans chose to fight back against her, well. She was a witch after all and witches had the least to fear from the helpless.
As Medusa looked at the shape of the unarmed Death City on the horizon, and more witches arrived and their numbers grew, it was clear that all were helpless before her.
Stein had fought innumerable battles, he had tackled mountains of papers, invested years in research but this was more than he could handle. In the dissention of Shibusen, it had become his duty to be the moving liaison between Shinigami-sama and the media as well as the god's voice in meetings held with local Nevada officials and the United States Government. His responsibilities had doubled, the stress had more than tripled and in all of it, the man had no time to give his own self any thought. Sleep had been struck from the schedule. Meals were stuffed between meetings, paper work, agreement proposals, reports, and endless press conferences and phone calls.
It had been infinitely easier to face hordes of enemies on the battlefield. At least in combat there was honesty. No underhanded comments, no deceit, no false smiles and forced congeniality. Humans were ruthless with their words and skilled with their bureaucracy. In one movement they'd allow one freedom, but take three away and hold him in a position where he'd have to agree. The growing desire of just strangling the next reporter or monkey in a suit was becoming harder and harder to hold back.
"Tell me, good doctor, what will you do when there are no more weapons to hide behind? Would you be so cocky?"
Stein sighed in the rare silence of his temporary home within the Shibusen Dorms. That had been an unfair question, really. It was unlikely that Pavel knew it, but it was Stein's fighting style to use his weapons as defense and his own soul waves as offence. He literally hid behind weapons in battle and depended on himself to do all the actual fighting. Yet, in this battle to hold together the falling pieces of Shibusen and order within the world, it sure would be nice to have a partner. Even an idiot to give his frustrations a new target, a stupid voice to break the silence or the mindless rabble from the chaos.
Or something to get his mind off the dangerous what-ifs that lurked in the corners of his thoughts.
This wasn't what he was meant for, this wasn't the kind of person he was. Stein was solitary and being seeped in the power hungry, two-faced dealings of human politics was bad on his sanity. There had been reasons why he had chosen to leave Shibusen after graduation and stay in his labs. People were hard to deal with because of their effects on him. Solitude was a constant, a control in all his experiments he could count on. He had sworn that it would be a comfortable place to reside for the rest of his days.
But those kids… the impression they had made on him, how they reminded him of what it was like to be part of a team, to be more than himself. Stein had felt their connections, he had witnessed their budding strengths then and it was enough to spark his curiosity and draw him back to the chaotic, loud, unpredictable atmosphere of the school he had left behind him. Now there were ruins left in the wake and those kids he had encountered were gone, replaced with boys and girls thrown into the hardships of adult hood, left as alone and broken as he was. It wasn't right. This paper work and media dance wasn't right. Their suffering wasn't right. No one deserved the same sort of jadedness he had earned. No one deserved that sort of heaviness, not when their young lives were just beginning.
At least, if they had gone into battle, there would be honesty and a constructive outlet for all of this emotion. Doing nothing and pretending to be sure or happy in any of it…it was driving him insane.
It echoed in the quiet, each step down the hall of the mansion resounding sharply as Kid walked. This was the place they had lived. This was where laughter had covered the silence of a stolen childhood. This is where immortality found purpose in the petals of roses and the breaths of wilting mortals. As he walked past her empty room, he paused to touch the unmoved wood. The beginning of the end had happened in her last breaths. It was only fitting that they buried her on the day after the death of Shibusen.
Patty followed a short distance behind him, every ounce of her will spent in keeping her smile on her lips. This was the last time she'd get to walk here. Her home, the only one she had known, where the cold of the world and the pain of her sister had turned into happiness. Her one bag was large and slung on her shoulder, filled with memories and brightly colored things, and her heart overflowed with feelings she kept away. For now, Kid was still in her charge and he needed brightness in this dark time. Patty had lost as much as him, if not more. She had seen it ripped away and now he too was being torn from her. But if Liz had taught her anything it was that when there was someone you wanted to protect, you did what it took. Cowgirl up. All the way.
Someday Kid would be in charge and she was sure that he'd set things right. It was a pleasure to know him now as a boy, and in her own way influence the way he'd change the world in the future. Gently, she put a hand on his shoulder. They were going to say a final goodbye to her sister and after that would say goodbye to one another before she'd be sent off to join the others of her kind.
Hook cemetery had a new wound in its earth with a long beautiful white casket resting beside the edge. There were no chairs, no real accommodations. If things had been different, this would be a proper occasion with flowers, music, a wake. But with the end in sight, it was simply a deposit of a grossly understated asset. It would only have been more appropriate if it were raining, but the desert sky could only lend so much sorrow.
"Do you think it'll rain?" Patty asked, looking upwards as they approached the casket, hand shielding her eyes.
"No, Patty. I don't think we'd be quite so lucky."
"Is this spot going to be mine?" She stood on the empty lot next to the casket. Kid didn't answer, choosing to slide his hand over the ivory glossed curve of Liz's resting place. This wasn't right, she deserved something so much more grand for the things she had done for him and thusly for the world. With her she'd take the peace they had known, the brightness they had shared, the laughter and noise he had grown to love. Grown to depend so greatly upon.
Maka was the first to show up, in a formal black dress. It was strange to see her by herself, or dressed in such a way that it took a moment for it to register on his sluggish mind. The mourning expression on Maka's face wasn't entirely for Liz. He knew that. And while he knew that they could share in the common grief for the loss of their weapons, he still didn't quite know the way to express that in words. It was hard to tell if their pain could really be compared since no matter what happened, Liz could never return home.
"Kid, I'm so sorry." The polite meister offered but he said nothing in return. What could he say? What would be proper when he had so much to apologize to her for as well?
Maka looked at the closed casket. The entire thing felt surreal because with as many times she, Soul and everyone had brushed with death they had managed to escape. But it was real, very real, and laid in white and rose gold and cool brown earth in front of her. It was a possibility, an end that could have happened, might, and would eventually happen. Liz had been a good friend. It felt more like she was on a trip somewhere, vacationing in some nice place and that this…thing before her wasn't really what it was. She'd come back with souvenirs and make up samples and force Maka to try out the new perfumes she'd bought wherever it was been she'd gone. It was a silly notion, but she hadn't seen Liz since the day Stein had given his lecture on Operation Pawn. Without a wake, it was hard to come to the realization that she was gone and, given the circumstances, perhaps a little bit of wishful thinking wouldn't hurt.
Black Star showed up not long after, alone as well, looking three times as exhausted as anyone present. Before any of them could ask he simply stated "She wouldn't get up. I don't want to talk about it." And no one pushed the subject further.
It wasn't that he wanted to be here. Black Star didn't know anything about this, none of them truly knew about this. They had killed dozens of bad guys but death like this. It was wrong and there wasn't a way to make it ok, so why talk about it? Why stand here and look at it, as if expecting something to happen? Every day was getting harder, why add this to it? He wanted to leave, but knew there was nothing to go home to. Tsubaki had laid there that morning, almost as still as whoever was in that casket. Cuz it wasn't Liz. None of them died, none of his friends. It just didn't happen and wasn't real and even if it was this whole thing was pointless. God, but Tsubaki had just laid there. Unreachable and lost in whatever dream she was having.
"Hey, you guys." Patty broke the silence. "Don't be so sad. Years ago, we both were sure that no one would care if we died, so this is a great turn out!" She wasn't quite as bubbly or loud, but it was still almost painful to see her so bright.
"I'm sure Soul and Tsubaki would be here if they could, and Shinigami-Sama and Stein and Sid and everyone, if the world wasn't so dreary. I remember when Sis was younger, she'd play pretend with me and I would be a princess and she'd be a prince. She'd say 'Stop crying now, Princess Patty. I've come to make it alright!' She'd still use that corny line up until I was like ten. Then she got to be a princess for a little while." She smiled at Kid.
"I don't think she'd change a bit of it, so no pouty faces, ok? And where ever Soul is, I'm sure he's ok, they wouldn't hurt weapons they wanna use, right? And Tsubaki is sure to wake up. I bet she's just super tired from working so hard on getting better. No one could take better care of her than you, Black Star, so everyone just stop looking so sad." Patty's voice broke. She looked from them for a moment to the beautiful white casket and regretted it immediately when tears welled in her eyes.
"Things are tough, but you guys still have each other. I mean, I have to go soon too, even though I don't want too. This is my home. I'm-I'm losing everything. Kid, you still have your dad, and Maka, you still have your mom, and Black Star, Tsubaki's still alive. My only family is laying there." She pointed with a shaking hand. "I made promises to Sis that I can't keep if I'm away but you three have each other. You get to stay in your homes and be close to all the things that remind you of them! You are my only friends in the whole world, please stop looking so sad! Just stop." She rubbed at her eyes. "Stop acting like you're the saddest loneliest people out there!"
Kid moved first, Maka second and a tired Black Star third, all six arms wrapping around the crying girl. Patty, a lot like her sister, tried to take care of those she cared about but she did so through happy smiles and bad jokes and silly voices and faces. Right now though, it was Patty who needed that the most. In their private troubles, the three meisters had forgotten that they all shared a common sadness. They weren't alone in what they were facing, unlike their weapons who were separated and sent into the unknown. Kid, Black Star and Maka took turns trying their best to cheer Patty up with funny stories they could recall of Liz and by the end of it all, they had managed to find some sort of support in each other's pain and strength.
Black Star and Maka left and Kid could hear her offering to come over and help out or hang out and Kid felt a small pang of jealousy. After this, after his goodbyes, there would only be isolation and damage control to keep him company. It was highly unlikely his father would allow him to speak to mortals or make acquaintances in light of how things had turned out. It was likely that the disappearing backs of Maka and Black Star were the last he'd see of them for years if not decades. It was probably for the best, for them.
"Hang in there, ok?" Patty took his hand. "I'm super glad to have had the chance to be your weapon and meet you, Kid. You're a great person who's gunna do great things someday."
He looked at her and she smiled, just like how she always smiled. "We both really believe in the world you're gunna make and we're both really glad that two street rats like us could help make it."
Kid pulled her into his arms. This was too soon, he still needed her. He wasn't ready to be returned into silence. "I promise I'll set things right, Patty. I'm so sorry…"
"There's nothing to be sorry about." She patted his back. "Just be strong cuz we're all waiting to see what you're gunna do." And then Patty leaned in and kissed his cheek. "That's from Liz and" she kissed the other. "That's from me. And for symmetry." Before he could form words to reply to that, Patty pulled away from him and pulled her bag back onto her shoulder.
She paused at the cemetery gate and waved back. "Thanks for everything! See you later!" and walked to the van waiting patiently across the street. Like that, every single one of them was gone. Every person Kid had allowed near him by any degree had left him standing there, alone in the cemetery as the gravediggers lowered Liz into the earth and began to cover the hole. It was done. A wonderful chapter in his life was over, the pen falling like the clods of dirt in her grave. There he remained until the gravediggers had finished and left.
Black Star had stood outside of Tsubaki's room, hand hovering over the door knob. The man that claimed to be a god, who rushed fearlessly into battle, stood frozen in fear at this threshold. Slowly, he rested his forehead against the wooden door. That morning, Black Star had tried for a good half hour to wake Tsubaki. He had yelled, shook her, even picked her up and spun her but it seemed the waking coma he was sure she was recovering from had somehow worsened into a real one. One where she slept. One where all she did was dream and breathe, denying him even her eyes now. And now he feared that past this door wasn't a dreaming weapon but a cool body and a soul to greet him home from a funeral. With a deep breath, he steeled his nerves and opened the door.
Thankfully, Tsubaki laid there in the same position he had left her in two hours ago, her chest rising and falling. He dragged his feet across the floor and grabbed a chair and slid it to her bedside and sat in it backwards to rest his chin on the back. Black Star was starving but there was no telling when he'd get to go shopping again. They didn't have any money and any food left should go to Tsubaki first. He'd make something that wouldn't require a lot of chewing for her later. He let his eyes close and rested his cheek against the hard back of the chair before falling asleep next to her bedside.
On the second day that Soul had been taken from her, Maka had received a letter from her mother asking her to come home. It was a tempting offer to get a break from this place that reminded her of Soul at every corner and in the same moment spoke of how alone she was. The quiet rung in her ears and seeing her mother would be great. But. If Maka left and Soul kept his promise, how would he know where to find her? She couldn't leave. She was waiting, like Black Star, for things to return to normal. Any day now, Soul would walk through the door. Just like any day Tsubaki would wake up, smile and say his name again.
Just like that, all of their problems would be gone because Shinigami-sama had said to wait.
On the morning of the fourth day after Liz's funeral, Black Star woke and did his morning routine. After going to the bathroom, he'd step into the bedroom where she lay and would take a moment to look at her, taking note of the changes. Today, her lips had lost their soft pink color. If it weren't for the slow and shallow rise and fall of her chest…
"Hey, Tsubaki." He sat at the edge of her bed and smiled down at her as if she could see. "You should get up today because today…" He didn't really have a reason. In all seriousness he wasn't sure he'd wake if she wasn't around for him to care for at this point. Swallowing, he pushed hair from her forehead.
"You should wake because I…" His hand paused on her cheek. She was cooler than normal. For a moment Black Star panicked and felt for a pulse, happy to still find one. But it was clear what was happening. She was running out of time.
Hadn't Stein said there was a chance? Didn't he say there was a small hope? Hadn't Black Star done everything right? He had tried so hard, so very hard to help her. He had patiently waited by her side. Fed, cleaned, cared for her despite his pain and loneliness. Didn't they deserve happiness? Wouldn't it have been better if Stein had never lied to him? Black Star stood and walked to the door, feeling his chest tighten. Stein had lied. There hadn't been a chance because if there had been, she'd be awake for sure.
Where tiredness, silence, loneliness and strange indecision had been, anger now filled the void in Black Star's apartment. Anger at the lies, anger at the world. There was anger at the silence and anger at the undeserved end of all that had been good in his life.
Most of all, there was anger towards himself for how helpless he had become. How there was nothing he could do to wake Tsubaki, see her pretty eyes or hear her voice. Like there had been nothing he could have done about Liz or the end of Shibusen, or any of it. All his work to be stronger, faster, better had been for what? To end up alone with no purpose? What did any of it matter?
As soon as he stepped into the silent living room, the wall absorbed his anger, his fist cracking the plaster on the wall. Next were the books on the shelf, the text books he had reluctantly studied thrown against the wall. It was for nothing. Hoping for something good was for nothing. Being something good was for nothing. The world didn't care if you were a good guy or a bad guy, it just took and killed without question. That was the truth. His hand grabbed for something else to break, his fingers bringing a picture frame of him and Tsubaki in front of the school into view. For a moment in his rage, Black Star paused to look at the picture in mid swing. Tsubaki was the only good in all of it. The only thing that had made it worth anything at all and even she was fading. His hand squeezed harder as his throat tightened.
With an undignified thud, Black Star sat on the floor in the middle of the mess holding the now cracked frame. She didn't deserve this. His fingers touched her image over the lines in the glass as his eyes welled. Tsubaki was good, she was light in the darkness, pure and wonderful and so undeserving of the pain she had to endure, or the possible end she was heading towards. She was dying and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
"You know, there's a way to fix this." The voice made him jump back to his feet and in an instant he had turned to see Medusa leaning against the doorframe of his apartment, dressed in the typical black dress she wore under her lab coat. He recognized her as the ex nurse from the school, but still his guard went up.
In an instant he had struck an offensive stance, prepared to protect his home and his sleeping, fading, weapon. "Whatever you want, I don't care. Go away."
"I want to help you recover your weapon." Smoothly, Medusa stood upright and crossed her arms, manicured nails resting against them, fingers drumming with a faint hint of amusement on her lips. "Has she fallen into a sleeping coma yet? Because, you know…" Her amused smirk shifted into all seriousness. "That's the last step before death."
Black Star's stance dropped but his angered expression didn't change. With a soft chuckle, she stepped into the apartment and closed the door. He couldn't bring himself to ask her to do it, asking for help or accepting it was always hard for him. Black Star just simply showed her to where Tsubaki was still sleeping. Medusa slinked past him through the doorway to the girl.
"Oh my, we have less time than I had hoped." She looked over her shoulder, her tone her normal sweet mindless nurse voice. "We need to act right away."
"Do what you have to." He looked away, and inwardly Medusa smiled. It had been as she had hoped, just as the Pawn agents had described at the end of Pavel's capture. Her knowledge of Black Star and Tsubaki as a team was limited but it didn't matter. From his tattoo and from having been part of the faculty, she knew of the adopted lost cause, the little pet of Shibusen. The rest was simple to read, the guilt, rage, and sadness clear on the boy's face.
She turned to face him and crossed her arms. "I'm not a school nurse anymore. My services are far from free."
Black Star looked back to her immediately. "We don't have any money, but I'm sure there's gotta be something around here you could take. Take anything you want."
"There is something I want, from you. A service of your skills." The woman moved up to him. "A ninja such as yourself should have no problem with this small errand."
For some reason, all of the moisture in his mouth had disappeared and Black Star took a small step back. Not that he was intimidated, more that he needed the room to attack if she tried anything funny. This lady had no problem invading his personal space.
He didn't want to let on that she freaked him out a little so he crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. "It depends on what it is."
"No it doesn't." Medusa chuckled, a grin sliding eerily across her lips. "Either you do this favor for me or she dies, it's a very easy situation to comprehend. I guarantee you that I am the only person who can turn her condition around."
Black Star opened his mouth to disagree but she slid behind him and covered his mouth with one hand and the other touched his collarbone. "The Shinigami heir wears a broach at his neck. I need you to get it and bring it back to me. If you do that, I will happily save your weapon."
She removed her hands and Black Star turned. "What the hell is wrong with you, lady? First off, you just walk up in here and then you ask me to do favors for you? Besides, what's the big deal about some stupid gaudy pin?"
"Are you saying you're not interested? Because if you're not, I have other places I need to be." She looked at her nails with a bored expression before making eye contact with Black Star. "I'm sure you'll want to be alone for the last five or six hours you have with her anyway." That said, she simply shrugged and turned for the door.
"They said there was no way to fix her." Black Star's tone was much more serious and Medusa paused in her steps, hand on the doorknob. "If you know how to do it, then you have to have some sorta connection with the whole Pawn thing, right?" There was a darkness in his tone. It was what she had hoped to provoke.
"That's right." She didn't deny it, Medusa only smirked as she turned to face him again. "But that fact doesn't change anything. You have six hours at the most before she stops breathing." His eyes instantly fell at that and Medusa took that opportunity to rush smoothly up to him and turn the boy around, hands on his shoulders as she forced him to look at Tsubaki. Medusa leaned her cheek near his.
"Look at her." Tsubaki was breathing so slowly, her skin pale like snow, her hair thin and without shine, her lips the same color as her white cheeks. "She's your partner isn't she? You'd do anything for her, wouldn't you? With every breath her body's connection to her soul weakens. With every exhale she's dying. Your death god could have saved her. It would have been nothing for him to restore the connection but instead he told you to go home and watch her die. Wouldn't it have been kinder for him to have killed her than to have you watch her slowly decay like this?"
She straightened, but kept her hands on his shoulders. "Do you know that your god surrendered all the weapons in the world to keep them from taking his son? How selfish. The figure head of the organization that's always taught you that it was better to protect the innocent willingly, threw away millions of his own people for that spoiled brat. Was that the Shibusen you fought for? Was that the Shibusen you were ready to die for? The same that sent you here with a corpse to care for and no options? That told you to stay, sit, obey even as everything you love and know disappears?"
"Why do you need that stupid pin?" Black Star swallowed. Her words, all of them were true and that harsh reality was numbing everything inside of him. Everything he had thought he was, everything he thought he knew was wrong and even though she was obviously the devil, Black Star simply saw no other option. He'd sell his soul for Tsubaki, hands down, no question.
"Even if I told you it was key to destroying your death god, would you care?" The smile on her face and in her tone curved in such a way that it was clear that she hid nothing in that statement. "Would you tell me that it's evil? The world is ending. There's no longer any evil or good. What you're about to see out there is race killing race for the right to survive. I'm giving you the chance to do something about what's happening to you, a chance to save her. If you want her to survive, it's very simple." With silent grace, medusa slipped to his side and held out her hand. "Do we have a deal? You don't have much time."
Black Star glanced back at Tsubaki. Her breathing had become more and more shallow, her eyes didn't even flutter under her lids like she was dreaming any more. He couldn't sit there any longer. "No one could take better care of her than you, Black Star." He couldn't, wouldn't let her end up like Liz. With a new determined expression and a nod Black Star put his hand in Medusa's and gave a firm shake.
"You've got a deal."
"Father, I demand that I get to do at least this much." Kid sighed. "Please. I wish to do something to show my remorse for what has happened." In the mirror in his bedroom the image of his father shook his head.
"No matter what you do at this point nothing will convince the humans. They've made their choices and we've made ours. It will take time before they're ready to really listen."
"But surrendering our friends won't be enough to show willingness if I don't make an appearance, Father. I know going and making an appearance during the memorial for those that I…" He bowed his head for a moment before taking a deep breath and again lifting it in forced dignity "That were mistakenly harmed, may be dangerous, but if it means speeding up the armament regulations and peace agreements, then I'm willing to take that risk."
"No way. You're to stay here and let us take care of it." His father waved his hand.
"As future heir, and perpetrator, I feel it's my duty to-"
"I said no, out of the question, no way, not going to happen and that's the end of it. Right now, what's important is keeping you safe and with the way things are, you staying home is the only option. Think of it as being grounded."
Kid frowned at that. "Honorable Father, I cannot sit here and do nothing while my friends and our people suffer because of my mistakes. I will not! It has never been my wish to disobey you, but I don't think I can follow your orders. I must go. I feel it dishonors Liz's memory hiding here when there are things I could be doing to make things right."
Shinigami-sama took a deep breath before squaring his shoulders back. It was time to be stern. "Considering how you couldn't handle eight armed men when you had two guns, I don't think you can handle thousands while unarmed." Kid looked away at that, the pain from that statement as clear as if his father had struck him. "Martyring yourself wouldn't do anyone any good, Kiddo. I know you feel bad about what happened, but the truth is with how Pawn was set up, it was gonna happen to someone sometime. It just happened to happen to us is all."
"You mean to you." Kid frowned up at his father, gold eyes narrowed. "You haven't considered my feelings or suggestions in any of this, and what I do, even if I'm not the one in charge, will reflect on me forever. I get that I've failed you and you've lost your faith in me to protect myself or others, but I have to consider the long lasting repercussions and do what is right with my soul." Kid placed a hand on his chest, fingertips brushing the ends of his ivory broach and again his father shook his head.
"I'm proud of how you're approaching this, but my decision stays the same. If you leave, I'll be extremely disappointed in you and will have to send out others to bring you back. If that happens it will only slow down the regulation drafts and you'll just be making things worse. Read a book, hang out, let your father handle this." He held up two thumbs up
"I refuse!" Kid's sudden outburst surprised the Shinigami and he lowered his hands. "I know I am far from finished in my development, but I demand you stop treating me as a child and let me make some decisions! How am I to be of any use as a Shinigami in the future if I cannot make my own choices?"
"Make a good choice and listen to your father. I'll check in on you later, Kiddo." He waved once and the reflection disappeared, leaving Kid glaring at his own image. No matter how frustrated he was at his father, Kid knew that truly he only had himself to blame.
Maka had wondered why she was sitting on the fourth day. This was the couch where Soul had sat next to her with his arm around her shoulders. This was the spot they had spent the most time together within the apartment. Why sit? Soul certainly wouldn't sit. He'd pace until the floor was thin as paper before rushing out without a plan. Shinigami-sama had said that this was the best way. That they had to obey the human's rules for now to prove they wanted things to work, yet. If it had been witches that had done this, they would be moving, stirring with plans and action, not locked away in sadness. This wasn't what she had been taught. Maka was trained for action and sitting was…it was wrong. What were they doing? How could her leaders possibly say this was the right course of action?
Soul would go. He'd hitch-hike, walk, run, and fight until he found her again. If she did, it would go against her orders. If Maka left and found the holding camp and reclaimed him, would she be punished? Would she ruin all the hard work to repair the human-Shibusen relationships? She clutched the hem of her skirt in frustration. Since she was a small child Maka had worked so very hard to be an excellent meister and a meister listened to orders. Maka Albarn, the girl, the person, wanted nothing more than to bring Soul home. If finding Soul meant giving up her position as a meister, would she do it? If she wasn't a meister, then who was she? What would she have to strive for then?
Right now there weren't any meisters. Right now, there was no Shibusen. Right now, their god was fighting the battle on his own. They were all on their own. Maka stood and walked to her room to pack her things. It was time to go without a plan, without all of the answers. It was time for her to return all of the favors, acts of kindness and bravery he had ever shown her. Soul was right. It wasn't weapons that changed the world, it was what someone had in their soul and it was time to get her Soul back.
But a sudden cell phone call changed her plans…
After his discussion with his father, Kid wandered the silent halls of the mansion alone to clear his thoughts. The servants had been allowed to go home, some of them had even been confiscated. Only he moved inside the large building, only his breaths stirred the air. His hand touched the smooth, cool doorknob on the double doors to the mansion's private library and inside waited thousands of books he had already read. The windows in this room were tall, from ceiling to floor and there were floors of shelves. It had been a gilded and gaudy cage during his childhood, but now it was a familiar place. The only part of the mansion that was unchanged by the disappearances and held no ghosts but those of his younger self. Here, there was some consistency. Here was the last bit of certainty he knew. Words that were printed that would never change, a quiet place that remained his alone.
Without much thought to which exactly, Kid gathered some texts and sat at a long table by the towering windows. His eyes scanned over the words, but he wasn't truly paying attention. If the young Shinigami had known what had lain ahead of them, what might he have done when he had heard Liz and Patty talking about her feelings? What might he have said on the plane? How might he have reacted in the van when their lips had met? What would he give to get a moment of it back? He could use a joke, a funny face, an origami animal right now. Kid wouldn't mind Maka's complaining or Soul's crude humor. He'd even tolerate Black Star's—A sudden crash snapped Kid's head around as Black Star walked across the broken glass of the window he had just jumped through. Instead of proclaiming his greatness, Black Star just straightened, his head lowered, fists clinched at his sides. Kid quickly stood.
"Black Star?" At Kid's words, the last remaining member of the Star Clan raised his head and Kid felt his body instinctually move into a defensive stance. Something was very wrong with his eyes. "Is everything alright?"
Black Star scowled at that. "How dare you ask something like that? No, nothing's alright. Now give me your pin!" He extended his hand and Kid's eyes looked from his friend's palm to his face, searching for any sign that this was some joke. Sadly, there was just determination on Black Star's face. There was clear rage and desperation in his eyes.
"No." Kid finally replied with a small shake of his head. "I can't do that. I don't understand why you would need it."
No of course he wouldn't just hand it over. Of course he wouldn't just trust him. Black Star felt his anger growing, his restraint waning. Black Star lowered his hand at that and gritted his teeth.
"Look! I need to exchange it so that some lady will save Tsubaki. I don't wanna hurt you. We were friends, so just hand it over!"
The past tense in his words sent Kid's mind into a flurry of strategic possibilities. The chance of this becoming physical was almost a certainty and with this being an indoor fight there were limits to his mobility. Now, not just anyone would want, care, or know about his broach. It was clear this wasn't just any lady. "You weren't talking to witches, were you?"
"I didn't stop to ask, and really, I don't care." Black Star stepped forward. "She's gonna save Tsubaki and that's all that matters."
"You know better than to trust a witch, Black Star. They're the least honest-"
"Don't talk to me about honesty!" He shouted over Kid. "Don't tell me she's using me when you and your dad have been usin' all of us from the start! You didn't care about any of us! You just hid up here in your palace as your dad just gave everyone over and let the world go to hell! If I have to choose between you, or this place, or Tsubaki, you better guess I'll choose her! Even now you're choosing that ugly gaudy thing over her life!" From behind, Black Star pulled out a long kitchen knife. It was a poor pathetic replacement for his true weapon, but it'd have to do. He checked the reflection as if to hope to see her, but was only greeted with his own image. That's right. It was just him. Slowly, his eyes met Kid's again and a crooked grin spread over his lips.
"I always told you that I'd surpass the gods."
Insanity was the quest for power in the absence of reason, sought after by those who are weak or feel helpless. In that moment, it was clear to Kid that Black Star was, in fact, quite insane. He'd have to return reason to him either by speaking to him, or by force and restraint. Before Kid could say anything to try to reach his opponent's reasoning, Black Star rushed forward, blade glinting, his eyes focused on Kid's neck.
Kid backed up quickly, his feet finding the stairs to the second floor of books and rushed up a few steps backwards before somersaulting over Black Star. "Please consider what you're doing, Black Star. If I give you this broach it will put everyone in grave danger."
Black Star, however didn't seem to hear, or care, as he rushed back at Kid. His speed had increased from their previous fights and his movements were three times as unpredictable. Kid was able to keep a distance without too much trouble, but finding the spots to counter attack was becoming harder and harder. It was clear with every swipe of the blade, every kick or punch that Black Star truly was fighting for Tsubaki's life. Kid could have been more aggressive, but even with Black Star's accusations, he simply couldn't bring himself to truly harm his friend; he had harmed far too many people. The current strategy was to let Black Star tire himself out and find a chance to restrain him.
Kid had never assumed that the emotional toll of the past few days' events would have registered on him physically. He had let Black Star get a little too close and the ninja was finally able to send a soul wave through him, sending Kid flying, landing in the glass strewn floor in front of the broken window that Black Star had entered through. This was Black Star's chance, Tsubaki's only hope. He wouldn't let it pass by! Recklessly, desperately Black Star rushed Kid, blade out, hand out, the slick white goal in sight.
In a moment it had gone from two people who had been friends, to two opponents on the floor. Hands that had shaken one another were now both coated in blood.
"I-I told you I'd get it." Black Star smiled, gripping the broach in his hand, torn and bloody fabric still stuck to the back pin. His knife had cut it from Kid's neck, splitting the pale flesh in the same motion. In Kid's hand was the large shard of glass he had picked up from the floor, the end buried in Black Star's side. Slowly, Black Star tried to stand before finally noticing that it was there and that Kid was still gripping it tightly, holding him in his spot.
"She was right." He wiped blood from his lip as he looked down at Kid. "You never gave a damn about any of us. You deserve everything you have coming to you." But Black Star's grin faded as he watched the bleeding wound across Kid's throat close, the blood stop, the young god sit up. "No! That's not fair!"
"It's not. And I do care. That's why I can't let you leave with that." Kid moved to take the broach back but Black Star quickly shoved his blade into Kid's chest, pausing his hand.
"I won't let you stop me, I won't let you take her away! I won't let you take this chance, I won't let you stand in my way!" Black Star brought the knife down again and again before finally slamming the blade down hard, pining Kid's shoulder to the floor before hurrying off of him. "I have to be there." He staggered to the window. "I have to be there when she wakes up."
Kid groaned in pain and pulled the knife from his shoulder and sat up in time to see Black Star pause at the window ledge. A woman on a broom, one that seemed vaguely familiar, floated into view and Black Star held the broach out. With a running start, Kid rushed past Black Star, summoned his skateboard and gave chase as the woman headed towards the school on her broom.
Medusa looked at the broach as she flew towards the dark shadow of Shibusen. It was smooth, heavy and dotted with blood. It was strange and ingenious and had been one of the best secrets she had found in the back of the restricted sections of the school's library. But first, she'd need to get rid of the brat on her tail. Medusa had so hoped that she could keep her presence as a witch hidden for a little longer, but in moments it wouldn't matter. She pocketed the broach and turned to offer a smile to Kid who had gained on her and was now just inches from her broom bristles.
"Soul Release." He didn't seem the least bit surprised when her presence became clear, if anything the new angry expression on his face amused her. Medusa raised her hand and pointed at his skateboard. "Vector plate."
On the surface of his skateboard appeared an arrow pointing in the opposite direction and before the young Shinigami knew what was happening, he was thrown backwards off the toy. It was all she could do to keep from bursting out in laughter as Kid's already sore and bloodied body hit a nearby building and his board fell from the sky.
She landed at top speed on the wide Shibusen courtyard, running ahead, leaving the broom behind and quickly returning her soul protect. Undoubtedly, Stein would be here and she was well aware of the man's soul perception. He'd be her only hurdle left in her way to complete victory. Cautiously, she slipped into the hallway and pressed up against the end of a row of lockers. Her shoulders rolled back and Medusa raised her arms in front of her, letting her snake tattoos slither from her skin.
"Go ahead of me and let me know who's lurking." She whispered to the simple magical creatures and quickly they slid up the walls and across the ceiling. Deep breaths let her concentrate on the sounds around her as well as the signals from her pets as they worked their way down the hallway. The Death Room was the goal and was only maybe a few yards from where she was but being careless now would be disastrous. Carefully, so very carefully, Medusa snaked her way through the belly of Shibusen.
Black Star had lost most of the feeling in his right side by time he finished walking home. It hadn't been a deep puncture, just enough to make movement hurt like hell. Even now that asshole Shinigami didn't take him seriously. It didn't matter. It was obvious that the lady he had talked to just used him, like Kid had said. No one cared about him or Tsubaki. No one cared if they lived or died. He opened his door to find…
"Maka?" There she sat, like some weird hallucination, on his couch with Tsubaki's head in her lap.
"What happened to you?" Gently, she moved out from under Tsubaki, propping her head with a pillow before hurrying up to Black Star.
"I got into a fight, but I won. What are you doing here?" Maka seemed to ignore him for a moment as she pulled his shirt up to look at the wound.
"Our old school nurse Medusa called and asked me to come over. She said she gave Tsubaki some medicine and that I should be here if she woke up before you got back."
"She actually did it?" Black Star pushed past Maka and over to Tsubaki. A lot of the color had returned to her face and her breathing was much deeper. "Yahoo! This is the best!"
"Don't move around too much when you're injured." Maka scolded. "I'm going to go get the first aid kit before you bleed all over the floor." By the couch was the bag Maka had packed. As soon as Tsubaki woke up, she was out of there and maybe now the three of them could go and set things right. In the bathroom, the thought caused the first grin to cross her lips in days and she took a moment to look at it in the mirror. Things were turning around.
Outside his apartment building, Eruka looked up from her newspaper. She wore a cute blue and green striped dress and generally blended in, just like the combined and incognito Mizune sisters next to her.
"Did you see him go in?" She asked and Mizune nodded. "Good, you know the orders." The disguised mice sisters chittered in excitement.
Maka had managed to clean, close and bandage his side as Black Star waited in anticipation. She cleared her throat before asking "Don't you think it's weird that Medusa knew how to help Tsubaki when Stein couldn't do anything?"
"I guess it helps that she's a witch, huh?" Black Star shrugged and Maka's hands stopped in her knot tying.
Obviously she had misheard. "Witch?"
"Yeah, but it's fine, cuz she made it alright." Black Star grinned at her and Maka just stared in disbelief.
"You made a deal with a witch? What did you have to do to get her to do this for you?" She stood, fists clenched.
"Nothing. It's not important, just sit back and wait, Tsubaki'll wake up like any second now." He turned his gaze back to his sleeping partner.
"Are you even listening? How dumb do you have to be to make a deal with a witch, Black Star?" He finally turned to see Maka with her hands on her hips.
"If you were in my shoes and Soul only had hours to live, wouldn't you do the same? It wasn't like I had to kill anyone, so don't worry about it."
"Witches don't just do people favors, stupid! It's probably a lot worse than it seems."
Before Black Star could disagree, a small noise next to him caught his attention. A soft 'Mmm' as Tsubaki shifted her head to the side. Her eyes, those cobalt eyes he had missed, slowly opened halfway and a small smile crossed her lips.
"Black Star…?"
It was like a chorus of angels. Even if the world had come together to chant his name, the sound wouldn't have been nearly as glorious as it was coming from her.
"It's about time you decided to wake up!" He smiled despite the tears of joy rushing down his cheeks and Maka had to bite her lip to keep from getting emotional as well. Stupid choices aside, her anger just melted away to relief. Black Star pulled Tsubaki into a tight hug and she rested her hands on his back.
"I'm sorry I worried you." Even after he had messed up and caused her to be in that condition to begin with, it was she who apologized. It just made him bury his face into her shoulder more, enjoying the sound of her pulse, the returned warmth to her skin.
"I wasn't worried one bit, I knew you'd make it back."
"Black Star, did you say it was just one witch that helped you out?" Maka asked, walking over.
"Yeah, the old nurse from the school."
"Well there's seven just outside your apartment building." She moved for the door and as soon as she pulled it open, smoke began to roll inside. Quickly, she turned back. "We have to get out of here, grab Tsubaki, let's go."
The three of them rushed into the hallway, only to join the other tenants who were beginning to panic as the air grew more and more hazy with smoke. The emergency exits weren't opening. The windows in the apartments weren't breaking. Outside, Eruka and the five Mizune sisters had hexed the exits closed as the building began to burn.
Tsubaki coughed in Black Star's arms and he gritted his teeth. "I didn't go through all this trouble to die in a fire!"
"Well none of this would be happening if you didn't make stupid deals with the devil, you idiot!" Maka hit him in the head before rushing back into his apartment to try to break the window. It just bounced her efforts back. She swallowed and tried again. This wasn't how it was going to end, not when she had finally resolved to do the right thing and stand up for what she knew to be true! They hadn't suffered and struggled to die now. Maka gathered her strength and again hit the glass, praying for the treble of breaking glass.
Stein had just gone on his break when he had first sensed a witch's presence heading towards the school but by time he had made it into the upper levels of the school, the presence had disappeared. There weren't many people there, so it would just be a matter of tracking down the one soul that was out of place.
Her snake had caught sight of him first and Medusa quickly slipped into an abandoned music room. Her pet kept watch, undetected since it lacked a soul. It slithered high above Stein as he followed the pulse of her soul, pounding with a high level of adrenalin. Medusa hurried to the back corner of the room and stood, her arms out in front of herself. She steadied her breathing and concentrated, ready to drop her protect and send a barrage of arrows the moment the door opened. The witch was poised much like a cobra, daring him to come an inch closer. Stein paused and readied himself outside the door. Whoever was there was in the far corner and was obviously prepared for him. With a deep breath he put his hand on the doorknob.
That was when the presence of seven witches downtown caught his attention and froze his hand. With a little concentration, Stein could feel a number of other souls involved and emotions of fear and desperation. As much as he would love to tempt fate and open this door, the lives of fifty some innocent people were in danger. He quickly turned from the door and rushed down the hall.
Medusa let out a long exhale, allowing her muscles to relax before a smirk crossed her lips. Once her snake confirmed that he was gone, Medusa slipped from the room and around the last corner before reaching the large Death Room door. From her pocket, she held up the blood splattered pin and the door opened, accepting its presence as though Kid was there himself. With little effort, the witch pushed open the door and stepped into the Death God's inner sanctuary.
Kid was sore, tired, drained but still he rounded the corner of the hall. His neck ached, his chest burned, and his back throbbed from the impact when he had been thrown off his skateboard. He had turned the last corner just in time to catch the woman's slit pupil eyes and wide evil smirk as she closed the door behind herself.
"Father!"
A/N: Thanks for the wait! Sorry it jumped around so much. Things will smooth out soon!