Hello there! Thank you to every one who's reading this story of mine! You mean so much to me! Thank you to all the reviewers: CheezeMonster, AgataNei, Professor Maka, Mallon Dark Dragon, KawaiiHat, Bee, hannahgo, LeprechaunGreen, lovelygirl4everlife, Bri, kelisanimefreakmitchell, AkitaNeruVocaloid, spiceypepper, chloe200999, and vivalarapture! I really appreciate all your reviews! And a another shout out to all my followers: vivalarapture, spiceypepper, snk1216, lovelygirl4everlife, kelisanimefreakmitchell, hannahgo, crimsontouches, arisaartemis, Six Ribbons, Professor Maka, PrincessNeshh, Mermain123, Elli990, CheezeMonster, Amongthegreats, AkitaNeruVocaloid, AgataNei, and 1rocker-chic! And since most of the followers also favored the story as well, let me just give a shout out to the ones who haven't had a shout out: FozyOz, Sailordeedlit, argyyle, and rdlacaj! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Disclaimer: I don't own anything :(Enjoy Chapter 10: The Hunt Begins, Part Two
Kid ran in front of Patty and took the punch Black Star threw.
"Soul wouldn't ever do that!" Tsubaki wrapped her arms around Black Star to prevent him from actually hitting Patty.
"Would you shut up and listen to her?!" Kid roared back, rubbing his cheek.
"On the contrary," Lord Death interrupted, "Soul would've faked his death to get away from the organization."
"What do you mean?" Liz asked.
"That blond woman, the one who brought Soul on stage, she's the head of the organization. She's also Soul's mother. Now, listen to me, and listen well, this is what we're going to do…"
x
"According to eyewitness, the suicide bomber ran straight to the stage soon after the main event started. Apparently, the guest performer was a co-conspirator as he ran to the aid of the bomber as she was being carried out by security. They managed to set off a series of small bombs that severely injured the security and themselves. Using the distraction, the duo escaped. The President has issued a nation-wide man-hunt for the terrorists. I'm now here at the scene to…"
"Can someone please shut that reporter up," Spirit mumbled to Stein. The trio was standing in front of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It was six in the morning; the sun was struggling to get through the buildings.
"The general public has to be told something," Stein replied. Spirit sighed. Police and detectives were coming in and out of the concert hall like ants. Everyone was so busy. Justin was never really listening to music. He kept his earphones in because he didn't want people to think he was willing to listen to them. But just this once, he took out his earphones. He had fought side-by-side with Maka and Soul. This case was striking a deep nerve with him.
"Gentlemen!" The trio looked to the left as a lean old man walked up to them and introduced himself as the chief of police. "You men must be from DWMA, am I right? Well, thank goodness you're here. I'll show you to the real security tapes. The ones my men have now have already been altered. I'm sorry to say it but, your students are now fugitives of the government. Now, please follow me."
The trio crossed under the yellow police tape and followed the chief of police. They were led to an SUV with dark tinted windows, the kind that obscure the outside world. All four of them filtered into the car. Spirit sat shotgun as Justin and Stein filled in the back seats.
The footage was new to all of their eyes. Spirit's hands curled into fists as he watched his daughter fight to save her life. After being freed of the men, the altered tape showed Soul and Maka making a run for it. Somewhere in all of their hearts, including the police chief, they wished that would've happened. However, Maka and Soul had been surrounded and knocked out. The tapes showed their unconscious bodies being carried into Mrs. Evans' Mercedes. And Mrs. Evans herself drove the car away.
"Can you run her plates?" Justin asked.
"Already have," the police chief answered. "Found the car abandoned in a parking lot up at Zuma beach. Nobody's searched it, though. "
"I don't suppose there are any cameras there," Stein mused. The police chief shook his head.
"Nothing but the eyes of the mountains," Spirit whispered. The chief of police sighed.
"Why don't you guys take a look at the scene, see what you can gather from it." The trio was led back and into the concert hall. If they had been there for any other reason they would have been stricken in awe at the massive structure. Not only impressive in size, but in architecture, the concert hall was absolutely gorgeous. The left most aisle was taped off as that was where the supposed crime took place.
The blood had been clearly altered to the eyes of Stein, Justin, and Spirit. Magic had been used to erase the blood that should have started at the beginning of the aisle; they had a witch working with them. Spirit cursed. The only blood was where Soul cut off the arms of the men who carried Maka.
"There's nothing for us to take from here," Justin stated. The trio searched the concert hall from top to bottom and came up empty. It was four in the afternoon when the trio finished. The chief of police gave them the real tapes and they called Lord Death.
"Did you find anything?" Lord Death knew it was a pointless question by the looks on their faces.
"Just where Mrs. Evans' car is. It was the vehicle that took Maka and Soul," Stein replied. "We'll head up there as soon as possible." Lord Death nodded and thought for a moment.
"Alright, Justin, I need you to come back with the real tapes. I also have something else for you to do. Spirit and Stein go search the car and the area for any more clues." And just like that, the group separated.
x
"Fuck…" Black Star whispered into his hands. Three months had passed and they had gotten absolutely nowhere. The five teenagers were finally back in Death City. After three months of serious searching and empty leads, Lord Death called the teens back for a break.
"Fuck…" Black Star said a little louder. "Fuck." His hands curled into fists against his eyes as the unwanted tears began to fall. "Fuck!" Black Star stood up and punched a hole in the wall.
"Now you've done it," Death the Kid said as he came into his living room with a tray of tea. He'd noticed that his OCD had dwindled during the past four months. Normally, he would've jumped at the fact that his living room was now asymmetrical. Now, he just didn't care. They had literally been running all over the country. And running all over one of the world's largest countries is not fun. Patty had said to be thankful they weren't in Russia. No one laughed at that.
The group had missed their graduation ceremony, but they still got their diplomas. They were official members of the DWMA fighting staff, even though they hadn't completed death scythes. Maka still graduated at the top of her class. Lord Death even graduated Soul.
The five teens sat around cooling tea, no one bothered to drink any. It was their first day on break and their spirits just weren't up. Every one's chest was heavy. Carrying a sad heart was tiring. Even Patty was sitting with her hands folded on her lap. After a couple of moments of unbearable silence, Tsubaki cleared her throat.
"Wh-why don't we go play some basketball?" She asked quietly. The group looked at her. Being the oldest, she felt it was her duty to try to lighten the mood. The Thompson sisters gave her a rueful smile. Kid tried to smile but it fell the moment he got it up. Black Star stood up and started walking toward the door.
"I'll take you guys on by myself and still win," he said quietly. The rest of the group followed him silently to the basketball court…
It was an hour or so past noon when the girls took a break. Black Star played Kid one-on-one.
"Hey, isn't Kid's birthday coming up?" Tsubaki asked. Liz smiled.
"It already past," Liz said.
"Two weeks ago!" Patty added.
"Oh," Tsubaki felt bad for not knowing it. "When was it?"
"August 8," Liz answered a little too quickly. Patty giggled.
"Liz knows everything about Kid," Patty half whispered to Tsubaki. "She's like a stalker!"
"I am not!" Liz denied but her cheeks were flaming pink with her blush. Tsubaki couldn't help but to laugh with Patty.
"What do you think they're laughing about?" Kid asked between breaths. He was watching Black Star who was looking for a way around him.
"I don't care," Black Star also answered between breaths. He feigned left and went right. Kid completely fell for it. Black Star took a shot and the ball fell through the basket. "Yes!" Black Star pumped his fist in the air, a huge smile on his face. "I won!" The boys turned to the sound of the girls cheering for Black Star's win.
They were just pretending. At the ages of nineteen, eighteen, and seventeen, they were doing their best to cope with their situation. They pretended that Maka wasn't there because she wanted to get ahead in her college classes. They were pretending that Soul was in detention for messing something up. It was easier that way. It helped them smile, even if it was just make believe. Just for this one day, they would fool themselves. Just for this one day, they would forget. Just for this one day, they would pretend to be happy…