*****Warning*******
This chapter has some very crude and offensive behavior going on it. Please don't be offended it's just fiction. NO LEMON But Some LIME in this chapter. Nothing explicit but definitely a little bit of sexual hijinx. As you know I don't own soul eater. etc etc. I censored most of this so I could keep it T for teen.
Soul looked at the ringing phone on the mantel. It was roughly around ten o'clock. He checked the caller ID and noticed it was coming from Death the Kid's number.
"Good she's bored already." Soul said happily picking up the phone.
"Hello." Soul sang letting his voice slide into a low musical bellow into the phone receiver.
The voice on the other end was somehow frantic; Liz was nearly yelling."Soul its Liz."
"What's going on?" Soul set up alert he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
" You need to get over here. Something bad happened to Maka." Liz answered quickly.
Soul began looking around the house for his coat and his shoes. He fell over a empty pizza box and found his shoes beneath it.
"Liz tell me what happened I'm getting my coat now." Soul said calmly.
"A witch, a witch came and attacked us. Maka's ankle got sliced up its bleeding really bad."
Soul could hear Maka's voice in the distance calling to Liz. "Please, please don't call my Papa."
And Soul felt his heart leap in his throat.
"Liz I'm on my way." Soul said half out the door.
He could hear Kid's voice ragged and yelling "Liz hang up the phone."
He hung up the receiver and grabbed his keys and tore out of the driveway into the night.
Maka was injured that's all he needed to know. He knew this was a bad idea. He should have just brought Maka home after the grocery shopping it would have prevented all of this from happening.
He made it to the intersection in record time just quick enough to lean the bike into the next turn. He was speeding now, speed limits would not be observed tonight. When he got to the outskirts of town he noticed a eerie light up ahead. The whole sky was filled with blue light, like some sort of spotlight system had been turned on, getting closer to guillotine manor he could see it more clearly. A strange blue dome of light was covering the entire property. It bore symbols of arcanic magic and the dome encircled the entire house. There was something else weird too. Ravens hundreds of ravens sat in the tree's of guillotine manor dancing back and forth along the branches. The birds squawked and watched Soul their eyes filling with eerie blue light.
In the weird light Soul could see Black Star and Tsubaki. Black Star was hopping about on the ground outside Kid's drive way yelling at the top of his lungs. Soul could see he was seriously pissed and Tsubaki was trying to calm him down.
"There is nothing we can do Black Star." Tsubaki said trying to quiet down the small ninja.
"Something is wrong we got to get in there!" Black Star said again. Soul watched him pick up a brick and chuck it at the electric blue field, but it just ricocheted back.
Soul turned off the engine and jumped from the bike, and ran to Tsubaki.
He yelled feeling panic begin to set in."Where is Maka."
"As far as I know she's and the others are on the other side of this" Tsubaki said motioning angry with her hands.
"We've tried slicing it, breaking it, climbing over it, hell we even tried to go under it, but we can't get in." Black Star said kicking the field with his foot and getting quite a electric shock from it.
"Do either of you have a cell phone on you? I left mine at the house." Soul said rubbing his hands together anxiously.
"Phone why didn't I think of that." Black Star yelled and smacked himself in the head.
It was cold out tonight and the Nevada sky was heavy with cloud clover. It looked like it may rain. Soul watched as the sprinklers came on, on Kid's lawn and the security lights flickered on over the garage. He could see now there was a large hole in the right side of Kid's house on the second floor. It was easy to see with the spot lights now shining near the three car garage. A figure exited out of the house and made its way down the drive way. It ran quickly through the sprinklers to the end and another figure followed after. Finally both girls were lit up by the eerie blue field that surrounded the house.
"I tried to call you to tell you not to come. "Liz said with exhaustion.
Patty followed behind her quietly, she looked a little bit ticked off, there was no playful grin on Patty tonight Soul observed.
"You might as well go back home, Maka's ok that weird black blood stuff completely healed her." Liz said yawning.
"And this damn thing" she said kicking a rock into the field.
"Can't be taken down until tomorrow." Patty finished for Liz.
"I want to see Maka, I'm taking her home." Soul spoke with quiet rage.
"Did you not listen to what I said, we can't get this protective circle down." Liz said leaning against the hangman's tree.
"I want to see Maka." Soul repeated again.
"Maka's ok, Kid flipped out and put the shield up and now nothing can get in and out until daybreak." Liz argued, she was rubbing the bridge of her nose as if she had a headache.
Soul noticed Liz looked really tired.
"Go get Maka now!" Soul shouted, "I'm not going anywhere till I know she's safe."
Black Star laid a hand on Souls shoulder and Soul brushed him off.
"Hey they said she's ok." Black Star repeated. "I want to know about this witch though."
Soul rammed his shoulder into the force field and instantly bounced back, it felt like it was a trampoline, rubbery and electrified and gave sort of a wet feeling too. Soul felt the magic creep down his spine, it felt disgusting like someone had poured jelly down his shirt.
"God your stupid." Liz said irritably.
"Please just get Maka." Tsubaki asked kindly, I think it will make Soul feel better if he could just see her."
Soul noticed that Patty gave Liz a worried look and looked back to another room on the right side of the house.
"About that Liz said nervously, you see Maka is a little..." Liz started in but Patty cut her off and began talking overtop of her.
"Maka felt tired from losing all the blood, she healed up fine but she's sleeping now." Patty answered in a very adult sounding voice.
"Kiddo-kun is with her right now." Patty added "He's keeping a eye on her for the night."
Liz looked at Patty surprised. She had just given a very mature answer and Patty had knowingly left out that the two sisters had caught the couple in bed. She was amazed at the way Patty had successfully skated around the issue.
"I assure you Maka is fine, she's just tired, and I refuse to wake her up just to bring her down here so you can satisfy your male ego." Patty shot out coolly.
Soul stubbed up than and sat down in front of the house. "Then I'm not leaving! "
Liz watched as Patty began slipping into her old ways, Soul was lucky there was a force field blocking him. Because Patty was in the mood for a fight. She was pissed but Liz couldn't tell who she was more mad at right now Kid or Soul. She kept quiet and let Patty's rage seethe its way towards Soul.
"You know you can stay out here all night, we told you she was ok and you refused to listen but the fact of the matter is, you can't get through this field and we are not waking up Maka. So get the f^* out here and go home. " Patty screamed.
" Tsubaki Black Star I'll tell Maka you checked on her in the morning." Patty tried to respond civilly but it just came out creepy.
Soul tried to negotiate "Just go get Maka and let me see her than I'll leave, I just want to see she's ok."
Patty began walking back to the house, and turned around on her heals and flipped Soul the bird. "Try not to catch pneumonia out here." Patty sang and then let out a cackle of laughter that scared all the ravens away.
Liz turned around and apologized to everyone.
"It's been a really rough night." Liz said trying to find the word to explain Patty behavior.
"I don't understand how a witch was able to attack you inside your own house." Tsubaki questioned.
"It was weird she moved like she was made of liquid we couldn't even see her body or her face. When Kid shot her she just made holes in her body for the bullets to pass through. It was really strange."
"You said this shield drops at daybreak." Soul said strumming his fingers against the wall again.
"Yeah, you know you should go home, Maka would worry if she found out you were sitting out here waiting on her." Liz said calmly.
"I can't stop worrying about her. It doesn't matter if I go home or stay here, it's not like I'd get any rest until I see her." Soul answered slowly.
"Could Kid drop this thing if he came out here?" Soul questioned his voice falling to a low and deep tone.
"I honestly don't know." Liz explained.
"Kid can do so many things I can't keep up with all his abilities. It's upsetting but Patty seems to have a better understanding of him than I do lately." Liz said with a huff.
"Can you get Kid down here?" Soul repeated.
"I'll try." Liz said softly "I don't know if he's going to be cooperative, he's pretty picky about looking after people if they are sick or injured." Liz commented thinking of the time both she and Patty had caught chicken pox and Kid insisted they stay in bed for a whole week.
Liz walked away back to the house and Soul sighed with relief.
"I guess we should go home?" Tsubaki said pulling on Black Stars arm.
"I was kind of hoping to find out what kind of enemy did this." Black Star said shyly.
"We can find that out tomorrow." Tsubaki said pushing Black Star toward their house.
"Soul please consider going home, it's a little too cold to sleep outside tonight, and you have already been sick." Tsubaki repeated Patty's concerns.
Tsubaki managed to pull Black Star away finally leaving Soul alone in the dark.
He sat up at against a tree near the graveyard and waited. He noticed he could see his breath in the night air forming in small puffs and he brushed his hands against one another trying to get warm. It was nearly a hour before he saw a figure come walking out of the house in a bathrobe and pajamas. Soul watched as the amber eyes scanned the perimeter before locking on to him.
Kid than broke into a bit of jog and came over.
"I'm sorry Liz just told me, I fell asleep looking after Maka." Kid said quietly.
"Is she ok, can you get this stupid force field down so I can see her."
"I wish I could," Kid said looking rather embarrassed.
"I over reacted when the witch fled and constructed a barrier around the house, I wasn't thinking about anyone getting in or out I was just thinking of keeping the witch away from the girls." Kid spoke modestly.
Kid looked Soul over and felt a little self conscious, he had just been lying in a warm bed with Maka snuggling and leaving soft kisses about her neck and head, now he was staring at her partner and felt oddly embarrassed. It felt like he was looking at Maka's father, Soul had some strange protective need to see Maka and he recognized his concerns. It was almost a brotherly type of love, and Kid watched as Soul shook in the cold night air, unable to feel the cold himself.
"You must be cold I wish I could offer you a cup of coffee or a coat but were somewhat stuck in here till daybreak." Kid spoke politely trying to make small talk.
Soul was surprised at how comfortable Kid was with talking to him. The sisters had been completely apprehension and almost difficult, but Kid acted as if he really would collapse the barrier down if he had the ability.
"If you wake Maka up so I can see her I'll go home." Soul repeated quietly.
"I understand your worried about her. If the situation were reversed I'd probably be doing the same thing." Kid said perceptively.
"We've got about four hours till daybreak. Your welcome to stay till then, but I'm sure Maka will have your hide if you do. She said you've been sick, and waiting outside in the damp night air won't help that." Kid tried to force his voice into a amicable tone, but failed, it sounded like he was correcting Soul and he knew Soul did not want to hear it.
"So you're not going to bring Maka down here." Soul growled.
"I couldn't wake her, and other than carrying her down here so you can see her there is not much I can do." Kid repeated in a polite manor.
Kid looked up startled as one of the bird shifted in the branches above Soul. He backed up and looked at the enormous flock of ravens that were gathered just outside the force field.
"Have these ravens been here the whole time?" Kid said nervously.
"Yeah soon as I pulled up I noticed they were sitting in the tree." Soul said looking up to a light that lit up the wings that fluttered in the trees.
"You need to get inside, those birds are unnatural. They only come out to carry the spirits of the dead to the never after." Kid chided.
"There just birds" Soul said with a snort. "Don't you think your being a little bit paranoid."
"Besides I thought that was a crow." Soul said irritably.
Ravens are recognized as Soul birds actually.
The crow came about because of a European belief that bad priests turned into birds a form of transmigration of souls. Than later that belief was popularized and convoluted by a American piece of cinema called The Crow.
"I'm not in the mood for one of you lectures." Soul argued.
Soul surmised that Maka must be in a room near where the hole was in the house. Kid kept looking back over his shoulder the same way Patty had. As if checking for movement or signs of light coming from a window behind the torn up section in the house. He watched Kid's eyes dart back to the spot again, his vision training on something in the distant before he began to speak with a exasperated tone.
"Well fine than know this , the witch that attacked us tonight was a crow witch calling herself murder. As in a murder of crows. She was able to cross a threshold which prevented her from casting spells, but she would have been a lot more powerful if she had encountered us out in the open."
"That same witch sliced Maka up pretty good. Lucky for us that black blood you share with her was able to heal her." Kid added.
"So why the hell are these soul birds waiting here." Soul said scratching his head.
The only thing Soul wanted to see was Maka, and it was obvious Kid just wasn't going to let that happen. Soul felt a air of indifference toward Kid now, and he was finding there so called friendship lacking.
"So I take it you're not going home?" Kid said sliding up against the field.
"Not until I see Maka." Soul repeated for about the one hundredth time.
"Well than I guess I can wait out here with you." Kid said happily. "Not like I'd be able to sleep anyway. I'll make you some breakfast when the field collapses."
"Why don't you go in?" Soul said growing tired of Kid insistent rattling.
"Then you would be out here all alone with the soul birds." Kid said motioning to the birds.
Not like you would want to hear the real reason. Kid said thinking back to Maka who was warmly wrapped in his bed. God he felt like a kid right now. A beautiful woman had come on to him in her sleep and he didn't even lift a finger to touch her. Maybe Soul was right, maybe he should go back in. Kid thought again to Maka's condition and decided against it. It would be more prudent, not to think about those feeling tonight. Maka had been injured, and needed to rest, not fool around.
"Shouldn't you be taking care of Maka?" Soul snorted angry.
Soul looked at Kid with agitation. Why the hell wouldn't he just go inside already. No one was looking after Maka as long as Kid was out here jabbering away to him. He took in Death the Kid's wardrobe and noticed he didn't have a shirt on just a pair of black silk pants and a house coat. It was freezing out here but he didn't seem to acknowledge that the house coat was paper thin. Did he not even notice the cold.
Soul rubbed his hands together and blew on them for warmth. Soul was freezing his nuts off and this idiot was still standing here hardly even dressed.
Soul felt his stomach growl in protest, he was hungry again and he needed to use the bathroom too. He looked over to find Kid still talking away about the witch from last night, and decided he could at least alleviate one of those biological needs.
Kid watched as Soul turned away from him and began walking over to the cemetery that set on the outside of the field he had erected.
"Where are you going?" Kid questioned baffled.
"To pee you got a problem with that?" Soul yelled back.
Kid watched as Soul found his way to a high tombstone and unzipped his fly. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as Soul began reaching into his pants.
"Good god not in the cemetery there are people buried there!"
"You mind not watching asshole, or are you into dudes like everyone says?" Soul yelled back and reached inside his fly freeing himself.
Kid turned around quickly and heard the stream of urine splattering against marble. He covered his ears out of sheer embarrassment.
" It's a cemetery a cemetery." He protested with a whine to his voice.
"Just think of it as consecrating holy grounds!" Soul yelled back amused.
He looked back over his shoulder and noticed Kid was flipping out having one of his normal tantrums. and arched the stream up to sprayed a little higher so he knew Kid would notice it.
"For the life of me I don't know what she sees in you." Soul thought darkly. He looked over at Kid who was ranting about holy ground, and rights for the dead and decided to have a little fun with him.
"Ah that feels good." He growled smugly and zipped up his fly.
"OH god there is steam coming off the tombstones" Kid cried. "That is just to perverse and disgusting."
"Well when you got go you got to go." Soul said stretching his arms he looked over as the morning sun started crossing the tree line. And made a obvious movement to scratch his ass and adjust himself.
Kid raised on one leg shocked and horrified. How did Maka put up with such delinquency and bad manners on a daily bases. The only thing worse would be picking his nose and fanning gas. Low and behold Soul started doing just that.
"Couldn't you have waited just a few more minutes." Kid screamed angry.
Soul listened to the point where kid started correcting him over public urination and tuned him out again. This was going to be one long day, he thought to himself. We got school in a hour and he had maybe about two hours worth of sleep. His throat was bothering him again and he was anxiously waiting for the field to collapse.
"Hey sun is visible why the hell is this damn thing still up." Soul said skipping a rock at the field.
The rock fizzled a bit and went through the field. The light reached out across the green checkered lawn and touched the blue dome it began fizzling and popping all over but it still stood there. It sounded like bacon grease cooking in a frying pan Soul thought and heard his stomach growl again.
Soul grabbed the brick Black Star had thrown last night and chucked it as hard as he could at the field. There was a shattering noise and the blue broke away.
Soul stepped through where the field satisfied, and heard a loud yelp from Kid. On further inspection he noticed Kid had caught the brick right across his face. His nose was splattered bleeding and his face bared the print of the brick.
"Shit Kid you ok?" Soul said flicking the brick off of Kid's face and giving him a good shake.
Kid mumbled something incoherent and Soul dropped him back into the mud.
"Good your ok." Soul proclaimed and started to walk to the house.
He looked back over his shoulder and noticed Kid still wasn't moving. He nudged him in the ribs a few time with his foot.
"You going to get up or lay there all day." Soul said irritable.
He watched as Kid still didn't move and decided he'd better drag him inside. Soul grabbed Kid by his collar and began dragging him through the lawn.
"You know you're a real nuisance completely un-cool. I need to be checking on Maka." Soul said dragging Kid into the house. He chose a side door to enter and pulled Kid into a room that appeared to be a kitchen. A very large kitchen. Soul watched as Kid left a mud trail through the checkered linoleum floor and gave a snort of amusement.
"No wonder, Maka has been wanting to stay over here, she probably went nuts over this kitchen." Soul thought to himself. He released Death the Kid collar and let him fall to the floor. He looked at the door where several pairs of shoes sat and began trying to remove his. It was warm in the house everything felt neat and tidy. Just like a funeral parlor Soul thought looking at the heavy drapes and stark walls. He was surprised to see the girls hadn't decorated the house. After all Maka had made their house feel so homey and livable it seemed unusual that Patty and Liz didn't have the same knack for it.
Maka and the Thompson sisters walked into the kitchen then, all in their pajamas. Soul noticed right away that both Maka and Liz were barely even covered, wearing just pajama tops, short ones too that showed little shots of there underwear when they moved, Patty was the only one of the three wearing pants and she had on a tight white wife beater that barely held her large breasts. Yeah and this isn't a harem, Soul thought darkly watching the nymph like girls prance about the kitchen.
"You should drink some orange juice Maka." Liz said pulling out three glasses
"It will help you build blood back up." Patty added.
The girls eyes fell on Soul finally. None of them seemed the least bit body conscious of their state of undress, which was weird considering Maka normally was so prudish. Liz examined Soul and the mud trail that lead into the kitchen she carefully stepped around it so her painted toe nails avoided the mud.
"Holy crap Kid is going to freak when he see's all the mud you dragged in here." Liz said looking at the floor.
Maka cried dropping to the floor where Kid lay limp in muddy mess. "Kid-kun."
"Shit I didn't even notice, him, oh god he's covered in blood and mud." Liz said turning her attentions from the mud trail to Kid.
"What did you do to my Aniki" Patty screamed at Soul.
Patty's hand opened up and pushed Soul back against the butcher-block that divided the kitchen.
"I didn't do anything he just got hit in the head with a brick." Soul said stepping away from the corner of the countertop.
Patty's fists were shaking, her eyes ready to bulge out. She had Soul at a odd angle his back against the the counter top and his legs bent in front of him, Patty stepped over a leg and placed her arms on either side of him barring him from escaping.
" Kid-kun was nice enough to sit out there with you all night, and you, you beat him up." Patty said with quiet anger. Her mouth and eyes took on a feral and rabid look.
Soul adjust his legs so he took a step back from the small blond girl. There was something that just wasn't right about her, and he had seen Patty beat up five men in a row before, her anger ran though him and he noticed she had a dark aurora that screamed murder to him.
" I just threw a brick at the field it was a accident." Soul said frightened.
"You threw a brick at him." Maka screamed. She had gathered Kid about herself and was trying to wipe the mud from his hair, and clean up his bloody nose. Soul looked about Maka's ankle alert to why he was here. He tried to get a better look about her body, looking for small missed injuries but Patty grabbed his face so her eyes could bore into him. Soul watched as Maka tried to rise but found she didn't have the strength to lift Kid this morning.
Maka noted her body overall had been sluggish since she woke up, it just felt slow and weak , she huffed at her uselessness and tried to make herself stand with Kid's dead weight wrapped around her. She had been up for a good hour now and had tried to do a load of dirty towels but had fallen back asleep before the dryer had finished. Her eyes fell back on Kid an her brow nit with concern. She couldn't carry him today, she was going to have to bring him too.
"I'm so sorry" she whispered to Kid's semi-conscious form.
"Maka," Kid whispered back. His eyes opened but he was seeing multiples, and everything had a slightly pink tint to it. Something felt off, he couldn't breathe out of his nose and his face felt like someone had hit him with a shovel.
"Good your coming too." Maka whispered.
Kid noticed Maka was stroking his face, it felt good there was something sticky about him, and he didn't like the feeling. Something thick and wet as well, it felt like bits and pieces were clinging to him in odd ways.
"You should have stayed in bed. " Kid replied hoarse.
His hand fell down to Maka's and he knitted his fingers with hers, there was something squishy between them something scratchy too, thin and plant like. Kid's vision cleared up just enough to see Liz transform and land in Patty's hand. Patty was shooting in the kitchen. His mind reeled for a second and he began to wonder what was going on. His face had a sort of raw feel about it, something gravely and painful seemed embedded in his cheek.
"Can you stand up? I'd help you upstairs, but I can't lift you Kid-kun." Maka explained.
Kid noticed Maka's eyes were soft and full of worry; he just couldn't stomach her looking at him that way. So he forced himself up to his feet, it felt like a mistake, his stomach lurched and he felt the need to vomit. Maka held out both of her hands to him and he took them as she began to lead him forward.
Maka was calling to him as if he were a small child "Come on Kid-kun"
Kid noticed her cough and call him again this time her voice was full of promises again. Though his head was throbbing and he was dizzy he let her lead him forward. He noticed Maka was going back upstairs, and watched her take the quick turn past the Kanji scrolls on the hall into his bedroom. Her hands were pulling him forward faster than he felt he could move but that voice of hers pierced through his sickness.
"What happened." Kid questioned feeling more and more uncomfortable.
He knew something was wrong, his skin wasn't breathing properly and Maka had taken him into the bathroom. He began to feel the swampy filth about him and he began to panic.
"It's ok Kid-kun close your eyes and try not to think about it." Maka offered.
Kid shook his head trying to free himself from the blur of images he was seeing and Maka's sensual voice. He noticed shaking his head made him feel more sick and quit.
"Kid-kun how many fingers am I holding up?" Maka asked placing her hand up to his face.
"Six," Kid answered trying to shake the image from his head, his eyes seemed unfocused and blurry.
"I think you may have a concussion." Maka said in a whisper.
"Let's get you cleaned up first and if your still can not see strait we'll take you to the hospital, I probably shouldn't have moved you but it's too late now." Maka explained worried.
Kid slid his hand over his wrist and flicked off what felt like a pound of mud away. What the hell happened why am I covered in dirt? Kid thought to himself and watched as Maka began sheering off her clothes. Somewhere in the primitive part of his brain it told him to pay attention but he kept seeing double.
Maka had sacrificed her clothes to the laundry and was working on his. He watched as Maka's bobbing breast were held neatly in her bra and her hands began to work loose his robe. She stumbled for a minute trying to decide whether to remove his pajama bottoms or not.
"Kid-kun can you a err... um.. take those off for me?" Maka said turning her back to him.
Kid could see Maka in the mirror now more clearly, she was kind of fuzzily outline. But Maka was wearing nothing more than her bra and panties. He wanted to reach out and touch her but found himself grasping at air. God damn why did his head hurt so much.
Kid clumsily tried to slide out of pajama bottoms and found he was too dizzy and nearly hit the floor head first. He landed on his hands and knees and he noticed his knees were muddy now, and his skin had grass and brown filth stuck to it.
"What the hell happened." Kid yelled angrily.
His loud voice made his head hurt more and he began seeing double again. Maka turned back to him then and untangled his pajama's from around his ankles. It was a good thing he had worn underwear last night his brain thought amused. He tried to look at Maka again and the light seemed to dazzle around her in a halo effect blinding her body from his vision.
"Something's wrong." Kid said trying to shake his head again and noticing small specks of blood were falling on the almond porcelain tile.
"Don't do that don't do that." Maka repeated frightened.
Kid noticed Maka had him by the face to keep him from shaking his head. She was trying to get him to stand but his weight permitted her from hauling him up.
"This sucks." Maka shouted annoyed.
"I can't lift you Kid-kun you have to help me." She explained trying to yank him into the shower.
Kid struggled back to his feet and stumbled into the shower on his own. The water was streaming down his face and it felt good, it was washing the sticky off him. He noticed now the water was turning brown and red. Somehow it made no sense in his mind. He heard Maka saying something to herself then it sounded more like a pep talk.
"It's the same as wearing a bathing suit. There's no difference." Maka explained franticly.
Kid heard her take a large breath and found Maka was getting in the walk in shower with him.
"I don't feel good Maka." Kid explained and felt for the tiled shower seat.
"You got hit in the face with a brick of course you don't feel good." Maka said her voice filling with irritation.
"I hope Patty clobbers Soul." Maka said snidely.
This made Kid smirk. His little sister beating up Soul would have been fun to watch. The water was taking some of the fuzziness away from his brain. His head felt like it was splitting but, he was now noticing Maka was kneeling in front of him. She had a figure now, not some shadowy outline, and Kid realized she was in the shower with him wearing nothing but her bra and underwear. Kid felt a quick electric jolt that brought him back to reality. Maka had reached out to him and was pouring shampoo on his hair.
"I'm sorry if that hurt's" Maka apologized.
What the hell was she doing, why was she in the shower with him. Hell why were they clothed? He felt his wet underwear and began to worry. He looked down at his lap and crossed his legs. As Maka began running the shampoo through his hair. The shower was big enough for two but he had never thought of actually using it this way. Maka was obviously embarrassed though why else would she still be in her underwear and bra. She was kneeling in front of him, the water running down over her breast and around her hair. Kid wondered for a second if he was dreaming, and then decided it wouldn't hurt so damn much if he was dreaming.
His eyes focused down on Maka's body and her wet form, and his body grew warm, each little touch was sending him over the edge. He felt Maka's hands slide bout his hair her chest were somewhere above eye level but he could see her waist quite fine. He was watching her belly move as she attempted to move the mud out of his hair. His eyes kind of focused on her belly button and the top edge of her panties, he forbid himself to look any lower out of fear of Maka noticing his excitement.
"I need to see if it was just your nose and forehead that got busted or if you got another lump in your hair." Maka explained, she sounded almost medical with her observation.
Kid waited as Maka gently ran her fingers through his hair, till the soap washed out. Seeming satisfied she raised herself from the shower and lifted his face to look at her. Your nose is still bleeding but the knot on your forehead looks like it's going down.
"Shinigami's heal fast. You could have waited It would have been fine." Kid choked out embarrassed.
Kid's eyes trailed up from Maka's belly button to Maka's upper half. He found himself having trouble looking at her face considering her boobs were set directly at his eye level. He look at the odd little rosette in the center of her bra and noticed the half lace that covered the shoulder straps was spread across the top part of her breasts. It was a full bra not one made for looks but one made for utility. Its lace wasn't half as pretty as some of the things the girls trotted around in from day to day.
He kind of realized what Liz and Patty were attempting to do by buying Maka new bra's and undergarments. They wanted to give her something, they didn't feel like she had the patience to buy. Something pretty and lovely that didn't look so what was the word...Ah yes boring Kid thought.
Maka watched as Kid shivered under the hot water and noticed most of it was falling on her instead of on him. She grabbed for his hands and Kid looked up at her amused.
Kid flicked his wet bangs from his face.
"I wish I felt better than I do so I could enjoy this more." Kid cooed.
Maka fidgeted around the shower embarrassed. "I was worried you would get upset seeing how much mud you had all over you."
Kid rose to his feet claiming a space in the hot water. He looked up at the streams coming down and felt a lufa rub across his abdomen. This would be so much fun if he didn't have a splitting headache, he struggled again with his sight so he could look down at Maka. Her pigtails were hanging long and soaked down over her bra, and her white undergarments were transparent with all the water.
Oh god she looked good. He turned around and gripped his nose to control the bleeding and felt a bone out of place, he knew if he didn't crack it back it would heal broken so he used a quick movement to re-adjust it and sent a cascade of blood into the shower.
His eyes were feeling better now, some of the pressure was gone in his head . But he felt a little light headed. Kid stumbled backward a little and spread his hands over the wall so the water beat against his back. He could feel the backs of his legs bump against something of Maka's and he noticed there was nothing on the wall to hold onto.
"Kid-kun... Kid-kun are you ok?" Maka cried out.
"I'm fine" Kid answered nasally.
He sniffed for a few minutes and stretched a arm out on the tile to steady himself and felt the Lufa move along his neck and shoulders. He realized now that Maka was trying to give him a bath and he blushed into his arm, pressing his face against the tile. The tile felt good nice and cold, and it set up a prickling pattern against his forehead and cheeks. Checking for concussions was one thing but this was a little too much. Hell didn't Maka realize he was more likely to pass out from embarrassment and hormones at this point than from being physically hit.
Kid stopped thinking feeling her Lufa graze across his lower back. The imagery of Maka in the shower washing him made him changed his mind again. It felt nice, really nice. His brain drifted over the thought of what it would feel like having sex in the shower but he noticed Maka was getting out. His hand made a gesture for her to stay but she didn't see it.
Kid growled his voice filling with masculinity."Hey where are you going?"
"To finish getting showered and dressed. I think you can manage from here, if you need anything I'll be right back." Maka called back leaving the bathroom.
Kid noticed Maka's ears were red and her face was too as she passed by the bathroom mirror. Evidently he wasn't the only one who was overly embarrassed.
Kid slipped the wet boxer shorts off and threw them into one of two bathroom sinks. He still felt kind of dirty and it gave him the crawls. He looked down and noticed his body was still wistfully thinking about Maka and he blanched. He quickly loaded the Lufa up with soap and began manhandling his skin with it. He had to get the dirt off, had to scrub away the image of her touching him like that. He eyed the cold water faucet and decided against it.
"Damn that was close." he let out a sigh of relief.
Kid banged his head against the tile in frustration, trying to command his body through pain to listen to him. He soon realized after he did so that it was a bad idea, he still felt the lump on his forehead begin pounding again. He let out a loud groan and heard Maka running down the hall back into the bathroom.
"Shit I shouldn't have left you." Maka cried angry from the bathroom door.
She grabbed a towel and began trying to move kid over to her and cover his body up at the same time.
Kid felt a wave of embarrasment and guilt wash over him as he looked at Maka."It's ok I just did something stupid." he said with a snicker.
"Did you hit your head again?" Maka cried out seeing blood trickling from the bump on his forehead.
"Yes but it wasn't because of a concussion." Kid said with a sour note to his laughter.
He felt Maka's hands reach up to his head examining him herself. Maka's small face was looking up at him her unnatural green eyes pouring into his gold ones for a second. Her cheeks had a pale look to them and her eyes darted around the room trying to look at anything that wasn't his body. He used his last shred of modesty to cover himself up he waited as Maka wrapped a towel around him.
"I'm going to call the hospital." Maka said franticly.
Kids inner beast roared to life smelling the fear and desperation in Maka. He reached up and snapped her arm from the air and pulled her back to him and left a brutish kiss upon her lips. His towel fell to his ankles and he pushed Maka's body against him forcefully. The Shinigami seeking out warmth and delighted it had found it.
Maka pulled away and looked up at him sternly, she'd realized what she had done, that second of panic she had experienced was enough to set Kid off again. She watched as his demeanor switched from painful to hungry. He was smiling now his one hand gripping the knot on his head, trying to stop the blood from trickling into his eyes, his other hand began making its way over her body. His naked body pressed against hers his arms tugging on her trying to lift her leg from the ground.
"Kid-kun we don't have time for this," Maka said in a deep and menacing voice.
"You need to go to the hospital and I have school today."
Just as quickly as the Shinigami wave came it receded, and Kid was left looking blank and questioning.
Kid looked down at his own body and took a leap back away from Maka and nearly toppled to the floor. "Oh dear god please tell me I didn't do anything embarrassing or indecent." Kid cried out.
Maka stared back at Kid like he was a criminal. It was a look he had seen Spirit receive often, as if Maka was now mentally comparing the two in her mind.
"You need to go to the hospital." Maka said with a tone that would brook no argument.
I think the Shinigami side sort of escalated my natural healing Kid said removing his hand and feeling the lump on his forehead disintegrated to nothing. He gave a sort of shy laugh and try to brush of the thought he was standing there naked in front of Maka, and just a second ago he had probably made some very rude sexual advances.
"I think I'm well enough to go to school if you are" Kid chirped trying to change the subject.
There was no way he was going to let Maka go on that field trip alone. Especially after what Patty had said to him last night. It seemed that Maka was stumbling through death's grand design. Not to mention that some crazy witch was on the lose that seemed to be gunning for all of them.
He looked back over to the garden tub and thought of all the bloody towels. He wondered if Maka didn't need to go to the hospital more than himself. His eyes crept around the curtain to the deep tub and noticed it was empty of offensive blood covered mess from last night.
"I put them in the laundry as soon as I got up." Maka said irritably.
It was like she was reading his thoughts, and he felt a little bit of shock. He decided that she was just reading his body language instead. Kid gave her a confused look.
"Please go put some clothes on and get dressed if your done showering. I need to get out of these wet clothes, and I'm cold." Maka said irritable, she closed her eyes and had a exhausted appearance about her.
Kid looked at Maka embarrassed and realized she too was trying to cover herself and her wet foot was smacking against the tile impatiently. She was worn out physically and mentally, and it was obvious she needed some time to herself.
"Go ahead and use my shower, I'll get your things from the girls room. I promise no more interruptions." Kid said grasping his hand in prayer above his head, and Maka covered her eyes quickly as his towel hit the floor.
He grabbed for his towel and saw Maka go several shades of red.
"Get out!" she screamed with her eyes closed and Kid ducked from the room.
"Ok I'm out of the room" he said shutting the bathroom door behind him and making his way into his own closet.
Kid took a look around the closet and wondered if he had entered someone else's house, there was colored clothes everywhere. Where the hell was his black pants, and his button down white shirts. He went through the drawers and found all his white tank undershirts and underwear remained untouched but he looked around lost for clothes.
How the hell am I suppose to know what to wear together. He pulled off a pair of neutral colored pants from a rack and noticed they had pockets and zippers, covering the whole leg. Hell there was even some sort of brown whip looking belt with it that he didn't quite care for.
"Why did I agree to this," Kid said looking at the clothes depressed.
He heard the water running in the bathroom and realized why. He picked out a navy blue button down shirt and the closest t-shirt and inspected it. It was a navy blue and purple striped shirt that borderline on pink. It had some kind of gradation effect that made it look lighter at the top and darker at the bottom. Kid winced it looked really girly now that he was holding it in his hand. It probably would look wonderful on Maka, or Liz but for a guy it was questionable.
"Pink damn it, they bought me pink, I thought I told them no pink." He pulled the shirt on with the pants and pulled the short sleeve button up over it.
"Damn it all to hell and back, I look like a girl." Kid gritted his teeth together, noticing a logo from some band he had never even heard of.
"I hope the band isn't some stupid boy band." Kid decided prudence was the best choice and buttoned the shirt up halfway covering up the graphic and the band name.
Kid wanted his normal clothes today. Things had been just to weird lately and he felt if he could just put on his normal clothes, that it would bring back part of his sanity, and part of his normalcy. He watched as Patty made her way into the closet inspecting him.
"Very good Aniki!" She squealed and grabbed onto him with a hug.
"I would feel better if I could wear my normal clothes." Kid argued.
"Change is good remember."Patty said wagging her finger.
"Where is Maka?" Patty said happily looking behind Kid as if she were standing behind him.
"Maka is in the shower." Kid explained stoically. He fussed with the collar in the closet mirror trying to get it to lay even.
"Does she have clothes to put on?" Patty said dancing about Kid inspecting him from foot to neck.
"No." Kid offered emotionless.
"Well than she can wear the new outfit me and Sis bought her." Patty said delighted.
Kid watched as Patty pulled on a tag and reached down to snap it with her teeth. Patty was in a excellent mood today. Almost bubbling over with joy.
She stopped for a moment wrapping her arms around Kid's neck. "You feel better Aniki or is your head still hurting."
"I'd feel better if I knew we weren't going on this field trip and my girlfriend wasn't being set up to die by the powers that be." Kid said snobbishly.
"Well you can't have it all." Patty sang happily.
Kid walked from his closet following Patty. It was standard that field trips they were allowed to wear street clothes. He noticed Patty made a turn into her bedroom and began riffling through shopping bags. She plucked up and a glass of orange juice from her night stand and a shopping bag and started back to Kid's room.
"Oi what did you do to Soul?" Kid asked impishly.
Kid was really questioned what had changed to make Patty so happy. After how Soul had acted he wasn't sure if he gave a damn what Patty did to him but the way she was dancing about gave him a nervous feeling.
"Heh I shot him, he looks a little bit crispy now but he'll live." Patty sang happily waving Kid off as she entered the bathroom.
"Maka-chan I'm coming in." Patty hollered at the door before walking in on Maka.
Kid could hear the girls exchange words and Patty came prancing back out happily.
"Aniki you making breakfast?" Patty questioned.
"I was thinking of having left over lasagna for breakfast." Kid said rubbing his hair, nervously.
"Don't eat that," Maka yelled from the other room. She was dressed in a layer tank outfit, and a jean mini skirt. She had her hair down today and had sectioned off two twin braids down each side of her head. Maka strolled out of the bathroom juice in hand. She had a somewhat relieved look on her face and her relaxed body language now showed the time alone had helped improve her mood.
Maka examined Kid and smiled. "That's not too much for you is it?"
"No It's ok, I suppose" Kid glowered.
It really wasn't ok but Kid was forcing himself to make new decisions and try to appear as normal as possible. He looked over Maka's tank top look and the short jean skirt and wondered if it wasn't a little bit too cold to be wearing it.
"Don't you think it's a little cold for that Patty?" Kid said berating Patty's choice of outfits.
"No because we're probably heading to Haiti today on the field trip." Maka defended Patty's choice by wrapping her arm around Patty, and pulling her near.
Kid watched as Patty blushed and smiled. She looked kind of innocent standing next to Maka, her blue eyes kind of lit up happily having been praised.
"Haiti?" where did you get that idea.
"You said it was unusual Professor Stein didn't talk about zombie raising in Haiti, that's probably because he's planning on giving us the first hand experience there is my best guess."
Kid blanched, "You really think Stein thought that far ahead."
"It's Stein what do you think?" Maka said happily.
Maka looked at the door that had remained locked since last night."Kid is ok to break that salt line in the computer room, my book bag is in there?"
"I'll get your bag." Kid answered quietly. "
"I wanted to ask you about the witch too" Maka whispered softly.
Patty looked from Kid to Maka and got the image she was a third wheel so she skipped downstairs. Without a second thought to the whispering couple.
Maka watched as Kid pulled out a medium dagger from somewhere she couldn't see. It was ornate and bared a series of skulls on the hilt, each skull had tiny ruby eyes that glinted in the light and strange skeleton looking hand that held the skull up. The dagger was definitely creepy.
Kid ran the dagger side to side breaking the line of salt and unlocked the door. He partially didn't want to go in the room. He knew the mess would bother him, but what bothered him more was someone had invaded his home and that bothered him worse than the fact they had to fight a witch. A unearthly wind blew up against his face and hair and he felt the last of the Shinigami warding magic break. He stepped into the room examining the mess.
The curtains were torn off the window and the wall bore structural damage to it. It would need a contractor, luckily he had one on speed dial. Maka was standing behind him her hands were wrapping around his waist. He smiled happily, he knew inwardly that Maka was trying to protect him again, but he wasn't feeling the compulsive disorder reacting. He was just angry. Maka arm hugged around him anyway and he felt her burry her face into his back. Her voice came out muffled as she spoke into his back.
"That witch didn't have a soul that I could sense. It also didn't possess a demon wavelength."
"I know" Kid said amused at the glass and debris that lay everywhere. He felt Maka's warm breath against his clothes and her shiver slightly against the Autumn air.
He made up his mind if the field trip wasn't to Hatai he would use Maka's clothing choice as a escape class and they would skip the field trip. He felt happy knowing one thing, the way the witch had hit Maka last night had added a unplanned turning point to Maka's planned death. This had given him one more place in which they had stepped away from Maka's natural life span and it had been for the positive.
Kid grabbed Maka's things and hurried her out the door. Downstairs the two split ways as Maka took her space at the stove and began boiling eggs and Kid sat at the breakfast table eyeing Soul cautiously. He realized that any move he could have made against Soul probably wasn't going to be as strong or as embarrassing as the way Patty had humiliated him this morning.
Soul sat at the table pouting. Liz had given him a blue icepack to lay against his black eye and his sore jaw. Patty had beat him senseless. He was surprised he was even alive the way the girl had jumped around shooting him with the gun. He knew had she chosen real ammunition he would have been a dead man but soul weapons like Patty and Liz just fired esper shot, it hurt a lot but it didn't kill you. Well that was until Patty had became unsatisfied at the damage and loaded her sisters gun up with rock salt.
Soul sat picking the salt out of his wounds. His green sleeves pushed up to allow him to remove the chunks imbedded in his skin. The salt burned and stun like fresh alcohol being poured on him.
"You ok?" Kid questioned popping open his daily agenda and reviewing it for the day.
Soul just grunted irritably. He was watching Maka at the stove, she was trying to peel hot hardboiled eggs. Soul realized even after the sliced tendon and the crazy morning they all had Maka was acting perfectly fine somehow, Maka fit in here at this lunatic asylum, and somehow knowing that made him glum.
"So the witch Murder or whatever her name was. You said she hadn't been smart enough to know she would lose her magic when crossing a threshold." Soul asked looking for something to talk about.
Maka maneuvered the eggs around on the counter and turned to him than. She was slicing the tops off of them and stuffing them with different types of salad and capping them with tomatoes. Soul watched amused as Maka started crumbling feta over the tomato caps to make them look more like mushrooms.
She's trying too hard, Soul thought to himself. Everyone in this house seems to do that, everyone except, Souls eyes fell on Patty she was biting into a piece of butter toast and happily carving away at the butter.
Patty didn't appear to be the rabid lunatic she was just a mere hour ago. Patty seemed to look like she didn't have a care in the world. Soul watched as she carved and bunny out of the butter before smearing it onto her toast.
Maka broke the silence answering Soul's question. "That wasn't the weirdest, the weird part was she didn't even have a face, it was like she had no real form, not to mention she didn't have a soul."
"How the hell could that happen you have to have a soul or you can't move?" Soul said latching his jaw with his finger.
He went over to Maka and grabbed the tray of fairy eggs she was messing with and plopped them down on the breakfast table. Liz looked up from her magazine and coffee to stare at the decorative eggs that looked like something a smurf would live in.
"Oh how cute!" Liz said picking up the finger food and looking at the hardboiled egg.
Patty's eyes got big and she started stuffing the mushroom looking eggs on her plate. "Maka is this my special breakfast?"
Maka wiped off her hands with the dish towel and came padding over the table. She was grinning happily.
"The ones with the large pieces of feta on them have ham salad in them the ones with the smaller pieces have tuna or egg salad. I didn't have the chance to distinguish the both since someone couldn't wait to eat. " Maka chided.
Soul grabbed a couple of the ham salad eggs and began stuffing his face. He watched as Kid sort of sat there dumb. His head was cocked to the side, looking at the tray, that was half plundered.
"How did you get the yolk out of the boiled egg without slicing them in half? Kid questioned pulling a mushroom shaped egg away and laying it on the center of his plate.
"Oh you cut the top of the egg down to the yolk. Since the yolk is denser if you squeeze the white the yolk will squeeze out in once piece, than you stuff the filling in them, of course one or two get ruined so you use them to make them into egg salad." Maka said happily.
Soul watched as kid pushed the egg around his plate trying to cut it.
"It's finger food your suppose to eat it with your hands." Soul said illustrating by inhaling a whole egg filled with tuna salad in one bite.
"I've never seen a hors d'oeuvres like this one before. Do you two normally eat appetizers like these for breakfast." Kid questioned.
"No not normally sometimes we eat cold pizza too." Soul said happily, Good old Maka had alienated Kid were her fancy high tea food. He was glad he had signed her up for the recipe month club now. Even if he did have to eat quite a few of Maka's failures, this was well worth it.
Soul inhaled about two more eggs, before someone started pounding on the door.
"Open up the fields down." Black Star yelled from the other side.
"Black Star don't yell so loud, they may still be sleeping." Tsubaki chided.
Kid raised from the table to open the door. His one egg still only half eaten. Soul wondered if Maka had noticed.
"Yippee just in time for breakfast!" Black Star sang happily removing his shoes before entering the kitchen.
Tsubaki followed him in she had removed her shoes as well Soul noted. There had to be something about this no shoe's policy that he didn't understand.
"Oh how cute." Tsubaki said looking at the eggs.
"Smurf houses!" Patty said happily smashing one with her hand so she could eat it with her fork.
"These would be good in a bento." Tsubaki said happily squeezing between Kid and Maka.
"Yeah they would." Maka said happily.
She looked over to Kid's plate and noticed he was still struggling with the top of the tomato.
"Do you want one of the plain boiled eggs Kid-kun I still have some left?" Maka said happily.
"No I think I'd rather have another piece of that lasagna for last night." Kid answered and made his way to the icebox.
"I would have never figured you were one of those people that would rather eat leftovers for breakfast. I thought only Soul did that." Maka said happily
"Normally we don't have leftover to eat, but Kid-kun loved that lasagna last night." Liz offered popping another egg in her mouth.
"You made Lasagna last night, and didn't invite me over!" Black Star eyes got big and watery, his lip was quivering up and down.
"There is plenty in here if you want a slice" Kid said amicably, "Want me to heat it all up?"
"You bet break out the man food, enough of the stupid girly crap." Soul said happily.
"You're going to eat Lasagna after eating half a dozen of those eggs?" Kid said raising a eyebrow.
"My stomach is a black hole, and I've been sitting outside most of the night remember." Soul said happy to be getting something warm in his belly.
"Besides Maka's lasagna is one of the best things she makes. Don't get me wrong though Maka I like the modified fairy egg recipe too, they would be good to eat for lunch on a gym day."
"Stupid boys have no taste!" Liz said pulling the eggs over to where the girls were sitting.
"I like the eggs Maka, don't listen to them I think they are fine for breakfast."
"I like smurf houses too!" Patty said happily glomping onto Maka.
"Far as I'm concerned you can cook here permanently we'll give Kid the pink slip tomorrow." Liz sang happily.
"I knew this was going to come up." Kid said with a smirk.
"Ok I admit, I don't cook fancy little deviled eggs that look like Amanita muscaria. There is no way I'd even try, it would take me a month to get all those little tomato caps level!" Kid said rubbing his hair.
"What did you call them?" Maka questioned.
"...Amanita muscaria you know little red and white poisons mushrooms." Kid said sheepishly.
"I've never heard that term before was why I was asking." Maka answered.
Kid deposited a kiss on top of Maka's head, and whispered into her ear. "It's not your cooking, I just have problems eating things with my hands. It's just another tick."
Soul watched as Kid casually wrapped his arms around Maka and kissed her. Soul bolted off the chair but someone had stomped his foot so hard it had stopped his instinct to leap across the table like a rabid animal. He looked around the table suspiciously, Liz was coyly talking to Tsubaki. Patty was swallowing down fairy eggs at a alarming rate and Black Star was helping himself to the Lasagna and the eggs. He felt Black Stars hand wrap around his wrist and pull him back down to the table where he was happily depositing one of everything on the table.
"Let it go." Black Star quietly growled before forcing two eggs into his mouth.
"Maka don't you think it's a little cold to wear that today?" Tsubaki commented between bites of her egg.
"Maka thinks our surprise field trip is to Haiti were packing for the beach." Liz said happily.
"Wasn't there a huge quake down there recently?" Tsubaki fidgeted a second looking at her sweater and jeans if Maka was right she had overdressed and would be miserable today.
"Yes there was." Kid commented icily.
"Port-au-Prince was a real mess, the town was completely destroyed there were two hundred and thirty thousand deaths down there, If Stein has chosen Haiti to go to I'd say it was in real poor taste of him to do so. The only reason anyone should be going to Haiti right now is to help with the relief efforts and to help with the clean up. " Kid shook his head and fell back into his chair, he had eaten half of his Lasagna and was now completely un-hungry.
"Did you have to go on that reap?" Liz questioned, Kid's mood was more than just gloomy it was hardened and that meant whatever he had seen was bad.
"Maybe we should just forget the field trip and concentrate on knocking the shit out of the witch!" Black Star said happily.
"I second that motion!" Kid said raising his hand humorless, "I heard Haiti has another hurricane about to hit it, and I frankly think our student body would be unsafe down there right now."
"Maybe Stein is going to have us help out with the relief efforts?" Tsubaki added hopefully.
"That would be good, a lot of the people probably could use some help. Maybe it's more than just a ley line fieldtrip. "
"You have no idea." Kid commented darkly.
He looked at Maka's optimism and made up his mind. No matter what she would not be going to Haiti, nor would anyone else at this table. It was too dark. None of them had seen death on that great of scale, they all were talking about helping the people in Haiti as if it were going to be a trip down to the local soup kitchen.
Volunteering in that type of hostile climate, was meant for adults, people that had hardened stomachs that could deal with death and the aftermath of having a city in destitute, people that could be militant.
He looked at the smiling faces around the table and decided he would not allow anyone one here to see what people turned into when one million people become homeless and their lives had been taken away from them. That side of humanity was not pretty it was more primitive, refugee camps, people starving to death from no food, and people that mentally broke apart from the disaster. It was horrible.
He realized that Liz and Patty were planning on some sort of beach vacation. Tsubaki and Black Star and Maka, looked like they had no clue, they were talking about the red cross with some sort of romanticized notions of being able to help people. He looked at Soul and realized he was on the fence, typical, always cautious. Kid had a sudden appreciation for Soul that minute.
"What do you think we should do?" Soul said crossing his arms and looking at Kid.
"Were not going to Haiti!" Kid commented, his mouth was dry and he was having problems raising his voice.
"If you want to help, send money to the red cross and specify it's for Haiti or go donate blood to the red cross." There isn't a person at this table that is equipped to handle what's going on there right now." Kid argued vehemently.
"What's blood going to do?" Soul questioned.
"Any time there is a natural disaster, there are injuries, and the blood bank of the country go's dry. The red cross literally transports blood and supplies from people who donate down there. If you went to help Haiti today the only thing you would see is refugee camps, wounded, injured, dyeing and the mass graves, the country looks like a warzone. "
"You've been down there?" Liz asked humbly.
"Just recently."Kid's voice went to a whisper. He hated talking about reaps in front of the others, especially mass deaths.
"So if Stein says were going to Haiti, were bowing out as a team. There is a hurricane, cholera outbreak, and frankly we will be in the way of the trained personnel who is equipped to handle what's going on. If you want to do that kind of thing later, on wait till your eight teen and join the peace corp. or the red cross. But I've seen enough disasters lately and I'm tired of feeling helpless." Kid urged the rest of the group.
"So the best thing we can do is give money or blood?" Maka asked calmly.
"Blood more so than money actually." Kid explained calmly.
"People don't want to donate blood, there squeamish and come up with excuses. During a blood drive they get about twenty five pints, and that's considered doing well so donating blood..." Kid paused for a second and Maka finished his thought.
"So donating blood Is what really save lives." Maka explained with a smile.
"That's fine and good but does that mean we go after the witch instead." Black Star said loading up his things.
Kid looked over the table and began collecting the dishes, the others began picking up there school things."No if the trip is not to Haiti we go on the field trip. We can't go after the witch till she is on lord deaths list, but I'll bet anything after my father receives the report I'm going to make the witch will be on the list by lunchtime."
"So you're going to embellish the witch a bit." Soul said with a snort of amusement.
"If necessary." Kid said back with a wry grin.
"What about donating blood?" Maka questioned.
"We'll donate when we get back from either outing that way you can donate too. " Kid commented smoothly.
He bent down to Maka and in a soft voice explained. "You lost a lot of blood yesterday it takes about a day or two to get it back. How does this sound I'll make a fiscal donation in your name today, will that make you happy."
Maka watched as a smile played on Kid's lips, he was amused at something but she didn't know what.
"I think I can make my own donation Kid-kun." Maka said indignant.
"Ok than I'll match it, so they get twice as much." Kid added with resolve.
Maka noticed she was fighting a losing battle and surrendered.
"So are we even going to make a appearance at school." Soul questioned.
"Yes, because soon as Stein says Haiti I'm going to have a few choice words with him." Kid said feeling his smile slip.
"Do you think I need to change clothes?" Tsubaki questioned.
"I'll go grab you something from upstairs, go ahead and start out, I'll catch up." Liz said running back up to her room.
Team Maka made it to school late, it had taken Liz an extra fifteen minutes to catch up she had a whole duffle bag full of clothes with her, enough for everyone, no matter what the weather entailed. She was wheezing, as they finally walked into the end of Sid's first period class and noticed all the teachers were assembling the students. A red haired blur ran past her as they drop their belonging on the desk.
"Maka... Maka my love, Daddy is chaperoning your field trip today aren't you excited!" Spirit said dancing about the room.
"Oh please no!" Maka cried.
Spirit nearly jumped on top of Maka but Maka quickly darted away.
"Death Scythe do you know where were heading to on the field trip?" Kid probed for information.
"I know it was originally suppose to be Haiti and Shinigami-sama changed it because of the hurricane."
"I knew it Stein is macabre bastard doesn't give a damn about anyone." Kid growled.
"Does that mean were going somewhere else or is the trip canceled." Soul questioned.
"Trip is still on, I'm not sure where though." Spirit said happily.
"All I know it's down in the islands down there, Stein told me to pack my Hawaiian shirt and sandals this morning. So are you excited Maka, you get to spend the whole day with your dad in some tropical island."
Kid gritted his teeth to and keep his phony smile up for Spirit. He could see Maka was not even trying to mask her anger, she pulled at Kid's arm and began dragging him away.
"Let's go talk to Stein to figure out where were going." Maka replied calmly.
"Maka seems to be hanging on Kid a lot lately." Spirit said raising an eyebrow.
Soul looked up at Spirit and smirked. "I think so too, I know I wouldn't want my daughter added to his harem."
Spirit blanched and turned ghost white. "...harem"
"Yeah, Kid was spouting out all this lovey dovey garbage at lunch yesterday, It seems he's set his eyes on Maka now." Soul said with a sly smile.
"My Maka, with Death the Kid?" Spirit broke into a fit of sobbing.
"Maka is just a baby though she's too young to date!" Spirit said with conviction.
"I thought so too, but it's not as if Maka listens to me after all she snuck out and spent the night with him just the other night." Soul mentioned casually.
"And now she's wearing new bra's and doing her hair, and wearing make-up." Soul added.
"Pappa won't allow it!" Spirit yelled with conviction, and took off the direction of Maka and Kid.
"You realize that was just plain evil!" Tsubaki said dryly.
"Any chance I can screw with Spirit I do so." Soul proclaimed with a chuckle.
Black Star punched Soul on the head. " But you're not just screwing with Spirit now your screwing with Maka and Kid too."
"Two birds with one stone." Soul said smugly.
"But she's your friend!" Tsubaki screamed emotionally. "How could you do that to your friend."
"Did you ever think that I love her and I can't stand the way the two of them are hanging on each other! I just can't stand it anymore. She's my miester, I don't want her hanging on Kid, or spending the night with Kid or kissing Kid or any of these things. I just want her to stop. I want her to come home and have things like they always are." Soul screamed at Tsubaki.
Soul could feel that his eyes were wet. He completely had lost his cool and his face felt like it was on fire. His throat felt dry and hoarse.
"If you love her as much as you say you do, don't you think you should tell her?" Tsubaki said calmly.
"I want to, I just can't talk to her though, Every time I get the chance something happens and I can't tell her. I know I'm acting like a sick bastard but I miss her, I want her back." Soul yelled emotionally.
Tsubaki raised her hand and squeezed Souls shoulder. "Then you need to get her back, but that's only going to happen if you tell her how you feel."
Black Star looked at Soul and felt no sympathy for him. He knew what Soul was going threw but he was handling it completely wrong. If he really loves her, he should step aside and let her be happy. He should want her happiness more than his own. That's the way it suppose to be, that's the way I've always done it.
"Black Star where are you going?" Tsubaki called out.
"I need some air." Black Star said crossing his hands behind his head and began walking from the class room.
He heard Tsubaki comforting Soul in the other room
"Don't worry I'll help you, I know what to say how you should act and what to do." Tsubaki squealed happily.
"It ain't right." Black Star yelled in the empty hallway.
He pushed himself into a run and found Spirit making his way to Kid. With a quick slide he sprawled Spirit out on the floor.
"You and I need to have a talk man to man before you go and ruin your relationship with your daughter permanently." Black Star said hauling Spirit back up.
"You're a couple of years to early to be having man to man conversations with me Black Star." Spirit said with a chuckle.
"Shut up and listen. Your daughter ain't fooling around with Death the Kid. All that stuff Soul just said was a load of garbage, he was just twisting the facts so you would think the worse. He's just pissed off because Death the Kid beat him to the punch and asked Maka to be his girlfriend. It's not super serious yet, if it was I'd be the first to know! If you go poking your nose into this Maka is going to think you disapprove and she's going to make some stupid choices just to spite you." Black Star explained in a low and menacing voice.
"Why would you be the first to know." Spirit said annoyed.
"Because Maka would tell her best friend who happens to be Tsubaki and Tsubaki and I don't keep secrets." Black Star explained.
"So your saying if I go butting in Maka is just going to do the opposite of what I say." Sprit said calmly.
"Kami was the same way with her father I guess there is no use in thinking Maka would be any different." Spirit said dejected.
"But she's my baby and she's too young to date." Spirit started bawling.
"You rather she date my buddy Soul or Death the Kid?" Black Star said kicking Spirit shoe.
"Is neither a option." Spirit cried hugging on to Black Star.
"Neither means me!" Black Star answered sarcastically.
"Then how about none of the above." Spirit cried again.
"None of the above means she's fresh meat for the four stars that have been eyeing her at school." Black Star said disgusted.
Spirit had just wiped his nose off on his shirt. Being the big star sucks sometimes.
"You're a good boy." Spirit said patting Black Star on the head, and crying all over him some more.
Black Star tolerance wore off and he kicked Spirit hard enough to pinball him across the room.
"So annoying." Black Star grumbled and made his way toward Kid, Stein and Maka.
Kid was arguing with Stein Black Star could hear his voice rise from down the hallway.
"What gives you the right to expose students to a natural disaster aftermath. " Kid scolded.
"Calm down Kid-kun." Maka chided.
"I will not calm down, its reckless and disgusting!" Kid yelled at Stein.
"As I mentioned before we are going to Jamaica now, the hurricane has changed path and we can study Obeah zombie raising instead of Haitian voodoo." Stein said drolly.
"Obeah zombie raising, is completely fringe. Anyone found practicing Obeah is Jamaica is put in prison, what if someone from the school messes up and uses their abilities huh. What do you think they are going to think we're doing." Kid argued again.
"Your just bent on not going on a field trip." Stein proclaimed.
"I just want the student's of this school to be safe." Kid argued.
"Well Shinigami-sama thinks Jamaica will be fun for the students and it will be a nice field trip, so I guess you've been over ruled Kiddo."
"Don't call me that, only my family calls me that." Kid spat.
Stein just snorted and just watched as Maka clung to Kid's arm.
"Maka what do you think about going to Jamaica to see the lazarus pools?"
"With no hurricane, I think we'll be fine, Kid-kun is just worried about the students and the trouble it could cause but I'm sure we'll be ok." Maka reassured.
"You are becoming more like Kami every day." Stein complimented in a smooth tone.
"I figured you would want to go after the witch that attacked us last night. " Kid questioned displeased.
"She is not on Lord Deaths list. We can't just go hunt her down because she attacked us." Maka said happily.
" I can." Kid replied unhappily.
Stein snorted in amusement, just like watch Spirit and Kami in the old days. He thought to himself. Well it would be a good field trip, he was sure the kids would want to spend extra time in Jamaica once they seen it. Sure Haiti would have been better but both Jamaica and Haiti lied on the same negative ley line structure. The only thing different was that Jamaica's ley line fell in a series of caves that only remained opened during low tide. That meant the kids would get some good snorkeling and beach time.
"Have you heard from Kami lately Maka?" Stein said moving the two children back to the class.
"No not in over three months." Maka whispered quietly.
Kid reached up and moved Maka's bangs from her face. He wrapped his hand around hers and let go when he noticed Black Star was waiting for them.
"We leaving yet?" Black Star said kicking off from his position on the wall.
"Yes were headed to Jamaica" Maka proclaimed happily.
"We going to Jamaica or are we going after the witch that attacked last night?" Black Star asked Kid more than Maka.
"What witch?" Stein said perceptively. He had heard the students mention a witch twice now and he was curious as to what they were talking about.
"A undead, witch attacked me and the girls at guillotine manor last night. She's calling herself Murder, evidently crows are her animal to call." Kid said in a business like tone.
"Is Patty and Liz ok?" Stein questioned.
"Yeah Maka was the only one to get hurt." Black Star said with a laugh.
What was Maka doing at Guillotine manor last night? Stein thought to himself. His mind fell to Spirit immediately. Spirit you better have a talk with your little girl. Stein thought impishly. Upon entering the room he scanned the room for his former weapon, and temporary class chaperone. Spirit was dressed in a very loud Hawaiian shirt. His eyes were bloodshot and currently pouring down tears. Seems Spirit was already aware of his little girls bad decision making.
Stein broke off from the students and began tracing the numbers 5262422 into the large mirror standing in front of the black board.
"As many of you already figured out were heading down to study zombie raising in the Greater Antilles Islands. You will be happy to know we will be headed for Jamaica. Since professor Sid is forbidden to enter the Island, and Maria Naygus has also offended local authorities, we have invited Spirit Albarn to chaperone. Lord Death told us to have safe trip and to avoid using all your abilities, no matter how great or how small when you get to the island. As far as the indigenous subject... err I mean people, we will need to pretend we are just normal tourists, if anyone asks were a junior and varsity soccer team."
Stein finished by scolding a couple individuals in the back of the class who groaned about not having the proper clothing and made his way over to Spirit.
"How you holding up?" Stein said lighting up a cigarette as the first of the students began stepping into the looking glass.
"What makes you think something is wrong?" Spirit shifted nervously trying to regain his composure.
"Well you have been crying like a baby , and I'm guessing it has something to do with your darling daughter having a boyfriend."
"Does everyone know about this but me!" Spirit screamed.
"No I just found out a minute ago myself." Stein said shoving his cigarette in Spirits mouth and lighting a second one.
"How long do you think this is been going on." Spirit said taking a long draw and rubbing at his ulcer.
"As I said it caught me completely off guard today, I can say one thing though, you better be glad its Death the Kid and not Soul or Black Star."
"Why." Spirit said shocked with a grotesque look upon his face.
"Kid is completely socially inept, he's lucky if he can make it past first base, Black Star and Soul on the other hand..."
Spirit began covering his ears and singing. "La la La I'm not listening."
Stein pressed his lit cigarette against Spirits hand to regain his attention. Spirit stepped away shaking his hand in disbelief.
"As I was saying better Kid than one of the others." Stein added.
"Somehow I don't think I share your sentiment." Spirit said glumly.
"I know you would prefer none at all for her but she's a teenager she's going to date."Stein commented watching the last of the students go through the mirror.
" No that not what I meant. I actually think Black Star would have been better, If I had to pick one." Spirit whined. He was rubbing his stomach like crazy.
"Black Star!" Stein laughed incredulously. "Arrogant, egotistical, little punk? You think Black Star would have been a better choice, the boy has a god complex and a brain that might as well be eaten as jello."
"He actually gave me a pep talk about a half hour ago and he's always been the boy next door, big brother type. I think I could deal with him easier, not to mention unlike Kid, I have bestowed the fear of god in that kid." Spirit said laughing out the side of his face.
"Are we talking about the same Black Star, Blue haired kid with a really big mouth and feet to match."Stein questioned.
"Yeah same kid, but I can see he's growing up quite a bit. He's not just fighting for no reason anymore, he's settling down. Plus Sid was a good influence on him." Spirit said happily.
"Well I hate to burst your arranged marriage plans for your daughter, but Maka can't stand Black Star. She actually asked me to remove him for her team once. He grates on her nerves, the same as he grates on mine. He's a hell of a martial artist but he needs to be put in his place at least once a day." Stein said gathering and strangely stitched Hawaiian shirt and slipping it over his grey one.
Stein stepped through the mirror and the world changed around them. They were outside a lip of the cave now. The students all waiting by anxiously, the tide was down and waves broke into small foams on the beach.
" Ok everyone tear off boys go one way girls go the other. You'll find the school swimsuits from gym laying in a large pile bye the changing station. After your done changing grab a snorkel and some fins. You got that." Stein barked.
"What if we brought our own bathing suits? Dr Stein." Liz challenged.
"Well weren't we prepared today Mrs. Thompson, oh before you go tromping off give me your assignments so I can hand them off to Sid to grade."
The class groaned again and began emptying out there book bags on the ground searching for their papers. Spirit went around collecting them and Stein her a moment of grumbling from the students about getting sand in their book bags.
" Go ahead and toss the rest of your stuff back through the mirror." Stein said straddling the mirror and dropping the stack of papers on his desk.
"...So disorganized." Kim spoke to herself.
Stein gave a few cranks to the screw on the side of his head. He waited as it he felt his mind wound up tight and his thoughts felt less disorderly. "Ah that's better."
"You got fifteen minutes, get changed, get in gear."
"You teaching water infiltration or are you conducting a field trip." Spirit snorted.
"What do you think Sempai." Stein laughed back.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to do both." Spirit commented thoughtfully.
"Just a small questioned why zombie raising? I mean lazarus is dangerous stuff, it can bring back the dead and it can make you dead just as easy. It seems like it would be a bad topic for the kids." Spirit questioned again.
"I think it's better to prepare people for anything than to shelter them from the truth. That way if dangers arise they are well equipped to handle the circumstances." Stein commented lack luster.
"There is a huge gap of training of what a Death Scythe suppose to accomplish and what is being taught in the school. Shinigami-sama shelters the children from the truth too much. I find it unfair they are told to give their lives not knowing why and what the circumstances are for." Stein added with a angry wipe of his face.
"There just Kid's" Spirit said again.
Stein slid into a pair of flippers and a diving mask. "Kids being used like weapons. Kid's like that don't have time to be sheltered, they need harsh doses of reality to pull them out of there fantasy world and bring them into the real world."
He held out a set to of snorkeling gear to Spirit who reluctantly put it on.
Stein motioned for the students to enter the water and gave them a quick lesson in snorkeling and swimming with and against the tide. Everyone was doing fine. They were having fun so he took the initiative to bring the students into the underwater cave system that would take them to the lazarus pits.
"Spirit since we have so many students I'm counting on you to help me make sure everyone is in visual contact at all times in the water. Were going to have to hold our breaths longer to accomplish this so I ask that you please eat this before going into the water." Stein was holding up a strange looking cube that looked like a sugar cube.
Spirit didn't bother to ask what it was he just popped the cube in his mouth and immediately regretted it. It tasted like rancid fish and scotch bonnets. He breathed fire for a second trying to calm down the heat in his tongue.
Stein popped a cube in his mouth and ran into the waves with his mouth open. Gulping up sea water greedily."It makes it so you can breathe in the water. You just got to keep drinking the water."
Spirit hopped into the aqua colored waves and filled his mouth up. God it was horrible tasting. Spirit had always heard that sea water dehydrated you and gave you well a horrible need to use the bathroom. He noticed Stein was happily sipping the foam off the waves. Spirit tried a little bit of the water and noticed it didn't have the fishy flavor oddly, it tasted more like beer.
He felt gill like openings form around his throat and ears and he gulped at the water again. Yep tasted exactly like beer with lime in it, like the little Mexican ones he and Stein used to knock back when they were younger.
Stein gave a full laugh, " I knew you would like it. Dos Equis flavored carbon cycle candy!"
"Reminds me of Spring Break in Cancun at the Mad Frog." Spirit said reminiscent quality to his voice. Stein was directing students into the cave. He sat on the ocean floor counting students as they bobbed in to the first air pocket.
He noticed Spirit was doing the same, he was damn near pushing student to the air pocket so there slow swimming would not hold up the group.
"You know we could have just got scuba gear." Spirit commented nasally his words came out in the water in a loud echoing noise and made large bubbles.
"Yeah but then I wouldn't have got to test my candy invention!" Stein yelled back.
"How the hell are we able to talk under here?" Spirit said thrusting the last student into the caves air pocket.
" Well I used pickled dolphin vocal chords so right now the kids probably think we sound like bunch of porpoises."
Spirit laughed and sipped in some more water. All he could smell and taste was Mexican beer. "Great candy love the flavor, wait did you say Test?
"Yeah haven't tried it out on human test subjects before! So far completely fantastic results don't you think. Oh you're not itching anywhere are you?" Stein commented back scratching his arm.
Spirit gave a worried eep noise and noticed some one was pulling him up by his hair. What the hell had Stein feed him. When was he going to learn not to eat things from Stein, even if they did make the whole world taste like free beer and mind you nothing taste as good a free beer.
Spirit raised to see his little Maka dancing between the waves like a mermaid and smiled happily. "OH she's so cute! Look at her pink lacy little swim suit and those long flippers, Daddy loves you Maka honey."
Maka scowled at him and pulled him into the air pocket. "Quit goofing off and making those stupid noises. The dolphin thing was funny at first but your embarrassing me!"
Spirit tried to make a noise to protest but found his voice only made a strange clicking and screeching noise that sounded like re-runs of flipper.
Spirit covered his mouth with his hands and noticed he was starting to itch all over.
"You ate something Stein gave you?" Kid said amused.
"Don't you know you shouldn't take candy from strange people!" Black Star said ripping out his snorkel.
Spirit let out another cackle of dolphin noises and sunk beneath the water embarrassed. Maka was mad at him again. He sunk back down and began counting off thirty students and began helping Stein move them into another air pocket. He crossed his legs and pouted on the ocean floor. There were fish swimming by and his daughter among them, it would have been great to have a underwater camera he noticed two pairs of black swim trunks pushing near either side of her and one of the boys taking Maka's hand. He saw the head move down into the water following after Maka and noticed Kid was staying way to close to his baby and his cheeks began turning red with anger.
"Wait where the hell was Soul?" Spirit thought looking around.
"Stein do you have Soul up with you?" Spirit said scanning the water and the rock formations, his weird dolphin like voice now sounded normal to him under the water.
"No I don't!" Stein yelled back.
"Stay with the students I'll go look for him." Spirit yelled turning back to the last air pocket the class had submerged from.
Spirit swam back two air pockets and noticed Soul was swimming near the floor where he was. He was looking at something in his hand that sparkled like gold. He watched as Soul got excited and waved Spirit closer and saw what the boy was looking at. Among a couple pieces of coral were scattered coins. Not many mind you but just a few Soul had a large necklace wrapped around his wrist and dove for another coin.
"Hey you" Spirit yelled grabbing the boy by the ear. "Don't do that, Spirit said pushing the boy into a air pocket so he could take a breath."
"There's treasure down there." Soul yelled excited. "Look what I found!"
Soul held up a gold necklace with a rather garish emerald on it surrounded by diamonds.
"That's fine and dandy but were here to study lazarus and you got separated from the group." Spirit yelled in a series of dolphin cries.
Soul gave a laugh than and patted Spirit on the head like a dog. "You been eating something from Steins candy jar?"
Soul turned one of his fingers into a small claw and drew a arrow on the cave wall. He slipped the necklace under his t-shirt and began snorkeling back to the group.
"God damn it even the Kid's know not to take candy from Stein." Spirit said with a bit of depressed dolphin noises.
"Hey flipper come on. We'll come back later since you're sick" Soul said snorkeling ahead.
Spirit and Soul caught up with the group who had stayed in the same position. Stein looked relieved when he saw Souls head rise into the small cave formation.
"We got one more dive according to Dr. Stein," Patty happily interoperated the strange dolphin noises.
Everyone looked from person to person curiously and wondered what the hell Patty was talking about. The students watched as Dr. Stein and Patty began submerging again and they did the same. This time Spirit thrust Soul forward and began the last push in the caves. The water was calmer here and had a odd smell, it didn't quite taste right either, it tasted less like beer and more like salt. Evidently the carbon candy was wearing off.
The students swam through the series of tunnels with ease. They looked like natural snorkelers now, all of them kicking off and gliding among the water is a strange fish like school. Spirit again wished he had his camera, noticing Maka and her team swimming together, Soul was with them explaining what he had seen back there and lifted a gold coin from his pocket. Showing the rest. The team seemed to ooh and aah with their motions and caught up with the rest of the students.
Stein was counting heads and calling out names taking his own version of roll, he twisted the bolt a tad bit tighter, and smiled happily.
"So did you all have fun?" He asked quizzically.
"The class broke into excitement chatter immediately talking about fish and coral."
"Good now that you have had your break, flip off the snorkeling gear and follow me. We're going to look at the Lazarus pools now."
Dr. Stein pulled out a couple of glow sticks and gave them a crack and the walls of the cave illuminated with yellow and pink light.
"Everyone I want you to touch the walls and the floor and feel the rocks. Your standing on top of a ley line right now, and its concentrated by the lazarus."
Spirit tried his voice again and noticed he no longer sounded like a porpoise. "I don't think we ever covered ley-lines in our day." Spirit said fingering the wall and cave structure.
"It would have been helpful considering many witches and spiritualist gather magic from ley lines." Stein said nodding his head.
"It's humming," Hiro replied curiously.
"Yeah feels like a set of speakers with the bass turned up on max." Soul said rubbing his hand against the ground feeling the vibrations between his finger tips.
"Kid ran his fingers across the stone," and lifted it to his nose. "It smells pine sol in here, but the rock formations suggest that there bauxite, permeating this cave."
"Why is that at all interesting Mr. Knowitall?" Soul spat angry.
"Because bauxite is worth a fortune considering it almost always contains alumina, I wouldn't be surprised if there was gold in the cave walls, usually the three are found together."
"Wait this is a gold mine?" Black Star said looking around like a anxious ferret.
"No it's not a mine because it's not being mined, it's just the rocks have the potential to contain gold." Kid spat back.
"Soul shifted anxiously with the large medallion under his shirt. He had seen gold to but not the un-mined stuff, it was odd there was stuff like that laying around on the ocean floor."
"OK before all you monkeys catch gold fever, I can tell you there is something much more valuable here than gold!" Stein said raising his voice over the chatty students.
"What's more valuable than gold." Black Star said irritably.
"How about everlasting life?" Stein said leading the student's into a series of caves with large bubbling pits of green lava. The thick lazarus glowed and illuminated the walls of the cave in green and violet.
The class looked around the pools amazed. It was humid down in this section of the cave. The rivers of green viscous fluid seemed to defy gravity and jump and shoot from pool to pool. The class pointed and oohed and aahed at the strange water display.
"Were not going to be down here long enough for the Lazarus to affect our nervous system, I ask that you don't try to give yourself a facial in the steam, I'm unsure of how it may affect your young bodies. Since lazarus is considered a taboo field of research, who knows what this stuff can truly do if you have prolonged exposure."
"Never stopped you before." Spirit said leaning over a pit and looking into the green liquid.
"We destroying this cave after we leave here to keep it from being found?" Spirit said eyes the liquid emotionless.
"Well Shinigami-sama didn't order us too and I must admit I'd really like get a few samples just for scientific purposes of course." Stein said clapping his hand together happily and fishing in a black bag to grab a couple of glass tubes and lone steel looking grip.
Spirit snorted "Same old Stein, Just so you know I'm not going to be your lab rat for this one."
"Oh no I already have two students for that." Stein smiled maliciously.
"Black Star, Soul get over here!" Stein said thrusting the equipment into their hands.
"Why the hell do we have to do it?" Black Star and Soul whined at the same time.
"I seem to recall a incident with a missing goat and skipping my class!" Stein cackled amused and Black Star blanched.
"I told you I had nothing to do with stealing that damn goat." Soul said pushing Black Star in front of him.
"Yes but I'm sure you knew about it, so witnessing and not coming forward is the same as abetting." Stein cooed happily stroking his empty cylinder.
Soul and Black Star looked back at the rest of their team who were finding their bare feet more enjoyable to look at.
"Come on give me your hand." Black Star growled and let Soul lower him down to collect a sample of the green fluid.
"Don't fall in." Stein said amused as the two pulled up the sample.
"Good now I need about twenty more of these." Stein said slipping a lid onto the cylinder.
Stein prattled on to the rest of the class about geology and zombie raising and the chemical compounds of lazarus until Black Star and Soul caught up with them. He watched satisfied seeing Soul and Black Star stretch their backs and shoulders as if they were aching after dangling themselves over to grab up pools of lazarus.
Black Star ribbed Soul and asked him to see the coin again, and Soul produced it.
"You think its pirate treasure?" Black Star whispered excitedly barely containing his voice.
"No I don't think so, it was hanging on stuff as if a current had pushed it in. If it is there sure wasn't a lot of it." Soul replied back.
Black Star had seen the coin Soul picked up and was itching to get back in the water to see if there was more. This was turning out to be the coolest field trip yet. Hell of a lot better than one last year's trip to South America to look for stupid anacondas for one of Dr. Steins experiments.
"This is a lot better than last year's field trip." Chrona said wearily.
"Yeah no poison spiders, snakes, or rabies infected lab animals chasing us." Tsubaki said wrapping her arm around the androgynous teen.
Tsubaki eyed Chrona's clothing choice. He/She had a old Victorian style swim shirt and shorts on that still didn't give the emotional teen gender away. When the hell were they going to find out what sex he was, it was starting to disturb her.
Maka skipped back to Chrona and Tsubaki and grabbed Chrona's arm.
"This field trip has been great." she replied happily.
Soul watched as Stein lead the class through another sauna field of lazarus pools. God it was hot down here, he looked over at Maka and grabbed for her hand seeing that for once Kid wasn't hanging on her. Instead Kid seemed to be amused with Liz bantering over the importance of keeping life un-altered from elixirs that could reverse ageing and death.
Soul pulled Maka to the back of the class, shooting down a path away from the group. It was perfect, If Maka wanted a boyfriend, what better time to get those questions out of the way than now. He popped a breath mint in his mouth and began to a land bridge that crossed the Lazarus.
"Look you can see it better over here." Soul said happy to be out of earshot of the class.
Maka peered over the bridge and gazed down into the murky green lava.
"You know I was expecting this stuff to be hot or smell like sulfur." She said peering down at the lazarus and the way it strangely rippled.
"It's weird how it kind zigzags instead of flowing like water too, I wonder where it's all going?"
"Want to find out?" Maka shot him a quizzical look.
Soul felt a large grin on his face, quiet and alone in a cave with Maka on a adventure. Yep that was the way he had planned it, and Maka had just willing leapt at the chance. He fiddled with the chain around his neck and ran the pendant between his fingers. He'd just beat Kid to the punch, he'd kiss Maka ask her to go steady and give her his necklace.
He seriously doubted Kid had gotten that far yet. With as nervous Kid seemed to get around Maka he probably hadn't made it too far with their relationship. Prince useless probably couldn't even lay a hand on her the way Patty was hanging around on her. Patty might as well have been Maka's body guard the way she was acting. Maka and the Thompson sisters came off more as a street gang lately more than bosom buddies, Soul thought.
Soul tugged Maka further into the cave and the two followed the flowing lazarus down to what appeared to be glowing green waterfall.
"Wow you can really smell it here, kind of smells like pine tree's and laundry detergent." Maka said in awe of the streaming Lazarus.
Soul fumbled with the necklace and flipped the chain over his neck. He watched the glow of the lazarus fill Maka's eyes and give her skin an unearthly green cast.
"You know you shouldn't stand so close to it you may slip in." Soul chided he had the necklace in his hand now and he pulled Maka back by the shoulders and latched her into a hug.
"You know I've missed you these last couple of days." Soul said nuzzling his face next to Maka's ear.
Maka took a leap back from him and slipped against the wet stone, she nearly fell into the lazarus but Soul grabbed for her and she toppled on to his chest being pulled away from the strange river.
Maka was laying on top of him now her nose was pressed to his nose. Soul took the opportunity to reach up and plant a kiss on her lips. Maka laid on him stunned and unmoving as if she had turned to stone and Soul lifted himself into sitting position so he could kiss Maka more.
She had some sort of lip-gloss on that tasted good, he also could taste the salt from the ocean mixing with it, it was candy flavored and Soul licked her lips and plunged his tongue into her mouth. Maka made no movement to get away, her breath was breathing into Souls mouth and his lips pushing down on hers hungry. Soul became self conscious noticing Maka wasn't moving or returning the gesture. So he tried another gesture he had seen in a movie once. He lifted Maka chin and kissed her again and again trying to wake her from the strange comma she had slipped into. Literally devouring her lip and flicking his tongue against her teeth.
Finally Maka seemed to regain herself and her eyes started darting around franticly. Soul felt as Maka hands went up to his shoulders and she pushed back on him gently.
"Soul why are you doing that." Maka asked terrified.
"You wanted a boyfriend." Soul said smiling he had a cocky grin on his lips. "I was just putting in my bid for the position."
Maka shook franticly, her stomach was in a knots. Her mind went instantly to Kid, inside she was screaming to herself."I have a boyfriend don't I."
She was confused now, Maka had once considered Soul as being the prime candidate for being her boyfriend. Soul was cool, musically gifted, intelligent and never cracked under pressure. He had been everything she thought she wanted but right now she just felt worried and sick.
Kid had kissed her, Kid had told her that he loved her, God damn it Kid had seen her next to naked this morning. She had snuggled in his bed last night, and now Soul was coming on to her talk about completely bad timing.
Her partner Soul the one she had been dreaming and praying for so long the guy she had thought was her soul mate. Her hands shook in anger she was confused and that's what made her upset, if she had a book she would have knocked Soul senseless right now but she had stupidly left her copy of Serpents and Rainbows in her back pack.
"Maka do you hear music?" Soul said trying to cozy himself back up to Maka.
Maka looked at Soul hatefully, the problem was she liked him. She had always liked him and still did. being with Kid hadn't changed that entirely, and this is what made her feel sick.
"I'm a bad girlfriend, I'm dating someone and I got kissed by another guy, my weapon no less." She thought inwardly. She grabbed at her hair and felt her eyes begin to water she looked back over to Soul and saw he was somehow blissfully happy, his foot tapped on the ground to a sound in the distance.
"You hear it right, it sounds like a violin." Soul said happily grabbing Maka by the hand.
He began pulling Maka farther into the cave in the direction of the sound he heard.
"I think we should go back Soul." Maka said worried.
Maka was trying to escape him, she didn't want to be alone with Soul right now, he was so damn happy and she just felt scared and dirty. "I'm a horrible girlfriend" she repeated in her mind again.
Why did this have to happen like this; she was happy with all the progress she had been making with Kid. Kid was trying so hard to be normal, something she didn't feel he needed to do but he was trying to behave that way just for her, she knew it. Patty had told her, what he was doing. How hard he was trying, it was flattering, and so damn sincere.
Maka heard the sound of the violin clearly now, it was a complicated piece and Soul just kept driving them further and further away from the falls. She couldn't even hear or see the waterfall now the caves honey combed and made all the passages look nearly identical but soul had some sort of urgency that moved him forward.
"Soul I think we should turn back." Maka cried out. Her voice was flooded with emotion she sounded scared.
"But I know this piece Soul said happily, my brother use to play it all the time." Soul said stopping as he came to a large cavern.
In the center was a young man in his late twenties, he had a decorative mask on his face that looked like it was from a masquerade ball or a carnival. His bow ran furiously and madly across the strings of the violin. There were other people behind him. They were working at something, most of them men stood around lowering large flexible black pipes into the lazarus. Maka could hear it now an engine up ahead, she watched as the pipes sucked up lazarus from a large lake and ran along the pipes to another series of caves.
"There's no way." Soul said in a near whisper he fell back along the wall staring in shock at the scene. He hung the necklace back around his neck, pushing it back in his shirt so his hands could be free.
"There stealing the Lazarus!" Maka whispered excitedly, hurry up and transform.
Soul didn't transform though he sat staring at the musician playing the violin.
Maka felt a familiar emptiness coming from the boy, he was hollow just like the witch from last night. No soul, she wondered. She then gazed upon the liquid like movement of witch from last night enter the cave. The liquid crashed around the woman's head revealing a full head full of curly blond hair, she had a black fishtail gown that seemed to be made of nothing but feathers. She watched as the witch from the night began slinking her way to the violinist.
"Your playing is beautiful no wonder your shows were sold out every night, you are truly gifted Wes." Murder cooed seductively.
Maka watched the witch draped her body over the violinist sensually her hands clawed possessively wrapping around the young man's neck and waist. The violinist gave no emotion to the woman and flicked her off of him.
"I would prefer if you kept your hands and mannerisms to yourself Murder, the master would not be pleased to see his consort draped over other men."
The witch stroked out her long blond hair and gave a almost musical laugh. Baron Marrow is more interested in Scrye and Bella Morte than me these days. Who can blame him though, when you have the wife of Death to play with and that damn, blond miester from Japan spread across his bed. Cheep goods like me can't compare to classy conniving bitches like them.
Murder laughed again darkly, she seemed less satisfied with her situation than she was letting on.
" I figure I'd just wait and let the two of them kill each other." Murder snorted.
"So Wes what are you doing tonight?"
"Please don't call me by that name, that was my name I used when I was alive there is only Rasp now." the boy called out emotionless.
"Ok Rasp like I was asking what are your planning on doing." Murder said glancing at her manicure. Maka watched the witch do a familiar flip of her hair, and dust her nails across her lips.
"I figured I'd spend some quality time with my little brother and his girl friend." Rasp said turning his red eyes onto Soul and Maka.
"That's ok with you right Soul Daniel Evans?"
Wire like cord shot from Rasp's hands strait at Maka and Soul. The chord wrapped about their throats and neck and flung the two of them into the nearest wall. Maka reached out to Soul to try to grab his hand the cord twisted and separated the two of them.
"Go and release the reptile Murder." Rasp barked out.
Murder left quickly and began running down the caves, her heels clicking against the cave floor. Feathers seemed to fly everywhere and her body broke into a swarm of crows.
"You know I never understood why you gave up music, to play second fiddle to this little girl." Rasp cooed to Soul.
Soul watched as Wes lifted Maka's skirt with the end of his bow and pressed the violin under Souls throat. Wes's face pressed against Souls cheek and his pine smelling breath licked across Souls skin. His skin felt like ice. He raised his hand to Souls chest and the needle like wire skewered Soul and wrapped around his body.
"Wes why are you doing this." Soul choked out.
The wire was cutting of his air, the pain made it almost impossible to talk it felt like he had just received a million shots all at once. All piercing different areas of his flesh. The pain made him sweat and feel nauseated.
"Isn't obvious, I'm dead. I thought all you meisters and weapons could sense that." Rasp said leaning into Soul more. His red eyes looked over his little brother lovingly, petting his face and his hair. His lips reached out and kissed Soul on the forehead.
"She's rather plain don't you think little brother. Not half as exotic as you or I." Rasp cooed his hands lingered about Souls face generously.
"I guess though you didn't care who you chose, you just wanted to get away from the spotlight, any one would have done after all." Rasp purred again. "But poor poor Grandma was so disappointed you just threw it all away."
"Soul transform now!" Maka called out. The wire had tightened around her throat so strong her fingers were the only thing keeping it from slicing through her neck. Her fingers trickled blood both red and black from them. Maka was fighting to stay alive, and Wes rattled on about Soul and there family.
Soul made a motion to transform and Wes ripped him away from the wall and smacked him against the stalactites in the cave. He dropped Soul to the floor and left him bleeding and gasping for air.
"Now what do I do with you?" Rasp said turning his attention to Maka.
He ran his fingers along her skin and smiled. "Look how angry you are such a determined look on such a little girl."
"Since your my brothers precious girl friend that he sacrificed everything for I guess I'll give you a choice would you like to die fast or slowly." Rasp sang out in his voice fluttered in a musical octave and his laugh turning more and more like song.
Maka tried to scream but the wires were cut into her too deep, her fingers felt like they were breaking like they were going to push through her own throat. She was starting to black out, she needed air.
"Oh I guess you can't tell me since your all tied up." Rasp said playfully.
"I'm going to guess that you want to die slowly and painfully."
"I figure that since you enjoyed taking my brother from our family for so long. Your probably a bit of a sadist." Rasp ran that bow up Maka's leg again poking at her inappropriately.
"And considering I'm a bit of sadist myself I know that most sadist dabble with masochism too, so I'll draw it out and go long and slow." Rasp purred.
He drew the bow up against Maka's inner thigh and used its strings to slice into her legs.
"See doesn't that feel good." Rasp purred.
Maka's eyes had grown dark she felt like she was drowning. Suddenly though she heard two clicks and a cascade of gun fire pouring down like rain. Maka felt the cord drop from her throat and greedily gasped at the air. She stumble over to Soul side just as the shots plowed into Rasp. Rasp's body was twisting in the shots, suddenly he quickly unwound the wire from both Maka and Soul to protect himself against the melee.
Maka heard Kid scream Sanzu Falls Shot, and the room filled with smoke and light. Maka could hear Black Star screaming now also. He was chasing after someone. She looked up to see Stein twisting a scythe in front of Soul and herself, he moved agilely blocking the piano wire that flung about the cave. His wrist nimbly moving about. Monster incoming Killik screamed as large iguana looking lizard came plowing past Rasp who was fleeing. The workers though they stayed immune to the mayhem they continued on as if nothing was happening.
The Iguana smacked the other students back with a whip like motion from it's tail, Killik and Kim took the brunt of the blow and were knocked back clear into the other cave. As a last ditch attempt Rasp shot out another flurry of needle like wire that blocked the other student's from getting in and collapsed the ceiling down around the exit he left from. They were sealed in now, with the workers and the two story high iguana monster.
Black Star was the first to dive in against the monster.
"I am the might Black Star tremble in fear against my great power." Black Star announced and caught the tail of the Lizard against his mouth flinging him backward so he splattered against the wall.
Kid was next, he looked like he was trying to make Swiss cheese of the Iguana but the Iguana just thrashed about madly throwing and clawing and whipping its tale around. The Iguana was getting closer now to Maka and Soul but Soul was out cold.
Maka watched as Stein tried to use his wave against the Iguana and again the Iguana used its tale to send both Stein and Spirit into a pinball like motion. The Lizard turned back to Kid and Black Star who were both combining their attack and Maka grabbed for Soul to move him farther away from the edge of the Lazarus.
Black Star landed an amazing punch smacked the Lizard into the floor, but it left a violent earth tremor and Soul nearly slid into the lake of lazarus. Maka dragged and pushed and the lizards tail came snapping her way. She closed her eyes and held her breath, hoping to land somewhere safe.
Patty watched in horror as Kid fired in the wrong direction. He hadn't seen Maka was struggling with Soul. Immediately she changed herself back from the gun and went running. She knew if she didn't get there quick enough Maka would be knocked into the Lazarus. She slid and threw her arms around Maka's neck. She felt the slide of her body changing back into a weapon. Patty felt her form contort to a smaller light weight gun, but there was something else a thin four foot long chain with a kunai like tail wrapped around Maka. It swirled around her protectively blocking debris from getting anywhere near her. Patty felt herself twist like a snake around Maka and noticed the chain that fell from the butt of the gun did the same. It was like dancing. Each time she moved the chain moved with her, it was a completely different experience than she always had with Kid. The chain swirled around Maka protectively as she grasped the barrel and the butt of the gun in her lithe little hand and made a wide sphere around her.
"Maka." Patty cried through resonance.
"I don't know how to fire a gun." Maka screamed back to Patty.
"We can do this Maka, You and me were the same. Were both angry at our parents, we don't wait we rush in. Our path is to run ahead Maka. We push when others won't move. We fight when others are afraid. Maka I promise you we can do this. Just fire and keep firing I'll do the rest."
The first shot went wild and knocked Maka on her back-side. It skimmed across one of the workers who had been gathering the Lazarus. It slid down the right side of his face tearing off part of his ears and shattering the clay mask.
Maka felt a feeling of chaotic energy wash over her and killer determination. She felt her sanity slip a bit and her stance went curved and wild. She held out the gun and fired again it caught another masked boy in the head, and he fell to the ground.
"I feel lighter than normal, and faster" Patty said euphorically to Maka.
"I feel the same like I'm faster somehow and stronger."
" Than lets fight you and I are both good at hand to hand just get in close and pull the trigger." Patty urged the euphoric feeling felt like it was lifting her up.
Maka began a bum-rush forward she nimbly jumped one bag guy rolled over another's back and went striking down on the tall willowy boy. She was away from the Lazarus pit now and she flung the gun at the guys face and grabbed it back by means of the chain. The gun fell back in her hand and she fired it three times in his chest. The chain let her leap back as the willowy boy came crashing to the ground.
"This feels great." Maka sang to Patty resonance.
"Pull the trigger Pull the trigger." Patty squealed back excited.
Maka felt her stance again go wild and all over place, she was shooting the iguana like lizard now luring it away from Black Star, with all the rounds she had fired off. Feeling unsatisfied with the amount of damage. Maka leapt forward and ran up the nose of the beast she began firing down the lizards back She slid down fast using her left foot to guide her as she skated down its scales. She wound back when she reached the lizards thrashing tail and sent the shuriken like chain into one of the lizards eyes. She spun the gun back around with the chain again and shot out the other eye, and the Lizard fell to the ground.
"Patty get your ass back over here so Kid can shoot." Elizabeth screamed out she was in human form and trying to step over a couple of henchman Kid had knocked out with his martial arts.
In Maka's mind Patty yell out "No"
And Maka laughed. "Go help Kid-kun Patty."
"But were doing so good, just you and me." Patty argued.
"I know but I want Kid-kun safe, and he and your sister needs you. Plus I need to check on Soul" Maka soothed.
"I understand" Patty proclaimed with a kind of childish pout.
"But I want to be your weapon again sometime I'm a thousand times better than stupid Soul."
Patty reverted back to her human form and found there really wasn't much left to do. She and Maka had taken out at least a two thirds of the henchman and the giant lizard and Black Star and Kid had taken out the rest.
"Way to go Maka way to steal the spotlight.." Black Star said irritably.
"Patty I can't believe you just abandoned me and Kid over there to take off with Maka." Liz lectured
"Sowwy" Patty giggled and shot Maka back a wink.
"What were you thinking." Kid snapped.
"That you were firing the wrong way." Patty said stomping her boot into the ground.
"Maka was in danger and you didn't even notice that the lizard was going to knock her and Soul into the Lazarus."
"Well she shouldn't have been in the way." Black Star said jumping in to scream at Patty.
"That was pretty reckless of you two you could have been hurt." Liz lectured again.
Kid had stopped arguing soon as he heard that Maka was in danger and he hadn't noticed. He felt really emotional for a second and wondered what would have happened if Patty didn't jump in, than it occurred to him.
"It's the Grand Design. " he began shaking and fell to his knees.
"BINGO" Patty shouted and clapped as Liz Tsubaki and Black Star look at Kid's strange behavior.
"The grand design?" Liz questioned.
"Isn't that when some ones time is up and then they only have so many chances to dodge death."
"What?" Black Star questioned looking confused. He looked at Tsubaki and found that she too had a confused look on her face.
"It's a Shinigami thing," Liz said with a huff.
"I can't reap Maka." Kid said curling up into a ball. He was shaking now, his face went pale. "No I won't allow it, I won't allow anyone to reap Maka."
"Kid-kun" Maka whispered. She laid her hand on his shoulder.
"What are you talking about" Soul said stumbling next to Maka with a severe limp there were small spots of blood all over his shirt.
"I won't allow Maka to be reaped." Kid cried rocking again he was curled up in a fetal position. His voice coming out unintelligible and frightened.
"Kid-kun I'm right here, I don't understand what are you talking about." Maka was kneeling on the ground her arms wrapped around Death the Kid, and she laid her head against him as he rocked.
"Its Maka you see, her number is up" Patty explained softly, the Grand Design is at work.
Writing and Ramblings... Not too important except the Haiti information.
Another 47 page chapter that took over a week to write. Well at least I was able to squeeze in all but a few scenes. As always long chapters mean crappy reviewing on my part. I waited a couple days after writing it to edit it for content and detail and decided this was as good as it was going to get without a beta reader.
Fact and Fiction
Ok couple of explanations. Originally they were going to Haiti, and then Hurricane Tomas popped up while I was writing the scene and I got really worried about what was going to happen to the folks down there that was living in tents, I changed the chapter twice to accommodate for the fact.
I've been through a hurricane before, and can honestly say it's pretty scary, and I cannot imagine having to go through it in a tent. Seven people died in this storm so out of respect for them I changed the location to Jamaica. All the numbers of dead and Kid's explanation about the Haitian quake was real. The fact that red cross does not want American down there right now that are not trained is also real.
How you can help Haiti!
On a civic note, Please donate blood. Right now red cross needs blood more than money and it's the one thing almost everyone can give and it doesn't even cost you a dime. Blood right now is important thing we can send to Haiti, it helps your community as well because with each pint they get they can take excess blood spun into plasma down to Haiti, to help with the sick and dying. If your wanting to see more of what I'm talking about Google Haiti and earthquake.
The shower scene as you probably could tell got cleaned up for the T rating system.
The zombie info about the fish. Scary enough was real.
All books mentioned in this chapter, good books once again real. You want to read a really weird book on zombies pick up the serpent and the rainbow, it's a MIT student that went down to study the zombie phenomenon in voodoo extremely unique even if it might be full of crap.
Ok fairy eggs recipe, also real. Boy are they a pain in the ass to make. Only Maka has a easy time making that recipe because it takes me about three hours to make them. If you want the recipe PM me.
Spaghetti monster, mentioned by Kid also weird but real religion.
Information about minerals aka bauxites and alumina gold being found in Jamaica very real it's the leading exports actually.
Did I know all this before I started writing, hell no. I do research and feel that real events time places and links to the world around you are important for writing. Well anyway thank you for reading,
I was surprised to find out that even though I have a total 4 maybe 5 reviewers, and crud load of people have bookmarked me and over 103K lurkers who are reading this story if you believe the hits break down the site panel displays. For you folks that did review thank you.
That is really flattering, I can honestly say at this point it's moving into more action and less fluff but that makes me happy. I have verbally introduced the major bad guys, and you will be seeing them actively in chapters to come.
I think by now many of you probably can tell where the story is going, but I'll try to throw a few plot twist along the way. As always feel free to rip me to shreds in review. I want to specially thank anyone that points out spelling errors , and error filled syntax. I love you folks. I also like hearing about what you like and dislike in story plot and want to send out a special thank you too Hachi-co and J-mai for their reviews I like to know things I'm doing right and wrong and you guys were nice enough to point them out.
