BB says: I'm actually not really that talkative today…although it would be totally awesome if the manga I'm addicted to would update…I'm dying…I need my manga…
Rating: Teen. Although the sequel, I have decided, with definitely be M
Disclaimer: Now, now, you all know I own not part of Soul Eater, manga, anime, or merchandise. It's just not logical.
BB says some more: someone needs to let Kid know it's statistically impossible for a woman to have breasts that are perfectly symmetrical…
"'I'm not going.' Liz paused in the adjustment of her rollers and Maka smudged her lipstick. Patti, the closest to being ready, was toying with the straps of one of Tsubaki's shoes as the young Japanese woman searched for her earrings. They had all gathered in the home of Death the Kid, the young reaper and his male friends having left to assist in the final touches of the Foundation Day Ball.
The girls had also been expected to attend, to be amongst the first to arrive as prized students of Shibusen. As the boys in their group came to realize that it takes girls much longer to get ready than boys (a fact that really should have been obvious after years of attending the ball together) they had surrendered and escaped the abundance of estrogen and giggles.
Perhaps out of habit, Sigh held off on making any move to get herself ready until everyone around her was settled. Liz's room had been plenty big enough for all of them to change and chat in, applying makeup and twisting hair into intricate styles that would be impossible for one to accomplish on her own. Sigh had been a superstar in the process, her friends in awe of all the primping she was capable of after years of working in show business. The little secrets that made a world of difference. And really Sigh was happy with just that, just being able to make them happy with what she knew.
She had showered and her nails were painted, but that was all the preparation she had allotted for herself. Maybe, despite spending Kid's money on the dress and the shoes and the alterations, she had known all along it would end up like this. Sitting in a room in her faded pajamas, hair snatched into a high pony tail just to keep it out of her face, eying the mess she would have to clean up. She was a maid, after all.
She waited until legs were shaved and eyebrows plucked, nails painted and base applied, hair sprayed and primped and teased and finally, as everyone else was starting to place the final touches before slipping into their dresses, they noticed Sigh had yet to do anything concrete for herself.
The Foundation Commemoration was set to begin in less than an hour. Hardly enough time.
Needless to say, Liz and Maka had quite a few choice words for Sigh, Patty snickering in the background and Tsubaki trying to gently coax Sigh into getting a move on. But it was too late.
'I just…I can't. Lost track of time.' Maka's face contorted into upset, Liz's more of complete disbelief. 'But Sigh, you already bought the dress,' Tsubaki tried to reason. 'I mean, it's perfectly sized for you and everything.'
'And isn't Kid paying you extra to go? You can't just back out now,' Liz added with a huff.
'Technically he hasn't paid me yet,' Sigh shrugged and wiped her make-up stained hands on her pants. They were old sweats, spotty and with the elastic waistband tired. Her hair was a frizzy mess of purple curls with several powder brushes sticking out. 'I still time to back out. It just wouldn't work otherwise. I'll just return the dress and-'
'Hold on,' Maka interrupted. 'Why wasn't it going to work?' Sigh pouted, although it was possible to see a hard insecurity behind her eyes. 'You know. I'm just…I'm not…this just isn't my thing.' She wasn't cut out to be out front; the entire time she had been helping her friends get ready, Sigh had been reminded of this fact. She had been reminded that she was a better caretaker than anything else. And as she eyed that plastic covered dress still draped over Liz's vanity chair, the shoes that sat under the desk, she just couldn't see herself in them.
'What? You…' Maka took a breath, calming down. 'Sigh, I get it if you're nervous. This is way outside your comfort zone. But if you don't at least try…I mean, you've come all this way-'
'You bought a flippin' dress!' Liz crowed. 'With Kid's money, under his nose, and he didn't even notice! That sorta sneak-shopping is worthy of flaunting!'
'And you would look so pretty! The color befits you very well.' Tsubaki had a gentle smile on her face.
'Let's go! No one likes being on time anyway.' Patty's ability to read the situation and say linear things at the right time was incredible. It was a quality of the young woman that Sigh had come to recognize over time. But she still waved her hand. 'It's fine guys. I'll go next year, I promise.' She brushed one of many wayward curls from her face, eyes shy behind her glasses. 'Just…go. Please. And have fun'
She zipped dresses and sprinkled perfume, trying not to feel the dampened mood in the room as her friends put the final touches on their outfits. Lovely all of them. Sigh smiled.
Who did she think she was? Some beautiful girl to be paraded around? Someone smart and pretty like Maka, bombshells like the Thompsons, an angel like Tsubaki? No. She was Sigh. Plain little Sigh. The girl who only got attention because of a spell she couldn't remember casting. This doubt, this fear, it had been building in her for days. She thought it would perhaps vanish once the final adjustments on her dress had been made, once Liz had taken her shoe shopping and the eve of the ball approached. But she had been wrong. It had only gotten worse. And Sigh was never one to ignore gut feelings (often).
Maka pulled her close and Sigh was careful not to lean too heavily on the other girl. She was afraid of ruining Maka's dress, one of sea foam green that somehow set off the spectrum of color in the sandy blonde's eyes.
'Next year? You promise?'
'Hand over heart. I'm good on promises cause I hate when other people break them.' Sigh let her smile shrink, eyes wide and sincere as she looked at her friend. 'Thanks anyway, Maka.' They stood there a moment, looking at each other. Sigh hated the look of pity on the blonde's sweetly warm face, her gaze questioning. Sigh could hardly meet her eyes; of all the new friends she had made, of all the people she had met, Maka had the strangest ability to make Sigh feel…guilty. No, not quite. She made her feel accepted, and through that acceptance, guilt arose from Sigh's own inability to understand it. It was incredible and terrifying and Sigh was certain, given the time, she and Maka could kindle a friendship she had never had before.
'Sigh,' Maka said slowly. The other girls had already left the room, accepting Sigh's refusals with a grain of salt. Tsubaki was always one to accept the spinner decisions of others. Liz had almost been certain Sigh would not go anyway, despite her posturing. She wanted the girl to go but also recognized when she was helpless. Besides, she couldn't keep her date, a nice guy by the name of Clay Sizemore, waiting too long. And Patty, sweet girl of whimsy action, simply wasn't sure she cared whether Sigh went or not. She wasn't being cruel. Both she and her sister had been affected in different ways by their mottled pasts on the streets. While Liz had become critical and careful, Patty had simply decided there was no point in worrying over what she couldn't help. So why not go crazy?
'There's nothing I can say?' Sigh smiled stiffly. 'Look at me, Maka,' she whispered so low it was almost a breath. 'I'm no princess. I'm not…I'm just not. There's nothing for me at a ball.' Maka opened and shut her mouth, weighing her words before she spoke. 'That's not true Sigh. You're beautiful! If any one of us is a princess, it's you!' Sigh shook her head. 'It's not really my scene anyway. I don't feel like I'm ready for it.'
'Sigh-'
'No. I'm sorry Maka. Go make the most of your night.' Maka pursed her pink lips. Sigh gently pushed a curl from the blonde's complicated style back into place, smiling. Not to brag but it was a real masterpiece. Sigh was quite proud of it. 'Go on. You're already late.' The seriousness in Maka's eyes was direct contrast to the innocent prettiness that seemed highlighted in her that night. 'Next year, Sigh?'
Sigh nodded, averting her eyes.
She tried not to wince as the sound of the front door shutting snipped the voice of her friends in half. Sigh always felt a sort of pride when she watched performers dancing and singing in costumes she had sewn, smiling with lips she had rouged, tossing hair she had curled. This pride translated well into watching her friends leave. Masterpieces. The silence of the manor had never been as heavy as it was in this moment; a young woman resting on an ottoman with her dress draped across her lap accusingly.
Sigh stood abruptly, forcing herself to move from this chilly reverie and beginning a long night of chores. Liz's room was a total mess; open jars of finishing cream and lotion, upturned perfume bottles, hair pins littering the floor. It reminded her of the greenroom in Forbidden Fantasy and she felt a brief twinge of nostalgia cleaning up behind this new set of girls. She wiped at a smudge on her glasses, sneezing on power and folding the abandoned civilian clothes her friends had stripped themselves of in the frenzy to get ready.
'I am not a princess,' she said aloud, surprising herself with the need to repeat the sentiment. Her fingers were locked around a hairbrush in a death grip, eyes on the ground and an unconscious frown on her face. 'I'm just not. I'm the stepsister. The ugly stepsister and part time stage hand, the spotlight is not for me.' Sigh shook her head and gently set the brush down, catching her reflection in Liz's vanity mirror as she did so.
Her hair was a frizzy, angry mound on her head, already fighting the tie and springing into a life of its own.
Her lips were chapped and swollen from her habit of biting on them.
Her eyes were wide and timid, that awful shade of dirty grey made worse by clumpy eyelashes and her thick glasses.
She was so pathetically ugly it was a surprise anyone could stand to look at her.
Sigh bit her lip, eyes flickering to the dress before she could stop them. Her fingers twitched, slipper feet edging her closer. She rubbed the protective plastic between her fingers like it was a curiosity. 'I am not a princess,' she muttered.
You're a queen.
The unspoken motto of Forbidden Fantasy was to flaunt what was available.
Do you want to go?
And if one was a plain creature of little appeal, who was to say that that was not worth showing?
Then go.
Sigh hummed through her nose, hoping she would not come to regret her decision as she pulled the dress to rest against her body. It was disconcerting how much her inner voice sounded just like Madame."
The narrator seemed out of sorts today, somehow pale beneath her dark skin and hollows under her eyes. Her loose shirt hung off her body like a curtain and her toes were curled in her sandals. The students from her class could tell she was tired from the way she had fallen asleep during their quizzes at an earlier time. When asked if there was problem she had simply claimed slight exhaustion and that they should all shut up and do their quizzes before she failed the whole class. Damn it.
The woman sighed, rubbing a blur on her glasses.
"Lord Death looked down at his son. The younger reaper was still, eerily so, as he gazed out across the ball stretching beneath them. Although the platform at the front of the room was barely higher than the floor, it was still large enough to survey the scene. To give speeches, as Lord Death had just finished (another one of his sentence-long ones. And of course Kid took it upon himself to elaborate) and for the other immortals to sense their place. Although they would possibly try to steal the show, the celebration was for the masters of death alone. For Lord Death and his only child to congratulate themselves on another year of relative peace. This was not the place for anyone else to make their move.
Lord Death sighed behind his mask. His silent son didn't seem to notice.
'Is she not coming?' Kid jerked as though caught doing something naughty. It made his father form an unseen smirk, possessing a childlike glee that resulted from surprising others. He watched him young son swallow, eyes wide before blinking twice as though with a twitch. He had grown into a very strapping young man and had chosen wisely for this ball. He wore a simple black tux with a red undershirt, his skull necktie gold instead of silver. Lord Death approved. It was understated, but graceful.
'I,' Kid glanced away as though in embarrassment. 'No, Father. She is not coming.' Lord Death made a little noise of confirmation. 'I see.' They stood in silence a moment longer. Watched Death Scythe become torn between chasing a beautiful immortal woman and stalking his daughter and her date. Patty's laughter cut through the air and Stein tossed back another flute of wine. Sid was not there. Lord Death had sent him on a rather serious mission, regarding the sudden silence of a certain friend. On that is normally very vocal. Almost offensively so.
'Did you think she was?' Kid gave a one-shouldered shrug, his eyes still averted. He slumped for a single moment before pulling back into the stature that was his birthright.
'I don't…' he had noticed the charges to his credit card. Had seen Sigh sneak into his manor with that garment bag and that shoebox. And he had wanted…he had dared to hope. His palms had grown clammy at the thought of her primped and polished, his heart had halted as he imagined burying his nose in the column of her neck, stealing her scent as he snatched dance after dance. Though even if she had come to the ball, he doubted he would have asked her to dance. He refused to corner himself in such a way, to become trapped by her.
It wasn't like this had been a date; he had no right to feel this way. This strange combination of disappointment and betrayal. His chest heavy and his muscles stiff. She hadn't wanted to go in the first place. It was no surprise that she had backed out now.
'I didn't think she would,' he finally answered his father. 'But I had hoped.' The last statement was little more than a whisper, one Lord Death would have missed if not for a fortunate and rhythmic dip in the music. The next moment it reached another forte and the young reaper's words were lost.
'Perhaps it is not a place for her?' Lord Death meant this as neither a confirmation nor a statement; it was a question, seeking what his son thought. What he had to come to know for this to move forward.
That same look of pained struggle appeared on Death the Kid's face before he sighed, forcing away some stubborn thought.
'Maybe not.'
She paced. She was on the last few steps. She could hear the music she was so close. This close. And yet she hesitated.
Pace. Pace. Pace.
'I'm going in. I'm going in. I'm going in.' She made it up two more steps before freezing, retreating one. 'I can't do this. Oh God. What the Hell am I doing here? It's like putting diamonds on shit! It's like-' she shook her head. 'No. I got this. It's gonna be fine.' The sound of her own shoes hitting the steps frightened her. 'It'll be fine. I'll go in, snatch food, wave to Kid so he knows to give me my raise, and leave. No fear. No fear, Sigh. If you're afraid it'll get worse. People will molest you with their eyes.' She was on the threshold as she scolded herself. 'Stop talking to yourself. You're being weird again, Psyche.' She shook her head. 'You'll be fine. You're smart and awkward and charming and mean and this isn't making me feel any better! Just go in. Just go in!' She took a soothing breath, pulling on a hard smile and stepping forward.
The warmth of the party was a welcome change from the chilly desert night. The goose-bumps Sigh had collected retreated back into her body, the shaking that still wracked her was now completely contributed to nerves. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the assault on her vision, the ball a melee of auras and glittery finery. The groupings of student auras were dotted with large intimidating ones, looping and groping and possibly breaching some sort of aura etiquette. The music was fast and hopping, several couples bouncing about each other on the tiled dance floor and a few more gathering courage on the edges of the floor. The air was heavy with the smell of perfume and catering, the low din of voices crawling beneath the high call of the band.
There, standing nearly to the side, stood Lord Death. Her eyes had to search to find Death the Kid, hidden deep within the crowd, making conversation with his friends. Neither reapers seemed to have noticed Sigh yet, her soul disguised by the coagulation of so many in one place. She quickly ducked in a neutral direction, avoiding both immortals. Her growling stomach steered her to the buffet though one eye stayed pinned on Kid. She would still allow him to see her at some point to prove she had come. Just not now. She had to bolster herself first. Preferably with hoity toity snacks.
Sigh loaded a plate, popping a shrimp into her mouth and stealing several fancy cheeses. She swiped a glass of water from a passing server and casually side stepped. She thought she had seen Kid's gaze wander near her location.
She didn't know why she couldn't bear for him to see her just yet, why she felt she had to secure herself in her confidence before braving his eyes on her body. Maybe she knew it would take one look from his steady gaze to make her crumble. To make this preciously fragile bubble of anonymity (no one stared as she entered, no one had approached her in a stupor!) pop as soon as she allowed fear and uncertainty to creep back in. Maybe-
'Graceful Creature, surely my life was blessed by the moment you chose to enter my world.' Sigh jumped, squeaking as a voice spoke just over her shoulder. She whipped around.
He was a very handsome young man, with a large aura the color of bubblegum and big blue eyes. His hair was a coppery gold, his skin a healthy olive with full lips. His white suit with red piping hugging him in a sinful way. His demeanor boasted arrogance and charisma, as though he believed he could have any woman in the room. Sigh was startled such a person was speaking to her, immortal as he was, but felt her mind begin to grow inexplicably muggy as she looked at him.
'Oh lovely woman,' he continued purring. Sigh didn't resist as he reached for her face, rubbed a bit of sauce from the corner of her mouth and lifting it to his lips. his other hand gently tugged the plate from her grasp, setting it on the buffet table. Why couldn't she move? 'How you must have fallen far to come from your native home of the heavens. Such poetry is your every movement, such art is your body, such music must be your voice.' He leaned in close and she told her body to flinch away. It refused her command. Her eyes dilated, only partially aware of the interaction of their auras. His seemed to be latching onto her own possessively. Had it claws it would be ripping into her, digging deep and burying its roots. She didn't like this. She had to break free.
'Tell me, Lover,' he whispered onto her lips, faces inches apart. She wanted him to kiss her.
No, no. She didn't!
Kiss me.
'What is your name?' He was everywhere and everything. He was sucking her in with no real effort, no real thoughts to her as a person. She could see, just for a brief moment, how ugly this beautiful young man truly was just before his face snapped back to his unjust beauty.
'Psyche,' she bit back, struggled.
Help me. Someone. I'm drowning.
'Psyche?' He chuckled. Their chests were touching so she felt it in her body. 'A delicious name. May I have a taste?' All she could do was whimper angrily, frightened at her own helplessness as he pulled closer. Their lips brushed.
Yes...
NO!
'There you are!' Sigh was snapped back to reality, throwing her assaulter's hands from her body in disgust. Her rescuer stood beside her, smile on his unknown face as he looked at the dangerous young man. 'I've been looking for you! Where did you get off to, young lady?' This man was very, very blonde. His hair and curly beard were almost white, his eyes the color of Caribbean Sea. He seemed younger than his thick beard and light voice suggested and his aura was a soft baby blue. Sigh trusted him immediately. Because she could control such a thing once more.
The pretty boy who had held her before still had a smile on his face, but it had turned venomous. 'Ah, your date then?' his voice was no less sweet, but had a bitter edge to it. The man beside Sigh chuckled. The arm around her shoulders was one of chaste amity, like she had seen Black Star do to Soul. 'Hardly. I was merely asked to keep an eye out for her. Now if you'll excuse us.' He steered Sigh away. The young woman dared to glance over her shoulder, eying her attacker. He was watched them walk away, fingers tracing his lips. He smiled nastily when he caught her eye and she whipped her head back around.
'Are you alright? Would you like something to drink?' Sigh shook her head numbly as the kind man gently pushed her into a chair on the edge of the room. 'No. Thank you.' She blinked, still trying to get her bearings. 'And that you for what you did back there..' The man shrugged, easing into the chair beside her. Sigh could see from the size of his aura that he was also an immortal but he didn't seem quite the same. Not quite as…untouchable. 'It's alright sweetheart. A girl like you should know better than to get looped in by immortals. Didn't Death send out a pamphlet warning you about this ball?'
Two things. No, she hadn't received a pamphlet. And he had called Lord Death simply by his name. No honorifics.
'Were you really told to keep an eye out for me?' He could hear the weariness in Sigh's voice; his blue eyes examined her carefully. "No. Not really. Would it be bad if I had?' She shook her head. 'No! I mean, it's fine. I just...never mind.' She bit her lip, reminded she wasn't supposed to at the taste of her lipstick. 'Wow. There are a lot of immortals here, huh?' She changed the subject eagerly. The man allowed her to, nodding solemnly.
'The best defense,' the man said by way of explanation. 'Is avoidance. It's best to learn to identify them in order to avoid them.' He didn't know Sigh could see them for what they really were. He pointed to the young man that had almost captured her. He was speaking with Eris now, voices pointedly friendly and gentile. 'That's Cupid. His mother is the mistress of Love and he has the power of infatuation. Be careful not to be taken in by him again. Not sure anyone else would know to help you. Or would care to.'
He moved his hand, pointing to a young man in a shimmering black suit. Sigh blinked and he was old, incredibly so, older than she had ever seen. She blinked once more and he was young again, no older than a preteen. 'Father Time. Ornery old man. Avoid him too.' He extended his other arm, referring to several more characters lurking about the room. 'Pan, Freya, Hercules, Hestia, Hephaestus. Each are nice enough. But they have their vices, same as any other creature that has ever lived.' Sigh nodded, eager for the man to teach her. Though she could she them as immortals, it was impossible for her to determine just what their particular field of specialty was. And there was a broad range present at the ball.
'Why are they all here?' She asked in amazement as the man took a breath. He shrugged but once again looked at her carefully. She wondered what he was looking her. Sincerity? She was very sincere in her questions! 'Why, to catch a glimpse of something amazing, of course.'
'I would think they had seen everything by now.'
'Most things,' he lamented, almost sadly. 'And that is why they are desperate for entertainment. Even the cruel kind. They are here with the hopes of stealing something very precious to Death.' Sigh paled. 'They're not…they're not after the school, are they?' He looked at her in disbelief before laughing heartily. She smiled a bit, uncertain, but his laugh was nice. The sound of wind through a forest. 'No, my dear, they are not. It is something far more precious than that.' He stood. 'Well, I must bid you adieu. I hope to spy on my son a bit more before retiring for the evening.'
To Sigh's surprise, he pointed to her group of friends, particularly a young man she had never seen before. He had a dreamy look on his face, his hair the same wispy blonde as his father's and his eyes cloud white. He stood, or rather, floated, just behind Patty, and seemed quite taken with the busty blonde.
Sigh turned back to her companion, realization dawning. 'And who are you?' He smiled and Sigh was reminded of a well-timed breeze on a hot day. 'North Wind. And you, precious thing, may call me North.' And he was gone.
Sigh stood. She wondered if she should dare to venture back to the buffet or if it was simply time to call it a night. She had almost gotten into trouble with one immortal. Dare she tempt fate with a roomful? She thought not. It was time to take her leave. Besides, Kid's eyes had lit upon her mere moments previous, perhaps sensing the fact North had pointed in his general direction. Sigh waved and stood, turning towards the door.
Perhaps she would have made a grand escape had a sudden burning not appeared on her neck. She turned, cautiously, very aware she was not going to get away and regretting not leaving sooner. She shivered a bit, a tingling sensation on her spine as her heels planted themselves on the floor.
Kid was furious.
No, Kid was livid.
How dare she show up late?
How dare she avoid him?
How dare she look so casually, innocently, breathtaking?
He had not seen her dress until this night, hadn't dared to ask lest he startle her away like some rare bird. But now…if only he'd known to prepare for this.
It was a simple enough dress he supposed, simply cut and made of a grey so intricate it was almost blue. The perfect color to set off the spectrum of silvers and azures in her eyes. It was long with straps that wrapped about her neck. It cut almost dangerously deep in the front and he had been granted a glimpse of smooth caramel skin when she had had her back to him. The dress had no back to it, simply.
On someone skinnier, less curvy, perhaps it would have been harmless enough, this dress. Perhaps worn by someone whose lips weren't parted in surprise at his approach and whose hips didn't fill out the dress in an awful way that made him struggle to look her in the eye. Someone who had not chosen to wear her thick over her shoulder, held by a clasp the same color as her dress.
He struggled to speak, finding his mouth too dry for such a thing at the moment. It was bitter irony that hardly hours before he had wished for her to appear in a dress like this one. But not quite as dangerous.
It was a miracle no daring immortal had picked her up yet.
Had anyone tried?
He found himself getting angry, an anger that served to snap him out of his stupor.
'I didn't think you were coming,' his voice sounded like a growl even to his own ears; he could understand why her eyes were so wide in confusion and concern.
She didn't know what she was doing to him.
Sigh took a breath, steeling herself. 'I wasn't gonna. But I did, so…'
His eyes were burning into her in what she automatically assumed was disapproval. She had chosen the daring cut to her dress on a whim, the whole process of searching for and buying a dress sending her into a state of serendipity. A part of her that she'd kept resting rose to the surface, one that believed in fairy tales and Santa Clause and pretty, shiny, dresses.
'…sorry I'm late.' Say something, she wanted to beg him, say something. He was just watching her with those dilated pupils, blown black drowning in irises of tourmaline and honey, his mouth gaping and his nostrils flared like he was trying to catch his breath. Even the way he approached her seemed to be out of character. His usual bounding gait had been exchanged for the intimidating pace of a predator. Each step precise, silent, rolling from his heel to the ball of his foot.
'Yes, well,' Kid forced nonchalance into his voice, closing his mouth when he noticed Sigh's gaze flickering to it. There was an underlying fear in her face and though he had no intention of scaring her, he couldn't help but enjoy the feeling. Because under that uncertainty there was a twinge of nervous excitement in her eyes. And he fed upon that glimmer. Because the world was too loud as he looked at her, too bright, when all he wanted was to focus on her. Only her.
'Better late than never I suppose.' Sigh snorted but she was aiming her gaze over his shoulder. Kid wondered if the insane heat frying his gut was oozing from his eyes. 'Could you be any more fortune cookie than that?' Kid's smirk curled upon his face like a candied ribbon, his eyes hooded and his hands folded tightly behind his back. A mischievous child desperately trying not to touch something shiny. 'Of course. "Boldness, without the rules of propriety, becomes insubordination."'
'Confucius?' Sigh shifted in her heeled sandals, as though embarrassed she knew where that quote had come from. 'I don't see how that applies to me,' she breathed through a scoff. Kid's smirk became a smile one could perceive as bleak. 'I wasn't referring to you.' Sigh nodded although she had no idea what he was talking about. Her eyes flickered to the side, body following in time to catch orange eyes with square pupils observing their interaction. Pan. And Eris and Cupid and all four wind brothers. Father Time and the three sisters of Fate (Grace had come although she claimed to be having a terrible time). Perhaps every immortal was watching this moment. Not too obviously, as is not their way, but subtly. They laughed and mingled and danced but their whole attention was focused on Death's child. And, although she wasn't quite aware of it, the wiccan with whom he spoke.
'Dance with me,' Sigh fought down her jerk as Kid's voice appeared at her side, his breath on her neck. Her body was still turned to glare about herself defensively and she had not noticed the young reaper until he was quite literally right behind her. His hands hovered at her hips, not quite touching but close enough for her to feel his strange warmth through the thin fabric of her dress. Cold heat that went with the living being that personified death.
'Wh-what?' Sigh couldn't get her voice above a whisper, especially when she turned to see how close his face was to hers. His aura was crackling on her skin, like static electricity. His voice was steady but he seemed just as uncertain as she was.
'They're watching us. Dance with me, so they'll know.'
'So they'll know what?' The creamy candies of his eyes hardened into rough gold before smoothing over once again. 'They'll know you're off limits. That I'll protect you.' His hand was wrapped about hers without awaiting an answer, dwarfing her smaller digits as he dragged her to the dance floor. 'I don't need…Kid, I don't need-'
'I know,' he hummed as he settled one hand on her hip and the other entwined with her fingers. 'I will, though.' He blinked, smiling gently and beginning to sway slowly. 'I want to. Uh, because we're friends.' The latter was said very quickly in comparison to the casual intimacy of the former. It was like he suddenly remembered himself, the hand stiffening on Sigh's hip. Space was reintroduced between their bodies, the first time Sigh had noticed how close they had been. 'Tell me you know how to dance,' he joked easily, although Sigh suddenly felt lost. She forced herself to smile. 'You name it, I can do it. Fox trot, waltz, cha cha, mambo, rumba, ballet, jazz, and salsa.' Sigh shrugged and smiled up at his face. 'I'm from Vegas. The land of the ongoing party. Dancing is sort of a must-know.'
Kid chuckled in his chest. The combination of Sigh's voice and the touch of her body had stabilized him. He could look at her face without wanting to…needing to…
'I had to ask,' he clucked teasingly. 'I like to dance fast and you'll need to keep up.' To accent his point they began to spin faster. 'I should be saying that,' Sigh challenged. 'You got nothing on me when it comes to dancing. I'll bet the bonus you owe me that you trip before I do.' Kid's eyes flashed at the competition. 'Your eagerness to gamble and your love of money proves the fact you come from Vegas,' he teased.
'Just saying I could out-dance you blindfolded.'
'Fine.' He snatched the glasses from her face before Sigh could stop him, shoving them into a pocket within his coat. She made a noise of discontent, jerking in his arms. He clamped down, smiling wickedly. 'There. You're blind.'
'I didn't mean-' The band picked up a new tune so fast and flurried Sigh wondered if this whole thing had been premeditated. Kid easily picked up the faster pace, still smiling into her face like his victory was assured. It wasn't the money –heaven only knew he could certainly afford her bonus- it was the bragging rights. He wanted to be able to smirk and tease her about this later. And Sigh knew this. And refused to grant him the luxury. Psyche Eclair took her bets VERY seriously. She was careful only to make them when she had a significant chance of walking away victorious, of crumbling her opponents to dust. She had spoken carelessly this time but like Hell she was going to admit that to anyone. So, lifting her chin and gritting her teeth, she danced with death.
Kid was very fast. Sigh would give him that. It was difficult to get the proper swing of the music when he was practically sprinting through the whole song. She hoped her skill would tide her over, even with her blurry vision and the fact she was certain he was purposefully trying to entangle their legs.
'You're cheating!'
'Stop scowling. It makes you look ill-tempered.'
'Well I can't see a goddamn thing!'
'Sigh,' he huffed like she was being terribly difficult, slowing a bit. 'You know I'm here. You feel me. You know the ground is under your feet and you hear the music. If "sight" means that much to you, even with all that information you have, just focus on my face. You know what I look like so you shouldn't have to see me to see me.'
'Whatever.' Although she felt the muscles in her face start to relax. She could see his face in her mind's eye, the firm set of his jaw as he scolded her gently. Lips that were the only color aside from his eyes, a light powder pink, tendrils of black hair brushing his neck and sloping brows drawn into a habitual frown on his forehead. Stupid, handsome, frowny boy. Regardless of being the son of death and over one hundred years old, he still had a lot of growing up to do.
Sigh smiled unconsciously, an upturn of her lips that made her face glow. Kid loved watching her soul hum through the portals of her eyes, his vision uninhibited now that her glasses were out of the way. She was keeping up with him now, spinning when she was forced to and swaying with the rhythm. He kept his eyes focused on her face, absorbing as much as he could whilst as close as he would ever get.
No. He remembered a day not so long ago when he'd gotten closer. Shamed, he had to force his heart to slow.
'Kid.' And the way she felt in his hands. So warm. So solid. So alive. It should be criminal for a grim reaper to dance with someone like that.
'Kid.' But it really wasn't fair. Was this a test? Was she some demon summoned to tempt his will?
'Kid, the music stopped.' That anger returned again, anger at the injustice of it all, dampened by despair that knew no logic.
'You can let go of me now.' He was shocked back to that moment, right then, as she stirred in his arms with a worried look on her face. He could only imagine what he must have looked like.
'Yes. Right,' he laughed uneasily. 'It looks like you'll be keeping your bonus after all, Sigh.'
'Right.' She still looked mildly concerned. They had begun to disengage from each other, only connected by their hands now. To his surprise, her free hand lifted itself, hesitating before finding his face. Her fingers pressed themselves to his forehead gently, rubbing at what must have been such a fearsome wrinkle she could see it in her blinded state. 'Are you alright, Kid?' He forced himself to smile, his hand coming up to meet hers and pull it from his face. 'I'm fine, Psyche.' Her doubt was visible.
'You're sure?'
No, he wanted to whisper, wanted to pull her close and bury himself in her soul. You're tearing me apart.
He shook his head. 'I'm fine. Perhaps I've just been here too long.' Sigh smirked, still watching his face. 'I heard you're supposed to party all night on your birthday. Especially a big one like one-oh-five. Or are you getting old?' He smiled half-heartedly at her jab, anything to prolong her hands in his. So warm.
'Sigh-'
'I'm very sorry to interrupt. But if I could have a word with you, Miss Sigh.' The seriousness in Lord Death's voice warranted no room for argument."
The storyteller opened and shut her mouth, spell broken as she struggled with what to say next. It was like she couldn't quite get the words out and after a moment of confusion, she simply skipped a scene.
"She was walking so fast it was almost a run, tripping over herself as she struggled to move even faster. Madame, Madame, Madame. How could…how did…the old harpy was supposed to be invincible! This day was never supposed to come. Sigh bit her lips against the bitter taste in her mouth, refusing to respond to Kid's calls as he followed her down the abandoned halls of Shibusen, escaping the Death Room. She didn't want him to see her like this. Didn't want to see him. She just wanted to go home, just wanted to sit in her attic and feel knobby old fingers combing through her hair, an old voice humming an old song about birds and love.
'Sigh!' It must not have been hard for the young reaper to catch up with her. It wasn't like she could run in those fucking shoes.
'It's going to be okay Sigh. We're going to figure this out.' Sigh looked up at him like he was insane. He didn't look winded from their jaunt but a certain wild panic was hidden behind the calm glaze over his eyes.
'I already have,' she shook her head. She would not cry in front of him. She would not. 'I'm going back to Vegas.'
'Well, yes, but-'
'For good. I'm going home for good.' It was silent in the hall as he digested her words. 'Sigh, you don't have to-'
'Didn't you hear?' she challenged. 'Weren't you in the room when they told me…when they said…Madame…'
'Sigh, no-'
'Forbidden Fantasy needs someone to run it. A lot of those girls have no other income, no other safe place. They need it. They need me. And I should be there for Madame when she…if she doesn't wake up.' Sigh choked an empty laugh. "Coma's pretty serious, right?'
'Sigh-'
'NO!' She snatched her hand away, glaring at him with all the anger she could muster in this moment. 'Don't say my name! Don't say my name like you can fix this! Like you can fix any of it!' She crossed her arms, folding in. 'You had to know right? You had to know. I mean look at me. At what I am.After everything you've learned about me you had to have known.' When she looked at him her eyes were misting. It made something in him die to see her this way.
'This couldn't last. Nothing…nothing good that happens to me lasts. My…family. My people. That old couple. I looked them up and I remember…I remember their faces and their voices but I don't remember…why I was there, what happened so I…' Sigh shook her head. 'Them and countless others. All those disasters I caused. Everything…I can have nothing.' The tears oozed out and she angrily wiped at them, smashing herself in the eye and smearing her eyeliner.
Stop fucking crying you moron. And of course her inner voice still sounded like Madame. Which only served to make the tears worse.
'This was so…this was so amazing,' she choked. 'I had built a neat little family, me and Madame. And here I had friends. Real friends, for the first time in my life. And it's ending, all at once. And I'll have nothing again. Nobody.' Kid's breath stuttered at this. 'I'll go with you,' he fought. 'We can do this together.' She smiled distantly, already separating herself from him. He didn't know agony like that in his chest could exist outside of the battlefield. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to hold her so badly but knew she would push him away. And just knowing that made the desire to comfort her increase.
'No, Kid, you can't. They need you here, in Death City, just like they need me at Forbidden Fantasy. Our homes do not mix. Las Vegas is a place of insanity. It's all lights and action and sin and chaos. There's nothing that's real there, it's all fake faces and smoke to lure in stupid people from out of town. But here. Death City. Death City is…order. Institution. Founded by a man who knows life better than any who have ever lived. Two people from those worlds cannot understand one another, at least not for long.'
'Don't say that,' he muttered. 'Don't say that, Psyche.'
'I'll leave first thing in the morning,' she spoke like she hadn't heard him. 'I can afford to send for my things, so I will. It's been fun, Kid. Tell the others I said that. I'll write, too.' He could hear the lie in her tone. Once she was gone, if he let her walk out of this school and into the night, he would never hear from her again. He could feel it. Watching her tears fall, eyes grey and looking beyond him to a land he could never be a part of, he felt the abyss between them deepen.
She tried to turn from him to continue on her way but he wouldn't allow it. No. Not this time. He felt like he was being robbed of something he had searched for for a very long time. He hadn't known he needed it until it was in front of him and now that it was, he wasn't sure he had the strength to let it go.
Kid's hand lashed forward, grasping her about the arm. Sigh gasped in pain but he didn't loosen his grip, reeling her into his body and crushing them together. He just looked at her for a moment, their faces impossibly close and her eyes wide and feral. Sigh wrinkled her brow and pursed her lips. 'Stop it. Kid, stop it.' Kid's head moved forward of its own accord.
It was a surprisingly gentle motion. Kid had felt like they would collide painfully, slamming teeth and busting lips. That he would hurt her and promptly feel profound guilt for doing so. That she would fight him and beat him to a deserving bloody mess. But no.
Their lips came together easily, like they had been meant to do so from the start, locking in a way they never could when Sigh had been asleep. She was surprised at herself, surprised at him, as they molded together. Her mouth acted on its own accord, moving against his carefully and shyly. His hands drifted up to her face to wipe tears as a hum built in his throat, his breath gliding smoothly across her face. She gave a little hiccup as he pulled away only to kiss her again, harder, as though to confirm what had just occurred had not just been an incident. Her hands bunched in his jacket at the waist, one of his hands found its way into her hair, their mouths were partly open to pant and sigh against one another."
The narrator looked around. Many of the girls and women were blushing, dreamy looks on their faces, while the males in the audience looked less enchanted. Rolling her eyes, she continued.
"Sigh pulled away, trying to get the young reaper's attention, only for his lips to find hers again.
'Kid…' his lips silenced her, softly. He smelled like autumn leaves and chilly air. She pulled away again, gasping when his lips pressed under her ear.
'You have to…I have to…' silenced.
'Noooo.' This time she placed her fingers on his mouth, preventing another collision. He looked at her, gaze soft and heated but conscious. 'Sigh,' he hummed, and the sound of her name from him made her jerk and her face heat up, his breath causing her fingers to twitch against his lips. 'Stop,' she commanded, trying to twist away from him. 'You always make things more complicated than they need to be.'
'I know,' he answered, whispering and still holding her close. His lips brushed her ear as she turned her face from him, his arms about her waist as he forced her into a gentle embrace. 'I just needed…before you left I had to…you're so…I just…' She shook her head. 'No, Kid. Shut up. shut up, shut up. No.' His hands, loosened at her waist, sliding up her body to clench on her upper arms. He was trying to make her look at him. She refused, gazing over his shoulder.
He couldn't tell if she had liked his advances or not. Sure, she had responded but was it simply because she didn't know what else to do? Had Kid committed to something he wanted no part of? Had he destroyed something important?
The uncertainty burned in him, mixing with the satisfaction and the hope in a way that threatened to make him ill.
'Psyche, look at me. Please, just look at me.' Sigh bit her lip and closed her eyes though she could feel his hard gaze on her face. Her throat was clenching, her eyes burning, her heart lurching like it wanted to escape her body and run to…him? 'I tried so long. You have to believe…I didn't want to ruin…everything. I didn't want to stop being your friend if we were to be-'
'Nothing. We were never going to be anything, Kid. It'll never be…that. It can never be anything like that.' She paused, trying to calm down. It wasn't working. Too much was happening at once. She wanted to run. That was all she could do, right? What she had always done. When her world crumbled, she ran from it, forgot about it, swept it under the rug. 'Psyche...look at me!' He shook her this time. She obeyed but barely. She was looking through him. 'Whatever you decide,' he whispered. 'It's all up to you. But it's killing me. This…whatever it is. It's agony.'
'I don't care. Can't you see that? Can't you see that I don't care? Cause you don't even know what I am. Who I am. What I've done. How can this be real when you don't know what you're doing?' Sigh demanded.
'I do know,' Kid snarled, eyes glowing angrily. 'I know you. I can see into your soul.And it's so beautiful and strange and pained.I hate it. I want it and I despise it. I've never felt weaker or stronger in my whole life and I know that at the center of all this is you.'
'Let me go,' she insisted. 'You have to let me go. I have to go.' Sigh shook her head, angry with him for this, angry with herself for the tears bubbling in her eyes. 'I have to go to her. My mother.' Kid's breath stilled, his nostrils flaring.
'I won't keep you from her. I'd never keep you from her. But I want you to understand everything before you go. I want you to know to come back, one day. Please just come back. You need to understand.'
'I could say the same. Understand,' she snarled wetly, finally succeeding in twisting away from Kid. His hands hovered in midair as though surprised she had left them. She crossed her arms, trying not to look like the wreck she knew she was. Psyche had to stay strong because she was all Madame had. And Madame was all she had. And she had been stupid and cruel, allowing herself to be sucked into what she now saw as a temporary world. Allowing herself to succumb to this strange place that dragged out the very aspects of her that were odd and mad and forced her to face them. How could she allow this to happen? How could she be so stupid? So silly? This dress, this day, this place. It all seemed so horribly inconsequential to her now. She was ashamed, naked to her shame.
And this…boy in front of her. With his glowing eyes of golden sin and his alabaster skin that was soft and flawless. Their collision had crumpled his suit and her wayward fingers had mussed his hair. Had she caused the swelling of his lips? How they had become pinker than she had ever seen? What about the tightening of his face, that little wrinkle between his eyes that she had tried to vanquish earlier? He only looked like that when completely and utterly confused. When lost. She knew this.
'Sigh…your eyes…'
Just as she knew he liked coffee. Not for the caffeine his reaper body rejected but for the tongue cringing taste. There was a music room in his manor and he could play every single instrument proficiently. Except the didgeridoo. He wore a gaze of shadowed affection when he looked upon babies and young children, so new to life. He was surprisingly partial to napping and could curl up anywhere to commit to one. He wasn't overly fond of sweets but had a weakness for black licorice and his mouth would curl, oh so finitely, when fighting down amusement.
He had a mole, low on the back of his neck. It was very pale so perhaps it was a freckle, and it was usually hidden by his collar or hair. Perhaps it was the only blemish on his perfect body and she had happened to catch it as she stared at his back one day, not so long before the ball, stared at this young man in a singular moment when she had allowed herself to think how handsome he was. How gentle. How intricate.
In that single second of weakness, she had fancied that perhaps her feelings towards her employer were not as chaste or platonic as she had been telling herself. Because at that moment she had wanted to press her lips to that mole-not-a-mole, to bury her nose in his hair, brush her mouth to the corner of his. These feelings she had stamped down upon immediately, as she had not allowed herself a crush since eighth grade. A handsome boy with wicked eyes and cruel words. What was the purpose of such useless infatuation? Pain? That was all she had received. So no, her insane attraction to her young employer would not be fed. She would not indulge it. It would disappear, like all good things eventually do.
Sigh could have lived like that for quite some time. She was quite good at biting her tongue and hiding her feelings. She could have walked away with no care but for her mother, no worry but whether or not the old woman still had the moxy to fight. But then he had to go and make it hard. He had to touch her gently and kiss her in a way that she never thought she would be privy to. Like she was something precious and fragile. Like he had been waited so long just to have her close to him. And he did it so perfectly. So tenderly. She doubted it would ever be like that with anyone else.
Bastard. She wanted to believe in him.
But he was temporary too. Because really, honestly, she could not see their horrid flurry of heat and emotion becoming something other than some whim of his. Of hers. She was unstable at the moment. She recognized this in herself. And she imagined he was just confused, that he didn't want her to leave and was incorrectly translating that into something more than it was. This entire moment could disappear, for all she cared. She didn't want it.
She would not succumb to this. She could not.
'I'm sorry.' She smiled bleakly, shutting down. The look in his eyes. So hurt. So empty. He'd heal, she told herself, but she couldn't help but wonder just what she had done. 'I'm so sorry.' He reached for her as she turned away, fingers seeking contact. Confirmation that she was there, that she was with him. 'No.' He froze. 'Don't touch me. You have to…this isn't right, okay? I had fun so…'
'Sigh.' There was frustration and pain in his voice. But it didn't stop the plea that was also present. 'Just wait-'
'Mimi ni hapa…'
'Don't you dare!'
'Kuja kwangu!'
'Psyche!' Kid's hand came back full of an incandescent posy petals. They fell through his fingers and shattered into nothingness on the floor.
Sigh had disappeared. Kid took two steps forward, stopped, and took one more. He knew where she had gone. And surely she would be there until the first train of the morning, true to her word. But he was frozen. Her rejection dug into him and his hand flew to his chest as though to still the pain. He told himself there was no physical injury there, that he was just being dramatic and he should stop it, stop it now as there was no reason for him to be suffering like this. His hand clenched a bit in frustration when the pain didn't disappear and he noted that he had something stowed away in his pocket.
He reached into his coat, dazed as he retrieved what she had forgotten. Her glasses looked up at him accusingly, the thick lenses reflecting a wide-eyed boy with a look of stifled desperation about him.
He could still see her eyes. Not the grey irises with the little blue sapphires within. No, he saw her eyes as they were now. Their natural state, perhaps. A whirl of greys and blues, fog and mist, mixing with the magic deep within her. He saw her as she was and found it to be just as beautiful as everything she had ever been. The feeling of loss returned to him.
Clutching the shards of his broken heart close, the reaper grit his teeth.
'Sigh…'"