Don't forget to listen to the songs!

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Chapter 25: Anxiety (Autger)

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A few days had passed since his arrival and Kid was feeling optimistic. So far, things had been ordinary. Unusually so, but he wasn't about to complain.

Kid exited his room the same time he did so every day. Following his usual routine, he had taken a quick shower, gotten dressed and was heading to the man dining hall for breakfast. Once there, he would have a small meal prepared by Mosquito. He'd be joined by mother, the Thompson sisters, occasionally Giriko and they'd…

Well, Kid wanted to say that he'd make small talk with mother while they ate, but his last few meals, including lunch and dinner, had been had in mostly silence. Mother would focus on her plate and barely acknowledge Kid. If Kid did try to talk to her, he'd be met with quick non-committal answers. At least Liz would occasionally speak up and Kid was grateful for the brief respite she offered between the long stretches of uncomfortable silence.

To add to that, Kid would likely not see mother for the rest of the day. She now spent most of her time in the study or in closed-door meetings. Even Kid's schooling had been put on hold, like an unexpected vacation break. At first Kid thought that was because mother wanted to give him time to rest and recover, but the days stretched into a week and he still hadn't been informed of whether his lessons would continue, let alone when.

At first, Kid had been slightly perturbed by mother's distant attitude but he had rationalised it as her way to cope with the circumstances. Kid had just come back from the dead and offered no concrete explanation to her after all. But then he couldn't help but remember Eibon, his figure towering over kill telling him that he was…

Kid unconsciously reached out for Eibon's orb, stashed away safely on one of the inner pockets of his jacket. He had kept the object close to him ever since he arrived in Baba Yaga, as a way to making sure that the orb wouldn't fall into the wrong hands and lead to a series of grave misunderstandings. Kid had also thought of disposing the object, but he never went through with any of his plans.

Finally, Kid entered the dining hall only to find it empty.

"Hey."

Almost empty.

In the long central table sat Liz with Patty next to her. The table was empty, lacking the silverware, hand towels and plates that usually should be there, a task Mosquito took as seriously as everything else.

Kid looked around. "Where is everyone?"

Liz shrugged. "Place's been empty. It's just me and Patty and we've been here for like, an hour or so."

"I'm hungry…" Patty groaned and she collapsed face-first on the table.

"I know," Liz sympathetically said as she gave her sister a pat on the back before turning to Kid. "Think everyone slept in? Guessing you guys don't get like, strikes, and stuff like that."

Kid frowned. Liz was right, this place shouldn't be empty. Had something happened?

Kid turned around, about to leave the dining hall and scour the castle with his Soul Perception when Liz spoke up: "Going somewhere?"

Kid halted mid-step. Right, he should tell them. In fact he ought to do more, as he was the one that brought them into this mess. He should warn them.

"You should leave."

Liz frowned. "Huh? Hey, my sis is hungry-"

"You should leave the Castle."

"Oh, so you're kicking us out, typical." Despite her flippant tone there was a hint of desperation in Liz's voice. "Come on, I told I'm not gonna say anything about the Eib-"

"Don't even bring that up in passing," Kid cut her off with a hiss as he turned around. "Something's wrong."

Liz rolled her eyes. "What, because no one showed up? Paranoid much?"

Kid held back a scoff. He had every right to be paranoid especially when mother might suspect that he was the Grim Reaper, of all beings.

"If something is going on, we are all in grave danger. If…" Kid swallowed down a lump in his throat. "If I'm suspected to be hostile they are going to come after you two as well and mother will not be kind."

Liz raised an eyebrow at Kid. "Suspect you? Of what? You're her kid."

Kid wasn't so sure about that anymore.

Liz's expression fell the more the silence between her and Kid stretched. "Fuck's sake, you ain't lying." She glanced at Patty. "How likely do you think something's up?"

"I don't know."

Liz cursed and poked Patty. "Hey, Patty… How do you feel like taking a walk?"

"But I'm tired… and hungry…"

"The kitchens are on the ground floor of the west wing," Kid explained. "It also has big enough windows for you to jump through and escape."

"Escape…" Liz repeated, face darkening. "Patty come on. Transform, I'll carry you."

"Ok…" Patty said with a groan as she transformed into her Weapon form.

As Liz, with Patty's Weapon form in hand, stood up and was about to head outside, Kid let out a sigh and closed his eyes.

He hadn't expected their conversation to go this way. He had only intended to tell Liz and Patty to go to their room and stay there until Kid cleared things up with mother. However, her continued silence, this sudden disappearance, all added up to a sneaking suspicion that mother was already onto Kid's secret. If that was true then the best course of action Kid had was try and tell his side of the story, or lack thereof, and just hope things would work themselves out. Otherwise…

He gulped. It was true what he had said to Liz about mother not being kind. However, that would only be because the sisters were unwilling conspirators. When it came to Kid himself and the rumours of being a Grim Reaper….

'She will capture you and will drain you until you'd wish you were nothing but an empty husk,' Eibon's words reverberated in his mind.

No…

Yes, mother would do that to her enemy, especially to one as old and feared as Death. She would be downright ruthless and cruel, inflicting a cold-blooded torturous fate to even suspected remnants of her enemy. Kid had heard of what happened to the Academy after all, their HQ burned to their ground with most of their forces killed or missing.

Still, Kid was her son and despite what Arthur, what everyone else believed, mother did care about him. Even… even if he was a Grim Reaper…

"Hey, one last thing before we leave," came Liz's words, breaking Kid out of his train of thought. He looked up at her, her wary glance only making him more anxious. "Did…" she hesitated. "Did you do something to me?"

Kid blinked. What did she mean? Kid had barely interacted with Liz after Eibon, the sisters simply following him as they were dropped outside Baba Yaga Castle.

Unless Liz mean before that, when Kid was dangling and he was desperate and their hands reached out to him, somehow, refusing to let go when he ordered them too. When held been captured by Noah and Kid saw memories that weren't his own, of Liz's head held underwater as her heart faltered and breaths stilled. When they were in Eibon's adobe and Liz was unaffected by the cold despite being able to sense it.

Kid looked away from Liz, from her pale skin, her slightly clouded eyes, desperate for an answer he didn't have. Or rather there was an answer he did have, but one that would require accepting that he was…

Just more nails in a long-shut coffin.

"…I don't know," Kid lied, looking away.

"Great," Liz said, voice dripping with sarcasm. If she suspected Kid's lies she didn't show it. "Thanks for the heads up I guess." She paused before exiting, giving Kid a long look. "And uh, good luck."

With that she and Patty left the room and headed for the kitchens, leaving Kid alone in the dining hall. With each sound magnified by the empty walls, Kid took out Eibon's orb. Its pale depths stirred as they always did. Black strands reached out from the core, touching the surface where Kid's skin was, as if magnetised.

This was it, wasn't it? There was no other way now, not with how things had turned out. With a still fresh scar around his neck, mother's absence and a suspiciously empty dining hall, the best Kid could hope for now was for the truth to come out in the least ugly way possible. Hell, Kid would be ok with getting roughed up a bit on the revelation part, as long as…

His Soul Perception picked up mother's soul on the centre of the castle. Mosquito and Giriko were with her along with-

Red. Red, scabby soul, the same red abomination that unfortunate Arachnophobia member had had many years ago and Kid's hands balled into a tight fist. His breath hitched and for a moment the only thought that was on his mind was ripping that wretched red from its mortal coil before it could spread any more of its infecting chaos…

Kid took a steadying breath. He had to restrain himself. That soul was not Arachnophobia, mother had made sure of that ever since Kid's incident. The soul most likely belonged to the Clowns, the faction that still worshipped their fallen God Asura. They were a mad, soul eating group, with each of its members more twisted and horrifying than the next and why was mother meeting with them?

Feeling his throat constrict, Kid put the orb in his trousers' pocket, making sure he had an easy reach for it, just in case. He took a deep breath. So, this was happening.

Clutching the orb in his pocket, Kid made his way towards the main hall.

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"Lady Arachne."

The Witch closed her fan and looked down on her throne at the new arrival.

His voice was smooth as honey and equally nauseating. His hunched form was mostly obscured by ragged and patched clothing that made him resemble a down-on-his luck turn-of-the-century clown. Fitting, she supposed. The only visible parts of him was a protruding crooked nose and a pair of long, needle-like fingers. The less that could be said about his breath and general stench, the better.

The Clown's dispatch. Finally.

"Excuse our delay, Lady Arachne," the Clown continued with a smooth bow. "At first, your report sounded to us like you wanted to join our side, in more ways than one."

So, they had thought that Arachne had finally lost her mind. Oh, if only. That would mean that her theory wasn't true, that the being she housed was Kid, safe and sound.

Another person came to stand by the Clown, and Arachne felt the colour drain from her face, only to be soon replaced with white-hot fury.

"Medusa," the Arachne intoned. "Why are you here?"

Medusa appeared from the shadows and gave her a solemn nod. "The Elder kindly asked me to accompany him," she said in an even tone and gestured to the Clown next to her. "He rightly assumed that my research into Kishin and his relationship to the Grim Reaper will be of great relevance to them. Oh, but first, my condolences."

Arachne listened with a barely concealed scowl. Medusa's reason for being here was as fake as her sombre attitude. True, her sister's research, if it could be called that, did have to do about the Kishin's origins. It was a field of study Arachne no longer had any interest in, with the Kishin Asura having been defeated long ago. Not to mention Medusa's experiments were a secret even from her, and from what rumours her spiders had picked up, they often involved her own child…

Arachne's grip on her fan tightened. Even with the debated relevance of Medusa's research, there was no reason for her to assist the capture, to be here. Especially after her vague warnings, her constant jabs… The nerve-!

No, Medusa had been right. Her warning, no matter how vague, had turned out to be true. It was Arachne's stubbornness that caused her to let Arachnophobia fall vulnerable, that lead to her Kid and Giriko to be captured, that led to Kid…

"Very well," Arachne finally let out and addressed the Clown. "I assume you've come prepared."

"Oh certainly," the Clown said with a bow. "Considering the being we are facing, we saw fit to bring special equipment for the task."

A door behind Arachne's spiderweb-throne opened and Giriko slowly made his way inside. He heaved as he pulled a chain he had wrapped around his torso, dragging a coffin-like object behind him.

Arachne raised an eyebrow at the Clown's 'special equipment'. To say it looked like a schizophrenic's dream of an iron maiden would be an understatement; it was shaped like a sarcophagus of old with magic circles littering its surface, some of them glowing red. Heavy chains with their own set of magic circles were wrapped around the structure, keeping it shut.

"Are you sure that will be enough?" Arachne asked.

The Clown gave her another bow. "As certain as we can be. Once sealed, the only way to open it would be with a special incantation. Otherwise, not even air can escape. The spikes inside are also constructed to continually drip deadly poison, though we fear in this case they will only be able to temporarily immobilise our captive." He turned to Medusa. "Your sister's brilliant design, Lady Arachne."

"You flatter me, Elder," Medusa replied, with venom disguised as honey dripping from each word.

As the sarcophagus reached the middle of the room, Giriko let the chains fall with a grunt, the resulting clang echoing across the room. He stretched with a pained groan, earning him a disapproving look by Mosquito who had been standing quietly by the main entrance. Just when he was about to open his mouth and probably earn Arachne's disapproval as well, a knock came from the main entrance.

Everyone went silent. Wordlessly, Mosquito turned around and, standing on his tiptoes, peered into the eyehole that gave one view outside the main entrance

"It's him, milady," Mosquito said, tone emotionless. Despite not actually naming the person outside, everyone understood it was Death. "I believe he wants to enter."

The Clown physically recoiled at the announcement, stepping back into the shadows as if he could hide in them. Medusa narrowed her eyes, turned to the main entrance and crossed her hands. Despite her composed look, the way she fiddled with the bracelet around her forearm betrayed her nervousness.

Arachne grimaced. Right outside her door. Had he gotten suspicious? Perhaps he had used the Soul Perception and sensed the Clown. Even then though, Kid too had an aversion to Kishin Eggs...

"Well, Elder, I suppose it is time to test out your plan. Mosquito, Giriko be on standby and wait for my orders."

Despite her flippant tone, Arachne only felt anger, mixed with an increasing dread. Even if all signs pointed at Kid being truly gone and the being outside their door being Death… What if Arachne was wrong? What if it truly was Kid outside and, somehow, all these signs had been false red flags? What if…?

Giriko revved up chains running across his torso, as Mosquito removed his hat. Medusa and the Elder fully stepped into the shadows.

Arachne held her head up and opened her fan as the door of the main entrance creaked open. It was too late for doubts now.

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Reviews are appreciated.

Also this story has fanart! One of them is the story cover, check out the rest at ryuucha on tumblr (and give it some love)!