Blackstar wiped away dust from his face. The pulsing sun laughed at him, mocking him from above. He splayed his limbs, laying on the dry, barren dirt. Nothing. Nothing was around him. Nothing! Nothing alive. Just him and the whispering wind. How many days had it been of travel? Four? That's what it seemed to be.
"Where am I?" he asked no one. Nobody to speak to, so why not talk to himself? Usually when someone hears someone talking to themselves, they call them crazy. But talking to yourself is a normal thing that a lot of people do! And besides, no one was around to judge him, not like he would care if they did, anyways. "Sand, wind, the sun, the sky, rocks, dirt, dust, and me." He facepalmed. He thought he was in Nevada by now, but you can only travel so much of the state on foot in one day... meaning just about nothing. Nothing like the emptiness around him. "If I was a musician, I'd write a song about this." He sighed. If only he had different ambitions. But maybe singing something stupid would get him going again.
Blackstar stood, his mouth dry. His steps felt heavy and he yawned, coughing on some inhaled grains of whatever. He started to sing, but for some reason he could hear the annoying tone of his voice and stopped. "Something that doesn't hurt so much~" he said, putting a hand around his throat. It hurt, the dryness and soreness. He started singing his favorite song from Pinocchio, because why not?
"I've got no strings to hold me down, to make me fret, or make me frown! I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me!" And then he forgot the rest of the lyrics and he stopped making noise entirely. After a few minutes, he could see the clouds darkening. Still nothing!
Then suddenly, he heard a noise above him. It was loud and irritating, and when he looked above him, he wasn't sure how to feel.
Above him, high up, was a helicopter.
*.*.*
Liz watched her sister in awe. Patty's lack of care for what was going on was worrying, yet relieving all at the same time. Her sister tended to mask any emotional scars with her dumb act... For the most part it wasn't an act, though. Patty often acted silly, and now it was best. Especially for Angie's sake. Patty and Angie, when both were in the room at the same time, played non-stop.
Notwithstanding, Liz, Tsubaki and Keira also benefited from Patty's cheerfulness. They had more time to plot with Keira an escape. Keira was the observer, viewing outside the cell bars and trying to spot as many useful details as possible. Tsubaki was the insider, often attempting to gain information from her callers. She often didn't get information, so she would take another strategy. During the public showers the prisoners were forced to take together, she would try to get information by communicating with them and asking if they had found anything.
Liz had the job of seeing if anything new had come about, whether it be simple questions to soldiers or other prisoners, or personal observations. She was on constant surveillance for the new prisoners being brought in through the section of the giant facility they were in.
And so Patty playing with Angie wasn't that bad. At least she wasn't in as much risk of getting caught than the others. Patty was smarter than what people took her for. And though it hurt Liz in a way, Patty would probably end up playing an important role if they did escape because of what the younger sister put out for intelligence.
And so, let Patty play, Liz thought. As long as she buys us and herself time. Distracting herself is a good thing in this awful place.
*.*.*
Maka surveyed the surrounding, crowded city. Soul stood right at her side, doing the same but with a more carefree attitude. Amber stumbled behind them, her leg not being of much help at the moment. Crona was to Maka's other side, happy to be with her friend once more. The day was peaceful, really. It was... calm, aside for some people around them.
"So... Marie is having a baby girl." Maka brought up the topic since it had been on her mind for a while now. "I wonder what the baby will look like."
Soul yawned, the image of a gender-bent child Stein popping into his head. "I don't know. We'll find out when the baby comes."
The wind blew around Amber's hair, causing her to choke on it. The black-haired girl pulled her hair out from her mouth and added from behind, "I bet it will be a mix of them both. That, or whoever has the dominant genes takes the worm... Ha, ha. That works. Like the spe-"
"No need to go into sex-ed mode, Amber." Soul stopped her from continuing by interrupting her. "We know how the worm thing works."
"You do?" Amber giggled, "I guess it doesn't work, though, because I was actually referring to the early bird taking the worm and, well, I find that usually it's the guy who has the dominant genes. I guess it doesn't work that way, but that's how things look sometimes, ya' know what I'm saying?"
Soul wasn't sure how to reply, because that isn't at all how he had interpreted what she said. Either way, he shrugged it off. "Oh~ I get it." he lied.
Maka didn't see how Amber's meaning went with what she originally said, so she ignored it.
Crona didn't know how to deal with the joke, so she didn't do anything.
The three's sunburn had gotten better. Not as much pain as before, and less of it. Amber, Soul, and Maka felt fine, though they still had to wear the gross sticky stuff on their skin to keep the healing process progressive.
Crona breathed in the air. She felt much better now that Maka was with them. She didn't know what to do that dark night when the others had left without her. Really, she couldn't help but feel betrayed, even in the slightest.
She hadn't done much that night, but it was still scary. For the surprisingly long amount of time Crona had gone without seeing Maka, the obvious changes were made. Not just the physical, but mental changes were clear. Stronger in body and mind, spirit, even. Maka seemed happy at this, as did Soul. Amber didn't know Crona well enough beforehand, so she had little reaction aside from a few compliments here and there of how pretty Crona looked. Still, she had her old traits, which for some reason Maka seemed relieved about.
"So, what's going on in the city right now?" Soul asked inquisitively.
Crona answered "I think people are getting stronger in order to fight back against those people that took Lord Death. Like... We have some training areas where we've taken meisters, weapons, and regular people who want to fight. We get them to all work together and do what they can. Everyone puts in a little effort, even if they won't be fighting back directly. There are people being trained as nurses and surgeons for special emergencies, shall any emergencies come up. Even kids are patching each others scrapes. We're all working together. Then we also have bakers and cooks. We have people who make things like houses and stuff for people to live in. We've got men and women, you know, the ones in those cool suits of armor, guarding Seattle's borders. We have armored people flying in helicopters in search of the lost here in the United States. We have some interaction with foreign countries and even Mexico and Canada, so the close countries, too."
"So it's one big let's-fix-it party." Amber concluded.
"I guess." Crona nodded. "That's a good name to call it."
"That's cool." Soul smiled a toothy grin of satisfaction. The four stopped walking and he put his hands on his hips. The three still recovering kids wore long, baggy, blue pants and shirts in order to keep the cream on. They had blue, puffy shoes on, which looked quite silly. They still wanted to check things out, so they had to go out in that. "I have something to say, and I would like it if you three listen."
Maka, Crona, and Amber turned to him with wondering looks on their faces. Soul breathed out and said "Crona, you've changed for the better and I hope you'll never be as timid as you were before."
"T-timid?" Crona stuttered, somewhat confused at the statement.
Soul continued with "Crona, you were timid before, I mean, and now you seem more open and cool. Not that you weren't cool before, but now you seem stronger and even more attractive."
With that, Crona blushed and stepped back, unsure of how to reply.
And he didn't stop there. "Amber, you're smart and all, and I must say you've proven to be more than that. You're brave, too, and can fight surprisingly well not being trained at a place like DWMA. You're cool like that."
Amber inhaled and said quietly "Thank you, Soul. You're pretty cool, too."
Make looked at him patiently, awaiting what he had to say about her. She had her hair back up in a pony-tail, not wanting to get any cream on her hair, though she couldn't prevent it from getting on her bangs.
"Maka, you've changed too. I can't really explain it well, but there's something that really makes me feel good around you. When I look at that determination in your eyes, I get excited."
"Aw~" Amber and Crona emitted in the background as Maka blushed.
He kept it up. "Nothing is more beautiful than that courage you have, and the strength of your soul. You're smart, you're brave, and you're pretty. Maka, you've been giving the motivational speeches and I think it's about time I gave one myself."
"Is that so." Maka held in a laugh, unaware of the fact that her hand had moved to cross over her chest. "Is this you showing how cool you are?"
"Yup." Soul nodded. "While we fought Asura, it seemed you were the only one who's words reached people. At least it was your words that reached me. I hate to be shown up by a girl-"
"Soul~" Maka growled in warning, a Maka-Chop just one misstep away.
Soul took the warning and brushed it off like it was nothing. "And I should be of some use myself." Soul spotted the nearest group of girls in sight and ran over to them. The girls were a little older than him from the looks of it. They circled around each other, standing like some sort of barricade and chatting about the past and boys. "Hello ladies." he said, breaking the circle as the girls faced him with confused looks.
Maka, Crona, and Amber were confused as they watched their friend's actions.
The girls seemed to find the cream gross, but practically fainted as his coolness genes activated. Soul spoke as him as if he was playing the piano; with passion and energy. "Stop spending your time recollecting the past and look towards the future. Nothing good will happen for you if you rely on others to do everything. It's time to step forward and work as one to defeat the evil before us which as taken so many lives and prisoners. It's time to defeat those who destroyed order. Tell me, who here has heard of Lord Death?"
They all raised their hands.
"Who here believes in Lord Death's innocence?"
They all hesitantly raised their hands.
"Who here wants the fear of imprisonment to be vanquished?"
They all raised their hands.
"Who here has put an effort into fighting the people who took over the U.S.A., maybe even the world?"
They hesitantly raised their hands.
"Who is willing to sacrifice themselves in order to save the world?"
No hands were raised.
Soul exhaled, unsure of how to feel about the last part. It wasn't unusual that this group of young girls didn't want to sacrifice themselves, but for such a big cause, there wouldn't be much difference between death and eternal imprisonment. Wait. There would be a difference. Death is less painful in the long-run, and imprisonment is only temporary. Whether it was the cons that outweighed the pros or the other way around, it didn't matter. What mattered would be which one can stand it longer.
"What was that about? What happened to mister-motivational-speaker?" Amber asked once Soul walked back.
"That was a mere survey." Soul replied. "Apparently not everyone is willing to give their lives in order to defeat the bastards who got Lord Death."
"I thought more would come out of that." Amber glanced over at Crona. "Hey, Crona, do you think
an attack will occur soon on the place where the place with those guys are?"
"... Um..." Crona didn't quite get the question, but she got the gist of what Amber meant. "No... We can't have an attack yet. Not enough things prepared... you know what I mean?"
"Ah!" Soul turned to face Maka, who cocked her head at him when he did so. "Do you think we'll be fighting head on, Maka?"
"Of course we will!" Maka nearly shouted. "Why wouldn't we?"
"I was just wondering." Soul shrugged. "I wanted to see the fire in your eyes."
Once again, Amber and Crona couldn't contain their cuteness reactions.
*.*.*
"Make up your mind already." Kid said to Athena, agitated by how long it was taking her to make a decision of what they were to do. "I'll go by myself if I have to. I don't have time to waste!"
"Calm down." Athena snapped, leaning up against a tree with her arms folded in front of her. "Don't yell at me like that. You're being unreasonable."
"Not really." Kid sighed, turning away briefly and facing the dry woodland trees. "I stayed because you two have been helpful. I seriously don't have time to just play around and wait for a reply. I need to save my father... I need to kill those bastards who are in charge of this madness!"
"Yelling won't get you anywhere." Aisling added as she climbed a tree, hanging onto the branches as if she was in a jungle-gym. "Please, Kid, I don't want you to go just yet."
"Since this all began, people have been getting a lack of what they want." Kid said back, pacing the ground. "Come on!"
Athena looked up at Kid, having been looking at the ground. "Kid, why would my opinion even matter if you're so willing to leave without care?"
There was a moment of silence between the three, Athena waiting patiently for an answer, Kid wanting to smash his face into a tree because he was, legit, that annoyed, and Aisling dangling upside-down from a tree branch, not wanting to interfere or lose any friends, new or old.
Kid didn't know how to reply, really. Athena was right. He made it sound like he could care less about them, and yet his actions showed his reluctance in leaving them without permission. Talking to Athena was like talking to Liz, only he knew Athena less and Athena seemed to hate him more than his weapon. Yet again, Liz didn't exactly hate Kid. Really, the situation was quite confusing in itself. "Sorry." he said at last, giving up since he was clearly beat. "I don't want to leave you girls, but I have a duty to humankind. I don't have much of a choice. I can't just sit around and let people suffer."
"If you were a full shinigami, you would stop the... IHK, right? That's what the bad guys are called?" Athena asked. Kid nodded. He had told them what he knew... Well, he told Aisling when she was asking about that kind of stuff, and Athena joined in. Athena furrowed her eyebrows. "If you were a full shinigami, could you save your father? Could you... Can you save Lord Death?"
Kid frowned, looking at the sixteen year old girl who so proudly wore band T-shirts. "I don't know, but it doesn't hurt to try, full reaper or not... I'm not sure, but if I become a full reaper, I may not be able to save him either."
"Why not?" Athena asked curiously, seeming to lose some of the edge she had a minute ago.
"I've already connected two of my sanzu lines, and I remember talking to my dad once or twice about how me becoming a full reaper would effect him. He usually tries to avoid topics he doesn't like to talk about. He says I'll become a full reaper when I'm ready, but he doesn't always talk about what happens to him when I do. I think if I connect my sanzu lines, though I can't be certain, yet it's most likely... My father..."
"He'll die, won't he?" Aisling asked, getting the words out before he could.
Sadly, Kid nodded as if defeated. "Yes... I do believe that's what will happen."
"You live and you learn." Athena said, closing her eyes and relaxing.
"I guess." Really, Kid didn't like the idea either, and didn't talk to his father much about it. The idea of his father dying in any case made his heart ache.
"Are you, Mr. Reaper, afraid of death?" Athena asked.
"...?"
"Like... what comes after death?"
Kid shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know what to think of it." By this point in time, the sun was setting and yellow rays scattered across the ground through tree leaves and branches.
"Kid," Aisling got off the tree and stood in front of him. "It doesn't matter what comes after we die, because there's no telling what that will be. All you can do is live for what you know, meaning the present, and the physical future. I can't say there's a heaven or hell or anything like that, even if others say there is one. Why would I believe something just because someone says it's out there when they have no real evidence to prove themselves? But, for what is now, and for what you can foresee, is all you can and should help and act for. Don't worry about what you don't know. Worry about what you know and can fix."
"... That's interesting."
"Hm? What is?"
"I don't get what you mean... I know you're saying don't worry about what happens after you die, because there's no telling what can or will happen. I know you're saying live for when you're alive and worry about things that will effect what may be your... physical future... But-"
"That's about it, really. Kay-dokay! I'll put it this way. There is no telling what comes once you die, so live for when you are alive and worry about things that effect your physical future. And it's always nice to help other people's futures, too."
Kid laughed without really intending to. Everything was too calm about the moment. Too... surreal in a way. It was like a scene coming straight out of a movie! Aisling had a good point, though. He really shouldn't be worrying so much about the afterlife. But it defied his reasoning, in a way. Punishment... All his father knew about the afterlife when he ferried a soul to the next world was that corrupt souls would go one place, and pure-enough souls would go another. But still, even Lord Death knew not what was beyond those two directions. For all he knew, the good souls were going to hell and the corrupt were up in heaven. There was no telling, even with what knowledge he had...
"It's not like you should go and be a bad person or anything." Aisling added with a smile on her face, confused about why Kid was laughing. "People should use their conscience as a guide, too. You don't need to be miserable in this life to be happy in what may be the next. And by the way... Why are you laughing?!"
Kid didn't answer, he just looked away and kept laughing. Athena started laughing, too, and called out "What drugs did you put in his water bottle, Aisling? He's hysterical!"
"I didn't mean to mix those pills into his drink!" Aisling called back with an odd cackle, "The pills were just sitting there!"
Kid got a hold of himself and turned to face them, shaking his head, his face slightly red from the laughter. "I don't know what got into me. I started laughing and I couldn't stop."
"Merp." Another peculiar noise was uttered from Aisling.
That night, the three slept on the ground, their supplies next to them. Aisling with her ax in her hands, curled in a ball. Athena with her knives in the pack strapped to her leg, leaning against a tree. Death the Kid was straight on his back, sleeping as symmetrically as his sleeping body would allow.
He wasn't having any nightmares this night, lucky for him. But when a piercing scream broke his sleep, he could have sworn he had a heart attack. Aisling had screamed her head off metaphorically, bolting up to stand.
"Aisling, what's wrong?" Kid asked the shocked, younger brunette. Athena was even more worried, and soon Kid knew too what was going on.
Ten soldiers were headed straight for them, and the dark of the night was sure to make fighting more difficult.
*.*.*
"When will we arrive in Seattle?" Blackstar asked impatiently as he sat at the back of the dark helicopter, not bothering to look out a window.
Azusa turned back to him, her white armor glinting from the blue light that came off the complicated, space-like control panel of the helicopter. The teacher's scary coolness was still everlasting. "In an hour, perhaps. Get some sleep already, Blackstar. It's about time you've gotten some rest. And remember to drink that water I gave you."
"Fine." Blackstar sighed, picking up the water bottle and gulping it down... Not the plastic, of course. Just the water.
He faced the four kids in front of him. Two were regular human girls, one boy had mentioned a while ago he was a weapon, and the girl next to him said she was his meister and she and him had come from DWMA. Blackstar didn't feel like talking to any of them for some reason, but that didn't stop them from talking to him.
"My name is Phoebe Elizabeth McCoy." one of the human girls reached a hand out to him, leaning over so he could take it. She was short, had somewhat big boobs, long light-blonde hair, and green eyes. She didn't look very delicate, though, even though she was super skinny and short and all. She wore a plaid red jacket and white undershirt, black shorts and black flower-patterned stockings, and she wore red combat boots. She had a revolver at her side. She appeared to be sixteen, despite her size.
"My name is Blackstar." Blackstar straightened his back as he sat there. He took her hand and raised his free hand in a fist, saying "I'm the greatest star there is!"
"Oh..." Phoebe wasn't sure how to react to that, and so she retracted her hand and laughed, "Nice to meet you, Blackstar."
Blackstar grinned. "Ha!Ha! It's always a pleasure to meet me!"
The people in the helicopter got a headache from hearing that.
Another girl reached forward, a human like Phoebe. She was Skinny and palewith average boobs, long, dirty-blonde hair, and brown eyes. She woreblue jeans, a black jacket, and brown boots. She looked to be around fifteen. She had been sitting against the wall looking depressed, even fairly evil. A sword was at her side, and she clutched it comfortably. She spoke shyly, saying "My name is Isabel E. Arron." She sounded pretty nice, actually. Blackstar took her hand and shook it. "You don't need to introduce yourself, by the way. I heard you loud and clear."
Blackstar smiled. The meister and weapon didn't look like they wanted to make acquaintance with Blackstar, so the ninja-assassin ignored them. He was fine with Phoebe and Isabel, even though Phoebe didn't seem too sure about him. Probably just surprised at how awesome I am! Blackstar concluded.
The ride was surprisingly smooth, and Blackstar finally felt like talking.
It was nice, not being alone.
(I'm sorry it's taking me so long to upload these things. I HATE SCHOOL! Please review!)
