Hey! It's an update!
I want to give you all a heads up though. These will be a lot more infrequent than usual for the next few months. I have a ton of stuff to do. Like making art for a con in the summer and various small projects. My home also needs a ton of repairs.
I also want to try opening commissions but until I get everything set up for that, I'm going to just link my Tumblr art blogs on my profile. Just so people can see them.
Asura sat on his bed, wrapped in a black blanket and nervously fixing his new nightclothes. Kid had brought them to him, saying he couldn't keep wearing the exact same clothes he'd been wearing since he woke up after Vajra's revival. Apparently it was a bit disgusting to sleep in the same clothes you were wearing all day, which he silently agreed with. There was just nothing else to wear and he wasn't the kind of person to sleep naked or ask for something. That was just...no. To both options.
He really liked the new clothes though, they were soft and warm and comfortable. And clean. Clean was good. Clean was very good. And they were red too, with black stripes, which made him glad. He liked the color a lot. He wondered if Kid realized that it was his favorite or if it was completely coincidental. It was probably the latter, but he could wonder. The blanket matched it too.
Sitting at the table, Kid was working on his homework. Occasionally the younger boy would mutter under his breath, but it seemed like he was trying to listen to Asura's suggestion when he'd almost had an anxiety attack over writing his name. He could hardly believe something so small could set his brother off, but it almost did until he'd stepped in. Of course he would though, he knew an anxiety attack when he saw one and he hated his. Kid shouldn't have to deal with his alone and as long as Asura was around, he would try to help.
Convincing Kid to leave it unfinished for the time being was difficult, but he was reasonable enough to listen. "It shouldn't be a problem as long as you go back and finish it right? If you focus too much on it, you're going to get stressed and mess it up." That was what he told Kid, and he listened thankfully, but Asura couldn't help but think he had no right to lecture his brother if he didn't follow his own advice.
"Hey Asura, are you okay?" Kid's sudden question startled the older Reaper and he flinched. He glanced up at Kid carefully, finding only worry there. When Asura failed to answer him, he said, "Your Madness was starting to come out again. Is something wrong?"
"Oh! I-I'm so sorry! I'm just getting nervous is all... It wasn't bothering you much, was it? The...the Madness?" Asura squeaked out, twisting one end of his scarf in his hands. Kid shook his head, and relief filled Asura.
"I'm fine, though it does make doing my homework difficult when it makes me doubt the answers." The younger Reaper's voice had a lighter tone to it as he said that last part and it was how Asura knew Kid wasn't really upset. So he offered a sheepish smile before burying his face in his scarves and muttering a quiet apology. Kid smiled fondly at the action.
He was honestly surprised how quickly he had gotten used to Asura, and vise versa. Or he hoped Asura was just as used to him. Having a brother was still a little strange, but he liked to think they were more comfortable together than before. Asura wasn't hiding in the corner of his bed anymore at least. That must be a good thing because that meant Asura trusted him, even just a little bit.
Lately the younger boy was starting to get impatient though. He knew Asura needed time, but he wanted to bring him out to meet his friends. And maybe he wanted to see how it felt to introduce the older boy as, "My brother Asura." It would probably be a little weird at first, but he would certainly get used to it.
"Um...K-kid?" His attention was drawn back to the older Reaper when he spoke up quietly. The boy in question closed the book he had been using after stuffing the papers into it. Then he turned to face his brother.
"Yeah?" Was all he said, and he waited silently for a response. It came after a long moment of hesitation.
"I-I...er...I wanted to...to talk to you...about...well, a-abou-" The nervous boy was cut off by a loud knock on the door. It took him by surprise and he let out a startled yelp, jumping a foot in the air before scrambling back against the headboard. Kid flinched back too, caught off guard by the sudden movement but he took a step towards Asura instead of going to the door.
He reached out and carefully patted the older boy's shoulder reassuringly. It earned him a flinch and a squeak from the boy buried in the blanket. "It's alright Asura, that's probably just Liz and Patty." There was a second, quieter set of knocks from the door, and Kid heard the pause between the first one and the rest. "I'm going to go let them in now okay?" He got a hesitant nod in response.
Kid backed away from Asura, crossing the room quickly to let the girls in. They stood in the doorway, both dressed in matching black tank tops and camouflage pants, mostly out of habit. They were used to matching their outfits by now, so it made sense. Though internally pleased, Kid still frowned up at the girls. "You scared him." He stated bluntly.
A guilty look crossed Liz's face at that and Patty pouted. "Yeah...we heard him scream from out here. Sorry about that, Patty beat me to the door." Patting the younger girl's shoulder, Liz added, "But she's going to apologize for that, aren't you?" The older blonde shot her sister a stern look, and if it were at all possible, Patty pouted even more. Kid figured Liz had already reprimanded the girl for her actions and decided to let the subject drop. This was supposed to be fun after all.
With a nod he stepped back to let them through, saying, "Just give me a second..." And with that he left them to put their things down, returning to his brother's side to try and coax him back out of the corner. It took a few minutes, but eventually Asura let Kid drag him to his feet. He kept the blanket pulled tight around his shoulders though. "Alright! Asura these are my weapons, Liz and Patty!" The boy pointed at each of them when he said their names, so Asura would know who was who. "Liz, Patty, this is my brother Asura!"
Asura smiled shyly at them, opening his mouth to say something only to find he couldn't form the words. He snapped his mouth shut and buried his face in his hands then, trying to hide his embarrassment. Of course this would happen, he knew it would. It happened when he met Kid and it was happening again. Why did he have to clam up around people like this? Why couldn't he just talk to them like normal people do? He didn't want Kid's weapons to hate him, he wanted them to like him. Oh no, what if Kid was upset with him?
The older Reaper roughly tugged Kid closer and bent down to whisper something to him. At first he looked surprised to be pulled over like that, but Liz watched it quickly change into confusion and then understanding. With a nod, Kid said, "He says it's a pleasure to finally meet you and you're both very pretty." Liz blinked, surprised to have Kid speak up. But then she nodded and smiled.
"Thanks, you're pretty cute yourself." She said, beaming at the compliment. Liz would never have thought someone could turn so red so fast. He whispered something to Kid again, keeping his head down in an attempt to hide. Whatever he said must have upset Kid, because there was a flash of surprise again, followed by a mix of anger and sadness. He seemed more angry.
"What?! No! Don't say things like that! It's not true." There was a shocked look on the older boy's face for a moment, then he whispered something else to Kid. "No, I don't think they'd think that. It's fine. You're just thinking about it too much."
Curious, Liz spoke up. "We wouldn't think what?" Whatever Asura had been ready to argue back with was cut off. He tensed, arms crossed over his chest defensively. His eyes were wide and his mouth was pressed into a thin line, the corners tugging downward. A quick glance was spared for both the sisters and Kid before he ducked his head again.
Kid on the other hand decided he had something to prove to his brother, gold eye meeting blue as he glared. Liz knew better than to think that he was mad at her or Patty, Kid was mad in general. "He says, 'Thank you but I know I look like a freak. You don't have to be nice.' You don't think he's a freak, do you? Liz? Patty?"
"What? No! Why would I?! Who told you that?" The older girl exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Nuh-uh. I think Sis's right! You're cute!" Patty chimed in happily, no longer pouting over Liz's lecture before the were let in. She pointed at the taller boy with too much enthusiasm for the situation and loudly added, "Now listen! If my Sis says it, it's gotta be true 'cause Lizzy knows all of that stuff! So if she says yer cute, then yer cute. She's smart like that!"
Asura nodded, a little frightened by the younger sister already and not willing to push his luck with her. Though he silently told himself that they were just saying that to be nice. He lifted his gaze to the three of them, relieved to see them smiling. He had to try to act normal. Don't ruin this. This was a 'sleepover' and Kid said they were supposed to be fun. It would be horrible if he ruined their fun because he couldn't handle something as simple as a compliment. Taking a deep breath, Asura said, "O-okay... I'm...I'm s-sorry...I...I..." He couldn't finish his sentence, cursing his nerves.
The older boy tensed when he felt a hand on his arm, but relaxed just as quickly when he looked to see Kid. "Are you sure you're alright? Remember, they don't mind if you want to stop and we can go back to our rooms. We won't make you do this."
"Or," Liz chimed in, earning both boys attention, "if you need a break, like, time to yourself, just say so. We won't bother you and you can join us again when you feel better." She smiled when she got a quiet 'thank you' in response. "And Patty here wants to apologize for earlier, don't you Patty?"
The smaller girl pouted again and glared at the ground for a moment, then she looked up at the boys and said, "...'m sowwy, I didn't mean to scare you."
"I-it's alright..." The older Reaper mumbled quietly. "I... I get scared easily... i-it isn't your fault."
"Yay! We're friends now!" Patty yelled throwing her arms up in the air happily, a massive grin set on her face. The girl then turned to him, arms wide open for a hug only to be stopped by her sister.
"Remember when we had that talk about boundaries Patty?" The older blonde reminded her, her tone gentle but stern.
Patty nodded proudly as she said, "Ask first right?" She got an approving nod from Liz then turned back to Asura. "Can I pwease hug you?" The older Reaper attempted to inch behind his brother, an indecisive look crossing his face. Kid gently set a hand on his arm, catching his attention.
"She's not going to hurt you." The smaller boy reassured with a calm smile. Asura nodded in understanding, bending down to whisper to Kid again. "Oh, okay. He says he's not comfortable with you guys touching him yet. He's sorry."
Patty deflated, pouting again at being denied. However, she didn't try anything like she normally would have and Kid wondered if it had to do with the talk Liz said they had. "That's fine. We totally understand." Liz said, offering a small smile. "Now then, what do we want to do first?"
The boys both exchanged lost looks before Kid spoke up for the both of them. "Well, Asura's never done this before and I don't really care. So what were you thinking?"
"I was thinking this would be more fun if we had the keys to everything in the building. Your dad has copies of them all, right?" Liz stated, turning to kid for confirmation. She received a nod from the boy in question. "I doubt he'd hand them over though..."
Suddenly Patty started jumping up and down, waving one hand in the air. "Oh! Oh! I know! I know!" The shorter blonde exclaimed. Once she was sure she had their attention, she continued. "We should make a blanket fort! And then we can all hide under it and talk and Lizzy can give us makeovers~!"
"I'm down for that. What about you boys?" The older sister agreed.
"Sure, but make sure it looks symmetrical." Kid said, and Liz couldn't tell if he was talking about the fort or his impending makeover. "Is this alright Asura?" The older shinigami hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.
"Great! Then let's get started!" Liz said, clapping her hands twice.
They were just putting the finishing touches on their fort. Asura was very happy with it too, they'd moved his mattress to the floor so they could turn the bed frame over vertically for something else to support their tent. It was fun, even with Kid constantly fussing and his weapons teasing him or purposely making it asymmetrical to piss him off. It was strange though, he wasn't really used to having the time to play like a normal kid. A part of him was always expecting to be called away for a fight. He had to hold back a sigh as he tied off the last corner he was instructed to.
"Okay! That's it! Good job guys." Kid called out and Asura turned to him with a small smile. Patty cheered happily, throwing her arms out excitedly while Liz rolled her eyes.
"You barely did anything Kid." She stated, a playful tone being the only reason they knew she was only joking. With a wave of her arms, she gestured at both her sister and the older Reaper. "We did all the real work."
Kid looked offended by that, quickly defending himself, "Hey! I had to make sure it was built symmetrically! I know we've been through this before, but balance is-" The elder sister cut Kid off with a dismissive wave, completely ignoring Kid's pout.
"Yeah, yeah, balance is important and all that jazz. I know, I've heard it a thousand times." Then Liz turned to her sister, saying, "C'mon Patty, you get a makeover first."
"Fuck yeah! I wanna be a tiger!" The younger girl shouted, pumping a fist into the air before crawling into the tent. Liz smiled fondly after her, looking back at the boys for a moment. Then she followed her sister. Kid sighed then, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Then he looked up to see his brother's hesitant gaze.
"Hey Asura? Are you still alright?" The younger shinigami asked, brow furrowed in concern. Asura glanced back at him, then at the tent. Slowly he nodded.
"Y-yes...I'm having fun so far. I-I think I'll be alright." He replied quietly. And he really was okay, as surprising as that was. The girls were nice, Patty scared him a little, but then so did Liz. He just had to get used to them was all, then he could talk to them easier and he wouldn't have to feel so awkward. Like a background character in a book, the kind that was rarely needed in the story and maybe showed up once or twice when needed. The kind that was usually killed off to further the plot. Wait, no...he shouldn't think like that. It wasn't good.
Kid frowned, he must have noticed his anxiety. That wasn't good either. He couldn't ruin this, so he smiled weakly. The younger Reaper sigh and set a hand on his brothers arm gently. "If you say so, but just remember we don't mind if you feel like you need a break, okay?"
"Okay..." Asura nodded to reassure the younger boy. Just then there was a knock at the door. The sudden sound scared Asura, who flinched away from it with a loud squeak. Patty erupted into a fit of giggles at the sound and Liz poked her head out from the fort with a questioning look on her face. Embarrassed, the older boy covered his face with his hands.
Then the door opened and a cheery voice called out, "Hey, hiya! How's it going kids?" The man was again in his human form, a rare occurrence, and had even removed his mask.
Surprised crossed both Kid and Liz's faces, while Patty popped out to with a salute and a massive grin. Asura kept his face covered, but he stood straighter and peered through his fingers at the man. It seems that they had forgotten about the little embarrassing noise for now. Kid was the first of them to speak up. "F-Father? What are you doing here?"
Shinigami strutted in, saying, "Oh, well, I finally got a break from all the meetings lately and figured I should pop in to visit. I haven't seen you boys in a while." He paused, looking around the room before adding, "Am I interrupting something?'
There was a chorus of 'no's and 'not really's from the group, until Patty shouted, "Sleepover! Fuck yeah!" That brought a large smile to the man's face.
"Ah, I see. Then I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to borrow Asura for a moment." Said boy lowered his hands then, glancing back at the others then at his father. The eldest Reaper smiled gently, gesturing for Asura to follow. "Come on, it will only be for a moment. Then you can get back to your sleepover."
With a hesitant nod, the red eyed boy followed. The man must have decide he wasn't fast enough, because he grabbed one of his son's arms and carefully pulled him along. The action earned another loud squeak from Asura and he could hear Patty giggle again while Liz said, "You didn't tell us he squeaked! That's so cute!" That familiar heat creeped back up his face, but he tried to ignore it.
They left the room behind and stopped at the end of the hall. Then Shinigami turned to Asura, quickly reassuring him when he saw the frightened look on his face. "You aren't in trouble Asura. I just wanted to ask how you were doing. Is everything alright?"
The boy blinked owlishly up at the larger Reaper, trying to think of what to say. "I...I think so... um, it's just really... quiet. I feel like something is going to happen." Shinigami raised an eyebrow at that, feeling worry pool in his chest.
"Like what?" He asked, elaborating when Asura looked confused. "What do you think might happen?"
The smaller of the two Reapers scratched nervously at his arms and moved to fix the blanket he wore earlier before realizing he left it in his room. He froze for a moment, shook his head, and then answered. "I'm not sure... just, well... everything is going so well and... it feels wrong. I... I'm scared. I don't want to make a mistake." 'I don't want them to hate me... don't want you to hate me...'
"It will be fine Asura, you are safe here and even if there are some problems with you getting better, that's to be expected. These things take time." Shinigami said softly. "If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask. We want to help you and we can't help you if you don't let us know."
"... O-okay..." He replied, "I...I will..." Even though he'd said it Shinigami knew better than to believe it, especially when Asura refused to look at him when he spoke. Still, he wasn't going to confront the boy about it, not unless it started causing problems. With Asura's fearful nature he just naturally hid things. It was a pain to think the boy was so hesitant to trust them, but pushing him would only make this worse.
There was a moment of silence as the elder Reaper debated continuing their conversation. With a sigh, he decided to save it for later. He wanted Asura to possibly get back into missions, maybe find him a new team to work with. Once he was doing better of course. Maybe Sid could take him for spying missions, maybe even assassination missions. It would be better than the old method of just sending him out and saying, 'just kill everything'.
"... Alright. Well then, let's get you back to your little party!" He announced cheerfully, leading the way back. Soon enough they were back at his room, and Kid was waiting to welcome them back. Shinigami was so happy to see Asura relax a little around his brother. It would be good for him to have someone to rely on. He wished he could stay longer with his cute little kids, but he still had things to do. With that in mind he said, "Well then! I'll be going now. You kids have fun!"
Just as he opened the door, he felt a tug on his cloak. Looking back revealed his elder son, who looked both surprised and terrified while still keeping the dark fabric clutched tightly in his hand. Behind him stood Kid, the younger boy seemed caught between saying something or prying his brother off Shinigami's cloak. Whichever it was never got done, because Asura spoke up then. "Do... do you... have to...?"
It took a moment to process that question but once he did, he answered. "Yes. I have a meeting in an hour and I would like make sure everything is ready." The man stated, light tugging on his cloak. Asura's grip only tightened though and he held back a sigh. He could feel his chest constrict at the dejected look in the boy's red eyes.
"B-but... I... y-you haven't...I... haven't seen you in a while..."
"A week to be exact." Kid chimed in from behind, his voice even and calm as he took a step forward. "And I haven't seen you for a couple days either. Even then you were pretty busy."
Shinigami opened his mouth to reply, only for Liz to lean out of their blanket fort with her chin propped up in her hand. "Well, how long will it take to get ready for this meeting?" She asked, blue eyes flitting between the brothers before landing on their father. "Because if it doesn't take long, you can wait a little and stay."
"..." The eldest Reaper paused, cursing his hesitation when his sons' faces lit up. Why did he have to have such adorable kids? It was so hard to say no to them sometimes. And thinking about it, he probably could wait. It would only take a minute or two to go over everything after all. This was just a little of his own madness slipping through. The perfectionist part of him that Kid had as well. With a shrug he said, "I suppose I could. It shouldn't take too long. 40 minutes, alright? And then I have to go."
The brothers shared a happy look between each other, glad to have even that much time. That was worse then the guilt trip. Was he really gone for so long that even forty minutes of his time was something exciting? Maybe he should take a few days like Spirit keeps telling him to do. Behind the boys, Liz grinned broadly, though he was a little suspicious of the look she sent his way.
"Alright boys, get in here! You're all getting makeovers!" Liz called backing into the tent again while Patty giggled excitedly. Shinigami glanced at both of his sons, gauging their reactions to the announcement. Kid looked entirely unfazed, which made the eldest Reaper wonder if this was normal for his youngest boy. On the other hand, Asura seemed caught between apprehension and curiosity. The elder boy shifted his weight from one foot to the other, anxiously debating whether or not it was hazardous to his health.
Kid glanced over to his older brother, watching him for a moment before he said, "It won't hurt Asura. Trust me, I've done this before. Just listen to Liz." The older boy glanced between Kid and the fort where the sisters were before nodding. Shinigami only raised an eyebrow at this, not exactly sure what to do with the new information.
The first to crawl in was Kid, followed hesitantly by Asura. That left Shinigami standing alone outside. He allowed himself an amused smile, wondering what exactly he was getting into before following his boys. Inside, Liz was already getting ready to grab one of them, her make-up kit already open as she rifled through. Kid was with Patty, trying to get her to sit still long enough for him to paint her nails. It took him a moment to find Asura, but he spotted him wrapped in a blanket near the entrance.
"So, who wants to go first?" Liz asked cheerfully as she clapped her hands together. The eldest Reaper glanced back at Asura, only to find him looking back with an apprehensive expression.
"I can't." Kid spoke up, muttering under his breath when Patty moved suddenly. With a quick glance at his brother he added, "I'll go next. I have to get Patty's nails done just right."
Shinigami shrugged then, Asura wouldn't try it until someone else did and he was the only one available at the moment. "Alright, I guess I'm first then." The man said with a smile, sitting himself cross-legged in front of Liz after she waved him over. He could practically feel Asura relax now that he didn't have to go.
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Surprisingly, Asura did not back out of his makeover at the last minute. Sure, there were a few problems- like how quickly he flinched away when anything got too close to his eyes- but it was obvious that he was trying. Liz had taken to explaining everything she was doing and giving him concerned looks while he sat as still as possible. It was better than earlier, when he couldn't seem to stop shaking. That might have been because of his brother though.
Kid leaned against his brother's back, facing Patty as she chatted about something or other. Her arms waved around in wild gestures to exaggerate her point. Kid nodded along with what she was saying, though Shinigami thought his son looked a bit confused.
Soon enough Liz was done, passing the older boy a mirror so he could see his reflection. Asura took it from her gingerly. He couldn't help the soft smile on his face as he looked at her work. It wasn't much, but he really liked the red eye liner around his eyes. Liz had spent ages drawing the flowing pattern from the corner of his eyes and down his cheeks. It almost looked like leaves at first, but he quickly recognized it as the eye symbols on his hands.
Liz smiled, watching him gently prod at the designs in awe. She carefully pulled out her phone then, peering at the time before turning to the eldest Reaper. "Hey, Shinigami-sama. It's been forty minutes. Don't you have to go now?" The man looked up at them from where he'd been admiring his nails, which Kid had insisted on doing.
"Ah? It is?" He was quite for a moment as she showed him the time, a look of disappointment crossing the man's face. "...So it is. Alrighty then, I guess I should get going. Asura, Kiddo, I have to leave now. I'll see you later." He reached over, pulling Kid into a tight hug before moving on to Asura. The older boy obliged, but was still very hesitant despite how gentle he tried to be.
Finally, Shinigami let go, climbing out of the tent and giving one more farewell before they heard the door close. A moment of silence passed before Patty slapped a hand to her forehead, shouting, "Fuck! We didn't ask for the keys!" Everyone else jumped at the sudden sound, surprised by her shout.
"Oh...Right." Liz said, looking down at her hands. It seemed everyone had forgotten about them, if the look on Kid's face said anything.
"He probably would have said no anyway." Kid stated.
Their attention was quickly drawn to Asura though when he cleared his throat. "Um... a-are these the keys?" He asked quietly, holding up a ring of keys. Kid and Liz's eyes widened in recognition as Patty burst out laughing. Liz was the first one to speak then.
"You stole the keys from your dad?!" She sounded shocked, eye flickering between the elder Reaper and the keys in his hand.
"I prefer the term 'borrowed'." Came his deadpan response, and the girls couldn't help but laugh while Kid softly patted his brother's shoulder.
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.
.
"What is this?" Asura asked, eyeing whatever Liz had put in front of him. They had decided to go to the kitchen first and Liz and Patty had left them to wait at one of the tables in the cafeteria while they dragged out some treats. Most of what they piled onto the table was unfamiliar to Asura, but they all looked amused by his confusion instead of getting mad or something.
Liz raised an eyebrow at his question, pointing at the small container in front of him with a spoon as she said, "It's ice cream. That one's plain vanilla." The older blonde slid a spoon to him from across the table. Asura only cocked his head to the side, even more confused than before. Liz chuckled and nudged Kid. "I'm handing this to you."
The younger boy blinked, looking up from his own ice cream to say, "It's a frozen dairy treat, vanilla is the flavor of that one. There are many different flavors." It was a short explanation, but the older boy nodded in understanding. Carefully he opened it, like he'd seen the others do, and took a spoonful of the treat. He'd known it was cold, Kid said as much and he could feel it through the container, but it still made him shiver eyes going wide. He heard Liz snort, trying to surprise her laugher while trying to eat.
Once she pulled herself together enough, she asked, "So, how is it?" Asura only blinked in response.
"... It's cold..."
"Ice cream is cold! Go figure." Came the blonde's response as she rolled her eyes. The older boy couldn't help but huff at the comment, feeling himself blush.
"Oh!" Patty chirped, getting up to reach over the table. "If you don't want it, I'll eat it~!" Asura quickly snatched it out of her reach. He stared right into Patty's eyes as he shoved a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth, almost daring her to try and take it. The younger girl started laughing then, retreating back to her seat to enjoy her ice cream.
"By the way, you are going to try everything on this table." Liz stated, and Asura glanced nervously at Kid to see what he thought. The boy only shrugged, offering an encouraging smile.
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CRASH!
The sound rang out across the gym, bringing frightened looks to the faces of Kid and his weapons. They had been teaching Asura basketball, which he had picked up very quickly, and he had attempted to mimic Patty's slam dunk on a dare. They had no way of know that the hoop would fall off when he did.
Kid was the first one to snap out of his shock, rushing to his brother's side. "Asura! Are you okay?!" he asked, helping the older Reaper sit up and wincing at the sharp gasp he heard. Liz and Patty were quick to join, Liz laying a hand on his back gently.
"...fine... I'm... I'm fine..." The older boy mumbled. He ran a hand through his dark hair, trying to brush it out of his eyes. Then he carefully lifted the hoop and asked, "What should I do with this?"
Kid sighed in relief, glad to see that Asura seemed alright. "Just leave it. They'll probably think it was Black Star again." The boy said, standing up and helping Asura to his feet. "How about we go do something else for now."
With a nod, Asura let them lead him from the room.
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After a while of aimlessly wandering around the halls, they finally decided to go back to his room. Patty was starting to fall asleep anyway, leaning heavily against her sister's side. It was so quiet, what with them exhausting everything they had to talk about earlier. At least until Kid spoke up. "So... Did you have fun?"
It took a second to realize Kid was talking to him, but he quickly answered, "Ah, yes...I did. Thou I am still a little uneasy around your weapons..." He glanced back at Liz, who looked a little upset to hear that. "No offense... I just... um..." The girl quickly waved it off, earning a small smile from the older Reaper.
"None taken. I get it."
"Well," Kid said, opening the door to his room as they arrived. "Maybe soon you can come meet the others. I'm sure they will like you to." The younger boy smiled reassuringly and they all broke off, Liz making sure they cleaned the makeup off of their faces before they all went to sleep. The sisters curled up together, and Kid took a spot near him that wasn't in his personal space. Asura himself curled into a ball on his mattress, bundled in a cocoon of blankets.
"Damn...He really managed to put a lot of you out of commission, huh?" The voice echoed through the brightly lit room. There were pieces of stone statues scattered about, some chunks emitting a faint lavender glow while an inky blackness showed through the cracks of others. With a sigh, the man knelt down by the nearest, and most intact one. "Well... it's nothing to worry about. I can fix this."
There was a pause as he thought, before saying, "Maybe I should start with the crafters... Asura took them out first after all and if I fix them, they can help get the rest of you back into shape." With a smile and a nod, he stood up again and headed for a much smaller stone figure that was leaking black particles. Kneeling by it's side he set to work immediately, checking over the still stone and cataloging each and every bit of damage on it.
"Okay...This is fixable. A few cracks, but those should fix themselves once I repair the runes. Maybe I should even add some protection spells and shield spells." He glanced over his shoulder at the larger stone figure hovering in the doorway. "Rachit, could you go and get my tools? I need to fix up Adah and the other crafters."
The sound of heavy footsteps faded away and left him alone to sift through the bodies of his other creations, pulling out the ones he needed to repair first and piling them around Adah. It didn't take long for Rachit to return with his tools, and he was happy to have something to take his mind off of things. Or he was, until the crackling voice of Rachit spoke up. "Lord Vajra, when do you plan to retrieve Lord Asura?"
Vajra cringed a bit at the voice, wondering if there was a way to fix it too. "I don't plan to do anything yet. Asura managed to damage a lot of you and I know better than to act without having all of you to back me up."
"I...Do not understand." Came the reply, and the man simply shook his head.
"All our enemies have an army behind them. Shinigami has a school full of trained fighters and he also has two more Reapers to help him now. The Grand Witch should mind her own business, bit if she chose to involve herself, most other witches would aid her. And we don't even know if Arachnophobia is still out there." Vajra explained as he finished sorting through his tools. "Because of this, you are all getting upgraded. We don't know what we might be up against."
"But Lord Asura-"
"-will be fine. I know Shinigami probably won't hurt him. That doesn't mean I don't want to get him back, but I have a lot to do first. Despite everything I put in place to stop him, he still left. He needs to learn that this is for the best. I'll make him see that no matter what it takes." Vajra stated, though obviously more to himself than to Rachit. A dark grin came across his face and he chuckled a bit.
"I'll make sure he never leaves again! Even if I have to break him to do it."
Something to note. Vajra's soldiers are like a mix of Asura's clowns and the golems from Loew village. The runes are what helps them moves and powers them, their basic programming, but they draw from his Madness wavelength. The black stuff in the soldiers is what gives them the ability to think for themselves (like in the manga when the clowns would reform). Otherwise they would need to be told exactly what to do or would only follow their basic programming. This way they can improvise.
Asura doesn't know how they work so that's why it wasn't mentioned earlier.
