Hey guys long time no update. I'm still here and I had too split this chapter in half because it was getting a bit too long. I'm so sorry though, my mental health took a nosedive and winter holiday stress made it so much worse. On the bright side, I feel better lately so I should get out some more chapters! Thank you for waiting and again, I'm so sorry!
It was dark. Dark and cold and so very quiet. The constant drip of water had disappeared recently and he didn't know why nor did he care enough to find out. What would it matter anyway? He was still trapped, hands bound tightly above his head in the enchanted iron cuffs. His arms and wrists probably ached, but he could no longer tell.
...How long had he been like this? He wasn't sure but it felt like years. At this point he would give anything to see something or hear someone. As if sensing his thoughts, something rubbed up against his leg, making him jerk away instinctively. It was only the soft 'mew' that made him relax. "K-kuro..." he could just barely make out the white spots and pale green eyes on the cat. Admittedly, he was scared of her at first, but she was the only thing that didn't hurt him here. She had been a gift from Vajra, so he would not have to be alone when the man left.
He liked Kuro more than Vajra now. But the more attention he paid to Kuro, the more angry Vajra seemed to get. It didn't make sense. You were supposed to pay a lot of attention to pets or they got mean, right? He wanted Kuro to be nice. If she was nice, then it would be easier to handle her and surely she would be allowed to stay. Kuro mewed again and the scene shifted.
This time he was sitting on a bed, the metal bands around his wrists and neck kept him from leaving still. It was fine. He was used to them. Kuro was there too, curled into a purring ball in his lap while he pet her. Then he felt her stop, her needle-like claws digging into his leg momentarily as she stood. The little black and white cat trotted to the edge of the bed, sitting down and staring at the door with her ears pressed flat against her skull and her tail twitching in agitation.
He understood why though, he could hear the footsteps outside approaching fast. The second the door swung open Kuro leapt up, back arching and tail straight up. Her fur stood on end and she hissed at Vajra, who didn't even flinch at the sound as he made his way over. Asura's quickly snatched the cat up, keeping her close. Vajra didn't seem to even acknowledge the cat, just sitting himself beside his Meister and chatting about what he'd done when he was gone.
Asura ignored him in favor of calming Kuro, running his hands along the soft fur. He was used to doing this by now, tuning out Vajra, so much so that he hadn't realized the man stopped talking to glare at him and Kuro. It wasn't until the cat was snatched from his lap by the weapon that he paid the man any attention. Frightened by the action he hurried to take her back only for her to be held out of reach by the scruff of her neck. She hissed and spat and clawed at the air
"I'm starting to think that a pet was a bad investment. You've been ignoring me since I brought it back." the man stated, voice almost completely void of emotion save for a threatening edge to it. It made Asura shiver, hearing him talk like that. But still... Kuro couldn't be taken away! She was the only kind thing here! He couldn't let her down like this.
"Y-you... you're s-supposed to spend a lot of... of t-time with pets... Sh-she would get m-mean if I didn't..." Asura said, trying to reason with his weapon. There was a moment of silence where he'd thought that maybe he'd gotten through to the man, even a little bit. That was the worst thing about Vajra's madness, he seemed so normal most of the time.
The man's eyes flickered to the enraged animal and he scowled. "This looks pretty mean to me, so I'd say you've done a poor job of caring for it. It's dangerous, what if it hurts you? " Asura had opens his mouth to respond, but Vajra simply carried on. "I'm sorry but I can't trust that it won't hurt you. I have to get rid of it." And with that he stood, taking the struggling cat with him as he strode to the door.
It took a moment to register what exactly was happening, but once his mind caught up, Asura hurried to intercept the weapon. He grabbed onto Vajra's arm, making the man pause long enough for him to try and take back the cat. It didn't work, instead he only earned himself a harsh shove back into the bed's frame. The moment it took to steady himself was all the time Vajra needed to leave, and by the time he reached the door, the lock had clicked into place. "VAJRA! VAJRA COME BACK! BRING HER BACK!" But no matter how much he screamed there was no answer. He couldn't sense Kuro. He couldn't sense Vajra. He was alone.
Slowly he slid to the ground, knowing full well that he would never see Kuro again. All he could do was close his eyes and try to pretend he wasn't there. He didn't even notice when the scene changed again, not until he felt something lean against him. Asura stiffened, trying his best not to panic as he gathered the courage to look. It might have been worse to see the scared golden eyes of his brother looking back instead of Vajra's own brown eyes.
The older boy could only stare in horror, because Kid was here! Here in this awful place with him. And the longer he looked, the worse Kid looked. His hair was a mess, completely disheveled yet still it looked like Kid had tried to fix it. His outfit was torn and stained and he looked incredibly tired. Still, he smiled weakly and whispered, "You're back...I was starting to think you weren't coming back."
He tried to speak, but found he couldn't. The panic building in his chest was almost too much, and then he heard it. The familiar, heavy footsteps coming their way. With a frightened whimper he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, pulling him closer as if he thought he could hide him. Kid made a confused noise, strengthening his own grip on his brother. There was a loud bang from somewhere, but when Asura tried to locate it, he found that they were surrounded by darkness. Everything went quiet, setting him at the very edge of a panic attack.
Clinging to Kid was all he could do as he sat in the unnerving stillness. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. 'It's okay, ' he thought as reassuringly as he could. 'You're okay, we're okay. Someone will come for us... They have to, Kid is here. They will come for Kid. They'll save us.' The silence stretched on, the air growing heavier, but still Asura found himself relaxing. That was until he heard Vajra's voice whispering to him.
"You're doing it again." The man said, leaving Asura to stiffen in fear. "You're ignoring me." He had been ready to pull Kid closer to him after that but before he could move, the boy was torn from his arms with a terrified shriek. Asura quickly stumbled to his feet, trying to follow his brother and to get him back. The darkness was impossible to see through though, and Kid was lost to it. Opening his mouth, he tried to call for the boy but no sound escaped. He couldn't see Kid, couldn't call for him.
The darkness shifted then and Asura's head snapped up, meeting Vajra's eyes for only a moment before lowering his gaze. He wished he hadn't. If he hadn't he wouldn't have seen the blood staining the man's clothes, dark red smeared on his hands and a coppery scent filling the room. He didn't want to think about who's blood it was. He already knew, and it was too much. Too much blood. Was Kid even still alive after...?
"This is your fault you know. I thought you would have learned after that cat." Vajra spoke, his tone flat as his eyes bore into the Reaper. Asura felt his chest tighten at that. It wasn't his fault! He wasn't the one who took Kid. Who killed Kid! As if having read his thoughts, the weapon continued, "You ignored me. We're partners, you can't just ignore me like I'm nothing."
All at once Asura's voice came back to him and he snapped, screaming , "WE ARE NOT PARTNERS! YOU KIDNAPPED ME AND LOCKED ME AWAY! I FINALLY HAD MY FREEDOM! I FINALLY GOT TO SEE FATHER AGAIN! I MET MY BROTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME AND YOU! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!" The glare Vajra sent him should have been enough of a warning for him, but instead he only continued. "YOU KILLED MY BROTHER VAJRA! FRIENDS DON'T DO THAT, PARTNERS DON'T DO THAT! SO NO! WE ARE NOT FRIENDS! WE ARE NOT PARTNERS! IN FACT I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU SO FUCKING MU-" The rest of his rant was cut off as Vajra's hand closed around his throat, drawing a choked shriek from the reaper.
"If that's what you want, then fine." Came the weapons response.
"I-I... Want K-k-kid back..." Asura gasped, trying his best to be able to breathe normally.
"Too bad what you wan doesn't matter to me. We aren't friends anymore nor are we partners, there's no reason for me to care." Vajra pulled him closer, so much so that their faces were barely an inch apart. His eyes narrowed and he growled, "I can't let you go again either, so just remembered. You asked for this."
...
Asura screamed as his body jolted upright, hands flying up to his throat where he swore he could still feel the weapon's hands. He could hardly breathe, and that was enough to trick his drowsy mind into believing that he was still being strangled. All he could manage was a weak struggle, thrashing about until the covers were thrown off and only snapping out of the terror fueled illusion when he fell to the floor. Then he sat up quickly, shuffling backwards against the wall and hugging his knees tightly to his chest.
The tears he'd only now realized were falling increased. He felt so stupid, so embarrassed for panicking over a stupid dream. It wasn't right, he should be better than that. He was supposed to be better, but those thoughts only made him feel worse. Sniffing quietly and wiping his nose on his sleeve, the reaper glanced cautiously around the room. It was empty, just like it had been when he went to sleep. A part of him wanted to search the room thoroughly, just to be sure, but he couldn't find it in him to get up and check.
The uneasiness making his skin crawl was nothing more than a passing effect of the nightmare. But it was strangely real. Especially Kuro. He hadn't thought of the little cat for a long time, not since the night she was taken away from him. The poor thing had been killed, her skull crushed by Vajra's heavy boots in a fit of envy. When her soul had flickered out, losing the shimmer all living things had, he'd known he wouldn't get her back. But he hadn't known how she died exactly, until he'd stumbled across the little skeleton during one of his escape attempts. Seeing the broken white pieces showing through what little fur and flesh hadn't rotted away was too much.
He had gotten sick right then and there, and retreated to his cell to hide. He recalled mourning her all over again, and Vajra too. It was the first time he really had acknowledged that his partner was gone. The Vajra he'd known could never be so cruel. Vajra was gone and only the Kishin remained, something Asura found he tended to forget in the naive hope that maybe things could go back to normal.
The click of the door opening caught his attention then, and he closed his eyes as he attempted to curl further in on himself. He could hear the footsteps approaching quickly, yet he couldn't sense a thing. That fact only scared him more, and it wasn't until the person was right in front of him, probably crouching if the rustling of settling fabric was any indication. The only reason he even looked up was because he recognized the voice speaking to him. "Asura... Are you alright?" It was a quiet question, and so simple, but before he could stop himself, he was sobbing into his arms again. The shame and embarrassment was too much, he couldn't believe he'd let his father see him like this.
Shinigami sighed in relief, only because he had been worried that something had happened to his son when he felt the sudden panic. It was only a nightmare, and he was well aware that Asura was prone to them. It was understandable though, as he had created the boy from his fear. Of course he would have nightmares. The only bad thing was that Asura seemed to get embarrassed when people found out. Reaching out slowly, the man set a hand on his son's knee, taking note of how his breath hitched at the touch. "It's okay Asura. There is nothing to fear, you're safe here, remember?"
Carefully the Reaper shifted to sit beside Asura, gently setting his cloak over the younger god's shoulders. He wasn't sure what else to do besides that and continuing to offer quiet reassurances. Even if it didn't feel like he was doing much, it seemed to help Asura calm down enough to raise his head and wipe at his eyes. In a soft, shaky voice, he apologized, " I... I'm so sorry... Y-you weren't supposed to see me like... like this..."
"It's okay." Shinigami replied immediately, catching the uncertain look that crossed the boy's face for a brief moment. He was quick to elaborate, "I would expect your nightmares to be worse after what happened. I know it wasn't easy, and I know you've always suffered from nightmares that you don't like talking about. I was just worried that you had gotten hurt."
Asura nodded slowly to show he understood. It was enough to prompt the elder into asking, "Do you want to tell me about it? Sharing it might help you feel better." This time he shook his head, too afraid to tell about the memory-like dreams. Shinigami seemed to deflate slightly at this, but he didn't push. Instead he said, "Alright. But just know that I will listen if you do want to tell me." Another nod was his only response, and it took everything he had to not sigh when he noticed Asura kept eyeing him cautiously. Instead he said, "Asura, do you want to be alone right now? I can leave if you want."
Asura nodded slowly yet again, before hiding his face in his arms. A part of the older Reaper was disappointed but he figured he should probably not push his luck. If he tried to pry he might frighten Asura and send him into a panic attack. It was the last thing he wanted to do right now when he wanted to comfort his son. So Shinigami reached over and gently ruffled the younger god's hair, trying not to worry about how he tensed under the touch as he stood up.
Once he reached the door, he turned to Asura again and said, "If you can, try to get back to sleep. It's one in the morning." Once he got a nod in response, he left, closing the door behind him. That was when he let his expression drop to on of disappointment, knowing that he was unable to help his son. "...hm, maybe... Maybe I should have him see a therapist like Kiddo does."
A few minutes after the older Reaper left, Asura slowly stood. He didn't really want to go back to sleep, but there was nothing to do at this time of day. Another glance around the room brought his attention to the bookshelf, or more specifically the little book hidden on top of it. The journal Kid had brought for him sat unused there since he'd gotten it. Maybe if he wrote down some things he would feel better? Kid did say it might help.
Mind made up, he retrieved the journal and a pen before curling up in the bed and propping the book on his knees. He started writing down the nightmare, talking about Kuro and Vajra. It did make him uneasy when he tried to write any details so he just didn't. It was a little relaxing. Until he reached the part about Kid.
A weight settled in his chest, growing heavier with each word he wrote about Kid being there. It was getting harder to breathe and the tears were gathering at the corners of his eyes. But as much as he wanted to go and check on his brother he didn't. It was late and there was no way Vajra would have gotten to him, right? But then, he had hidden himself before and he had even managed to hide Asura from his father. It was only right to assume he could possibly sneak in and go after Kid without them knowing.
Asura stood suddenly rubbing at his eyes as he hurried across his small room to the door. It wasn't long before he stood right in front of his brother's door, hand raised to knock yet unable to. What if he was just being paranoid about this? What if he was waking Kid up? What if Kid was upset with him for it? It was almost enough for him to just go back to his own room. The only thing stopping him was the thought that if Kid really was gone, nobody would know until morning, and it would be harder to track him down then.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked lightly on the door, waiting a few minutes before repeating the action a little more frantically. As he raised his hand to knock the third time, it opened and Kid stood there. His usually neat hair was a little ruffled and he stared up at Asura with a blank expression that slowly morphed to one of confusion. "...Asura? What are you doing up? It's... " Kid leaned back into his room, staring at something Asura couldn't see before turning back the the older boy. "It's one thirty in the morning and... have you been crying?"
The concern in Kid's voice was enough to get him to answer. "I...I'm fine now...I'm sorry I woke you. I'll, um, I-I'll go now..." Kid was quick to grab his brother's arm before he could bolt back to his room, though he did feel guilty for the startled yelp he got for doing it. He could only shrug as Asura stared back at him with wide, terrified eyes.
"Sorry, I just, do you want to come in my room for a bit?" The younger Reaper offered, not really leaving room for Asura to argue as he led him in. Kid's room was as clean as he expected, though Kid had a dresser at the foot of his bed, which was centered in the room, and two bookshelves on either side. The younger boy made sure Asura wasn't going to try and run before making himself comfortable next to the older god. He watched his brother carefully, noting his shaky hands and darting eyes. It was obvious that he wasn't okay.
Still, Kid wasn't sure what to say. When he finally thought he had something, Asura spoke up in the quietest voice he'd ever heard his brother use. "K-kid?... Can... Can I, um, hug you?" it took a second to register the request, but once he did, Kid beamed.
"Of course, if it helps you feel better I'd even let you sleep here." There was a moment of hesitation where it looked like the older god was considering the offer, but he soon shook his head and shuffled a little closer. Kid wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and leaned into the hug. Slowly Asura's arms circled around his back and he was practically crushed by the strong grip. He was happy though, that Asura would come to him for comfort.
A few minutes passed, and that was when Kid realized Asura had started crying again, so quiet that he would never have noticed if the tears weren't soaking into his nightshirt. After a moments hesitation, Kid asked, "Are you sure you're okay?" He received a nod a little too long after his question, but he could still remember his father's advice, to not pressure Asura too much incase he scared the older boy away. "So... Why did you wake me up in the middle of the night anyway?"
For a long moment, Asura remained silent. Then he quickly released his brother and pulled away from him, arms crossing defensively over his chest and he turned his head away. "It's nothing brother... I... I was just being paranoid." Kid's skeptical look did not go unnoticed, and the elder god stood abruptly, adding, "I... I think I'm going to go back to my room... Good night Kid." And he quickly left, hearing Kid scramble to follow, probably surprised by the sudden departure. Once safely back inside his room, Asura locked the door behind him and ignored Kid's worried voice from the other side, asking him to come out.
"Are you sure you don't want to tell him now Kid?" Liz asked, fiddling with the red headband in her hands as the trio walked away from their last class of the day. "I mean, it's a big change after all, maybe we should give him a warning?"
Kid shook his head at the suggestion and opened his mouth to answer the weapon, when Patty suddenly shoued, "Nooo! Lizzy it's a surprise! You can't ruin the surpise like that! It's no fun!"
"I have to agree with Patty on this one. I want to surprise him with this. As long as nobody says anything he'll be okay." Kid stated, pausing for a moment before addin, "that means nothing about there being a surprise either. I don't know how he'd react knowing that something is coming without knowing what it is."
Though Liz looked a little unsure, she nodded. "I guess if you're sure." She would have to trust Kid on this, since he did know Asura longer than they did. They were brothers after all, and even though Kid mentioned Asura being a little skeptical of him, the older boy seemed to like him. "I hope everything goes well today though, we have to make sure to watch Black Star. He'll probably think Asura's okay enough for a fight." She didn't miss the thoughtful frown that settled on Kid's face at the mention of the other boy.
"I doubt Black Star could sneak up on Asura, his soul perception is really good." Kid stated, slowing momentarily as he spotted the door to Asura's room. "Anyway, we're here, so please be quiet and don't ruin the surprise." There was a warning tone to his voice, but Liz only shrugged it off while Patty saluted him with a silly grin.
Kid knocked lightly few times before the door finally opened a crack, Asura's red eyes glowing as he peered out at them cautiously. Once he recognized them, the door opened wider to let them through. Kid waltzed in without much of a thought, followed closely by the sisters. Patty beamed at the older boy, before opening her arms and pausing slightly as she remembered to ask, "Can I have a hug this time pwease?" The shorter blonde deflated as Asura slowly shook his head, pouting slightly like she did the other day at not getting her way.
With that over, Asura turned to Kid with a questioning look as he quietly asked, "Um...b-brother? Is...is everything alright? Y-you...you brought your weapons this time too..." The older reaper's eyes darted between the boy and the sisters.
"Yeah, everything is fine Asura." The younger boy told him with the most reassuring tone he had. Even still Asura seemed on edge, afraid of what ever he didn't know. In order to fix that, Kid continued. "We're going out today with our friends is all, and we thought you should come too." It was no surprise when his brother hesitated, scratching nervously at his arm with an unsure look.
"I...I don't know brother...th-there will be other people and...and they're going to s-stare at me a-and...I...I can't!" Asura stated, his voice shaky as he shrunk away from the younger boy, the familiar feeling of fear clawing it's way into his chest, the fear of disappointing Kid. "W-w-what...what if they make fun of me? I-I look strange...I..." Nobody missed how he ducked his head to hide his third eye behind his hair., eyes focused on the ground.
A moment of silence passed before Liz took a step forward, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the red cloth she'd stuff back in there earlier. She held this out to Asura with a smile and said, "I remember you said something about that before, so I got you this. It's a headband, and it should cover your third eye without hurting it."
As Asura reached out to grab it hesitantly, he glanced between the three of them once more. The look in their eyes told him all he needed to know, so he focused on the ground and sighed. "...I-I don't have much of a choice...do I?" He refused to look up at them as he carefully fitted the headband over his third eye and fixed his hair so it felt more comfortable. When nobody spoke up, he lifted his head again.
"You don't have to-" Kid started, only to be cut off by Asura shaking his head.
"I-I-I...I want to...it's okay..." he whispered, smiling slightly behind his scarf.
Kid smiled softly then, "Alright, let's go then. We can go to a book store too! I'm sure you'll like it." And with that he turned on his heel, leading the way out.
Asura wasn't sure what he expected upon meeting Kid's friends, but they seemed pretty friendly. Still, even as his brother introduced them once again and with more enthusiasm than expected, he kept a respectable distance. The ashy blonde girl was Maka, and her partner was the albino boy Soul. Tsubaki was Black Star's weapon partner, and Black Star... "Guys, where's Black Star?" The question came from Kid, who looked around the group again.
Maka was the one to answer, her face pulling into an annoyed expression as she said, "Where do you think?" She pointed behind them. Asura didn't have time to turn around before having to leap away from where he stood. Crouched in the place where he just was was Black Star, who stood quickly and rounded on Asura.
"HEY YOU!" He shouted, not noticing the reaper flinch at his shout. "IF YOU'RE WELL ENOUGH TO WALK, YOU'RE WELL ENOUGH FOR A FIGHT! C'MON, LET'S GO!" The boy shouted.
"W-w-what? I'm sorry!" The reaper exclaimed, bowing his head and putting his hands8 together as he stuttered out an apology. "I...I don't think I'm allowed too! The last time I spoke to Mr. Stein he told me I should take it easy! A-and I doubt father would approve!" The last thing he wanted at the moment was to get in trouble with Shinigami, as he was was certain the man would not like him fighting his students.
Black Star frowned before shouting, "Oh come on! You expect me to believe that? You're just scared of fighting me, aren't you!" Beside him Kid growled threateningly, knowing he would most likely be ignored.
"I am! Please stop!" Asura whined, keeping his head down so he was unable to see Black Star slouch slightly in confusion.
"Black Star stop it." Kid growled, brushing past his friend to stand by his brother. "He really isn't allowed to fight and he doesn't like yelling." He carefully set a hand on the older god's arm, giving him a moment before he asked, "Are you alright?" Slowly Asura forced himself to relax and nod.
"I...I am. I'm sorry..." Kid opened his mouth to respond but Black Star let out a pained shout that caught their attention and made the older boy flinch again. Maka stood over the blue-haired boy, a thick book held in her hands while he kneeled on the ground, clutching at his head.
Once he recovered he started shouting angrily, "DAMMIT MAKA! WHAT THE HELL?! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" He trailed of into quieter grumbles and looked away as she held the book up threateningly once more.
"You were supposed to behave Black Star. No fights, remember?" The girl reprimanded him, a frustrated tone obvious in her voice. Black Star mumbled again, eyes landing on Soul and Tsubaki.
"Guys! Help a fella out here!" He exclaimed, only to be met by Soul shaking his head and Tsubaki smiling apologetically. Once he realized he wasn't going to get help, he crossed his arms and turned away with a huff. "Some friends you guys are!"
"Well, you did say you wouldn't fight Kid's brother." Tsubaki stated, turning to Asura with an apology. "I'm so sorry, I thought he would actually listen. Are you alright?" Asura only nodded, both answering her question and accepting her apology before burying his face in his scarves.
"And that wasn't very cool of you. It's the first time he's been out since..." The albino boy paused, then tried to shrug off the slip as he added, "I just think you could have tried to be cooler. Follow my lead next time." An awkward silence settled over them as Black Star pouted and Kid attempted to calm Asura. The silence only caused the older god to become more anxious.
It was Patty who broke the silence, seemingly impatient to get going. "What're we waiting for? Let's go already! I wanna get ice cream!" Everyone else turned to her, and Black Star leapt to his feet excitedly.
"Aw yeah! I bet I can eat more than all of you!" He shouted while Tsubaki shook her head at the declaration.
"Please don't, you'll make yourself sick like last time." Liz patted Tsubaki's shoulder in understanding, knowing full well Patty would gladly accept that challenge.
"If he does that we ditch him." Maka stated, already tired of the blue haired boy's antics. Though she had a small smile as she spoke.
Kid frowned, quickly announcing, "I won't pay for you if you do that. Last time I did, you cost me a small fortune. So you better have your own money." Then the boy turned back to his brother, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry, the place we're going is pretty quiet so you should be alright. You only tried vanilla ice cream before, wait until you try some of these other flavors." Kid offered a reassuring smile, which Asura returned shyly, before leading the way to the shop. Asura followed along, both anxious and excited to finally be outside and in a safe place after so long.
I should have the next part up this weekend or next weekend! So let's hope so!
