I'm alive, had a terrible time, but that's not what you're here to hear. Here I give you a new chapter after so long!
It started off small, just a mild paranoia and slight uneasiness that Asura quickly tried to push aside on their way to the ice cream shop. But it stayed with him, and nagged at the back of his mind the whole way. Perhaps it was just his nerves, after all he was never very good with people and he did not want to make a worse impression on Kid's friends than he was sure he already had. When the feeling relented some, he was wary and found himself glancing around in confusion. It made him more nervous, than he was already so he stuck as close to Kid as he thought he could before the boy would get uncomfortable.
Even so, he couldn't find any comfort from being closer to Kid. The uneasy feeling persisted and finally Asura recognized it. It was the same feeling he got when he was being watched, a familiar sensation that he absolutely hated. It was too familiar, a terrifying reminder that he wasn't normal. That people were watching him. He fell back a couple steps to walk behind the group of kids, arms crossing defensively as he pinned his gaze to the ground. The only reason he knew where to go was by following after Kid's soul so he wouldn't have to look up.
Occasionally Kid would glance back at him or ask him questions that he tried his best to answer. It was just difficult to think with his paranoia getting to him, so more often than not he would nod or shake his head instead of speaking. This continued even as they reached the small building, only easing up once they were inside. The group quickly found themselves a corner booth and Asura seated himself in the farthest corner.
He stayed like that, offering to hold their spot until Kid and his friends came back with the ice cream. He didn't miss the worried glance Kid shot him as the younger boy slowly followed after his friends. Once back Kid passed him his ice cream. "...Asura, are you okay?" The boy asked carefully, sliding into the spot beside his brother. The question made Asura pause, eyes flickering to Kid briefly before he focused on the bowl in front of him. When he didn't speak up right away, Kid added, "You've been a little on edge since we left the school."
"...I...I think so, I just...feel a little paranoid. It felt like someone was watching me...b-but the feeling is gone now." Asura answered quietly and hesitantly, taking a deep breath before he looked up at Kid and smiled as reassuringly as he could.
The younger Reaper frowned slightly, but nodded. He carefully patted his brother's arm and said, "It was probably just some curious civilians Asura. Nothing to worry about." That earned him a nod before Asura turned back to his food.
"I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case," Maka spoke up between spoonfuls of ice cream. "I think I even saw a few staring on the way here. Everyone always thought Kid was Shinigami-sama's only son, so they're probably a little confused is all."
A part of him disagreed with them. He wasn't sure why, but it felt different than just curious humans. It could have just been his paranoia though, so he nodded slowly and focused on the bowl in front of him. He could try to pretend it wasn't bothering him. "R-right..."
...
The second they left the small shop, Asura was on edge again. He glanced around cautiously, but but found no one looking in their direction. The feeling of being watched continued to grow and left him fiddling with his scarves in an attempt to calm his building paranoia. It wasn't until Kid dropped back and gently placed a hand on his arm that he was able to focus a little better. He couldn't help hiding behind his scarves though, as he worried that he was embarrassing himself and his brother.
So he tried his best to push his worries to the back of his mind and enjoy himself. As they approached the new building, Black Star huffed. "Awww man, really? A book store?" the blue-haired boy complained. Asura perked up at the words and smiled softly at Kid. Black Star didn't even notice, his shoulders slumping as he added, "I'm not going in there, book stores are for nerds like Maka."
Soul snorted at his partner's offended squawk, playfully elbowing the girl. "He's right Maka, reading is for losers with nothing better to do. It's really not cool to sit around and read as much as you do." Even though his tone was teasing it only made the situation worse.
The blonde shot an enraged glare his way, grinding her teeth as she pulled out her book from earlier. "MAKA CHOP!" She brought the book down on both boys' heads with a resounding crack that made Asura flinch. "NO ONE SAID YOU HAD TO COME IN WITH US!"
"I agree with Maka. You two can always go on ahead, no one is forcing you to come with us." Kid stated, before turning to Asura and adding, "Don't mind them Asura. They're idiots who can't keep their mouths shut." He ignored them as he reassuringly patted Asura's arm, getting a nod in acknowledgement of his statement.
"Alright, fine," Soul said, pulling himself off of the ground. "I guess we'll see you in a few." He gave a quick wave and tucked his hands into his pockets as he turned to leave. Black Star huffed, folding his arms behind his head and following his friend, it didn't take long for their loud laughter to start up, but it went ignored as Liz spoke.
"Me and Patty are going to go ahead too. You remember the last time she turned a display into a giraffe statue and the owner got mad?" She stated, with a shrug. Kid nodded.
Patty giggled at the memory, "I remember that! It was fun, but that guy didn't have to be so mean, ya know Lizzy?" Liz nodded in agreement, and her sister added, "Bye Kid! Bye Asu! We're gonna crush them in basketball." The girl had already started skipping off when Kid nodded in understanding.
Liz hung back just a little longer to ask, "Hey Tsubaki, you coming?"
"Oh, no. I think I'm going to grab a few cookbooks to try something new! And maybe a new manga." She replied with a dismissive wave and a smile. Liz smiled back then and returned the gesture before she turned to leave.
"Let me know if you find a good one."
"I will!"
With their final, temporary goodbyes done, Kid led them into the store, immediately dragging the older Reaper off the explain each genre to him. The bookstore's quiet atmosphere made it much easier for Asura to relax somewhat. Perusing the wodden shelves for things he might like with Kid there to help him if he needed it. Tsubaki and Maka even joined them once they found what they wanted and were more than happy to talk about their favorite books.
The feeling of being watched remained the entire time, but Asura found himself brushing it off as curious people like Kid and Maka had said. It did make sense after all. By the time they were done, Asura had managed to get a rather large selection with their help and was happy to wait near the entrance while Kid payed for them. The uneasy feeling made itself known again and found himself shifting nervously as he tried to find who ever was the source of his uneasiness. No one in the store seemed to be watching him, so he peered out the storefront window.
He scanned the crowds, trying to find the source of his uneasiness. It didn't take long to notice the figure seated across the street at a table outside a small cafe. They stood out with their whole body covered from head to toe. Long black pants and a brown jacket covered most of them and the jacket's hood was pulled up over their head and a red bandana covered the lower half of their face beneath their eyes.
They had to be the one who was watching him, right? The thought made him nervous, especially as he realized they were looking right at the store. He almost didn't noticed Kid and his friends approaching him, but thankfully he did. With a small smile and a quiet thanks, he took the bags with his books in them.
As they left the small bookstore, Asura glanced back to where he had seen that person sitting. They were gone now but the feeling of being watched remained.
...
Once they found the rest of the group at the park, Asura broke away to sit on a bench at the far end of the basketball court they were at. He had listened to them explain their game again, but hadn't really been sure he should play. So instead he chose to sit and read some of his new books. Liz also chose to stay out of the game, seating herself beside him while she painted her nails, claiming it was so the teams would be equal.
They were a nice distraction from his thoughts, the one in his hands being a book about deep sea animals was particularly interesting, if not a bit unsettling. It still didn't help him shake the constant paranoia he felt since spotting the strange person outside the bookstore. Suddenly, the same thought from earlier that morning hit him. If Vajra was able to hide him from Shinigami for so long, surely he could hide himself. If Vajra really did manage to hide himself then that stranger watching him could have been the weapon. And the only reason he could think of for Vajra to be in the city at all was because he was after Kid or himself.
Liz's voice jarred him from those thoughts as she started speaking, "Asura?" Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper, and she stared at him with concern. "You're shaking. Are you okay?" He hesitated for a moment before he nodded slowly, earning a frown from Liz that let him know she didn't believe him. With a sigh he slowly closed the book and took a deep breath.
"I would rather not talk about it, I...I'm probably just being paranoid." He said, choosing instead to stare at the ground than risk looking at the blonde. A few moments passed in silence before Asura decided to ask, "Um...what are you doing?" He gestured to the glass bottle in her hands.
She quirked a brow at that before looking down at the bottle in her hands. "Oh, painting my nails. You want me to paint yours? I only have purple on me right now but we can always change the color later." Asura glanced down at his own hands, taking a moment to think it over before hesitantly offering Liz his hand.
"That's fine." He stated, sitting still as she started.
"Okay, just let me know if you change your mind." Liz stated, pausing for a moment before adding, "Do you bite your nails a lot, because that's not very good. One of these days I'm going to show you how to take proper care of them you hear? Hell, I'll show you all sort of cool tricks like I did with Kid. It'll be fun, you, me, Kid and Patty can all do it. We can make a day out of it. That would be fun."
"...okay." Asura mumbled, slightly thrown off by how chatty Liz had suddenly become.
"Good." She stated absentmindedly, "And I'm going to teach you about fashion, you got that? When we go get you new clothes I'm helping you because no offense, but your sense of fashion is not the best."
"H-hey, my fashion sense is fine." Asura squawked, slightly offended.
"I can imagine what the clothes you wore when we met looked like in good condition and frankly, I would assume you robbed a homeless person if I saw you in that." Liz smirked, a teasing tone showing through her voice.
Asura huffed, burying his face in his scarves to try and hide the embarrassed blush on his face. "It's not that bad." Liz hummed in response as she switched to his other hand. Asura lifted it to inspect and took a moment to glance back at the rest of them.
"Maybe not, but I'm still going to dress you. I like doing this sort of thing, you don't mind too much?" Asura shrugged, it didn't really make a difference to him really. If Liz wanted to show him what ever new fashions they had now, then she could. Liz fell silent after that and once she was finished Asura picked up the book again. He wasn't able to continue reading though, as he felt uneasy again without someone to talk to. Carefully he peered over the book and glanced around the area, until his eyes landed on the same person who he saw outside the book store. Asura tensed immediately, his hands shaking again as he stared back. They leaned against a tree across from where he was and even though he couldn't see their face, he could feel their eyes on him.
Liz seemed to have noticed that he was tense again, as she was looking at him too, and Kid had paused in his game to glance their way. Kid must have sensed his fear then, and Asura took his eyes away for only a second to smile as reassuringly as he could at his brother. When he looked back to that spot, the stranger was gone again.
That was the last straw. Asura leapt to his feet, stumbling slightly as the panic started to setting in. Liz was was quick to follow him, and Kid broke away from his game to chase after them both. "Asura! Asura wait!" Kid called, quickly passing Liz and latching onto his brother's arm. The older Reaper jerked at the touch, pulling his arm away and staring at Kid with wild, terrified eyes. Kid managed to hold Asura's gaze for a brief second before his eyes darted around the area nervously. The younger boy glanced around as well to try and find what had made his brother so uneasy, only to find nothing out of place. "Asura, what's wrong? You can tell me, you know? It's alright."
There was no answer right away, the older god glancing around the area once more and taking a few deep breaths. He tried to speak only for no sound to come out the first couple of times. Finally though, he managed a quiet, squeaky whisper, "I-I-I...I w-want to go..." Swallowing back his building anxiety, Asura continued. "I-I think...I...I'm ha-hallucinating...I-I..I want t-to go back." It took a moment for Kid to understand but then he nodded.
"You want to go home." He stated, more to himself than to Asura. "Okay, okay, we can go. Just give me a moment." When he turned to face his friends, Asura's shaky hand on his shoulder stopped him form running over to the group being kept back by Liz.
"N-n-no...I-I...I know...know the way back. I...y-you ca-can stay.." He told Kid, trying to muster the best smile he could even as his eyes started to water.
Kid paused, mouth hanging open in shock at the idea for a brief second before he was able to speak again. "I am not leting you walk home alone if you're hallucinating! What kind of person do you think I am?!" His voice came out much harsher than he had meant for it to and it made Asura flinch. A horrified expression crossed the older reaper's face and he tried to hide it by ducking his head and wiping the away as quickly as he could. Appalled at his own response, Kid hurried to apologize to the older boy. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say it like that! I'm jus-"
Asura quickly cut his brother off with a quiet, "I...I understand..." He shifted nervously and continued to stare at the ground, missing Kid's attempt to hide his panicked expression. He didn't need to see it to know he was the cause of it. It added onto the guilt he already felt for making Kid abandon his game, crushing the panic down to make room for itself. "If...th-that is...um...if that's what you think is best..." He trailed off and peered up at Kid, adding, "I-I just want to go back."
With a nod, the younger boy said, "Alright, let me just go get Liz and Patty and say good bye first." Once he got a quiet affirmative, Kid turned back and sprinted towards his friends.
Asura stood there, watching them silently until the creeping uneasiness he'd been feeling all day returned. It took everything he had to stop himself from looking for the source again. He knew full well he would bolt if he spotted them again. Instead he tried to focus on Kid, much prefering to watch his brother interact with his friends. However he couldn't help but feel guilty. Kid kept shifting nervously and even tried to straighten his pristine clothes as he offered the other kids an apologetic smile. 'Apologizing for leaving because of me...' Asura realized, curling in on himself slightly.
When Kid trotted back over with his weapons in tow, Asura chose to keep his gaze pinned to his shoes. Even when he felt Kid softly tap his shoulder he couldn't raise his eyes higher than the collor of his brother's shirt. It was still enough to see him gesture in the other kids' direction, so he turned to glance at them. The group was closer now, and they waved at them. Maka calling out, "Bye guys! It was nice meeting you Asura!" The other girl, Tsubaki if he remembered right, only smiled softly and waved.
"Hey! If you ever wanna hang out again, let us know. It's cool." Soul added, stuffing his hands in his pockets and grinning broadly enough to show off his sharp teeth.
"YEAH! You owe me a fight! Let me know when you're good enough to battle!" Black Star shouted, shaking one fist at the older god in a threatening manner. Asura only raised his hand part of the way to give a small wave before Kid tugged him along. Even with his back turned he could hear the echoing crack and the blue haired boy's pained shout, followed by an annoyed, "Enough with the fighting already! He's still hurt!".
Asura smiled behind his scarf, watching Kid shake his head as Patty skipped ahead. The girl swung the bags of books he'd gotten back and forth, having grabbed them from the bench he'd been sitting at before he'd panicked. He knew he was still being watched, but at this point he was scared to look around. He kept his head down, gaze pinned stubbornly to the ground and focusing his soul perception on Kid so he knew where to go.
When they finally stopped walking, Asura glanced around curiously. He had to stifle his initial fear at the unfamiliar area, reminding himself that Kid was not the kind of person who would take him to an unknown place without reason. They were still within the city limits anyway so surely Death would interfere if there was something wrong. Kid suddenly clapped his hands, not seeing his brother flinch back at the sound as the boy's back was still towards his brother. "Okay! Honestly, I'm a little surprised you never stopped us on the way here but that's just fine. So," Kid turned around to look at the older reaper with a small smile. "You probably don't recognize this area anymore since the city has change a lot. But father said you should recognize this."
Asura was carefully pulled to stand beside Kid as the boy pointed to the building in front of them. For a moment Asura stared blankly at his brother, then slowly turned his head to see what kid was talking about. It took a moment to recognize, but if the familiar, excessive amount of skulls on this manor wasn't enough to remind him Asura wasn't sure he could ever recognize it. "The...the Gallows... " He turned back to Kid with a questioning look, voice barely above a whisper. "But I thought... We're not allowed to be here right? I thought father said... " Kid gave him a gentle pat on his back.
"Initially yes, but I compromised. We figured you might feel better at home," Kid explained, adding, "And I didn't want to stay at the school anymore anyway. It's not that bad I suppose, but I missed being here." Asura nodded in understanding but didn't speak. Kid took that as his chance to continue. "So...just so you know, if you sense any strangers around the property, don't worry. Father only agreed to let us back here if he added security personnel and it will probably be them. I think he's being paranoid, but I suppose it's better than staying in the school. He also said to tell you that you're getting a bigger room. I'll show you it. We already had your things brought from your room in Shibusen as well as everything from your old room." Slowly Asura nodded, trying to sort through everything he was told.
"Okay... I understand." Asura murmured quietly, offering his brother a small smile. The younger boy opened his mouth to respond, but both Reapers yelped as Patty threw her arms around them. Asura immediately jerked away from her while Kid steadied himself.
A second passed as Patty seemed to realize what happened and she chirped out an apology. "Sowwy Asura... I'm just excited! It's soooooo much nicer here than back in that stuffy room at school! I'm gonna show you all around and I'll introduce you to all my giraffes! We're gonna have so much fun!" The younger girl exclaimed, the let out a gasp. "We should have another sleepover! It'll be great!"
Before her sister could continue, Liz stepped forward. "Maybe not tonight Patty. He only just got back. Let him settle in first." She turned to look at Asura for a moment and smiled encouragingly. The grateful look on his face said everything he couldn't seem to. It made the older blonde's smile widen. "We all good? Good. Come on, let's get inside, order dinner, and do something!" Liz stated, leading the way with Patty breaking away to trot after her sister.
It took a moment for Kid and Asura to follow along, but soon enough the four of them stood in the foyer. Liz and Patty were quick to run off with a promise to return shortly, leaving the Reapers alone. Kid noticed right away that Asura had been immediately interested in looking around curiously. He took the chance to grab the keys from a nearby table and saying, "Okay, so here. I have a set of house keys for you. That way if you need to go out you can always get back in." The younger boy stated, handing Asura a little keyring. He slowly took it from Kid turning it over in his hands and listening to the little clinks it made. Hanging off of it were a few little trinkets that he recognized as characters from his comics.
"Th-thank you... " Asura muttered quietly as he pocketed them and smiled. Slowly he drifted away from the younger boy to continue exploring, only getting to the staircase before Liz and Patty came back. The younger girl leaned over the railing of the stairs andvexcitedly shoved a small, tuffed giraffe toy with a red bow around it's neck towards him. They stood, frozen in place for a long moment before Asura shifted his gaze from the toy to Patty. She responded by leaning forward a little more with a bright grin on her face.
"Here! A gift for you!" she chirped out, waving the toy back and forth until he slowly reached out to take it. Once Asura had the stuffed animal, she added, "I call him Colossus, he's your welcome home gift!" Asura nodded at that, smiling at her and muttering a quiet thanks as he fidgeted with his new toy.
Liz stepped up next, drawing his attention to her as she offered up the jacket draped over her arm. Asura passed his giraffe toy to her when he took it so he could hold it up. "It's a hoodie, um, a hooded jacket. I figured you might like one since they're usually pretty comfortable and the hood could help hide you better. It's a bit big though, but they're the best when they're a little oversized." She rambled, nervously scratching the back of her head As she watched him inspect the jacket.
It was black, with two white lines trailing down the front and ending in a circle around a mark that looked like Death's new mask. There were also two white patches that were sewn onto the shoulders, with crimson markings like the eye tattoos on his hands. It did seem quite large but he still slipped it on and muttered another thanks. Even though the sleeves slipped over his hands and the hood almost covered his eyes he decide he liked it that way. Liz was right though, he could hide himself better.
With a smile, Liz handed the toy giraffe back to him and said, "Glad you like it!" before turning to Kid. "Alright Kid. Me and Patty will get something for dinner. You do whatever you have to do." Kid nodded, though she didn't wait for it as she spun around and left the room with Patty behind her. 0
"So, now you come with me. I'll show you your new room like I said. That way you can settle in a bit before dinner." Kid stated, gesturing for Asura to follow him. The older boy trailed along behind his brother, still glancing around and picking out the differences in his old home. There was definitely new furniture, and more of it. More decorations along the walls than they had before. It was so similar, but so different than he remembered.
Finally Kid stopped out side of a door in the second floor hallway. "Okay this is your new room." The younger boy stated, pointing at the door before turning and pointing down the hall. "Liz's room is down there, Patty is across from Liz, and my room is across from yours. If you need anything you can always ask us." Once he got a quiet affirmation, the younger Reaper continued awkwardly. "So... I'm going to go make sure Patty doesn't pick any horror movies. If you need me, come and find me. Otherwise you're free to settle in and I'll come get you when dinner is ready. Okay?"
Asura nodded once more, gripping the handle as he watched his brother walk away. He hesitated for a moment before calling out, "Kid!" and when the younger boy turned around, he smiled. "Th-thank you!" Kid returned the smile with a nod before he continued walking, and Asura pushed the door open. Slowly he stepped in, feeling along the wall for a light switch until he managed to click the lights on.
As the room lit up, Asura looked around slowly. It was much bigger than both his old room and the room he had been given in Shibusen. Immediately he knew Kid had arranged the room. There was double of everything, save the bed and the dresser at the foot of the bed that were centered against the far wall. The bed sat between two large windows with their dark, heavy curtains pulled back and two wooden side tables. Bookshelves lined the room, mostly empty save for one half filled shelf sitting beside a desk he had missed when he entered. This too was centered against the wall, directly across from the bed.
Stacked beside it were multiple boxes, and a small book was seated on the black blanket he'd had in Shibusen's guest room. A note sat on them both, so he carefully picked it up and read:
"Asura,
These are your things. We figured it would be best to drop them off for you. I'm sorry I can't be there personally to help you settle in again, but as I'm sure you can imagine there is still much to take care of since- you know, that's not important!
Anyway I trust Kid told you about the security I have around the grounds. If he somehow forgot, well, now you know! Don't be too scared if you sense someone unfamiliar, alright? I promise they won't harm you, you're safe there. :)
The boxes to your left are ones from your room here in the DWMA and the ones on the right are from your old room in the manor. I haven't got through any of it, just so you know. I didn't think you would appreciate it. That includes your journal. Kid told me what it looked like so I didn't leave it behind.
I hope I can catch a break to come check up on you kids soon enough. Until then, relax a bit, explore the manor. Do whatever, just don't hurt yourselves too severely. :D
I'm serious, relax a bit Asura. Have fun. No stressing yourself out, no trying to get back into any sort of work, nothing strenuous, that's an order. You're way overdue for a break.
Love,
Dad."
Asura found he could only stare at the note blankly for a minute, needing it to crush the paranoia that rose up when he realized his father had had his journal. He managed to convince himself that if Death had read it he would surely be there, waiting for the opportunity to pull the younger god aside to talk about it.. With a shaky sigh Asura decided it would be best to start going through all of his belongings. It would be best to get them sorted out. Grabbing the nearest box, he opened it up and began digging through.
The minutes passed quickly and soon enough he'd had dinner with his brother and the weapon sisters, then returned to finish his task. It was while he carried a stack of books to one of the shelves that he'd felt it again. The uneasy feeling that left the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. His breath caught in his throat, eyes screwing shut as the book slipped from his hands and landed with a loud thud. Kid and the sisters' souls didn't feel close enough to here it though and that was his only relief as the realization dawned on the frightened god. He was being watched again.
Ever so slowly, he crept towards the windows and peered down at the street below. Standing just on the other side of the gate was the same stranger he had seen earlier. Their head was turned towards his open window and, to Asura's horror, they tilted their head and raised one hand to wave at him. The normally friendly gesture made his blood run cold and he stumbled back, away from the window, only to trip over his books. The Reaper curled in on himself, shivering at the thought of having someone, most likely Vajra or his creations if the friendly attitude meant anything, following him.
He laid on the floor for a while, trying his best to steady his breathing before Kid or someone else walked in on him. Once he felt okay enough to move, Asura slowly got up and crawled back to the window, trying to stay low to the ground to avoid being seen. He carefully peered over the windowsill, watching the stalker carefully as he reached to close the curtains. As if sensing his gaze, they turned to look up at him again. Asura squeaked in fear as he swiftly pulled the drapes shut and hurried to the otherwise to do the same.
Still feeling sick and scared, he ran to the shelf to pull down his journal and swiped a pen from his desk. Quickly he wrote down what had been happening to him, ending it with one simple summary, "I think I'm being followed, I don't know what to do."
Well that's that. Here's hoping I get the next chapter out quick. I'm working on my original story more right now, but I will try to do more of this.
