Hey, it's been a while ! I'm sorry that I haven't updated this story sooner than that, but lots of things happened in my life and in the world that pretty much downed me and I didn't feel like writing a lot. Hopefully, things will be better for me now and I hope you'll all accept my apologies for this lateness.
Enjoy !
Chapter 6 : The arrival of Aozora. Unwanted duel against the loud assassin
One week had passed ever since Kid joined Shibusen, which was coincidentally the amount he needed to recover from the shock of her hair being cut by Soul during their fight. During that time frame, BlackStar, to no one's surprise, had been even louder than usual since, in his mind, he had beaten the son of Lord Death. But apart from that, it had been a pretty normal week.
On this Saturday morning, in Soul and Maka's house, Soul was sleeping-in just like Kivat who woke up when he heard one of the windows open. Opening an eye still hanging upside down from the roof of the main room he saw that it was Blair in her original cat form.
"Where were you, Blair?" Asked the bat as the black cat looked at him with a slight glare.
"Just strolling around." Simply answered the feline. "Why are you still sleeping? You're usually one of the first to be up."
"Well,such peaceful mornings don't happen that often so I intend on taking advantage of this one." He said as he closed his eyes once more, but he was woken up by something else this time. Another noise, much more melodious, coming from the room behind the door right under him.
"What is this?" Wondered Blair while Kivat flew down from his perch, a toothy smirk on his face.
"Come. I'll show you." He guided Blair toward the door and opened it, the noise becoming slightly louder as they walked into a sight that made Blair open wide surprised eyes. Maka was standing in her room, eyes closed and hair uncharacteristically down and untied, playing the violin with a blissful smile on her face. Blair didn't recognize the melody, but it was soothing her very own soul.
"Wow…"
"I know right?" Whispered a happy Kivat, speaking in a hushed tone to not disturb Maka. "This is one of the things that she inherited from both her mother and father : the love of music, and mainly the violin." After a few more seconds, Maka came to a stop with a few tears in her eyes. Seeing this, Blair jumped on her bed.
"Maka, are you alright?"
"Blair… Yeah, don't worry." Reassured the Meister as she wiped those tears away. "It's just that… whenever I play, I can't help but think about my mom."
"Is… Is she…" Seeing Blair's hesitation, Kivat knew what she was trying to ask and jumped in to answer.
"She's not dead. She simply left a long time ago." Somberly explained Kivat. "Though now's not the time to talk about that kind of thing. We, or rather you, need to go and meet with everyone, isn't it?"
"That's true." Slowly nodded Maka as she put her violin back in its case. "We decided to show it to Kid, Liz and Patty. But is Soul awake?"
"He should be. I'm gonna go check if he is." While Kivat flew out of Maka's room and into Soul's, the Meister and her cat friend walked into the kitchen, preparing some coffee for her and Soul who walked out of his room a few minutes later, yawning while passing a hand through his bed hair.
"There you are, sleepy head." Smiled Maka, handing him a cup of coffee. "Come on, we're going to be late."
"I know, I know… It's not as if we're meeting with someone important." Grumbled the scythe as he took a sip.
"Maybe, but I don't want to make them wait for us." Chided Maka. "So finish your coffee and go change."
"Yes mom…" Mocked Soul as he did as he was told and 20 minutes later, they were on their way to meet with Kid, Liz and Patty, BlackStar and Tsubaki who were, like them, wearing casual clothes instead of the ones they usually wore at school, standing in front of the latter, everyone with bags on their backs or hands, all filled with bathing suit and beach gears.
Why? Because they were going to the beach!
Well, not really a beach, but this was what people from Death City called that place whose name was The Seashell. After the treaty was signed a long time ago, Lord Death made sure that Death City could welcome any races that wanted to live in the city and for that, he allowed them to build whatever they needed, like a grove that housed the Hobbits or the Seashell, a place owned by the Mermaid. It was their main residence as well as the pool of the town that was opened to anyone who wanted to go and enjoy the pleasure of a beach in the middle of the Nevada. And since they had the day for themselves, they all decided to go and spend a part of their day there.
"Well, about time you two got there." Smirked BlackStar. "Why are you so late?"
"Someone had a hard time waking up." Informed Maka with a side glance to her partner who rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry." Apologized Soul with a yawn. "And besides, we're not that late."
"Anyway… You are all ready to go ?"
They all cheered to show they were ready but before any of them could take a single step, something grabbed their attention. Three people were walking up the stairs leading to the school. There was a tall, serious-looking young man wearing a suit and tie, a young woman with long brown hair held in a ponytail and another young woman, with short brown hair covered by a sun hat.
"Who are they?" Wondered Soul loudly, squinting his eyes a bit. "I've never seen them before."
"New students?" Tried Tsubaki which made Kid shake his head.
"No, that can't be. They're way too old to be students." The Gun Meister then looked at Maka who had a slight frown on her face. "What's wrong?"
"That girl with the long hair… I feel like I've seen her before…"
"Excuse me!" Suddenly shouted Kid, walking toward the newcomers who turned their heads to look at him and their friend who were approaching them. "My name is Death the Kid. May I ask what you are doing here ?"
"Death the Kid? So you're the son of Lord Death, then." Realized the man. "We're here to meet with your father."
"My father? What business do you have with him?" The man opened his mouth to answer but he was then pushed to the side by the long haired woman with brown hair of the group whose eyes were locked on Maka.
"Wait a second! Maka?!"
"…Megumi-san?"
"MAKA-CHAN!" Megumi then jumped on Maka, hugging her tightly and spinning her around while laughing like a kid, all under the surprised eyes of their friends who didn't know what to do or think of that. "It's been far too long! You grew up so much!"
"Y-Yeah… It's-It's been a while, Megumi-san…"
"Stop with the '-san'!" Megumi pulled back with a pout. "It's Megumi-nee for you!"
"Hum… Excuse me?" Interrupted Soul, having no idea of what the hell was going on. "Do you know each other?"
"Well, well, well… You're right on time, as I expected." Everyone turned their head to the entrance where Shinigami himself was situated, approaching the group with Stein and Spirit by his sides.
"Nothing surprising here." Said Stein, as always sitting on his chair and spinning around like the loon everyone saw him as. "Aozora's agents aren't considered an elite for nothing."
"And they sent the best of the best, I see." Smiled Spirit with no small amount of pride, grabbing the attention of Megumi who forgot Maka a moment to jump on the Death Scythe.
"Uncle Spirit!"
"Uncle Spirit?!" Repeated Maka's partner, turning to her. "She's your cousin?"
"No, not at all. But I guess we're close enough to be at this point." Admitted Maka while stretching out her sore shoulders. "Her mother and my father are good friends, that's how we knew each other. When she began as a Meister, my father took her under his wings."
"It's nice to see you again, Megumi. You too, Mami" Greeted Spirit with a nod to the hat wearing girl who answered with a nod of her own. "How's Yuri?"
"The same as always." Answered Megumi. "She told me to say hello to you for her."
"Well, you'll tell her hello for me in return. But you're not here just for a visit, isn't it?"
"He's right, Megumi." Said the suited man with black hair as Megumi walked back to stand next to him. "We've got some things to settle."
"Indeed, Nago-kun." Chirped Death-sama. "If you would please follow me, we'll deal with everything in my room." And with that, Nago, Megumi and Mami followed Death inside Shibusen, leaving the students behind to wonder about what happened.
"Who the hell were those guys?" Asked BlackStar, frowning, his hands behind his head.
"They are from Aozora apparently." Said Tsubaki. "But what are they doing here? I've never seen anyone from that organization come here before."
"Who cares!?" Suddenly cut Patty with a big smile. "Let's go to the beach !"
"She's right. It's better to enjoy things while you can." Agreed Kivat as he flew after them toward the large seashell-shaped building that housed the indoor beach. "Because if those Aozora agents are there, it can only be for one thing."
/- Monday, in the E.A.T. classroom -/
And Kivat was right because as soon as the first class on Monday began, Stein entered the classroom followed by Megumi, Mami and Nago who stood next to his desk, facing the students.
"Well, dear students, I have an announcement for you all." He gestured to the three adults by his side. "Those three people come from the Aozora Organization HQ : Keisuke Nago, Megumi Aso and Mami Kurasawa. They were sent by the Aozora to help us handle a case you probably heard of : the return of Kiva." Soul's eyes widen ever so slightly, glancing at Maka who looked perfectly calm, but looking down, he saw her feet tapping repeatedly on the ground, he knew she was trying to not show that she was concerned. "They received an authorization from Lord Death himself to take any mission they want from the one you usually take. And speaking of those mission, there's been a slight update on the jobs description." He took one who had been stamped with a bat shaped seal. "Starting from today, this stamp here will be used to indicate when a mission might lead to a Fangire. Normally, hunting a Fangire should be like any other job, but since Kiva is back, the Fangire are bound to be much more active, so if you can still take those kind of mission, I recommend you leave them to those agents unless you're looking for your final soul to make a Death Scythe. Besides that, the daily life here at Shibusen won't change so I'd like you all to stay focused on your studies as always." The students all nodded, even Maka and Soul despite the former being a bundle of nerves, realizing that they were here for her. The only one who didn't nod at what Stein said was BlackStar, hands behind his head, feet on his desk, glaring slightly at the agents to which Stein just turned. "Well, if you'd like, you can sit in the room and stay here, if you don't have anything else to do."
"Thanks for the offer, but we have some things to see with Shinigami." Explained Keisuke before bowing to the students. "It was a pleasure to meet you all."
"I hope we'll be able to work well together." Said Mami with a bow, imitated by Megumi before they all left, leaving the student to their studies, though three students had a hard time focusing on the class, Soul glancing at Maka who was shaking a bit too much for his taste, knowing he'll have to talk to her after class.
And when the class ended…
"Stop worrying." Soul had pulled Maka in an empty room to give his partner a wake-up call seeing that she was on the verge of a breakdown after meeting the Aozora Agents. "This is nothing. You've managed to keep your secret all these years. It's not like this is gonna change suddenly just because those guys are here."
"How can you be so sure?" Countered Maka. "In case you forgot, Lord Death used to send me on a mission to take care of Fangire, but if the Aozora begin to hunt the Fangire, they could meet Kiva one of those days and they won't hesitate in taking me out."
"So what? What are the chances of that? What are you going to do? Stop going on your hunt for Fangires because you might run into them?"
"I don't know!" Shouted Maka, feeling her nerves starting to snap. "I don't know what I'm gonna do and there's nobody I can ask for help about that!"
"Maka? Soul?"
"WHAT!?" The duo turned around at the new voice, snapping at one of their fellow students who jumped back in fear but still managed to communicate.
"I-I-I was looking for you!" The poor boy began with a stammer. "Lord Death wants to talk to you two!"
The duo calmed down and looked at each other, wondering what Lord Death wanted. Anyway, they walked out of the room and into the hallway, heading straight toward Death Room while thinking about what Death wanted to tell them, if it was about a new mission or something else. When they arrived, they were all alone with Lord Death, Kivat then flying down to land on Maka's shoulder.
"Hello-Hello, Maka-chan, Soul-kun!" Welcome the tall god. "And you too, Kivat-san!"
"Why did you call us here, Lord Death?" Asked Soul only to be cut off by Maka.
"Wait a second, Lord Death! I wanted to ask something, first!" The Death God turned to look at Maka, wondering what she wanted to ask, even though he had a pretty good hunch. "About those Aozora Agents. What am I going to do?" As she asked that, she looked down, clenching her fist, frustration and fear merging together. "If I were to meet them on a mission, I won't be able to fight them but they certainly won't hold back. And if they were to know who I truly am…"
"I understand your fear, Maka, but don't you think you're a bit overthinking?" Gently stopped Lord Death, making Maka look up. "I won't deny that there is a big risk that this could happen now that they are working from my school, and I'm part of the reason for that. But wasn't that already the situation before?" Maka frowned, looking at her boss not knowing what he meant. "After all, ever since you became Kiva, there has always been a risk of being seen and becoming a target, isn't it?"
"He's right, Maka." Added Kivat, floating in front of Maka's face. "The risk has always been here. It is just more present now, but it's not like everything was over, right?"
"Besides, unless you forgot, you're not alone." Added Soul with a smirk. "I won't let my partner down, whether she has to fight Aozora, Fangire or anything else. You can count on me."
"I…" Maka had a hard time finding her words, a small smile on her face at the support her friends were giving her. "I guess I worry too much…"
"That's for sure, you are probably the queen of the worrywarts." Teased Soul before turning to their boss. "So, what did you call us here for?"
"Ah, yes. Well, obviously, I'm going to send you on a mission!" Cheerily said the god. "This time, I'm going to send you all to Rome. According to some reports, many people were found dead in the morning, their bodies glass-like left in some alley across the city. What is strange is that according to their families and friends, the targets were all in their home that night but after waking up, they all noticed that they disappeared."
"So what? The Fangire is a kidnapper?"
"Probably. Though according to the testimonies, the houses weren't broken into. Anyway, I'm sending you there so you can deal with the Fangire before he can make more victims."
"You can count on us, Lord Death." Declared Maka. "We'll take care of it." And with that, they left the room, leaving the Shinigami alone for a few minutes before Spirit walked in.
"I just saw Maka leaving. You sent her on a mission, I guess?"
"Yes. A little Fangire hunt in Rome."
"In Rome?" Repeated Spirit with a raised eyebrow. "But I passed by the mission board on my way here and I saw a Fangire Mission poster in Rome on it."
"Really? Looks like someone was quicker than me." Said Lord Death. "Would you please go and take it out of the board? It would be nice if Maka could do this mission without having to deal with some unwanted opponent."
"I'm on it." Spirit quickly walked out of the room and straight to the board but when he arrived, he sighed in defeat. The mission wasn't here anymore. "Damn it. It has to be Megumi-chan or Nago-san. I hope it will be alright for…"
"Uncle Spirit!" The Death Scythe turned his head to his right to see Megumi walking up to him with Keisuke and Mami by her side.
"Megumi? And you too? I thought you went on a mission?"
"Why would you think that?" Asked Mami.
"Well… a Fangire mission isn't on the board anymore, so…"
"Well as you can see, it is not us." Said Keisuke. "But then… Who could have taken that mission?"
/- Rome, one day later -/
"Okay. Here we are." After a quick trip thanks to Machine Kivaa, Maka, Soul and Kivat arrived in Rome as the night was falling on the capital, the trio now walking in the empty street, looking for their target.
"Alright. But I have a question. Why am I wearing this?" Asked Soul, gesturing to a black hoodie he was wearing, with the hood over his head, Maka wearing the same kind of cloth.
"Well, it's just a precaution, you know." Said Kivat. "If someone saw our face, this could shatter Maka's secret identity. And this also means no scythe for her tonight."
"But if she can't wield me, why am I here?"
"You'll help me by covering me." Said Maka, handing him a whistle. "When I'm fighting against a Fangire as Kiva, I need you to make sure no one is here to see me untransformed. Just blow in that whistle to let me know if I can't turn back."
"I guess it's better than nothing." Sighed Soul as he put the whistle in his pocket. "Anyway… Do you have any idea on how to find that Fangire?"
"Not really… If only we had more clues…" And then, they heard it.
It was a smooth melody, a song which was filling the empty street, echoing through the whole city, making Maka stop in her tracks, looking all around to try and find where that song was coming from.
"What is this music?" Wondered Soul, in the same state as her partner. "It sounds like a violin."
"It is, but it sounds… wrong." Added Kivat. "There's something in this melody… that feels bad."
"You are right." Agreed Maka as she continued to look around the area. "I wonder if…" She stopped as she saw the door of a house opening in front of her, a young man walking out and into the city, his eyes half-closed, walking in a straight line.
"What is wrong with that guy?"
"I don't know Soul. But I have a bad feeling about it. Let's follow him." As quietly as possible, the trio stalked that strange man as he walked, sometimes taking a left, or a right, walking through the streets as if he was looking for something. At some point, the guy arrived at Piazza del Colosseo, heading toward the old monument.
"The song is coming from the colosseum." Realized Soul. "Let's take a look inside." They followed the guy, entering the building by jumping to the upper floor of the monument. And when they got a look at what was inside, their eyes widened. In the part of the arena that was still in one piece stood a young woman who was playing the violin, the young man from before slowly approaching her. But what took them by surprise was the marking on her face : it was the same one that Maka had on her face when she transformed.
"That woman is a Fangire!" Realized Maka and suddenly, everything made sense. "I see. She's using her Fangire power and her violin skills to put her victim in a trance."
"That's why there was no trace of any kidnapping." Understood Kivat. "It's because the victim left their home 'willingly'."
"Then we've got to take her out! Or maybe I should say you!" Said Soul, transforming his right arm into a scythe's blade. "Go down there and destroy that Fangire. I'll cover you." Maka nodded and got up, Kivat flying by her side as she jumped into the arena.
"FANGIRE!" The creature stopped and turned toward the newcomer who landed in the arena, the hypnotized man stopping in his tracks but still in a trance. "Stop this right now! There's been enough victims already!"
"Oh? And what can a little girl like you do?" Mocked the Fangire, still in human form. "I need to eat so if you don't want me to suck his life force, then I guess I can take yours instead!"
"It saddens me." Sighed Maka before locking eyes with the disguised monster, brimming with determination. "I'd rather find another way to solve this problem, but I don't really have another choice. Kivat!"
"Kivat is here!" Announced the bat from above as Maka grabbed him, opening his mouth under the shocked eyes of the female Fangire.
"Gabu!"
"Henshin!"
Placing Kivat on the red belt already around her waist and in a burst of chains and sound waves, Maka transformed into Kiva, making the Fangire growl at her as a smirk appeared on her face.
"You…" She seethed, her skin covering with more and more glass like marking. "So you're the one who stole the power of Kiva. It seems like I'm the one who managed to grab your attention. It's going to be a pleasure for me to strip you of this power. It belongs to our King!"
"My attention?" Repeated Kiva.
"Yes…since we learned that the one who had the power of Kiva was hunting for Fangire, it was only logical for us to use this to lure you out. And since you are here…" She then turned into her Fangire Form, which was a monster covered in the same kind of armor as the Horse Fangire in England, but this time in red with some yellow and white on it and a head shaped like an octopus whose tentacles were wrapped around her arms. "I'll be the one who'll have the honor of giving our King the power he is born to have!"
The two ran at each other, both opponents meeting in the center of the arena and exchanging blows immediately.
The beginning of the fight was pretty even, considering that the two parties were trying to gauge the level of their opponent. The fight kept going with Kiva slowly getting the upper hand, pushing back the Octopus with a series of punches and kicks, one of them sending the Fangire rolling on the ground. But as Kiva ran back to finish it, she discovered that the Octopus had some aces hidden in her sleeve.
Some kind of mouth opened in the middle of the red creature, which then fired a purple energy bullet at Kiva, hitting the target in the chest, making the Kamen Rider stop in her track and even roll to the side to avoid a salvo of purple projectiles that ended up blowing up a part of the old lower stands.
But this wasn't over since the Fangire had another trick for Kiva. One of the tentacles wrapped around her arm extended and whipped at Kiva who jumped out of the way as the red appendage slapped against the dusty ground. Soon, a second one joined the first and Maka began to dance around, trying to get close to the Fangire, which was proving to be quite a challenge with the tentacles in her way. And when the monster fired purple energy blast from its chest at Kiva, forcing her to jump back to dodge, she failed to notice one of the tentacle waiting for her at her landing point, wrapping around her right leg which Kiva noticed a bit too late as she was lifted off the ground before being slammed against the wall of the arena, then against the railing just above the exposed hypogeum then against the ground once again, Maka trying to free herself as she was thrown around like a ragdoll, right under Soul's eyes who was struggling to stay in position. But when he saw the other tentacle wrapping around her arms, holding her in midair, completely unable to protect herself, he made up his mind.
"At last, our King will finally receive what is rightfully his." Laughed the Octopus Fangire who opened its 'mouth', ready to fire another salvo at Kiva who was struggling, Kivat biting and clawing at the tentacle without succeeding in freeing his friend. "Die, you thief!"
Just then, Soul jumped to the rescue, landing in the middle of the battle field and cutting the tentacle with one swift movement of his bladed arm, freeing Kiva and forcing a Fangire howling in pain to take a few steps back.
"What is this!? Who are you!?"
"Who am I? Just the coolest man alive!" Grinned the Weapon as he turned into a scythe and jumped toward Maka. "KIVA!"
"OKAY!" She grabbed him and in one swift movement, she swung Soul at the Fangire, sending him rolling on the ground with a loud howl of pain, a deep gash on its chest left by the blade.
"Hey! You can wield me even in this form!" Noticed Soul, turning back to his human form.
"Of course I can." Added Maka. "But let's not make this a habit as it would be a dead giveaway of who I am. And besides, we won't be able to reach our full potential for now, we lack training."
"Now's not really the time." Chimed Kivat from the belt. "There's an enemy we've got to finish off."
"He's right. Go back into hiding Soul. We'll finish this now." And as Soul ran back to avoid being seen, Maka grabbed a Fuestle as the Fangire got back up, its pain making it hard to stand up.
"Wake Up!"
As Kivat blew the Fuestle, the scenery changed just like the last time, the dark red skies covering the town as Kivat freed the sealed part of her right leg, the half-Fangire jumping high in the sky upside down until she was in front of the moon.
"Darkness Moon Break!"
Kiva shot down at the Fangire, her right winged foot landing on the creature chest as she took it for a ride before ending against the inner wall of the arena, slamming the Fangire against it as the symbol of Kiva carved itself on the wall as the monster turned to glass before shattering when the three green orb on Kiva's leg shone. With a sigh, Maka turned back and was about to leave, Soul also about to get out of his hiding spot when he noticed something that he immediately identified and which made him jump back into the antique backstage and pull out the whistle in which he blew with all his might.
And it was just in time as Maka was about to cancel the transformation when she heard the characteristic chime of the tool she gave Soul. She knew that Soul wasn't one to make stupid mistake like using the whistle when it was not needed so she looked around, wondering, fearing that she might have been spotted by people from the Aozora. But then, she heard it…
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" That laughter… It was worse than the Aozora. Worse than anything she ever thought she might face during a mission. Kiva slowly turned around and faced the last person she wanted to meet as Kiva : the loudest and most egocentric assassin in the world. And one question came to the three member of Kiva's team :
Why the hell was HE here?!
/- with BlackStar and Tsubaki, 15 minutes earlier -/
While Soul and Maka began their investigation, on the other side of the two, BlackStar and Tsubaki, who just arrived in town, were currently in the middle of Piazza del Popolo, the assassin looking pissed while Tsubaki stood by his side, a bit nervous about their predicament.
"BlackStar… I'm not sure this is a good idea." She admitted, looking at her Meister.
"This is not an idea, Tsubaki. But a necessity!" Stated BlackStar. "Those Aozora people think they can look down on me? Why would I need their help to take care of those Fangire!? I'm going to show them who's the God, down here!"
Tsubaki sweat dropped at her Meister's antic, feeling like this time, he may have gone a bit too far. She was confident in her partner's strength and was used to his quirks, but she was really feeling uneasy about this. Not only were they risking a punishment for going on this kind of job despite the warning from DWMA, but they could end up facing more than just a simple monster. Seeing her sour face, BlackStar walked up to her with a large grin on his face.
"Come on! What's that look?! You're supposed to be the partner of the best there is!" He said, trying to cheer her up. "As long as we're together, we'll be able to face anything, ya hear!?" Tsubaki smiled at his confidence, his positivity successfully cheering her up a bit… until they heard it.
That melody.
"What's this?" Wondered BlackStar. "Is it… a violin?"
"How do you know?" Gasped Tsubaki, surprised that someone like BlackStar could know what a violin sounds like.
"Don't forget that I grew up with Maka as a friend, I was bound to know what kind of sound a violin makes." Reminded BlackStar as he jumped on top of the obelisk in the middle of the piazza. "Now… Where the hell is this coming from?"
"South, South-East, I'd say." Informed Tsubaki. "Let's go see where this melody is coming from." The duo jumped from roof to roof, heading toward the source of the music which, despite stopping in the middle of their run, led them to the coliseum. Of course, they ran toward the building but that's when the sky became dark red, the laughing moon disappearing to be replaced by a normal one. "What's this?"
"Dunno. But we better check it out." BlackStar and Tsubaki jumped to the top of the coliseum and what they saw made their eyes go wide in shock. As the red sky disappeared, the laughing crescent shone down on the old monument, revealing that the place wasn't empty. A single silhouette was standing in the arena, a glass like orb in its hand as it walked away.
"Who's this dude?" Wondered BlackStar while Tsubaki began to sweat profusely, recognizing the armored person before them thanks to the symbol carved on the arena wall.
"Ki…Kiva…"
"What?! That guy is Kiva? THE Kiva?!" Repeated BlackStar with wide eyes as a big smile graced his lips. "Then this is even better!"
"B-BlackStar… I think we should…"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" But instead of listening to her, BlackStar laughed loudly, grabbing Kiva's attention for what was going to be the worst fight in Kiva's history… But not for the usual reason.
/- Back with Maka/Kiva -/
'Why is he here?!' Internally screamed Maka as she stood there in shock while BlackStar jumped into the arena, Tsubaki following him despite her fear.
"So you're the infamous Kiva, huh?" Stated BlackStar, arms crossed, looking as confident as usual. "You may think you're big, but no one is bigger than me, get that?! And when I'll defeat you, I'll prove to the world and those Aozora that no one messes with me!"
"Of course, it has to be for that and nothing else." Sighed Soul from his hiding place, desperately trying to find a way to help his friend. "Knowing Maka, she'll do anything she can to avoid the fight. I'd better go fetch the bike to try a quick escape before one of them gets hurt." Soul, realizing he could do nothing as he would be instantly recognized, left the coliseum to go and prepare their escape while Maka stood there, soul in hand, wondering what to do. She had to escape, but at the same time, she knew she couldn't out-speed BlackStar. And even if she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to flee as BlackStar decided he had waited long enough.
"Tsubaki, Chain Scythe mode!"
"A-Alright!" Tsubaki morphed despite her doubt as she felt like she had already seen the orb that Kiva was holding somewhere. BlackStar grabbed her and ran at Kiva who threw the soul away for now, realizing that, since she couldn't say anything to defend herself, she had no other choice but to fight. It pained her to fight against two of her best friends but at the same time, it was an eventuality she had to be ready for to begin with. So when BlackStar got close enough to try and cut her head off, she took a step back and threw a punch at BlackStar who cartwheel out of the way while managing to wrap the chain of his weapon around Kiva's wrist, pulling her down and turning around to pierce her back, the blade instead piercing the ground as Kiva rolled to dodge the blow while managing to land a kick to BlackStar's face.
"Not bad. But don't think it's already over!" Shouted the assassin. "Shuriken Mode!"
Tsubaki turned into a giant Shuriken which BlackStar threw at Kiva who barely dodged, the Shuriken passing just an inch next to her head…
"Smoke Bomb Mode!"
…Before exploding into a large cloud of smoke that prevented Maka from knowing where BlackStar was and from which direction the attack could come. And Maka knew BlackStar so she had a hunch about what was going to happen. Just like she expected it, as soon as the smoke disappeared, she felt someone behind her, so she kicked behind her and her kick got BlackStar, but it wasn't him, but Tsubaki who had used the Dummy Star mode. This was one of their signature techniques, which meant that BlackStar was about to attack her from behind so she turned around instantly… and found no one.
"What? Where is…"
"BlackStar Big Wave!"
The attack did come, but from behind her. BlackStar was hiding in plain sight, right behind Tsubaki, and as soon as Kiva had turned her back to them, he jumped into action, landing his ultimate move on Kiva's back, sending the armored being flying before landing hard on the ground.
"HAHAHAHAHA! What did you think of that?! That's the power of a God!" Laughed BlackStar while Tsubaki turned back into her human form while Kiva got back up. She couldn't feel Soul in the monument but she knew that he must have a plan and despite not knowing which one, she knew she had to keep fighting to win some time. So as she got up, she put her hand on her waist and pulled out a blue and white Fuestle that she inserted in Kivat's mouth.
"Garulu Saber!"
Kivat blew the Fuestle and a classic whistle noise resonated through the arena, taking the assassin duo by surprise when suddenly, a deep growl was heard as Doran Castle appeared in the sky, both partners looking at the creature with wide eyes while inside the manor, Jiro looked up.
"Well, looks like I'm summoned." Sighed the man as he got up from his chair before dropping to a knee as blue light shone down on him, turning him into a small blue statue that flew through the building before being spat out by Doran, straight at Kiva who raised her left hand to grab it.
As soon as she did, the statue unfolded into a sword with a wolf head on the handle while chains wrapped up around her left arm and shoulder as well as her torso, changing their color to cobalt blue, the change in color also affecting her and Kivat's eyes.
"What happened?" Wondered Tsubaki as she watched Kiva putting one knee down, the sword resting on her shoulder as she stood there, waiting to prance.
"Who cares?" Said BlackStar with a slight scowl. "Looks like he didn't have enough. Tsubaki, Ninja Blade Mode."
Tsubaki turned into a short blade that BlackStar caught and held as he and Kiva ran at each other at the same time, blade clashing when they got close enough, sparks flying with each strike as they exchanged blow after blow, Kiva and BlackStar's weapons clashing repeatedly as they either dodged or parried the attacks. The fight kept going but after some time, Kiva began to realize that she needed to find a way out of this fight without killing BlackStar, and when she heard the characteristic noise of a bike getting closer, she knew what she had to do. She waited a bit and managed to lock BlackStar in a face to face, the Garulu Saber held vertically to stop the horizontal attack of the assassin.
"You're a tough guy, I'll admit that." Said BlackStar with a grin. "But I won't be defeated."
Kiva said nothing and let one hand off the handle of the sword to put it behind the wolf head on the handle, head that suddenly howled loudly, creating a series of sonic shockwave that sent BlackStar flying back, away from Kiva who immediately used this opportunity, putting the sword blade in Kivat's mouth.
"Garulu Bite!"
Blue energy covered the blade as Kivat took a stance, the night sky changing once again, this time a full moon shining behind her as she put the sword in her mouth, the blade pointing to the right.
"He looks like he's ready for something big, BlackStar!" Warned Tsubaki.
"Chain Scythe, quick!"
"Garulu Howling Slash!"
The weapon changed her form as Kiva jumped into the air, aligning itself with the moon before falling down on the assassin who tried to use his weapon to stop the weapon. Try being the keyword here as Kiva's sword, whose sharpness had been enhanced by ten thanks to Kivat, easily pushed the twin blade away and slashing at BlackStar right shoulder before hitting the ground, creating and shockwave strong enough to send him back, making him land on his back while Tsubaki turn back to human form, standing in front of her Meister.
"Don't come any closer! I won't let you kill him!"
"Kill him?" Repeated Kiva in a low growl that resembled a wolf, the result being from changing forms, and thus, changing her voice. "Why would I do that?" Her statement surprised Tsubaki who could only watch as the blue sword and armor disappeared. "This wound isn't too deep. He won't have any sequels for the rest of this day." And with that, Kiva ran out of the arena, taking the Fangire Soul with her, joining Soul who was waiting outside next to the bike.
"What happened?!"
"Nothing serious." Answered Maka as she got on the bike, handing Soul the soul. "Hold on tight. We're out of here." And with that, the trio drove out of the town, leaving a dumbfounded but reassured Tsubaki behind them, the Demon Weapon wrapping her Meister wound in bandages with a single thought on her mind.
"Why is Kiva hunting down Fangire?"
/- The next day -/
"Well done, Maka-chan!" After successfully defeating the Fangire in Rome and managing to avoid being run after by Tsubaki and BlackStar, Soul and Maka headed back to Shibusen as fast as they could, greatly helped by the speed of the Machine Kivaa. And after a quick detour to give the Fangire Soul they obtained to Doran, they went to make their report to Lord Death who welcomed them with congratulations. "A job well done, as always!"
"Thanks, Lord Death." Thanked Maka with a slight bow. "Though this time, it was a bit… different."
"What do you mean?" Asked the tall being when the door of his room suddenly opened as many people walked in : the Aozora Agents, Spirit, Stein, BlackStar and Tsubaki. "Well, that's a lot of people. What's the problem?"
"The problem is that we found out who took the Fangire mission in Rome despite our warning not to." Said Stein, gesturing at BlackStar and Tsubaki, the former not looking bothered while the latter looked down in shame. As for Shinigami, he simply hummed, now realizing why Maka said that this mission was a bit different. And judging by Spirit and Stein's look, they thought the same. "And apparently, they saw some pretty interesting things."
"Really? Could you tell us about what exactly happened?" Lord Death looked down at the duo.
"Well, we…"
"I've shown Kiva who's the real boss, here!" Stated loudly BlackStar, interrupting Tsubaki, the others only registering the fact that he just said he met Kiva. "The dude was forced to escape but he now knows who the real god is down here! Next time, I'll…"
*CHOP*
BlackStar was violently silenced by Shinigami's signature move, a hand chop that knocked the loud Meister in an instant.
"Sorry, BlackStar, but I'd like to hear the real version, if you don't mind." He then turned to Tsubaki. "So… you really met Kiva?"
"…Yes." Confirmed Tsubaki, making Megumi and Mami gasp while the others frown at the news. "We fought him and he beat us, but… there's a few things that I found strange."
"What kind of things?" Asked Keisuke.
"Well, when he beat us, given his reputation, I thought he would have finished the job, but he simply left and even sounded… sorry." This made several eyebrow arches slightly and it wasn't the end of it. "And when we first saw him, he was holding a soul in his hand, I'm pretty sure it was a Fangire Soul."
"So what? Are you saying that Kiva destroyed a Fangire?" Asked Megumi. "That's impossible. Why would he kill his brethren?"
"You shouldn't forget that this Kiva might not be of the same ilk as the two before him." Reminded Mami, crossing her arms in thought. "Isn't there even a slight chance for us to see if we can be allies?"
"Maybe. But I don't think we should let it roam freely either." Stated Nago. "He may have killed this Fangire because of some kind of insubordination or anything else. We can't take any risks given its power."
"Now, now. Let's not jump to conclusions." Calmed Shinigami. "We'll see how things will turn out in the future. For now, let's stay calm and see how the situation will evolve."
Despite the current mood, everyone walked out of the room, Stein dragging BlackStar out of the room, and Maka and Soul also walked out, glancing at each other, hoping that whatever was going to happen won't be too complicated because they just realized that things could quickly escalate.
And alas, things were about to become much more complicated.