"Why are you here?" Scowling, Stein's green narrow at the woman before him plopping down on the rocky surface before him, patting her attire trying to brush the dust collecting upon her clothes as she then makes her way over pokerfaced.
"Thought I'd drop on by. It's not like you to have a day off." Casually, Ava points out shrugging her shoulders.
"Shouldn't you be resting?" Annoyed, Stein sneers, scowling, glaring daggers at her.
"I could say the same to you." Fairly, she points out unfazed by his harsh glare.
"I am resting." Resolute, he snaps sharply.
"Taking a step back is fine and all but you should have told Marie." Sternly, she tells Stein.
"She's busy with Maka." Aloofly, Stein dismisses.
"Stein…" Ava sighs furrowing her brow, crossing her arms over her chest, she had so much she wanted to say but she knew whatever she said wouldn't reach him.
"You're distracting me." Rudely, Stein states continuing on his routine, punching the open air.
"Did you have a fun chat with Medusa?" Ava quirks her head to the side seeing him freeze from her words.
"You…" Stein begins, his fingertips curling in on himself, feeling his crescents dig deep into his palm.
"So…? Was she in her nurses uniform? Heh bet she was you two would be matching…" Mischievously, Ava wiggles a brow bemused by his sharp scowl.
"You shouldn't be here." Strictly, Stein snaps, poison dripping down his tone that would make a snake smirk at the sight.
"I can go where I like." Ava huffs irritation laced in her tired tone.
"Leave me alone." Annoyed, he orders her making her gold twitch.
"And leave you to your thoughts Stein please you're my friend I don't want to see you…" Sighing, Ava attempts to help him, trying to be patient with him unaware of his green twitching, hearing the sharp snap in his head naked to her own ears. Next thing Ava knew she was grabbed and thrown to the ground. Coughing, Ava heaves from the dust and debris hanging heavily in the air, salvia spewing out of her mouth from the abrupt jab to her back as her gold glare into a pair of green.
"I'M NOT YOUR FRIEND!" Furious, Stein snaps pain laced in his tone baffling Ava.
"Stein what is…!?" Lost, Ava furrows her brow looking up at him.
"This…! This is all your fault!" Fuming, he seethes as she feels his fingertips coil around her neck making her grimace at the touch, she could easily rip him off, a simple soul shock could do it…
"Stein what are you-" Ava sighs, trying to once again reach out to her friend trying to find some logical conclusion at his behaviour but falters when feeling a pair of lips slam against her own. Dread flows through her as she feels her blood turn ice cold as she feels his teeth clash against her own. Disgust flows through Ava as brief flickers of a raven-haired male appeared before her as she feels her fingertips dig deep into the ground below before slapping the handful of dust at Stein taking him aback as she swiftly pushed him back.
Disgusted, Ava recoils back, heaving huffing, blinking back the tears threatening to fall from her glassy gold unable to even look at him in the eye seeing flickers of black and grey, no….no…not…not again. Not again! Panicked, Ava clutches her chest, grinding her teeth tighter, feeling her knees buckle as she tries to deal with the waves, the flickers of eyes, the flickers of memories threatening to resurface, memories she swore she'd never wish to see again…
"Now do you get it? Now do you see?" Spitefully, Stein spits out pained.
Silently, Ava reels, sweat sliding down her tense temple, trying to register it all, her hand over her mouth feeling a geyser of vomit crawl up her throat, seeing flickers of him, no, no, no…anguished, Ava combs her fingertips through her hair tugging at the stray strands, slamming her eyes shut shutting the figure watching on smirking smugly.
"Her eyes they were so similar to yours but so different I just…" Stein whispers as she flinches from the three eyes staring down at her.
"You're joking…" Shakily, Ava finally catches her voice, croaking it out gingerly placing her hands to her throat, trying to regain her throat.
"You think that kiss was a joke!?" Insulted, Stein snaps at her.
"Stein you don't know what you're saying you're mistaking." Desperate, Ava tries to reason with him but…
"I'M NOT MISTAKING ANYTHING! Angrily, Stein snaps making Ava flinch.
"YES YOU ARE ASURA!" Anguished, Ava yells, her glassy gold dilating as Stein's own green dilate from her words.
"Asura?" Stein's eyes narrow at the woman before him taking a shaky step back, hearing the brief hitch of her voice, her hand over her mouth seeing her shaking, seeing her place her hand over her face as a sadistic smirk crosses her lips, revealing razor daggers.
"I…I…heh…heh…HAHAHAHAHAH! Oh my god! I knew you were fucking obsessed but this…how pathetic are you!?" Crazed, Ava bursts into a fit of laughter alarming Stein seeing her crazed look, the delusional look in her eye.
"…" Stunned, Stein stares at the stranger before him, feeling a wave of fear flow through him at the sheer sadistic glint gleefully gleaming in her golden glare.
"You still have a thing for me, it was nothing but a school boy crush I thought hahahahahah! I made it clear to you didn't I? And you still…? You think I would just fall for you? A mortal? Please you have no shred the hell that is being immortal…heheheheheh you actually think…pfff hahahahah!" Cackling, she openly mocks Stein making him grimace bowing his head pained by her words, slamming his teeth down upon his upper lip trying to stop him.
"I…" Stein begins pained.
"How long?" Annoyed, Ava cuts him off.
"…You don't want the-" Stein begins but…
"HOW LONG STEIN?" Snarling, Ava cuts Stein off who grimaces bowing his head.
"Since you helped me." Stein revealed pained ashamed almost at the fact.
"DAMMIT STEIN! We just…you were a kid I was looking after you I just…I…" Angrily, Ava paces back and forth fuming, furious, furrowing her brow as she seethes, snarls dismissing ignoring the faint figure towering over Stein making her flinch from the sheer sight. She keeps her head down not even wanting to see or acknowledge the figure behind.
"Forget about me Stein whatever delusion you came up with is not happening, not now not ever." Resolved, Ava snaps at him turning her back to him.
"I…had to get it off my chest I get it you have a family I do have some sense of morality." Stein begins brow furrowed.
"Do you though? From what you just did I'd…you know what forget it?" Fed up, Ash raises her hand up exasperated.
"A-" Stein begins but…
"FORGET IT STEIN." Scowling, Ava shoves Stein aside, disgust drenched on her frowning facial features as she storms off leaving him. He comes crashing down, his knees buckling as he slams his eyelids shut, the tears freely falling from him as he screams, slamming his fist down on the ground below, cracks spewing out of the craters formed, feeling the slithering snakes coiled around him only tighten…
"As if I'd let you run!" Blackstar snaps snarling, blade bare before Mifune slashing it against his own as they continue the fight within the bamboo forest, Mosquito holding Angela watching the fight continue on.
"I see his swords aren't just for swinging…" Mosquito raises a brow watching Mifune leap upon the swords stabbed into the ground below, using them as platforms before lunging at him.
"Blackstar! Smoke bomb mode!" Tsubaki takes control, smoke spewing out of nowhere.
"You really saved me that time Tsubaki mode dark sword." Grateful, Blackstar thanks her.
"There's no mistaking it the part of the clan descended from the demon weapon mistress Arachne created. I'd heard Shinigami had obtained one of them so it's her…" Mosquito remarks, glaring at the two.
"Shadow star!" Blackstar declares shadowing spewing out of the enchanted sword.
"So it's this sort of thing dark sword…" Mifune remarks as he easily avoids the shadow strikes slicing them to ribbons.
"He escaped!? Blackstar!" Concerned, Tsubaki cries out as next thing she knew, she watches as Mifune pulled the blades nearby surprising the two, striking and trapping Blackstar within a sword cage using the other plucked blade bashing it into the sword creating vibrations causing further damage to Blackstar lying limp in his sword cage.
"That should be enough the wounds are shallow. You're called Tsubaki right? Hurry up and take that kid and get out of here!?" Unfazed, Mifune frees Blackstar who comes crashing down.
"Why are you working for them!?" Tsubaki demands pained.
"Why did you guys come here? It it because of the witch's facility? The enemies of Shibusen?" Mifune counters calmly.
"A friend of ours is suffering due to a witch's curse and it's retaliation for that." Tsubaki tells him.
"Is that so…sorry about that." Truthfully, Mifune bows his head.
"There's no need for you to apologise you're a good person. You shouldn't wield your sword for a organization like this, a skilled martial artist like you who likes kids should be Shibusen staff you could be a teacher." Tsubaki tells him taking him aback.
"What? Me a teacher? Do…do…don't say such stupid things." Blushing, Mifune grumbles glaring to the side scowling at the thought.
"Shit he took it easy on me again." Annoyed, Blackstar wheezes out barely conscious.
"What is it Mifune? Why don't you hurry up and finish them off?" Impatiently, Mosquito questions him.
"The match is over." Mifune states.
"Shibusen is our greatest enemy there's o reason for us to let them live. If you won't do it you shouldn't think Angela will continue to be protected." Pointedly, Mosquito reminds Mifune making Mifune stop, his grip tightening around his blade.
"It's not over yet!" Stubbornly, Blackstar snaps.
"No Blackstar, no Mifune!" Tsubaki pleads but…
"Sorry…" Mifune raises his blade about to finish Blackstar off when the sharp snap echoes throughout the forest all eyes turning to the bloodied Mosquito.
"A sniper eh!? Where is he!? Blood…I need…" Mosquito seethes cradling his bloodied arm.
"Mosquito sir are yo-Argh!" Worriedly, one of his lackeys rush over to his side only to cry out when they are swiftly sucked up, their blood long gone.
"Angela this way." Unfazed, Mosquito tugs Angela forward.
"Mifune…" Tsubaki's eyes soften sadly at him.
"The second shot missed. I thought that soul was familiar…" Fondly, Naigus says by Sid's side holding a sniper crossbow.
"We always knew Blackstar had this tenancy to get into fights." Sid agrees.
"Wait let's settle this." Blackstar calls out but…
"Don't be impatient you're strong just look forward and keep going. If you do that, the dark sword will respond and try to understand the additional presence inside Tsubaki. I don't like to make a fuss over a sword but you're certainly wilding a good one." Mifune tells the two Tsubaki bursts raw red form his words.
"Of course." Blackstar huffs glaring to the side.
"Give this to that friend of yours who's suffering under the curse." Mifune tosses a small piece of candy to him as he nods and the two leave.
"Welp I'm gonna go home you'll be okay?" Soul asks Maka still bedridden.
"Yeah thanks Marie is here after all." Maka assures him.
"Yo, can I come in, here." Blackstar sighs.
"What's this? Did something happen?" Curious, Maka asks.
"Who knows…it's from some sweet samurai from who knows where." Aloofly, Blackstar tosses said candy over.
"What was that all about?" Maka ponders only then to furrow her brow watching Blackstar leave as she then grimaces.
"What is it?" Soul asks her.
"What's with this candy? He said it was sweet it's seaweed flavoured." Disgusted, Maka whines.
"Well done the other day Sid, Naigus and how was it? Did you get the blueprints for the demon tool we'd heard about? The mortality manipulation machine?" Merrily, Death greets the two.
"Yes and just as the experts predicted it was a fragment of Eibon's book." Sid reports to Death.
"Eibon so it is Eibon after all." Death exclaims.
"Should we destroy that fragment of Eibon's book?" Naigus asks him.
"No. We'll seat it in a secret vault." Death tells the two.
"But…it's so dangerous wouldn't it be better to destroy or rather than put it in a vault." Worried, Naigus furrows her brow.
"Understood we'll immediately have it sealed in a vault. Naigus…let's go." Swiftly, Sid cuts her off.
"Sid…Naigus…nobody is to know about this, keep it a secret." Severely, Death warns the two, his voice turning deep making the two before him flinch from the voice drop from the true voice of the grim reaper…
"I'm home." Drained, Ava opens the door to the manor checking the time, the kids should be asleep by now…
"Welcome home…anything happen on your walk?" Astonished, Ava jolts up at the chirpy voice of her husband bringing a sharp sting of guilt to her chest. She bows her head, unable to look him in the eye not after today…
"Not really anything happen in the death room?" Aloofly, Ava asks crossing her arms over her chest looking to the ground as she answers her husband.
"Not much." Merrily, Death answers as a still silence lingers between the two, an air of heaviness hanging over the two as Ava simply sighs bowing her head.
"Night…" Swiftly, she darts towards the bedroom, too tired, too done with the day.
"Ava…" Tenderly, Death places his hand on Ava's shoulder startling her.
"Hm?" Ava flinches as she looks up, her eyes dilating when he leans in that is until the sharp shove from Ava stops him.
"Ava are y-" Worried, Death stops himself, noting her tense form, seeing her clearly uncomfortable state.
"I…Night." Pained, Ava bows her head ashamed almost unable to look him in the eye as she turns her back to Death leaving the clearly concerned God alone, watching her fleeting figure, head to bed…
*Shiiii...what did you think about that twist? About Ava's reaction? Of her lying to Death? What do you think about Ava and Stein now?*