"This party is huge!" Happily, Maka beams brightly at the party in the gallows manor smiling softly at the music, the buffet, the platter proudly on display as people chitter, chatter, converse, gossip with one another.
"This is what's to be expected of Lord and Lady Death's son." Soul remarks impressed by the chandelier hanging above swaying slightly from side to side, hands shoved into his pockets.
"Delicious!" Patty smiles as she happily munches on the food on the plate from the buffet spread.
"Tsubaki the food you bought is really delicious can I say I made it?" Hopeful, Liz asks Tsubaki.
"Eh? I don't really mind but why?" Confused, Tsubaki questions her.
"Hot guy detected, nice to meet you I'm Liz. I made this food won't you try some?" Smiling, Liz approaches a male, offering her plate to the stranger smiling sweetly at him.
"Oh? Which ones did you make?" The male asks curious.
"Come this way." Liz guides him over to the buffet.
"To be able to eat food made by a cute girl like you lucky me!" Gleefully, the male beams brightly at the prospect.
"This is what adults do." Dubiously, Liz smirks slyly.
"Even if you say that you'll be exposed soon." Sighing, Kid deadpans crossing his arms over his chest in disapproval.
"Mom! Mama! Mother!" Together, both Blackstar and Patty pounce upon Liz startling her as she gasps at the two with their arms wrapped around her body.
"What Patty!?" Alarmed, Liz snaps scowling down at her younger sister.
"Eh!? You had a kid that age!?" Horrified, the man gawks gaping at the two.
"Mommy!" Blackstar joins in snickering.
"You too!?" Liz turns to gape at the traitor that is Blackstar.
"Whoa there are two!?" Horrified, the man takes note of Blackstar.
"This isn't what it looks like!" Panicked, Liz tries to defend herself but…
"Sorry I have some business to tend to." Tensely, the male smiles strained, sweat sliding down the side of his tense temple before leaving.
"You suck!" Scowling, she snaps at both the cackling Blackstar and Patty falling flat on their butts heckling just as the door creaks open to reveal a scowling grimacing Ava, cradling her head, her brow furrowed, her fatigued facial features furrowing further when wincing from the sharp sound of the music resonating throughout the room.
"Mother welcome home." Happily, Kid turns to greet his mother beaming brightly at Ava, gaping, gawking at the sheer sight of the gala taking place before her.
"Kid…what is this?" Tensely, Ava demands from her son seething, her gold glancing from side to side, glaring at each and every stranger in her house.
"Well it's a party I thought Crona deserved one." Kid reveals to his mother smiling softly up at her as he glances over at the pinkette holding themselves in the corner, shaking, shuddering, trying to hide away from it all.
"And you didn't console your father nor me about it!?" Hissing, Ava snippily snaps at her son scowling.
"Well I told father but I thought he told you, you both have been rather busy of late so I thought.." Kid begins making Ava seethe, feeling her blood boil, bubble, burn feeling her heart hammer against her chest making her grimace.
"You assumed Kid, you presumed a lot." Poisonously, Ava sneers snapping at her son, her toxic tongue dripping down as she glares down at her son scowling.
"I….I'm sorry look I was hoping we could talk, during the mission when I found the eternal spring there was writing behind it mentioned the wicked sorcerer Eibon and dad…could you…?" Apologetic, Kid begins only making Ava seethe pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Kid stop." Scowling, Ava raises her hand done.
"Mother please I just want to understand…!" Pleadingly, Kid begs but…
"You don't need to understand everything kid." Annoyed, Ava brushes her son off as some stranger approach her forcing a strained smile upon her fatigued features, greeting a fair few, draining her further.
"I'm sorry but as the next grim reap-" Annoyed, Kid begins but..
"Enough!" Angrily, Ava snaps just as the music stops feeling all eyes on them as Ava scowls down at her son.
"Mother?" Taken aback, Kid blinks baffled by the anguished Ava.
"Kid I've come home from a rather tiring day to having to greet some strangers in my home." Hissing, she snaps at her son.
"Mother I…" Kid begins.
"Don't." Sharply, she cuts Kid off.
"Mother please!" Pleadingly, Kid begs but once more but…
"No Kid enjoy the party you set up without your parents' consent, enjoy the party you suddenly sprung upon your parents, enjoy this party because it's what you wanted." Seething, she stretches her arms out gesturing to the party.
"I…I'm sorry." Kid bows his head.
"Apologies aren't good enough. You are so selfish! You only think about yourself! You're just like your father…" Fuming, Ava begins seething.
"Mother…" Kid whispers hurt.
"Don't talk to me Kid for the rest of the night you enjoy the party that you made, that you created, that you organised while I go after a hard day of work to sleep while the money, I made for today is wasted on these strangers." Sneering, she turns on her heel storming off, not paying attention to anyone just wanting to get to her room.
"Whoa…" Soul stares wide eyed at the exchange still reeling from it.
"Hey L-" Blackstar calls out only to be interrupted by the sharp slam of the door.
"Blackstar don't." Tiredly, Tsubaki whispers placing her hand on his shoulder.
"But that ain't right!" Blackstar disputes.
"Hey Kid are you okay?" Maka asks him.
"I…I've never seen mother act like that before." Confused, Kid confesses crossing his arms over his chest.
"She's probably just having an off day." Maka points out unaware of both Liz and Patty sharing a look stunned at her outburst she was normally so patient with people with Kid especially for her to snap like that…
"Maybe I should leave some food at her door for her." Thoughtfully, Kid considers looking over the buffet.
"…Maybe but not now maybe later when she's calmed down a bit." Maka smiles softly at Kid.
"Yeah…maybe." Meekly, Kid sighs sadly dejected even as he turns away watching the fleeting figure of his mother storm off, feeling the sharp twist to his chest, his grip tightening around himself, not quite sure what to make of his mother's mood.
"K-Kid?" Crona shyly shuffles over to Kid's seeing him look over the party, seeing the people converse as he watches over it all.
"Hm?" Kid hums turning to look over at Crona.
"Are you…okay?" Concerned, Crona questions Kid.
"I…I haven't heard mother talk like that for quite some time." Tensely, Kid smiles strained rubbing at his arm.
"If it makes you feel better lady Medusa would talk to me like that as well." Crona offers making Kid furrow his brow.
"Well yes…how about we change topic how are you enjoying the party?" Politely, Kid offers smiling strained at the comparison.
"I…I'm not used to it yet…but…it…it doesn't bother me." Meekly, Crona offers staring down at their fidgeting fingertips.
"Good. Sorry about them…it's never calm when you keep loud company like them." Tiredl,y Kid sighs gesturing over to their friendship group animatedly conversing.
"Ah surely." Crona nods their head.
"Nobody's going to run away join our circle at your own pace there's no rush." Calmly, Kid assures Crona.
"Y-Yeah thanks…" Thankful, Crona smiles.
"I was like you once." Kid confesses to Crona.
"Y-You were…?" Crona raises a brow surprised.
"Yes. I didn't grow up around people my own age, so I didn't have much experience in social interactions. My mother would try but I never did quite fit in whether it was due to my Shinigami status or my personality not many saw me as a friend." Fondly, Kid bows his head smiling sadly at the memory of his younger self wearing a small suit clinging to his mother's side his small hand always inside his mother's bigger hand it always brought a sense of security for Kid. He would be taken to meeting after meeting not trusted to be on his own even if he were a Shinigami, he was still a child, a babe at that.
"I…I'm sorry about that." Crona bows their head.
"It's alright when I was younger when it came to crowd I would sweat bullets, I felt like I couldn't breath." Amused, Kid chuckles solemnly at the memory of his frightened form, shaking, quivering quaking when taken to galas.
"Y-You too did you faint?" Crona ponders.
"On more times than most but that would be due to someone coming up to mother in the most unsymmetrical attire I would see. Mother would always calm me down; she just knew when I would freak out." Softly, Kid smiles at the memory of his mother combing her fingertips through his hair as he sobbed, crying his heart out.
"Wha…what would she do?" Crona asks Kid snapping himself out of memory lane.
"If it got too much for me she'd take my hand squeezing it and then take me outside, where the silence would help a lot and when I would calm my nerves, we'd talk about small things, art, literature. You name it we talked about it until she'd ask if I was ready to go back inside." Smiling, kid recalls his mother's patience, the two simply staring up at the sars and moon talking about who knows what, her listening to the beauty of symmetry time and time again never growing old of the topic.
"Your mother sounds…nice." Crona smiles shyly at him.
"She is. If you ever feel like that Crona you can talk to me about it. Or her." Kid assures Crona.
"I…" Touched, Crona bows their head.
"If it wasn't for mother pushing me I wouldn't be where I am now I suppose." Kid considers sighing sadly.
"Yo! What you doing all quiet over here? It's a party let's have some fun." Excited, Blackstar bellows draping his arms around the two getting in between them.
"Uh…uh…" Crona stutters shocked by his forwardness only then to gasp as Maka performs a Maka chop on Blackstar blood gushes out of the corpse that was Blackstar.
"What was that for!?" Fuming, Blackstar demands from Maka mad.
"Don't tease Crona." Maka crosses her arms over her chest scolding him.
"What me? How was that teasing!? Hey Crona! If there's anyone teasing you feel free to let me know the great Blackstar will beat them down." Blackstar promises Crona.
"Why are you all?" Touched, Crona whimpers tears threatening to fall from their eyes.
"It's obvious we're all your friends!" Maka tells him.
"Soul thanks for bringing the records." Liz tells Soul.
"Ah were these okay?" Soul asks.
"They're really good!" Liz reassures him.
"You said you wanted something to dance to so I ended up bringing some funk doesn't really match the atmosphere of the room though." Soul tuts furrowing his brow at the music.
"Really?" Liz raises a brow.
"Then play the piano there's one here after all. It's been a while since I heard you play." Perkily, Maka wraps her arm around Soul pointing towards the piano.
"What's with this all of a sudden…give me a break." Aloofly, Soul brushes Maka off sliding his arm out of her arms.
"So…he can play piano." Liz raises a brow intrigued.
"Soul played for me just once when we were first partnered." Maka recalls.
"What kind of song?" Liz asks.
"A really dark strange song. This is the king of guy I am he said and played but somehow I think his aloofness was what made him interesting as a partner. "
"Aw shame I missed my chance to hear it."
"Mother? I…I left some food for you Mother I just…I'm sorry I really am I didn't mean to make you upset I just…you and dad have been so busy it's been a while since we had a meal as a family and I thought…never mind. I know you and dad have a responsibility as do I." Kid attempts to explain himself, his fingertips fidgeting tighten around the plate seeing it shake, shudder, quake as he tries to collect himself.
"…" Slowly, he places the plate down waiting patiently for some sort of reply but flinches from the still silence of the room.
"I'll…I'll leave it here. Night mother." Dejected, Kid whispers bowing his head sorrowfully as he leaves her, heading back to the party.
"Well let's leave it for the night." Maka smiles as the group leave the party, now standing outside the gallows manor.
"You think Kid will be okay with his mother?" Concerned, Crona asks Maka as they watch Kid and the twins come over to say farewell to the other.
"Yeah, they just have a tiff that's normal for all parents and children." Maka waves Crona off assuring them.
"Yeah, Maka and her dad are a staple of that." Soul smirks slyly.
"Oh shut up! Not my fault papa's a waste of space!" Mad, Maka huffs grumbling to the side.
"Crona come hang out at my place next time!" Blackstar tells them.
"I don't mind cooking it's enough for someone with a appetite as big as Ragnarok's." Tentatively, Tsubaki smiles softly at the two.
"See you later then." Crona smiles shyly waving farewell.
"Bye bye!" Patty winks.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Maka tells them as they watch Crona leave.
"Hey Crona you should find a partner that can cook like Tsubaki." Ragnarok tells Crona as the two roam the alleyway through Death City.
"How can I do that? I thought you were already my partner. The party was a lot of fun wasn't it?" Chirpily, Crona smiles shyly up at Ragnarok.
"Tch the food was good at least." Ragnarok grumbles giving the party that much.
"Huh…" Crona smiles only then to falter when passing by a lone crate where a familiar figure garbed in a hood sits perched on the crate.
"I've been waiting for you, hi Crona." Cheerily, the blonde beams brightly, sickly smiling at Crona.
"Lady Medusa…" Crona whispers, shaking, shuddering shivering from the sight of the blonde.
"I've missed you Crona. I'm so happy you recognised me even in this form pitiful." Relieved, Medusa drops down from the crate, looking up at Crona hands behind her back feigning innocence.
"You got smaller just like me." Ragnarok blurts out.
"Wh…why are you in death city?" Crona questions lost.
"I was really worried about you." Medusa smiles.
"Worried, are you here to take me back?" Hopeful, Crona smiles.
"No you should stay here at the academy, it's the perfect situation for you to spy for me." Medusa tells Crona.
"Eh?!" Crona says shocked.
"S…Sp…spy? I…I can't!" Crona cries out alarmed.
"Don't be so humble, isn't that the reason you infiltrated the academy to spy on them for me? This is work only you can do Crona. Somewhere in Shibusen there should be a secret vault concentrate on finding that for now. I'll contact you again." Medusa tells them.
"W-Wait I have friends in the academy. To betray them is…they'd be very mad at me and I don't know how to deal with that." Tensely, Crona tries to argue but…
"You'll do it for your mum won't you?" Curtly, Medusa cuts Crona off making them flinch from her words.
"I understand." Crona bows their head pained.
"Honey I'm home!" Happily, Death cheers as he returns home, raising a brow to find her sipping some tea, sat on the table, brow furrowed.
"..." Silently, she sips her tea, glaring down at the table below, a book open before her proudly presented before her.
"I heard Kid had quite the party was it fun?" Death asks her unaware of her darkened facial features.
"…" Scowling, her darkened gold glare down at the pages presented before her.
"Ava?" Death calls out making her flinch, her gold lighting up, her gold gleaming.
"Kid mentioned Eibon." Icily, Ava answers making Death stop, the air tightening turning heavy, hanging in the air.
"…Did he now?" Death exclaims a still silence in the air.
"Anything you'd like to tell me?" Angrily, Ava's grip tightens around her mug.
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Coolly, Death counters.
"…" Silently, she sips her tea.
"We're really doing this again?" Disappointed, Death sighs.
"If you won't play ball neither will I." Stubbornly, Ava answers her fingertips fidgeting, tapping tensely against her cup.
"Oh really? You told me you were going out for some fresh air you left Death City. You went to find Stein didn't you?" Death accuses as Ava grimaces, flinching from the memory, her features darkening at the memory.
"Death…" Warningly, Ava begins brow furrowed.
"Being around him is dangerous for you Ava I understand you see him as a son of sorts but…" Death begins but…
"Don't." Sharply, she snaps at him.
"Ava?" Death raises a brow befuddled.
"Just don't please." Pleadingly, she begs.
"Ava what's going…?" Concerned, Death reaches out to her but…
"You're hiding secrets from me…again." Annoyed, Ava snaps standing from her seat.
"So are you." Defensively, Death points out.
"You know what? I rather not sleep in bed with someone keeping stuff from me." Mad, Ava raises her hand sup in exasperation.
"Ava you're being dramatic." Death sighs shaking his head at her.
"I'm being dramatic? I'm not the one hiding shit from his wife, again!" Enraged, Ava roars tears in her eyes unaware of a certain Kid leaning against the wall, listening in pained before bowing his head and dismissing himself deciding it best to do his own research leaving his parents to argue ignoring the tightness in his chest.
"Nothing there. I'm not finding anything useful in this level one reference books. Who is Eibon…?" Kid ponders as he sits in the library brow furrowed after closing the last lid of the book before placing ti down on the side.
"Excuse me?" Kid approaches the counter.
"Yes how can I help you? Are you looking for a book?" The librarian greets Kid leant against the counter.
"I'm trying to research a man whose information is in a book in the highest level 4 block." Kid informs the librarian.
"May I see your student ID? I'm terribly sorry students with one or two stars may access up to level 1 those with three may access level 2 and facility are only able to access level 3 and level 4 is restricted to death scythes and senior technicians." The librarian requests.
"Look at the back of the ID please." Sighing, Kid hands over the ID.
"My humblest apologises I didn't realise you were lord and lady death's son I will go and fetch the book you requested immediately, please wait one moment." The librarian bows his head apologetic.
"Thank you." Kid sighs crossing his arms over his chest as the librarian leaves him to his thoughts.
If I were to ask father about this it would be the same as when I ask about the kishin era. He won't tell me anything and neither will mother. She isn't like this but she seems to touchy of a subject to ask her about so I have no choice but to investigate it myself.
"Excuse me I apologise for the wait…" The librarian snaps Kid out of his thoughts.
"Have you found it?" Kid asks.
"Yes one volume in the level 4 block related to Eibon." He reports to Kid.
"Then tell me which shelf it's on immediately." Kid demands brow furrowed.
"About that…it appears that is was borrowed two months ago and has not been as of yet." The librarian tells Kid.
"Do you know who borrowed it?" Impatiently, Kid queries.
"I'm terrible sorry due to our ineptitude we are unable to ascertain who borrowed the book in question. In addition, all we have for a signature is the letter M I'm sorry, I'm terribly sorry." Apologetic, the librarian bows his head.
"But who would borrow a book like this? The book was borrowed approximately two months ago April 1st the eve of the anniversary of the academy's founding, the day of the attack leading to the kishin's revival!" Horrified, Kid gawks, gaping at the realization after stopping his fidgeting fingertips tagging against the smooth surface of the counter scowling at the realization, the puzzle pieces finally clicking in with the answer being…
"Medusa!"