Another update! Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater or Avatar: The Last Airbender
Heads Up: Language
After that first day, the rest of the week is comparatively slow. Kid wants more airbending lessons, and Maka, glad to know her trip here wasn't a total waste of time, is happy to oblige. Patty and Blackstar make the temple their oyster, leaving the others to do damage control in their wake. Overall, it's pleasant. Relaxing. It makes Kid feel normal again, allows him to forget who he is and just be a teenager again. It's nice, he thinks. To forget.
But not everyone forgets; all throughout their pleasant week, a man watches them. Sharp, careful eyes follow their movements, learn their patterns, and memorize their faces. But he doesn't strike. Not yet. Patience is an old friend, and the man sees no reason to scorn it now. So, he waits. It's an important mission, after all, and he can't afford to fail.
Soon.
"You know you're going to get crumbs everywhere, right?" Kid asks, raising an eyebrow at Blackstar. In the adjacent cot, the blue-haired boy swallows.
"I'll just brush 'em off," he assures his friend, before popping another two macaroons into his mouth. Kid rolls his eyes. Honestly, why does he bother?
The sun sank below the horizon some time ago, but the men's dormitory is still buzzing. Maybe buzzing isn't the right word, Kid muses silently. 'Clinging to consciousness,' more like. Candles flicker on every nightstand, soft light turning shadows fuzzy. It's probably not enough to read by, but Kid tries anyway. Maka wants her copy of Journey to the West back soon, so he can't waste any time finishing it. But right now, lying in bed with his head propped awkwardly against the wall, his vision begins to blur, and he's forced to admit that there's only so much he can read in one night.
"I'm going to sleep," he announces, just loudly enough for Blackstar to hear.
"G'night," the boy mumbles, still snacking away. Kid slides the book beneath his cot and settles down. He just lies there at first, half-listing to whispered conversations. Eventually, though, the hushed voices and soft scent of candle smoke deaden him to the world.
The new moon sits high above the silent temple when the man makes his move. Creeping silently into the chamber, he approaches one of the beds closest to the door. For a moment, he lingers there, staring down at his target. The tousled black hair and boyish face match Arachne's description perfectly, but even if they didn't, the child's presence in the spirit world is unmistakable. This is the Avatar.
Though it's not unexpected, his target's youth still makes the man hesitate. Accomplishing this mission means condemning this boy to pain and misery. Can the man really be a part of that? But as his resolution wavers, another face appears in his mind. A face just as innocent. This is for her, he reminds himself. For her.
Hesitation gone, the man gets to work.
Consciousness returns slowly for Kid. Reluctantly, almost. As though his whole being resists the thought of being awake. Kid can't say he blames it; it's a nice feeling, this weightless disconnect. He wouldn't mind just staying like this, at least for a little while. But Blackstar will be awake soon, and he'll drag Kid down to the mess hall for breakfast, and Kid knows from experience that he'll be better prepared for that if he's the first one awake. So, reluctant but resigned, he forces his eyes open.
Sunlight pours in through the doorway, shining merrily on his groggy roommates. It appears he's slept in today; most of the room's other occupants are still asleep when he usually gets up. What's more surprising, though, is that Blackstar is gone. Did he go to breakfast without me? Kid wonders. It's possible the other boy got impatient, but then why hadn't he just woken Kid up? Blackstar's certainly never been shy about doing so before. Perplexed, Kid decides the best way to find out is to investigate. Hopping out of bed, he heads down to the mess hall.
He spots his friends right away, seated at their usual table, and sure enough, Blackstar is with them. Strangely, no one is eating. Could they be waiting for him? As Kid approaches, though, he notices the troubled looks on their faces.
"...could have gone?" Maka is asking.
"No clue," Liz shakes her head, frowning. Her brow is furrowed; something must be wrong.
"What's the matter?" he asks them, approaching the table. But his friends don't respond. In fact, they don't even look up. "Hello?" he tries again, waving. Are they ignoring him?
"I asked around the dorm before I got here, but none of them saw anything," Blackstar informs the group, his tone lacking its usual boisterousness. "But he fell asleep before me last night, so I know he didn't go anywhere then." What?
"I'm right here!" Kid insists, touching Blackstar's shoulder. Or at least, he tries to. Gold eyes widen in horror and shock as the outstretched hand slides through his friend's arm, like trying to touch mist.
Kid yelps, pulling his hand back as though it's been burned. What? What?!
"Hey!" he shouts, desperate now for their attention. "I'm here! Look! Can't you see me?" Apparently not; despite the commotion he's making, no one in the entire room so much as glances his way. Oh no…
What in the name of the spirits is happening?!
"Freaky, isn't it?" Kid jumps. Standing beside him, where just a moment earlier there'd been empty space, is a tall, muscular man. His light brown hair is cropped close to his scalp, and his clothes are distinctly Earth Kingdom, but the look in his squinting eyes belongs to a worldly soul. Those eyes look down on Kid kindly, but the boy doesn't let his guard down.
"Who are you?" he demands.
"Good question," says the man, taking his own chin in one hand. "I've been a lot of things. I guess you can call me Joe."
"Joe?" Kid echoes, his eyebrows shooting up. No way. "As in, Avatar Joe?"
"Yep," the man nods. Kid can hardly believe his eyes. His predecessor! Here! But how?
"What are you doing here?" he asks. "I thought you were..."
"Dead?" the man cuts him off, amused. Kid nods. "Oh, I'm dead alright. But I'm not dead, you know?" The look on Kid's face must answer that question pretty clearly, because Joe clears his throat. "I mean, yeah, I'm dead, but my spirit gets to stick around. It's an Avatar thing. Part of the whole 'past lives' business. You'll understand."
"Okay," Kid says, not at all sure of that.
"Anyway, the reason I'm here is to introduce you to the spirit world. You've heard of it, right? Well, as the Avatar, part of your job is to make sure the spirit world and the physical one don't throw each other out of whack. Think of it like a set of scales- you're the one who makes sure both sides weigh the same."
"Alright," Kid nods slowly. He's heard bits and pieces of this before, just from rumors and stories about his predecessors. But the confusion on his face remains. "But- not to be rude- why are you telling me this now?" he asks. He appreciates the information, sure, but it's coming from out of the blue.
"You're smart, Kid," Joe says. "Think about it for a second."
This confuses Kid further. Is there something special about today? Something that would allow a spirit to-
Oh.
Duh.
"We're in the spirit world, aren't we?" Kid deadpans, pressing a palm against his forehead. Joe smiles.
"Bingo." Kid groans. Of course, he should have known; spirits don't normally manifest in the physical world, so for him to be able to speak so casually with Joe like this can only mean he's crossed over somehow.
"But how? When?" Kid demands. Glancing down at himself now, he can see his whole body's gained a soft bluish glow. How'd he miss that? Instead of answering him, however, Joe just looks uncomfortable. "What?" Kid pushes, although he doesn't expect to like the answer.
"That's… the other thing I'm here to talk to you about." Uh oh.
Miles below the disembodied Avatar, a man picks his way down a sheer rock face. The going is slow, but the man makes the most of his skill, allowing himself to fall between footholds for a slightly faster descent. As he goes, though, he takes great care not to jostle the body slung over his shoulder.
He hopes that, when the time comes to call back the boy's spirit, the young Avatar will forgive him.
He isn't counting on it, though.
Kid can hardly believe his ears. Or at least, he wouldn't be able to, were his physical ears not probably halfway down the mountain by now.
"How is that possible?" he asks, almost pleadingly. A sword did this? A regular, human-made sword?
"He's spent more than his fair share of time in the spirit world," Joe explains, as though the idea of someone cutting your spirit out of your body is perfectly natural and nothing to get so worked up about. "His sword was probably forged there. Off the top of my head, I can name a dozen spirits who could've helped him do it. He must be a pretty spectacular swordsman to have attracted their attention, though."
"Fantastic," Kid groans, his face back in his hands. Arachne- because he's certain she has something to do with this, why can't she leave him alone?- couldn't have sent someone normal after him, could she? No, she had to find a human sword god to do her dirty work!
"Oh, come on, it's not that bad," Joe says placatingly, earning a scowl for his efforts.
"How so?" Kid challenges. Because really, he can't think of any way this situation could be worse.
"Well, you've got those friends of yours here, for one thing. Why don't you get them to go after the guy?" Joe suggests.
"How? They can't see or hear me!" Kid reminds him. In response, Joe merely grins.
"You'll figure it out," he assures the boy. Kid glares at him, unamused.
"You know, for a spiritual advisor, you're not much help," he points out flatly. Joe just chuckles.