We get some pretty explicated stuff in here but if you don't like it… oh well go away. We're all big kids and if you aren't then it was your choice to come into a big kid story so act like one.
Side not: for those of you who don't know, I hate it when authors do a note or comment breaking the forth wall in the middle of a story. It's a sin really. So I do these '*' to show additional useless information or my wit. They are always at the bottom of the story.
Thanks for the reviews and new adds. Btw I am change the update day to Saturday. Selfish reasons.
Enjoy RxR
I suppose the glory of death is how it revels in the darkness.
As I wander down the hall the blackness is thick and ominous. All the previously lit candles that danced with the slightest breeze have since been blown out.
"Kid." I call out hoping to somehow find my way. During the rush of people leaving the ball room I lost him in the crowd. And so I find myself alone and lost in a massive castle that for all intensive purposes, is empty.
I can hear people in other parts of the palace, laughing and yelling, but the wing we turned off on is abandoned. I don't know where he went or why he hasn't come back, all I know is I'm alone here.
The darkness is messing with my mind. I hear little things scratching on the floor and cold fingers trace across my body. They slide across my shoulders and neck in a cold and sickening caress. I brush the nothingness away but it forms again, more violently. It pulls and rips at my dress, shredding the skin beneath it. I need to get away. I need to run.
I take one step and fall. I spiral down into a black hole with hands that reach out and tear. I hear cloth rip but I can't open my eyes. I cannot look at what monster is trying to devour me.
My eye lids burn. It feels like hot coals are hiding just under the lids. Something pulls at my lashes tearing them up. It's trying to force open my eyes. I refuse to look.
"Maka? How did you get down here?" My eyes shoot open and the burning stops. The prince is in front of me looking down… I have somehow managed to fall on the floor but nothing else is out of the ordinary. My dress and skin are all intact, no burns or bruises. It's like he never left.
"Kid-d? Thank god I was so scared!" I jump to my feet and pull him close to me. Nothing has been more terrifying in my life.
"Guess again." A voice that was distinctly not the prince's sneers. On instinct I jump back, nearly tripping over my dress which has returned to ruin. The walls are cracked and broken with flames licking out to roast me alive. . A muted red light turns on nearby. A person stands in front of me clothed head to toe in bandages. Only her mouth is visible, pulled into a mocking smile.
"What's wrong? Don't you recognize me?" The girl chuckels deeply, it sends chills down my spine. The cracks grow deeper. "I'm you, my dear, the real you."
"That's ridiculous." I relax my posture but remain tense. I don't think she'll hurt me but I can't be sure.
"Is it? Do tell."
"It's common logic! How can someone be me when I am me? This is insane run along kid, I'm sure your mom is looking for you." I try to brush off her words but something's not right. It feels… dangerous.
"Logic? Logic! You want to argue logic while staying in the underworld?" She cackels and beens all the way back. The bandages shift and a pair of light brown pig tales come loose to touch the floor. Suddenly she is silent, you can hear her back pop as she bends up.
"That's right, you are in the underworld. What's hell like Maka? That's obviously where you deserve to end up." Something about the words is hitting home.
"Shut up." I can barely stutter out the words as she steps toward me. The bandages on her legs coming undone. The plaid of my school uniform slips out and billows with her walk.
"Shut up? That's all you can say? After all I have done for you, I just get a shut up?"
"G-go away." She's getting too close.
"And a go away? My what an ungrateful soul."
"Get back! Stay away!" She's nearly on me. the bandages on her chest loosening to reveal a white blouse.
"No Maka. You will never be able to be rid of me. No matter what." She is standing in front of me now. Her mouth is in a hard line and her hands are clenched.
"Who are you?"
"Who am I? My Maka, you have known me for 16 years! I already told you who I was. I am you." The bandages around her face explode outward as if cut with imaginary scissors. The face is sickly and gray; eyes are missing from the sockets just leaving dark holes of blackness and decay. She leans over to whisper in my ear. "I am the body you left behind."
I trip again as I try to back up. The dress that was once so beautiful tears again and is stained with bright red blood. "N-no."
"It's true." She throws back her head in laughter. "You left me behind as well as your father, Soul, Justin, even the memory of your own mother. I bet you haven't even thought about her. What a nasty little daughter. It's so funny, they searched for you for the longest time. When they found me, oh the look on their faces. A corpse rotting in the desert, how classic!"
Her laughter stops and she turns her neck towards me, cracking the vertebrae. "Do you know how long a body without a soul lives? Because I sure do, and it's a rather short time. By the time they found you, you were a dried out husk. And now, here you are, enjoying a party with your friends while they grieved. Shame on you."
"What will you do to me?"
"Hm?"
I stand up and take a step to close the distance between us. She reeks of death but I don't back down. "You're right, I did all those things. And I know I am an awful person for it. I will take whatever punishment you give."
Her mouth twitches twice. "This isn't right. You should be a crumbeled heap on the floor. Why are you still standing?"
"Because I haven't paid what is due yet." The girl steps back, quivering slightly.
"The payment? For this is beyond that of death, you owe so much!" Her confidence starts to build again and I have to squash it down.
"Then I will pay it."
"You cannot! The sin is to great for you ever to pay off."
"You keep saying the same thing, you know that?" I take a step forward on a gamble. It pays off as she stumble back,
"What about Soul? Hm, you left your best friend. Have you ever wondered how crushed he was?"
"Every day. But you I wonder about in a different way. You know, I've learned a lot of things while I've been down here. One of them being a body cannot live without a soul."
"T-that's right. I'm dead because you killed me."
"No, because a body without a soul cannot live. How could you die if you were never alive in the first place."
"I was alive! I was you! You were me! We were together until you tossed me away!" She's shaking now. Her voice rising violently.
"If we were so together, then how am I alive and you dead? Where's your answer for that, Maka?"
"Stop this! You should be running from your sin. Why do you just stand there? I-I'll kill you!" Her empty eyes become three red slits. A new ball erupts from them in spurt of blood and screaming. They look around shaking to take in their surroundings before focusing on me.
"I'll fucking kill you!" She charges toward me and I ready my stance. My arms stretch out as hers shape into claws. I feel a searing pain in my side as they connect before digging into the flesh. Her arms rip up towards my chest hell bent on ripping my very heart from my body. The eyes stare madly into mine as she pulls back her arm. My blood flicks across the green curtains, staining them to a dark brown.
"You think you can escape me with a few clever words? Escape what you have done?! People like you don't get to live happy lives; people like you need to rot in the undying flames until your very soul is seared to ashes!" Her nails rocket towards my chest. A look of pure fury contorts her no-longer human face. It's a very sad sight to see before death. One I am sure I cannot live through.
"I'm sorry." She freezes when my arms close around her. It's a soft embrace, like I'm sure my mother would have once given me.
"Hm, interesting." The vision of the girl melts, splashing into a puddle on the floor. The black liquid seeps through the rug and disappears below.
"I see you have contracted my little experiment, no? How very strange?" A man materialized in front of me. A long white jacket drops to his knees. The fabric is dyed red in splatters. It's sickening, like freshly spilt blood. It puffs with unseen air currents as a haze seems to settle around us.
A glare from his face makes me squint. His shadow still hidden in the mist I cannot make him out. "Who are you?"
"Me? I am whoever I want to be." The man's shadow is gone and I spin around trying to keep him in sight. All I see is mist.
"Baby? Is that you?" I whip around to face him but am nearly shocked to the floor. My father stands in front of me, his arm out stretched and smiling. "I've been looking all over for you, Papa missed you!"
There are tears in his eyes and I run forward to jump into his arms. Arms I have missed so much over the years. But, as I come close enough to touch him, he vanishes into a wisp of smoke. I ball my fist and feel the nails puncture the skin. I need to remain calm, to find out what's going on. This is not real, it cannot be.
"What do you want with me? What's going on?" A black could floats through the mist. It winds its way around me, trapping me on all sides but not poisoning me with its touch. The tip of the cloud balls into a figure near my face. Its eyes glow a deep orange and elongate. The outline of its mouth show long jagged teeth before falling into a backdrop of fiery orange.*
"What's going on? My dear, you are part of my excrement now. The moment the Black infested your body, you became mine." I swirls its way around me in a slow winding motion. I try to keep my voice low and threatening.
"Then what do you want?"
"Why you of course my dear. Such a rare specimen, a once in an eon chance really. A human has never been able to sustain the disease for long, how glorious would it be to see the effects on a human, and one who could not die at that." It chuckles darkly and I resist the urge to swat at it.
"I don't have time to be a pet guinea pig, so go find another." I walk through the corkscrew of black smoke that had surrounded me. I will not allow myself to show fear. But, the father I go the louder the voice gets. Before long, I am running.
"You are wrong." The haze springs up in front of me and I twist the other direction and take off into the white. "You are in my world now."
The smoke appears again and I try to back away only to hit something solid. It slowly floats closer. "We have all the time I need. I wonder how long it will take. I wonder how much I can do before it breaks you."
"MAKA!" Kid comes flying through the mist and I have to shut my eyes. No one is coming to my recuse. This is all too real, all too powerful. The footsteps suddenly stop and I feel like crying.
"Ah young Prince, how are you this evening?"
"What are you doing to her Hatred?"
"We are just having some private time, isn't that right my pet?" I risk opening my eyes, terrified of what I'll see. Surprisingly, I find myself staring at the ceiling of a brightly lit hall. Kid is staring at me with an almost hurt look in his eyes. I smile instinctively at him.
That's when feeling of my body returns. I am pushed up against a wall. My skirt is bunched up to my hips and torn to shreds. The man in the splattered coat has his body pressed close to mine. So close I can feel just what was about to happen to me. But what purely terrified me was the screw in his head.
"Oh god no! It's still going! Make it stop!" I start to struggle and the man growls slightly. I need to make it out of this madness. I need to get back to the real world. How will you know what is real anymore?
"Get the hell off her." The man doesn't move and I start screaming. "NOW, STEIN!"
The weight is lifted from me and I fall to the ground in a heap. Kid's eyes are glowing a blue so deep they are nearly black, his hands reaching out into space and smoking slightly. A tree sized hole in the wall shadows back into several rooms until it becomes too dark to see further. Kid starts through the first hole when my throat catches.
"Maka? Maka!" He is there in an instant, at an impossible speed. The glowing is gone but under the immediate layer of concern I see a dark pool of death. It's so embarrassing to say but I lean into him. I feel like if I didn't touch anyone soon, I would fall to pieces. I have to know that this is real.
"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" I'm afraid to speak so I just shake my head.
"What happened?" Another head shake. "You won't tell me? Do you not trust me?"
I look up immediately at that and violent shake my head left and right. I clutch on to his jacket and try to stand, only to find my legs have as much support as jello. "Right, I should get you back to the room, we can talk about it then."
I nod and grab the nearest column and try to pull myself up. The prince is watching with an amused expression. "This is nonsense. You could make it back faster by crawling. I am going to carry you."
Oh no way in hell.* I manage to stand. His stance challenges mine. I refuse to have him carry me, it would be a blow to my pride. I take a step forward accepting his challenge. And then, I promptly fell back into a heap on the ground.
"Come on human. Let's go." He drapes a hand under my knees and another around my back. The warmth is comforting. As we walk I lace my hands around his neck, hoping it will make carrying me easier. He says nothing as we continue through the halls.
A few minutes later he turns down a dark one. The candles are blown out and the blackness is terrifying. I burrow into his neck, trying to hide from the coldness seeping in around me. The hand on my back rubs reassuringly.
"It will be okay we're almost there." The light begins to fade back in as he carries me into a more comforting passage. The dark is gone and lanterns flicker every few feet on the wall. But, no matter how often I tell myself I am now safe the light casts into the dark corners of the room, tinting them a bloody red before flickering into the shadows. I start to squirm in his arms slightly embarrassed to still be carried and to be hiding behind him like a child behind it's mothers skirts.
Unhooking my legs I step down.
"Maka? Is everything alright?" I take a step behind him, this time sure to grab onto his suit so I won't get lost. I simply nod and push him forward a bit, he spent the night watching my back, I can at least return the favor.
I'm starting to notice shadows I have missed before. With the movement in the lighting they are easy to miss, but if you watch close enough not every motion matches up with its pattern. I take a step closer to the Prince, hovering just inches from his back.
"We are being watched." I whisper softly into his ear. It must not look like anything more than friends to someone passing by, but it's the only thing holding back the darkness around us.
"I am aware. Follow me." He suddenly spins around to face me. His eyes are fiery and protective. His voice seems normal and even toned but subtle features give away the trick.
"Maka my dearest. Are you well, tell me what that man did to my most prized possession." His hand traces down the side of my cheek and I shiver. It is not the touch but the way he addresses me. Possession! Like some common whore, I will kick the shit out of you Kid! I swear it.
"I would never let him do anything my love. I am only yours to have." I lean my chest into his coquettishly. His cheeks color slightly and clears his throat. I can only chuckle at his unusual reaction. But, as his hands rest on my waist I realize we had better sell it.
"The only loss of the night was my lovely dress. However, I must wonder if you do prefer it this way…my Lord." The dress's new slits rode up high on my thigh. You couldn't actually see anything but it is still too much for my comfort.*
"Indeed. Let's move to my chambers, I will claim you again tonight. And any man or demon who dare lay a hand on what is mine again will find it effectively removed." Something stirs in me. The shadows shoot away, no doubt to tell their master what they saw, but I remain in his arms with an evil grin on my face. His last statement may had been said to make a point but I can hear the truth in it.
You hold such power over the Prince of death. How easily you could break his small little heart and watch him spiral down in flames. I giggle in spite of myself. The world has suddenly become hilarious, even the look of concern on Kid's face is hysterical.
No he's my friend. Why would I want to hurt him?
You really think that...boy is your friend? Please you are just a political pawn to him.
That's not true.
You don't think so? Well think of this, what happens after you stop being useful, hm?
What are you talking about nothing will change.
Really? Do you know what most people do with useless people? They leave them to die in the desert.
He wouldn't do that...would he?
Yes child of course he would. You can however prevent it.
H-how?
Just let me handle it. I do have the best for you in mind.
00000000000000000000000
"What's wrong my prince? Weren't you about to take me to your room and ravish me?"
Something is very, very wrong. After everything she has been through tonight she should be in a ball on the floor not laughing like mad jester. The Black's hallucinations are nothing to be trifled with, yet she recovers near instantaneously only to return to laughing.
"Maka. They are all gone. You can stop." This only seems to make her laugh more. She grabs my wrist and yanks a little too hard. Together she drags us down the hall and toward the room.
"Oh no you are the one who should have me saying that." She pulls us along and I feel the familiar pop of us passing through the wards. Nothing can enter, demon or otherwise other than Liz, Patti, and present company.
She kicks the door open and prances across the room with me still in tow. However she does not stop in the main room.
"There are wards they can't get in here."
"Oh but Kid, weren't you going to fuck me until everyone knew I was yours? What happened to him." She pulls herself close to my body and walks her fingers up my chest. She leans over to whisper in my ear while biting. "I liked him."
"MAKA! This is highly inappropriate! You are my guest and as of the last time I had spoken about it with you we are not sexual partners!" She kicks open my bedroom door and I follow.
"What, the human whore not good enough for you? That hurts me Kid. But that budge in your pants seems to say otherwise." I cover myself instantly and cough awkwardly. She twirls madly around my bedroom and lets gophers torn skirt rises, revealing more of her legs than it should.
"What is troubling you? Your behavior is inexplicable. And would you quit spinning?!" Her dance is infuriating as she spins out of my sight and back into it constantly. As her speed picks up and her dress rises higher I notice some red on the top of her thighs.
With the speed of lightening I have her pinned on the bed while I kneel between her legs. The soft silk is in tatters and is dirtied from her time on the dusty floor. Her hand hooks under my chin and forced my gaze away.
"That's more like it. Make me your slave and I will destroy you!"
"Maka, stop this you aren't making sense! I am simply checking your injuries. If I offend you by this I will desist immediately." She crackles loudly and her back arches against the bed. I am highly concerned with this behavior, I am not quite sure how much of it is her human side and how much is the Black. After all, the Black only takes from what is already inside of you.
"Oh no Kid, don't stop. We are just starting the fun." She falls back form her sitting position into a fit of giggles, tracing her hand across the lowered neckline of her dress.
"Ehm, very well. Well then I will just check your wounds then." As my skin touches her's I am met by that strange warmth again pooling near my stomach. I intended to brush it off but I notice that as I slowly push the fabric away my hands shake against her. And her skin, that flawless, beautiful skin it's so soft.
Her breathing deepens and I slow, careful not to harm her. As I near the tops of her thighs my fingers brush the inside of the leg. She moans loudly and I jump. Freezing where I kneel I look for any sign of an injury I had accidently touched. I am still surveying her when her eyes flutter open. She giggles girlishly and I feel that warmth tug at me.
Sitting up slightly she cocks her head to the side. "Oh, you don't know what to do, do you? Well that's alright, I can teach you."
Her hand rest on mine pulling the dress all the way up as she holds her gaze with mine. My body is roaring at me to look down as something primal screams for me to take my prize. All that is changed when something wet touches my hand. Glancing down all there is, is red. The skin has been scrathed and torn raw revealing the muscle underneath. The wounds are seeping slowly, dying the cloth around them crimson.
"Maka you're hurt!" She sits up and rolls her eyes.
"it's only a scratch. I would love to see the damage someone like you could do." Her arms lace around my neck but I pull away far too distracted by the wound. Her hand drifts down toward it and I snatch it without thinking.
"Snap out of it!" I shout at the girl. Her mind seems to clear for a moment but that is all I need. I notice little chunks of red underneath her nails and shove it near her face. "Do you see this? You did this to yourself. Why? What happened?!"
She pauses and focuses on her hand. Her pupils dialate to normal size and stop shaking. Her breath picks up and her arm quivers. Her voice is quite and childish again. I release her wrist and lean back on my knees to give her some room. "It was dark, there were things. They were all over me, and hands. God Kid it was so awful… and ripped and tore at my skin, down to the bone."
She stares at her hands, both of which are covered in blood. Something I should have noticed earlier. "Why?"
"I don't, I don't know. There was a mist and haze. It was talking about an experiment. How did we get back here?"
Stein! I pat her shoulder reassuringly but she pulls away from the touch. I can't say I blame her and she seems semi normal again anyway. "I came and found you. You were…. On the floor, trapped in the closest."
Why am I lying to her?
"But… it was so real. I could feel it. I swear Kid it wasn't a dream."
"No it was not dream. It was the Black. It is a sickness of the mind, making you see things that aren't really there. Shhh now, you are safe here." She nods and lies flat on the bed.
"I'm so tired, my body hurts and my mind, it feels like it is missing something important."
"Don't worry, you will regain it tomorrow. Just get some sleep tonight." Gods know I won't.
Oh no way in hell: Hehe, puns.
Torn dress: The poof netting and silk over lay was torn from different lengths. Think of spikey rose leaves overlaying each other.
Figure in the haze: A scary black version of Haunter. Except no actual eyes.
Shortness of dress: Yeahhhh it pretty much a mens tshirt now…. Sooo her ass is pretty much there.