Chapter Five: Kai: Let the Games Begin; Was That A Flying Pig?
I woke up early the next morning, confused and disoriented. My other half, the kishin side of me, was restless and majorly disturbed for some reason I couldn't understand, so I downed some anti-madness pills to shut her up while I got ready. About halfway through my morning routine, Black*Star shuffled into my room silently, his eyes half-lidded, and plopped into my bed without a word. Noiselessly, I watched him take my spot within the covers and fall right back asleep.
He really was such an odd boy.
Somehow the steady sound of his breathing calmed me more than the medicine had, and even the nagging voice of suspicion had gone away. Last night's ball had gone on forever, probably due to the fact that we had discovered some old friends there. Tsubaki, Snow, Nikolai, and Brie had been ecstatic to see us all, but even more so: my old friends from the DWMAA. Ian, Zack, Rose, Morris, and the twin's meister Bane had all been asked to participate in the games, along with three others I didn't know. Our night had been long, catching up with everyone, and Team Maka hadn't stumbled back through the mirror until well after midnight. If it weren't for the strange feeling resonating through my wavelength I probably would have slept the day away!
I glanced at the clock, mentally noting that we still had five hours until we had to make the return trip through the mirrors for the beginning of the Games – which started at three. Since it was now ten, I figured it was ample time for me to return to my slumber, but there was the obvious and perplexing matter of my meister's bed-stealing. For a few moments I studied his sleeping form, finding amusement in the way he was bundled up in my black, red rose-covered comforter. With a smirk I shook my head, stretching, and conceded silently. He was just too adorable to wake up at the moment, and I was hungry anyways. Food was more important than sleep for now.
Wandering into the kitchen, I frowned at our lack of food. Obviously moving had clouded my usually responsible mind. Shopping would have to wait, however. I would just walk over to Maka and Soul's and see what the ash-blond meister was making for breakfast. Maybe I would get lucky and Blair wouldn't carry out her annoying morning routine with Soul. I could only imagine how Maka could put up with something like that, especially as his girlfriend.
Leaving Black*Star a note on my bedside table, I quickly journeyed across the hall and was surprised when Maka opened the door less than a second after I knocked. The usually neat girl was completely disheveled, and looked extremely annoyed, but ushered me in all the same. She even went as far as to sit me down at the table and put a full plate of steaming pancakes in front of me – before I even said a word. Either this girl knew me better than I thought she did – which was probably true, regardless – or something had gone drastically wrong this morning. I peered at her suspiciously over my breakfast food and raised an eyebrow, staying silent.
"What?" She snapped, though I could tell she was inwardly pouting.
"How's Soul this morning?" I asked innocently, picking up my fork and knife, though it was less about my food and more about my sudden need for protection against her fiery gaze.
She scoffed, glaring at the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. "Hopefully he's still in the closet where I left him."
I stared in utter shock as I processed what she had said. "You locked him in a closet?"
"He was being a jerk!"
"Maka, you don't just lock people in the closet for being jerks!"
And here I thought I was the childish one.
Maka sighed deeply, burying her head in her hands, and it was then that I saw that maybe all was not right in the universe of the dynamic duo. I had grown so used to picturing both of them as this golden, magically strong pair (and couple) that it nearly sent me into shock to realize that they, too, were human. Capable of fights, just like me and my idiot. Concerned, I pushed away my pancakes even when my stomach growled angrily, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder timidly. I wasn't quite sure how to help someone through something like this but I was determined to be there for Maka as I knew that she would be for me, if I ever needed her. In the end, I ended up awkwardly hugging her as she cried, pouring out to me all of her frustration.
Basically, Maka had confronted Blair about her promiscuous behavior this morning after she had given Soul yet another bloody nose. Soul, however, hadn't been so impressed by Maka's efforts to get him out of the torture, and had defended the magical cat. The whole thing had resulted in a fight of epic proportions, ending with Soul being locked in a closet, salty pancakes, and a very clean apartment. It turned out that Maka was a stress cleaner.
After she had cried to me, I had her promise to let Soul out of the closet, and quickly made my escape back to my place across the hall. That had really not been what I was expecting from my visit whatsoever.
Black*Star was still fast asleep in my bed, but by that point I was too drained to care. I set my alarm for noon, pushed my meister over to give myself room, and curled into bed right next to him without a second thought.
"Alright, for the first round of the Games, you will all be thrown into the arena. The sixteen pairs who emerge will be participating in Round Two tomorrow, understood?"
Forty pairs of eyes watched from the hall where we had all arrived from, the mirrors reflecting everyone's faces full of determination. As I glanced around, I spotted Snow and Tsubaki. The pale katana had grown considerably more tan since we had last seen her, and her soft curves had slimmed down somewhat. However, despite these changes, she was still as sweet as ever. When she caught my eye she smiled softly and gave me a small wave, which I returned with a grin. Snow, as well, nodded in my direction discreetly.
I continued gazing around, not really paying attention to what was being said even though I figured it would probably be important later. I would just get Maka to tell me all the important stuff later. Knowing her, she was probably takings notes!
Then again… I glanced over to where her weapon was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking grumpy, yet also strangely cool and aloof as well. Defense mechanism, I supposed. He and Maka were still at odds even now, and I was slightly worried about their resonance today for the Games. Even the smallest of fights could throw off a pair's wavelengths if they weren't careful. It was one of the reasons I was so glad that I could control my wavelength: even if something was going on between Black*Star and I, at least I could calm down enough so that he could still wield me. For them, however, it wasn't that easy. I only hoped that the DWMA's strongest pair would get their differences sorted out soon. There wasn't much time left.
Sighing, I turned back towards Lord Death and spotted another face across the room: Merle. The mysterious girl stared back at me evenly, her eyes almost challenging. Though she seemed nice, something was definetly off about her attitude. Polite, yet cold. Our shared appearance interested me more than I had let Liz know last night. I had been an only child, and my mother had died soon after my birth, so… was it possible that I had a sister? Had my mother given birth to twins? It seemed too surreal; too much like a cheesy low-budget movie. Yet somehow, I was still questioning everything I had ever known about my family.
"Alright! You have ten minutes to prepare for the arena!"
I looked back to Lord Death just as he disappeared out of the room. Without his cheery disposition the room was even tenser than it had been before. Weapons all over were transforming in their meister's hands, preparing. When Black*Star gripped mine, I didn't hesitate to follow suit, and soon a Scottish Claymore was resting heavily in his hands. As he stretched, getting used to the weight of me in his hand, I couldn't help but be reminded of the first few weeks of our partnership. As an assassin my heavy weaponry had been a huge change for him and for days we had fought because of it. Now he was completely at ease with me, not pausing even as our soul wavelengths connected and fell into their rhythm. Even without a strong resonance it was obvious that we were a strong team and I couldn't help but feel a spot of pride when I noticed that some people had stopped to watch us warm up.
"See that?" I thought to my meister somewhat smugly, still keeping my ego in check. "This is a good sign, but also a bad one. We'll be targets, Black*Star."
"Let them try and take on a big star like me!" My meister smirked, finally lowering my tip to the ground and allowing me to transform into a Scottish Dirk so he could show off some more.
"We may be strong, but it doesn't mean we don't have to fight smart!" I argued, somewhat irritated.
For once, Black*Star listened. He paused in his movements with a sigh and nodded in agreement. "I know, I know. And with you to guide me, I'm sure we're going to kick ass!"
"Flattery will get you nowhere," I appeared in my blade, smirking at him from within my reflection, and he grinned back.
A few more minutes and we were all filing out of the hall, on our way out into the arena. In my human form, I took stock of our friends. Liz, Patty, and Kid were all wearing similar masks of indifference, though Patty's did border on insanity when she occasionally grinned at the other candidates. Crona was walking solemnly, slightly hunched over as Ragnarok yanked at his hard. Those around him were staring curiously and there was a circle of space between him and the other students as if they were afraid to get too close – which wouldn't surprise me. The way that the Dark Weapon was beating up on the pink-haired meister was a little too vicious to be classified as playful.
Maka and Soul, however, weren't doing so hot. Watching them try and resonate while we waited was painful for the whole team. Maka's now-scorched gloves massaged her bicep slowly, betraying her aching muscles. Beside her Soul was looking pained – yet the two weren't speaking – and there was enough distance between them to fit Black*Star's ego.
"Whats up with Soul?" Black*Star asked, wrinkling his nose. I scoffed at my oh-so-observant meister and shook my head.
"He and Maka have been fighting since this morning. Did you really not notice?"
Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, he shakes his head.
Snorting, I focus on getting us through the first round. Some of the other partners look pretty beefed up, though I'm sure Black*Star can take them. I just hope that Maka and Soul don't get too roughed up before they get their shit figured out.
Soon the hallway splits into five different branches, each labeled with a different location of the DWMA. My group headed down the main channel, silently. The only sound was our footsteps. The dull grey walls gave it a strangely claustrophobic feel. Biting my lip softly, I unconsciously reached for Black*Star's hand, and began to blush furiously when he laced out fingers together. A glance at him revealed that I wasn't the only one that was blushing.
Finally, there was a door at the end of the hall. Nervously Kid glanced back at all of us before pushing it open, and one by one we followed close behind. Inside, it was spacious, and decorated a lot like a game room. There was a large TV on one wall, surrounded by a sofa and several comfy-looking recliners. On the opposite wall there stood a large mirror, a series of numbers written on top in permanent marker. Lord Death had already explained that these mirrors were set up so that all we had to do was breath over the numbers and it would open up into the arena, and we would know when it was time when the green light next to the top right corner of the reflective surface began shining. So far it was dark so we took some time to explore the room.
Besides the TV and living room area, there was also a kitchen and a few rooms with cots in them, supposedly for quick naps in between fights. The rooms smelled slightly of paint and plaster so I deduced that they had been built recently, expressly for the Games. I wondered why Lord Death had gone to all this expense to set up a team room for the competitors, but all the same I appreciated the gesture. The Shinigami didn't often act like he had a load of thoughts about humans and their needs, but this showed great improvement in that area.
"Looks like Lord Death set everything up," Soul commented in his low voice, red eyes smirking. "Pretty cool, huh?"
"Yeah," Liz agreed in awe, glancing around. But you can't expect much else from Lord Death."
I hummed in agreement, glancing back at the mirror just as the light suddenly flashed green. With a wild grin I pulled Black*Star over to the mirror and bounced on the balls of my feet in anticipation as I waited for all the others to line up behind us. Those few seconds that it took for them all to cross the room were nearly agonizing and I could tell Black*Star was feeling it too. Already the pre-fight adrenaline was coursing through my veins. There was no way, with the amount of hype we were feeling, that we could be beaten. Not unless Death the Kid decided to go traitor on us.
Taking a deep breath, I let it all out. The mirror misted under my mouth, covering the letters as the glass began glowing slightly. The faint shadow of our destination gave nothing away, and I had to hold myself back to wait for Black*Star to go forward. We shared a look, both grinning, and then plunged through.
The mirror travel was swift. One moment I was stepping through into the open air, the next my foot was pressing into loose dirt. I took a deep breath in through my nostrils and smelled the scent of sweat, excitement, and freshly turned earth. When I opened my eyes I had to contain a gasp of surprise at the volume of the place before me: Lord Death had built an entire arena, much like the Roman Coliseum, and the stands were filled with people – DWMA students and teachers come to cheer on their team. As soon as the crowds caught sight of us their cries increased by tenfold. Of course, Black*Star began soaking it up, raising his arms above his head with a wide grin. I couldn't help but join him. The roar of a thousand voices inflated my ego beyond recognition.
"I never knew… there were this many students in the DWMA." Though Kid's face didn't betray it much, I could see the look of wonder in his eyes. Even he couldn't suppress the smirk, and when he met my gaze I knew he was enjoying the crowd's enthusiasm as much as the rest of us.
The energy swelled again as another mirror glowed, another team stepping out. I could see Snow, his dark eyes sweeping across the open dirt, Tsubaki was right at his shoulder, her black ponytail swinging. A silent understand passed through a brief moment of eye contact and I knew that our friends from Africa would watch our backs.
"Are you ready?" I asked my meister in a low voice, watching as the rest of the mirrors lining perimeter of the arena began glowing one by one, spewing their separate teams and egging the crowd on further.
Black*Star, ever the showman, gave me an excessive thumbs up and winked.
"Hell yeah!"
Author's Note: And see, I returned! Doing my best to update quickly. Next chapter should be up as soon as I've typed it. If you see any errors don't hesitate to point them out.
On an unrelated note, I'm writing this while watching World War Z for the first time. Thank you, it's nearly one in the morning, and I'm about to pee myself. Have I ever told you that I'm really bad with horror movies? Like... absolutely horrible. And this isn't even that bad. I'm just lucky I didn't go with The Skeleton Key instead!
Well, goodbye for now ducklings!