Episode 12: Wishful Thinking

"...I love you, Maka."

These words would make just about any girl feel happy and special. And, for a young lady whose heart isn't used to such confessions, the effects would be understandably overwhelming.

Fortunately, Maka wasn't a lady...

"MAKA-CHOP!"

The heavy tome was swung with breakneck speed. Though the boy tried to block with both arms, the force proved too great that the book broke through his forearms and still splattered him across the marble floor.

"What have you done! You killed him!" Blair appeared from out of nowhere, shrieking.

"T-That's impossible! I-I can't... the Maka-chop isn't that strong to-"

"The truth is..." Kid looked upon Maka with serious eyes.

What?

It was like waking up from a daydream, Maka found herself standing before the boy, who was still very much alive.

"The truth is...I love, Chrona."

"What happened? Didn't I just kill- Kid, are you alright?" Scared and confused, the poor girl looked around in disbelief of the world. "Wait- What did you say again!"

Kid chuckled, surprised with her silly reaction, "I'm your love rival, Maka. I love Chrona just as much as you do."

"Eh?" Maka stared at him for a few seconds before suddenly bursting into laughter.

"Mmm? What's so funny?" he couldn't understand. After declaring himself as a rival, the expected reaction from Maka would most likely be a violent one. Instead, the girl was so happy and relieved that she was laughing herself to tears. Could it be that she was actually mocking him? Had he already lost before the competition began?

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Ha, ha, ha..." Maka tried to calm herself down. Kid looked on as she slowly took in several deep breaths before a pat on the shoulder affirmed, "I accept. I'm happy to be your rival, Kid."

"I'm glad to hear it. But before you go, you dropped this," he presented her with something. Wrapped in dark paper, the parcel was her Xmas gift to Chrona. He explained that she dropped it during the assault on Soul. "It's for her, isn't it?" he smiled.

"Yeah... Um, thanks," she said, a bit embarrassed.

"Don't mention it. But just so you know, I won't be holding back."

"Neither will I," she said, showing him that dedicated face she was known for.

And so, as the two contenders parted ways, the bond of rivalry was formed.

However, when Maka vanished from sight, so did Kid's happy smile.

"You didn't have to do that," he spoke in an ever so serious tone.

I don't want that girl to be involved any further...

The ghostly voice of Asura came from all around him.

"Why? Are you afraid?"

...Yes... but make no mistake about it... I will kill her if you stray from the plan...

"I understand," he sadly replied. Deep inside though, Kid was all smiles now that a definite weakness has been discovered. You see, having the ability to reside within Kid's soul meant that the only sure way to defeat Asura was to kill Kid—a prospect that he finds to be somewhat disagreeable. But due to recent developments, it would seem that some things never do change. Asura was still the cowardly kishin he was before. So, all that Kid needed now was for the right opportunity to present itself...

"What going on?" said Blair.

He flinched upon hearing her voice. He sharply turned around and saw the curious witch descending from the stairs. She was together with Patty, whilst Liz was nowhere to be seen.

"That was really weird," Patty giggled.

Kid was so surprised by the sudden appearance that the hair on the back of his head stood straight and that his heart could not calm down. Did they hear him speak to Asura? If they figured out his dark secret, what will happen now? He didn't know. He could only assume the worst.

At first, Kid braced himself for an attack from the powerful witch. Even inside sanctity of Shibusen, Kid knew that she was quite capable of unleashing her power at will. He also knew what would happen if Asura were to take over in retaliation.

But instead, "Indeed. What just happened, Kid?" Blair narrowed her eyes into slits. "You confessed to her and she does nothing but stare at you for two minutes. What's up with that?"

"I-I…" he paused upon realizing the question. It appears his fears were unfounded. They knew nothing! So, he quickly composed himself and replied with feign ignorance, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I see," she wasn't convinced with such a lame excuse, but decided not to push it any further because she could smell fear. Rather, she could hear it from the boy's beating heart. Well, she could understand that perhaps being too awesome can frighten other people but not once has she ever considered that on Kid.

In all her research about him, there was never a time that he expressed fear. Although there were those times when he would freak out because of something unsymmetrical, but those do not count. She couldn't understand why the boy was so afraid. This was concerning since his heart produced such a beautiful rhythm the likes of which she had only heard from those confronting death.

With such bizarre circumstances and Kid's odd behavior, she couldn't help but feel that something bad was about to take place. So, after he left, Blair immediately asked Patty the whereabouts of her sister. The young girl pointed to the library and recalled that earlier Kid had asked Liz to look for a book regarding exorcism.

"Exorcism? Why would—Did he say what it was for?"

"Nope," Patty replied. She only explained that there was a bit of weirdness just like earlier. You see, Liz was furious at him for something he did to her. Then as Kid apologized, Liz suddenly turned quiet and just stood there staring at him for some time. She was only able to snap out of it when she (Patty) grew bored of the silence and held a mirror against the boy's face to really point out the unsymmetrical deformity that was his hair. What followed next was a half-hour long monologue of shame and despair that Patty found to be hilarious.

"I see," Blair frowned. Except for the last part, Kid was already showing a lot of out-of-character behavior. It was most troublesome because ever since he did that "My brother's Asura" drama, the Shinigami has been a bit on edge. So he placed a lot of security measures around the city in the event of an attack, mere child's play to disable but annoying nonetheless. Regardless, he was NOT allowed to screw up her plans anymore.

"Patty, why don't you go to the library and find that book for me, okay?"

"Okay!" she smiled, "Kid will be happy again when we give it to him."

"Yes," The thought of the poor boy laying in anguish as all his plans were crushed before him. With those flushed cheeks and flowing tears, he'd look up to her and weep. A totally MOE!MOE! moment! Her heart raced as she pictured that instant as she'd kneel down and hold him against her chest. To take advantage of him in such a weak and defenseless state was much more satisfying than that of him in such a fearful one. Blair could hardly contain her anticipation. Yes, it was a little sadistic. But for him to ignore such a hottie like her and to confess to another girl right in front of her was UNACCEPTABLE! "I can't wait to see the look on his face," she licked her lips and grinned with glee.

Author's Notes: Hey there, folks! I'm back again with another new chapter! I should have posted this weeks ago, but I tried experimenting with various writing styles and ended up with this one. So what do you think? Did I do better or worse? Or was there no real change? I really want to know so please leave a comment and/or a question and I'll be happy to answer them. Thank you!