CHAPTER THREE: THE HUNT BEGINS: THE FIRST ONE TO FALL?
"But how are we gonna find it? If it's taken physical-" Spirit began.
"I know, I know." Lord Death sighed. "Just tell the staff to watch their backs and be on the look out for any suspicious behavior."
"With all due respect, Lord Death," Stein said as Spirit nodded and walked out the room. "but can you kindly explain to me how the Black Blood is moving on it's own accord?"
Now if there's one thing Stein hated, it was being kept in the dark of something, even if it involves black blood. Ever since he met Crona for the first time, he was fascinated by how different it was from normal blood and how it could be used as a weapon...but to hear that it supposedly can have a actual mind like others stumped him deeply that he would have dissected Crona if not for his upbringing and position as a student. After all, he wasn't a psychopath; He was a teacher who just happened to act like a psychopath that's all, not his fault students couldn't see that.
"Ah, yes. Well, Stein...you remember why Medusa created Black Blood to free the Kishin, correct?"
"Of course, but how does that-"
"There's more to it than that. My best guess is that Medusa knew that her child would never became a Kishin and decided to modify the Black Blood. Perhaps so that each drop of Black Blood lost in battle becomes a creature of madness with no fear and remorse."
"Just like what she did to me." Stein's eyes narrowed. Oh, how he wished he could bring Medusa back just to kill her again and again. He was in the middle of daydreaming what Medusa's organs would look like when his superior spoke up.
"I need to you to look through Medusa's notes of the Madness. Anything important can help us for this creature is-"
"More dangerous than Medusa, it has no loyalty and it can't be reasoned with, so if you see it, show no mercy." Spirit's voice echoed through the walls of the classroom consisting of his daughter (who ignored him, to his disappointment), Death the Kid, Black*Star, their weapons, Crona and the teachers Sid and Marie.
"It killed Eruka?" Liz asked in shock.
"I'm afraid so." came Spirit's grim reply.
"Do we even know what this thing looks like?" Soul yawned at his Meister's father, unaware of his thoughts.
That little creep! How dare he get close to my little girl, I outta get choke him till his head turns blue and than-
"Dude?" Soul said impatiently. Spirit noticed that everyone was waiting for a answer and cleared his throat.
"No, not yet." Spirit's words, thankfully, were less graphic and held no trace of desire to just kill the little bastard that "has a crush" on his daughter, who would have happily Maka Chopped him in a heartbeat.
"S-o how do we look for him?" Crona asked, ducking his head slightly as everyone turned to face him.
Marie simply smiled softly. Same old Crona...she found his shyness adorable. Always a well spoken boy, despite his upbringing.
"We act like normal, but be more on edge."
"I-I think I can do that." Crona nodded.
"Oh, please. Act like normal!" Black*Star grabbed Crona by the shoulders. "Not this God, no sir! We beaten the Kishin-"
"I did." Maka frowned.
"-I'm sure we can handle this! I say we take this guy now!"
Sid sighed to himself...that idiot's ego.
"Actually, I have to agree with him." Sid nodded at Maka's father. "We don't know who we're up against other than it used to be Black Blood. By now, it could have taken anyform. Black*Star, it'd be best if you let us handle this. After all," Sid smiled. "You deserve a break after the Kishin."
"Fine." Black*Star had his arms crossed, pouting like a child.
"Anyway, get going. It's late." Spirit ordered.
The students walked out as Sid escorted them out. As soon as there were out, Spirit's eyes widened slightly...
"Oh no...I FORGOT TO ASK MAKA IF SHE WANTED TO SPEND TOMORROW WITH ME! WHAT KIND OF A FATHER AM I!"
"Not a very good one?" Marie asked.
She soon found herself holding the crying Death Scythe...well, until Nygus burst through the door, a urgent look on her exposed eye that matched her urgent tone.
"Spirit, we have a eye witness who may have seen the Madness."
Spirit was up in a flash, straightening his tie.
"Lets see her."
Spirit sat facing the woman. She was reacting exactly how he'd expect her to: red eyes that mean't crying, the occasional sniffle and the look that she's been through hell and back.
"Look, I know what you been through." Spirit said gently. "But please, try to remember to the best of your ability. We can bring your husband's killer to justice if you help."
"...W-ell, we were on our way back from shopping...when a huge black creature stopped us." the woman sniffled as she remembered. "Charles stepped in front of me and demanded to know what it wanted..."
Spirit waited, knowing that she would have trouble re-visiting her husband's death.
"I-it wanted clothes. Charles refused so it...it-" Ellie Smith burst into sobs again, Marie soothing her as she cried on the Hammer Weapon's shoulder. "It s-s-s-lit his throat and took his clothes."
"And It let you go?" Spirit asked.
"Y-yes...to let itself be known."
"Thank you for your time." Spirit had heard enough. "Marie, could you get her over to Nygus, please?"
Marie quietly nodded and led the sobbing Ellie out the room. As soon as they were out, Spirit took out his cell phone and dialed a number...
"Yeah, we got a lead. It may have just killed..."
Note to self: kill a guy who has my height and weight, seriously these clothes are WAY to tight. OK, the coat I can live with, but the shirt. Good God, s it tight! If I had a set of lungs, I'd be choking right now! Wonder how the old widow's doing, oh I should have took a picture than tape on my wall! Well, she's more tasty than this old-
"Hey, YOU!"
...And thus a knight of the Round Table cometh
He stared at the man wearing what looked like a sleeveless black coat, a white shirt, black pants and a black top hat that covering his face and hair...but he could easily make out the bright yellow eyes. Taking into account what Spirit just told him through his cellphone, there was no mistake: this was their guy, no doubt wearing the deceased's clothing, judging by the bloodstains on the shirt sleeves.
"You there!" he shouted. "I'll have to ask you to come with me!"
The Madness smirked slightly, throwing the bloody bone in it's hand away.
"Do I really look like a guy whose gonna come quietly?"
"We know you killed Eruka the Witch."
"Quick to blame there, aren't we? Maybe you'd like to know why I did it?"
Now this dumbfounded him...a reason?
"What do you mean a reason for! You're nothing but madness itself."
"Well done, you can be taught!" The Madness clapped his hands like a child. "And everything needs a reason, pal. I did it simply because I could, I did it because no one would miss her. Heck, you should thank me!"
Now this was not what he was expecting...this thing had no plan, no background as to why it kills...it just does it! That made him more disgusted than ever.
"If you won't come quietly, you'll die!" he pulled out his knife from his sheath. The Madness didn't seem intimidated as his only reply seemed to be ripping off his own arm, which morphed into a blade with five spikes.
"Where did you-" he gasped.
"No reason to tell someone who won't live to tell the tale!" Madness charged.
The fight began with the weapons clashing, the sound of metal hitting metal echoing throughout the alleyway.
"Can you believe them!"
Tsubaki sighed to herself as Black*Star grumbled on the couch.
"How could they refuse the help of me, the man who will surpass the Gods! We can easily help."
"Black*Star, please stop." Tsubaki attempted to calm her Meister down in her gentlest tone. "I'm sure this was something we can't handle."
The ninja simply scowled. "Can't handle, my ass! This doesn't sound tough!"
"But what if you get hurt or even killed?"
...Silence. A whole minute silence, no one moved or spoke until Black*Star moved to the door and slammed it open, causing some cracks on the hinges.
"I'm going for a walk. " Tsubaki could only flinch at how cold and bitter he sounded. "Don't follow me."
"But I-"
SLAM!
The member of the Nakatsukasa Clan looked down at her lap, regret filling her. Black*Star hated being out of battle, so really her words just sparked his temper a bit. She sighed and went to the kitchen to make dinner.
Maybe her friend can help him...maybe he was just being paranoid.
He backed away, panting slightly whilst his attacker showed no signs of exhaustion from the battle.
"Come on, that the best you can do! If I had a grandma, she'd hit better than you!"The Madness swung it's weapon down and he blocked it with his knife.
"Don't underestimate me."
The Madness smiled in the shadows it's hat created on it's face.
"I haven't. I wasn't expecting you to go down without a fight...this has been fun so far!"
He clashed blades with the Madness, who replied with bringing it's weapon down at incredible speed before kicking him back. He got his knife back up and glared at his foe, whose yellows eyes twinkled with barley contained insane mirth. He charged forward, Madness had already anticipated the tactic and brought it's foot up to his attacker's face. He tumbled towards the direction of a bin while Madness charged straight at him.
"Right in the dirt where you belong!"
"Shut up!"
The Madness stabbed his weapon down upon him but the latter grabbed it's leg and threw him away. The Madness fell to it's knees, but looked perfectly unharmed. It ran towards him, scraping it's blade on the ground, ending up sparks. it's foe dodged the attack and tired to retaliate but the Madness back flipped away, the resulting move caused his hat to fall off, exposing it's face.
And he gasped. The hair, the eyes...it can't be...
"But you look like-"
He left him himself open for a fatal attack; the blade's spikes pierced his chest and shoulders. As he collapsed to his knees in pain, the Madness lifted his head up by his hair.
"Tell MJ I said hello." the growl was much more noticeable.
He blinked, and the Madness had vanished...
Black*Star walked down a alleyway, his hands deep in his pockets as he recalled his final words to Tsubaki before he left...she just didn't understand, he trained himself to perfection, losing is not a option. Since his crushing defeat against the Kishin, he felt humiliated, yet hid it for the sake of his friends, but now...he felt weak. That's why he has to fight this Black Blood, to feel the taste of victory, the pleasure of the battle, the-
What he saw next would forever haunt himself forever.
His orange vest was torn and blood leaked from his chest, staining his orange headband that laid on his arm...the breathing was slow and feeble.
"SID!"
Weak...in pain...two of the appropriate words to describe how Sid felt right now. The "Madness" as his attacker called himself was clearly more powerful than he thought, he underestimated him.
"SID!" Through his blurry vision, he saw the one person he wanted to see, the one he raised.
"Black*Star..." he coughed up blood.
Black*Star knelt down, bringing the zombie who was like a father in his arms.
"Who did this!"
Sid struggled to breathe through the pain.
"I...it was him...the Madness..."
"Come on, get up!" Black*Star tried to keep his voice, but a small quiver was noticeable. "You're gonna make it, OK?! Don't die on me!"
But Sid knew his time was up, but he wasn't scared. No...he lived two lives, surrounded by friends and he couldn't ask for a better end: to die in battle.
"Black*Star...never..never give up...I'll see you...in the afterlife."
His world went black.
"No..."
Black*Star slammed his fist down in anger, not even bothering to stop the tears.
"Damn it...DAMMMMMMMMA ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"
The scream was muffled by the sniffing that occurred from Black*Star, the Shadow Weapon Meister, one of the one of the survivors of the infamous Star Clan, the ninja who kept his emotions to himself, as he broke down and mourned for Sid.
Up on a rooftop, someone/something relished in his pain.
And this is the guy who will surpass you, God? Heh, get real, this little shit can't even stop crying. Newsflash kid, he's gone and sobbing like you broke your toy ain't gonna bring him back, well unless he was a video game zombie than yeah, maybe. Still, he put up a decent fight, but I was hoping for more...
Oh well, I guess he was stronger before. he died for the first time.
After all, you were that type of man, weren't you Sid?
End chapter.
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