Tsubaki gaped at the professor, the words getting caught in her throat.
Black Star...left?
"Do you know where he went?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she tried to keep in the tears that were threatening to overflow.
Stein shook his head, adjusting his glasses. "He didn't say. Now, the question remains who will be your new Meister?"
She didn't answer him, not even hearing most what of he'd just said. Her worst fear had come true. Black Star really did leave, and he didn't even tell her. A wave of about a million emotions swept over Tsubaki, and she was afraid she'd simply just drown.
"You don't have to answer right now, but I have a test to administrate and you've got one to take," Stein finally sighed.
She silently followed him into the classroom and took a secluded seat in the very back.
Maka and Soul instinctively knew something was bothering their friend, but try as they might, their attempts to even make eye contact, much less talk to her, were in vain as the girl had her gaze glued on her desktop as Stein passed out exam papers and started the timer.
Fortunately for Tsubaki, she knew the material well enough to be able to subconsciously answer most of the questions, all the while, her mind was on her partner...or ex-partner, who had mysteriously left the Shibusen without so much as telling her.
When she'd finally finished the exam and turned it in, Stein told her she was excused and she could leave the classroom. Relief flooded over her as she headed into the hallway, but it was quickly washed away when she saw her friends waiting for her just outside the door.
"Where's Black Star?" asked Death the Kid, who had finally made it back from a long-term mission in Europe.
"He won't be coming to school anymore," Tsubaki replied bluntly.
"Hey, what happened?" Liz asked in a concerned voice, studying her friend's downcast face. "Did something go wrong while we were gone?"
"Actually, it just happened this morning," Tsubaki answered. "Professor Stein just told me that he resigned from the Shibusen and left Death City."
The five of them gaped at her in shock.
"But...why?" Maka finally asked, finding her voice at last.
""He didn't..." Tsubaki trailed off as the realization dawned on her. Turning on her heel, she took off sprinting down the hall and up the stairs towards the Death Room.
The door slid open for her when she got a few feet away from it and Tsubaki ran in without missing a beat, only stopping when she saw Shinigami-sama in full length mirror set in the middle of the circular podium in the center of the Death Room. Maka's father was also there, standing next to the mirror with his hands in his pockets and his face unreadable.
"Sir, where did he go?" she asked before he could even greet her; something Tsubaki would never usually do.
"I'm sure he would've told you if he wanted you to know," Spirit told her.
"Why would you just let him go like that?" the Weapon demanded on the verge of tears. Black Star was everything she had ever since she'd killed her brother. He was the reason she stayed at the Shibusen. She didn't even get to say goodbye.
"And what do you intend to do when you find him?" Shinigami-sama questioned.
"Bring him back," she replied firmly. "Or at least...say goodbye."
And tell him the truth about his family...
After a moment of silent consideration, Shinigami-sama rubbed his chin and nodded. "If you're positive about going..."
"I am," Tsubaki stated with determination.
Spirit broke into a smile and Shinigami-sama himself did as well, underneath his mask.
"He's in Japan, looking for leads about the Star Clan," Spirit informed her, holding out an envelope.
Opening it, Tsubaki found a plane ticket to Tokyo along with a wad of cash inside.
"Thank you so much," the Weapon smiled brightly. "I'll do my best to bring him back."
"Good luck," the two men said in unison as she turned and left the Death Room, her heart soaring with hope of seeing her Meister again, at least once. And she'd tell him everything this time. Everything that was on her mind and in her heart.
The young assassin let out a heavy sigh as he looked over the city of Tokyo which glowed brightly at night. Unlike Death City, the lights seemed to stretch on forever, even with his heightened vision. He'd sat up on a rooftop watching the sunset, something he never thought he'd do. But something Tsubaki had said about the sunrise had made him sit still and watch as the sun disappeared into the horizon.
He kept telling himself his reason for leaving her behind was justified. It was for her own safety, something he valued more than his own life. Still, he had to admit, he kind of missed her gentle smile and having her around to at least listen to him talk.
Scratching the back of his neck, Black Star got to his feet and leapt over the edge of the rooftop, nimbly jumping from ledge to ledge until he landed in a dark alleyway. He couldn't go sleep in a hotel since he'd refused the cash Shinigami-sama had offered him when he'd made the announcement of leaving. A big man like him didn't need anyone's money to survive on his own.
Besides, the faster he got the information he needed, the faster he coul go and properly say goodbye to Tsubaki, and as deep in his heart as that fact was hidden, there was no doubt that he was looking forward to seeing her again more than he was looking forward to finding out about the Star Clan.
Not being accustomed to thinking like that, Black Star shoved the thought to the back of his mind whenever it arose and focused on something else. And yet, even as he tracked down his next target, the young assassin couldn't get Tsubaki's sad expression out of his mind when the news that he'd left was broken to her.
As he entered the more dangerous part of town where the Yakuza ultimately ruled, the unsuspecting ex-Shibusen student found himself surrounded by a group of boys not too much older than himself. Although from the looks of them, they weren't even official members of the infamous Japanese Mafia.
"It's one of them. A Star Clan member," one of the guys pointed out, jabbing a finger at Black Star, who stood in unusual silence at the center of the circle that had been formed around him.
"If we can take his soul back to the boss, he's sure to let us in," another boy grunted, brandishing a large knife.
Black Star grinned darkly. "You clowns. What chance do you think you've got against someone like me?"
"There's seven of us and one of you, punk,"one of them called. "Don't be so cocky."
Black Star only smirked, thinking of the tantrum Kid would throw about the number seven not being perfectly symmetrical.
"I don't really have time to deal with you guys right now, so get the hell out of my way!" he exclaimed, running at one of the seven.
In a few minutes, Black Star was the only one left standing, not so much as a bruise having been inflicted on him
"Okay, you can come out now," he said, turning to the shadows.
A familiar man stepped out of the darkness, and Black Star immediately recognize him as the werewolf they'd fought in London a while back.
"So, have you managed to perfect that sword technique of yours, boy? Or will you collapse on me again?" the immortal chuckled.
"You must think you're a funny guy, 'cause last I remember, I severed your freakin' arm," Black Star retorted with his usual confident grin.
"Ah, well, I'm immortal, so it grew back just fine," Free replied, flexing both his arms for the boy to see.
"Fine, I guess this time, I'll just have to cut you up into little pieces so you won't have any more limbs to regrow," the assassin grinned.
"Now that I've perfected my magic, you stand no chance," Free laughed as Black Star moved to attack him using Soul Force. The werewolf simply batted him away like a pesky fly and landed a punch in Black Star's ribs, causing him to cough up blood. "You're way out of your league, kid. Especially without a Magic Weapon. Tell me, why did you quit the Shibusen? Did you finally realize that the Shinigami's ideals were useless and stupid?"
"That's none of your damn business, wolf man!" Black Star exclaimed, lunging at Free with inhuman speed. But the immortal was faster, deflecting his attack and, once again, sending him skidding back a meter or so.
"We can take the Shibusen down, you know. Especially with a powerhouse like you on our side," the immortal stated as he snapped his fingers and froze Black Star's feet to the ground
"You'll never pull that off," laughed the assassin, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Even without their biggest man, the Shibusen's one hell of a school and as long as Shinigami-sama runs it, you'll never even get close."
"That's a shame," said a feminine voice as Eruka, the frog witch, stepped out of the shadows holding a sword. "You could have been apart of something big."
"I don't have to be apart of something big to be a star. I radiate my own light!" said Black Star.
"They killed you family," Free pointed out. "The Shibusen. That Shinigami and his Meisters wiped out your entire family and you're turning down a chance for revenge?"
"A big man like me doesn't hold grudges," Black Star replied. "And I have no intention of turning against the Shibusen and he people who raised me."
"He's gotta be the most stubborn Star Clan kid we've tried to recruit so far," Eruka sighed, shaking her head.
"Wait, you mean you know about other members?" demanded Black Star.
"Yep. They were all too willing to join up with us once we explained their true identities and what Shinigami-sama had done to their family," Eruka responded as she raised the sword. "But since you don't want to be with us, then we consider you as being against us."
He couldn't move. He was absolutely helpless, and he didn't know if he could channel his soul's wavelength into ice in order to melt it. Could he really go out that freaking easily?
"Black Star!"
His head snapped in the direction of the voice and a blinding flash made all of them squint as Tsubaki's kazarigama form fell into the assassin's hand just in time to block Eruka's blade with the chain.
"Tsubaki?" gaped Black Star.
"Hi, Black Star," the Weapon replied. "We can talk later, but right now, we have to focus on taking them down."
"Right," nodded her Meister. "Tsubaki, Uncanny Sword mode. Go!"
A/N: Pretty short chapter, I know. Sorry about that. And sorry I took so long to update. I've been super busy with registration and last-minute summer assignment cramming. But I hope you guys are enjoying the story!