CHAPTER 15
A/N – Hello everyone! I am happy to announce that EDKL has made the first position in the top of my stories as most reviewed – all thanks to you guys, so A BIG HUG to all of you! You may wonder what was up with the delay this time – because I always find some reason to delay things – well this time I HAD to change the cover image a bit, I simply wasn't happy with it anymore! LOL.
"A… half-shinigami?" There was no way in Hell Maka could wrap her mind around this one. All that she could do under shock was to shout some more.
"What do you mean 'don't freak out'?! What… what does that even mean? What will happen to me, Kid?!"
The young reaper closed the door of their small room carefully behind them and led her to sit on the bed. "Maka, nothing will happen to you, okay? Nothing bad – just your eyes changed color and you're probably much stronger than you used to be, but that's all," he said soothingly.
"But… can I still be a weapon? By Death, what if I can't be a weapon anymore?!" In utter panic, she stretched her arm to the side and willed it to morph. To her surprise and relief, the blade shot out, considerably longer and broader than before, an intricate silvery pattern now wrought into the usual dark grey.
Kid laughed awkwardly, looking at the blade a bit wide-eyed. "Heh, weapon enough, see?"
"Oh well, don't freak out," the blonde couldn't help teasing him, genuinely thrilled by the unexpected improvement. Maybe after all it wasn't such a bad thing, becoming half-shinigami. That of course if she didn't take into account Lord Death's reaction and her Papa's. Maka morphed her arm back in human form and pulled Kid closer, hugging him tightly. She could feel the young reaper's distress in the obvious tension of his body. "Are you okay?"
Kid leaned onto her, burying his nose into the crook of her neck, and sighed. "All obvious good stuff aside, in case you didn't notice things are officially very bad," he grumbled. "He'll tear me to shreds, Maka"
The blonde dropped back on the pillows, pulling her classmate down with her and resting his head on her shoulder. "But… has he ever punished you before? Like… really bad?" she asked, running her fingers soothingly through his silky dark strands.
"No… not really bad. But then again, I've never married before, have I?" Kid grumbled morosely. "Last time he punished me was when I messed up Anubis' stupid pyramid, but he just wouldn't understand that I had no choice but to shoot every last piece of the bastard, he was just so fucking ugly!"
"Kid…!" the other meister chided softly.
"What?"
"Don't swear…"
"Sorry… But it's a relief, you know? I really find it relieving," the young shinigami pointed seriously, while the blonde couldn't help a smile, despite the situation. "Anyway, damned Anubis beat me and then my father shinigami-chopped the hell out of me because the fu-… because that pyramid was an outstanding and ancient monument and blah blah blah… That was a very bad day!"
Maka involuntarily started wondering whether, now that she was a half-shinigami, she would start throwing tantrums as well. That was what the old beggar had said, hadn't she? That all shinigamis threw fits? She had remained silent, pondering, and it wasn't long before Kid looked up, searching her gaze questioningly.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked, a bit concerned.
The blonde sighed and smiled reassuringly. "Can't you guess? You know, I've always been under the impression that you could read my mind," she challenged playfully.
"I was thinking that you're worried about your father being superpissed, but… oh. I see," he said all-knowingly.
"And what is the answer?"
Kid sat up abruptly, with an inquisitive gaze. "Maka, what exactly did that woman tell you about reapers, hmm?" he asked sternly, with a light scowl.
Maka gulped and chewed on her lower lip. Great! I screwed up again! By Death, I must have a natural talent for that… "Um… she didn't say much, just that apparently they're all quite… temperamental?" she offered. "Anyway, she seemed to find it rather amusing, so it's not like… not like it's a bad thing"
"Good for her, I guess." Kid's scowl gradually melted into a wide smile and eventually he burst out laughing. "I'm glad you see it this way," he added at last. "And the answer is – no, probably not. In fact, I don't think you'll develop any kind of specific obsession, more likely you'll have a more general kind of craziness. You know, like my father"
So that was how things were – the blonde concluded – every time she would screw up with something Kid would promptly tease her in return, probably because he'd intuited that this always pushed her buttons. And not in a good way… "Lord Death is not crazy," she grumbled humorlessly.
"Oh no? Well things are like this – we might not make it out of here alive, but my father's biggest problem is that we got married, and your biggest problem is that you might start obsessing over symmetry or something. How exactly would you describe that?"
Maka rolled her eyes and sighed, hugging herself. "Of course that is not my biggest problem! I was just trying to think of anything other than that Papa is superpissed. Hell, I've never seen him like this, although he's always had this thing, always trying to make sure boys kept away from me and stuff… Guess I really did it this time"
"Don't worry, he'll probably cool off after he's chopped me into very tiny pieces," Kid observed, settling back down next to her. "Well, that if there will be anything left for him to chop after my father is done with me…"
The blonde shifted, turning to face the young shinigami and cupping his face gently. „Don't you mean chop us both into very tiny pieces?" He shook his head. "Kid, I won't let anyone touch you," Maka promised, brushing her thumb against his cheekbone," You are my everything, you are in my veins," she whispered, lost into his golden gaze. "Good or wicked, you are mine and I won't let anyone hurt you…"
Kid kissed the tip of her nose and then her lips. "Maka, my love, don't be afraid. I will never leave you. Never, I promise." His nimble fingers brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "You should get some sleep now. We don't know what will happen tomorrow"
Why was the old woman there? It must have been close to midnight and she would be normally gone – to whatever unknown lair she had for the night – by now. But no, tonight the beggar had remained in her usual spot, by the terrace railing, and she was still waiting. The blonde noticed that her eyes were closed - had she died, alone and uncared for? No, she couldn't have, not now of all times.
Maka couldn't concentrate on the practice anymore, she felt numb and heavy, too preoccupied with the subject. But suddenly she realised that the woman's eyes were open and she was watching them intently. Then she stood up, slowly and yet unexpectedly graceful, her body gradually abandoning the hunchbacked position it was always in, straightening in fluid motions. Her gray hair, dirty and tangled, darkened and fell down her shoulders black and shiny and finally her ragged clothes slipped off her now slender shape, instead replaced by waves of saffron colored silk, magically hugging her frame. There was a smug smirk on her now very youthful face, pale and eerily beautiful and her eyes - chocolaty brown ringed with gold – were full of disdain.
"Who are you?" the blonde meister asked, her lips trembling, but she already knew. It was the half-shinigami girl Kid had told her about. The other half-shinigami-girl… The half-witch.
"I could ask you the same," the stranger replied, giving Maka a quick, indifferent once-over, before turning her full attention to her meister. "Honestly, Kid, how many blondes do you have? They are all so awfully dull!" she purred.
"You should watch your mouth, witch. This is my wife," Kid replied, but his tone was neutral, it held no anger, no offence. He seemed rather indifferent to what the girl had just said.
"Oh…" she replied, drawing even closer and letting her delicate, black-nailed hand trail from the young shinigami's shoulder down on his body."And what will you do to me, Death the Kid? Hmmm? 'Reap my soul'?"
The witch laughed, seemingly curious to observe the blonde's reaction. "Oh, I see…" she added in the same tone, "You never told her about me, have you, little shinigami? You never told her that I was here all this time, waiting for you, just for you. And that you're actually mine, that you're my man"
Kid threw Maka a guilty look, biting his lower lip. "Come here, my dark prince," the beautiful witch said, turning his face to her and capturing his lips into a passionate, devouring kiss. When she eventually pulled away, she bit the young reaper's lower lip viciously with her feral sharp teeth.
"You silly girl," she addressed the blonde meister. "Don't you know that all reapers are just huge hypocrites? I am one's daughter and another's lover, but ultimately everyone's dirty little secret… You are so naïve… but it figures, you are very young, little human. Now, you didn't think he would love you, did you?"
Suddenly Maka couldn't think anymore, all she knew was the blind rage which had taken over her. There was no pain, just fury, a white hot, searing fury running through her veins like liquid fire. She wanted nothing more than to tear them both to shreds. Her right arm morphed into a blade as the meister lunged forward, shoving the brunette aside and shoving the weapon arm to the reaper's throat.
"Get the hell out of my way, whore!" she yelled. "Is this true, Kid?! Were you with her, all this time?!" the blonde roared. He just shrugged, bored, and Maka's left fist instantly shot upwards, colliding with his jaw. "Did you sleep with her too? Huh? ANSWER ME!"
This time the blonde sat up brusquely, her eyes wide open but fully awake. She glanced down in horror at her still morphed arm, then at the other side of the bed, but it was empty. She instantly panicked, hurrying to change it back to human form.
"Let me guess, you had another dream," Kid said and the meister looked up to see him leaning onto the wall, on the other side of the small room. He didn't look like he'd slept at all. "So… what have I done this time?" the young shinigami asked, motioning towards her scythe arm.
Maka collapsed backwards onto the pillows, terribly embarrassed by her dream reaction. That had not been like her at all, she would never do such a thing, she would never throw such a tantrum, or hurt Kid, or shove such words in his face, no matter what he did! Or would she? Was that… her insanity? Was she that insanely jealous and possessive of her lover?
"I… think…" she began, choking, "I discovered that there's something really horrible about me… But I don't want to talk about it"
Kid sighed. "Maka, this is only the Kishins' madness, there's nothing horrible about you. If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay, but whatever it was, just think about it carefully, it might contain some important detail, just like the other dream"
The blonde turned and faced away from him, curling into a tight ball. "What are you doing awake anyway? Shouldn't you be getting some rest too?" she asked, her voice muffled into the pillow. She felt drained after all the powerful, violent emotions from earlier. And endlessly ashamed… and guilty.
"I thought I'd better keep watch in case something happened. I can feel something stirring, deep into the bowels of the mountain, something that wasn't stirring before. We have to be prepared. But you should get back to sleep, you're tired"
I don't deserve him, I don't deserve any of this. By Death, I can't believe I'm such a harpy!
"You know, Excalibur sent me flowers at some point…" Kid said innocently.
Great! Maka buried her face in the pillow and pulled the blanket over her head with an angry huff.
A/N – okay, so… I realise this wasn't much of a chapter, but fear not my beloved - the next chapter will be the beginning of gloom and doom, not for the faint of heart, so enjoy the fluff while it lasts. LOL. And if you have any hunch as to what's going to happen next, let me know ;)
To be continued