So, I'm posting this again because I noticed a few errors, and wanted to fix them.
This Chapter has been my longest yet, I think. Should I have made it shorter? Post your thoughts in a review!
Chapter 3
The room was dark, save for a glimmer of light shining through the space between the floor and the doorway. They hadn't turned on the light, not caring to. All they could think about was comforting one another, still trying to grasp the new morbid reality.
There wasn't a clock in the room. They didn't know what time it was, or how much time had passed. When they were awake, they would hold one another tightly, unable to find even a tiny bit of their voice. When one started crying, the other did, too. They would eventually cry themselves to sleep.
The only interaction they'd had with the outside world came from one of their friends knocking on the door, offering them some kind of food or offering their ears, should they want to talk.
Tsubaki wasn't ready. She still felt an ache in her chest, and she could barely focus on her own thoughts. She doubted her ability to say them. Among the crushing grief, she felt what she told herself was a reasonable fury towards the murderer and towards herself, for not being able to transform, or maybe even shield Black Star from the attack. Had she been able to, maybe their children would still be alive.
Black Star was fuming, hatred turned towards the wolf-man and towards himself, for not being able to do anything. To protect his family, he'd sworn he'd tear the flesh from his own body… but he hadn't. He'd been immobilized by a damn electrical shock.
Still, neither one of them blamed the other. Through years of being partners, they'd understood that they worked as a team, and failed as a team.
Tsubaki looked up as a knock on the door resounded through the room. Stein opened the door, and peered inside.
"May I come in?" He asked. Tsubaki shrugged, but Black Star didn't make any gesture. He kept his gaze fixated on the quilt he was under.
Stein stepped in, closing the door behind him. He waited for a moment and blinked a few times to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. He looked around, and found a chair tucked underneath the desk.
He grabbed it, noticing the full plates of food. It didn't even look like it'd been touched. He supposed he understood. They didn't have an appetite. Not yet. They probably wouldn't for quite some time. He pressed his finger against the underside of the plate. It was still slightly warm. He picked up the tray and carried it with him, sat down in the chair and set the tray on his lap.
"Please, eat. It's been… almost two days." He asked them, hoping his voice didn't sound as gruff as usual. He hoped it conveyed his worry. Perhaps it would reach them.
Tsubaki reached out and took the plate he offered, and set it in her lap. She stared at the hot sandwich they'd made. She pursed her lips together, and reluctantly picked it up, and took a tiny bite. Her mouth watered, and she chewed and swallowed it. She couldn't taste it, but at least it was warm.
Stein held out the other plate to Black Star, and he scowled at it. Stein set it back down on the tray, and set the tray on the nightstand.
"I'll leave that there, if you want it." He announced.
He racked his brain for something to say. It was muddled, and hazy. He reached up and turned the screw, able to do so since he'd had Marie rub his shoulder.
"Everyone is waiting for you. Take your time, but they're there. They're… worried, to say the least. Concerned. Soul worked hard to make those." He said, nodding towards the sandwich Tsubaki was nibbling on.
"Oh." Tsubaki muttered.
Stein felt his lips curve in a smile.
"Maka helped. He says he can't cook, and manages to burn water." He stated.
This didn't elicit a response, so he let it be. He sat back, thinking. It was obvious they weren't ready to talk. It hardly looked like they could function, mentally and physically. Despite there being a bathroom connected to the room, they didn't look like they'd bathed since the incident. He made a mental note to have one of the others gather some clothing from their house.
Tsubaki set the sandwich down, and set the plate on the tray. She reached up a hand to wipe her eyes.
"I'm sorry." She began. Black Star turned to her, and wrapped his arms around her.
"Tsubaki. It's not your fault. If anything, I-I… blame me. I…" He squeezed his eyes shut, and his body shook as he fought crying. He was fine doing it in front of her alone, but not in front of anyone else.
"I'll take my leave. Just know, it's ok to feel what you're feeling—both of you. When you are ready, we'll be waiting." Stein announced. He stood and tucked the chair back underneath the desk, and headed for the door.
"We're all with you. We'll hunt this bastard down." He promised before he opened the door and walked out.
Tsubaki turned to Black Star and shook her head.
"You're not to blame, Black Star. I couldn't-I couldn't transform back. Maybe, if I could, we could've… and they'd have…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Forgive me, please, forgive me." She begged. He squeezed her, and shook his head. She was wrong. His brow furrowed in anger.
"I couldn't get back up. I'm the one to blame. It's my fault." He corrected her. He planted kisses on her cheek, tasting the saltiness of her tears on his lips. His heart ached for her.
"I could never blame you, Tsubaki. But I-I've failed you." He admitted. She calmed down, voice in a dry whisper.
"It's not your fault. Not your fault." She repeated, over and over. He rocked her back and forth. Eventually, she fell asleep in his hold. He placed a kiss on her forehead, and rearranged them so they could lie down.
It is my fault, Tsubaki. I wasn't strong enough. Please, understand it's not your fault. I am the one to blame. He thought. He held her, closing his tired eyes, continuing to tell her that it wasn't her fault.
On the eve of the fourth day, Tsubaki and Black Star left the room, shielding their eyes and squinting as the bright light from the lanterns hit them. They paused when they saw Maka, lying down in a sleeping bag on the opposite side of the hall.
Tsubaki stooped down and shook her awake, and Maka woke with a start.
She smiled at them, and sat up.
"Hi, Tsubaki." She said, crawling out of the bag and pulling Tsubaki into a hug. She squeezed Tsubaki tightly, and took a deep breath.
"We took turns waiting outside the door, in case you guys wanted anything. Everyone's waiting in the living room. Would you like to go see them?" She asked. Tsubaki and Black Star didn't move, ashamed. Tsubaki didn't know if she was really ready to face everyone. Stepping outside of the room was one thing. Stepping back into the world was another.
"Please, guys. We've been really worried, and-and this is hard on us, too." Maka asked. She glanced at Black Star, too, wanting to know his reaction. He avoided her gaze, but slowly nodded.
Tsubaki and Black Star held each other's hand as they walked down the hall. Maka walked in front, head down as she thought about things. They had not eaten anything they had brought them, and it showed, not just from the full plates they retrieved when bringing a new meal, but the paleness and frazzled states of their faces. She worried for her friend's' health. She supposed it may have been normal, but she didn't know from experience. She hoped that they would continue to get better as time moved on.
The fact that they'd walked out of the room was a step in itself.
Tsubaki and Black Star looked around as they entered the living room. Maka went to sit next to Soul on the red loveseat couch. Stein was reading a book, sitting in the hefty lounge chair. He glance up at them, marked his page with a bookmark and set it aside, resting his sharp elbows on the arms of the chair. Krona looked up at them from his spot on the floor, and offered a tired smile. Liz walked over to Tsubaki and pulled her into a hug.
Kidd followed, and to Black Star's surprise, Kidd gave him a hug as well. Awkwardly he patted Kidd on the back.
"You two are welcome to stay here for as long as you like." He said. Black Star muttered a "thank you".
"We've all been anxious. We didn't know what to do, so we have just been doing what seems right. I apologize if we've been a bit… overbearing." Soul explained, taking his turn in giving his friends a tight and sincere hug.
"Was the food too much?" He asked. Tsubaki blinked, and forced a shake of her head. Not that she'd eaten any of it, save for the few nibbles of a sandwich.
"No, I, well, we-we just…" She looked at Black Star, pain heavy in her eyes. They were welling up with tears. She turned to her husband and buried her face in his chest. This in turn made Black Star slightly angry as he understood why she was hurting so much. Why they were hurting so much.
"Have you found anything?" He asked bluntly. Soul looked to Stein, since he'd been the ringmaster in all of this.
"No. The investigators haven't found a trace, save for a few, ahem, furs? They're not sure what they would have come fr-
-Kidd, you remember the man we fought in the underground ten years ago? Soul, Maka, the man on the bridge?" Black Star interrupted. Even now he could see the man's wolf-like stature, sharp teeth and razor-edge claws. The mismatched eyes, and the tattoo of "no future" in place of the man's left eyebrow.
He glanced at them, and they nodded in return. He dropped his gaze to the coffee table, sending his most hateful glare towards it.
"That explains the energy signature I felt, but how did he get past our borders?" Kidd asked, taking a seat on the long couch. He crossed his arms.
"Can we not talk about this? Not now, please. Not yet." Tsubaki asked against his chest. Black Star nodded slowly. It was getting to him, too. He wanted to smash the ancient clay pots or the bust statues that decorated the room. He wanted to flip the table, and rage and rant.
Krona stood and pulled a large chair towards them, offering a small, yet sad, smile.
"Please, sit. It'll be better being out here than being alone. It's too dark by yourself." He asked mystically. Black Star sat down, cradling Tsubaki in his lap. She kept her face hidden from the others, buried in the crane of his neck.
"Krona, would you mind helping us carry some tea?" Maka asked, heading for the kitchen, Soul in tow. He nodded, and hurried after them.
Krona paused as he entered the grand kitchen, still amazed at the wonders it held. It was bright, neatly and obsessively arranged, nothing like Stein's kitchen, which held a meager mini-fridge and two-burner top stove. The sink was a fraction of the large sink Kidd had, and the counter space seemed endless.
He smiled to himself. All too often, they cooked with the spare chemistry equipment Stein had in his lab, using a Bunsen burner as a stove and a 500 mL beaker as a pot. He was sure he lacked fingerprints due to how many times he'd mindlessly grabbed the beaker without using a pair of tongs or a hot-glove.
The kettle had been set on the top of the fridge, and Maka stood on the ends of her toes to reach for it. She missed the handle by a few inches, backed off, and scowled at it. Soul chuckled at her and effortlessly reached up and grabbed it, and handed it to her.
She thanked him and stepped to the sink to fill it. The sink was much larger than their own. Two massive wells sat side-by-side, set into a granite countertop. The faucet had a showerhead option, and an ordinary tap water function, and it could be removed from the stand to use as needed.
She filled the kettle, put the stopper back on, and handed it to Soul, who set it on the stove, admiring the flat, electric top. He swore it heated faster than their gas stove, and liked the fact that they didn't have to bother with scraping off the sides to get the well un-stuck from the stovetop whenever they wanted to clean it.
"That was nice of you, Krona." Maka started, breaking Krona out of his amazed interest in the grand kitchen. He'd been looking at the myriad of spices arranged neatly on the spice rack when she'd called to him.
"Oh, well, I've never, I mean, I don't know how to handle… or interact… Um…" He muttered, fidgeting with his fingers in nerves. Maka clicked her tongue in pity. Ten years, and he still hadn't adjusted, it seemed.
She let it be, and gathered a tray of white teacups with a humming-bird design, the lip lined with a sliver glaze. Arranging a circle of saucers neatly on two trays, she grabbed a container of whatever tea Kidd had, opened it, and took a deep whiff.
She smiled to herself. The sweet, heady scent of Lavender mixed with the rich, dark Earl Grey tingled her nose. She used the scoop to add three scoopfuls of leaves to the kettle, then added one more, just for good measure.
She hoped that Black Star and Tsubaki would drink some, but she told herself she wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.
"Should I make something for them to eat, too?" She asked Soul and Krona. Soul shrugged, but nodded.
"Might as well. If they don't eat it, I will. You know that." He answered. Krona paled, but nodded.
"Uh, y-yeah. It'll be nice, won't it? But, it won't change anything." Krona responded, voice starting strong and softening to meek and mild. He fidgeted again, this time drying his sweaty and clammy palms on the hem of his shirt.
Maka sighed, her cheerful and calm mood suddenly destroyed. She couldn't blame Krona for reminding them, but sometimes, he really could be denser than a rock.
"No, it won't, but…" She trailed off as she thought perhaps she was forcing them to be happy, or worse, forget. Not that they ever would—who could possibly "forget" about something as damaging as the loss of one's loved one, let alone their child? It'd only been about three days now. She shook her head. She couldn't be expecting happy faces so soon.
"You idiot, Krona!" Ragnarok cried out, shooting out of the poor boy's back and bopping him on the head with a white-gloved fist. His eyes were bulging out of his skull, and Soul wondered if the weapon was genuinely pissed, whether at Krona or about what had happened, he couldn't begin to tell.
"Ow! Stop it! I didn't mean to!" Krona pleaded, swiping at the abusive weapon built into his body.
"Hey, hey, come on, chill! Not cool to beat up your partner." Soul called to Ragnarok, trying to get him to calm down. Every once in a while, seeing Ragnarok pop out of Krona's back gave him the creeps, and it reminded him of a creepy dream he'd had when he'd first been infected with the Black Blood that ran through Krona's veins.
Ragnarok stopped and glared at Soul.
"Well, he deserves it for being such a pussy!" Ragnarok argued. Maka sent Ragnarok a glare of her own, and he froze, and quietly withdrew into Krona's body.
The kettle whistled at them, throwing a stream of scalding steam into the air. She snatched it off of the stove, turned it off, and turned back around.
"I'll carry this; can you get those?" She asked, nodding towards the trays of teacups. Krona nodded and picked it up, trying to keep his shaky hands steady as he walked out to set it on the coffee table in front of his friends. He was tense, and it showed as he rigidly bent down and set it down, releasing an obvious held breath as he succeeded in transferring the expensive dishware without bumbling and shattering it all. He chuckled nervously, grasping his arm and gripping it so tightly his knuckles were white.
Stein fought a shake of his head, knowing the poor guy would take it as a sign of disappointment. Marie and he had worked hard in teaching him how to interact with others, providing counseling sessions for him to help reverse the psychological damage Medusa had left. Though he had improved much, he still had a long way to go.
"Thank you, Krona." He offered, reaching over and picking up a cup. Krona beamed. Maka filled it for him, and filled the other's cups as they claimed their own. Tsubaki and Black Star didn't move to pick up theirs, so she set it down on the table in case they changed their minds later. She wasn't going to force them to drink it.
"We were just discussing the press. They've been up our assholes and around the corner. We shoo them away, but they're relentless. You'd think they'd leave after how many times we've threatened to shoot them with wavelengths." Kidd explained, bringing them back into the conversation they'd left. Maka sighed and rolled her eyes. She didn't care much for the attention, and neither did Soul. They'd only vanquished Asura because it'd been the right thing to do, and they'd all have been royally screwed if he'd been allowed to continue.
Krona didn't welcome the attention either, still being accused of being a criminal and a traitor. He'd cleared his name, but the occasional person still held onto the aspects of his previous reputation. "Old ways die hard", Marie often said, though it did little to quell his unease.
"We could distract them." Krona stated. They looked at him, surprised. It was a bold moment for the shy anti-social shut-in.
"There's no need for distraction. Besides, that would lead poorly for us. They might take it as us trying to cover up the truth… not that they need to know it." Stein argued. He understood Krona's point, but he had a feeling Krona would go out of his way to do something... perhaps even scheme a petty plot that would further damage Krona's already shaky relationship with the people of Death City.
They sat in silence for a while, thinking to themselves, the ticking of the clock raking their eardrums, it being the only sound for a good amount of time.
Tsubaki slid off of the chair and sat on the floor at Black Star's feet, staring at the cup, though her mind wasn't in the room. She wondered what had become of their children's corpses. Were they in an icebox in a morgue? Were they being cleaned, preserved, and fixed up to be presentable in a casket? She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. Strangely, she wanted to see them, regardless of what they looked like. Was this desire to see the state of dead loved ones so soon an acceptable reaction?
She let her head fall back and lean against Black Star's knee. Brought out of his thoughts, he set a hand on her shoulder, and she took it.
Black Star took a breath, trying to release the tension in his facial muscles. He realized he'd been frowning, but the questions and thoughts swimming through his head frustrated him.
Stein had said they'd found furs, right? Would they be able to use that to track the bastard? Could Stein use it to take away the man's power? He was a mad scientist, after all.
"Dr. Stein." Tsubaki called, not looking away from the teacup she had a stare-down with. Stein cleared his throat, and answered a "yes" when she didn't turn to look at him.
"What has become of Asa and-and Shira?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly. She refused to look at the man, fearing she would cry even more. Frankly, she was tired of crying. Tired of her eyes feeling swollen and her cheeks stinging with her tears.
"They are still in the morgue. I've asked them to call at my house or here if they discovered anything, or if something has changed." He answered calmly.
Tsubaki nodded, appreciating his straightforwardness and care. She stood, and finally turned to him, holding her hands in front of her.
"Will you take me to see them?" She asked. She'd looked him in the face at first, but her gaze dropped. She felt ashamed in asking, or perhaps it was fear. The uncertainty confused her greatly. Where had her confidence gone?
Black Star looked up at her, swallowing the guilty lump in his throat. He opened his mouth, not sure whether he wanted to protest or agree. He wanted to know, too, but the terror of seeing them dead haunted him.
"Of course." He said. He set down his cup and stood as well.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, turning red with embarrassment. She couldn't understand why she was embarrassed. What was wrong with her? She only desired to see her children, she tried to reason with herself.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Tsubaki. The same goes for you, Black Star. I would say this is normal, but I don't know. We're all here, and we'll all work this through together." Stein assured. It pained him to see his former students so shaken, though he couldn't blame them. If he had gone through what they had at this age, he felt he'd react the same way.
She didn't answer, but slowly nodded her head. She turned to Black Star, and extended her hand for him to take. He did, giving a slight tip of his head. Who was he to delay things further? Sure, he was scared, but he was certain she was, too. Her decision gave him courage, and he wanted to stand beside her when their children were revealed to them.
The others looked up at them, wondering if they should tag along.
"We'll wait here." Kidd decided for them. They gave him a look, not appreciating the fact that he'd taken the option away. However, they all nodded. It was probably something Black Star and Tsubaki should do alone, without them over their shoulder.
"Krona, will you accompany us? I'd like to talk to you." Stein announced, grabbing his lab coat and throwing it on. He shrugged his shoulders to get it to fit in the right spot, and headed for the door, Krona close behind.
Krona's thoughts were racing. What had he done? Had he said something? Was he in trouble? He chewed his lip nervously as they stepped outside onto the dark street, the air somewhat chilly. The moon cried, sending blotted rays of moonlight to light their way.
Tsubaki and Black Star held each other's hand, following the two, not saying a word. They slightly dreaded what they were about to do, but felt a strange sense of relief.
The walk to the morgue was long, the trail winding in and out of the streets of Death City. Krona wondered why Stein was leading them in a zig-zag pattern when he knew the route was more direct. He didn't question him, though. Stein almost always had a reason for doing the things he did, even if they didn't make sense to most people. What mattered most, it seemed, was that it made sense to Stein.
The morgue was an eerie building to look at; the front door was tall, thin, and red, among a stone-grey foundation. It seemed like the contractor had built it straight out of a horror movie. It unnerved Krona to approach it, albeit for different reasons than it unnerved Tsubaki and Black Star.
They hesitated, mixed expressions on their faces. Stein paused before opening the door, and turned to face them.
"If you're not ready, we can wait. We have plenty of time." He said patiently. Tsubaki cast a glance at her husband, wondering if he felt the same unease she did. His eyes shouted his hidden terror.
"Are you… ready?" She asked. He forced a nod.
"Not sure, but I-I want to be by your side. Always." He answered. Her eyes softened, and she gave him a soft smile. It faded as quickly as it'd come when she looked back at the door.
"Yes. Let's go. It's-it is time." She told Stein. He opened the door for them, and held it as they walked inside. Krona followed, and Stein closed the door behind him.
The inside was just as creepy as the outside. A long, blue-tinted light shined down on them, casting a blue-hue on everything in the room. The tiles of the floor were black and white, though in the light they appeared an off shade of robin's egg blue. A wilting plant sat in the corner, and Krona felt sorry for it. It must have been wanting to die. He didn't dare say the thought aloud.
Stein stepped up to the counter, blocked off by a thick pane of glass, and rung the bell, waiting patiently. The bell chimed through the room, sounding sour to Tsubaki and Black Star. A row of chairs sat lined against a wall, and to avoid saying anything he would regret, Krona briskly walked to them and sat down. For a morgue, Krona imagined the place would seem a tad bit more… lively and colorful, considering the people who came here were probably already in low spirits.
Just after Stein rang the bell, a tall thin man stepped up on the other side of the counter, wearing a white lab coat and a pair of thick, white examination gloves. There was blood smeared on the fingertips, and he pulled them off and set them in a trashcan.
"Yes?" The man drawled, eyes half-lidded, seeming very tired. His black hair was shaggy and unkempt, and he had a dark five-o'-clock shadow around the sharp, pointy chin and down his long neck, which disappeared beneath the man's green turtleneck sweater.
Krona found it odd that the man would be wearing a sweater, since it wasn't too cold outside. Now that he thought about temperature, he noticed the hairs on his arms were standing on end. It was just as chilly in the waiting room as it was outside. Maybe, even chillier.
Krona stood and walked up to stand beside Stein, out of the way of the mirror, but just close enough to get a better look at the man stranger than Stein—which meant a lot, since Stein had a bolt as big as a small saucer sticking out of the side of his head. He could see the man wore a pair of black, baggy pants that hung loosely around his waist, even with a belt to aide them. His shoes were enormous, a plate of steel covering the toes. He wondered what purpose they served. Perhaps the man wore them to protect his toes, because he had a habit of bumping into things?
As he looked at the man again, he felt a shiver run through his body as he saw the man was slouched down to talk to them through the window. This man was incredibly tall! Krona bit his tongue to prevent asking the man's height since, according to everyone else, it would be rude.
"I'm here for Asagao and Shirayuri Star. These are their parents. They wish to see them." Stein explained, gesturing to Black Star and Tsubaki with an open hand. As they looked through the window, they nodded.
"Ah, yes. Very well. Step to the door, and I'll let you in." The man said, his deep voice rumbling from within his chest. Krona watched as he stood up straight and pressed a big, round, green button on a control board built into the desk.
A loud buzz sounded, followed by a click, and the door opened from the inside as the tall man opened the door for them. Tsubaki and Black Star stepped bravely forward. Krona went to follow, but Stein stopped him and held him back.
"This is something they should do alone, Krona." He explained. Krona didn't question it, and went to sit back down.
"My name is Doctor Jebediah Manellatus, though I prefer 'Dr. M'. Please, follow me." He introduced himself shortly. They only nodded, too focused on seeing their children's bodies.
Behind the door, a large, wide-open space with more blue lights waited. The walls were lined with metal doors, like cabinets. The tiles were replaced with solid concrete, with a drainage hole covered by a grate in the very middle. The floor was slanted slightly to allow water to flow to the center.
There was a portion of the room offset with a table and a wall covered in hooks, from them hung various instruments they figured were used in autopsies. A circular saw with a myriad of blades. Different sizes of pliers. A rubber mallet. A metal stake.
They followed the tall man down the line of doors, and stopped when he did. A paper label that read: Star, Asagao E. typed in a neat, old-fashioned, bold, type-writer font marked Asa's container. The container directly beside Black Star read Star, Shirayuri L. in the same bold-faced typewriter font. They backed away as the man opened the door and slid out the table Asa's body lay on. He walked around the outstretched table and opened the door to Shira's body, and pulled it out as well.
He pulled the cloth down to reveal Shira's face, pausing just below the collar bone, not wanting to reveal the autopsy cuts and stitches he'd had to make. Tsubaki gasped and covered her mouth, and her breath caught in her chest. Black Star looked away, blinked a few times, and forced himself to look back.
Dr. Manellatus turned around to Asa's body and pulled the cloth down, and stepped back to allow them access. Tsubaki walked to Asa's body and reached out her hand to touch Asa's cheek, pausing to give a questioning look to the man. He slowly nodded.
"It is alright. It may help." He assured.
She placed her hand on Asa's cheek. It was ice-cold, a stark contrast against her own living flesh. Tears fell from her eyes as she stroked Asa's cheek, mouth dry. Black Star took hold of Shira's hand and gave it a light squeeze, slightly surprised to find that it was stiff in his hand. The bodies must have not gone out of their rigor-mortis phase.
"She's so cold." Tsubaki whispered sadly, looking up to Black Star. He looked back at her, unsure of what to say.
"Yes, it is to prevent degradation of the body. In a few days, I will begin the preserving and embalming procedures. Perhaps visiting the funeral home will help you to bring closure." The doctor explained. Tsubaki turned her head, slightly startled when he'd begun to speak.
"Oh. Yes, I-I suppose you're right." She muttered sadly, sniffling. She stroked Asa's cold, blue hair tenderly. Black Star grimaced as her words hit him, and he covered Shira's face with the cloth and turned away, wiping at his eyes.
"I can't. I just can't believe it." He mumbled.
"It will take time, but it is truth. Your daughters are dead. The only thing we can do for them now is give them a proper burial." The doctor said, pushing Shira's body back into the ice-box. Tsubaki took one last look at Asa, pressed her fingers to her lips, and then placed a kiss on Asa's cheek. She took a deep breath and draped the cloth back over Asa's face, signaling she was done. She walked around to stand by Black Star as the doctor pushed Asa's body back into place, and shut the door.
They joined hands again, and Tsubaki and Black Star walked back to the door, waiting for the man to open it for them again. As they stepped out, they noted a significant temperature change between the rooms. The waiting room was much warmer than it had been when they'd first walked in. They figured it due to the freezing temperatures of the body-containers.
"Ready to leave?" Stein asked, turning to look at them. He'd been staring at a few brochures sitting in a filing folder on a stand in a corner of the room, holding a few in his hands. He wasn't sure if he should call them on it, but they gave off an aura that felt somewhat better.
"Yeah. Let's go." Black Star answered, holding out his arm for Tsubaki to take. She looped her hand around his biceps, and walked at his side and out of the door. Krona left last, grabbing a few brochures for himself, wondering what about the brochures had attracted Stein.
Stein and Krona lagged behind, allowing the two parents a good amount of space. They would have a lot to talk about in the next few days, and Stein was sure they wouldn't appreciate their being over their shoulders at every minute.
Few notes: Jebediah "Manellatus" (Morningside in Latin) is the name of the villain from the horror series "Phantasm". As I was describing the character, I hadn't been thinking of the killer at the time, but after rereading the description, I realized that the description fit. Besides, since Dr. "Franken Stein" was used, I figured it wouldn't hurt too much to stick to the idea.