Everyone was silent by Black Star's sudden appearance. The only noise was from Ran and Keiran, trying to break away from Black Star's grasp. He looked around the room, uninterested.
"Not much of a headquarters, is this?" he mumbled. Jackal snarled in the background, standing in front of Julia defensively. Black Star disregarded him, and looked at Rhya.
"Good to see you're making friends already," Black Star said warmly. "But I'm thinking you're making friends with the wrong crowd." Rhya looked at Black Star, shocked. How did he know she was new? Ran sneered, looking to Keiran.
"Keiran, fan mode." She ordered. Keiran nodded obediently, transforming in a flash of light. Ran caught him in midair and in one fluid motion snapped the fan closed and smashed the end of it into Black Star's nose. He let go in shock, giving Ran the opportunity to escape.
"Everyone, transform your weapons!" Ran barked. "We can't let him win." Haley wasted no time, transforming into a bow. Demi caught him, and swung him up into position, drawing back the string to reveal an arrow of sharp green soul wavelength. Kaido stood up, uninterested, as Scar transformed into gloves, fitting perfectly on Kaido's hands. Rhya looked over at Shun, nervously. Although he was just as unsure as she was, he held Rhya's hand, transforming into the bo. Black Star stared at them all and laughed.
"You honestly think you can win this fight?" Black Star asked, cracking his knuckles. "I'm a bushin. Its time you really learned who I am."
Black Star was gone in a split second. Everyone looked around, suddenly on guard. Jackal gave a low growl. Suddenly, Demi gave a cry of shock. Everyone spun around to see Black Star, standing calmly behind her, as she crashed to the floor. Haley transformed out of his bow form, just as unconscious.
"What the hell?" Ran exclaimed. Suddenly Black Star disappeared again, this time appearing between Kaido and Julia. Without warning his arms shot out, hitting the two in the stomach with his palms. Electricity shot through his hands, and all three of them fell to the ground, unconscious.
"He's using his soul wavelength to attack," Rhya breathed nervously. Black Star looked up at Ran, ready to attack.
"Chain Sickle mode!" Ran called. Keiran morphed, and Ran held out a chain with a sickle attached, its blade as black as night. As Black Star lunged at her, his fist out to attack, Ran stretched the chain apart, causing his fist to get caught on the chain. Black Stars eyes were wide in shock and anger.'
"You…" he growled. He gripped onto the chain, pulling away it away. Ran gripped onto the sickle and the other end of the chain defiantly. "You stole Tsubaki's ability. You're the reason why she can't fight anymore." Ran looked up at Black Star defiantly.
"Who the hell do you think I am?" Ran exclaimed. Black Star scowled.
"I don't care who the hell you are." He snarled. "But you'll pay for what you did to Tsubaki." In a split second Black Star lunged and chopped Ran in the neck, forcing her unconscious. Rhya screamed as Ran fell to the ground, leaving her the only one standing. Black Star looked at her, a hurt, dark look in his eyes.
"Don't you realize what you just did?" Rhya exclaimed, switching to a guarding position with her bo. "Why the hell are you doing this?"
"Orders are orders," Black Star replied.
The next second, all Rhya could see was black.
Rhya's eyes shot open, her heart pounding. Cold sweat dripped from her forehead as she shook in fear.
Black Star… she thought. Black Star was here. He had knocked everyone out. He was under orders to capture everyone.
As soon as she realized this she sat up in shock. She looked around panicked, trying to realize where she was. Was she at some weird hideout for ninja's? Was she at Chupa Cabra's, the supposed witch hide out? The reality was less climatic, as she soon realized she was sitting strait up, in white pajamas in Shibusen's infirmary.
How…? She asked herself, eyes wide in terror and shock. This can't be right. Black Star CAPTURED us…
"Oh good, you're awake." A voice chirped. Rhya looked over to see Blair, the cat, in a sexy nurse's uniform. Rhya sighed at Blair's less than appropriate appearance, but was at least glad that she knew someone normal.
"Blair, thank god," Rhya breathed. "What happened? Why am I here?" Blair smiled.
"After Ran kinda ticked Black Star off, he forgot to check how much soul energy he was attacking you with." Blair explained. "So, you got the rough end of the beating and were knocked into a coma." Blair smiled innocently, fiddling with the papers on the nurse's desk. Rhya's eyes widened.
"A COMA?" Rhya exclaimed. "What the… HOW? And how can you be so calm about Black Star? He's a criminal!" Blair stared at Rhya with the blankest face she could make.
"Black Star's a freelance meister for Shibusen," Blair remarked, carelessly. "I'm not sure if he's committed any human crimes, but I'm pretty sure he would've been eradicated by now if he was a criminal to Shibusen." Rhya stared at Blair in disbelief, not only from the fact that she said something remotely smart, but because she just said Black Star wasn't a criminal. Never was.
What the hell is going on here...? Rhya stared at Blair for a moment longer, and heard a groan beside her. She looked over quickly and noticed Ran, covered in blankets with a rag on her head.
"Oh, her." Blair chirped a bit too upbeat. "Black Star accidentally hit a wrong nerve with his wavelength. She got a fever." Ran breathed slowly and deeply, indicating she was asleep. Rhya sighed and laid against the bed frame. She looked around, noticing Shun wasn't around. Good. He didn't get shocked like she did. She wondered how long she was asleep. She also wondered if Shun had come to visit her. A hopeful feeling started to flood through her. Shun visiting her... Shun showing that he cared about her...Shun...
You're so weak. Shun probably just wanted to know if his lame excuse for a meister was awake yet, if he visited at all. God, why don't you just shut up? I'm tired of hearing your pathetic thoughts.
The hopeful feeling turned to stone and dropped to the pit of Rhya's stomach. She bit her lip, looking away from Blair so she didn't notice her. Blair looked around for a moment, and sighed in boredom.
"Its no fun around here without Spirit-kun..." Blair pouted. "He's probably hanging out at Chupa Cabra's, that dirty old perv." Blair's pouty face quickly vanished into an evil grin. "I think I'll surprise him." She stood up abruptly, and in a poof of smoke she turned into a cat, dashing out of the room. Rhya sighed slightly in relief. Blair, the ditz. For that one lone moment, she was thankful that Blair was so impulsive. Rhya sat up, looking down at her chest. She's noticed it for a while now, the black wires around her soul. She had a theory about how they got there, but that didn't fix them from going away. And from what it seems, Azreal must have the black wires too, and that's how she entered her dream, from the connection between the wires. Rhya looked at her soul for a moment longer, pondering. If Azreal could connect to her soul, it'd only be logical if she could connect to his. She closed her eyes, focusing on the black wires around her soul. They pulsed with madness, threatening to send her into a decent of madness. She bit her lip as she sensed something, a soul, a soul with a silver black glow around it, with talons around it. And just as she suspected, wires. Thin wires, but wires none the less...
"Hey Soul!" A voice shouted. Rhya's concentration broke, leaving black splotches in her eyes while she could faintly see reality. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear them out, when she noticed Evans talking.
"Black Star, what are you doing here? We haven't seen you in years." Evans replied. Rhya stopped rubbing in a split second, focusing all of her effort on listening. "Oh, Kidd asked me to keep an eye on some witches." Black Star replied nonchalantly. "But on the way, I noticed some Shibusen students poking their nose into business that wasn't theirs. Kidd said for me to retrieve them."
"Shibusen students? What were they doing?" Evans asked.
"Well..." Black Star started. His tone suddenly changed from relaxed to concerned. "They were looking into the madness. They've figured out enough to discover the Hatter. And there was this one girl," Black Star's voice went tense and restrained. "Her weapon has Tsubaki's ability. She's the reason why Tsubaki can't fight. When she wakes up, I'll-"
"Wo, hold up now." Evans interrupted. "You mean Ran, don't you?"
"I don't care what her name is!" Black Star roared. Suddenly there was a loud crack, like a sound of an egg cracking.
"Are you a fucking dumbass?" Evans exclaimed. Black Star groaned.
"You PUNCHED me. Dude, I don't know what your deal is, but-"
"Listen here, Black Star. You leave without telling anyone, only showing your face maybe once in 8 years. That entire time, who was left to take care of Tsubaki? Who was there to help her raise her child?"
"What are you talking about?" Black Star growled. "Tsubaki doesn't have a kid. Hell, she hasn't had sex with anyone except-"
Black Star's voice caught. He kept trying to mutter something out, but nothing did, only weak sounds came from his mouth.
"S-soul... what are.. what are you saying?" Black Star exclaimed. "Tsubaki would've told me about something like that! There's no way!"
"Well, Black Star, she couldn't exactly contact you, could she?" Evans sneered. "You left. No one knew where you were. And suddenly, here she was with a brand new baby girl, with black hair and sharp blue eyes. There she was. With YOUR child!"
Evans voice echoed through Shibusen's halls. Neither of them spoke for a while. A LONG while. Rhya sat there, shaking all over.
I shouldn't be listening to this, her internal voice whispered. I shouldn't be.
Shut up already! Let's see what happens next!
"That girl...Ran...she's..." Black Star stuttered. There was a loud thump, indicating that he had dropped to the floor. Evans sighed, as Black Star tried to regain himself.
"But if she's... How does her weapon have Tsubaki's ability? I mean, we've only did it once..." Black Star muttered.
"Well, Ran made a friend a long time ago. He was blind, and tortured. He was a demon weapon, a ninja fan. Ran took care of him, and he took care of her. She practiced with him constantly, which helped boost his self esteem. Tsubaki was glad that Ran had a connection with this boy, and decided since she was never going to have another child, she wanted to give her ability to the boy, so that way Ran always had a piece of her mother around, inside him." Evans explained. Everything was quiet again for another moment. Finally, Black Star spoke.
"Well...I guess.. I have some apologizing to do..." He muttered. Evans sighed, and with another noise of shifting, Black Star's boots clapped onto the pavement.
"Before that though, I think you should see your old partner," Evans replied, lightheartedly.
"Tsubaki's here?" Black Star exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, she was going to fill in as the school's nurse, since Blair isn't a very good replacement, but I'm sure she won't mind seeing you." Evans replied. As their footsteps furthered off, Rhya could hear one last mumble. "You know, for such a hot girl, you are so uncool."
Rhya sat there, listening to their footsteps farther away. Rhya closed her eyes and collapsed against her bed. After a few seconds of breathing, she heard something, something peculiar. She opened her eyes and looked over to her right, to see Ran's eyes wide open, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"He didn't even know I was alive," She muttered. "My own father. He left my mother. And he didn't even know..." Ran started to cry again, bringing her hands from under the covers to cover her eyes. Rhya stared at Ran, unsure whether to comfort her or to let her be.
Let her sit there. You've had enough misery, and no one was there to help YOU out.
You know what, shut the hell up! Rhya exclaimed. I'm tired of your bullshit. Next time you interrupt, I will kill you. The madness chuckled, but Rhya ignored her, stepping down from the infirmary bed and shuffling over to Ran. Slowly she leaned down and hugged her, causing Ran to cry more.
"What are you doing...?" Ran choked. "I don't need any of your pity!" Rhya gave out a short laugh.
"I'm not pitying you, Ran." Rhya muttered. "I'm being a friend."
Ran's voice caught, causing her to cry even more. Rhya sat by Ran's side for the rest of the day, comforting her lone friend, unprepared for what horrors awaited her.
NOTE FROM UNDEADXXXOTAKU- Holy cheese its, its taken me forever to write this! Luckily, school will be out soon, so I'll have nothing else to do but devote my time to this fan fic =D
For anyone who's curious, I'm expecting this fan fic to run for 13 chapters, so I'm not even half way done. It might take me a while, but I swear by Captain Kirk's nipples it shall be done!
Anywho, thank you for reading =)