(Thank you for the support, favorites and follows. ^^ I appreciate it a lot. Sorry I haven't been updating often. It's summer and I have a handful of vacations, and during those I've been doing other things than focusing on this story. Also, because of school coming up, please don't expect frequent updates. It depends on what happens. Anyways, enjoy! Of course, I don't own Soul Eater.)
Kid stood in surprised, yet horrified silence. Asura was his older brother? Asura? As in, the Asura that tried to kill literally everyone in his path to madness? He couldn't move from overwhelming shock.
However, the more the symmetry-obsessed boy looked at him, he did seem really frail and skinny despite the many layers of his clothing. Along with that, the insanely-mad Asura would at least try to kill him and eat his soul by now (especially since Liz and Patty, his weapons, were behind a thick, locked door); instead, he only looked over his shoulder and stared. He didn't have a burning fire in his eyes, filled with an evil hunger for murder or madness like he saw before. Infact, there wasn't even any visible revenge. The only expressions Kid could easily see in his eyes, from this distance, was calm curiosity, surprise and intense fear.
"Kid?" He muttered, his voice hoarse and rough. Kid nodded softly, eyebrows furrowed in unsure yet alert confusion. "What are you doing here?" Asura turned completely to face him, still sitting on the hanging scarf. He sounded as if he wanted Kid out of the room immediately.
Kid didn't answer. He minced to where the picture frame was in his sight and blinked when he clearly saw the photograph. It was of Death in his 'scary' form, his jagged arm wrapped around a much younger Asura - they were posing for a picture, even though Asura was looking away and trying to shrink out of the view of the camera.
So its true. Kid confirmed mentally with a cringe. Asura is my older brother. That must've been before Death took on an approachable appearance. He turned around to see Asura staring at him with uncertainty and suspicion.
"What are you doing here?" He repeated, narrowing his dark-lined eyes. Kid blinked.
"Death, our father, wants me to try and get to know you better." He decided that telling Asura of other people having to meet him might make him less eager to bond, so he planned to save it until the last day before he switched with another person.
The older one in the room 'tched' and released the scarf's grip on the hook, making him drop and stand with a soft 'thud'. Asura was so tall that if he were a few centimeters higher, his head would be touching the ceiling. So that explains the tall door. Kid thought. The stretched scarf oddly receded back to it's normal length, as if it were alive. "So you figured it out, eh? I'm your sibling." He appeared to be shaking a little bit.
He waited until after Kid agreed with a quiet, "I know" to continue. "What does Death expect you to do to 'get to know me better?' Talk about symmetry or something?"
Kid ignored the sarcasm and shrugged nonchalantly, trying to act as if he were calm - when on the inside, every alarm and flare were going off. "I don't know much. He only wanted me to bond with you so you can stay sane." He widened his eyes when he realized what he said.
Asura grunted and flinched. "So Death doesn't believe I can do it on my own?" He sounded slightly hurt but hostile at the same time.
The younger brother closed his eyes and sighed, then opened them as he regained his composure. "I'm not going to lie to you. No, he doesn't, I don't think." Asura cringed again at that. "He wouldn't have sent me if he thought otherwise. Think about it, though. Having more friends might help you remove some of your fears."
Asura widened his eyes and blinked. He then narrowed them. "Like what?" He asked, obviously suspicious yet highly interested. "What fears might go away?"
"The fear of being alone, first off. Knowing some of the people you might have to befriend, the fear of betrayal will most likely also leave. Then, your new friends can help you eliminate all your other fears one by one." Well, there goes part of the plan of waiting to tell him. He thought with a mental sigh.
Asura softened his hostile gaze after a considerable amount of time. It was obvious he was contemplating it. He made a rough sigh, then plopped onto the floor with his legs crossed. "Fine." He crossed his arms as well.
Kid sighed with relief. Hopefully he'll be completely willing to become friends with the others... just because I spilled some of the beans doesn't mean he's interested in eating them. He sat down on the floor with him, making Asura scoot back despite them being far enough already. Alright...conversation starters. How about interests? That sounds good... enough. Cliché, but good enough.
"So, uh, what's your favorite TV Show?" He started.
Asura huffed lightly. "Does it look like there's a TV in here?"
Kid shook his head. It took all his strength not to have an outburst at the fact Asura was being so rude while he was trying to have a decent conversation. Death Scythe warned me about his inexperience with people. I shouldn't take it personally. "I suppose not. Good point."
Asura frowned. He had meant that as a humorous joke, but, sensing the struggle and anger radiating off of Kid, he could tell it didn't seem like one. Too late now. It'll only make things more awkward if I correct it. Might as well roll with it. He groaned mentally. Wow. What an amazing way to start out the first conversation with my brother since I've woken up. This is going to be wooonderful.
The two slowly conversed as time flew by. Kid could tell Asura was highly uneducated in social interaction, due to the fact that he kept staring at Kid without finding it rude and being sarcastic more than talking normally. He also didn't talk much or give many extra details other than the answer to a question. Kid was also hesitant, however. The last time he saw Asura before now was the battle between them. You can only imagine how strange it felt for both of them to try and become friends with your major former enemy. The situation was mostly uncomfortable. Asura didn't agree, watch, read or do some of the things Kid did. Sadly, to Kid's high disappointment, he also didn't share his enthusiasm for symmetry. Awkward silences also slipped into the conversation, lasting for about a few seconds or maybe a few minutes. Asura didn't explain anything when something led to his dark past, and he changed the subject swiftly before Kid could respond. Either way, Kid learned more about Asura (not a lot) while Asura learned more about Kid just the same.
As it turns out, Asura wanted to remain being sane after he woke up from unconsciousness and said he would try a lot of options to help him meet that goal. The piercing, stabbing feeling of constant fear hurt him. He would feel it at least once everyday, at different times. The least painful feeling was when he felt like he was suffocating, with no break or pause; the worst was when he felt as if someone was grasping his heart, then squeezing it and twisting it as hard as they could, making him gasp and groan. Asura would sometimes experience these when he didn't even know he was scared. Having madness inside him soothed or numbed the torture more than he'd like to admit, although he knew that being mad forced him to do terrible things he had never wanted to dream of doing before. Asura was faced with a terrible decision - he either had to deal with the intense pain and stay stable, where he wouldn't risk being killed, or become mad and have no more fear and no more pain; the only catch is that, to do so, he would have to eat human souls, which means murder, and having to run away and go into hiding to prevent being killed. He didn't want to be afraid anymore. It only scared him more to think about what kind of pains he hadn't felt, and if he would feel them more harshly than before. Some nights, although he absolutely hated he was like this, he would cry softly and silently to sleep because it was so agonizing. Then he would have a nightmare that felt too real, and only made his fears worse (if that was even possible). Of course, he hadn't told Kid any of this. He knew the younger reaper either, one, didn't care, or would, two, use all of this to his own advantage and try to kill him with it. Fear was his weakness; there was no way he would tell anyone he didn't trust with any of that.
A couple of loud knocks that shook the door made Kid flinch, but made Asura almost leap out of his own skin as he jumped a few feet backwards and slammed into the wall behind him - hard. At this, the asymmetrical boy widened his eyes and pursed his lips inward to avoid laughing. Asura noticed this and simply glared daggers as he tried to calm his racing heart.
"Who is it?" Kid answered back, getting up and standing near the door.
There was nothing in response.
Kid's expression faltered a little until he remembered the door was soundproof. He facepalmed mentally and turned around to face Asura. "I think it's time for me to go now." Honestly, he was relieved that he could finally leave. He was, at least 888 percent, happy to go.
Asura nodded and stood. Kid thought he could see a little disappointment in his eyes, but if so, he covered it up quickly as his scarf looped into the hook on the ceiling - on its own. He sat on the curve of it again and crossed his legs, resting his hands in his lap.
"I'll be back tomorrow." Kid focused on the door again and knocked almost as hard as the person before did. After a few seconds, the door opened just enough for Kid to slip out of it. It was shut and locked immediately after. Sid was on the other side, holding a lantern like Spirit did before.
Kid instantly exploded into an raging fit once the door was shut.
"ASURA?! SERIOUSLY?! NOONE EVER TOLD ME ASURA, WHO IS A FORMER PSYCHOPATHIC AND INSANE KISHIN TRICLOPS THAT TRIED TO KILL ALL OF US AT LEAST ONCE, AND SWALLOWED HIS WEAPON WHOLE AND VOMITED HIM UP WHENEVER HE NEEDED TO USE HIM, WAS MY OLDER BROTHER THIS WHOLE TIME! THE FACT HE BRUTALLY STABBED ME IN THE CHEST WITH HIS FREAKISH SUPER-STRETCHED FINGER - HIS FINGER! - AND KNEW I WAS HIS YOUNGER BROTHER JUST PROVES HOW CRUEL AND COLD HE IS! WHO STABS THEIR YOUNGER BROTHER WITH THEIR FINGER? IN FACT, WHO PURPOSEFULLY HURTS THEIR YOUNGER SIBLING WITH THE INTENT TO KILL THEM? NOT ANYONE I KNOW, THAT'S FOR SURE! HOW ARE YOU EXPECTING ME TO BOND WITH THAT... THAT... THING?! I'M NOT GOING TO TRUST HIM, EVEN IF HE IS MY OLDER BROTHER! HE DIDN'T EVEN LIKE SYMMETRY! NOT ONE BIT! SYMMETRY! WHO IN THE WORLD DOESN'T LIKE SYMMETRY?! I DON'T KNOW WHICH IS WORSE, KNOWING ASURA IS MY OLDER BROTHER OR KNOWING HE DOESN'T LIKE SYMMETRY! WHEN I BROUGHT UP THE SAID BEAUTIFUL SUBJECT, HE DIDN'T SMILE OR WIDEN HIS EYES OR SIGH IN JOY OR ANYTHING! NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, HE DIDN'T SMILE AT ALL! HE ONLY FROWNED OR STAYED NEUTRAL! THE ONLY EMOTIONS I SAW FROM HIM WERE SARCASM AND NONE!" He screamed 'none' at the top of his lungs, emitting an large voice crack.
Sid stood there in silence. Kid panted hard, having got that all out in one breath. He had flailed his arms and ruffled his hair during his outrage, so his hair was now messy and fluffed up. He glared at Sid as if he tilted a painting slightly to the right and didn't bother to fix it.
"You done?" Sid raised an eyebrow. Kid was too out of breath and tired to even reply, although he did put his hands on his knees and stopped glaring. Sid nodded. "I'll take that as a yes." He then used his free hand to take small, white noise-cancelling earbuds out of his ears and stuff them in his pocket to throw away later.
Once Kid had caught his breath, Sid started walking down the long stone hallway with the young reaper right beside him. "Now that you aren't acting like a two-year-old," Kid looked up and shot a quick glare at him. "how'd it go?" Sid asked, stuffing the giant key into his pocket. "You've been in there for five hours."
Kid scoffed. His voice sounded hoarse and rough, as if sandpaper had rubbed against it. "Five hours? It felt like eight."
Sid sighed. "That was expected. I'm guessing it was awkward, right?"
Kid nodded. "He was quiet most of the time, and I barely got a handful of useful information from him...I don't feel very bonded to him at all. It feels like I only talked to him, nothing more. Not like I'd want to bond with that creature. I have a feeling this will be a very long week... I completely regret choosing to go first." He groaned.
Sid shrugged. "You get used to his attitude and personality after a week of having to visit him every day to bring his food in. Not that he eats it... although, he's not too bad once you actually get to know him." He continued walking down the long, stone hallway with a tired and unamused Kid following right behind him.
Maka chewed her salad quietly, staring at the table she shared with her friends in thought.
Soul, who was sitting next to her, noticed this and raised an eyebrow. "What's up with you? It's lunchtime, Maka. You shouldn't sulk like that." He took a bite out of a ham sandwich, still looking at his meister. Next to Soul sat Black*Star, who scarfed down everything he could get his hands on. Tsubaki sat next to him, happily eating some well-made Japanese udon noodle soup with traditional Japanese chopsticks. Crona quietly poked at his chicken bits with a fork as he sat next to the kind woman, and Ragnarok (who came out of Crona's chest) ate anything he could get his slobbery tongue on, along with sneaking a few bits from other people's plates. Liz and Patty both sat on the other side of the table, eating boiled potatoes and tons of hamburgers, respectively.
Maka blinked, snapping out of her thoughts, then glared at Soul. "I'm not sulking. I was only thinking about who the person behind the door might be." She lowered her voice at the last sentence, as if she didn't want anyone to hear her. She continued to eat her salad in silence.
Soul was about to question her strange behavior again until he looked behind him to see Kid walking towards them with uncharacteristically messy hair, clenched fists and a troubled expression. Everyone at the small table who had a happy and cheery atmosphere before now looked worried and confused.
Patty was the only one who remained joyful. She shot up from her seat and waved, still chewing her food. "HEYA, KID! OVER HERE!" She screamed, sending hamburger bits onto the floor and across the table. Crona sighed, putting his fork down and slowly shoving his plate away.
"I wasn't hungry anyways," Crona muttered, to which Ragnarok responded by picking up the chicken bits with his tongue and scooping them into his mouth. Liz gagged at this; Ragnarok simply snickered rudely.
"Looks like your older brother gave you a nightmare in there. What happened?" Soul asked.
Kid scoffed as he walked past Soul. "He is one." He sat down next to Patty. "I'm already regretting deciding to go first. Patty, please shut your mouth when you chew. I don't want to see your food as you eat it." The said pistol didn't seem bothered, but she completed his request anyway to prevent making Kid more upset than he was. "Anyways, it's not what he did - or it is, I don't know anymore - it's who he is that's making me so...so... bothered."
Maka had a mix of concern and wonder plastered on her face. 'Who he is'? Who could make Kid so upset just by existing? Part of her didn't want to know, by the way people have been reacting to this person recently.
Liz smiled sympathetically and encouragingly and handed him a black bowl of neatly-made chicken soup. "We saved your food. It's still nice and hot. How about you calm down for a sec, maybe fix your hair, and tell us all about this mystery guy, eh, Kid?" She took out a comb from her pocket and handed it to him as well as the soup.
Kid stared at the food as if it were from another planet. He then lightly shoved it away, only for Ragnarok to snatch it and slurp it all down within seconds. "I don't have an appetite anymore, but thank you, Liz. Just thinking of the guy makes my blood boil..." He did, however, pick up the comb and start brushing his hair with it.
Everyone at the small table passed nervous glances at each other, eyebrows furrowed in worry. Only when Kid was finished combing his hair did they look back at him to listen contently. Kid handed the comb back to Liz, who stuffed it right back in her pocket.
Kid sighed, closing his eyes to try and regain his composure. The suspense and silence was so thick that you could cut it with a butter knife. Then, he opened them and looked at his friends. Soul raised an eyebrow, picking up his glass to take a sip of his coke -
Kid spoke in a quiet voice so other students around them couldn't hear. "It was Asura."
- only to choke on it and drop the glass, sending it shattering into a thousand pieces on the floor. Coke suddenly sputtered from his mouth as he coughed, and the brown, fizzy liquid spilled from his nose. Maka took out her book (that she somehow had) and slammed it into his back, making him gasp and cough out the rest of the drink. Students around them instantly looked at their table to see what the commotion was about, gasping and widening their eyes. Ragnarok, seeing this out of the corner of his eye and deciding to do something nice for once, receded back into Crona and came out the other end, sprouting out of his back. "Hey! What's your problem, staring at someone like that?! Mind your own business! Geez, and you all call me rude!" He shouted, making all the students glare at him and turn the other way slowly. Ragnarok smirked and turned around, resting his hands on Crona's head. "T-Thank, y-you, Ragnar-rok." Crona thanked him, his answer breathless from the news. The black being simply nodded, paying attention to Kid again.
"A-Are you serious, Kid?" Maka blinked, her eyes wide with shock. Tsubaki handed Soul all the napkins she could to help him clean his face and nose. "Asura?! But... that isn't p-possible! The c-courage from that punch I gave him... it should've killed him. Surely you're kidding, r-right?!"
Kid shushed her, putting a finger to his mouth. "Shhhhhh! I don't want other students to find out." He sighed. "But...I only wish he was dead, Maka. As dad said, and from what I saw, he didn't die." He gripped the table edge, gritting his teeth. "I don't know how father finds any potential in that monster. He's a beast that can't be tamed, not a child who did wrong and is forgiven for his actions." He growled. "And that's not all... he's my brother, as well." He shuddered.
Black*Star laughed obnoxiously loud. Everyone at their table knew this laugh as one he made before coming up with a plan that mostly never worked. "Kid, you're going to switch with me today!" He exclaimed. Kid narrowed his eyes, as if asking, "Why?"
The ninja smirked, pointing in the air. "I'll go to that room of his... Tsubaki, you'll come too! I'll sneak you in, carrying you in weapon form, and when he least expects it, YAHOO! I'LL KILL THAT KISHIN! HE WON'T EVEN SEE ME COMING!" Black*Star shouted and laughed, making everyone in the entire lunch room groan (and some teachers passing by).
I'm glad he used 'kishin' instead of 'Asura'... at least Black*Star has some logic in not attracting unwanted attention to our mission. Although, Asura apparently isn't a kishin, so I guess that isn't true. Maka thought, her mind fuzzy due to the shocking news.
Tsubaki tilted her head. "Don't you remember what Death Scythe said, Black*Star? He told us specifically not to hurt him. If we try to kill him, we could end up hurt, or even worse, he could. I also don't think Death would appreciate us not following the rules, either."
Black*Star scoffed. "Who cares about that old fart? I have my own rules and my own way of doing things! Anything I do or say is always the best choice because it was made by me!" He laughed again, causing the group to sigh at his stubbornness and over-prideful self. They all made a note to put him at the end of the list of people to bond with Asura.
Just the thought of the guy made everybody go immediately dead-silent in disgust, anger, hate and fear. Even Tsubaki and Crona seemed upset (although the latter was more upset with fear than anger).
Suddenly, after the group ate in silence for a few minutes, the bell rang. If the cafeteria could get any louder, it did. Students packed their lunch bags and trashed their garbage. Then they said their goodbyes to their friends and gathered their things to leave and go to their afternoon classes.
Black*Star sighed, placing his arms behind his head and crossing his legs on the table with a prideful smirk. He liked to stay long after the bell rung to, one, avoid going to class, two, be by himself and think about how great he is, and three, fight passerby's with the sole purpose of knowing he won, and they lost. Much to his surprise, he heard humming beside him. His smile faltered a bit, and curiosity made him open one eye slightly to see Maka sitting at the table, reading a book. He dropped his arms and straightened his legs, looking at Maka with shock. No doubt it had already been five minutes since the bell rang and way past everyone else left.
"Maka?" He asked, checking to see if she was really here. The young scythe-meister turned and nodded to him in response. He closed his eyes, rubbed them, and opened them again to still see Maka sitting there with her book. He did the same process over and over, making Maka more and more confused. He then decided to pinch his arm, and upon seeing her still there, he took his water bottle (which, being the lazy person he is, he hadn't recycled or packed yet) and poured it all over himself. When he wiped his face and eyes and still saw her there, he slapped her lightly across the cheek.
Maka responded by swiftly slamming the book sideways onto his nose. "Maka... CHOP!"
Black*Star grabbed his face and groaned, almost a hundred percent sure he got a nosebleed from that. Sure enough, when he removed his hands, blood stained his gloves and he could tell he probably had a bruise.
"What was that for?!" He exclaimed with a tiny bit of anger rising up to his throat. Maka huffed, focusing on her book again.
"I could ask the same thing. Why'd you slap me?"
"Because it isn't normal for you to stay after the bell! Usually you're the first one to leave, being the bookworm you are!"
Maka shrugged and looked over her shoulder to see the very last student leaving the cafeteria. Then, with a satisfied smirk, she turned to Black*Star and closed her book, setting it aside. "I have something important to talk to you about, Black*Star."
The blue-haired ninja raised an eyebrow, then smiled wide. "Anything that has to do with me is always importa-"
"Save the pride-filled remarks for later. This is serious."
He groaned, tilting his head back and covering his eyes with his hands. "This is so boring."
Maka sighed through her nose. "Pay attention. I need to know I can trust you on this."
Rolling his eyes, the boy slumped over onto the table, turning his head to look at Maka. "Just get on with it."
"Promise me you won't tell anyone about Asura."
Black*Star narrowed his eyes. "But how am I going to be able to let people know how big of a star I am if I can't tell them I'm going to kill Asura?"
"There are other ways to prove you're a big star, even though everyone knows it already. You aren't going to kill Asura to prove it, though. Everyone besides me, you, Soul, Tsubaki, Crona, Ragnarok, Kid, Liz and Patty think that Asura is dead. If you spread the word, people will get curious, and everything will fall apart."
"Who made you in charge of what I do?"
"I'll tell papa, Professor Stein or Death. They'll stop you from participating."
"UGH. Why do you always have to go and ruin everything, tattletale? Fine, I promise I won't tell anyone about Asura. There. Happy? Good. Ok." He put his hands behind his head and crossed his legs again.
Maka nodded, accepting that as a decent answer. She stuffed her book into her bag, then gathered her things and headed to class, waving goodbye to Black*Star. "I hope you haven't forgotten what Stein told you last time you were late, Black*Star. What was it? Oh, right. He'd said he'd give you detention for the rest of the school year, didn't he?" She called out to him as she walked away, smiling when she saw the boy's face pale and fall out of his seat.
"I hope he keeps his promise." Maka muttered to herself. She laughed. "He better keep it."