It was the next day that Bernkastel realized that something was off. She awoke with her head on Kid's bed. She smiled at his peaceful face and raised her head. He was being so strong for her, for everyone. He was getting better; he should be out of the hospital wing by tomorrow. Bernkastel yawned and raised her hand to point at the table, hoping to make some breakfast for herself and Kid when he wakes up. She waited patiently for the familiar blue light to shine from her palms, but nothing happened. She tried again, a hint of panic setting in.
Nothing happened.
"Oh no," Bernkastel stared at her empty palm in horror.
A Powerless Witch; Curtain for Bernkastel?
Bernkastel was running downhill on her broom, jumping every so often. If only she could take flight once! She collapsed to the ground in exhaustion as what little power left in her body left. She sniffled, fighting back tears as rain began to fall all around her. She sat up and stared at the sky.
"Why?" she thought. "Why now? My powers are all gone."
Her friends soon found her sitting in the rain and brought her back inside. She and Kanon separated from the group and went to the Death Room. If anyone should know about this, it should be Lord Death.
"What do you mean your powers are gone?" Lord Death inquired as he served the distressed witches tea.
"I can't do anything," Bernkastel replied. "All that power that I felt glowing inside my soul just feels like an empty black hole now."
"What do we do?" Kanon asked.
"I'm not sure," Lord Death replied, thinking. "I've never known much about witches. I guess that's a disadvantage on your half of the bargain. I'm sorry, Bernkastel, but I can't do anything for you."
"Maybe my power just needs to rest for a while," Bernkastel replied. "I'll drop missions until I feel better. Do you mind if I take off a couple days of school?"
"No, take all the time you need," Lord Death reassured her. "Relax, take a vacation; get better soon."
They took Bernkastel home so she could rest. Kanon watched over her, never leaving her side. He was protecting her. It was at sunset that they got a few unexpected visitors.
"WHY WASN'T I THE FIRST TO KNOW OUR FRIEND WAS UNDER THE WEATHER?!" Blackstar demanded, kicking down the door and running upstairs to Bernkastel and Kanon's room. Kanon pushed him back against the wall before he could do any serious damage.
"Stay away from my sister," Kanon warned. Tsubaki cringed and looked up as three other people entered the room.
"We came as soon as we could," Kid said. He exchanged a look with the witch standing in between him and Bernkastel. "Kanon, it's okay. Let me see her."
Kanon hesitated, but took a few steps to the side. Kid slowly walked forward. Bernkastel was curled up on her side, reading a book in some arcane text that he didn't recognize. She glanced up at him with a bored expression in her dull eyes. She glanced around the room.
"Get out," she told the others, who slowly obeyed. Kanon glanced at her one last time before closing the door behind him. Bernkastel shifted her gaze back to Kid. "What's up?"
"Don't give me that," Kid said. "You're so apathetic. How do you feel?"
"I don't think I'll die anytime soon," Bernkastel replied, inching further under the covers and avoiding his gaze.
"I didn't know. I'm sorry about this."
"I just need to rest for a while, that's all," Bernkastel shrugged. "It's not your fault. It's not like since I made a pact with you, my powers are betraying me. I'm just tired from all the magic I've been using lately."
"You're lazy, too," Kid sighed, rolling his eyes. He suddenly got a good idea. He pushed her book down and stood on his knees on the bed. "I got an idea! Why don't I take you on a rehabilitating vacation? You know, to rest up your powers."
Bernkastel blinked at him like he was crazy, but there was a glimmer of hope behind her apathetic eyes.
Soul Eater
Since Kid was taking Bernkastel to a bathhouse inn by the lake, Kanon, Liz, and Patti had to go as well. However, since they were coming along, everyone else had to come along as well.
"The water! The cabin!" Liz cheered. "And more importantly… Kanon!"
She, Patti, Maka, and Tsubaki all wrapped Kanon in the biggest hug that they could. It went without saying that he was their favorite because of his shy but strong boyish ways.
"So much for a relaxing vacation," Kid sighed. "I'm sorry about this, Bernkastel. I didn't think Liz or Patti would be comfortable if I came without them, then Liz invited everybody else. This must not be a very good break for you."
"Whatever," Bernkastel crossed her arms and looked elsewhere.
"Hey, Bernkastel!" Maka called from where she and the other girls were splashing in the shallows of the lake. "Come join us!"
Bernkastel blinked, a little hesitant. She didn't even know how to swim. She'd never tried doing anything stupid or fun like that. She inched toward the lake and held her skirt up so it wouldn't get wet as she dipped her toes in. Her blue toenails sparkled in the cool water as small fish began lapping at her feet. She turned her body so the others couldn't see the small smile making its way across her face. She was vulnerable; she didn't want anyone to think she was relatively nice or cute.
Later that night, they checked into the onsen and tried to relax as best as they could. Bernkastel was glad her female roommates were usually a calm and collected group. Kanon, on the other hand, wasn't so fortunate. At least he still had the magic power to shut Blackstar up by force if it came to it.
After a nice bath in the hot spring, two games of pingpong, dinner, and a Maka Chop, Bernkastel surprisingly couldn't sleep. She sat on the balcony overlooking the lake and the forest. She tilted her head slightly as the breeze teased her lifeless hair. She was exhausted, but she just couldn't find rest.
"Hey."
Bernkastel turned around to see Kid in a t-shirt and sweatpants, standing in the doorway. He walked towards her and sat down next to her. She didn't like his unauthorized closeness; it made her nervous. They were silent for a few minutes, just watching the midnight sea birds flying over the water.
"Why won't you sleep?" Bernkastel asked.
"I was worried," Kid replied. "Are you feeling any better?"
"No," Bernkastel sighed, folding her legs and putting her chin on her knees. "I'm like a one-winged bird. How will I learn to fly? I used to use magic just to help Kanon. We always had each other, and that was all. Now there are so many other people to help and help us. Maybe I don't think I need to be strong for Kanon anymore. Maybe I just need to find something else to drive me forth."
"Like what?" Kid asked.
"Soul?" she guessed. "No, he and I are too much alike. Apathetic. Maybe I'm just picky."
"No, you just want to know what you're looking for," Kid replied, mimicking her pose and lowering his head slightly so his bangs shaded his eyes. "You're not playing some stupid love game, or just looking for someone to mess with. Medusa did the way she messed with Professor Stein. You're looking for something you'll keep, courtship. You're looking for something more than selfish desires."
"I guess I'm just growing up," Bernkastel shrugged.
"But it's okay to look weak, Bernkastel," Kid said, turning to look at her. She blushed slightly and shook her head.
"I… I want to make people happy with magic," she said. "That's what I've been saying all along. I guess I want a specific person is all."
"But you already know who that person is, don't you?" Kid asked. "Ever since you saved him from that snake witch who tried to kill him for some selfish desire."
Bernkastel's eyes widened in realization as she turned to stare at Kid. All the power rushed back into her as her hair began to float in the air as if she was underwater. That black spot in her soul suddenly overflowed with joy and hope and most importantly… love.
"Yes…" she whispered. "Kid, I want to stay with you!"
Hi. I know I haven't updated for some eight months, but the fanfiction was kind of resolved. I understand now that there were a few loose ends, but I thought I'd leave it off after twelve inserts like the cut-off animes like Angel Beats. However, I recently got a review saying to update, so I added one last chapter to honestly sum everything up. I hope you all have been happy with this fanfiction; I actually enjoyed writing it a lot.
To Candyluver2121: I hope you enjoyed this last update. I wasn't even really planning to make it a KidxOC fic, but hey, since you're the only reviewer and you liked the idea, why not? I'm sorry to cut this one off if you were wanting more, but I'm going to publish an even better KidxOC story soon, so tell me if you're interested in a link. :) Thank you for your review and support!
As I always say, see you next dream.