Dotew smiled as he set down a single plate of curry onto the lunch table, it would only be a few more minutes before Tsubaki was done with class and came to eat. He was a little sad it was just the one plate, but if it was just the one, it wouldn't be as weird, would it? He put a not on it that read 'For Master Tsubaki', and started to walk out when he was frozen in his tracks by a stranger in a black hat.

The man was hiding his face using a big hat, but Dotew knew this stranger's scent all too well. The stranger walked past him and looked at the note, "Curry, huh?"

Dotew was shaking with fear, but he stood his ground, "That's for my master! Leave it alone!"

The stranger scoffed, "Master, eh? That explains the collar"

Dotew put his hand around the pendant that hung from his collar, "I'm proud to wear it!"

The stranger turned back towards him, "So who is it, the mutt or the guts?"

"I am Dotew! I'm not a mutt!"

"You're a mutt, that's all you ever were, and all you'll ever be, so take off that collar"

Dotew slowly took it off, "Please… stop…", he trembled as he dropped it on the floor.

"Now stand still", the stranger quickly thrust his hand over the table, knocking the plate to the floor, and then shattering it. Dotew flinched and looked enraged, but his feet remained anchored to the floor, "Good dog, now, follow me, don't make a peep, and don't even think about switching with the guts"

Dotew started walking behind the man, but before he left, he scribbled on the note that had fallen to the floor, without making a sound.

Tsubaki made her way to the front of the crowd, and found the scene of curry splattered across the table and floor. She could smell it from a distance, that was Dotew's curry, no doubt about it. She turned to Maka, who was holding a note in her hand. Maka handed it to Tsubaki, "It's for you"

Tsubaki read it out loud, "Master Tsubaki… run, hide, stay away from me, and please, be safe…"

Lord Death peaked at the note from behind Tsubaki, "This isn't good"

"Lord Death! Is Dotew alright?!"

The reaper frowned, "I'm afraid this is a matter you'll have to leave in my hands, Tsubaki. Right now, I'm taking every precaution I can to find Dotew and bring him home safely, in the meantime, it would be best for you to keep your guard up at all times"

"Who could have done this…?"

"Tsubaki, don't worry, I promise I'll bring him back, safe and sound"

Tsubaki had never felt unsure about a promise from Lord Death before, but now, her chest was pounding at the thought that Dotew might never come back, "Lord Death, can I help you search for him?"

"No, it would be too dangerous, what you can do right now is remain safe, here at the academy"

"But-"

"I'm sorry, Tsubaki, but this isn't up for debate, if Dotew went as far as to leave you a warning after being defeated, then I won't let his effort be in vain. As a student, as Lord Death, and as Dotew's friend, I cannot allow you to leave the DWMA, and that's final"

Tsubaki stood silently, her naturally meek personallity would've warranted the response normally, but Tsubaki couldn't take it anymore, she finally let herself explode, "No! I can't just sit around while he's out there, kidnapped by who-knows-what! I don't care if you have to expell me, I'm going to look for him!"

She was about to run out of the cafeteria when she found herself stopped by a slightly shorter reaper. Kid held his arms out to block her path, "Don't be rash and selfish!"

Tsubaki froze, her behavior was both, indeed, but she didn't care, "I can't-"

"Dotew would die in a heartbeat if you asked him to do so, don't you get that?! He handed you his complete loyalty and love, so you're just going to blow off his faith in you by ignoring his pleas?! Think about it! Your life is more sacred to him than his own, so you think he want you to throw it into the wind?!"

Tsubaki fell to her knees, tears falling from her cheeks as she sobbed, "Dotew… why…? Where are you…? Please… come home…"

Blackstar put his hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, Tsubaki, I'm gonna find him, and I'm gonna bring him back"

She buried her face in his chest, "Thank you, Blackstar…"

He patted her back, "Don't mope, okay? I'll have him back before the dance tomorrow, so just relax"

Tsubaki slowly stood up and wiped her tears away, "… Just be careful, okay?"

Blackstar grinned, "Please, I'm gonna find him in no time, so just you watch!"

As he took off, Tsubaki looked to Kid, "Thank you, Kid, for talking me down"

Kid waved it off, "Forget about it, Dotew and you are very close friends, I couldn't let either of you get hurt"

Tsubaki looked to everyone, and she knew, that things would be alright.

Dotew's eyes shook as he looked forward, "Please… just back down"

From across the river, Justin Law smiled and shook his head, "I cannot, for it is my duty to my Lord to bring you back"

Dotew looked down, "Please, Justin… don't do this… you can still get away"

Justin took up a combat stance, "No, Dotew, for I can't leave you behind, either, even if it wasn't for my Lord's orders"

Dotew cringed as his fists tightened up, "I'm sorry… he won't let me… save you…"

From behind him, Dotew heard the voice command him, "Take care of this pest, mutt"

Dotew's eyes closed as he charged forward, and Justin heard through his headphones, just before he blacked out, "Forgive me, Justin…"

Maka sighed as she looked down at her book, she couldn't bring herself to really enjoy it. Every time she wrapped herself in the letters, she could almost hear Dotew's laughter. She closed it and sighed, when Blair peeked in through her door, "Worrying about Dotew?"

Maka bit her lip, "How could you tell?"

Blair smiled, "He told me about you and Kid's visit last night, you must've been surprised to see him like that, huh?"

"I never thought that he could be so…"

"Sensitive?"

"For lack of a stronger word"

"You know, he really likes to work there, at that café. He used to dream of doing something like that when he was little"

"Really?"

"Yeah, back when he was just a kid, he loved to pretend to be the prince, ready to do anything for his princess. I was amazed by how strong he was, but he always insisted that I was stronger, because without a princess, a prince is nothing more than a rich fool"

"Blair, I know I shouldn't pry, but do you have any idea who could've taken Dotew?"

"… I can't say that I do, aside from Lord Death and Tsubaki, there's nobody that could force Dotew to do anything, not even me"

"What about Dotew's first master? Didn't he have one before Lord Death?"

"That's impossible, his first master is dead. Lord Death watched him die"

"Then who else is strong enough? Other than Lord Death, there's nobody that I can think of who's strong enough to beat him"

"… I don't know, but there's no doubt in my mind that Lord Death will bring Dotew back safely, so we shouldn't worry about him"

"While we're on the subject, why is his hair blonde at the café?"

"Well, that's because the first time I read him a bedtime story, it was about a prince that saved the princess, you know, a fairy tale. Anyway, so when we got to the end of the story, he asked me what the prince looked like, so I told him that the prince was tall, had blue eyes, and blonde hair. At that moment, he told me someday he'd grow up to be a prince for all of the princesses out there that didn't have one, and then, later on, he started the café"

"That's… really sweet

"Yeah… so, what are you wearing to the dance?"

Maka held up her dress, "What do you think?"

"Wow! That dress looks amazing! How did you find it!"

"Dotew helped me pick it out, actually, he said it complimented my body shape"

"That's what I should do! I should wear the dress that Dotew made me!"

"Dotew made you a dress?"

"Mm-hm! It was my birthday just a few months ago, so he made me the most wonderful dress! I didn't think I'd get a chance to try it out, but now that I'm a teacher, I can wear it to the dance!"

"I wonder what a dress made by a blind guy looks like?"

"Oh, my gosh, Maka, it's perfect! He even made a special make-up kit to go with it, and once you put it all together, it's beautiful!"

"What color is it?"

"Um… it's kind of hard to think of the right word for the color of the dress… the best I can do is… purple"

"Purple?"

"Well, he did the stitch pattern in different ways, so that he could make sure he got the shades of purple in the right places"

"That sounds… different"

"Oh, don't worry, it's mind-numbingly pretty"

"How long did it take him to make it?"

"Oh, he spent two months trying to get it right. I could tell he was up to something, when he started having cuts on his fingers, but once he showed me the dress, I was totally blown away"

"He cut himself?"

"Well, he is blind, so it's only natural he'd accidentally hurt himself"

"But Soul said that he couldn't land a scratch on him, no matter how hard he hit him"

"Well, that's only when he puts his guard up, if Dotew isn't fighting, or he's with someone that make him feel safe, he's just like anybody else. He's only that tough around people he either doesn't trust or doesn't know"

"Well, he doesn't know Soul all that well… "

"Oh, it isn't Soul that Dotew has his guard up around"

"What? Why's that?"

"Dotew sees you and Soul as friends, especially since you kept his secret for him, he really trusts you"

"He trusts me?"

"You said he asked you to help him find clothes, too, right? Lately, you guys have shown Dotew that he can feel safe around you, I know, because he told me"

"He told you?"

"Yeah, he likes to talk when he's taking a bath, it makes him feel more at ease"

"I keep forgetting about that…"

Blair yawned, "I'm sleepy… let's get some rest so we won't be exhausted for the dance"

Maka sighed and jumped into her bed, she was worried about her friend, but there wasn't anything she could do for him now, so she decided she should get some sleep.

Dotew felt tears fall from his eyes as he stared at the gate to the city. Death City… it was as beautiful as it was fearsome in the strange moonlight. It was too much, he didn't deserve such a beautiful sight, not anymore. He tossed the unconscious Justin Law over the city limit and turned to leave when he heard a familiar voice, "I knew you couldn't kill him"

Dotew's expression darkened, but he remained facing away from the reaper, "Master Lord Death… I was hoping you wouldn't see me like this… are you alone?"

"I am, but you already knew that"

"Manners are important"

"That they are, but the people you care about are more so"

"… He told me I had to return, and that I couldn't allow anyone to follow me"

"I figured as much, but before you go could I pass you along a message?"

"It would be allowed"

"Tsubaki is very worried about you, just like Blair, and everyone else"

"… Master Lord Death… tell them to forget about me, so that they won't hurt, when I…"

"Dotew, do you remember what I told you, the day I met you?"

"… Salvation lies beyond your greatest mistake… I believed it then… but how can I now? I betrayed everyone, and attacked Justin. I don't deserve to have you as a Master…"

"Dotew, please, tell me what you can, so that I can help you"

"Tomorrow… I recieve a new order… I don't know what it is, but I have a bad feeling about it… worse than I had about… today's"

"Dotew, Justin is alive, that alone proves that you aren't evil. I'll bet you ran the whole way here, to get Justin to a hospital, as quickly as possible"

"Master Lord Death…"

"Tsubaki tried to run after you today"

"What?"

"I've never, in my entire life, seen Tsubaki lose her cool and disobey my orders. To be honest, I never thought I would, either, but today, she blew her top and absolutely insisted that she search for you. She was only stopped after Kid talked her down, he made her realize that you were trying to protect her, more than anything"

"… Master Lord Death… you'll keep her safe, right?"

"Of course I will, although with you, I don't think I'll be needed"

"I wish I could believe that… but he… he's growing more twisted with each order. He's losing himself, I can't get through to him, no matter what I do"

"Then just keep trying, just push as hard as you can, and pray that you will succeed"

"… Goodnight, Master Lord Death, I hope to see you again"

"Goodnight, Dotew, sweet dreams"

Dotew smiled as he walked away, he knew that tonight he would have nothing but nightmares, but to have the heartfelt effort of both of his other masters, it meant a lot to him.

Kid straightened his tie for the eighth time in four minutes, and Liz took notice, "Kid, will you relax? I'm sure that you'll give a good speech, just like you do every year"

Kid stopped messing with his tie, "Of course I will, I always do"

Patty laughed, "Kid's getting nervous, Kid's getting nervous!"

Kid ignored her as he looked to his father, who had begun his very short speech, "… and don't forget to have a good time!"

Kid got up on the stand, and started giving a speech that was much longer and probably more appropriate for a school event. Then dib walked into the room.

Kid was cut off mid-speech, his voice was useless as he stared at her; not only was she beautiful beyond belief, her dress was perfectly symmetrical. He leaned into the mic, "So, enjoy the dance!", with that, Kid got down and walked over to dib, too stunned to speak when he reached her. He was rescued by the music as dib held her hand out, saving him the trouble of stuttering to ask her to dance. He took them without hesitation, and the two of them began to twirl through the crowd.

dib was happy to just dance quietly as she stared into his eyes, and Kid couldn't do anything but get lost in hers. Maka smiled as she watched them from aside the dance floor. Blair smiled as she stood by Maka, "Looks like Kid took Dotew's advice"

"Yeah, I guess he did", Maka turned to Blair, and got a first glimpse of her dress. Her jaw hung as she saw it all; the entire dress was patterned so that the curves in it were nearly metallic, while the rest of it was filled in with unique patterns in different shade of purple that really drew attention to the contrast and just the alluring beauty of it all.

Maka made a mental note to ask for Dotew to make her a dress for her birthday, "You weren't kidding about that dress"

Blair smiled, her spot-on make-up bringing out the whiteness of her smile and the color in her eyes, "Told ya!"

Maka looked around, "I wonder where Tsubaki is, I was wondering what the dress Dotew got her looked like"

"Maka, look!", Blair pointed at Kid and dib, as the two of them locked lips in the center of the dancefloor. Maka wasn't very good at judging kisses from a distance, but she knew, Kid had done a good job. Soul stepped up next to Maka, "You wanted to dance?"

"I thought you didn't dance", Maka pouted

Soul sighed, "C'mon, I think you've earned a dance"

Maka was about to take his hand when the lights all went out at once. The room was completely dark, as red lights slowly faded in, revealing a lone figure who's eye shined through the black nothingness. A spotlight shone down on him, revealing his razor-sharp teeth and the long, black guitar he stroked gently. Then, his voice cut through the silence, "This party needs a little livening up, hang onto your screams for now, ladies and gentlemen, I'll be sure to savor them in a moment"

Soul pointed at the figure, "Who are you?!"

As he raised his head, everyone recognized him, but the terrible expression he made, it drove everyone back a step, "I am Amund, and now… I'll watch you scream…", he began striking off-key cords as the students around him crumpled. The sound was so loud and painful, even Soul felt like his head was about to explode.

Lord Death grabbed the guitar and ripped it away from him, "Dotew! Cease this at once!"

Dotew ran his hand through his now-black hair, "Dotew…? What a pathetic excuse for a name. I am not the barer of such a tedious label, I am Amund!", he head butted Lord Death taking his guitar, "And I say that only a mutt would stoop to a name like that!"

Amund struck at the strings violently, releasing a dreadful shockwave that sent everyone reeling, except for Lord Death, who grabbed him by the shoulders, "Dotew! Stop this madness!"

For a moment, Amund shivered, but once that moment ended, he grabbed Lord Death's hands and threw Lord Death into the nearest wall, "Shut up! This is me! This is who I am!", he was about to start wildly striking his guitar again when a hand stopped his mid-air.

He was about to strike its owner when he head her voice, "Dotew… please stop"

Amund was frozen in place, he couldn't face Tsubaki, now more than ever, "I… am not Dotew. I ran away, I attacked Justin Law, and now, I'm terrorizing the school. Dotew would never do any of these things"

Tsubaki moved his hand over her throat, while he still was unable to face her, "Dotew, please, stop doing this! I know that you can hear me so please, come back to me!"

Amund turned and tightened his grip, "My orders are to kill you… but not before I bite you", he bared his teeth.

Tsubaki didn't fight his hold, she simply held out her hand, "I trust you, Dotew, I know you'll do the right thing…"

Amund turned to look at her, he could tell she was wearing her dress without looking, but her pained expression when she looked into his eyes… was too much for him. He placed her hand in his mouth, but despite the pressure he applied, he never brought his jaw down hard enough to brake the skin. Though he tried with all of his might, in the end, all he did was release her, and stare at her, "… Master… Tsubaki…"

"Dotew, I-"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!", Dotew gripped his head in pain, lightning flashed around his body as he crumpled to the floor, his wails of agony more piercing than his guitar chords. Even Tsubaki had to cover her ears to stop them from hurting, until all of a sudden, Dotew stopped screaming.

Tsubaki looked up to see Lord Death standing over Dotew, who was now unconscious, "Lord Death!"

The reaper sighed, "This is bad, Dotew has tried to brake his contract with his first master"

"I thought his first master was dead"

"Someone must've brought him back to life, in order to take Dotew under their control. Now, since he disobeyed his first master, every waking moment he has will be spent in unbearable agony, until his first owner rilinquishes his title or Dotew carries out his orders"

"… How can we help him?"

"Well, since the two of us are his masters, technically, we can still give him orders"

"Why don't we just order him not to be in pain?"

"Since it was his first master that ordered him to kill you, that order precedes any we would give him, much like a sorority rule. Until we find a way to help him, the most we can do is keep him sedated, so that he won't experience any more pain"

"Dotew... please, just let us help you!"

Dotew sprung to his feet and placed his blindfold in her hand, "Use the spell on this blindfold, and then, look for me, but do so... alone...", with another heavy thud, his eyes shut as he shook violently.

Lord Death looked at the blindfold, "Um... Tsubaki, if it would be alright, could I take a peek at that blindfold?"

Tsubaki reluctantly gave it to him, "I don't see any spell on this blindfold..."

The great reaper felt it with his large hand, "As I thought, part of the blindfold is stitched differently, that's how he must found it, by feeling it. We need someone who's an expert on magic, Blair!"

Blair stepped forward in her magnificent dress, "Y-Yes, sir?"

"What kind of spell is this?"

Blair felt the blindfold, making out the words, "This is a special linking spell, it connects the minds of the target and the caster, its like being able to walk into their dreams"

"So what would be the ramifications of using such a spell?"

"It isn't very dangerous, it's just like sharing a dream with someone, but this kind of spell would only work if the people on both sides of the spell accept it. It would be hard for anyone that shelters themselves, and with this kind of tight link, there can only be one person using this spell at a time"

"Hm... I'll attempt to bring him back, Blair, if you could hand me the blindfold", Blair placed it in his hand, "Thank you, now, let's see... ahem. One near, one dear, be servant or one in command, please do this as a request, and not as demand. A cry, a plea, heard when we're apart, means that even away, we're close deep in heart. So please, I ask, let me take away your burden, and show me what it is that weighs down your heart"

For a long moment, there was a heavy silence, then, Lord Death let out a terrible cry as a spark shot from his forehead. Tsubaki got worried, "Lord Death! Are you okay?!"

The reaper rubbed his forehead, "I'm alright, but it seems that Dotew isn't willing to let me into his mind. I can't reach him, I'm afraid you'll have to try, Tsubaki"

Tsubaki shook, "I... have to help him"

Blackstar patted Tsubaki's shoulder, "Don't worry Tsubaki, I'm sure you can do it!"

"Blackstar... thank you, for supporting me"

He smiled, "Hey, we're partners, it's what I do!"

Blair patted her shoulder, "Just remember, Tsubaki, that Dotew is a lot more sheltered than he appears, I'm sure his head's full of crazy stuff that even I don't know about, so be careful"

Tsubaki took a deep breath in, "One near, one dear, be servant or one in command, please... do this as a request, and not a demand. A cry, a plea, heard when we're apart... means that even away, we're close deep in heart. So please, I ask, let me take away your burden... and show me what it is that weighs down your heart", the second she finished saying it, she fell into a deep sleep on the floor.

Tsubaki opened her eyes, and found herself looking at a strange sight: Dotew... and Dotew... and Dotew? She was staring at three of them, each with a different hair color. The one on the left was sitting backwards in a chair with black hair, the one in the middle stood with his hands in his pocket, his fiery red hair as bold as he seemed indifferent. The one on the right had his hand extended towards her, his bright, white smile matched only by his bright, blonde hair. Tsubaki became more confused as each of them spoke in unison, "So, you're the one that he let in?"