CHAPTER 20
A/N – Hello my darlings! So, finally past 200 – I've broken my own record! *throws confetti* Okay now, all the celebration aside, things are getting ugly… Kid is in big trouble and I know you're all wondering how he'll get out of it. But the question is 'IF', rather, don't you think? Anyway, it looks like it's all up to the one who will surpass the gods… or not. We'll see!
"Before you give me an answer, I will have you know that I was neither born yesterday, nor am I blind…" Black Star said. "You were clever with your words, Kid, but in the end you cannot fool me. The little blonde with the scythe… she wasn't looking at me, was she now?"
The young shinigami's breath caught in his throat and his eyelids fell shut, heavy.
"No… she wasn't," the blue-haired boy went on. "In fact, she didn't even smile until you lifted you mask and winked at her. Now, all this cute flirting, after her black blood wound got mysteriously healed… what should I make of this? Or better said – what do you think will our friend Gur Kylee make of this, hmmm?"
Fuck. By Death, I am fucked… the Clowns will eat me! Kid was numbly aware that it had gotten very cold in the room all the sudden – that or something else had happened, because he was shaking violently. Back pressed against the wall, he slumped to the floor, eyes still closed and head held in his hands. The prince must have cared for me, he liked me even… now he'll show no mercy.
"Then, Milord, you have your answer. I will die before you."
At length Kid heard the prince shift, then the sofa creaking slightly as Black Star stood up, followed by light footsteps and the soft rustle of his silk garments as he crouched before his guard, seeking a glimpse of the other boy's face. Two fingers reached out to lift his chin and the reaper's eyes snapped open, warily meeting the other's gaze.
"Is that it? 'I have my answer'? You're not even bothering to explain, to come up with an excuse of some sort, however untrue? Are you confessing without actually confessing anything? I want to know, damn it!"
"What, Milord?"
The blue-haired boy's fingers gripped his jaw and squeezed, digging brutally into the flesh. "I fucking want to know if you risked everything just to have an affair with some random slave girl! Was she worth it, Kid? Do you love her?! I WANT TO KNOW!" he shouted and the young shinigami resisted the impulse to close his eyes again, just to be spared of the prince's genuinely pained expression. "I want to know why you're not denying anything! I want to know why you're not even begging for mercy!"
Somewhere in the back of his mind Kid was aware that he should have said something else, offered some sort of explanation, he should have attempted to deceive the Star prince and save things, but… he was tired. If he died during his mission, maybe Eibon would not harm his sisters, what would be the point? As for Chrona… he was just a servant, maybe Gur Kylee would spare him… but Kid was tired, he couldn't take it anymore, he just wanted to give up.
"Because you will show none. You will kill us both."
The prince's lips parted slightly, as if in surprise, and he pulled back a bit, his grip loosening. "I want to know," he repeated, his voice a mere whisper this time. "If you tell me the truth, if you tell me everything… then maybe I will let her live."
No, I can't tell you. I can't betray Eibon, this would be the death of Liz and Patty! He won't spare them if I do this… A choked sob escaped his pressed lips as tears began to slide down his cheeks. The price of his silence was going to be Maka's life, but what choice did he have? He shook his head.
Black Star looked away. "If you don't speak, I swear that I'll hand her over to the Ourouboros. He'll be sure to make an example out of her death."
The reaper snorted softly. "Of course you will. In fact, you will do it anyway. Your family has served him for centuries, you won't screw up now when there could be the slightest chance to redeem yourself, Milord."
"Redeem myself? As if that were possible!" The blue-haired boy leaned backwards on his hands on the floor, sitting casually with his legs crossed and chuckled suddenly. "You don't trust me, do you Kid? Maybe it's time we spoke as from one distrustful man to another, then," he suggested, as the shinigami refused to answer, instead staring stubbornly in his own lap. "Guess what, I never trusted you too much either, my loyal guard, in fact I always knew you were hiding something from me. Remember that night when I saw you crying in your sleep? You were saying a name in your sleep, I heard it clearly…"
Kid's head jerked up and his eyes went wide. No! No, it can't be! He's… he must be lying! What name could I have said, anyway?
"Anyway, all I have is a vague suspicion," the prince went on. "But I have no idea how it all fits together or if they're completely unrelated things. So then, I wondered just now, what could be the connection of you mentioning Eibon Emerald while crying in your sleep and your whatever thing with the blonde with the scythe, strangely enough nicknamed Maka 'Emerald' Albarn…"
The reaper took a deep breath – maybe it wasn't all lost, maybe he could still save Liz and Patty…
"It's not a coincidence," he murmured, avoiding the prince's gaze. "She is an Emerald bastard. The Great Wizard Eibon sent me here to find her and bring her to him. If I fail… he will kill my family."
"I see... but then why is he making such a fuss over a bastard? Many nobles have bastards and they don't give a fuck about them. And your story does not explain why you needed to get this job, here with me. I want to know."
Kid involuntarily pulled closer to the wall and crossed his arms, resisting the urge to hug himself. "Why? If there was indeed anything more than that, what would you do about it, Milord, other than report it to the Ourouboros?"
"Oh, I don't know, for one – it won't help?" Black Star replied, a bitter smile on his lips now. "And I must say, you misjudged me, Death the Kid. You think that because I'm a Star I must be loyal to the High Priest, but in essence we're not so different, you and I. Ultimately, I am a Star assassin by birth, which means I am loyal to whoever pays me – or to whoever forces me, in this case. The High Priest wants me dead, so why would I serve him?"
The young shinigami blinked slowly, feeling exhausted. What the prince said made sense, but… I can't trust him, I can't… or can I? By Death, I only want this to end… to end already, I can't take it anymore… "Then, you would kill him, if you could?" he whispered, still looking away. "If there was a way, would you do it?"
The prince's face fell at hearing this and for a few moments he just sat there, looking dumbstruck. Then he sighed, almost inaudibly and ran his hand slowly through his unruly, naturally spiked hair, before scrubbing it over his face. His gaze wandered outside, past the windows, over the Citadel which was gradually coming to life.
"What the hell are you saying, Kid?"
All around them the crowd screamed in excitement over the action in the Arena and in the royal balcony the courtiers talked enthusiastically among themselves, only the prince sat with a blank expression, in the sole company of his shinigami guard, who was standing motionlessly by his side. The princess' seat was empty – she wasn't feeling well enough for the hot air and the scorching afternoon sun to spend so much time outside. Kid was barely standing – fatigue was taking its toll on him and he couldn't stop wondering, to the point of agony, if he hadn't made a mistake by telling the blue-haired boy everything about his mission. The only thing he'd managed to do in the short time past since had been to send a message to Chrona, asking the magic servant to leave the Temple, discreetly, as soon as possible. If anything were to happen, the reaper didn't think Gur Kylee would bother to look for him.
"What if it's bullshit?" Black Star asked suddenly, his eyes still glued on the fight below, while sipping casually on his wine. "Eibon's so-called prophecy, what if it's bullshit Kid? What then?"
The young shinigami didn't know 'what then' and there wasn't much he could say to make the Star prince make one decision or the other. "I have asked myself the same question, Milord. But the girl does have mage blood, after all. And if it's not true, then why is the Ourouboros so adamant about his law regarding shinigamis and women? Why are they regarded with such suspicion and hostility when they are so weak and helpless? What is the danger?"
"True. But even so, there are no guarantees… so then, what am I supposed to do?" The blue-haired boy put down his cup and turned towards his guard. "There are three options here: one is to expose your entire plan to the High Priest and hope he'll show mercy for me and Tsubaki in return – fat chance of that though…; another is to just let it slide, pretend I don't know what you're up to behind my back – but you are doing a shit job so far, Kid; and finally, I could help you and effectively make things happen – of course you realize that in case of failure this will blow up in all our faces on an absolutely epic scale."
There was one last card the young shinigami had up his sleeve and right then he thought he might just as well use it.
"Well, Milord, you're the one who wants to surpass the gods, are you not? But there are good gods and evil gods, it is entirely up to you if you decide to surpass their wickedness and cruelty or their kindness and bravery…"
Kid paused, letting his words sink in, but behind his mask he scowled. "And how am I doing a shit job?" he grumbled, more to himself.
Black Star snorted, this time clearly amused. "Because obviously, left to your own devices all you'll manage to do will be to crush the poor girl's heart. You're a heartbreaker, Death the Kid, you should be ashamed of yourself. You really are the worst."
Maka couldn't feel any less willing to put up with training, worn out after her first match as a champion and the night that had followed, and especially not willing to face Evans and have him – Gods forbid – read her mind. In fact, even without weapons practice she had a strong suspicion that the obnoxious scythe boy would know right off the bat that something fishy had transpired and she'd never hear the end of the 'shinigami boyfriend' talk. So the blonde had resorted to Soul's own strategy for avoiding practice – hiding in some dark corner where she could not be found.
However, this great strategy failed after a very short peace and quiet time Maka'd actually had on her own. Evans may have had the ability to elude Training Master Ox Ford, but she didn't.
"Get cleaned up, quickly!" he said, hovering over her with an air of urgency. "His Highness the prince will arrive shortly and desires to see you."
The blonde froze at first, then barely managed to stand up on shaky legs. The prince? But… does he… Her mind was unable to form any logical thought. Why would the prince want to see her? Unless Galiel was right and he had indeed taken an interest in her. Apparently she was taking too long, because the Training Master impatiently motioned for the lycans to get her ready. No, this was too horrible, she thought, doing her best to conceal her horror as the lycans braided her hair. If the prince wanted her, of course Galiel would have been more than happy and while she'd feared that with becoming a champion this could happen – her master could find it opportune to sell her body as well – no… not the prince though. If she was given to the prince, then Kid would find out, for sure! He knew he'd been her first but still… he'd be disgusted after this, he'd surely loathe her! Maka drew a deep breath, crushing the sudden tears under her eyelids as she was taken away.
The large living quarters of Galiel's apartments in the dungeons were sunken in semi-obscurity and Maka's anxiety only increased being left alone. A few rays of colored light poured in from outside through two small stained glass windows placed very closed to the ceiling, but otherwise there were no candles, nothing. She looked around at the rich sofas and decorations of the room and once more felt incredibly small and insignificant in her simple and scant leather clothing.
But then Maka heard the swish of a silk curtain and turned abruptly, her eyes falling on the prince as he walked in. His guard was following closely, but the shinigami remained standing by the door. She felt a bit comforted at the thought that Kid was there, but in the same she knew only too well that he could do nothing to help her.
Gulping and quickly licking her dry lips, the blonde shifted her gaze on the blue-haired boy who was now advancing towards her, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. Observing him, she understood why he'd dared her to challenge him after defeating Harthgor – strong muscles were visible through his complimenting outfit and he had the agile step of a trained fighter. Also, she could not deny that he was quite handsome, but there was also danger in those turquoise orbs which now took her in curiously. He is a Star assassin, after all….
"So, Maka 'Emerald'," he began casually, circling her slowly as Maka just stood there, unsure what to do with herself. "You had your first match as a full-fledged champion… I was quite impressed by your performance."
Gasping in sudden panic, the blonde thought she knew what he meant by that - namely that she'd cheated – and she instantly dropped down on her knees at his feet. "Your Highness, please f-forgive me…" she stuttered, nearly holding her breath.
"Oh? And why should I forgive you, have you been naughty?" Black Star asked feigning surprise, as he turned briefly towards his guard and winked.
Beneath his mask Kid rolled his eyes. Gently, the prince helped Galiel's champion back up and stepped behind her, running his fingers slowly up and down her bare shoulders. Maka's breath hitched in her throat as she felt the boy's nose touching the nape of her neck, her eyes closing in embarrassment.
"You see, Maka 'Emerald', because of that, I want you to ask you to do something for me…"
To be continued