Maka's senses were overwhelmed by the sensation of the young gods' souls, their rage creating an almost dizzying feeling as she struggled to stay upright at all. Her head spun, eyes trying desperately to remain focused.
Liz stood by her side, her face pale with concern. Though Maka knew she cared only about Kid's well-being in this situation, the meister could hardly blame her. After all, Crona was the Kishin here, not Kid. He was simply attempting to keep order.
"Guys, th-this is not okay," Maka said quickly, stepping towards them. She held her hands up defensively, as if attempting to shield herself from any attacks they may fire. She felt sweat forming on her brow, and she tried to stay strong. After all, she was supposed to be the courageous one, and these were some of her best friends. "Can you work this out somehow?"
"There is nothing to 'work out', Maka," Kid stated firmly, his eyes unblinkingly focused on Crona. "He is the Kishin, as we all are aware of. It is my sworn duty to protect this city… this world… from disturbances such as… this."
"You keep pausing, Shinigami," Crona hissed, his fists tightening menacingly. "Are you trying to be delicate? To be polite and gentlemanly?" There was a sarcastic edge to his voice, and he leaned forwards a bit, poised as if he were about to strike the other boy with a fist. "I'll tell you something, Kid. It isn't working."
"You just refuse to listen to reason, don't you?" Kid scoffed, scowling. "Why are you so insistent upon disobeying me?"
"Rules are disgusting, order is pointless, and I hate listening." Maka couldn't help but cringe at that sick smirk that was plastered on Crona's face, as if the boy was completely mad. Then again, he was an embodiment of madness itself. "I am not making an exception for the likes of you. The only time I let things slip is when it's her." Without moving his gaze, he pointed at Maka, and the girl jumped slightly at the attention being drawn to her. "She can set rules, and it'll be okay. You don't have that liberty. You aren't worth it."
"Even when it is her, you don't seem to listen. You attempt to justify yourself, but all that you're saying is complete nonsense!" He took another step forwards, crouching slightly, and ready for combat. His sharp eyes pierced deep into Crona's own. "My rules are only necessities; I do not restrain personal rights. I would allow you to stay; however, you have already passed over the boundaries. It was a mistake to allow you to roam the city for this long at all."
Crona giggled, stepping forwards as well. "You're so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I don't care if you're Maka's friend- I'm taking you out right here and now!"
"Maka," Kid addressed sternly, gaze staying strong. "Tell your pet Kishin to listen to the orders given to him. Seeing as he will not listen to me on his own, I require your assistance."
"That's just playing dirty, Kid!" Crona screeched, his fist coming into contact with the other deity's face.
Kid reeled back, not expecting a sudden outburst when he had previously seemed to have the upper hand. His head bowed, fingers ghosting over the stinging bridge of his nose, his fingertips dampening from the steady trickle of blood that had begun to form. He slowly pulled his hand back, staring at the crimson that stained his nails.
"Kid," Liz gasped, putting a hand over her mouth in worry.
She didn't walk forwards.
She knew better than that.
Maka had no idea what to say or do. She couldn't see Kid's expression from where she was standing; and could just watch the droplets of blood fall from his face.
The crowd had formed a wide circle around them to gawk, and the smarter individuals had taken their children and fled from the developing scene. They had been murmuring, but seemed to suddenly grow silent.
"That is unacceptable behavior, Crona Gorgon," the shinigami murmured, his head rising. His eyes were practically on fire, but he remained with a strong expression, daring him to object. His back straightened again, and his arm went slack, falling away from his face. Something changed in his voice, something that sent a shudder of fear and recognition up Maka's spine.
"You are a bad child… I want you out of my sight."
He was using a new strategy.
By mimicking Medusa, Kid was trying to tap into Crona's negative emotions and use them against him.
Exactly what his reasoning was… it was a mystery to the girl, and most likely to everyone else. Was Kid trying to bring out Crona's more introverted personality- to uncover it from everything else? In a way, that would be a painful process, she assumed. Or… he could just be trying to snap his frail mentality.
Either seemed likely… and very affective.
Crona was on his knees, his fingers digging sharply into his scalp, his teeth grit. His face was obscured by his uneven bangs, and he let out a low hiss of breath. He shivered a bit, as if an unseen force were crushing him from above.
"Shinigamiiiii…" he cooed, and it was heard again. His voice once again separated into many others, melding and washing over one another to form a single unity. "What was that fooooor? Do you have any idea how much that hurts?" The Kishin drew out some vowels, punctuating his sentences with small laughs and twitches. "Don't use that against me… you sick son of a bitch."
Kid's hand swept forwards, and he pointed down at the suffering Kishin before him. "If you refuse to listen to order… with the power bestowed upon me, I will send you to the same fate as your predecessor. I can and will exercise my new strength whenever necessary. In other words…" he leaned a bit, becoming slightly closer to eye level with the other. Something snapped in his restraint, and a menacing scowl appeared on his features. "…Don't try me. I'm not messing around."
"Neither am I!" Crona exclaimed, his hand shooting out and fingers latching around Kid's face. He tossed the unsuspecting shinigami to his feet, head hitting the pavement with a sickening snap. The grim reaper's perfect white lines of sanzu mingled with fresh blood, turning a deep crimson.
Crona laughed madly, bringing his heel down on Kid's forehead, the gold-eyed boy eliciting a gasp of pain.
"What's wrong down there? Kishin got your face?" Keeping his foot firmly planted on Kid's head, he bent over a bit, a sick smirk pulling at his lips. "Oh, by the way…" His voice dropped to a whisper, as if he were telling an important secret. "Yeah, you know how I killed Medusa and gut her like a fishy? Mm, you can't really use her as an excuse to get me to listen and shit. It's just going to make you have a very mad embodiment of insanity on your hands."
His heel twisted, digging mercilessly into the boy's previously unblemished skin. Kid croaked wretchedly beneath the shoe, fingers twitching violently and trying to grasp Crona's ankle.
"Sorry, I can't hear you! You'll have to speak up down there!"
Liz buried her face in her hands.
Maka was frozen.
Kid finally latched onto the boy's slim ankle and twisted violently, the Kishin yelping in response as he crashed onto the sidewalk head-first. Kid was able to move freely again, and he quickly jerked upright and crouched, pressing his bloodied face into his sleeve.
"Just look what you did," the shinigami crooned, staring at his shirtsleeve and paying little mind to the swollen patches on his cheeks. "This will need practically a gallon of bleach."
With that, he grabbed Crona by the front of his shirt, raising the struggling boy to his eye-level. He glared with the cruelest look he could manage underneath his injuries, all sympathy drained from his expression.
"Do I hear a 'sorry' yet?"
His fist slammed into the Kishin's face, returning the punch he had received earlier with a vengeance. Crona coughed and spluttered, black blood leaking from his busted lip and the lower eyelid of his left eye. Maka had never thought it possible to bleed so easily from an eye, but of course, Crona's current anatomy was different than those of normal beings.
"Oh, what do you think of 'alright, Lord Death'?" he hummed.
Kid's fist returned, leaving a similar mark on the opposite side of the Kishin's face.
Perfectly symmetrical.
"I suppose that either would do just fine."
Kid's fist reared back, preparing to land another brutal hit.
It was stopped in mid-flight as Crona caught it in his hand, gripping tightly enough to snap bone.
"Don't underestimate me, brat," the Kishin growled, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "I bleed easily… but, remember? I have a good reason for that." The smirk came back, looking warped on his beaten face. "Black blood, bitch."
There was a sudden complete silence as the two deities stared each other down, neither willing to back down.
The air was thick with tension and the sickly smell of blood.
Maka closed her eyes.
She didn't want to watch this, and it was beyond her power to stop.
Someone would win, and someone would fall. Whichever one it was, it would still be painful. Maka didn't want to think about it, and most certainly didn't want it to actually happen.
It was too much.
It was over.
"Damn, I leave for a few minutes, and you guys are already at each other's throats over me? Girls, girls, you're both pretty!"
Maka's head jerked up, eyes flashing open as a familiar head of spiky hair came into view.
She was unable to register anything else before there was a flash of blue, and the quarreling gods were pulled into a headlock.
"Black*Star! Release me this instant!" Kid choked, flailing his limbs.
Crona just struggled, his face turning a shade of purple and cheeks puffed out comically.
"I will when I feel like it!" Black*Star teased, a quirky grin appearing on his face. "The big man is in the house now!"
Maka was finally released from the terror, the negative energy from the soul wavelengths of her friends fading away. Her vision was cleared, mind coming back into focus. She felt as if a tremendous weight was being lifted from her shoulders, and she sighed with relief.
"Black*Star, where have you been?" Maka asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"I could say the same to you, Sleeping Beauty!" the boy scoffed, looking up from the other two. "It's been forever, Maka!"
"Only a few weeks," she murmured, rubbing her forehead to ease the headache that was beginning to form.
Looking around, she saw what appeared to be a large crowd of people approaching from the other side of the city, cheering so loudly that she was pretty sure she could hear them from nearly a mile away.
"What the hell is that?" she asked, pointing at the crowd in bewilderment.
"Oh!" Black*Star gasped, releasing the boys from his grasp. They fell to the ground, gasping for air. "They're here!"
"Oh no," Liz said in exasperation, shaking her head wildly. She ran forwards and scooped up Kid by his armpits, beginning to drag him away, caring little about the uncomfortable nature of her mode of transportation. "Maka, you'd better get Crona and scram… right now."
"Why?" Maka questioned, brows rising with worry. "What's going on? Who're they?"
Black*Star laughed boisterously, spinning on his heel. Maka hadn't seen him act so full of himself for months, and his mentality seemed to have reverted back to being a rude little kid.
"My fan club, of course!"
A/N- Very short chapter because I wanted to give you this as soon as possible. I feel guilty for being such a slow updater, and I'm super grateful for your feedback and stuff! Thanks for all of those reviews last time, please keep it up, loves! c: And yes, we finally get to find out about Black*Star and Tsubaki next chapter. xD
For those of you that know about the thing with Asura and Kid in the manga lately… wow! I'm probably going to use that in this story sometime soon. The manga is ending in about four months… I'm disappointed, but excited at the same time to see how it all comes to a close!