A/N: Hello! This is Helena and I just wanted to apologize it took me a long time for chapter 5. Anyways, I plan something exciting for end and I hope that I'm improving in writing. That's it for now.

Chapter 7:

Troublesome Festival

Friday, November 15th, 02:44 p.m. - Shinigami Square

It was a quite warm day, perfect for start of festival. Students of DWMA have been on the square since morning, setting it up for starting day of festival, which is going to last for a whole week. The other citizens had been setting their booths with all kinds of stuff for festivals; lamps, face paint, all kinds of festival foods and props. Even if festival is going to start by the sun set, they had a lot of job to do before.

Kidd was currently hanging skulls, Maka was setting up a stand with face paint with Soul helping her, Liz and Patty were busy helping Kim and Jacqueline set up food stands, Killik was holding Fire and Thunder on his shoulders while they were trying to hang a prop looking like human soul. Tachiko was trying to hang red lamp that was supposed to represent a soul of an evil human above the main stage, opposite of light blue lamp that was representing human soul, but not really succeeding in it; It kept falling out of her hands or wind blew it out of her hands. Though, a purple lamp representing witch soul which was supposed to hang between of one of Human and one of a Kishin, (but a little behind, so that they form a triangle) kept swinging and pushing it out.

"Aw, geez…" she groaned while getting off ladder and picking lamp back up "This one is troublesome as that girl's soul… What was her name again, Sophie Slaughter?"

"Yup" replied Yoshiki, who was holding ladder while she climbed back "Only you seem to have more trouble with this one" he chuckled.

"Yea, yea, just you mock" she said while smiling and hanging the lamp "Done!" she said before lamp fell onto her head again

"Now we just need to make you shine" he laughed while she took it off and put it back on its place.

"Well, now that's at last done." black haired meister said while climbing off, but ladder was shook by Killik who stumbled backwards because Fire and Thunder got into fight around who will hang the last soul prop. Tachiko stumbled and fell off right on her back

"Ow…"

Killik finally managed to calm his weapons then gone to Tachiko "Hey, you okay?" he said while offering her a hand "Fire and Thunder sometimes can act just like little kids" he continued while helping her get up.

"It's okay, it's good that something else has been falling for a change instead of that lamp" She smiled, but then lamp again flew to her head "really?" girl continued in annoyed tone

Yoshiki just sighed trying to hold back laugh "Let me before you fall again" he picked it up, climbed and got it back in its place then jumped off.

"It's cause I've got it to listen, you just finished the job" she played as if she was one who hanged it

"Heheh, always playing the best one in the group" the weapon chuckled.

"Well, when I am." She said, and even though she was joking she kept serious look on her face like she means it.

"Well, see ya then you two, Fire spotted caramel apples and they won't leave me 'til they both get one" Killik smiled bit nervously and walked away with Fire and Thunder on his head.

"Well, we better get going too, people will soon start coming, we better meet up with Black*Star and Tsubaki.

"Right." meister agreed and walked with him.

05:04 p.m.

Sun was low on horizon, with already a sleepy face. Skies were clear with only few clouds, so it was clearly seen they started to take on an warm shade of orange, and clouds on a bright pink color. Lord Death himself was standing on the stage, just between-under lamps that represented Human and Kishin souls, with Kidd to his right.

The square was full with people, with them filling next few streets around square, it was time for Lord Death's speech. so everyone was silently chatting while waiting. Tachiko and Black*Star were west of stage, not too far away from it, holding Yoshiki as Katana and Tsubaki as Kusurigama (chain scythe).

"Well then!" Grim Reaper suddenly spoke, making the chatter stop almost instantly, "Another semester is coming to an end and yet another Soul festival is just starting! I just want to thank fellow professors and students for helping citizens set up all the decorations. Now, I won't bore you with a too long speech. Kidd-kun?" he said when looking to his son.

Young Shinigami cleared his throat and continued instead of his father "The festival will begin when Sun completely sets, and fireworks fire." he said in his monotone voice.

After speech, Black*Star suddenly spoke: "Oi, Tachiko… Why weren't you on stage too? I mean, you are Kidd's-" he was cut off by Tachiko putting hand over his mouth

"Shhh!" she said while removing her hand "Listen, nobody but you, Tsubaki, Yoshiki, Maka, Liz, Patty and Soul know that I'm his adopted sister and I want it to stay that way" she sighed "And what about you? Weren't you gonna show up out of nowhere and do your speech?"

"Nah." blue haired meister replied "This time I'd rather skip that. Besides, Tsubaki wouldn't let me, and I kinda understand her, I had a weird feeling something important is going to happen"

"No kidding" she said while looking trough crowd. She saw fluff of black hair on the side of crowd. Her mood fixed a little when she saw that was Rin. She wasn't just imagining him last night.

He was currently talking to professor Stein, with Kidd soon joining them. Of course, because of big distance between two guard posts, but mostly cause of noise, Tachiko couldn't hear what they were talking about, but she could clearly see that Stein was smoking and holding Spirit in his weapon form, that Rin was in his calm self as he was yesterday evening and that Kidd again had headache.

Black*Star has turned too, looking at crowd "But I gotta admit, the stage isn't bad, I bet audience would love me!" he spoke in his cocky voice

Tachiko sighed, not even a second later she felt something hard connecting with upper back of her neck, she fell to ground with her vision blurring; it was clear that she was going to pass out of she doesn't regain herself soon. She wasn't sure what happened from then; she felt woozy, only thing she could feel is a dim pain in back of neck with a feeling of warm fluid trickle from it down her back when someone pulled her and started running, last thing she saw before passing out was Kidd running towards her, aiming for person who was holding her.

What actually happened after she was hit was that Black*Star immediately turned because of sound hit made. He was knocked away, while Stein, Spirit and Kidd were running to there. Black*Star swiftly got up and it was clear same moment who snatched Tachiko; brown eyes, piercings and big brown leather gloves,

it was Giriko.

Same moment he grabbed Tachiko saw blades appeared on his leather boots, he rode backwards. Black*Star, followed by Yoshiki, ran and slashed at Giriko who smoothly dodged. Kidd's attack was head on, fueled by mere rage and worry, weakened with his headache getting best of him, was easily denied by a counterattack.

Rin was watching it all from a distance, in a calm manner, like he was watching a boring play. He watched all attempts of attack from Black*Star, Yoshiki and Kidd before Stein catched up and done an attack himself, but it was too late. Giriko stuck out his tongue at them before he rode into portal that was glowing light pink that appeared behind him. Yoshiki jumped into portal right after him before they both disappeared, along with portal. In that second, fireworks were fired into skies and exploded in shapes of souls.

Stein suddenly stopped in front of place portal was. Black*Star, of course, tried to catch up with Yoshiki but ended up running into a tree when portal closed, though Kidd, when he stopped running, felt like his head was pounding hard like it's threatening it will blow up any second.

"Their soul response disappeared…" Stein spoke after few long seconds of silence interrupted by nothing else than sounds of fireworks exploding. "All three of them, the second they gone into that portal.."

"What do you mean by that?" said Black*Star in voice in what was clearly heard held back rage.

"That they teleported into a place pretty far away.. And portal was some kind of warp hole"

"Any choice of tracking them down?" Kidd asked. He sat down, headache was wearing him out really bad, while he was trying to put pressure on a wound to stop bleeding; a cut from Giriko's Sawfoot. Even without being too deep, it hurt pretty badly too.

Black*Star got away with just merely a few bruises and a cut on the leg.

Others soon arrived, and after a good amount of questions, got them back to DWMA. But Kidd only lasted for half way to Dispensary before headache got better of him, making him collapse.

Silently, Rin was following them without them noticing. He followed them all the way trough to Dispensary then decided to wait and listen from outside. All he heard were worried voices from a female; Liz, a voice of an adult explaining what happened; Stein and angry yelling of a boy; Black*Star. Yelling made him slightly narrow eyes because as he said earlier, he couldn't stand noise.

Upon realizing that his yelling won't calm down in a longer time, he turned and walked away, eyes glued to ground and hands in pockets, "Is this really the school I'm going to go to? I can't find a partner to team up with, I lost my first friend, or whatever they call them… And then this." he got one of balconies and looked up into the night sky

"Are those people who kidnapped Tachiko-san really them…? The fear of east that was asleep for all those years…?" he couldn't stand it, he felt a desire of ripping another portal and going after them. He held for fence and looked back down, then said in his quiet, hoarse voice "If those show up again… It'll be more trouble for Death City than they could imagine…" he shouted into the night in anger: "Show yourselves you assholes! Deal with royalty you had a grudge on for so long! I'm right here!"

Even he knew the best that the people he shouted to won't hear a word he says, he had to let it out. At the moment, there was a dilemma in his mind he had not being used to deal with; Should tell them what he knows or let the things go on their own? He had a doubt in everything around him, so why should he let someone he doesn't trust get their hands on the information. But if he doesn't, who knows what could happen to everyone mentioned. Trusting no one still doesn't mean he wants something bad to happen to all those people. He had to clear his mind but he didn't want to. Something made him decide to stay aside and watch the flow of things, if it gets too serious, he'll tell, but only if it's necessary.

"Damn it all…" he thought to himself, "If The East Evil gets their hands on the weapon they lost, this whole rotten world will be theirs… But if I'm wrong… I guess I'll just have to see what happens…" he sighed and walked away.