A/N: Hello, this is again me! First of all, WARNING for this chapter. It may contain violence and descriptions of images that some people might find disturbing. Anyways, I've been having problems to decide what'll happen from here on, so sorry if updates take a longer time. And also, it's time when first exams this semester start coming so, ごめんなさい! ("I'm sorry" on Japanese, if you were wondering)

Chapter 9:

To Believe,

Or Not To Believe?

Saturday, November 16th, 02:35 p.m. - DWMA

Rin was standing at doors in his usual gloomy manner, glaring at weapons and meister for a second.

"D-did I arrive at wrong moment?.." He suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

Patty let go of her meister and sat back down by him.

"Not at all." Kidd replied calmly "Wait, you're the new student from the festival?" he continued examining him. He stopped seeing that he has a black glove without fingers only on right hand

"A-asymmetrical.." he did his best to hold it back so he only muttered it.

"Hm? This?" he looked at glove. "That's nothing, only a burn." He nonchalantly lied, he was sure they would know who he was and soon it would be heard around the school in the speed of light.

He saw that Liz and Kidd were looking at him with suspicious look on face, so he quickly continued.

"N-never mind, let's go back to what I wanted to tell you…" Rin continued, in bit shy sounding tone, he hesitated for a few seconds then said: "I know who kidnapped black haired girl… And where they possibly hid her…"

He knew that there was no turning back now. He told them, and if they are going to do anything abnormally stupid like ridiculous save mission right this moment, it could be his fault.

Nobody said anything, Kidd just glared at him, obviously thinking if he should trust him.

"How can we know that you're not trying to put us on a wild goose chase?" Liz asked

"Think a little, I never did anything to harm you and besides.. Your adopted sister was my first friend.."

"How do you know-" Kidd asked but was almost immediately interrupted

"Please.. It was obvious when you think about it more carefully… I saw how much you cared for that girl. I watched a bit from distance. You two lacked intimacy, so you she wasn't your girlfriend, but you two were still too close to be just friends or best friends.. Next thought was that she was your sister, but she didn't have too much similarities to you except hair color and pale skin.. Most important, she lacked Sanzu Stripes" he continued in a calm, colorless tone, "Only opinion is that she's your adopted sister. But let's leave that aside, your sister was kidnapped by a clan called 'The East Demise', I believe they are keeping her somewhere in forest West of city, there is a partly underground shelter, she must be there. But don't do anything stupid, tell that to professors or principal," he turned on his heel to exit, putting hands in pocket "Because if you go alone, you're dead for sure.. Just like her weapon partner that jumped in after her probably already is…" He was almost at doors when he straightened up from his usually bit crooked stance "Oh right, one more thing.." He turned his head towards Kidd, Dead Grey looking straight into Golden Irises, Kidd felt coldness. "Think twice before going after her at all.. You may not like the explanation…" he then turned back to doors and grabbed doorknob.

Just second before he walked out, Kidd shot up from what seemed like he was in trans. "Hey, wait up!" he said in an angry voice "Y-you know more! Come back here and spit it out, damn you!"

Rin stopped the second young Shinigami spoke. He grinned with his head bowed, bangs covering his eyes. "You'll see… All due in time.." He walked out, ignoring the confused faces of weapons and meister.

After a few seconds Kidd regained himself and quickly gone to hallway before Liz could stop him; No one was there.

"This makes no sense, he left merely seconds ago.." He thought to himself before going back in, sitting back on bed. He was thinking about Rin's soul response.

His soul was calm, careless one. It was a harmless one, but still, somehow too calm. What worried him is the fact that the second he spoke last words he felt his response change drastically in split second. From calm and collected to similar to one affected by strong madness radiation. It gone to aggressive one, the coldness felt in his wavelength became three times stronger response like one of a maniac. Like a witch released a Soul Protect. And teeth Kidd saw when he grinned, they were pointy like ones of a Kishin.

"The change was so drastical…" he thought "Is he really a person to trust?"

02:49 a.m. - ?

Tachiko was sitting in similar room as before, she woke up around three hours earlier and first thing she noticed was that this room had a window, though small, it was enough to let in some moonlight. It was enough to see that on right wall were written a few Kanji written with red fluid what seemed like blood. They read "Join us, Madness awaits". Even if it was pretty disturbing at first because it seemed like it's fresh, after less than a minute she didn't mind it anymore.

She had bags under eyes, she looked around room, she was still chained down but this time only by leg and chain was longer, but not long enough that she could reach the doors. On one of chairs was now a sandwich and a glass of water. She didn't gone to eat, she just listened for something to break the deaf silence.

She inspected every corner of the room she could get to and Waited… Waited… Waited… She gave up on hope that someone will come before she falls asleep again.

She was walking around the room aimlessly for about a hour already. She wasn't alone for such a long time. She'd even accept if Giriko came in to check on her, even if "they" arrived already. She already accepted the thought that Yoshiki is dead as if it's a fact.

"The time passes so slowly, it's almost if there's no 'time'…" she thought as she continued to walk "If that's how it is, they can keep me here as long as they want… I don't care…"

The time passed and the routine as the last time happened, she felt a painful income of guilt, though it was much less strong than last time and fell asleep shortly after it.

What seemed like days to her passed, she changed at least 8 rooms, she'd fall asleep and wake up in new one, each one more open and less restraining, but with more messages written in red fluid. Who knows, maybe the ones who were here before wrote it. She didn't eat anything even though every time she woke up in new room, Giriko or someone else who was taking care of her, would leave food.

She was now in a big room with three small windows and whole wall covered in writings in red fluid, all basically the same: "Join us", "This is madness..", "No point to resist any further", "Goodbye", etc.

The room was still made of stone and more cold than any room before, and there were two corpses on ground. One that clearly committed suicide by stabbing itself in abdomen and slitting its wrists with a sharp object, maybe a shattered plate, a long ago. It was leaned against a wall, with words written above it: "There's no point in staying here any longer."

Second one was bit more recent, also a suicide committer. He or she was obviously fed up with being there, or out of shock after seeing other corpse, which was more disturbing when person saw it, apparently, too worried about how he or she will end. The person killed itself by banging head against now broken mirror, that now laid shattered and bloodstained on ground.

Tachiko wasn't startled by it. Heck, she barely noticed. Only thing she did was draw a target on wall with blood of other victim and practice throwing with bone of the first. She had colorless and cold expression like Rin's now. She was throwing bone around for good hour after she broke it with her bare hands, seemingly bored.

She didn't say anything for hours. She forgot that there are people outside she knew and called friends, or she just didn't bother thinking about them at all. She didn't tire herself with blaming self or anyone else for what happened. Her mind was empty, her clothes were torn up, eyes were dull-looking but still characteristically emerald green, skin was pale as paper, hair complete mess and she even started getting hallucinations not long ago.

She was currently painting walls with blood, mumbling something to herself and a from time to time quietly chuckling on a disturbing way. She wasn't restrained at all anymore, she could also leave the room by simply knocking down doors using what's in room, but she didn't seem to want to.

In reality, only a day and a half passed since she woke up there for the first time, but time seemed to pass much slower wherever she was trapped, and she had no idea what was happening outside of that prison she was in, even though she didn't look at it that way anymore.

Meanwhile, back in Death City, many things changed, especially in Gallows Mansion.

Liz and Patty were ordered to keep Kidd at home because he ignored Rin's warning and rushed into forest. It was even more lonely with Mansion almost always empty, only Kidd in there. Fortunately, (or unfortunately) Grim Reaper let him be a part of rescue team.

It was sure that Grim Reaper was sure in his suspicions and is not taking any risks. The rescue team were previously mentioned Young Shinigami and his weapons, Liz and Patty, Maka and her partner Soul, Tsubaki and Black*Star. They are followed by Deathscythes Azusa, Spirit, Justin and graduated meister Stein. Rin was also following one in group because Liz spilled out that he knows something useful right next time her and Patty gone to report to Shinigami.

A/N: Alright, a short preview of next chapter - they'll find Tachiko and return her back to city, but the question is, is it really a good idea?

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