(Author's Note: Quick shout-out to my followers/fans: your comments literally make my day... I kind of get all happy and sometimes I even - to my own embarrassment - cheer out loud in my living room... Anyways, you guys are awesome! This chapter is for you all! Hope you enjoy! Byye!)
Chapter 12: The Ball at Death's Mansion; Team Maka Reunites!
Stepping through the mirror felt a lot like jumping into a cold swimming pool. My limbs were freezing. The only thing that anchored me was my hand clutching Black*Star's arm and my grip had grown considerably tighter. Taking a breath felt like breathing during a blizzard. Moving felt like walking while my limbs were turning to ice.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, I stepped onto hard marble flooring. I gasped, my chest cramping as I struggled to catch my breath, while Black*Star raised a cocky eyebrow and smirked – back to his old self. "Damn Kai, I knew I was godlike but you didn't have to go and lose your breath because of it."
"Shuttup!" I socked him softly on the arm, glad that he was acting normal even if it was only for a little while.
"I bet Tsubaki and the rest of the team are already here! Let's go!" he grabbed my hand and we started weaving through the crowd of teens who were also stepping through the floor-length mirrors that lined the walls. Every mirror was a different size, a different shape and color. Some mirrors had stairs leading up to them and there were even a few on the ceiling that had a trampoline-like catching system. I barely got to search for Warren as Black*Star ran around trying to find Team Maka. After a while I convinced him to slow down and follow the crowd out. They were probably just sitting in the dining hall at a table, waiting to see him.
As soon as I said that I was whisked through the halls in the direction that everyone else was going. We soon came to a large room that was lined with several hundred round tables covered in white tablecloths. Each table had nametags set by each of the eight places. It was now that I realized, my hand still enveloped by Black*Star's, that Tsubaki would probably be sat beside him. I bit my lip, dreading sitting at a table with strangers. I never did well with strangers.
"There's Maka! Yahoo!" Black*Star jumped at least ten feet into the air, dragging me behind him, and landed right next to the table striking his usual pose and announcing himself. I, on the other hand, drifted down behind him to the floor like a deflated balloon.
"Black*Star, I think you broke your weapon!" Maka chastised, reaching down to help me up. Her eyes lit up with recognition when she saw me. "Kai, right? I'm surprised you've been able to put up with him this long!"
"Well," I coughed awkwardly, stealing a glance at the dejected assassin as he dealt with Maka's cold shoulder. "We kind of put up with each other, so I guess you'd count us both lucky."
Maka nodded, a slightly surprised look coming over her face. Then, seeming to remember something, she turned around and beckoned. A short blond girl walked over, beaming at us both with a smile.
"This is my weapon, Brie." Maka introduced.
"It's nice to meet you!" she stuck her hand out for me to shake, her French accent lilting her words.
"Nice to meet you to!" I relaxed my tongue, letting my Scottish accent slide out. Black*Star and Maka looked vaguely surprised, Black*Star the most. My accent was usually only prominent when I was upset, but I wanted to show off a bit. I grinned at her as she nodded respectfully.
Suddenly, Maka yelped as a pair of arms wrapped around her stomach and spun her around several times before setting her down. An albino boy dressed in a pinstripe suit had come up behind her and was hugging her to his chest with a wide, shark-toothed grin. I almost let out an 'aww' but instead nudge Black*Star with my shoulder and jerked my chin towards where I saw a familiar-looking girl walking over hand in hand with a tall dark-skinned boy. Immediately my meister flew from my side, shouting her name like a war cry: "Tsubaki!"
"Black*Star!" The gorgeous Japanese girl detangled her fingers and absorbed the impact of his embrace. They both began laughing, leaving me and the white-haired man that had walked up with Tsubaki with nothing to do except stand there awkwardly. The bad feeling that had gone away when Black*Star had started acting normal again was quickly returning and my heart was starting to feel two sizes too large for my ribcage. It squeezed and pulled, causing me to bite the inside of my cheek so hard blood came out. I seriously needed to work on these inferiority issues…
A sigh escaped my lips, my shoulders drooping just slightly. I wandered away aimlessly, casting about for Warren. As part of the Exchange Program his attendance was mandatory so I knew he was here. However, it seemed that no matter how hard I looked he wasn't anywhere to be found. Suddenly the crowd was too much. I felt sick. Underneath my corset my heart smacked painfully against my ribcage as my body changed slightly. My senses heightened and in a single, clear moment I could taste something wrong in the air. As suddenly as the change came, it left me in a wave that took all my energy with it. I could barely stand on my feet, but somehow I still ran to the bathroom and made it into a stall before I started coughing up thick, black blood.
It tasted like salty tar and coated my throat like oil. Some of it splashed onto the floor, leaving small puddles of black teardrops. A wheezy gasp shuddered through me, spilling what was left in my mouth down my throat and causing me to gag. The entire process started over until the small, weak part of me wondered if there was any blood left to expel. It was black blood. My energy returned slightly at the realization, spurring me into action: I stood on my feet and quickly flushed and cleaned up my mess while working through the problem. I had taken the pills like a good little girl. This shouldn't be happening, I frowned I wiped at my mouth with a shaking hand and a paper towel.
The door opened and Maka walked in, smiling when she saw me. A second earlier and she would have seen… what would she have thought? I didn't dare let any of my nerves show. I immediately threw on a friendly smile and hastily shoved the soiled paper towel into the trash can.
"Hey, Black*Star sent me to find you. You can't just disappear like that or we'll worry, you know?" She gave a small laugh and linked arms with me, pulling me away from the lavatory and back through the crowd towards the table. To say that I was surprised by her appearance was an understatement, but more than that I was disturbed by what I was feeling. Something was definetly wrong in this room. It wasn't the people. It was something else, but I just couldn't figure it out.
"Hey, Kai! Where'd you go? You left before I could introduce you!" Black*Star barreled over like an eager baby rhinoceros and dragged me over to where his circle of friends had grown considerably. Two boys and two girls had added themselves to the mix, Liz and Patty with their Australian meisters. Rex and Hollin were eye-catchingly attractive. The two pistols seemed infatuated with them, to the point that I felt slightly bad for whoever their meister was. He was one of the few members of Team Maka I had only met once during the first mirror call they had all shared when Black*Star had come. He was honestly the one that I was looking forward to meeting the most – not that Maka and Soul and Tsubaki didn't seem cool to me.
No. Death the Kid was in a class all his own in my mind.
The son of Lord Death, the next in line to be Shinigami. I owed my life to his father. Someday I would serve as his Death Weapon, hopefully.
As if beckoned by my mental praise, he suddenly appeared with two amazingly large boys trailing behind. Remarkably, the two boys looked exactly alike in every way, right down to the way their hair was combed. Liz and Patty noticed and immediately a drop of sweat went down one of Liz's cheeks as her drooped out of exasperation. Patty, on the other hand, looked slightly disturbed as she glanced back and forth between Kid and his two new weapons. It was a feeling that I knew every weapon in this room would probably be feeling at this very second: doubt. Thinking things like 'what if my meister prefers this new weapon' were causing doubt – another reason why I still questioned this ball.
"Kid!" Patty seemed to finally return from her inner thoughts and jumped towards the white-striped meister with an expression of utter joy. The Death God, for his part, began laughing and caught the girl, twirling her around before setting her one the floor and beckoning Liz. It was clear to me that the three had a very close relationship. Like anyone else who was interested, I had heard the story of the Thompson sisters and Death the Kid: how he had found them and offered them a new chance at life. Still, even with knowing, it was adorable to see three people so happy with each other.
"Hey Kid, long time no see!" Soul loped over and went for a fist-bump.
Kid's gold eyes flashed cheerfully as he touched his knuckles to the scythe's, "Strange to think it's only been six months."
Maka laughed, embracing him. "It feels like longer! I'm glad you're doing well, Kid-kun."
He smiled, and shrugged, greeting Tsubaki as well before then taking in the line of exchanged weapons and meisters that were standing close enough to be considered part of the group, yet far enough that we weren't being obtrusive. I took a deep breath as the Shinigami's eyes paused on each of us individually, meeting his eyes steadily. "Well, it's time for introductions, isn't it?"
Black*Star, of course, was the first to but in, wrapping an arm roughly around my shoulders and pulling me into him. I squeaked, my eyes narrowing, face blooming madly red, opening my mouth to share some of the nasty comments about his mother that were running through my mind before he cut me off: "This is Kai! She can be a few different kinds of weapons and she's a great partner! She almost likes fighting as much as me! Which reminds me Kid!" Black*Star fist-pumped and his eyes got a mischievous gleam, "I think I'm almost ready to defeat you!"
With that, my meister burst into a fit of rowdy laughter, throwing his head back and putting his free hand on his hip. Not that I was complaining. The arm that was around my shoulders felt kind of nice there. Tsubaki, I noticed, was focused on exactly where his fingers were (sort of) gently gripping my skin. She looked dismayed, though I wasn't sure if it was about Black*Star's behavior or my presence. When the bluenette was done laughed, he grinned at me and pinched one of my cheeks – much to my embarrassment. "All I have to do is get Kai here to distract you with her cuteness!"
There was an immediate pause in conversation, my face immediately turning a shade of color that should be reserved for fruit and home decorations, while Black*Star froze with eyes wider than the whole pizzas he was able to eat after every mission.
"Do you even think before you speak?" I snapped, pushing him roughly away and pouting slightly, rubbing my sore cheek. "God, Black*Star, you have no damn filter!"
"So he still acts the same, huh?" Tsubaki asked, groaning slightly. "I was hoping this whole experience might teach him some manners!"
"Manners!" I scoffed, deliberately not looking at the assassin so that my face could return to its normal color. "You have no idea. Just this morning he left me alone walking the streets of this city!"
Tsubaki shook her head, "Is he still jumping into fights without any plan?"
"Eh," I rubbed the back of my neck, "we kind of do that together."
"Alright, we get the point." Black*Star said, looking slightly perplexed and grumpy. "Let's get on with the introductions."
Maka stepped up, grabbing Brie's hand and pulling her into the circle. "This is Brie! She and I weren't paired together right away, but she's a great weapon and a good friend. I hope you all get to know her!"
Brie blushed, "Ah, Maka, you lie. You're the one that's making me a great weapon, because you're such a good meister!"
"She has a habit of making good weapons great ones," Soul smirked, meeting eyes with his meister, "Totally cool."
The ash-blond blushed slightly.
Next was Kid, the golden-eyed boy naming each of the Jolly Green Giants that stood behind him: "Identical twins Nikolai and Bastian, from the European branch. They turn into spiked flails."
"Ve are pleased to meet you all," the one who had been introduced as Nikolai said. I noticed that he seemed to contain a slight bit more focus in his eyes whereas his brother seemed to be wandering, searching for something in the crowd.
"The pleasure is ours!" Tsubaki smiled, "And I'd like to introduce my… friend, Snow. He's very quiet, but also very kind."
For a brief moment I was hung up on the white hair/dark skin combo, but was put at ease by his small, sincere smile. He seemed like a nice enough guy, even if he was a little quiet. "In my experience, a lot of quiet people usually have the most to say, but they're smart enough to know the right time and place. Maybe you should learn from him, Black*Star!" I smirked at my meister evilly.
Soul stepped forward, nudging a pale boy before him. "This is Nanuk and, thanks to someone," he glared at Black*Star, "when we first met he thought I was gay. He's cool though," the demon scythe flashed his sharp teeth and his meister smiled back.
"Well, now that we've all met, I feel as if we should find out seats!" Kid clapped his hands together determinedly, casting his gaze about. "I have no idea where to start though."
"Didn't your dad plan this event, Kid?" Maka asked, sighing and narrowing her eyes at the young Shinigami. He simply blushed and began inspecting the name tags on each of the tables. It was lucky, actually, because soon enough we found where we were all sitting. As if destiny had come up and given us a huge-ass present – we had been standing within a feet tables of our own. In a matter of seconds the group was split: Kid and his German weapons, the Thompson sisters and their Australian meisters, all bundled around one table. Tsubaki, Black*Star, Maka, Soul, Nanuk, Snow, and I were all at the second. Immediately we all settled next to our counterparts, causing a bit of awkwardness as Tsubaki and I both went to sit on Black*Star's right side.
"Oh, go ahead!" I stammered, "You haven't seen him in six months. It's only right that you're next to him!"
The Japanese girl blushed lightly and slid into the chair, seated between both Snow and her old meister. Maka was sitting on his left, so I had to walk all the way around the table and sit between Brie and Nanuk, who both looked like they were feeling as out of place as I was. We exchanged idle chatter as Snow stayed silent, the four others chatting excitedly about the happenings of the last month. I glanced down at my empty, fancy-looking plate. I really hoped Black*Star didn't break his, it looked expensive.
My stomach growled, causing me to grimace and glare down at my midsection. There was no way any food was fitting in there with my dress being so tight. It was a shame. A party thrown by Lord Death was sure to have some amazing cuisine – my mouth was watering just thinking about it! I gave the air a delicate sniff to see if I could smell anything but there wasn't a trace of food. The kitchen must not be too close then.
Suddenly, the room went dark. The hushed voices of nearly one thousand weapons and meisters fell to confused whispers. This was when a pedestal seemed to rise out of nowhere, a tall, black-robed figure standing upon it, lit by a random spotlight. Lord Death himself.
"Hiya, everyone!" A single blocky hand waved enthusiastically, "Glad you could all come tonight! First we'll be having some food so I hope you all brought your appetites! Then we'll have some dancing, we're going to have so much fun! Now, I won't keep you anymore. Enjoy the night to your heart's content!"
The lights went back on in a flash, Lord Death disappearing in the process. When I looked down I realized that our table had been covered in food while we had been focusing on the god. My jaw dropped, a drip of drool threatening to fall from my mouth. Everything smelled so good! There was a large bird that looked like turkey or duck, some Japanese and (I suspected) African foods that I didn't recognize, and several platters of other things like steak and salad, and some breadsticks. A contented look made its way to my face as I surveyed all the food I was going to help my table eat and felt completely up to the challenge.
I dug in, quickly forgetting about the tightness of my dress and deciding to indulge myself just this once. What was the harm, anyways? And I was starving!
Let's just hope I could dance after all this eating…
(Author's post-script: hehe, how easily she forgets about the black blood... Oh! Look! A butterfly! Goodbye!)