Ame and Kid sat in the park, alone. They were sitting next to each other against the wall, staring out at the grey clouds above. Kid reached up to brush his fingers against the bruise that was developing on his cheek. He sighed.

"Hey, Kid," Liz called as she, Maka, and Soul entered the park.

"How did it go?" Maka asked. Kid frowned, turning his face so they could see the mark on his face.

"He hit me," Kid said dismally.

"And I bit him," Ame added. "It's just not been a very good day for us."

"How uncool can you get?" Soul asked, sitting down next to them. "What did you bite him for?"

"He was being cocky," she replied. "He didn't get to see the monster that he was trying to blame. So I showed him."

"Badass," Soul complimented.

"I hate this," Ame growled. "He just stood there, saying I wasn't human, and that I was an alien. I've never felt so insulted. I just felt… chagrined!"

"Well, attacking him didn't help with anything," Soul sighed. "But I get where you're coming from."

"What's going to happen now?" Maka asked. She and Liz were sitting on the other side of Kid now.

"They'll report us and there will probably be some rebellion," Kid replied.

"Actually," Liz said. "I heard about it on the radio on our way here. With some of the things Ame said, I don't think people have the courage to go up against her. I think you're insured."

Kid glanced at Ame, who was playing with some bugs on the cement. He reached out and patted her head.

"Good girl," he purred. That was all he could do.

Suspicion; Who's Sin Can Break the Earth?

"What's causing this?" Ame asked. "What's causing the earthquake? I mean, it was only one earthquake, so why is the world so upset? Someone must be tipping us off that this was done by someone unnatural."

"I have my suspicions," Kid nodded. "But I just don't think it was those government people. They just aren't powerful enough to do something like this undetected."

"Nagi," Ame called attention to her brother, who was flipping through a couple of books. "I need you to hack into the government system to see who they've been in contact with."

"What?!" Nagi and Kid demanded.

"Ame, are you crazy?" Kid asked.

"Of course I am," she said. "I'm the embodiment of madness. Now, I'm going to summon Itegami of Shadow to help us out. He can get you into the hotel they're staying at and probably buy you some time if things go amiss."

"Got it," Nagi nodded. "I'm ready to go."

"Alright," Ame nodded. She turned to the window and painted four dots in the sky to make a constellation of an ox. The keeper of the brush power Shadow, or Create, appeared at the edge of the balcony, floating as he waited for Nagi to join him. The wolf ran out and jumped off the three-story balcony to land safely below before running in the direction of the hotel.

"We need to be asking ourselves different questions," Kid said. "Who would benefit from splitting the word in two?"

"Whoever it is wants to get us out of the question," Ame said. "So it could be a mere mortal. The Demon Lord doesn't fight like this; it's just not his style. Someone new, maybe?"

"If they are new, then they probably aren't that powerful yet," Kid said. "That's why they're leaving the dirty work to the rest of the population. How cowardly."

The more Kid thought about it, the more Kid was reminded of Asura. Asura was like an embodiment of fear, hence his moves were few and cowardly. He hid behind Arachnophobia and didn't understand the concept of bravery.

"No way," he shook his head, closing the book he was reading. "It couldn't be Asura. He was reformed, wasn't he?"

"Of course," Ame nodded. "He's with the others in the Celestial Plain now. Maybe a stray Asura worshipper?"

"No, even if it was a plan of Asura, this doesn't seem like something he'd want. By destroying the guardians of the world, what would he gain?"

"Enslavement of mankind," Ame said suddenly. "Hey, Kid, show me the geological whatever-thing-a-mabob. You know, that shows the depth and width of the split?"

Kid showed her what she wanted. She studied the pattern intently, running her finger over the surface. She suddenly felt a slight burning sensation in her left eye. She covered it with her hand and sat down. It was hopeless.

They studied for hours, but they came up with nothing.

"That's it," Ame said. "We need to go investigate the plain ourselves. I think we'll find more there."

Kid nodded. They both looked up when they heard someone approaching. Ame looked out the window and gasped in horror.

"It's Nagi!" she cried, running downstairs and outside. Kid glanced out the window before joining her. Nagi was in his wolf form, limping. Blood stained the right half of his body. He collapsed in the garden, whimpering slightly.

"Nagi!" Liz screamed, running towards him. She knelt down beside him and hesitated. He looked pretty bad. Ame and Kid arrived a moment later. "What happened to him?"

"I think he was shot," Ame said. "The humans must have caught him there."

"Why did you send him?!" Liz demanded angrily. "He could have died! He's your brother!"

"Hey," Nagi whimpered, raising his head and looking at Liz longingly. "I'm fine. I've had worse."

"Come on, we have to get inside," Ame said.

Soul Eater

"What happened?" Ame asked Nagi once he had rested up a bit.

"I was just leaving when that man and his followers showed up. I was able to escape through the window before they got a good view of me, but they grabbed their guns and started shooting. Itegami was able to take care of the security cameras and such, so we'll just have to wait and see."

"I'm just glad you made it out alive," Liz said, sitting next to Nagi and taking his hand.

"Whatever is going on, they know nothing about it," Nagi continued.

"So we're back to square one again," Kid sighed. "This is useless. Nagi, when do you think you'll be on your feet again?"

"Kid, he's just been shot," Liz snapped. "Have a little compassion."

"Time is of the essence, Liz," Kid retorted. "If we don't figure out what's going on, the humans will. And then they'll overthrow us."

"You don't have to worry about that," Ame said, getting to her feet and walking towards Kid. "We can go on our own tomorrow. We'll just scout it out and bring the others when Nagi has had time to heal."

"Alright," Kid nodded. "We'll leave tomorrow."

"Hey, look on the news!" Patti pointed to the television she had been watching on the other side of the room. Kid turned his head and frowned.

"After a private interview in the Death Room, Robert Shining reported that Amaterasu had attacked him, nearly destroying his recording equipment and leaving him with a bloody hand. A trip to the hospital revealed that it was only a scratch. However, if Inochigami Amaterasu is truly so bold as to attack a government representative, what would stop her from hurting other innocent people."

"Now you've done it, Ame," Liz said.

"Good," Ame grinned. "Now they know better than to tease a wolf."

"This isn't good, Ame," Kid argued. "Try to get the people to like you, okay? Your image is on the line here."

"What do I care about my public image?" Ame asked rather arrogantly, her tail twitching in slight aggravation. "Inochigami don't get off looking pretty. So what if the government is afraid of me? They can't truly control what a human believes. I will continue to work honestly for the good of the world, and it will bring me more worshippers than if I had fame and renown like an actress."

"How would you know?" Kid demanded. "You've been living under a rock for a thousand years. Things have changed, Ame. This world is different."

"Why are you treating me like a child?!" Ame shouted. "I know more than this world alone. I know how humans work. I know what would have happened if I hadn't attacked that man, and I know what will happen now that I have attacked him. Give up on your perfect world and leave me be. I'm tired of this."

"Hey, you two," Nagi warned. "Stop fighting. This is stupid."

Kid and Ame continued to glare at each other silently for a long minute. Finally, Kid looked away.

"We'll leave in the morning," he said. "I expect you to be ready."

"Fine," Ame said, turning her back and disappearing upstairs.

Another chapter complete. I would have posted this sooner, but again, shit happens. My laptop screen broke, now there's a giant ink splotch in the center. I can't work with that! Also, I'd like to say I took a lot of inspiration for this chapter from a fanfiction called A New Kind of Madness by LuckySoulStarEater. I love this fanfic and I recommend you check out a chapter or ten. Anyway, that's all for me today; have a nice day and I'll see you next chapter!