Only a few days later saw both Maka and Soul returned home, safe and sound, Soul with an almost healed wound from his front through his back. Had it been anyone else, Stein said, they probably would have died, but the black blood in Soul had prevented anything too damaging. It was weird to think about; the black blood in Soul hadn't been seen in years, due to the fact that the world had been so quiet. Whispers of the attack had quickly spread through Shibusen after Maka and Soul returned, and some of the rumors going around were so alarming that Kid was going to address the school. Black Star stood in the back of the room, hands folded behind his back; Maka was closer to the front, hands tight around an ordinary staff planted between her feet. Maka and Black Star were on guard duty, of course; make sure no one snuck out or goofed off while Kid addressed the serious issue.
Soul sat up on the right behind the podium where Kid stood; Angela was smiling happily, kicking her feet from where she sat between him and Maba. A few members of the Witch Assembly stood behind Maba; it was not uncommon to see key members of the Witch Order at Shibusen for negotiations, and it was no surprise they were here today. Black Star was sure Angela was there as a way to ease everyone's fears, as well. The first witch in centuries, if not ever, to be raised equally between humans and witches. She waved excitedly to Black Star from where she sat, and a few people craned their necks to catch sight of him, curious.
"Students and citizens of Shibusen and Death City." Kid looked regal; he wore a cloak much the same as his father had used to, clasped together with a brooch fashioned after the late Lord Death's mask. Kid had no need to wear one as his father had, and the dark gold of his eyes was enough to stop anyone in their tracks if he laid his piercing gaze on them. He didn't sugarcoat his words, either, or speak in a voice that would calm the students; many of them were his own age, and he addressed them as equals. Murmurs broke out in the room and Kid stood stock still, waiting for them to die down before speaking again.
"Please hold your questions until the end; hopefully I'm thorough enough that your fears will be assuaged and your questions quieted." He looked down at himself and carefully (unnecessarily) centered the brooch between his collar bones before looking up to address the audience again. "I know you've all heard of the attack made on Soul Eater while away on the field trip. The attack was indeed the work of a witch." No one murmured this time; all eyes were wide and on Kid, waiting with bated breath for him to continue. There were reporters in the front of the room, all scribbling furiously on pads or holding up tape recorders.
"The witch who attacked Mr. Eater-" Soul snorted, and Black Star saw Maka glare in disapproval, "- is, as far as we can tell, unassociated with the main coven of witches that you have come to know best in these past years. At this time, it's unclear whether this was the work of a rogue witch or an entire coven. As you all know, we have been making negotiations with covens from all over the world; for a long time, several covens have been as divided from each other as they have from humans, all having different ideas of how to deal with us. We're hoping that as friendships and bonds grow stronger between Shibusen and the witch coven from the Witches' Realm, the largest in the world, the rest of the population- humans, witches and others alike- will follow suit.
"While the attack on Mr. Evans was unprompted, we have to understand that it more than likely came from a place of deep sorrow, anger, and fear. Shibusen has been hunting witches relentlessly for far too long. Though we are trying to make up for it now and come to peace agreements, we can not expect this to be done soon. It will take time and patience; I would be unsurprised if my own successor is still continuing negotiations centuries from now in my place." There were a few murmurs again, but Kid spoke over them this time. "As to whether this was indeed the work of a coven or simply a lone witch seeking justice, we will find out. We will approach them with open arms, as we have countless times, and we will do what needs to be done to hopefully start the beginnings of trust with Shibusen." His gaze swept over the room; everyone seemed caught by it, no one moving.
"That being said," and his voice seemed to fill up the room, swell it to bursting, low and sincere as he continued looking through the audience, "if I or anyone else hears another word against the witches, there will be a punishment." This seemed to send a jolt through the crowd, students looking away in shame and reporters getting antsy, no doubt ready to ask their questions. "If Shibusen's own students and staff, Death City's own residents, are so intolerable of our allies, how can we expect the rest of the world to accept them as well?
"I know this seems unfair. I know that none of you asked to be role models for the world, and I'm sorry you have been thrust into that position. Please, from the bottom of my heart, I ask- I beg- that you do not allow the feeling of injustice within you to sabotage what we are working so hard for here. I hope that as time goes on, your anger turns instead to pride; I hope that one day, you can all be as proud of yourselves as I am for being part of something so monumental." He looked over the crowd one more time as he finished speaking, then bowed his head slightly in a nod to make it clear he was finished talking. Cheers and applause filled the room not a second later; Black Star heard whistling he knew was from Kilik, and Black Star met Kid's eyes from across the room.
"You did great," he mouthed, and the side of Kid's mouth quirked up for a fraction of a second.
After the applause died down, Kid approached the microphones again. "Questions may be asked now. Please refrain from asking anything to Maba and the Witch Assembly themselves; they are here to show their solidarity and nothing more. Please respect their boundaries." Several reporters' hands had already shot up, as well as a few students and citizens. Kid gestured to reporters one by one and answered their inquiries (where had the attack taken place, had there been any more, did he consider the situation to be under control, were the other students still on the trip safe) effortlessly, his answers unpracticed but sounding as natural and assured as if he'd been expecting these exact questions.
"Lord Death," (it was still a shock when people called him that, and Star knew Kid hated it,) "you mentioned your 'successor'- don't you think it's a bit early for that kind of talk?" Kid paused, and Star knew the question had surprised him.
"... No, I don't," Kid began carefully, and reporters were scribbling on their pads again. Black Star could practically see the smoke from how quick their pencils were going, and Maka rolled her staff between her hands nervously. "It is a Shinigami's duty to think about the continuation of their line, and it is no different for me regardless of my age. Had circumstances with my father and the world been different, it would have been several more centuries before I reached my full potential as a Shinigami and took my father's place." Black Star hoped he'd been the only one to notice how tight Kid's shoulders had gotten. "Whether it be a year or a thousand years years from now, I need to be sure that the public, humans and witches alike, understand that I will one day be gone and my child will take my place."
"Heavy talk for a seventeen year old," one of the reporters offered, and several of them chuckled. Black Star's eyes narrowed, arms crossing tighter over his chest. "Shouldn't you be less worried about children and more worried about teenage things? Dating, perhaps?" There were a few more titters from the reporters, and Black Star was proud he heard none from the students or other citizens. Many of them had glares fixated on the reporters, Soul included.
"If you are that concerned with my personal life, I will gladly answer your questions in a different, scheduled interview. For today could we stick to the topic at hand, perhaps?" Now it was the students who were giggling; before Kid had been thrust into power, many of them had been on the receiving end of that same snark. A ripple went through the reporters, and it was back to business after that. Nearly another hour passed before the press conference was over; the reporters left first, Kid not allowing them to stay for more last minute questions they'd "forgotten" to ask, and teachers let the citizens leave next before herding the students back to classes. In the end, few people remained in the room; Kid, of course, along with the others on stage, Black Star, Maka, and a couple of older students congratulating Kid on his take down of the reporters before heading out.
Kid turned to the witches after the straggling students had left, giving a small bow of respect to Maba, who inclined her head in turn. "My deepest apologies if anything I said today was out of line. I know some of the questions led in directions we hadn't previously spoken of, but I thought it better to show a united front than conferring right there on stage if it was alright to mention." Maba and her Assembly members began conversing with him, and Black Star was distracted by a small attacker running at him and wrapping themself around his torso with a high pitched noise of delight.
"Spiky!" Black Star pried Angela off of him by her armpits, hauling her up to sit on his shoulders. She was getting too old for this now, but neither cared.
"Hey there, Short Stack." She giggled, fisting her hands in his hair to hold on and chattering happily about everything from her training to playing dress up. She had in the past few years, dare he say it, become akin to a younger sibling to him (maybe even a daughter if he didn't focus too hard on the implications). Black Star climbed the stairs to the stage where Maka stood next to Soul, and Black Star reached out, clasping Soul's hand in his. Usually they would have done their one armed shoulder hug, but Soul wasn't exactly in good condition for that.
"Hey, man," Soul said easily, but Black Star could hear the physical and awkward strain. Between his friends returning last night and the press conference today, they still hadn't had time to talk things through- he wasn't even sure if Soul would be willing to, only that Maka had promised him she would, at least. An unfamiliar tension hung in the air, and it made his chest heavy.
"Black Star?" He turned immediately, grateful for the chance to get away from the suffocating bubble that seemed to envelop he and his two best friends.
"Yeah, Ki-, uh, Lord Death?" Soul snorted at Black Star's fumble, but in his defense he'd forgotten the witches were still here.
"Kid is fine, Star." That made his chest warm, and he smiled. Angela rested her chin on his head, no doubt curious to know what The Adults were talking about. "Maba has informed me that the witches will be having a meeting soon to address the attack. Kim will have to go, but Angela is too young, and since she's so attached to you we were wondering if you would be willing to help me look after her if she remains here at Shibusen for the duration of the meeting. It could go on for several days." Black Star patted Angela's foot, bouncing her on his shoulders.
"Whaddaya think, Short Stack? Wanna hang with me while they do boring meetings and sh- stuff?"
"I really get to stay with Spiky?" Angela asked in awe, her little body practically vibrating in excitement. One of the Assembly nodded and Angela crowed with delight, wrapping her arms around Black Star's head and obscuring his sight. "We're gonna have so much fun! You can teach me how to fight and paint with me and we can color pictures for Kim and Tsubaki!" She continued chattering and Black Star nodded in the direction of Kid and the witches.
"Yeah, it's fine with me. She's a good kid, there shouldn't be any trouble." He reached up to move one of Angela's arms and saw the leftover traces of a smile on Kid's face, his hand covering his mouth. Black Star grinned. "Will she be staying at the mansion with you?"
"I thought that would be best; it's much more fortified than your apartment and the school isn't exactly a comfortable place to sleep." Black Star knew; many a time he'd fallen asleep while helping Kid with paperwork, and waking up to the high ceilings and arched hallways was a bit disorienting. "You could stay over if you like as well, it's not as if we haven't got the room-"
"She could always just stay with us," Soul said, and Black Star turned to look at him; he'd almost forgotten the other was even there. "It's homier. More similar to Kim's apartment, right? Angela and Star would probably both be more comfortable there." Maka's hand was white knuckled on his shoulder, a displeased expression on her face; his own expression was tight, pinched, and Angela quieted, leaning more against Black Star. Kid raised a brow, folding his hands in front of him and clasping them together.
"I suppose that would be up to Black Star and Angela." All eyes were suddenly on him, and Angela hid her face in his hair. He patted her leg reassuringly.
"S'not a big deal, Soul, it's not like I haven't stayed at the manor before. You and Maka don't have enough room for all four of us to sleep there comfortably, it's chill. I can stay with Kid and Patty, Short Stack'll be glad for the company." Soul's lips were pressed in a tight line.
"Still- Kid's gonna be busy with all this, do you really think it's a good idea to bother him right now?" Black Star's throat tightened; what Soul was saying made sense, but things were so awkward between them. Soul was hardly even talking to him; did he hate Black Star so much now that he didn't want to force him on to Kid? Did he assume that everyone thought Black Star as much of a nuisance as he did?
"Black Star keeps me company on a daily basis." Kid's tone was cutting. "Angela is well behaved, and Black Star is nothing less than a help to me, as surprising as that may sound." (Black Star only managed a half-hearted 'hey' before Kid continued. "I don't appreciate the implication that I can't handle having guests in my home for a few days."
"What's the press going to say?" Soul argued obstinately, and Black Star heard Maka's severe "Soul!" from where he stood several feet away. "People clearly already think you're unable to do your job because of your age and the fact that you've had enough free time to go on dates lately but you sent over 100 students on a field trip to a hostile area-"
"Soul, what the fuck?" Black Star demanded, reaching up to cover Angela's ears from hearing his expletive. Soul stopped for a moment, eyes hard, before continuing.
"All I'm saying is, they're gonna think you're shacking up. Especially after what you said today about a successor and the future, they'll think you're trying to shirk your duties because you're tired of doing-"
"You keep saying 'they', Soul, but you're the only one to have voiced these thoughts." Kid's voice was quiet and hard, and Black Star could see his white knuckles from how hard he was clasping his hands. "I am not shirking any duties, I am not incompetent, and anyone who thinks otherwise is welcome to say so to my face and receive an explanation. I am having guests in my home for a few days, and that's all there is to it." Kid's shoulders were tight, and Black Star wished he could reach out and squeeze one like usual. "Of course I'm thinking of the future, but this has nothing to do with it." Kid glanced to Black Star and Angela before looking back at Soul, eyes blazing but face impassive. "Aside from the fact that Black Star and Angela are the only two people close to me with the longevity to keep me company hundreds of years down the line." Soul started, Maka's face dropping in shock at the implications, and Black Star realized with a small revelation that Kid was right.
Hundreds of years down the line, as Kid had put it, they would still be here- him, Kid, Angela, possibly even the other witches in the room. Soul and Maka would not. Tsubaki, Patty, Liz, Kilik, Jackie, the rest of Spartoi excluding Kim- they'd all be gone. Being a god is lonely, he thought, watching Kid's back as he escorted the witches from the room to a more secluded space for them to return to their realm.
** A/N: i was like halfway thru this chapter when i realized how misleadin the descript of this fic is cos like... ya it's about kid and black star but there is so much more goin on whoops
alright again, not 2 sound naggy, but i really need feedback from y'all. this story has over 1000 views and only 12 reviews which is sad imo; if u like it, tell me why. if u hate it, tell me why. it will help me 2 improve as a writer and keep me motivated 2 write the fic! if u'd rather pm me that's cool 2; i dont expect full blown critiques on my writin, but even u sayin "i love how u wrote this interaction because" or "i hate how u write this character because" etc etc is super good! i dont care if u wanna spend 10 paragraphs gushin at me or 10 paragraphs tearing me down, all i want is som good ol fashioned feedback. thx! happy readin guys, sorry for this bein later on wednesday than usual; my sleep schedule's been a lil weird lately.
btw... this is officially the longest chapter, clockin in at 3,080 words before the a/n!