New Stars Are Born (Hawk, Shilo, and I)

Ixion sensed the oncoming meisters and their weapons from a mile away. He sipped his tea, listening to their whispers and plots just outside--sending his three minions to the back of the church where Rori and Hawk were snooping. Just as he predicted, Kidd entered once the coast was clear and he could feel the boy staring at his back, sizing him up, as he should. Ixion chuckled into the dusty emptiness of the church, his ashy voice echoing through the hall.

"Mmm. Look who has decided to grace me with his presence." he crossed his legs and looked up to the large cross tipped on the wall, placing his hands together in prayer and bowing his head to the crucifix. "It's been a while since anyone from the DWMA has visited." he added, placing the tea cup down on its matching saucer, the china clinking together. "Not since Shilo, at least." he ran fingers through his dark hair and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.


Blakely's heart beat against her chest at the sound of Shilo's name. She felt her adrenaline pumping like acid through her veins. In theory anyway. "Shilo was here?" she breathed, her voice low as they stood staring up the aisle of the pews, Ixion's long legs draped over one another casually, as if waiting for the sermon to begin.

Hawk followed Rori in through the back door, on edge. "Rori, this place is creepy," Hawk whispered. "Where are we going, anyway?" He grabbed her arm, and transformed into weapon form. "Just in case..." As the two continued into the church Hawk gasped.

"What are those things?" Hawk whispered, panicked. He stared at the 3 monstrosities before them. We can't take on 3 of them alone, he thought. Hate to say it, but we need Kidd here.

The figures began to shuffle towards the duo. "Be careful!" Hawk shouted. "Who knows what these things can do?"

As Rori and Hawk entered the door, Hawk transformed and Rori caught him without a glance. "We're going to meet Kidd, just not through the front door.." she stated simply, hearing Hawk's gasps and raising her gaze to three oddities blocking their path. "Ew." she muttered, smelling rotting flesh and wondering just how they could have the souls of living meisters if they were clearly dead and rotting and sewn together.

"Well..." Rori trailed, her posture snapping upright now that they'd been caught sneaking. One of the monsters gurgled at them and Rori just really wanted to cover her nose and leave. "They appear to be... really gross, zombies." she told him, not sure really what to call them at this point.


She braced Hawk at her side, eyes narrowing at the trio and looking to see if she could maneuver around them. Obviously Hawk didn't have much faith in their ability to fight off the three alone, Rori however, looking at their speed (which wasn't nearly as fast as she), knew she could at least take out one, if not two if they could manage.


She brought her arm back and gripped Hawk tightly, reeling and then tossing him forward and up toward the ceiling where he stuck outward from the wall. She dashed off between the three figures, hopping up on clutter and stacked boxes before jumping and just clutching Hawk in her right hand, pulling herself atop him, crouched on the boy like a jaguar on a tree branch. They were out of reach for the moment. "Don't look at my underwear." she told him with a sigh, the skirt of her black dress billowing over him as they gazed down at the waddling zombies.

Kidd clenched his jaw when the man spoke up. How did he know that they were coming? Kidd's mind went rushing with thoughts as to how the man could know, but only one thing came into mind. He's either a meister, or a witch. Kidd concluded, unaware of any other possible ways. Taking caution, Kidd decided to sit back and listen to what this man said, unsure of any action to take against him.

What came out of the man's mouth made a chill run down Kidd's spine. Someone else from the DWMA had been here. That someone was Shilo. "What.... Why.... Why would Shilo come here?" Kidd asked the man, his voice coming out shaky and nervous. It'd been so long since Kidd had spoken about Shilo or since a thought of her crossed her mind since her sudden disappearance. What Kidd feared may be true.

"What the fuck do you know about Shilo?" Kidd asked again, this time his voice came out more aggressive. Kidd couldn't afford to let his opponent see him in a vulnerable state. However, Kidd couldn't shake the feeling that maybe this mission would be out of his control.

"Zombies?" Hawk said. "Great. Zombies. Are they...stitched-together people?" he noticed with horror. "That's just disgusting! And the smell..." Hawk complained, wanting to be anywhere but that run-down church. "So are we gonna have to fight them?" He asked. He was glad Rori wasn't looking at him, because he was shaking a bit. The fear of the zombies and the adrenaline from being on a mission was getting to him, when he noticed Rori pulling him back in preparation.

"What are you-AHHHH!" he shouted, as he was thrown towards the ceiling. This is it, he thought as he flew through the air, I've been abandoned by my meister. He felt the thud as his blade was plunged into the wall. "Great job!" He shouted down to Rori sarcastically. "What are you gonna do, make me a flagpole?" He suddenly felt Rori grab on to him and swing up, then heard her make the comment about him looking at her underwear. "How would I-oh." Hawk asked while looking up, then quickly looking down, blushing furiously. He was silent for a while after that, just sitting there staring down at the zombies.

Ixion tipped his wrist down, his watch-face glinting in the sunlight. "Hm. It's a bit early." He dropped his arm at his side and rose from the creaking wooden pews, arms up in a stretch. He tugged the sleeve of his jacket down to its proper length and started up the aisle toward the stage that stretched across the width of the church.

"What is up with this guy..." Blakely hissed, finding his demeanor a bit too relaxed for strangers to be invading his space. Was he expecting us? She felt a bit cold now as she watched him walk his way up to the stage. He stood himself behind the altar and rested his elbow on podium, chin resting in his palm as he looked out at them. Something about him seemed familiar to Blakely, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"Oh, well you know Shilo. Always snooping. Getting in over her head." he explained, his fingers tapping against his jaw, head tilted just so. "What do I know about Shilo?" he mused, lips pressed into a thin line, his tone harsher now. "What do YOU know. That's the true question." he sneered, teeth flicking sharply through each word. Blakely was feeling nervous now and she was hoping it wasn't affecting Kidd in the same way.


"Hm. They appear to be sewn together. " she told him, trying to understand what they were facing here. "I think we should fight them. But I need you to be on the same page as I am, if we do." Rori flopped onto her bum now, bouncing against Hawk, he legs dangling below her, feet swinging cutely as she thought about their situation. She couldn't afford to make mistakes. Hawk seeing her underwear was mistake enough for this mission. It was strange how meisters and weapons connected, it's not like she saw him blush, more like she felt it.

It seemed with Hawk being unable to call the shots, she'd just have to go for whatever she thought was best. And she was in the mood for some playtime.

Kidd noticed something familiar about the man before them as well. Narrowing his eyes and craning his neck to get a better look at the man, Kidd spoke to Blakely, "Have you seen this guy before?" Kidd asked Blakely quietly, trying to keep the man from hearing them, "Has this guy gone to the DWMA before? I swear I've seen him somewhere before...." Kidd frowned at their adversary.

Where's Rori and Hawk? Kidd felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. Something about this man was extremely off. If someone as powerful and legendary like Kidd came after you, you don't just remain calm and keep composure, you lose your shit. This perplexed Kidd, because he'd never faced an opponent that seemed so sure in himself. Kidd closed his eyes for a split second, trying to sense if Rori and Hawk were still outside. Instead, Kidd could feel their souls somewhere else further in the back. "What the fuck are those idiots doing?" Kidd growled, realizing that he and Blakely would have to see this battle out by themselves.

"What do I know about Shilo?" Kidd looked at the man through narrowed eyes, "I know that she would have enough common sense to not hang around somewhere like here with some fucker like you." Kidd spat at the man. "What the hell do you mean getting in over her head? Do you have something to do with her just up and leaving out of nowhere?" Kidd felt as though he'd explode from anger. Rori and Hawk rebelling against his orders and the way this guy was acting towards him was riling Kidd up. Kidd felt as though he could lose it any moment.

Hawk stared downwards still, gaze set on the zombies and mouth locked shut. He sighed, then felt Rori suddenly move into a sitting position, bouncing him up and down. He felt his blade slip out of the wall a little bit with each bounce, worrying. We're going to fall, he realized. Sure enough, his blade slipped out of the wall and the two meisters fell, about to land directly in the middle of the three zombies. "Crap!" Hawk yelled as the zombies circled them.

One of the zombies' forearms turned into an axe of some kind, then another one's leg became a sword, and the third's whole arm became a heavy hammer. "Watch out!" Hawk shouted as the hammer-armed zombie swung it in a downward arc towards Rori's head.

"I... I don't know. I mean, he looks like someone I know." she muttered, watching Ixion's every move. Blakely's gaze was set, even at  Kidd's outburst at the mention of Shilo. She too was just as angry and confused by what Ixion was saying. "Shilo would never come here willingly would she?" she asked Kidd. She'd already assumed that Rori and Hawk wouldn't stay put. She probably wouldn't have either and couldn't do much to ease Kidd's annoyance with them at this point.

"Like I've always said about that girl..." Ixion told them, looking at his finger nails and back up at Kidd. "She didn't have much common sense." he chuckled flatly, giving Kidd a once over, his lip tugging up into a crooked smirk. "But all this talk about Shilo, when there's no need to worry about her anymore. I took care of the pesky girl." he mused, Blakely's skin crawling now.

"Kidd... do you think he killed--" she gulped, trying not to even imagine. "Shilo..." she exhaled the girl's name, fear welling up inside her.



As the two toppled to the floor, Rori landed on all fours like a cat, bum pointed to the sky, and face painted with a grin. "Some action." she purred, reaching her hand up to catch Hawk as he dropped toward her head. She hissed between her teeth as the monsters brandished weapons for limbs. She pressed one of Hawk's blades into the floor, using him as a pole to land a spin kick to the face on one of the zombies and dodge the sledge hammer coming down on them. It stumbled, though not very far--giving them just enough room to escape the center of the group.

"He was heavier than I thought..." she frowned, a zombie meister waddling up behind her, she flicked Hawk up quickly, his blade meeting the rotten flesh of the hammer monster's face. --only to just barely dodge a sword kick, the blade grazing her cheek under her right eye. Blood beaded to the surface of her wan skin, spilling down her face like red tears. "Shit." she spat, her body still low and crouched from the dodge.

Kidd remained silent, listening to what this man had to say. "I'm sure she wouldn't come here, especially not with this creep here." Kidd responded to Blakely's question, clenching his fists up. With each moment that passed, Kidd could feel himself increasingly get angrier and angrier. Firstly, this man seemed to have already been a bigger danger than the teacher let on, and secondly, Kidd didn't know where the hell Rori and Hawk were, or what they could be doing.

Then another thought flashed into Kidd's head. Kidd's eyes widened. "Are Rori and Hawk fighting those other people?" Kidd asked himself out loud. When Kidd used his Soul Perception to get a read on their locations, he didn't feel the other souls nearby. "Fuck me...." Kidd ran his hand through his hair again, this time tempted to rip it out instead.

Returning his attention to Ixion, Kidd grit his teeth in an attempt to keep the tough guy facade up. On the inside, Kidd was scared, and as much as he hated to admit it, he knew he was. The facade was short lived however. "Took care?...." Kidd gave the man a confused look. "Oh, no.... No, no, no...." Kidd covered his mouth, feeling sick to his stomach. Kidd began heaving. There had never been a moment in Kidd's life that he'd lost someone important in his life, so it was difficult for him to process the information. Kidd's eyes teared up from his attempt to keep his stomach content down. Kidd looked pathetic, but he was so overwhelmed by what he'd heard that his appearance didn't matter to him.

Hawk braced himself for impact as he plummeted towards the floor, expecting a painful thud. He closed his eyes and...didn't hit the floor. It took him a moment to realize what had happened. Rori had caught him. "Thanks," he mumbled under his breath. He watched as Rori used him to spin kick one of the zombies. "Impressive," he said. "I've never seen that move before!" He felt Rori dash out of the dangerous circle they had been in. He felt the satisfying slice as his blade cut the hammer zombie's face.

He looked up at Rori's face after her successful attack and saw the cut. "Are you okay?" He exclaimed, voice full of worry. "Be careful!" Hawk went silent as he thought for a few moments. "We have some options. We can try to take all three down at once, which would require a powerful attack, like a Soul Resonance move...wait, no." Hawk sighed. "I'm not sure I know how to perform Soul Resonance. We could also meet up with Kidd, which I think we should do."

Ixion was truly blase to the entirety of the situation. He gazed at Kidd as if watching a boring tv show and removed his glasses to clean them with his shirt. Yes. He'd killed Shilo, but the emotions and regret he'd felt then had since passed and he had to keep his eyes on his prize. And that was taking down the DWMA in the long run, and if not by himself, with someone who could.

"I'm pretty sure they are." Blakely agreed with Kidd as Ixion's words sank into them both. She could sense Kidd's fear and it was only escalating her own. Why would the teacher send them on such a dangerous mission? Obviously Ixion was a massive threat. And when Kidd began heaving, Blakely exited weapon form and placed a hand on his back, eyes fierce and glaring at Ixion. "You piece of shit!" She shrieked, her voice cracking as she choked back tears. "Who the hell are you?" she hissed, trying not to let Kidd make her even more upset. She held tight to Kidd's arm, feeling just as sick.

"That's right, boy." Ixion said. "she put up a good fight. She even managed to shove this poison down my throat. Needless to say, it didn't work out for her. Especially when I stabbed her in the stomach." he explained, his hand making a lazy stabbing motion.  


"I've got plenty more where that came from." Rori giggled, face deadly serious as she reached up to wipe the thin line of blood. She licked her thumb clean and dodged yet another swing, this time from the axe armed zombie. "We need to soul resonate, but as much as Kidd can suck it, I think we should meet up with them as well." she agreed, scurrying down a narrow hallway to her left. The back of the church had several rooms of course, like any church. A kitchen, some office rooms, closets, empty rooms filled with broken desks.

The monsters followed after them, their footsteps heavy against the creaky wood floor. "I don't know the way." she whined, opening and closing every door they passed. The hallway came to an end and Rori's brow furrowed. They were trapped here. The sword monster seemed much quicker than the other two and it hurried after them, their backs to the end of the hall now. "I'm gonna try and kill this dirt bag." Rori shot forward, bullet-speed. She pressed her feet to the floor, knees bent into a jump that sent them flipping over the beast, her feet kicking off the back of its head.

The monsters head reeled to the side before crackling and popping back upright, turning to face them and charging forward. Its sword whistled past them. Left, right, left again, and down on top of Rori's head. But she pressed herself against the wall, dropping onto her butt and swinging Hawk in front of her, lopping off the beast's left arm. It wailed, a sickly scream, shattering the glass in the door beside them. Rori clamped her ears closed and crawled away, getting to her feet quickly. "OH MY GOD. SHUT UUUUPPP!" She cried.


Ixion raised a brow at Kidd and Blakely, his face twitching slightly as he felt the dull thrum of an injury dealt to one of his monsters. His life blood was inside of them. Basic necromancy you know. "I see your friends aren't nearly as incompetent as I'd thought." he chuckled, standing upright now. "It's too bad I'm going to have to kill the lot of you."

Kidd continued heaving a few more moments, nearly on the edge of actually vomiting. This was all too much for him to be taking in at one moment, especially when he had the pressures of defeating a man who'd killed a DWMA student and friend, and had to make sure he brought Hawk and Rori back alive. "Fuck...." Kidd put his hands on his knees, breathing heavy. Focus. You're Kidd. You can do anything. Standing straight up, Kidd wiped the tears from his eyes and the drool from his mouth with his bare arms.

Kidd hadn't noticed the effect that he'd been having on Blakely and immediately realized he had to regain his composure. How could anyone respect the man taking charge if he was the one being weakest when the going gets tough? "Blakely...." Kidd said weakly, looking over at his partner. "I need you transform.... We're going to kill this dude.... For Shilo...." Kidd said, having a hard time getting the words out. For the first time in his entire life, Kidd doubted his abilities. Kidd actually feared another person. Kidd was afraid of dying.

"What?" Kidd returned his gaze to Ixion. Was he talking about Hawk and Rori? How could he possibly know what was going on with them? "You're in over your fucking head if you think you're killing anyone today." Kidd stood upright and tall now, a new found confidence blazing within him. There was a new task in mind for Kidd. Avenge Shilo's death. "I'll kill you at all that you hold dear," Kidd stared the man down, "I'll see to it personally that Shilo is avenged." Kidd said, his voice growing cold. A dark side was coming out of Kidd. A side he knew all too well when he was having a hard time controlling his emotions. "Are you ready, Blakely?" Kidd asked her calmly. Wherever Hawk and Rori were, Kidd hoped their deaths wouldn't be on his hands.

They were backed against the wall, and it sucked. The zombies had run towards them, and they were cornered at the end of this hallway. "We need to get around or over the group!" Hawk shouted to Rori. "You're starting to get overwhelmed." He thought, then an idea came to mind. "Throw me." He said. "Over their heads and to the other side of the hallway." His idea was that he was going to bit them away from Rori so she could get away. He winced at the loud screech that followed the attack from his meister. "Rori! Do it quickly or we'll end up like them!" He braced himself for what would happen next, ready to set his plan into action.

Blakely watched Kidd struggle to recover, and she too was finding it difficult to carry on past the revelation of Shilo's death. She felt the hot tears welling behind her eyes and spilling down her cheeks, unable to control it. Blakely held back a hiccup and transformed, falling back onto Kidd's hands. "We... we have to kill him Kidd, or he'll kill us..." she replied, her voice just as uneasy as Kidd's.

"Mm, yeah. Your friends are a little tied up at the moment." He told them, his eyes glossy as he looked through the eyes of his newly dismembered pet. He scratched at his arm, feeling the monster's arm fall free from its body. He then pointed up at his cheek. "Looks like the girl's got a wound just here." he chuckled, his finger tracing a line below his eye. He exhaled, returning his vision to Kidd and Blakely. "I hold nothing dear. I killed the last of what I held dear." He hissed, one of his zombies loitering through an archway just past the altar. He held a hand up as the monster twisted into a rather horrific looking scythe. He took hold of the weapon, tapping the base of its staff against the wood floor.

Blakley could feel Kidd changing somehow. Like a ticking time bomb he would explode any moment. She told him she was ready and tried to drown out the ominous tap-tap-tap of Ixion's scythe.

Rori's chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. She scrambled to her feet, Hawk's voice keeping her calm. She listened to his plan, shaking her head vigorously. "No. No. I'm not splitting up with you." she told him with a pant. The monster's loose arm thrashed about on the floor just across from them and she forced her feet to take her back down the way they came. "Where's the other zombie?" she asked Hawk as the dashed past only two who started teetering after them. She looked around in a panic for the exit and made he way back to the kitchen area where she'd only glanced previously, missing the extended dining area which lead into the altar where Kidd and Blakely were.

"Here they come." Ixion muttered, slowly walking down from the stage area and toward the pews.


Rori and Hawk dashed through the archway where the 3rd zombie had emerged minutes before. The girl shot past Ixion and toward Kidd and Blakely, the blood on her face covering her whole cheek, looking much worse than it felt. Rori said nothing as she caught her breath, glaring down at Hawk. "Don't you ever think I'll split up with you. You got it? That's not happening. Ever." she growled at the boy, a bit upset that he'd expect her to throw him away so easily, just to spare her any difficulties.

The 2 remaining zombies grumbled and hissed behind Ixion who was appearing as though he might fall asleep. Rori and Hawk hadn't yet noticed Kidd fuming, nor were they aware of the dangers Ixion held for them.

Kidd slipped Blakely onto his hands, staring Ixion down still. "That's what I plan on doing." Kidd whispered to Blakely, agreeing with killing Ixion. However, Kidd wouldn't be dedicating the spotlight and kill to himself or Blakely. Today, this one would be for Shilo.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for Kidd to keep control of his emotions, and it felt as though he'd lose all sense of sanity and humanity. Usually Kidd didn't receive pleasure from killing people directly, but it felt as though he'd just love to hold Ixion's head in his hand. Yeah, that's it.... Kidd continued staring at Shilo's murderer, his pupils constricted now. Like pinpoints, Kidd could envision targets on where he planned on striking Ixion. Again, and again, and again. In his head, Kidd had already came up with a dark and twisted fantasy on how Ixion would die at his hands. It brought Kidd pleasure, and he knew that he would no longer be able to stay in the same spot.

"I'm going to kill you. I won't even leave a trace." Kidd said, his voice becoming much cooler and darker. "I'm giving you this warning so you at least know what fate was going to fall upon you before it's too late for you to realize." The muscles in Kidd's arms and legs tensed up. Kidd was about to bolt at Ixion and take him head on without a thought in mind. He was going to, at least.

From out of nowhere, Hawk and Rori appeared, just as Ixion said they would. Looking over to his side where Hawk and Rori were at, Kidd could feel his conscience slowly return to him. "What the fuck?" Kidd glared at Hawk and Rori, his concern for their well being gone, now that he knew they were fine. Save for a wound on Rori's face, but other than that, they seemed fine to Kidd. "What the fuck did I tell you two?" Kidd asked the two, his voice slowly rising in volume. "You see this shit?" Kidd quickly and gently swiped his fingers across Rori's face, picking some of the blood up. "This. This is what you get for disobeying my orders." Kidd held his fingers up to Rori's face. Dragging his fingers across his jersey, Kidd got rid of the blood. "I TOLD YOU TWO IDIOTS TO WAIT OUTSIDE. I HAD THIS SHIT HANDLED UNTIL-" Kidd was going to throw a temper tantrum on Hawk and Rori until he noticed the other souls from earlier come into the room. Only this time, there were two, not three.

"What...." Kidd's eyes went wide as he glanced over at the zombies that stood by Ixion's side, "What the hell are those things?!" Kidd asked out loud, feeling himself become sick again. "Blakely, have you ever seen anything like that?!" Kidd looked down at his hands, hoping his weapon could provide some sort of answer.

Hawk sighed as Rori sprinted through the zombies. "Run!" He shouted. As Rori ran, Hawk spoke. "You could have thrown me, you know. I could have helped you get out of there without any more pressure." He stopped as he heard Rori get angry at him. "Woah, woah, what's the big deal? I'm not that important, am I?"

Hawk flinched as Kidd went off on them. He absorbed the harsh words and frowned. Kidd crossed the line for Hawk when he wiped the blood off of Rori's face and insulted her. He audibly growled and came out of weapon form partially, then decided against doing anything stupid and transformed back into a spear.

"Someone's losing control I see. Just like a child." Ixion raised his scythe, pointing it at Kidd. "You'd do well to keep your ego down. Or you might just do something you'll regret." He flicked the blade into a spin and stopped it against his shoulder. He hadn't known Shilo had any friends. Typical. Leave it to her to cause him problems, even in death.

The more Blakely stared at Ixion, the more she felt as though she was being reminded. Something tugged at her brain, yet she kept being pulled back by Kidd's sinking into himself. She had to keep him calm or, like Ixion said, something bad would happen. "Kidd, Listen." She talked through his haze, watching his pupils sharpen. Her soul trembled alongside Kidd's at his fantasizing. Yet she did not know what he was thinking or why it was seeping into her as well. A thought occurred to her and she gasped at the sudden realization. "Kidd. Look at him. He looks like... Shilo. Ixion is Shilo's brother...." she spoke the words, almost finding it hard to believe herself. Yet it was unmistakable the more she looked at him, the more similarities she saw between the two.

"Try as you might." Ixion told Kidd, a sickly grin spreading across his face like a plague--delighted at the death threat. Oh death was an exciting thought really. "Oh fate? You speak of fate like you know something about it. But you're just as helpless to fate as I am, and I can tell you now, that fate has shit to do with what is happening here." Ixion taunted, though he didn't entirely believe his own statement. Shilo really was haunting him even now.

Rori flinched at Kidd dragging his hand across her wound. She bit down on her lip, his salty skin stinging the gash. She opened her mouth to speak, yet Hawk seemed more offended than she and she snapped her mouth closed as he dropped his weapon form. She gave the boy a weak smile for shyly defending her honor, catching him as he transformed back into a spear. "Keeping the peace as usual." She teased him. "My hero." she giggled for a moment before Kidd laid eyes on Ixion's monsters.

Blakley stared at the beasts, entirely confused. "Well they smell dead..." She pointed out, feeling her face wrinkle with obvious distaste. "One of them turned into a scythe. That's the one he's holding right now." She added, unsure of what else to make of the undead.

"They're... they're, lets see." Rori spoke, placing a finger to her chin as she tried to formulate what her observations added up to be. "They seem to be pieced together. I think maybe parts of meisters and weapons. That one there with the arm missing is a sword, and the other is a hammer, and well, the one he's got is obviously a scythe." She explained. "I wonder if he can use them all..." she added as and after thought, finding that notion a bit terrifying. If he had three weapons at his disposal that couldn't bode well for their oncoming fight.

"Oh good girl." Ixion touted Rori, who shot him a glare.

"So this is Shilo's brother. I don't know what kind of girl she was, but if she was anything like him, I'd hate to be associated." she mused with a frown, cocking her head to one side.

"Sadly, for you, we're nothing alike. She was weak, and I plan on destroying you four." Ixion corrected Rori with a dismissive tone, his zombies now moving in front of him.

Kidd could feel himself returning to the deep abyss of insanity that he was in just a moment ago. Ixion's mocking was pushing Kidd to a place of no return. "Why you...." Kidd cut himself short when he heard Blakely mention something. Something that Kidd hoped wouldn't be true.

"Shilo's brother?" Kidd's eyes widened at the thought of this monstrosity of a human actually being related to Shilo. As much as Kidd hated to admit it, it didn't sound far-fetched. Was this what made him look so familiar to Kidd and Blakely when they first got a glimpse of him? But still.... Someone willing to murder their own sibling?

Images of Kidd's much, much younger brother flashed before his eyes. He'd just turned four a few months ago. And even though he was on the complete other side of the country, Kidd would do anything to get back there and defend his life to the very end if it ever came down to it. How could somebody stoop so low as to kill their own kin? The very thought of this made Kidd realize that the world was an even worse place than he thought it was after discovering about meister, witches, weapons, monsters, all that. The world was a much scarier place than that.

"Wait.... Shilo has a brother?" Kidd looked down at Blakely, and then up at Ixion. "Y-you...." Kidd stammered, "You would kill your own sister?" Kidd stared up at the man. Intense hatred and rage pumped through Kidd's veins, despite not knowing whether this man was actually related to Shilo or not. Kidd's breathing came out irregularly and erratically. Kidd could feel a pain in his chest. What the hell is going on with me? Kidd began wheezing, trying to get a hold of himself.

After a moment, the pain abruptly stopped. What the fuck was that? Kidd asked himself. All of a sudden, Kidd's vision went blank.

Looking over at Hawk who appeared to be angry at Kidd, he smirked at the boy. "What?" Kidd smiled madly at the weapon, "You want a problem? I'm not some pushover zombie. I'm Kidd. Not just Kidd, but THE fucking Kidd. Better get your shit straight, or I'll do it for you." Kidd said, not meaning a single word he'd said. I hope this isn't what I think it is.... Kidd said inside of his own head. Oh no.... Kidd realized what the problem was. It seemed he'd let his emotions overcome him. All of the information he'd learned was too much for him to handle.

Kidd completely disregarded Rori's observations and only commented on the one thing that caught his attention. "No, no, no. You're wrong. Just look at him! He might be related to Shilo, but they're nothing alike!" Kidd roared with laughter, "This dude is one ugly and creepy...." Kidd stopped himself to take one glance at Ixion before breaking out into crazy fits of laughter again, "I guess all the good genes went to Shilo, huh?" Kidd was spewing out words that probably didn't make sense to anyone there. But he didn't know, he wasn't in the right state of mind.

"For once, you're right." Kidd agreed with what Ixion had to say, "Only, you're still wrong about two things." Kidd said calmly, completely the opposite of how crazy he'd been acting just a few seconds ago. It was an unnerving state of serenity Kidd was in though. Only the type of serenity that serial killers with no conscience could maintain. "I know all about fate. I'm not helpless to it, I'm in complete control of it. I'm just wondering why I've allowed you to continue drawing breath." Kidd closed his eyes and inhaled for one long moment, disregarding the zombies who'd now taken a defensive stance in front of their master. After that moment, Kidd opened his eyes again and stared directly at Ixion, his pupils returning to their pinpoint appearance. "The other is, you've got shit twisted. I'm going to kill you."

A large cloud of debris and dust swirled up around the spot Kidd was standing at. With breakneck speeds, Kidd sprinted past the zombies and directly towards Ixion, his arm swinging out in front of him. Kidd planned on decapitating Ixion with one punch.

Hawk sighed as he returned to spear form. He heard Rori's comment and made a sound of disgust, scowling. The heat of the moment got to him, and he snapped, unintentionally, "God, Rori, just stop. Leave me alone and shut up for a second!" He snapped his mouth closed, instantly regretting his harsh words. "Wait, no, I didn't mean...I just-I was all angry from Kidd, and...I thought you were making fun of me somewhat, and-I'm sorry, Rori. Sorry." He shook his head, feeling like an idiot. He hadn't lashed out like that since...past events in his life that he tried to forget. He didn't want to lose more people in his life, including Rori.

Hawk was too embarrassed from his outburst to say anything. He just listened to what Rori had to say and nodded. Glaring at Kidd, he noticed something seemed off. He watched as Kidd dashed straight for Ixion, and realized that his attack wasn't going to work. He had to say something, but he couldn't. He found himself to be mute as Kidd rushed towards the impossible opponent.

Blakely was starting feel like she was losing touch with the entire group. Her and Rori seemed like the only two who weren't losing it in the heat of everything that was taking place and for a moment she saw Rori's expression falter into something sad and hurt and she didn't like seeing someone like her making that kind of face. She'd meant to say something, though couldn't manage before Kidd launched off the ground, dust kicking up around them and a shock wave blasting from Kidd's feet.

Rori shielded her eyes from the dust and really couldn't feel herself at the moment. Hawk had somehow managed to hurt her feelings and she could only watch Kidd dash forward, sensing Hawk's obvious disbelief in Kidd's attack. "Don't lie to me Hawk." She stated into the thick atmosphere. "I don't like liars." she added, taking his words personally. Really he was the only one she listened to and seeing him speak to this way made her feel something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Ixion raised a brow at Kidd and when the boy shot toward him, faster than he he'd though him capable, he inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. Kidd's vibration shuttered around him and he could sense the madness setting in the child. The situation was somehow more entertaining to Ixion this way. And as Kidd aimed Blakely at Ixion's head, he flicked the scythe up to deflect her blades-- the sharp metallic scrape of the blades meeting made Rori's hair stand on end. Ixion twisted his wrist in such a way that the Scythe spun in his hands, knocking both Kidd and Blakely back a few feet.

"Shit shit shit...." Blakely whimpered, uncertain now more than ever. Ixion's Zombies loitered forward, his laugh echoing past them as one's arm transformed into a massive hammer and it swung at Kidd. "KIDD!" she squealed at the attack.

Rori shot forward, Hawk trailing behind her in her grip as she ran up to Kidd, sliding beneath the zombies' swing and tossing her body into the beast, sending it teetering off awkwardly so that it's hammer smashed into the floor and caused the ground to rattle. Something just wasn't quite right with Kidd and it seemed his focus was on Ixion only. She and Hawk would have to fend off the monsters because Kidd was having none of it.

"You'll have to work a bit harder, Kidd. Or maybe something is clouding your vision?" Ixion mused, referring to his madness.

Kidd willed himself to pick up speed. Faster and faster. There was only one thing in Kidd's mind. Ixion's head. As Kidd felt himself getting closer and closer to Shilo's murderer, he pushed his soul wavelength into Blakely, attempting to make the strike as powerful as possible upon impact. However, because of Kidd's unstable state, he failed horrendously and ended up weakening the blow instead, making his hit completely inefficient. "Fuck." Kidd hissed as Blakely struck Ixion's scythe. Sparks flew from the blades of both the weapons. When Ixion twisted the scythe, Kidd was sent flying, and hit the ground a few feet from where his adversaries were standing.

"OOF!" Kidd gasped as the air left his lungs. To make matters worse, Kidd received whiplash from Ixion's counter, leaving him stunned for a few seconds. "Shit...." Kidd said, his face went blank. Dammit! Kidd wasn't able to control any of his actions. He'd succumbed to madness completely now. When Kidd finally got over the initial stun however, things only appeared to get worse.

Kidd's eyes went wide in fear. The zombies were actually causing trouble for him? Kidd shielded his face when the zombie lifted it's hammer up, about to strike down on Kidd. Completely petrified and deaf to Blakely's screams, the spiky haired boy prepared himself for the worst. When nothing happened though, Kidd slowly removed his arms from his face and looked up.

Rori.

The one person he almost hated.... Actually saved his life?

No. Things wouldn't work out this way.

Kidd scrambled to his feet and growled at Rori, "I told you, I have shit covered! Fall the fuck back!" Kidd shouted at her and Hawk. "Shut your fucking mouth!" Kidd cursed at Ixion, spit flying from his mouth out of sheer hatred for the man. Animosity was the only word that could describe how Kidd felt towards everybody and everything in the church.

"I-I'm not lying..." Hawk choked out. "Rori, you have to believe me, I seriously didn't mean-I just-" Hawk sighed. What did it matter at this point? Rori's feelings had already been hurt. He'd already failed his meister. Today seemed to be getting worse and worse. Hawk watched Kidd rush towards Ixion, noticing the hammer zombie too late. Suddenly, Rori had dashed towards him and knocked over the zombie.

How did she react to that so well? Hawk thought to himself. It's crazy.

The connection between meister and weapon is in their souls, and Hawk could somehow...feel how troubled Rori was by his angry tirade earlier. And it made him feel awful. They needed to be together for this fight, but it seemed like they were growing further apart as the mission went on. This is gonna get bad real soon, Hawk thought to himself.

Ixion's scythe clicked against the floor as he watched Kidd fall back and leave himself open to the zombies. He chuckled. The madness was really taking its toll wasn't it? He laughed louder still at Kidd's mouthing off to the girl who'd saved him and the zombies grunted slow laughs along with him.

Rori's face twisted into a hateful glare and she dropped Hawk at her side shoving Kidd's chest and and then yanking his shirt up, pulling him up to her face. "Look at yourself. You're pathetic. Letting the madness get to you. You're being crazy." She spat, shoving him back down onto the floor. Blakely was horrified at this because Rori was clearly correct. She'd never dealt with madness before.

"You know. I've wondered, Kidd." Ixion mused, his voice dripping like sap, sick with madness. "Were you in love with Shilo.? I wonder." He teased. His eyes alight with delight. Toying with emotions, what better way to get the madness really flowing. Blakely felt herself frown at his words, a tinge of jealousy rising up in her chest. But Kidd had a girlfriend right? But where was she? And why was he this upset about Shilo unless he liked her or something. Blakley's head reeled at the thought."Oh and Rori, you must find Blakely much more appealing than Hawk. I'd say she wouldn't speak to you like he does. Silly boys and their problems, you know." He continued, running his finger along the curve of his scythe's blade, his skin gliding smoothly down its length and Rori squinted at him, seeing that his fingers were protected by his soul wavelength.

"Shut up!" Rori growled at the man. She knew he was trying to mess with their heads. She knelt down to pick up Hawk and closed her eyes, taking a breath before kicking off toward Ixion. She brought Hawk up above her head, bringing him down against the scythe, the momentum sending her into the air where she spun again and knocked Hawk's blades several times against Ixion's, keeping pace with his deflections.


"Oh. Very, very good." Ixion taunted before flipping his scythe in his hand and landing a blunt blow into Rori's stomach with the bottom of the weapon, a wave of light dispersed as the attack landed against Rori. She whimpered, her air hissing out of her lungs and sending her smashing to the floor where she slid across the room, heaving. "Goddammit!" She screamed, covering her eyes with her left forearm, tears welling up now. Hawk had fallen from her grasp and she was pounding the floor with her right fist. They were going to die here with the way things were going and being helpless was taking its toll on the girl who was now coughing up a bit of blood.

Blakely was feeling paranoid now and this made her wonder if the madness was getting to her. She couldn't really understand why she was so worried about Kidd's love life anyway. He just did his own thing. It wasn't her business. But it kept nagging at her and she dropped out of weapon form as Rori hit the ground, hard. "Oh my god..." she breathed, running over to the girl and kneeling down beside her, looking at the blood that was pooling up with each cough. She felt the blood drain from her face and her hands were shaking as she scooped Rori's head up into her hands and dabbed her lips with her fingers.

Kidd clenched his fist up and grit his teeth as he stared at Ixion. Winding up again for another attack, Kidd took one step forward, about to attack Ixion with even more venom and authority. But he was stopped in his steps as he felt himself get forced back and pulled forward again. When Rori began rebuking Kidd, Kidd flinched and turned his head away, eyes shut. "Get the fuck outta my face!" Kidd shouted in Rori's face before being tossed to the ground again. "Fuck you!" Kidd screamed at Rori, driving his fist into the ground, leaving a crack in the floor. Fuck, man.... Things aren't looking good. Kidd's true self kept trying to push and resist against the madness, but to no avail. He was literally drowning in an ocean of madness and the waves kept pushing him deeper and deeper in. There was no escaping.

Kidd lifted himself up halfway to look at Ixion who looked to be standing taller than he and his entire team combined. What Ixion said once again added even more fuel to Kidd's flame. "Love Shilo?" Kidd's face wrinkled up in disagreement with what her murderer had to say. "Of course I loved Shilo! Not because she had a nice ass, or in a way that I'd wanna have a kid with her or whatever your perverted ass is probably thinking up right now.... But...." Kidd paused for a moment, his regular self shining through for once in this time of chaos, "But.... Because. She was the only one that put up with my whole 'Legend' get up.... She didn't turn me away immediately like everyone else in my life has...." Kidd said, his voice becoming quieter and softer. If this weren't the battlefield, Kidd swore to Lord Death he'd probably start crying over Shilo's death. She was the only one that truly put up with his cockiness and arrogance when no one else would. This is why Kidd valued her so much amongst most of the people he'd met since moving to Death City.

Kidd looked over at Rori while he was still on all fours to see her charge at Ixion the same way he had earlier. Watching in awe as the girl managed to hold her own against Ixion, he studied Ixion's moves. The anger began welling up again when he realized her attacks were faring better than his own.

Why do I always have to get angry over stupid shit?

Kidd's mouth went wide as he watched Rori go flying back from Ixion's attack. This guy.... Kidd looked over at Ixion, truly realizing how powerful he is, This guy is too strong....

"Blakely, wait!" Kidd shouted after his partner as she ran to go check on Rori. It was now that Kidd began to realize the error of his ways. "No...." Kidd whispered, seeing the dire state Rori was in. "No, no, no...." Kidd repeated over and over, covering his head with his hands. I let everything get out of hand.... How can I be the hero this town needs? Kidd hated himself. He was beyond pissed at himself for letting his pride get the best of him and someone else's well being.

"YOU!" Kidd snarled at Ixion, his lips curling behind his teeth, "I'll fucking kill you! I put in on my own life I'm not leaving here till I've laid your sorry ass down!" Kidd shouted at him, rising to his feet now. Kidd knew he had to fix all his mistakes. Kidd felt himself get plunged into the madness again, losing his mind to Ixion yet again.