Soul Eater Fan Fiction ❯ The Rise and Fall of a Witch ❯ On the Front Stage ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

“Beach, beach, beach, beach, beach, beach, beach-”

“We're almost there, chill the fuck out.”

“Why did we have to go so early?”

“Because Astrid woke me up early so I made sure to wake your ass up early too.”

“...that's not far...”

“Tsubaki, help me out here.”

Black Star, Katya, Astrid, and Tsubaki were one of the few that were arriving to the beach in the morning while the others were still getting ready.  Katya made note that Tsubaki hadn't answered her and Black Star was still chomping on a sandwich Katya had made him earlier.  Astrid checked the basket full of items several times to make sure everything was still there.  It was a month before exams and the group wanted to spend a day at the beach to relax before studying for the exams.  Truthfully, it was Soul's idea and Maka had been against it.  Katya had a smile on her face, she was glad that they were finally able to go to the beach.

They reached the beach just as the weather was getting warmer and the wind was slowly picking up.  Astrid and Tsubaki started to spread the blanket and towels out as Katya and Black Star picked up their surf boards and ran into the ocean.  Tsubaki and Astrid watched the two when they finished.  Katya and Black Star weren't too far out in the ocean, but far enough to where they couldn't hear their weapons.  Astrid didn't turn to Tsubaki, but asked, “Black Star didn't do anything, has he?”

Tsubaki slowly shook her head, “I can't say I didn't try.”

“Then it's settled,” Astrid sighed as she glanced over at Tsubaki, “They're not going to be apart for awhile.”

“Astrid,” Tsubaki kept her gaze on Black Star in the distance, “I don't want us to plot against them anymore.  Black Star is happy...  As long as he's happy, then so am I.”

Astrid turned her eyes back to her friend and Black Star.  She had felt such guilt for trying to split them apart, only to have her plans fail each and every time.  The heat was starting to pick up and their other friends began to show up not too long after.  Astrid hung out with Maka on the side, discussing what may or may not be on the exams.  Tsubaki, Liz, and Patti built sandcastles near the water.  Soul soaked up the sun while Kid followed Black Star and Katya in the water.  Soul had brought a radio and played the music loud for everyone.  

Katya sat on her surf board as she watched Black Star take a somewhat large wave while standing on his hands.  Though she was impressed, a part of her was thinking how much of a risk he was taking.  When he crashed in the sand, doing a few rolls when he fell off of his board, she laughed nervously before he jumped back up and came back into the water.  Kid, dressed in his usual attire instead of a bathing suit, stood on his skateboard, Beelzebub, and stood next to Katya as she sat, “That was almost comical.”

“It was a tough wave to ride,” Katya shrugged as she watched Black Star, “He did ok.”

Kid looked to his side and saw a larger wave starting to form.  A smirk formed on his lips, “Oh yeah?  Well, watch this and see if this is 'ok'.”

Using his skateboard as a surf board, Kid skimmed the side of the wave as it grew larger and larger.  Kid easily rode the wave all the way until it began to crash on one side.  When he finished, he flipped into the air and landed just above the water.  He imagined Katya would be cheering and impressed with his moves, but he looked over to see her smiling and chatting with Black Star as he flexed his arms to and abs to show off his physical abilities.  Kid, now annoyed and disappointed that bronze won over his brains, went back to the sand.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Lord Death, Stein, Spirit, and Sid stood in the academy's basement in front of the large wooden door where Katya had cut the seal.  Stein lit a cigarette as he looked away from the sight as Spirit put his hands in his pockets.  Sid stood in awe at the sigh as his jaw dropped a little more than the usual, “How...those seals...they were said to have been unbreakable...”

“Only the power of a shinigami or an even stronger witch could cut them,” Death noted as he stood in front of the door, “With the seals broken...i'm afraid the kishin will soon realize he is able to leave freely.”

“Can't you just put another one on?” Spirit asked as he glared at the door.

“I'm afraid it's not that simple really,” Death turned to face the others, “That seal was made of the same skin as the kishin.  The rest of his skin I used to keep him tied away.”

“Besides, Medusa will just have Katya cut it away again,” Stein grumbled after taking a drag from his smoke.

“I don't think Katya did it intentionally,” Spirit glared over at Stein, “That girl is a witch, but she's not our enemy.”

“How can we be so sure when she agreed to do Medusa's bidding?  It's only natural for her to betray us and become one of those witches,” Stein argued as he matched Spirit's glare.

“Settle down you two, this is no time to argue,” Death stated as he stood in between them, “What we need to do is figure out what to do about her instead of what may or may not happen in the future.  I knew when I brought her here that forbidding her to use her magic would be troublesome for her.  Like we all agree, she's naturally a witch and will naturally rely on her powers to help her.  However, we've trained her enough to use her weapon, Astrid, to no longer rely on her powers.  What we need to do is figure out how to balance both her abilities.”

They all stood silent for a few moments.  Then, Sid spoke up, “This is a long shot, but what if we introduce her to the academy as a witch?”

“Do you really want her to be killed in her sleep?” Spirit looked over at Sid, “The students here all hate witches.  If they find out that she's a witch, i'll give her a day to run before they catch up to her and cut her head off.”

“I don't think that's a good idea as of right now,” Death commented as he turned back towards the wooden door, “Not because of the students, but because of the other witches out there.  Medusa sought Katya out.  Katya did not go to Medusa.  In that thought, Medusa needed Katya's abilities because Katya is stronger than her.”

“So she's stronger than that bitch.  Who's to say that Katya didn't realize this by now?” Stein asked as he finished his cigarette, “All i'm saying is that we should kill her while she's still on our side.”

“Are you insane?!” Spirit growled as he took a threatening step towards Stein, “She's just barely 14, she's not even a developed woman yet and you want to kill her?  What if she saves your life and you want to just off her right there?”

“I couldn't careless if she were a child or an old hag.  A witch is a witch and I say we kill her now before she becomes something we can't handle,” Stein stated, then turned his gaze to Lord Death, “In any case, Medusa fled, but she'll be back to finish her job with Katya.”

“Are you sure about that?” Death looked over his shoulder to Stein.

“What do you mean, Lord Death?” Sid asked.

“Think about it.  Katya realized Medusa's plan at the last second and declined.  She tried to fight and kill Medusa just before you two showed up.  She could've killed Medusa if she had her magic to use, but she did not change even when it would've saved all of you the trouble,” Death explained before turning to face them fully, “That is why I did not intervene and punish her or Astrid.  Katya has been here long enough to know what is right and what is wrong.  She is a powerful witch today because of knowing just that.  Her fear of death and becoming mad with power has made her to where she could fight the Grand Witch herself.”

The others flinched at that knowledge.  Stein knew that Katya was strong, but that powerful?  He scoffed lightly before lighting another cigarette, “All the more reason to get rid of her.  We can't fully trust a witch even if she was raised in this academy all of her life so far.”

“We're just going around and around in circles,” Spirit sighed as he stretched his arms, “If we're going to come up with any conclusions, then we need to be on the same page.  Stein, Katya isn't going to be killed anytime soon.  Yes, she accidentally cut the seal, but we're not going to crucify her for that.”

“What if we brought in a witch to teach her to supress the urge to use her magic?” Sid spoke up, only to have the others look at him as if he spoke gibberish.

“And where were you planning on getting a witch to actually help us?” Stein rolled his eyes.

“Oh...” Sid put a hand on his head, “..nevermind..”

“That is a good idea, but Stein's meaning is realistic,” Death sighed, “Katya is the only witch in this academy.  I brought her here to start a process of teaching witches about the DWMA and have them fight alongside the other meisters.  Her progress only proves to me that my experiment was a success.  What I want us to talk about is introducing her to the academy as a witch.”

“Hey!  I said-” Sid shouted, only to be silenced when Death looked over at him.

Death cleared his throat before continuing, “I don't mean for us to come out and just tell everyone that she's a witch, but for her to use her magic and protect the city.  In that case, we must come up with an idea that won't kill anyone, but be strong enough for her to have no other option.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

By nightfall, a bonfire was made for everyone to sit around and have something to eat.  Katya snuck away and brought out a hidden cooler she had brought filled with hard liquor.  While everyone ate, Katya changed the music to something more 'party-like' and held up a few, colorful shots, “Anyone up for a round or two?”

Everyone, besides Black Star, Liz, Patti, and Soul, seemed surprised and worried at the sight of the alcohol.  Liz was the first one to stand up, “Finally, now it's a real party.”

“But we're under-aged, we'll get in trouble,” Maka quickly stood up to take away the shots, only to have Katya quickly pour a shot in her mouth.

Maka was forced to swallow and nearly gagged at the strong taste it left.  Liz laughed before taking a few shots herself as Patti began passing them out to everyone.  Soon enough, everyone had a little something to drink before the drunk dancing started to appear.  Katya sat on top of the cooler and had a beer with Black Star as he continued to flex his muscles as his face began to flush from the alcohol.  She happily appeased his masculinity by grabbing his muscles and saying how strong he had gotten.  

Later, the others began to pair up and hang out by themselves as the sun fully set and the moon began to rise.  Katya had a third beer from the cooler before she saw Black Star passed out on the ground.  She figured he was a light weight from his smaller size.  A smile crept on her face as she felt the alcohol rushing to her head as well.  

“Katya.”

Katya slowly turned to see Tsubaki behind her.  It was almost funny, they both wore the same bikini and yet Katya didn't feel any competition with her anymore.  She stood up and opened the cap off of her beer as she faced Tsubaki, “Yeah?”

“I want to talk,” Tsubaki answered, then looked at the beer, “Is this a bad time?”

She followed Tsubaki's gaze and shrugged, tossing the bottle behind her and followed Tsubaki to a private spot on the beach.  Tsubaki faced Katya when they were alone with her left arm holding her right arm, “You've been seeing my meister for almost a month now.  I can't say i'm pleased with it because he was once close to me and now he has you to tell everything to.”

Though she was a little drunk, Katya still understood where this conversation was heading.  She had heard enough of it from Astrid about how she had someone else now.  Katya placed her hands softly on her hips and kept her gaze firmly on Tsubaki, “You've known him longer than me.  I've always been in the class right beneath you guys and i've always looked from a distance.  I've heard how he was once into you, but you gave him up.  Isn't it time for you to realize that he's done chasing after you?”

Tsubaki was never a girl to talk back.  Katya knew that much.  She watched as she saw the anger in Tsubaki's eyes as the moon shown behind her.  It was almost funny how the conversation seemed to be escalating without either of them raising their voice.  Tsubaki then answered, “Black Star will always be my friend and my meister.  He may have feelings for you and will remain faithful to you, but...  I won't tolerate you any longer if you hurt him.”

“I hardly see you actually tolerating me to begin with,” Katya narrowed her eyes on Tsubaki, “You barely talk to me, you don't come over when I invite you to, and you keep your distance from me if i'm in the same room as you.  And about me hurting Black Star, that's not going to happen.”

“If it does happen,” Tsubaki stated in a stern voice, “Or you become a threat, I will not hesitate to destroy you.”

“Then we just made a promise,” Katya smirked as she glowered at Tsubaki, “Let's see who keeps their promise longer than the other.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

Within the wooden doors, the kishin slowly awakened.  The voices outside the door had disappeared and he could finally awaken in peace.  With the seal to the door now broken, he could slowly awaken with peace.  The seals holding him back were old and weak.  He easily burned the seals around him from within his bag made of his flesh.  His hands pressed against the bag that held him prisoner to the world until he made a slight tear.  His flesh-less eye peaked out at the darkness surrounding him.  It was time to wake the world from it's slumber and bring about the madness he had been dreaming of in his eternal sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The sun hit Black Star's face, causing a headache to ache even more in his head.  Was it from the sun?  Black Star felt somewhat sick in his stomach.  Maybe it wasn't the sun...   He slowly opened his eyes to see he was inside Katya's apartment.  As he sat up, he could only hear silence all around him and no one in sight.  He checked the clock across the room to see it was already noon.  Where was everybody then?  He then glanced down at the calender to see it was a school day.  Black Star just laid back down and stared up at the ceiling, what was missing one more day of class when he felt like shit anyways?  

A few minutes later, Black Star left the couch and went to their kitchen to see if there was anything to eat.  Katya was the junk-food addict while Astrid was the one who held most of the healthy shit he didn't care for.  Black Star rummaged around for a bit until he found a hidden bag of chips in the very back of a cupboard.  He smiled to himself, Katya would throw a fit later, but she wouldn't honestly mind.  Going back to the couch, Black Star sat himself back down as he munched on the chips.

Then, something became unsettling.  It was a shriek, no...almost an insane cry of delight.  His soul was shaken but such a power.  Then, his mind began to think.  Where were the others?  Were they hurt?  Black Star immediately got up and left the apartment to see the sky turning black all around them.  His eyes widened at how powerful whatever this thing was that was doing this to Death City.  He ran as fast as he could to the academy to see where the others were at and get Tsubaki to start fighting whatever this thing was.  As soon as he reached the academy, he saw all the students rushing out of the building, but he couldn't find the people he was looking for.  He searched the crowds from high above until he saw Soul, Maka, and Tsubaki together on the side.

He leaped down to them and asked, “What's going on!?”

“I don't know,” Soul looked up at the sky, “But something is definitely wrong.”

“Soul, transform for me.  We have to be ready for anything,” Maka stated, Soul obeyed the order and turned into his weapon form.

Tsubaki immediately changed into her shuriken weapon form as Black Star wielded her.  Even though they haven't been getting along lately, he was surprised to find their soul wavelengths were still evenly matched.  Then, he turned to Maka and asked quickly, “Where's Katya and Astrid?”

Maka remained silent as she looked over at Black Star.  She then looked up at the sky as she waited for anything to happen, “Lord Death wanted to see her.”

*~*~*~*~*

“No.  I won't do it.”

Katya stomped her foot into the ground as she glared at Lord Death, “If I do that, then everyone will know i'm a witch!  My friends won't trust me anymore and i'll lose everything i've worked so hard for!”  

“If you don't use your magic, then Death City will fall apart,” Astrid added as she tried to reason with Katya, “Lord Death won't let anything happen to us-”

“Us?” Katya turned to face Astrid, “There's an 'us' now?  You are not a witch.  They will pitty you and think that I tricked you.”

“Katya...” Astrid lowered her gaze, “Lets be reasonable...”

“Reasonable will be for you to fight the kishin, Lord Death,” Katya whirled around and pointed her finger at Death, “You're a Shinigami!  You fight him.”

“Do you really want your friends to be open to an attack by the kishin?” Lord Death asked her as he showed her the mirror to see all of her friends waiting and watching the sky, “The kishin will emerge any second now and you won't protect them and Death City?”

“Lord Death...” Katya felt her stomach knot up from anxiety, “Even with my magic...I can't defeat a kishin of that size and power.”

“Then fight alongside me,” Lord Death offered, “If you're going to open yourself up to the entire academy, you'll be doing so fighting along side their Shinigami and mentor.”

Katya looked over at Astrid as her weapon smiled meekly at her.  She was still surprised that throughout her weeks of not hanging out with her as much, Astrid stayed by her side at that moment.  Her hand reached out and lightly grasped Astrid's shoulder, “Just..tell me you'll be ok.”

“I won't leave this room,” Astrid smiled as she felt worry for her meister, “I'll keep my eye on you the entire time.”

“Then it's settled,” Lord Death stated, “Katya, keep your Soul Protection spell on for now.  I'll tell you when you need to release it and take your witch soul from Astrid.  Understood?”

“Yes,” both girls answered together.

Before Katya left with Death, she turned around to see Astrid nervously shaking as she kept her gaze to the floor.  Katya walked over to Astrid and hugged her one last time, “Whatever happens, I don't want you to get hurt.”

Katya then released Astrid and ran back to Lord Death.  She was nervous at what may happen after the entire city knows that she's a witch.  A part of her was optomistic that they'll respect her even more, but the other side knew that what happened to her family and countless other witches before her was a most likely outcome.  She walked outside to the balcony where Lord Death watched as the kishin, Asura, rose into the sky and let out a powerful shriek of his awakening.  Katya was in shock that she had released such a terrible monster because of Medusa...  

“There he is,” Lord Death murmured, “Asura...  Well, Katya, it's time to change.  Be quick.”

Though she hesitated for a few seconds.  She glanced down beneath the balcony to see Black Star with the others as they stared up at the kishin.  Death already flew into the sky with ease and approached Asura.  Katya took one deep breath before closing her eyes to concentrate.  She accessed Astrid's soul and undid her Soul Protection sepell.  Then, she retrieved her witch soul.  A low rumble assumed all around her as she felt her soul wavelength clashing with the kishin's.  Her eyes opened slowly as she stepped onto the balcony railing.  She glanced below to see all eyes were on her.  Was he watching?  Katya's hawk-like eyes gazed down at Black Star below to see his expression went from fear, to relief, to shock all at once.  

She sprouted her long wings as her two Spirit Hawks flew in circles above her.  Katya quickly took off into the sky and circled above Death and Asura, listening to their conversation.  She wouldn't let this kishin destroy her city or hurt anyone here.  Then, the battle started.  Asura made his first attack on Death while the Shinigami easily dodged the attack at first.  Katya circled inward as she changed her normal feet to that of a hawk's talons and caught hold of the Shinigami.  He fought against her grasp, even biting her in the process, but she sent him plummetting towards the ground before Death caught him in his grasp and sent a shockwave to Asura.  Death then punches Asura back up to the skies where Katya's Spirit Hawks catch Asura and hold him easily by his limbs.

Katya summons a bow and arrow, and aims the tip of the arrow at Asura's head.  The kishin then looked up, chuckling over at Katya.  She angrily growls and states, “You're in no position to mock me.”

“Is that so?” Asura continued to chuckle, “I never thought I'd see the day a witch fight with Death.”

She didn't respond to Asura's statement and fired magic-filled arrow straight through Asura.  His skin left an unsightly opening where she shot him through.  Death used his jetpacks to get back up in the sky where he, his voice now deeper, stated over to Asura, “I'll skin you alive and place you back where you belong, you disgusting swine.”

Katya strung another arrow before aiming at Asura again.  She could feel his madness trying to cloud her mind, but through years of training and discipline, she knew to resist the temptation.  Though...she could taste the power that could be hers.  All she needed to do was turn her arrow towards Death...  Katya forced herself to become aware of her surroundings instead of inside her head.  She glared over at Asura as she heard him chuckling again.  Hearing his laughter, even the slightest bit, was pissing her off more and more.  Death turned to her slightly and spoke softly, “Calm yourself down.  Getting angry isn't going to help anything.”

“Right,” Katya answered before taking a deep breath and continued to concentrate.

Then, Asura's body began to glow.  Katya prepared her arrow, until Death moved in front of her and ordered, “Protect the city, this is my fight now.”

Katya, confused, reluctantly obeyed and circled them for a distance.  She watched as four spherical auras formed around Asura and, in horror, watched as two opened at the top to reveal eyes.  Asura's spirit was enormously powerful, much more stronger than her own.  Katya then spread her wings to it's max as she prepared to a defense, “Hawk, hawk, bird, bird...”

Then, a beam of energy went straight for Lord Death and another beam went down to the city below.  Katya acted quickly as she shouted, “Deflect!”

Her wings went to enormous length as her Spirit Hawks went to deflect the beam of energy.  Katya's wings followed the Hawks where one deflected the one against the city where the students were gathered and the other in front of Lord Death.  To deflect the energy, Katya had to keep her soul from shattering to pieces as well as harnessing her own physical capabilities.  First, she forced her Hawks to absorb the intense energy.  She could feel her soul starting to crack from the maddness within the beams.  Then, she had to find the ability to send it right back without the maddness.  In order to absorb the maddness within the energy, she had to keep it hidden within her magic.  Katya felt the insanity eating at her soul and her mind, beckoning her to bask in the darkness and slip up just once.  She fought the urge before harnessing the purity of the energy beam before sending it right back to Asura.  

Asura was sent far back into the sky where Death followed him as fast as he could..that is until Death reached his limit.  Katya, exhausted from absorbing such power, managed to keep her flight intact as she watched the last scene.  Asura, realizing that Death could no longer follow him, looked at his own damaged body from his energy blast being sent back at him.  The kishin then turned his attention back to Death, “Looks like you're stuck here.  You can watch as I turn this world to what it should be.”

“I don't think so!”

Katya angrily flew passed Death, who caught her by the ankle, “Get back here!”

“But the kishin-”

“You've done your part,” Death stated before yanking her back behind him, then faced the kishin, “Asura, you can run for now.  But you will be found and killed.  Go ahead and hide from while you can.”

Her eyes widened in shock as she looked over at Death.  The kishin didn't hesitate to flee as Katya's jaw dropped from surprise.  He let the kishin go so easily?  Death took her wrist as he lowered them to the ground as Katya transformed her feet back to normal, human feet and retracted her wings back into her skin.  She was nervous now more than ever to see the others in her true form.  Katya then saw Astrid leaving the academy and instantly closed her eyes as soon as her feet met the ground.  She sent her witch soul back to Astrid where Astrid's soul kept the witch soul safely locked away.  Katya opened her eyes again to see everyone glaring at her suspiciously.  This was what she feared the most.  Instead of acting scared or worried, Katya kept a calm face as she remained silent.  Not once did she try to hurt them or use her magic against them.  Astrid rushed over to Katya and assumed her position at her side facing the crowd.

“She's a witch...”

“...I always had a feeling...”

Katya didn't grimace as they glowered at her.  She looked over in pitty at Astrid as her weapon remained true to her.  Gently, she pushed Astrid slightly to the side, “You don't deserve the treatment they'll give me.  Go to the side and let me take this.”

“I will never leave your side,” Astrid firmly stated in a hushed whisper to Katya, then turned her head slightly towards her, “I am your friend and your weapon.”

Lord Death lowered himself behind Katya and Astrid to address the crowd, “I'm sure all of you are curious to know what has happened.”

“No shit...” Katya heard Soul say in the distance.

“Well, as it appears, the kishin sleeping beneath the academy has awakened and has escaped.  Do not fear him.  He's only hiding at this point and we'll find him before he causes any damage,” Lord Death explained.

“Yeah?  Well what about the witch?” a random person in the crowd called out.

Katya remained frozen until she saw a person pushing through the crowd.  Black Star appeared from behind a few people and stood just as frozen as if he couldn't believe to hear she was a witch until he saw her.  In that moment, it was as if she stood naked in front of him.  Now he, and everyone else, knew who she was and what she was.  She was never ashamed to be a witch before, but now all she wanted to do was be a normal human like anyone else.  Lord Death then continued as Katya and Black Star kept their gaze on each other, “Yes, Katya Osaki is a witch that i've allowed to follow the same rules all of you follow.  For that, she has been allowed to keep her life as long as she kept to her studies and followed my order.  She has saved you, your homes, your friends, your families, and this city from a powerful kishin.  If that is not enough to say you can welcome her new identity, then it's a good possibility you do not have enough compassion to be a meister either.”

No one seemed to move or say anything about what was going on.  Then, Liz and Patti walked through the crowd and stood next to Katya.  Liz patted Katya on the back and smirked, “Nice work, you showed that kishin how to kick ass.”

Patti playfully patted Astrid's head as Astrid gave a confused glance towards Katya.  Maka and Soul walked passed the crowd towards Katya.  The Sythe Meister extended her hand towards Katya, “You were my friend before and you're my friend now.”

“Yeah, you'll have to spar me some time with your magic so I can fight a witch and become a Death Sythe,” Soul smirked as he raised his hand slightly.

Katya shook Maka's hand before giving a high five to Soul with a smirk on her face.  She was starting to become more confident as even Death the Kid walked towards her.  At first, she was nervous since he was the son of Death and be angry at her for being a witch in the first place.  Instead, a gleam in his eyes appeared as Liz looked away in embarressment, “The balance of good and evil within you...is symmetrical..”

“Yeah..ugh...” Katya glanced away, “Thanks, Kid.”

“C'mon, lover boy, give the girl her space,” Liz dragged Kid away from Katya.

Tsubaki then approached Katya as the crowd watched in awe.  She kept a sharp gaze on Katya as the witch did the same.  They held their gaze as Tsubaki stood in front of her.  Katya looked passed Tsubaki to see Black Star had yet to move from his spot.  Was he angry with her?  Katya lowered her gaze, but picked it back up to stare back at Tsubaki.  

“You made a promise to me last night,” Tsubaki reminded her, “I hope you will keep it.”

“I've kept it true so far,” Katya stated.

With that said, Tsubaki turned and stood next to Maka.  Katya looked back at Black Star to see he was merging through the crowd to leave.  She stood for a moment until she felt a light push on her back.  When she turned to see who touched her, she heard a voice say to her, “Go to him.”

Katya didn't hesitate as she went around the crowd and followed Black Star down the street.  He broke out into a rapid-pace run as Katya did her best to keep up.  If he wanted to break up with her, that was fine, but she wanted to let him know the truth and why she kept it from him.  Katya finally managed to keep up with Black Star until he stopped running in an alley.  She knew he could easily get away from her, but he must've been tired of running from her.  He turned around, but he didn't look at her.

“I know you're mad at me, but I only kept it a secret because I had to,” Katya breathlessly explained, “I didn't have the choice!”

“You upstaged me..”

That little comment flared Katya's rage as she thought that upstaging him was the only reason he was mad, but it wasn't.  She knew him better now and understood he was angry with her about her secret.  Katya took a deep breath before explaining, “I was brought her a witch, my mother, my grandmother, and all the women before were witches.  Not only that, my father and the rest of his family were a bunch of murderers.  I just come from a line of destruction and Lord Death saved me from that by bringing me here and allowing me to keep my secret safe.”

“I'm not mad about that,” Black Star glared at the ground.

“Then tell me why you're mad!” Katya finally let out her frustration, “If you don't tell me-”

“I'm mad because you're a witch,” he stated as he crossed his arms.

She had no words to express the pain she felt.  His cold stare finally met her gaze and it took her soul away.  Katya nearly faultered as she reached to the side to balance herself on a building.  In her mind, she repeated to herself that the situation hadn't gotten that bad.  She had to keep it together, she couldn't break down in front of him like that.  It took all she had to bring herself to look up at Black Star to see the discrimination in his eyes, “That can't be the only reason..”

“You lied to me,” Black Star's fists tightened, “How am I supposed to think you didn't just use some type of spell on me to make me like you?  You could've made a potion in some big, ugly pot and slipped into my food to make me like you even more!  For all I know, this is one big, fat, ugly lie and everything that's been going through my head is nothing.”

“I never did anything like that!” Katya raised her voice as her anger grew, “I can't even cast a spell-”

“And that's why you had that book in your apartment!” Black Star pointed a finger at her, “You were going to raise your family so you could do whatever you were planning to do!”

“Well, fuck you!” Katya shouted before stating, “I was going to use that book to raise your god damn family so you could have someone of your family back!  Why the hell would I want my family if they'll either cast a spell on me or slit my throat in my sleep for the laugh!?”

Black Star didn't answer as he tried to find the right explination to give.  Katya took a deep breath before saying, “This is a lot to handle in one night.”

Katya turned to walk away, but stopped walking when she saw Black Star quickly appear in front of her.  She saw the disappointment in his eyes and didn't have to say anything.  Then, Black Star looked up at her and merely stated, “It's over.”