Madness [ Claire Sequel ]

Chapter 4

Soul's POV

I sat down in the living room with Maka, not sure how to start the conversation. Kid and Black Star were sitting on either side of me, but they weren't saying anything.

To start off where I wanted to go, I told Maka the story of how Kira tricked all three of us into believing we were all chasing her.

Maka laughed. "You guys seriously got tricked?" She wiped the tears from her face. "Oh my God, that's priceless." She shook her head and sighed. "Anyway, where is this going?"

"Justin can track Kira wherever she goes, because, when he was infected with the Madness, he got that ability." Kid stepped in.

She frowned. "How is that possible? Wouldn't every Madness trail look the same?" Black Star nodded, "That's what I said, at first."

Kid nodded. "In a typical situation, yes, Kira's trail would look like any other Weapon infected with the Madness. However, and strangely enough, Kira is still sane. And, because of this, Kira's trail must appear a different color or, perhaps, a different shape than an average Madness-infected Weapon." He let this sink in with her.

Maka didn't say anything for a long time, but it was obvious she was confused. "She's sane..." She started, "But infected with Madness? That's not possible."

I frowned at Maka's forgetfulness. "Come on, Maka, it's Kira Stein we're talking about; she's done the impossible. Why would she stop here?" Maka nodded in agreement, chuckling. "Yes, that's true. But what do you guys want me to do with all this information?"

Black Star looked at me at the same time Kid did. I sighed and looked at Maka seriously. "We need you to use your Soul Perception to follow Kira's soul. Since she's been infected, her soul will look different. She won't have the same soul as someone completely infected with Madness, but her soul won't look the same as someone not infected. Does that make sense?" I asked. Maka blinked at me. "You want me... To use a skill... Dr. Franken Stein can use? Dr. Stein has way more experience in using skills than I do! Why would you come to me?"

"Because Stein would become reckless with the sight of his daughter." Kid explained, growing a bit impatient. "It's been a grueling two years for all of us, but none of us have had it worse than him! Since her disappearance, Stein has had a daily fight with Madness! We cannot risk him becoming infected whilst searching for Kira. You have to understand that."

Maka sighed after a moment of thought. "Alright. I'll do it. Where was the last place you saw her?" Black Star shook his head. "Come on! Let's save time! Instead of going to where she last was, why not go where she could be?" Kid, Maka, and I looked at him curiously. What did he have in mind?

"Don't worry! I have an idea!"

Oh, great. Now I'm worried.

****

Kira's POV

The next morning started late, and with my making breakfast for everyone. The smell of eggs and pancakes brought everyone into the kitchen, and Marina and Tyler appreciated the coffee I made.

After breakfast, I turned to Tyler. "Alright. We've got a pretty busy day today, making the clubhouse for Rayna and Rose. Think you're up for it?" I asked, which was a polite way of my asking if he was alright and was physically fit. Tyler gave me a thumbs up, and I took his word for it.

We pulled out the wooden planks we needed for the job, and I entrusted Tyler with cutting up the pieces. He took on the job whole heartedly, and I smiled as he worked.

As the pieces were cut, I carried them out to the backyard where we'd be building the clubhouse. Rayna and Rose played hide and seek in the cluster of trees in the backyard. Seeing them play there reminded me of the times Zero and I would play hide and seek and tag, and I'd always win each game.

"Kira. I'm done cutting now!" Tyler announced, carrying the rest of the wood. I giggled when I saw all the sawdust in his hair and on his shoulders. He put the wood on the pile I'd created, and I brushed off his shoulders. He looked at the sawdust falling of him and laughed. "Oh, man!" He laughed, shaking his hair. "Hey!" I exclaimed as the sawdust fell on me. I then proceeded the dust off myself, before we got to work.

Two hammers, tons of nails, and two drills lay before the wood pile. I stretched out the tape measure and marked the correct lengths and widths before setting up the bottom planks.

It all went uphill from there. We created the frames for the walls, then the roof. We filled in the walls, leaving squares for windows and making shutters, created a door, and filled in the floor. This all took two and a half hours, but it was fun. Tyler went into the garage and grabbed a small table and two small chairs while I grabbed the paint and painted the clubhouse to blend in with the surroundings.

Although I'd made the clubhouse specifically for Rayna and Rose, it was tall and wide enough to fit the girls, their mother, Tyler, myself, and a couple of others. It took a lot of work, but the finished product was amazing.

After the paint dried, we called the girls to come and see it. "Rayna! Rose! Come see your new clubhouse!" The girls appeared from the woods and ran for the clubhouse. They cheered and scurried inside.

"Can we have tea parties, Ms. Stein!" Rayna cried. "And can we bring Walter and Wendy to play!" Rose asked. I chuckled. "Of course, and why not, Rose?" The twin girls giggled in excitement and ran about their clubhouse, opening and shutting the shutters and the door experimentally.

Marina joined us moments after. "Girls! Why don't you go get your tea set and your other sets and put them in there?" The woman advised. The young girls ran inside and made several trips to get everything inside. We all laughed when they invited us inside, but Tyler and I politely refused; "We've been working for a while now! We need to go wash up!" Tyler started inside, and I followed after promising Marina if get some electrical work done in their clubhouse.

I didn't hesitate to jump into the shower, and sighed in relief when the hot water hit my sore skin. I needed relaxation tomorrow, to rid me of these sore muscles.

My shower lasted only ten minutes, despite the protests of my sore muscles. I pulled on a plain t-shirt an a pair of black denim shorts, then started drying my hair.

When I walked back downstairs, I saw that Marina was already half-way done making dinner. I frowned at her, then smiled. "Thank you, Marina." I sighed. She shook her head. "You're doing so much for us, there isn't any hurt in helping you back." I smiled gratefully at her, then went on to help her finish making lasagna, remembering making the same course with Maka back at the academy.

The food was served with Marina and I smiling. Tyler had gotten out of the shower a few minutes earlier, and he smelled fresh. Rayna and Rose were arguing over who would get the bath first after dinner, and it made Marina, Tyler, and I laugh. I told Marina that she should be proud of her daughters, and she told me she already was.

***

That night, I woke to the sound of thunder. Rayna and Rose were fine, but Marina and Tyler were awake. It only took me five minutes to reassure Marina that I could handle everything, but Tyler was more stubborn. "I'm a man, and if the power goes out, I can go turn on the lights so you don't have to." I rolled my eyes at him, but thanked him.

Rain pelted the side of the house, and I glared around outside, a bad feeling rooted to the pit of my stomach. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, and I didn't know what I'd do when it happened.

After an hour of having that horrible feeling in my stomach, and talking briefly with Tyler to ease my nerves, three knocks came at the door.

"Something's not right." Tyler whispered. I clenched my fists;

"I know."