{[( Alright, here we go, chapter 10!)]}

Everyone gathered in Kid's room, forming a circle as they discussed the situation.

"So, what do we know about this thing?" Soul asked, getting right to the point.

Kid picked up a stack of papers, consisting of the research he had done and placed it in the middle. "This is all that I've found that I feel might be about the real Slenderman."

"The real one?" Soul asked.

Maka nodded. "It seems like it's become a sort of urban legend and so people have made up stories about it."

"Why would someone do something like that?" Liz asked, feeling somewhat scared already.

"Parents mostly. They tell their children about it as a way of teaching them to behave properly." Kid replied. "I for one do not believe that would be necessary, but I have been a touch more sheltered than most people, so I might have a skewed outlook on the situation." Kid said in response.

"Dude, a bunch of this pile is just creepy pasta. Are you sure we can believe any of this?" Soul asked, looking through some of the paper.

Kid sighed. "I'm not sure. Based on the encounter Maka and I had, I believe some of them may be of use. As of now, I don't have much concrete information about it."

Tsubaki moved to pick up one of the stories. "So what do you think we can believe from these?"

"Well, there's a story about a woman who disappeared while looking for a friend that supposedly disappeared due to the Slenderman. Apparently she disappeared while on her search." Maka said.

"Hold on, everything I see here says that it goes after children. Why would it decide to suddenly go after adults too?" Soul asked.

"I don't think it was a sudden decision." Kid replied. "From what I can tell, the Slenderman radiates madness, and that madness affects people differently depending on their age." Kid picked through the stack, pulling out a paper and straightening out the pile. "Supposedly, the madness draws children to it and causes them to also lose their sense of direction. This is why most people don't make it out after they encounter it."

"So then how does it affect adults?" Soul asked.

"It drives them insane." Maka replied. "There's some found footage that was apparently from that woman who went searching for her missing friend. Actually one from her friend too." Maka said, pulling up one of the videos on her phone.

"All I see is the inside of their house." Patty said, trying to see something.

"Ah! What was that?" Liz shouted. "What is that thing?"

"That is the Slenderman." Kid said.

"Ew, it's creepy.. Why doesn't it have a face?" Liz asked, shaking a bit, the video continuing.

"Maka, turn it off." Kid said, Maka nodding and shutting it off. "Something that seems to be common in these stories is that it is more likely to find you when you mention it. I don't know if that translates to watching videos, but I'd rather not risk it."

Soul nodded. "Alright then, so what can this thing do?" Soul said, making sure not to call it by name.

"It stands about 10-feet tall, wearing a black suit and tie with a pale complexion." Kid began. "It's body seems eerily disproportionate, which is the reason for the name it is given. When it's nearby, the faint sound of a base drum can be heard by it's intended victim. This causes fear in it's target, causing them to panic. After that it toys with its victim." Kid said.

Liz shuddered, hiding slightly behind Patty, who was listening intently. "What happens next?" Patty asked.

"It has a few other abilities that make it difficult to escape it. It can teleport and it has several tentacles that protrude from its back. Given these abilities, it could capture its unsuspecting victim without a problem. But that is not its goal." Kid continued. "Encounters with it end in one of two ways. Death or becoming what is called a proxy."

"A proxy?" Soul asked.

Maka nodded. "A proxy is someone that has been driven into madness and serves it, or at least that's what it seems like. They never seem to attack it. Unlike it though, the proxy is unable to be in light for some reason. They are also very fast. In short they seem to behave exactly opposite of how it does."

Soul nodded. "So this thing might not be the only problem around here."

"So, how do we beat it?" Tsubaki asked, reading through the same story that she had picked up.

Soul read the paper he'd picked up earlier. "Well this can't be right. It says it's weakness is it's face. How can that be if it doesn't have one?" Soul asked.

"It seems that actually is correct. It would appear that it only seems to not have one. However, it supposedly does have one.

"Well if all we have to do is punch it in the face, I'd say Maka's got that covered." Soul said, smirking a bit.

"This isn't the time for jokes, Soul." Maka said.

"Calm down. If what this thing says is true, then it should probably be trying to come for us right now. We've done nothing but talk about it and I figure a lighter mood might help to make sure that didn't happen." Soul said.

"Well, well. You used your brain." Kid said, indulging in Soul's suggestion.

Maka sighed. "I guess you have a point. But shouldn't we at least make a plan for fighting it?"

Kid nodded. "We'll go over that when Stein and your father arrive. But they are already familiar with it. This whole discussion was for the benefit of the our partners… and Tsubaki." Kid said.

"Hey wait, wasn't Black*Star right here a minute ago?" Maka asked.

"Huh?" Soul said. "That's weird. I haven't even heard him since we got in here. Maybe all this talk scared him off."

"Please, that Slender thing doesn't scare me!" Black*Star said, sounding confident, though coming out from behind the bed.

"I'm sure it doesn't." Tsubaki said, smiling at him.

"Should we really be encouraging that kind of behavior?" Kid asked.\

Everyone left the room so the others could all get their room keys, while Kid and Maka stayed behind by their own rooms.

"Things were starting to feel kind of heavy in there, huh?" Maka said.

Kid nodded. "It would seem that the stories about it coming closer when people talk about it are true. We have to be careful how much we talk about it in one place."

Maka nodded. "Hey, earlier when you said you would be lying if you said you didn't have any romantic interest in me… what did you mean by that?"

Kid blushed a bit. "Well, I would think that obvious, Maka. I may not have strong romantic interest in you, but that doesn't mean I don't have any."

Maka nodded, blushing too. "When did you start feeling that way?"

"I'm not quite sure. Probably around we took down Asura, if I were to think of a time. Though I didn't realize anything until we took this trip out here."

Maka smiled. "You too then, huh?"

He nodded. "This trip came about just around the time I was realizing it. Some vacation this turned out to be." He said, both annoyed and playfully.

Maka looked down, wondering how things could have gone if not for this whole Slenderman thing. It wasn't long, but the days before it were nice and she was really beginning to relax and have some fun. She wondered if they could actually stop it and go back to the vacation that they had come here to have. She then felt someone's hand caress hers, her eyes moving up to meet with theirs. "Kid?"

"Maka, we will not fail to take down the Slenderman, and after that we will go back to our vacation. I'm sure father wouldn't mind, especially with the situation at hand." Kid said, reassuring her.

Maka stared for a moment before nodding. "Right." She said, a smile coming to her face.

"Now then, as for what we will be doing afterward… why don't you tell me what you would like to do on our date?" He said, smiling.

"Huh?" She said as he let go of her hand and moved to the door of his own room. "If I'm going to take you out, then I feel it's only appropriate that you enjoy it. Think about it." He said, walking into his room and closing the door.

Maka stood there, staring at the door to his room, trying to process what had just happened.

"Maka?" Soul said, startling her.

"Dang it, Soul, don't sneak up on me like that!" She shouted.

He laughed. "What's up? You seem out of it." He said with a smile.

"Well, it's just…" She turned and looked at Kid's door again.

"Man, you really fell hard for him, huh?" Soul said, casually.

"Shut up!" She said blushing.

Soul chuckled a bit. "Listen, if it helps, you can room with him and I'll just take yours."

"Really? Thanks Soul, but…" She said, a bit confused.

"Just try not to be too loud. Your snoring is usually distracting enough, but I don't want to hear you two through the wall or anything." Soul said with a grin.

"Soul, you freaking perv!" She shouted. Their conversation continued this way for a bit, Kid hearing the entire thing through the door of his room.

Inside his room, Kid was looking out at the view outside his room when he heard the door open and shut once again. "I was wondering when you would be coming in." He said, turning to greet his guest.

Soul stepped into the room, stopping several feet away. "You and me need to have a talk."

{[( I'm working on the next chapter already, so I'm going to try to have that out soon.)]}