SOUL EATER
The Offspring of a Werewolf and Witch?
Enter: Shino and Spike!
Soul Eater © Atsushi Okubo
Shino Kurohana, Sicily "Spike" Clayborne, William "Will" Clayborne, Marcus "Mark" Clayborne, Dark Fang, and Juliet the White Witch © Me
Summary- Two new students have recently been enrolled in DWMA: Shino Kurohana and his weapon partner, Spike, as well as Spike's younger brothers, William and Marcus. Spike and her brothers are said to be "were-witches", the offspring of a werewolf and a witch. While most of the gang is open to befriend the four, Soul is somewhat suspicious of them, especially Spike. Could the were-witch be hiding a secret that even her meister doesn't know? Or is Soul just jealous?
My very first Soul Eater fanfiction, so go easy on me, guys. Please.
7:30 am at the DWMA. The hallways are abuzz with the chatter of the students. Apparently, there was a very hot topic going around about a couple of new students who had enrolled at the academy about two weeks ago.
"Have you heard the latest?"
"About what?"
"You know, that a couple of newbies showed up here, a couple of weeks ago, and no one even knew about them until yesterday!"
"Really? What do they look like?"
"Well, one of them is a tall guy with an open trench coat. He also wears a loose bowtie and a big cowboy hat."
"Which one is he?"
"He's a meister, and he's mostly human. His weapon partner, on the other hand, now she's strange."
"Strange? Strange how?"
"Well, word from the grapevine is that she has dog ears and two tails!"
"Two tails?! Are you serious?!"
"I know! It's freaky, but that's not all I heard! Apparently, her parents are supposed to a werewolf and a witch!"
"What?! You're kidding me! I didn't think that was possible! Do you know what their names are?!"
"Well, I think the meister's name is Shino Kurohana and his partner's name is…Spike?"
"Spike? What kind of girl's name is that? What is she, a Goth or something?"
"Well, I guess. I heard she wears a spiked collar around her neck and she wears purple makeup."
"Yeah. Definitely sounds Goth to me."
Now normally, one would just ignore these kind of goings-on around the school since they were probably just rumors, but Black*Star, being the self-proclaimed "big star" he was, couldn't help but overhear the conversations that have been going about in the halls.
"Did you hear that, Tsubaki?" Black*Star asked his weapon partner. "Sounds like someone big came to the academy…someone even bigger than me."
"Yes, Black*Star, I heard," said Tsubaki.
"Who do they think they are anyway?!" Black*Star questioned. "There's only room for one big star in this school, and it's me! YAHOO!"
Tsubaki sweat-dropped and laughed sheepishly at her meister's exclamation.
"Give it a rest, Black*Star."
Black*Star and Tsubaki looked over and saw two familiar faces: Maka Albarn and Soul Eater Evans.
"Oh, hello Maka! Soul!" Tsubaki greeted the pair. "You two are looking well!"
"Thanks," Soul said.
SMAK! He and Black*Star exchanged a high-five as they met.
"How's that scar of yours, Soul?" asked Black*Star.
"Doesn't really hurt as much as it used to," said Soul.
"So what's this rumor we keep hearing about two new students?" Maka asked. "Are they true?"
"Well, we're not entirely sure since we haven't met them yet," Tsubaki replied.
"Yeah, but when we do, I'll show them who the real star of the school is! YAHOO!" Black*Star proclaimed.
"Yeah, good luck with that, Black*Star," Maka said, although a bit sarcastically.
"I heard that the weapon is supposed to half-witch and half-werewolf," Soul commented. "How is that even possible?"
"Yeah, it sounds so unlikely," said Maka. "Last I checked, werewolves and witches are mortal enemies, aren't they?"
"Perhaps this one werewolf and witch fell in love and saw passed their differences," said Tsubaki. "They do say 'love transcends all boundaries'."
Black*Star pretended to stick his finger in his mouth and gag before he started laughing, but that was quickly silenced when he was given a swift Maka Chop to the head, which resulted in a small geyser of blood spewing out.
"Well, whatever the case is," Soul began with a toothy smirk, "I doubt that these newbies could be cooler than me."
With that, he turned to leave, but as he did, he suddenly found himself burying his face…in between a pair of ample breasts, but for once, they did not belong to Blair the cat (who is currently back at the apartment enjoying her own company). Instead, they belonged to someone else.
The female in question is revealed a tall woman, perhaps age 16, at least, with light skin, like Maka, as well as a not-too-thin figure. She is dressed in a short dark gray skirt and a blue-gray tube top with triangular at the ends that are decorated with dark red beads, and there is a diamond-shape hole in it, revealing her navel, and she wears a pair of grayish-blue boots with black patterns on the toes that resembled three claws on each, as well as a black spiked collar on her neck. On her face is what appears to be lavender lipstick, only on her bottom lip, as well as the same color of eye shadow.
However, out of all those, her most prominent features had to be the fact that she had a pair of rather large, triangular ears pricking out of her shoulder-length dark violet hair, as well as what looked a fang sticking out from underneath her upper lip. Her fingers are tipped with black nails that look almost like claws, her eyes are a bright golden yellow with slit pupils, and out of the back of her skirt protruded two thick, bushy, dark violet tails.
One look at her expression, and anyone could tell that she was now beyond pissed.
Soul pulled his face from betwixt her bosom, streams of blood cascading from his nostrils and a faint blush on his cheeks.
"Soul Eater…!" Maka growled, preparing to deliver a Maka Chop to her partner's head, but then…
"Excuse me," the wolf-eared girl spoke, "but do you mind telling me WHY you put your face in my boobs?!"
Soul swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn't know why, but he felt a huge sense of dread, and for once, it wasn't coming from Maka.
"Well?!" the girl asked, angrily. "Speak up!"
"Uh…uhh…" Soul muttered.
"Did I ask you a question in which the answer is 'uhh'?!" the girl asked.
"N-n-no," Soul replied with a stammer.
"Miss, please, it was only an accident!" said Tsubaki, trying to calm down the situation.
"I'll show YOU an ACCIDENT!" the girl exclaimed as she raised her hand and opened her fingers. "I'll claw that smug little of yours right off, you creep!"
Soul yelped and flinched as he covered his face, preparing for the girl to rake her claws against it, but then…
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, SPIKE!"
POW! A hand seemed to appear out of nowhere and struck the wolf-eared girl in the head.
"OUCH!" she cried before she turned to face the one responsible.
Behind her stood a young man of at least 18. He wears a grayish-brown trench coat with a loose black bowtie, and on the right breast of the coat is Lord Death's emblem. On his hands are a pair of brown fingerless gloves, and he appears to be wearing a dark brown cowboy hat on his head. He also wears a pair of blue denim jeans with a gray belt buckled around the waist, and on his feet is a pair of dark brown pointy-toed boots with gray soles.
His skin is rather tanned, and he has a yellow-green eye. His left eye remained obscured by a fringe of pale brown hair, and he has a stomach that looked like it could grate cheese.
"DAMMIT TO HELL, SHINO!" the girl barked as she clutched the back of her head. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ALWAYS HITTING ME?!"
"Because every time I leave you alone," the young man known as Shino started, "I always end up finding you TRYING TO KILL SOMEBODY!"
"IT WASN'T MY FAULT, THIS TIME!" the girl, known as Spike, spat before she pointed an accusing finger at Soul. "THIS LITTLE CREEP JUST WENT AND PUT HIS FACE RIGHT INTO MY MELONS!"
"I DIDN'T DO IT ON PURPOSE!" Soul barked. "YOU WERE RIGHT THERE THE MOMENT I TURNED AROUND!"
"OH, I'M SOOOO SURE!" Spike argued. "ADMIT IT! YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE, YOU SLIMY LITTLE COCKROACH!"
"COCKROACH?!" Soul repeated.
Okay, I've had enough, Maka and Shino thought simultaneously.
"Maka~…"
"Super Shino~…"
"CHOP!"
BAP! POW! Maka hit Soul in the back of his head with the spine of her book while Shino delivered a swift chop to the back of Spike's head with his bare hand.
"OUCH!" the two victims cried.
As Maka and Shino stepped back, they looked at each other and seemed to smile.
"I see I'm not the only one who has problems with their partner," said Shino.
Maka laughed a bit before holding out her hand.
"Maka Albarn," she said. "One Star Scythe Meister. Pleased to meet you."
Shino took Maka's hand in his own and shook it, lightly.
"Shino Kurohana," he said. "Also a One Star Scythe Meister. Charmed." He then turned to Spike, who is still rubbing the bump that had formed on her head.
"This is my weapon partner, Sicily Clayborne," said Shino. "She prefers to be called Spike, but I can see you already met her, so introducing her probably isn't necessary."
Spike growled in her throat when she heard that statement. However, hers sounded a bit…beastly.
"I guess the same could said for my partner, Soul Eater," said Maka.
"Tch…" Soul sucked his teeth.
"You two must be those new students everyone's been talking about," Maka pointed out. "You must be proud of being so popular."
"Actually, we're not quite used to it," Shino said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.
"Then maybe it's too early for you to be on this stage."
"Huh?" Shino and Spike muttered before they are soon approached by Black*Star.
"Listen, pal," said the assassin. "You and your little partner have been the talk of the school around here for the last two weeks, and now that I finally got the chance to meet you, face-to-face, let me tell you straight-up: there's only room for one big star on this stage, and that's me! YAHOO!"
"Uh…okay," Shino said, feeling a bit confused.
"And just who in the hell are you, Mr. High-and-Mighty?" Spike questioned, bluntly.
"Who am I?!" Black*Star questioned. "How rude! You've been here for two weeks, but you know nothing of my great name?!"
Here we go, again, Maka, Soul, and Tsubaki thought in unison.
"I am the biggest star here in the DWMA!" Black*Star declared. "And soon, I shall be known as the greatest star in all the world! I am the great Black*Star, and don't you forget it! YAHOO~!"
A pause.
"Who now?" Spike asked.
Black*Star froze for a moment, but then he glared at Spike.
"You've got some nerve," he said. "You know that, right?"
"Now, now, now, Black*Star!" Tsubaki said. "Let's calm down a bit, here!"
"No," Spike said. "I wanna see what this so-called 'big star' can do."
"With pleasure!" Black*Star declared as he closed his hand into a tight fist and reeled back, which cause Spike to raise her claws as well.
"No, Black*Star!" Tsubaki cried as she grabbed her meister by the arm.
"Spike, stop!" Shino shouted, clutching at Spike's arm, as well.
"No fighting in the school!" they both shouted.
Black*Star and Spike growled at each other, a spark blazing in their eyes, but then, they stopped.
"They're right," said Black*Star. "This is far too small a stage for us to settle our differences. We need a bigger one."
"What did you have in mind?" Spike asked with a toothy smirk.
"A duel in the city," Black*Star replied. "Midnight, tonight. You and your meister against me and Tsubaki."
"Uh…don't I get a say in this?" asked Tsubaki, sweat-dropping.
"Don't forget me, too," Shino added, also sweat-dropping.
"Fine," Spike said. "You better not chicken out at the last minute, Mister Big Man."
"Same to you," Black*Star hissed. "Be there or be square!"
The two growled at each other some more, pressing their foreheads against each other.
Just then, Shino cleared his throat.
"Uh, hey, Spike?" asked Shino. "Shouldn't we be heading to class? Our free period's almost up."
"Oh, yeah," said Spike. "Uh…do any you guys know where Class Crescent Moon is? We may've been here for two weeks, but we couldn't really attend very much since we were so busy hunting for Kishin eggs and all that stuff."
"You spent the past two weeks looking for Kishin eggs?" asked Maka.
"How many do you have, so far?" Soul asked.
"Just 39," Shino answered.
"WHAT?!" the two meisters and weapons cried in disbelief.
"What's the big deal?" Spike asked. "It's only 39."
"That's the most Kishin eggs that anyone has ever collected when they first enroll here!" Maka pointed out. "How did you get so many in only two weeks?!"
"I dunno," Shino said. "I guess we're just lucky."
"Lucky" , my ass! Soul thought. It has to be some kind of secret. Even Maka and I couldn't collect 39 Kishin souls in just two weeks!
"By the way, Shino," Spike said. "Where are Mark and Will?"
"In the nurse's office," Shino replied. "Remember? You told me to leave them there until class is over."
"Oh, yeah," Spike said.
"Who're Mark and Will?" asked Maka.
"My little brothers," Spike answered. "I can introduce you to them later, if you want."
"Sure!" Tsubaki replied. "We'd love to meet them!"
With that, the group headed for class, except for Soul, who remained behind, staring at Spike's back with a rather suspicious glare.
I don't like the looks of this new chick, he thought. If those rumors about her being half-witch and half-werewolf are true…then we could be in for some trouble.
"Soul?" Maka called. "Are you coming or what?"
Soul paused for a moment, but then he began to follow after his friends to the classroom, his hands dipped loosely in the pockets of his hoodie.
XXX
Meanwhile, in the nurse's office, Medusa is sitting at her desk, writing down some notes. However, she had two little helpers, today, and it wasn't Professor Franken Stein or Spirit, AKA Death Scythe.
"Dr. Medusa," said a voice.
Medusa turned and saw a little boy of at least 6 years of age with dark blue hair. He wears a sky blue shirt with a red diamond on the front, pretty much like one of the suits of a playing card, as well as a pair of grayish-blue shorts and pair of light blue shoes that had the same pattern as Spike's: black claw-like streaks.
His most distinguishing features had to be that he had a pair of pointed ears sticking out from the crown of his head, as well as a dark blue bushy tail, as well as a small fang sticking from under his upper lip, and he also has a scar going down his right eye.
"I sorted out all those books for you like you asked," said the boy.
Medusa looked to the bookcase on the other side of the office and smiled at how well-organized they were. Every book on the shelves are neatly placed in alphabetical order.
"Thank you, so much, William," said Medusa. "You've been such a big help to me ever since you and your brother came in here!"
"Call me Will," said the boy with a friendly smile, which Medusa returned. However, inside, she was grimacing at the thought of being so friendly towards this child…and it was only just beginning.
"Hey! Dr. Medusa! Look at me!"
Medusa and Will looked over and saw a boy that looked just like the latter, standing on the bed. The only differences between this boy and Will is that while Will had a red diamond on his shirt, this boy has a black spade printed on his. Also, he has a scar on his left cheek, right under his left eye.
Also, his body is loosely wrapped up in gauze.
"I am a mummy~!" the boy wailed in a frightening voice.
"Mark~!" Will whined.
"Marcus!" Medusa snapped as she got up and proceed to pull of the bandages. "How many times do I have to keep telling you that my medical equipment are not toys!"
"It took me a long time to get that gauze wrapped up, Mark!" Will added.
Marcus, or just Mark as Will called him, just laughed.
"You guys are no fun!" he said.
"Mark, we promised Spike we'd be good until she came to take us home after school!" Will said. "You know how she gets when we don't keep our word!"
"Whatever," Mark said as he dug his finger inside his ear.
Medusa sighed.
These two have been a real hindrance in my research of Ragnarok's Black Blood interacting with Soul Eater, she thought to herself. However, I can't afford to blow my cover, now. I'll have to keep up with this damn charade. Still…I wonder…
Will took the gauze and proceeded to roll it back up for Medusa.
"Boys?" Medusa called to them, gaining their attention. "There's a bit of a rumor going on about your sister."
"Really?" asked Mark.
"What kind of rumor?" asked Will.
"Well, I heard that she's actually the daughter of a witch and a werewolf," said Medusa. "Is that true?"
A slight pause.
"Oh, yeah!" answered Will. "It is true!"
"Really?" Medusa asked, seemingly surprised.
"Oh, yeah!" Mark replied. "That goes for the both of us, too! It's pretty cool, since we can do magic like witches can, but we can also turn into wolves like werewolves can…but we can only do it at night."
"Our sister's the only one who can turn into a weapon, though," added Will.
"Hmm, how interesting," Medusa said.
"Why are you asking this about us all of a sudden, Dr. Medusa?" asked Will.
"Oh…no reason," said Medusa before she returned to her notes.
Just as I suspected, she thought to herself, a noticeable scowl on her face. These three little mutts could really be the children of that traitor: Juliet the White Witch.
She then smirked and snickered in her throat as one of her snakes slipped out of her lips, just slightly so that the twins wouldn't see.
This could be interesting, she thought.
XXX
12:30 pm, after first period, which is also a good time to take a break from class and have lunch. Good thing, too. Soul's, Black*Star's, and Spike's stomachs wouldn't stop growling in the classroom. Almost everybody was looking at them, and their partners were left blushing as red as beets with embarrassment.
Tsubaki decided that it would be nice if they sat outside on the campus to eat lunch, seeing as how it looked like such a nice day, and the others soon agreed. Upon going outside, however, Soul came upon a terrifying discovery.
"I forgot my lunchbox at home!" he cried. "Maka, why didn't you grab it for me on the way out of the apartment?!"
"First of all," Maka started as she opened her lunchbox, "we were both in a rush, so even I couldn't have noticed! Second, you were too busy getting a nosebleed when you got your face in Blair's chest, again!"
"She jumped right on top of me while your back was turned!" Soul argued. "I couldn't get her off!"
Shino stared on in a bit of surprise at Maka and Soul's argument while Black*Star ate his lunch rather quickly (and noisily) while Tsubaki ate hers politely.
However, Spike was eating hers in possibly the most animalistic manner. Not a single grain of rice, a scrap of meat, and even the wasabi paste had vanished in mere seconds!
"Uh…does she always eat like that, Shino?" asked Maka.
"Unfortunately…yes," Shino replied.
"Hey, Shino," said Spike. "Did you bring another lunchbox? I'm still hungry."
"I got two more, but you told me to save those for your brothers," answered Shino.
"Oh, right," Spike muttered. "Speaking of those two, I wonder how those troublemakers are doing."
"Didn't you say you'd introduce us to your brothers?" asked Maka.
"I didn't say now," Spike replied. "I meant like after school or something."
"Oh," said Maka.
"Hi, guys~!"
The group looked up and saw the one and only Death the Kid, and his two weapon partners, Liz and Patty, the latter carrying their lunchboxes.
"Having lunch outside, today, are we?" asked Kid.
"Yeah," Soul answered. "Well, most of us, that is."
Gurgle~! His stomach rumbled, making him blush in a bit of embarrassment.
At that moment, Liz noticed Shino, calmly eating his lunch, and almost instantly, she let out a gasp and her cheeks flushed a faint pink. Without warning, she forcibly shoved Kid out of the way and ran up to the cowboy hat-wearing meister.
"Hi, there!" she greeted him. "I'm Elizabeth Thompson, but you can call me 'Liz'!"
"Uh…hi," Shino greeted her back, a bit surprised. "I'm Shino. Shino Kurohana. Nice to meet you, Liz."
Liz giggled like a little schoolgirl and blushed a bit harder, but that soon came to an end when out of nowhere, Patty squeezed herself in between her sister and the newcomer.
"Hiya!" she greeted with her usual enthusiasm. "I'm Patty! I'm Liz's little sis!"
"I can see that by how you're dressed," Shino commented before he then eyed Liz, then returned his gaze to Patty.
"What's up?" Liz asked.
"Uh…forgive me if I sound a bit rude," Shino began, "but…did you know that your little sister's breasts are bigger than yours?"
Liz froze up at that comment before she slumped.
Thanks for reminding me, she thought in a depressed state.
Just then, Kid looked over at Spike, or rather, at her backside, and saw her two tails sticking out of her skirt, and he gasped.
"Oh, my!" he exclaimed.
"What is it?" Shino asked.
GRAB! Kid grabbed Spike's two tails, much to her surprise.
"Look at this!" he said. "Two tails! One on the left and one on the right! Such beautiful symmetry!"
"Uh, buddy?" Shino called. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!"
Spike turned to face, her lips peeled back in a vicious snarl, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs.
"Let…go…of…MY TAILS!" she roared.
SLASH! She slashed her claws at the Junior Grim Reaper, right along his chest, and the moment he was down, the wolf-eared girl proceeded to pounce on him, clawing and biting him like she was a wild beast, leaving the rest of the gang to watch in disbelief and perhaps a bit of horror.
"What the hell…?!" Soul muttered.
"No!" Shino cried before he got up and ran to Spike. "Spike, stop that! Leave him alone!"
He grabbed Spike by the shoulders and pulls her off of Kid, who is currently in a comically beaten state: bloody and battered.
"Even if she did attack me," said Kid, "she's still so symmetrical."
"Kid, are you all right?!" Liz asked as she and Patty picked their meister up off the ground.
"I'm so sorry about that!" Shino apologized while holding Spike back by her collar. "I should've warned you that Spike doesn't like it when people touch her tails!"
And I thought she got angry when someone walked into her boobs, Soul thought.
"By the way, Shino," said Maka. "That boy that Spike just tried to maul to death is Lord Death's son, Death the Kid."
"Lord Death's son?!" Shino questioned in disbelief.
Spike gasped.
"Oh, crap, what have I done?!" she said.
"It's all right," said Kid as he dusted himself off. "No harm done."
"Are you sure?" asked Shino.
"Yes," said Kid. "After all, your partner has such amazing symmetry." He then looked at Shino, and his eye seemed to twitch in irritation. "Now, you, on the other hand…you're completely asymmetrical!"
"What?" Shino questioned, confused.
"Just look at you!" Kid barked. "You've got your left eye covered by your hair, and you've only got the academy emblem on the right side of your coat! You're completely unbalanced!"
"Well, I think you're one to talk about symmetry," Shino said. "I mean, you've only got three white stripes on one side of your hair and none on the other side. What's up with that?"
A pause, but then, Kid suddenly collapsed on the ground, pounding a fist against and sobbing loudly.
"You're right!" he cried. "How could this be?! I'm an asymmetrical monster~! I should die~!"
"Oh, great, now look what you did," said Liz while Patty just giggled.
"Uh…okay," Spike muttered. "What the hell has he been smoking?"
"I think he might have OCD, Spike," said Shino.
"What?" Spike questioned.
"You know, when someone has obsession about something or another," answered Shino. "Like my uncle. He has an obsession with washing his hands almost every five minutes."
"Oh," Spike muttered.
"Come on, Patty," said Liz. "You know what to do."
"Right!" Patty agreed.
Soon, the Thompson sisters are sitting on their knees and comfortingly rubbing Kid's back.
"Now, now, Kid," said Liz. "Don't be so gloomy. Don't forget, you are a Grim Reaper, after all. So you have three stripes on one side of your hair. What of it?"
"That's right!" Patty said. "Besides, if you were a monster, you'd be really ugly and stuff, and you're not ugly at all!"
Kid sat up on his knees and looked at the sisters with blushing cheeks.
"Oh, girls," he said. "You always know just what to say, don't you?"
"Well, this is a bit…awkward," said Shino.
"I'll say," Spike added.
Grumble~! Soul's stomach growled, again.
"Soul!" Maka scolded.
"I can't help it!" Soul barked. "Damn, I'm so hungry."
"Oh, Soul~!"
Soul looked up and saw the familiar face of Blair, but she was not in her usual outfit, save for her signature witch's hat. She is wearing a rather skimpy purple tank top that revealed quite a lot of cleavage, as well as indigo waist-length shorts.
The moment Blair entered the scene, the boys immediately fell back from getting nosebleeds…except for Shino, for some odd reason.
"Hi, Blair," Maka greeted her.
"Hi, Maka!" Blair greeted back before she looked down at Soul, who is still in shock from his nosebleed.
"H…hi, Blair," he greeted her in a dazed expression.
"Hi, Soul~!" Blair said before she and Maka helped him stand.
Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty did the same with their meisters as well.
"Are you okay, Black*Star?" asked Tsubaki.
"Ya…hoo…!" Black*Star muttered.
"I'll take that as a yes," Tsubaki said with a sweat-drop.
"So, Blair, what are you doing here?" Liz asked.
"Oh, right!" Blair said. "Soul, I brought you something!"
"You did?" asked Soul.
"Yep!" Blair said. "Hang on a second! Pum-pum-pumpkin, pum-pumpkin!"
POOF! A lunchbox appeared out of thin air.
"My lunchbox!" Soul exclaimed before he grabbed it out of the air.
"You left it at home, so I decided I'd bring it to you," Blair said.
"Thanks, Blair!" Soul said before he unwrapped the cloth around it and opened the box, grabbed his chopsticks and started to dig in.
Just then, Blair spotted Shino, who is just standing there.
"Ooh~!" Blair swooned. "Who's the new guy?!"
"This is Shino Kurohana," said Maka, "and that's his partner, Spike."
The moment Blair and Spike met eyes, something immediately sparked between the two…and it wasn't good.
Blair seemed to hiss and bare her fangs while Spike growled at her in a beastly manner.
"You absolutely reek of cat," said Spike.
"And you stink of dog," Blair commented.
"Wrong, I'm a wolf," Spike said.
"What's the difference?" Blair questioned.
"Uh-oh," the girls muttered. "Not good."
"Wait, what's the problem?" asked Shino.
"Uh, Shino, there's something you should know about Blair," said Maka. "You see…she's a cat."
"A cat?" Shino questioned. "But…she doesn't even look like one!"
"It's hard to believe, I know," said Soul, "but it turns out she's a cat with a ridiculous amount of magic."
"Yeah," said Liz. "And you know what they say about cats and dogs, don't you?"
Shino's eye went wide before he glanced at Blair and Spike, who are currently butting heads (literally). It was clear to the gang that Spike at least 3 inches taller than Blair, seeing as how the former had to bend down a bit in order for her forehead to meet the latter's forehead.
"You've got some nerve showing up here," said Spike. "For a cat, you're not very smart, are you?"
"So what if I'm not?" Blair asked, bluntly.
"I haven't had cat ears in a while," said Spike. "I wonder how yours would taste."
At that moment, Blair didn't seem so confident, anymore. In fact, she appeared to be rather…afraid. Spike seemed to sense this, for she started growling menacingly, causing the cat to shrink back a bit before…
WOOF! Spike let out a huge bark that sent Blair into her cat form and yowling in fear before she ran and hid behind Maka.
"Okay, okay!" she said. "You win!"
Spike gave Blair a cocky smirk.
"Oh, Spike," Shino muttered.
By this time, Soul had finished eating his lunchbox and glanced at Spike, who looked back at him.
"By the way, Shino," said Maka. "Where'd you come from, anyway?"
"Well," Shino said, "before I lived in Death City, I used to live on a dude ranch in Texas with my grandparents, but that was before I became a meister."
"Really?" asked Maka. "Well, what about Spike?"
"Yes, where was she born?" asked Tsubaki.
Spike seemed to freeze upon hearing those questions, and then, out of the blue, she started walking away, which Shino quickly noticed before putting on a look of concern and turning to the others.
"Uh…I'm sorry," he said, "but for some reason, Spike doesn't like talking about where she used to live. In fact, she never told me a thing about her past. I just found her one night, trying to eat out of the garbage. I took her under my wing and we've been together ever since."
"Oh, that's so sweet," Maka said.
"Yeah, sounds pretty familiar," Liz added. "Doesn't it, Patty?"
"Yeah!" Patty agreed, enthusiastically.
"Then, a few weeks after we met," Shino began, "Spike's littler brothers came to live us, but for some reason, she wouldn't tell me why. She even told her brothers not to tell me."
"Did something happen?" Tsubaki asked.
"Like I said, Spike wouldn't tell me," Shino said. "She just acted all quiet for a few days until she went back to her old irritable self."
A slight pause came, but then, Soul suddenly put a hand to Maka's shoulder, getting her attention.
"Maka?" he asked. "There's something I need to talk to you about…alone."
Maka suddenly put on a look of seriousness. She knew that whenever Soul had something to say, she would listen…even if sometimes, it sounded a tad ridiculous.
"Excuse us," said Maka. "Soul and I need to have a bit of a private moment."
"In the meantime," said Shino, "I'm gonna go and see if Spike's okay."
With that, Shino went off after Spike while Soul pulled Maka away from the rest of the group and stood behind one of the pillars of the school.
"Okay, Soul, what is it?" Maka asked.
"…I think that Spike might be hiding something," said Soul.
"What?" Maka asked. "What makes you think that?"
"Think about it," said Soul. "She and her meister show up, two weeks after hunting Kishin eggs, and she acts like such an antisocial bitch. She even growls like a dog! I'm starting to think that those rumors about her being half-witch and half-werewolf is true!"
"So what if it is?!" Maka asked. "Soul, maybe she acts so angry at other people because sometimes, they leave bad impression on her, like how you walked right into her boobs."
"That was not my…!" Soul started to argue, but then he regained his composure. "Stay cool, Soul. Stay cool. Anyway, Maka, I swear that Spike is hiding something…and I'm gonna find out what it is!"
"Fine," Maka said, "but I think you're just jealous."
"Jealous?!" Soul repeated. "Don't be ridiculous. Cool guys DO NOT get jealous! Why should I have a reason to be jealous, anyway?!"
"Maybe because she and Shino collected so many Kishin eggs in only two weeks," said Maka. "Not even you and I could collect that many in that amount of time. I admit, I was a bit jealous at first, but I left it behind me after seeing how friendly Shino is."
Soul growled in his throat and looked away from Maka.
"Soul," said Maka, "can't you try and be friendly to them? For me? Please?"
The demon scythe looked at his meister, who gave him this pleading smile, and he sighed.
"All right," said Soul. "I'll try."
Maka smiled at her partner.
"Thanks, Soul. You're the best."
"Yeah, yeah, I heard it all before."
XXX
Meanwhile, with Shino and Spike, the two are inside the academy, standing close to the lockers.
"Spike," said Shino. "I'm really sorry about bringing that up. I forgot that you don't like talking about where you come from."
"It's not your fault," Spike said.
"Still," said Shino, "why do you hate talking about it, so much? Was it really bad?"
"I just…I just don't wanna tell you, okay?" asked Spike, holding her arm. "It's complicated. As my meister, you should respect that."
"Spike, I told you this before," said Shino. "I'm not just your meister. I'm your friend. Why is that so hard to understand?"
Spike was silent.
"Spike, please," Shino said. "I'm starting to think you don't trust me, and it's kinda hurting my feelings. So if something's wrong…please, just tell me. It can be our little secret, okay?"
Spike looked at Shino, who gave her a pleading look, and she heaved sigh.
"Well," she said. "If you really wanna know…it's-"
"Ah, there you are."
The two look up and saw Professor Stein approaching them, sitting in his chair.
"Oh, hello, Professor Stein," Shino greeted him.
"Oh, great," Spike muttered. "It's Captain Dissector. What do you want now?"
"Spike, will you stop that?" asked Shino in an irritated tone before turning to Stein.
"Do you need something, Professor?" he asked.
"Actually, I came to inform you that Lord Death has summoned you both to the Death Room," said Stein.
"Oh, great," Spike muttered. "He's probably got another mission for us. Just when I thought we had a break. Oh, well. I'm in the mood for Kishin eggs all of a sudden, anyway."
"Then I guess we better be going," said Shino.
XXX
1:45. After wandering around the school for some time and finally getting directions, Shino and Spike finally reached the Death Room. Once there, they saw Death himself, as well as the Death Scythe, Spirit, Maka's father.
"Hello, Lord Death," Shino said.
"Wazzup?" asked Spike.
"Wazzup, to you, too, Shino and Sicily!" Death greeted them both.
"It's 'Spike', Lord Death," Spike said. "Please stop calling me by my real name."
"Do you need something?" asked Shino.
"Actually, yes!" Death said. "I have a mission for you two!"
"Another one?" Shino asked. "Lord Death, we've been hunting Kishin eggs for two weeks! Don't you think we deserve a break? We finally got to make some friends, like Miss Maka and-"
"Maka?!"
Shino suddenly found himself face-to-face with an angry Spirit.
"Now, you hang on just a minute, young man!" Spirit snapped. "You better not be trying to put the moves on my little girl, you hear me?!"
"I-I-I didn't do anything of the sort!" Shino said. "I swear!"
"Yeah, that's what they all say!" Spirit said.
"No, really!" Shino argued. "I never once flirted with her! I just met her today, for crying out loud!"
"Wow," Spike said. "That is one overprotective father."
"Ahem!" Death cleared his throat, forcing Spirit to back away from Shino.
"Thank you," said Shino.
"Anytime," said Death. "Anyway, you two are needed in the United States to hunt down the mass murdering couple: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow."
"Bonnie and Clyde?" Shino asked.
"I think I've heard of those two," said Spike. "They're a couple of gangsters, too, right?"
"That's right!" Death said.
"After we find these two," said Shino. "Then can we have a break?"
"Of course," Death answered. "You deserve after working so hard for your first two weeks. Now go on! Run along now, and be careful out there!"
"Okay," said Spike, "but first, let me stop by the nurse's office so I can tell my brothers to wait a bit longer."
"Good idea," said Shino.
With that, the two turned to leave.
"See ya when we get back, Lord Death!" Shino called. "If Maka and the others ask, tell them not to worry about us!"
"All right!" Death called back. "Good luck you two!"
As soon as the cowboy hat-wearing meister and his wolf-eared partner left the Death Room, they soon came face-to-face with Maka, Soul, and the others.
"Oh! Miss Maka!" said Shino. "Hello, again!"
"Hello, again, to you too," said Maka with a smile.
"Where are you guys off to?" Soul asked.
"We're off to the States," Shino answered. "Lord Death asked us to take care of the two gangsters, Bonnie and Clyde."
"You have another mission, already?" Tsubaki asked.
"Yeah, I know, it's hard to believe," said Shino, "but hey, when Lord Death asks us to do something, we have to do it. It's our job as weapon and meister to hunt down Kishin souls and make sure the world stays at peace."
"Wow," Maka said in awe.
"Now, if you'll excuse us, we're off," Shino said as he and Spike walked passed the group.
"Wait!" Soul called.
"What do you want, now?" asked Spike.
"Do you mind…if we go with you?" Soul asked.
"Soul, this is their mission!" Maka said. "We can't interfere with it!"
"I just wanna see how you hunt for Kishin eggs, that's all," Soul said. "We won't get in the way."
"I'd actually like to see how you do your hunting, too," said Tsubaki.
"It would be rather interesting to see your techniques," said Kid.
"I doubt it will be anything like how I, the great Black*Star, does his hunting," Black*Star added.
"I bet it'd be really cool!" Patty chimed in.
"Plus, I think we could get to know each other a bit more," said Liz.
"So, what do you say?" asked Soul.
Spike sighed in a bit of frustration.
"What do you think, Shino?" she asked her meister.
"Well…I guess," Shino said. "I mean, I don't see much harm. Why not? You guys can come with us."
"Thanks, Shino," Maka said.
Maybe now, I can finally prove to Maka that Spike really is hiding something, Soul thought.
XXX
10:00 pm in Louisiana. The sound of Zydeco music filled the air, and people are dancing in the streets with joy and vigor. They even wore rather unique costumes.
Then again, it was Mardi Gras night. In Louisiana, if one were to wear something scary, the locals would just think it's a costume.
The moment the gang came to Louisiana, they were given a rather warm welcome by the locals. They were even given Mardi Gras beads as souvenirs!
"Wow," said Maka. "I've never been to a place so lively before."
"Ah, you get used to it," said Shino. "I actually came here before with my grandparents to visit my cousins."
"That Zydeco music is really cool, too," said Soul, tapping his foot to the rhythm of the music going on in the background.
"These beads are so pretty!" Patty exclaimed.
"And look at the costumes that the people are wearing," Kid said. "Perfectly symmetrical. Well…most of them are."
"YAHOO!" Black*Star cried. "These folks sure know a star when they see one, don't they? Check out the gifts they gave me!"
"They gave us all beads, Black*Star," said Tsubaki.
"Well, I'm gonna get the most beads!" Black*Star said.
"Guys, can we focus?" Spike asked. "We're here to find two gangsters, not get beads."
"Right," Shino said. "Let's get farther away from this crowd, then we can get to work. We don't wanna cause a panic."
"Why?" asked Soul. "Can't we just start hunting right here?"
"We can help, if you want," Maka added.
"Trust me, it's best if we do it our way," said Shino. "Just follow us."
Shino and Spike walked away with the others following behind. As they went further and further into the city, the Zydeco music began to die down in the distance, and the crowds began to shrink until finally…it was just them.
"I think this is far enough," said Shino.
"So can we get started already?" asked Spike. "I'm starving over here!"
"Yep," Shino answered. "Do your thing, Spike."
Spike smirked before she began to glow purple, much to the surprise of the others.
"What's going on?" asked Maka, a bit concerned.
"You'll see," said Shino.
Suddenly, Spike's body began to change shape. Her spine arched, her mouth face became longer, and her nose took on a shade of charcoal black, as did her lips. Her fangs became more pronounced, and hair began to grow all over her body, even through her clothes. The only thing that remained unchanged are her eyes, her collar, her fur color, and her tails.
Spike had transformed into a two-tailed wolf.
"Whoa!" Black*Star exclaimed.
"She can turn into a wolf?!" Soul questioned.
"Yeah, but only at night," replied Shino. "Don't know why, though."
"Even her wolf form is symmetrical," Kid commented.
"So…why did Spike change into a wolf?" asked Liz.
"You'll see," Shino said. "Spike…do your stuff."
"Right," Spike answered before she began to take in a deep inhale through her nose.
"Is she sniffing?" asked Kid.
"Yep," Shino answered.
"What is she trying to sniff out?" Tsubaki asked. "Tracks? Sweat? Blood?"
"Nope," Shino answered. "She's sniffing for souls."
"Souls?!" the others asked in disbelief.
"That's right," said Shino. "Kishin souls. You see, since Spike is a wolf, her sense of smell is far superior than that of any human. In fact, her sense of smell is so high, she can actually smell the 'scent' of someone's Soul Wavelength. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Actually…yeah," Soul answered.
Suddenly, GRRRRRR~! Spike began to grow viciously, strings of saliva dripping from her maw. Then, without warning, she broke out in a run, forcing the others to give chase after her.
"Does this mean she has the scent?" Maka asked as she ran.
"Yeah," Shino answered. "Unfortunately, this is pretty much the part I hate the most! Spike runs way too fast! SPIKE, SLOW DOWN!"
"WAIT FOR US, WILL YA, YOU DAMN MUTT?!" Soul shouted.
"SOUL, I DON'T THINK THAT HELPS!" Maka yelled.
After what felt like hours of running, the group finally found themselves in front of the locked gates of a graveyard. Spike was more than ready to go in, but first, she had to stop and wait for the others to catch their breath.
"Must you…run…so fast?" asked Shino between huffs.
"Not my fault you don't have four legs," Spike said bluntly.
"Not…cool…" Soul panted.
"Even I…have never run…that much…huh, Tsubaki?" asked Black*Star.
"Y…yes…" Tsubaki answered.
Spike rolled her eyes before she turned to look at the graveyard. Then, she raised her claws and SLASH! She cut the chains and lock off. KRREEEEE~! The gate creaked open, and Spike and Shino entered, and the group followed not too far behind…except for Liz.
"Liz, aren't you coming?" asked Maka.
"I think I'm gonna stay out here," Liz answered, a bit nervously. "Graveyards make me a little nervous, you know?"
"Okay, you can stay outside…all alone," Soul said with a toothy smirk.
"Have fun, sis!" Patty said.
Liz gulped.
"I'll be okay," she told herself in the hope of self-encouragement. "I'll be fine! I'm not scared of standing outside of a spooky graveyard~!"
WHOOOOOO~! An eerie noise wailed behind Liz, and she yelped before she ran to join the others.
"W-wait up!" she cried.
If Liz were to take a look around, she would've seen that the wailing she heard was just an owl, sitting in a tree branch.
XXX
Inside the graveyard, Spike suddenly stopped walking.
"Quick!" she whispered. "Everybody, hide!"
The gang soon scattered to find hiding places, which wasn't really hard since they were in a graveyard. They could easily slip the tombstones.
"Did you spot them, Spike?" asked Shino.
"Yep," Spike replied before she peered around the corner of a tombstone to see two shadowy figures.
One appeared to be tall woman dressed Victorian-style with a dark red dress and a flower cap. She had long dark brown, almost spiky hair, pale skin, and her most distinguishing feature are her sharp teeth.
The other appeared to be a rather stocky man with slicked-back, greasy black hair, a gray suit with white pinstripes, polished Italian leather shoes, and, like the woman, had sharp teeth.
In their hands are two sacks, possibly filled with human souls that they planned on eating for their midnight snack.
"There they are," said Spike. "Bonnie and Clyde. What a couple of creeps."
"I can sense human souls in those bags they're carrying," said Maka.
"Let's do it, Spike," said Shino said.
"Right," said Spike.
SHEEN! A purple-and-black blade appeared out of the left side of Spike's neck. Shino put a hand on her back, and once he did, she began to glow purple, again. Then, she changed shape, once again. She had become a scythe with a purple-and-black blade, a silver staff, and a sort of tail-like attachment on the end that was fastened to a red bead.
"We'll handle this," said Shino as he slung Spike over his shoulder. "Everybody, just stand back."
"O-okay," Maka said. "Be careful, Shino. One false move, and-"
"You don't gotta say it, Miss Maka," said Shino. "I'm always careful."
Maka was a bit taken back by those words. Before she could say anything else, Shino silently approached the two evil humans while carrying Spike over his shoulder.
"Look at these beautiful, delicious souls, Bonnie my dear," said Clyde. "There should be enough souls to make us even more powerful than any other mob in the world!"
"I can hardly wait to sink my teeth into them," said Bonnie.
"After you, my love," said Clyde.
"You won't be eating any human souls tonight!"
The couple looked up and saw Shino approaching them.
"And just who the hell are you, boy?!" asked Clyde.
"And what do you want?!" Bonnie hissed, questioningly.
"I am Shino Kurohana, a One Star Scythe Meister," Shino answered. "Mass Murderers, Bonnie and Clyde! Your souls have strayed from the path of humanity and have become Kishin eggs and therefore are pure evil! In the name of Lord Death, I shall claim them! Your souls are mine!"
A pause, but then Bonnie and Clyde laughed at Shino, causing him to glare.
"Yeah, right!" Clyde exclaimed.
"Just try it, cowboy!" Bonnie shouted before she and Clyde pulled out two Tommy guns and began to open fire on Shino.
"Look out!" Maka cried.
Shino just picked up Spike and began to charge at the two gangsters, swinging his weapon partner in a circular motion, causing the bullets to bounce off of her. When that wasn't enough, the cowboy hat-wearing scythe meister maneuvered around the gunshots, ducking, weaving, and spinning, almost like in some sort of dance. Then, he leapt up and swung Spike's blade downward, only to miss as Bonnie and Clyde as they leapt away and jumped onto one tombstone, each.
"Hold still!" Shino shouted before he attempted to swing Spike at them again, only to miss. He jumped away when the two opened fire on him once more, and then ran into the shadows of the graveyard.
"What the hell?!" Soul questioned.
"He ran away?!" Kid asked.
"No," Tsubaki said. "He's just hiding."
"He's using one of the Assassin's Rules…!" Black*Star pointed out.
"That's right," Tsubaki said. "Assassin's Rule #1: Silence. Dissolve in the darkness and erase your breath. Wait for an opening to attack your target."
Bonnie and Clyde looked around, trying to find any trace of either Shino or Spike, but all they heard was silence.
"Where'd he go?!" Bonnie asked. "He just disappeared."
"Well, that damn brat has to be around here, somewhere!" said Clyde.
"Assassin's Rule #2: Transpositional Thinking," Black*Star said. "Analyze the target in order to predict their thoughts and movements. Assassin's Rule #3: Speed. Take out the target before they notice your presence."
All of a sudden, Clyde spotted the light of moon shining off of Spike's blade, and before he could fully process the situation, Shino suddenly appeared out of the darkness with a battle cry.
"Die!" Clyde shouted before he opened fire on Shino, who swiftly maneuvered around the shots until he jumped and swung Spike at him, once more.
KLANG! Clyde attempted to block Spike's blade with his gun, only for the blade to end up cutting straight through the gun and slicing Clyde right in the neck. Clyde exploded into a cloud of darkness, leaving nothing behind but a Kishin egg.
"CLYDE~!" Bonnie cried in horror, while Maka, Soul, and the others watched in disbelief and surprise.
"Whoa…!" Maka said. "He's got so much skill!"
"So cool~!" Patty exclaimed.
"Is he really a One Star Meister?!" Soul asked.
Shino then turned to face Bonnie, a glint in his eye. The evil woman gasped in horror before she turned and fled.
"You may've gotten Clyde but you won't get me!" she shouted as she ran.
"What are you doing, just standing there?!" Soul barked. "She's getting away!"
"She won't get far!" Shino called before he lifted Spike in the air.
"Do it, Shino," she said.
"One…two…THREE!" Shino counted.
WHOOSH! He threw Spike straight at Bonnie's back like a boomerang, and before the evil woman realized it, SHUNK! Spike's blade punctured her, right in her back and through her stomach. Bonnie exploded, just like Clyde, leaving nothing behind but her soul.
Shino sighed.
"Man, what a hassle," he said.
Spike's weapon form started to glow before she returned to her human form. Then, she grabbed the Kishin egg and, somehow, one of her tails stretched out and grabbed the other like a hand. With a toothy grin, Spike opened her mouth wide, placed them both on her tongue, chewed on them to take in their tasteless but irresistible texture, and finally swallowing them and letting out a satisfied belch.
"Eww~!" the girls groaned in disgust.
"Nice!" Soul and Black*Star praised.
Kid just rolled his eyes as Shino approached his partner from behind, his hands in the pockets of his coat.
"That's officially 38 Kishin eggs," said Shino. "We did good tonight."
"Yeah," Spike answered, "but that was almost too easy, as usual."
"That was…amazing!" Maka said as she and the others came out of their hiding places.
"Oh, uh…thanks," Shino said, rubbing the back of his head, bashfully. "It's no big deal. Really."
"You took out two evil humans without so much as breaking a sweat!" Tsubaki exclaimed.
"You two are so awesome!" Patty chimed in.
"Oh, stop it," Shino said, even more sheepishly.
"We're not really used to all this praise," said Spike.
"Well, still, you deserve it!" Maka said. "You're very skilled for a One Star Meister!"
"Yes, well done to both of you!" Tsubaki added.
"Well, maybe this once, the great Black*Star will acknowledge your skill," said Black*Star.
"Not bad, cowboy!" Liz praised.
Soul, however, remained silent. So far, after watching Spike and Shino in action, he still had no proof that the former is hiding a secret!
Still, he had to stop and think for a moment. Maybe Maka was right. Maybe Soul just is jealous of how skilled the two are. After watching them like this, it almost reminded him of how good a team he and Maka are.
Perhaps he could still give Spike a chance after all.
"Come on!" Patty called. "Let's go back to town! There's still an hour left until Mardi Gras is over!"
"I hear that!" Liz agreed.
"YAHOO! Let's go!" Black*Star exclaimed.
However, as the group headed back to town, they had no idea that they were being watched by a large shadowy creature, sitting in a tree branch, observing them from afar. The creature's lips peeled back to reveal a grin full of sharp fangs, and an almost vicious laughter that sounded like a growl rumbled in its throat.
"Sicily…at last, I've found you…and it won't be long until I've found your brothers, as well!"
XXX
By the time the gang got back to town, no one was there to greet them.
"That's weird," said Shino. "Where is everybody?"
"Don't tell me it's midnight, already," Tsubaki said. "Mardi Gras always ends at midnight."
"Dammit!" Black*Star cursed. "I wanted to get more beads!"
"Me, too~!" Patty whined.
Maka looked down and spotted some broken bead necklaces. Not only that…but she could've sworn she saw what appeared to be…a bloody paw print.
"What's up Maka?" Soul asked.
"Look at this," said Maka, pointing to the paw print.
"It's just a paw print," said Soul.
"Not just any paw print," Maka pointed out. "It's a BLOODY paw print."
"Maybe there was a doggie here and he got hurt," said Patty, also eying the paw print.
"This paw print looks way too big to belong to any dog, Patty," Liz said.
"She's right," Kid said. "Also, look at the shape."
Upon getting a closer look at the paw print, they saw it looked longer and the digits seemed to be more separated…almost like that of a human foot.
Spike's eyes suddenly went wide, and she started to back away from the print, much to the confusion of the gang.
"What's the matter, Spike?" Shino asked.
"Uh…I-I just think we should hurry back to Death City, that's all," said Spike, a bit of nervousness in her tone.
At that moment, Soul noticed that the wolf-girl had broken out in a cold sweat, and almost instantly, he felt his suspicions come back, and he began to approach her somewhat menacingly.
"What's the rush?" asked Soul.
"N-no rush!" Spike answered. "I-I'm just worried about my little brothers, that's all! Hehehehehehe…?"
"You know what?" Soul questioned. "I've had it. I'm sick and tired of playing the Waiting Game! You've been keeping secrets from your own Meister, haven't you?!"
"What?" Shino questioned. "Of course not! Spike would never keep secrets from me! Would you, Spike?"
A pause.
"Spike?" Shino called before he turned to face his partner and saw that she is holding her hands together in a bit of a nervous manner.
"Spike, what is it?" Maka asked.
""Is there something wrong?" Tsubaki asked.
"I…I…" Spike muttered.
"Spike…if there's something wrong, you can tell me, remember?" Shino said. "Please…just tell me. What's the problem?"
Spike chewed her lip and her ears folded back against her head.
"Well?" Soul asked. "We're waiting!"
As Spike opened her mouth to speak, something huge with glowing yellow eyes appeared behind Shino, and when she saw it raise a paw filled with sharp claws, she gasped in shock and horror.
"SHINO, LOOK OUT!" Spike cried before she lunged at him and tackled him to the ground, just as the shadowy creature swung its claws down on him, only to miss and causing the rest of the gang to jump away.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Shino cursed.
"What is that?!" Liz asked, scared out of her mind.
"Doggie!" Patty exclaimed, gleefully.
"No, Patty, you're wrong!" Kid exclaimed. "It's…"
"…a werewolf?!" Maka questioned.
Indeed. Upon stepping out of the shadows, the creature is revealed to be a huge werewolf, at least as tall as Death, himself, with a broad, muscular chest, buffed up arms and legs, black fur with a bluish-gray snout, chest, and underbelly, as well as a pair of golden yellow eyes, and he is dressed up in a ripped up green shirt and brown trousers.
The beast snarled at the group, but his eyes seemed to be more focused…on Spike. He grinned and chuckled evilly as he took a step toward the wolf-girl.
"Why, Sicily, my dear," he said. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes. How have you and your brothers been? You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you…my child."
"Child?" Shino repeated, questioningly.
"Spike, do you know this guy?" asked Black*Star.
"I don't just know him," Spike said. "This guy is Dark Fang, a werewolf from the Blood Moon Clan…and he's my Dad."
Everyone gasped in surprise and disbelief.
"Your father?!" they all cried.
"That's right," said Dark Fang. "You all seem surprised. Don't tell me you haven't told them, Sicily, my dear."
"Sh-shut up!" Spike barked, albeit still a bit frightened. "How the hell did you find me, anyway?!"
"Simple," said Dark Fang. "I was just waiting for you to slip up and drop your Soul Protect spell."
"You can use Soul Protect, too?!" Tsubaki asked.
"But I thought only witches can use Soul Protect!" Shino said.
"Well, what did you expect?" Dark Fang asked. "Her mother is a witch, after all."
"WHAT?!" the gang cried.
So the rumors about her being half-witch and half-werewolf really are true! Soul thought.
"And now, Sicily," said Dark Fang, "since I've finally found you…what do you say I eat your soul?"
Spike gasped.
"No," she whispered. "No, please! I'm begging you! Don't kill me!"
SLUP! Dark Fang licked his chops and began to advance toward Spike, who sat on the ground, eyes wide with terror and her body shuddering, but then, Shino stood in his path sneering at him.
"What's this?" asked Dark Fang.
"If you wanna eat Spike's soul," Shino growled, "then you'll have to kill me first."
"That can be arranged," Dark Fang said, holding up his claws.
"Spike!" Shino called. "Weapon form! Now!"
A pause.
"Spike?" Shino called, again before he turned to face her partner…who is still on the ground, staring up at Dark Fang.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Dark Fang cackled. "You fool! Do you really think that Sicily is stupid enough to go against her own father?!"
POW! The male werewolf punched Shino dead center in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground in a heap and sending his hat flying off his head.
"Shino!" Maka cried.
Shino struggled to get his knees, coughing up some blood and even spitting out a tooth as he did.
"What's this?" Dark Fang questioned, mockingly. "You're the first human that has ever survived taking a punch to the face from me. I must say, I'm a bit impressed. However…"
He suddenly leapt at Shino.
"THAT STILL WON'T SAVE YOU!"
BAM! He pinned the Scythe Meister against the ground with his hand, causing him to gag.
"I've eaten human souls, before," said Dark Fang. "Killing and eating yours will be no different, boy!" He then lifted Shino to the point where he was an inch above the ground by his neck. "However…I think I'll have a bit of fun with you, first. Try not to die so quickly, though. That really bores me."
BAP! Dark Fang kicked Shino in the face, sending him flying away several feet. The former disappeared and then reappeared behind the latter, just as he was about to land on the ground. POW! He slammed him, headfirst into the ground, causing him to cough up even more blood than before. WHAM! The werewolf then kicked him in the back, sending him crashing through the glass window of a nearby shop.
Dark Fang cackled as he went after Shino again, this time stamping his foot into his stomach, right into his solar plexus.
"GAH!" Shino gagged as he coughed up more blood.
"What's wrong?" Dark Fang asked. "Are you getting weak already? I'm only using at least a quarter of my power!"
WHAP! He grabbed the bloodied Scythe Meister by his scalp and lifted him up again.
"I've barely begun!" the werewolf declared before tossed him out the window and into the street. He jumped out after him and slammed both fists into the back of his skull.
"S…Spike…!" Shino called out, weakly. "H-he…help me…!"
Spike just sat in her place, still watching in horror.
"Spike, do something!" Maka shouted. "Shino needs help!"
"Can't you see your Meister is getting mauled to death?!" Soul questioned. "Stand up and turn into your Weapon Form, you moron!"
Spike still sat in her place, petrified with fear.
"Spike, why are you just sitting there?!" Tsubaki asked. "Come on! You have to help Shino, or else he'll die!"
"Come on!" Black*Star shouted. "Don't tell me you're scared! You gotta save Shino! What about our duel?! You can't fight me without him!"
"I…I just can't!" Spike stammered. "I'm too scared!"
"Just put aside your fear, for now!" Kid shouted. "Your Meister will die if you don't do something soon!"
"Get up and fight!" Liz added.
"Hurry, or Shino's dead meat!" Patty chimed in.
Spike just sat there, still terrified.
"Rrgh…that's it!" Soul barked. "If you won't do anything, then we will! Let's go, Maka!"
"Right!" Maka agreed.
Soul transformed into his Weapon form and flew into Maka's hands.
"Tsubaki! Kusarigama, now!" Black*Star ordered.
"Yes!" Tsubaki agreed.
Tsubaki transformed into her Chained Scythe form and Black*Star grabbed her out of the air.
"Liz! Patty! Now!" Kid demanded.
"Right!" Liz shouted.
"Let's go!" Patty exclaimed.
The Thompson transformed into their Twin Pistol forms and fell into Kid's hands.
As Dark Fang lifted his claws to finish Shino off, KLANG! His claws suddenly struck Soul's blade!
"Get…away…FROM HIM!" Maka shouted before she pushed Dark Fang back.
BANG! BANG! BANG! The werewolf jumped away when he saw Kid firing Liz and Patty at him.
"YAHOO!"
KLANG! Black*Star threw Tsubaki down at Dark Fang, who jumped away, once again before she could land a hit on him. The beast stared at the Meisters, who all stood in a fighting stance in front of Shino's battered body.
"Grrr…" Dark Fang growled at them. "You damn DWMA brats. I could've had a fresh kill!"
"Someone will get killed all right," said Maka.
"And it's not gonna be Shino, or any of us, for that matter," Soul added.
"If you wanna kill Shino," Black*Star started, "then you'll have to get passed all of us, first."
"And I highly doubt that a monster like you can get passed three Meisters and their weapons," Kid added.
"The choice is yours, Dark Fang," said Tsubaki.
"Either you try and get passed all of us…" Liz started.
"Or you lose your soul!" Patty finished.
Dark Fang looked at Spike, who is still sitting on the ground in fear, and then back at the rest of the gang, who glared at him menacingly.
"Humph," he scoffed. "It's not much fun when the prey decides to fight back, especially in numbers, but rest assured, I shall return, regardless, and when I do, Sicily and her brothers' souls will be mine! And who knows? Maybe I'll have your souls for a snack, first!"
With that, Dark Fang turned and galloped off, letting out an eerie howl as he fled.
Soul, Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty returned to their human forms.
"Bye-bye, Doggie Man~!" Patty called, waving after him.
"Damn cowardly mutt," said Black*Star. "He probably couldn't handle the thought of trying to fight a big star like me."
"That was scary," Tsubaki said. "I really thought he was gonna fight us."
"Are all werewolves like this?" Soul asked.
"Who knows?" Maka asked. "This is the first time I've ever faced a werewolf. I'm actually glad he ran away."
"But he may hold up to his threat," Kid commented. "We better report this to my Father when we get back."
"Great," said Liz. "That means we'll have to be on guard for who knows how long!"
"Shino?"
The gang turned and saw Spike, holding her Meister in her arms.
"Shino, are you okay?" Spike asked, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"Y…yeah," said Shino.
"Oh, don't lie, you moron!" Spike said. "Look at you, you're covered in blood and it's all my fault! I'm so sorry I didn't help you Shino…I was just so scared! Every time I see my Father, he just…he just terrifies my very soul! I'm so sorry, Shino!"
Shino weakly raised his hand and gently pet Spike on her head.
"It's gonna be okay, Spike," he said. "I'm not mad at you."
"You should be," Spike retorted, tearfully.
Soul watched the two and sighed.
Oh, great, he thought. This is so not cool. Now instead of feeling proud of myself, I just feel guilty.
"C'mon, Spike," said Soul. "Let's head back to the academy so Dr. Medusa can get a look at him."
"Soul?" Maka asked.
"What?" Soul asked back. "You said I should give her a chance, right?"
Maka stared at Soul in surprise, and then smiled at her partner.
"Yeah," she said.
XXX
2 days after the Louisiana incident, life seemed to be returning to normal. Shino only suffered a mild concussion, a broken ankle, and four cracked ribs. Medusa gave him a doctor's note telling him to rest for at least three more days at home, to which he agreed to.
Spike was apologizing to her Meister up and down during that time, even after Shino had said that she had been forgiven and that what happened was not all her fault. However, in the hope that something like this wouldn't happen again, Maka shared this advice with the two.
"Spike is gonna have to learn to overcome her fear, sooner or later. If I were you, Shino, I'd get to work on that right away."
Shino seemed a bit unsure, but he decided to heed Maka's advice and consult Stein about the matter.
Soul apologized to Spike about accusing her of keeping secrets, which she forgave since he was partly right. However, she did leave him with this one threat.
"If you accuse me of keeping secrets again, Soul, then I suggest you watch your back, because I might be chewing on it."
Black*Star decided to postpone his and Spike's duel until Shino made a full recovery. Also, he gained two new fans, as well, during those two days: Spike's little brothers, Will and Mark. The two were so amazed at what a "big star" he was, they asked him for his autograph…on their arms.
Spike washed them off as soon as they got home.
Maka couldn't help but notice that Will seemed to take a liking to Tsubaki the moment he saw her, and maybe it was just her, but perhaps the little were-witch was crushing on the Dark Arm, which she really found rather cute. She just hoped Black*Star didn't get the wrong idea once he found out.
Kid, Liz, and Patty reported the incident to Death, who only had this to say.
"The only person who could be Sicily's mother is Juliet the White Witch. She has quite a history, really! She is the only known witch who uses her magic for good!"
"A witch who uses her powers for good, eh?" Kid asked.
"So, why did she fall for a werewolf like Dark Fang?" asked Liz. "Doesn't make sense to me."
"Well, long story short," Death said, "they fell in love, got married, and had children together."
"But Dark Fang said that he wanted to eat Sicily's soul," Kid pointed out. "Why is that?"
"Ah, yes," Death said. "You see, Dark Fang heard that his younger brother, Storm Claw had defeated the patriarch of the Blood Moon Clan after eating the souls of his own children."
"He what?!" Liz questioned in shock.
"Ooh, that's creepy!" Patty said.
"I see now," said Kid. "Dark Fang believed that by eating the souls of his children, he'll gain unbelievable strength. He must want to grab power from his brother."
"That seems to be the case," Death agreed, "but when Juliet found out about this, she put a curse on him, forcing him to wander the earth in his werewolf form for all eternity. Since he can no longer return to his human form, Dark Fang is forced to hide in the darkness of night. Otherwise, if he were to go out into the sunlight, he would be destroyed."
"I see," Kid said. "No wonder Sicily is so afraid of him."
"If that's the case, then where's Spike's mom, now?" asked Liz.
"From what I've heard, she's in hiding," Death replied. "Apparently, Dark Fang attacked again a few nights after Sicily left home and attempted to eat the souls of her brothers, as well as her soul. Juliet probably believed that Sicily could protect them, so she sent them here to live with her, unaware of her fear."
"But for how long?" Patty asked.
"Probably until her old man decides to give up," Liz answered, "which will probably be never."
"In that case, we may have to try and protect Sicily until she learns to conquer her fear of her father," Kid said.
"I agree," said Death. "Let's just hope she won't get the wrong idea."
But meanwhile, in the alleys of Death City, a familiar beast stood in the shadows, away from the rays of the blazing sun.
Damn those brats, thought Dark Fang as he lied in the shadows of the alley. At least I know that Sicily lives here in Death City. Now all I have to do is lie in wait for the perfect chance for them to become vulnerable, then their souls are all mine.
"Hello, there, Dark Fang."
Dark Fang gasped before he turned and saw Medusa, wearing her usual witch's outfit, and nervously standing behind her is her daughter, Crona, and Ragnarok, who is sticking out of her back.
(A/N: Yes, folks. In my Soul Eater fan fictions, Crona is a girl.)
"M-Mother," Crona said, nervously. "Are you sure this is a good idea."
"Quiet, Crona," said Medusa. "Mother's busy, right now."
Crona shrunk back a bit, rubbing her arm.
"Who the hell are you?" Dark Fang asked.
"A friend," Medusa answered with a snicker. "Call me Medusa, and this is precious daughter, Crona."
"I didn't even smell your soul," said Dark Fang. "Of course, you're using Soul Protect, am I right?"
"My, aren't you a clever doggie?" asked Medusa, jokingly.
"How do you know my name?" asked Dark Fang.
"Oh, please," said Medusa. "What witch doesn't know your name after the things you've done?"
The snake witch began to circle around the werewolf, who watched her constantly.
"It appears that you and I have a common enemy," said Medusa. "Those damn Meister brats and their weapon partners at the DWMA, as well as that traitor, Juliet."
Dark Fang growled at the name of his former lover.
"What say we strike a deal?" Medusa asked before holding out her hand. "How about you join me? I promise, you won't regret it."
Dark Fang seemed hesitant.
"In return," Medusa began, "then I shall reward you…with your children's souls."
Dark Fang smirked and chuckled in his throat before he took Medusa's hand in his. Medusa also smirked, her snakes slithering out of her mouth, while Crona whimpered and twitched.
A sinister partnership had just been forged.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Review, please!