Hello, evuhreebuddy! Spelling fail. Ok, so, this is the prologue to my Soul Eater fanfic. It's a prologue because… well, I'll explain at the end. On to the reading!
Patty: *runs in* She doesn't ooooooown our show!
Ryuu: *sweatdrop* Um, no, I don't. Thank you… Patty…
"And your name would be?"
The girl raised her eyes to Shinigami-sama's blank, comical mask. The dark eyes made her wonder exactly what was behind the innocent face; she couldn't even see her own bi-colored ones reflected in their depths. "Kagami. Kagami Fuyuko," she answered, her voice filled with fake boredom.
There was a pause, a terrifying, long, silent pause, and Kagami felt her pulse pounding through her head, the blood flowing with a whooshing sound. 'Please say I can attend,' she prayed. 'Please accept me. If you don't, I'm not sure where else I can go.'
After almost a minute without a reply, Kagami hesitantly spoke. "Shinigami-sama?"
The god blinked once, as if suddenly returned from an unexpected voyage. "Hmm?"
The girl hung her head internally. Was he even paying attention? "Have you considered?"
"Oh!" He clapped his large, square hands together. "Yes, well. We've already enrolled all the accepted students this year…"
"I'll work hard, I promise," Kagami wheedled desperately.
"That's not quite it." His face remained blank. "You see, every weapon needs a meister, and vice versa. Everyone was already matched up in the beginning of the year."
"Ah," Kagami exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "That's not a problem."
"I wonder why not?"
"I'm both weapon and user," she explained, a smile creeping onto her face.
There was another pause, this one with an air of confusion. Kagami could almost see the little question marks floating around his head.
"Is there another way you can explain?" Shinigami-sama asked, his veiled eyes examining her.
Kagami laughed, surprising herself. "Of course." She closed her eyes and took a breath.
Who should be who?
Well, I was kind of hoping to give you a chance to show off. It might be best to show the most diplomatic side right now.
You talk like I'm not diplomatic. But I have no complaints.
Alright. Let's go, then.
It had barely been a second; there was a flash of light and Kagami exhaled once more. When her eyes opened, they were no longer bi-colored, but both were a clear, bright, stunning blue. Similarly, the girl standing before the god was no longer Kagami Fuyuko, but only Kira.
"You see now?" Kira asked the still emotionless figure before her. "And it works the other way too."
"Hmmm. This explains a few things. Your appearance, for example," he commented, nodding to himself. "Well, with this development, I no longer see any problem with enrolling you. As long as you're willing to spend as much time as is necessary working."
"Shinigami-sama, I'm willing to do anything I have to," Kira responded, holding her head high.
The eyes of the weapons in her hands narrowed slightly, ruby pupils glinting. Let's no get cheesy, now.
Kira frowned right back at them. Oh, be glad for once. Or at least try and be partially optimistic.
"Allllll right," Shinigami-sama declared with a concluding tone, throwing his hands in the air, "then it's settled. You will attend Shibusen, starting tomorrow. Classes start at 8:00. Here is your schedule." He whipped a small card out of nowhere, causing Kira to blink. There was another flash of light, and she was Kagami once more. She took the card that was offered to her, looked it over quickly, and tucked it in a pocket.
"Thank you, Shinigami-sama. I can't thank you enough," she told him, bowing deeply. When she looked up, he was no longer looking at her, but more thoughtfully gazing at one of the clouds hovering in the strange little room.
"Rather, Fuyuko-san, I thank you. This academy can use as many students as we can take. And your soul suggests that you will add to the intriguing events this year may bring."
Kagami couldn't think of any way to reply to that, so she bowed a second time, said, "Thank you again; I'll be taking my leave now," and left him, pondering the confusing comment.
She was abruptly pulled back inside.
Shinigami-sama turned to face her. "I wonder, Fuyuko-san, do you have a place to stay?"
Kagami slowly turned red. She had come straight to the academy the moment she had set foot in the city, and hadn't even given a thought to lodging.
"Y-yea, of course," she stuttered.
He stared at her for another second, plainly seeing straight through the fib. He straightened, and addressed her. "As the head o this school, I will offer my hospitality." Kagami blinked. "You may stay… at my son's house."
Kagami blinked three more times, then swayed and almost fell over backwards. The Death God… had a son… who lived in his own house… which she was now sharing with him.
"He's away right now on an assignment; he should be back later tonight. So for now you get the house to yourself. It's very spacious. You may take your pick of the unoccupied rooms."
She dazedly bobbed her head. "Arigatou, Shinigami-sama. Thank you; you're very genereous."
He gave her a quick set of directions, which she probably should have forgotten had she not written it down. She left a final time, bowing repeatedly, then hurried through the streets.
Kagami found herself shading her eyes from the flame of the setting sun in front of a very interesting house. It fairly dwarfed the nearest buildings, each a good 800 yards away, but that wasn't the strange part. Blocking off half the house with one hand confirmed her suspicion: it was perfectly symmetrical. Mouth curling into a questioning frown, she pushed the gate open and walked in, keeping her hand up in front of the sun.
When she reached the front door, she noticed a small smudge on the otherwise shining doorknob.
Ugh. What is this?
It's something we have to deal with. Just wipe it off and don't think about it.
With a scowl, Kagami rubbed her thumb over the smudge until it was gone. Then she turned the knob and stepped inside.
The interior was exactly the same as the outside: symmetrical. Identical paintings in identical positions lined walls; where there a table on one side, there was a matching one on the other. The floor was tiled with perfect squares. Kagami wandered around, staring in disbelief. It was ridiculous. She came to a hallway lined with eight doors, four on each side.
The first one she opened was fairly minimalist in design, color scheme, and furnishings; it was also arranged in the same way as the rest of the house. But when she opened the next door, she rubbed her eyes vigorously to make sure she wasn't imagining anything. It was a huge class of colors and styles: pastels and neon colors, hippie and girly, darkly gothic and bright outdoorsy. And there was stuff thrown everywhere. Clothes covering the floor and bed, the desk, posters half-attached to the walls… it was hard to believe such a room actually belonged in the perfect (if in a strange way), immaculate house. Quickly she shut the door and moved on before she could attack the room and whip it into order.
The next two doors Kagami tried were similar to the first one. After starting on the other side of the hall, she found a second out-of-place room, opposite the crazy one. This one, however, was much neater. It was very trendy and fashionable, the walls and ceiling covered with posters. A huge stereo system took up half the floor space.
Kagami backed out and closed the door.
She found nothing else in the other rooms. After looking at all the empty ones again, she walked into the first one on the left. Sitting down on the bed and informally claiming her new room, her eyes wandered over everything. Catching sight of something, she frowned and stood, hands on hips.
This much I can fix, right?
Well, this is our new room. I don't see the harm.
Come on and help me, then. I know this bothers you just as much
Can't deny that. Fine.
The flash of light came, then Akari and Kira stepped up the wall and adjusted the lamp sconces stationed just above their bed. Akari grumbled to herself. "Is this straight?" she asked the other girl.
Kira stood back and examined the wall. "Much better," she pronounced with a nod. A flash of light once more, and Kagami flopped on the bed, smiling and closing her eyes.
I'm so tired.
Shhh. I'm sleeping.
Around 1 that morning, Kagami woke up to a huge racket. She could hear someone running up and down the hallway, and a fair amount of crashing and banging. Scowling, she rolled out of bed and fell heavily on the floor. "What does this kid live with, elephants?" she muttered.
Standing up and stumbling over to the mirror, she straightened her clothes a little.
Gotta head into town soon. We need more clothes.
You're telling me.
Kagami straightened the mirror, then opened the door and peered cautiously out.
There was a girl in a cowgirl hat and interestingly puffy shorts galloping back and forth, laughing maniacally. Kagami tried to sidle down the hall, but the other girl careened into her, knocking her down and landing on top of her.
"Oooo," the strange girl giggled, "Onee-san! Look at what I found."
"Patty, stop running into things!" a boy called. "I'll have to fix the whole house up again."
"Okay," Patty snickered. She hauled Kagami up. "Kid-kun, come here and look!"
He rounded the corner. A boy with amber eyes and black hair (did he dye those white stripes on purpose? They were going to drive her crazy), wearing an immaculate – and symmetrical – suit. He was holding a silver handgun.
His partner, no doubt.
When he saw Kagami, he took a step back, staring. After a second, he narrowed his eyes and held out his empty hand. "Patty!"
Patty giggled. With a flash of pink light, she became a second silver handgun.
With no warning, he started firing at Kagami. A shot clipped her right arm, and she screamed, "What the hell?" He didn't stop shooting, so she overturned a table and ducked behind it.
"You should not be defiling this earth!" she heard. "I will exterminate you, demon!"
Demon?
I don't know about me, but you might be.
Don't even start.
Kagami threw a handful of blades over the table. There were four sharp thunks, and everything was quiet. Carefully, she made sure it was safe, then stormed over to where the boy was pinned to the wall.
"Please explain," she growled, turning her index finger into an arrow shaped blade and holding it to his throat, "why my arm is bleeding."
"Every inch of you is asymmetrical. You are a disgrace. Death would be a kind punishment," he replied.
She looked at him in disbelief. "Oh, you're kidding me."
He stared back at her with such hatred that she wondered if she had somehow offended him in a past life.
Pink light filled the air. A new girl stood there, with long hair and jeans. "Hey, hey," she said anxiously. "Let's calm down, huh?" Then she grabbed Kagami's arm and dragged her a few yards off.
"Liz!" the kid yelled. "Stay away from that thing!" Liz rolled her eyes.
"Look," she explained to Kagami hastily, "Kid-kun is sort of… OCD about things being symmetrical."
"That explains a few things," Kagami muttered darkly.
Liz continued, "So you're basically his worst nightmare."
"Yeah, I figure. But wait, if he's so symmetry obsessed, then what did he do to his – hmph!"
Liz cut her off. "Don't mention the hair. Whenever someone reminds him about it, he goes on a crying jag, feeling like he's not worthy of living." She removed her hand.
Kagami stared. "Please, please tell me you're joking." Liz shook her head.
Stalking back to Kid, Kagami frowned as he glared. "Look," she told him, "your father graciously invited me here to stay. And furthermore, I'm going to be attending school with you. So I refuse to be a problem."
You tell him.
Is that me talking, or you?
"Now, I'm going to let you down, if you promise not to attack me."
He said nothing, just continued scowling. Kagami sighed, shook her head, and pulled out the two blades pinning his shoulders. Liz hovered behind, watching uneasily. Shooting Kid a warning glance, Kagami yanked the blade holding his weaponless arm.
In that moment, he made the move she expected, whipping his free arm around, and aiming for her throat. She casually caught his wrist, and wrenched it sideways, gritting her teeth angrily.
"You didn't let me finish," she told him in fake cheer. "See, I can fix this."
"Impossible," he scoffed. "You're too asymmetrical to be fixed at all."
"Oh, yeah? Well, watch this."
The smirk on Kagami's face vanished with the swirl of purple and mint green light.
"If you want symmetry – " Kira began.
"I'll give you symmetry!" Akari finished with a sneer.
In a moment of creative, ticked-off defiance, the girls linked arms.
Kid fell to the ground in shock, pulling his other arm free. Even Liz was staring open-mouthed, and Patty clapped, giggling.
Akari stalked over to Kid, Kira tugging backwards on her arm the whole way. She knelt on one knee in front of his stunned face, and growled, "Look, you twit, am I gonna have to do this every time I run into you? 'Cause it gets tiring." She stood back.
He gaped for another second, and the moved too quickly for either girl to react, grabbing a hand of each.
"Please," he whimpered, groveling, "accept my pardons. Forgive me. I didn't know such filthy imperfection could turn into such absolutely perfect, goddess-like symmetry." He pressed their hands to his forehead.
Liz's jaw crashed to the floor, and Patty laughed even more madly, dancing in circles.
"This is… awkward," was all Kira could say, twitching.
"Goddess-like? He was calling us earth-defiling asymmetrical demons a minute ago," Akari muttered boredly, tugging at her hand.
"Please," he continued, staring up with a pathetically tearful smile, "stay in my home as long as you like."
"Okay," Akari snapped, "first things first, leggo the hand."
He did, reluctantly.
"Second," Kira continued, "don't get too used to this. We're not giving you any special treatment. The other form is much more comfortable." When his eyes widened with fear, she snorted, "It'll be good for you."
He didn't say anything. She turned to Liz.
"Is he gonna survive?"
"Without killing you or without going crazy?" Liz nodded. "Probably. It might be a while, though."
"Okay."
Liz frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. "So, if you don't mind me asking, are you a weapon or a technician or… what?"
Akari smirked, and Kira smiled. "Both."
"Wha-"
"Let us show you. Hold out your hands."
Liz complied.
This'll be fun.
I can't remember the last time we did this.
Pools of purple and green light blinded everyone in the vicinity. When it vanished, Liz was holding two tri-bladed hooded katars.
They were truly beautiful weapons, looking vaguely like ancient ceremonial pieces with their ornate designs. Liz examined the one in her right hand. The blades were arrow shaped, deadly, with the one in the very middle being noticeably larger that the ones on the sides. They were of polished steel. Her hand fit beneath a metal shield plate, holding the device by two bars made of beech wood. Liz flipped her hand over to look at the plate. There was an eye on the top half in a sort of Egyptian style, outlined in gold with an aquamarine pupil. Below that was a sort of four leaved clover inlaid in gold, with aquamarines studding each of the four leaves and a diamond in the center. The plate itself was made of platinum. There were two more beech wood bars extending from the sides and ending halfway down her forearm to keep the weapon secure, as well as long lengths of ivory ribbon wrapped around her wrist, connecting to these bars.
When she turned toe examine the other, she saw that it was the same in design, but with different materials. It traded polished steel for a darker brushed iron, platinum for onyx, beech wood for ebony, gold for silver, aquamarine for ruby, diamond for obsidian, and ribbons for thin but sturdy looking chains.
"Wow," Liz said. "Impressive."
Kid poked his head over her shoulder. "So unbelievably symmetrical. You really must be a goddess."
"Yeah, only not," said Akari's voice as the ruby eye narrowed.
"So what're these chains and ribbons for?" Liz asked, elbowing Kid away.
"Well," Kira began, "you can use them for ranged attacks. Not the ribbons themselves, but we have a technique worked out. Like, say, you throw one of us, and then you can either whip the weapon around or reel it back."
"Ah. That's useful."
The light filled the room again, and the girls stood there. Patty clapped.
"Do you have a different form for your soul resonance?" Kid asked, bright-eyed.
Akari laughed. "Yeah, sure, but you'll be disappointed."
He held out his hands eagerly. The girls obliged him, smiling.
He stared for a minute, then sighed. "Well, I suppose they're not symmetrical in and of themselves. But they're still symmetrical when you use them."
Kid flexed his hands; the soft leather covering his palms moved easily. The gloves went all the way up to his elbows.
"Um… you're not really supposed to wear sleeves with these…" Kira's voice told him, the aquamarine eye glinting at him from the back of his right hand. He noted that the eyes were larger, and had developed little curved barbs at the corners.
"Why can't there be six blades?" he asked in mild distaste.
"Because the blades cover your fingers," Akari replied. "They're poisoned; you fire them by twitching your fingers up against them. They can fire pretty fast, too."
"Besides, the number is perfectly symmetrical if you divide the middle one in half," Kira added.
"Ah!" Kid's eyes brightened. He whipped around, throwing an arm up and brushing his ring finger against the blade above it. The razor-edged arrow fired in response, flying straight and true and coming to a stop in the wall right next to Liz's face, and almost immediately another knife replaced it. He grinned. Running his hand gently over the large blade running along the outside of his forearm, careful of the corner extending past his elbow, he asked "What's this for?"
"That's to block physical attacks. See all those nicks along the edge? It's also poisoned, so it can be used for offense, as well," Kira answered. "Those three gold bands wrapping around your arm keep it secure."
"Huh." He clenched his hand into a fist, watching the way the leather, soft in that area, folded easily with his palm.
Liz suddenly yawned widely. "This is wonderful and all, but can we go to sleep? It's late."
"Ah!" His head snapped up. "Yeah. You're right."
Akari and Kira transformed back to their original forms, yawning and stretching as well. "My God, I'm tired," Akari said.
"Well, I'm going to bed," Patty told them happily, skipping into her room and slamming the door, making everyone wince.
"Yeah. G'night, everybody," Liz agreed, heading to her room. She turned back quickly. "Good to meet you, er… Akari, Kira. Kagami?"
"Yeah, you too," the girls replied, raising their hands in acknowledgment.
They were left standing with Kid in the hallway.
Akari looked down at her arms again, and realized her bleeding was stopping. "Good," she muttered.
"Oh!" Kid exclaimed. "Are you okay? Please, I apologize for earlier. I didn't… know…" He looked at her in confusion, then shock. "Why are both your arms injured?!"
"Ahm…" Akari pushed a hand through her hair. "See, I guess… okay. Well. The best way to explain it is… jeez. This is complicated." He waited patiently. "So, I'm Kagami, right? Though I am Akari, I'm still Kagami. And so is Kira. We're both technically of the same person. I think our soul is kind of messed up; we're not sure whether it was originally two souls pushed into one body or one warped soul or what. But because of the strange condition of our soul, our original, ordinary form looks like two halves of separate people pushed together."
"Yes," he agreed, shuddering, "I noticed that."
"Anyway, that's kind of what it is. When we're like this," she gestured to herself and Kira, "what we do is, we split off from each other. When we do that, there are basically two half people. To make whole bodies, we duplicate the halves we have. That's the reason we're perfectly symmetrical like this."
"What an ingenious way to turn such a hideous existence into beautiful symmetry!" Kid cried, overjoyed.
Hideous? Really?
Ouch.
"But that also means, if I get injured in my original form, then split apart, the half that got injured creates another injury. It's a tough decision sometimes. Have to think about whether it would be easier to just stay as one person, trying to push through one wound, or become two people, one of them doubly injured and the other one perfectly healthy, based on the circumstances."
"Ah," Kid said. "I understand what you're talking about. Again, I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine," Akari sighed, waving him off. "It wasn't too bad. I'll survive. In the meantime, it's probably a good idea to go to sleep. Liz had a good point. We have school tomorrow."
"Yes. Yes," Kid nodded. "All right then. Good night, Akari-san, Kira-san." He bowed his head slightly, and walked into his room, shutting the door behind him.
"Goodnight, Kid."
Akari and Kira walked back into their room. They changed back to Kagami, who then laid down on the bed and closed her eyes in exhaustion.
Interesting day.
Just you wait until tomorrow.
Jeesh. This was long, for a prologue. I dunno how long the chapters will be. But I'm going to base them off the anime episodes (e.g. a chapter is comprised of the occurrences in a specific episode). I might have a few grammatical errors, because it was kinda tricky to switch from being one person to two people… God, it's still confusing me, actually. Oh well.
Soul: Question.
Ryuu: Ne, ne, Soul-kun?
Soul: The heck are katars? Did you even do research to confirm their existence?
Ryuu: Course I did, silly. If you want info, look at Wikipedia. I based the ones in the story off the ones Voldo uses in that one game my brother has, Soul Caliber II. Yes, Voldo is a creeper. But I like the weapons he uses. So, for now, check that stuff out; I'll be trying to scan and color in some pictures of the weapons (or maybe I'll be lazy and ask my friend to…), as well as a possible picture of Kagami. And yes, the soul resonance weapon forms are entirely original.
Soul: Okay, shut up. Long author's notes are not cool.
Ryuu: *pulls his headband over his eyes* Who's cool now?