[AUTHORS NOTES] Hey everyone, it's Josaphina here! How're you all going? Hope you all have been keeping well. As you all have probably noticed – I've uploaded another story, lol. For all you Death The Kid fans, I hope you enjoy, and for all of those that are currently reading my other two stories, and waiting for more chapters, fear not! I've got more chapters coming up soon, and I wil be continuing all three at the same time (I hope, lol) They're not being abandoned, they're just getting their updates differently, lol. I've been having mental blanks of late, and had just finished watching Soul Eater (Me: HELL YEAH!). And for all of you wonderful people out there who do nothing but write and write, and write even more, you can understand that I couldn't restrain myself, and I began to type away.
Here's the first chapter, I'm throwing this up as a tester at the moment, to see how it goes, and how my writing style fares in something with a lot more difference that Yu Yu Hakusho and Bleach. I absolutely adore Death The Kid, and just like normal, I like to make my characters that little bit different. So please, if you have the time, then please review, I really would like to know what most people think of this writing piece. It won't be as long as THE FEAR OF BLOOD, I know that immediately. I'm looking at around Fourty, maybe fifty chapters at most for this story. In any case, that's enough for me, I hope you all enjoy, and feel free to message. I will have more chapters for THE FEAR OF BLOOD when my laptops keyboard is replaced (Seriously, having the Space, A S H and P keys suddenly die on you really, really, REALLY ends up making you irritable and not want to do any typing for a very long time … it'll be about two weeks before I get the new keyboard to replace it T_T)
CHAPTER ONE: My Soul, Your Beats!
The air was filled with a bright array of energies as the wind gently swept across the lands, lifting the tiniest of sand from the many sand dunes that stretched across the lands. The sky was a bright blue against a yellow setting of desert surroundings, and the sun that was up in the sky above was laughing with that strange voice of its, a broad grin across it's face, while it's counterpart, the moon, remained in the sky, asleep and looking quite weak. The clouds in the sky were few and quite far away from each other, hinting at the tiniest signs of moisture in the air. For while there were clouds, the possibility of rain was about.
A city in the middle of the desert was alight with life – there were people wandering around on their way to their destinations, and the city was alive with chatter. For a city in the middle of a desert, there was more surprises to be held – a strange building resembling some kind of abstract skull castle with candles out the sides of the buildings stood at the tallest point of the city, and many people scaled the stairs up towards the strange castle. For the most part, the people in the city seemed most intent on entering the strange castle, and not in the least bit uncomfortable with it.
Among the many traveling up towards the strange castle, a young woman walked, her eyes upon the pages of the book, without a glace in the direction she was heading. The sunlight reflected off her peach coloured hair, which was held back loosely in a bun at the back of her head. Her glasses hid the colour from her eyes as she moved, tinted a light blue against her pale skin. Wearing a magenta tanktop and a denim skirt, the pale skin of her shoulders and back could be seen, however a black tanktop beneath the magenta hid more of her back from view. Magenta converse shoes covered her feet, and as she picked up the pace, she almost slipped on one of the steps. The sounds of music came from a pair of large headphones hanging from around her neck, a medium purple in colour, and the cord continued down into the front pocket of her over the shoulder bag, coincidentally a pale pink colour. It wasn't so much that she loved pink and magenta colours – it was more of a case that she hadn't had a chance to go and buy something else – her other outfits had all worn out on her, and they weren't in any descent condition.
"Hurry up! Or we're going to be late!" Came the shouting voice of a young woman from behind, causing the young woman with the book to come to a halt, looking down at her silver watch on her right wrist. She raised an eyebrow after a moment as she read the time – it was just a little before seven, there was ten minutes to go before everyone had to be inside. The young woman looked up at two people as they ran past – a young woman with sandy green hair and green eyes, was in a skirt, white shirt with a sleeveless yellow jumper, and a young man with whtie hair and red eyes, with a black jacket and pants. The young woman looked back, a look of confusion across her face. "Serah? What're you doing? You're going to be late if you stand there like that!" Serah smiled slightly to herself, lowering her arm with the watch as she went back to reading – it was too late to catch their attention anyway, they were long gone.
The top of the stairs was speckled with the odd person here and there, most of them the same age as Serah – around Seventeen, some even younger. Serah couldn't help but smile as she used her pinkie finger as a bookmark, and closed the book over her finger, beginning to pick up the pace and walk onwards to her destination. The huge building was known as the Death Weapon Meister Academy, or DWMA for short, was a school for people who held the abilities to become weapons, and those with the ability to weild such weapons, known as Meisters. For the most part, the school was a fun place of learning, and the teachers were quite the colourful bunch. Walking hallway to halway, Serah soon came to a door on one of the top floors. She shifted the strap of the shoulderbag hanging from her right shoulder, and she entered the room once she had ascertained that this was the one she was looking for. That young woman and man that ran past her were here, both slumped in chairs to the far left. The room was arranged much like a lecture hall universities had.
The young woman, who smiled over sheepishly looked a little embarrassed – obviously she had just realised they were running on time, and didn't need to run. The young man was slumped back in his chair, groaning something about being dragged across the whole city and ending up early was totally not cool. Letting out a sheepish smile herself, Serah began to climb the stairs that lead to the middle row in the wall of seats and desks. She took her seat in front of the young woman, placing her book down on the bench in front of her carefully as she opened it onto the page she was up to, turning to face her with a smile.
"Realised you were on time, did you?" Serah asked, smiling as the young woman giggled in an embarrased manner.
"Yeah, I forgot I set my clock fast, again." She spoke, and Serah smiled a little more as she removed her bag and placed it at her feet carefully. "So how are you today, Serah? Had any luck in finding yourself a Meister?" Serah smiled slightly as the young woman looked hopeful.
"I'm okay, and the Meister front has come up with Zero, once again." Serah began, carefully removing the glasses from her face as she heard more people beginning to enter the room. "Unless you want to be my Meister, Maka, I don't think there's going to be anyone with enough stomach to weild a book." The young woman, Maka, blinked as a look of confused shock crept across her face.
"Wait … You're a book?" She asked, and Serah couldn't help but laugh at the look across Maka's face.
"Of course not! But seriously, I swear everyone thinks cause I read so much, I must be an encyclopaedia or something." Serah saw Maka smile slightly, before she placed her chin upon her hand.
"Yeah … " Maka spoke, seeming to be drifting off into thought as she stared at the door. "I really hope a Meister walks through that door sooner or later – you've been on your own for about six months, haven't you?"
"Yep. For as long as I've been here." Serah agreed, and she smiled as she saw someone take the seat next to her from the corner of her right eye. Reaching out for the glasses again, Serah took a glance at who had taken the seat next to her – and directly below the young man, who Serah knew was called Soul. He was a young man of about Seventeen years, with golden eyes and a pale complexion. He had short, black hair with three, white horizontal lines around the left side of his head – which was coincidentally the side she could see. He wore a suit of black with a white shirt, and a cartoonised skull where the tie would be. There were white squares along the shoulders and the front of his suit top, and he wore a pair of dress shoes. The young man was called Death The Kid, for some reason. Serah had once wondered about why he had been given such a name, but it didn't matter all that much. Everyone took to calling him Kid, so it was a normality now.
Slipping on the glasses carefully, Serah took to picking up her book carefully to begin reading. She could hear Maka beginning to speak with a young woman by the name of Tsubaki, and as she glanced at Kid, she caught him looking down at her with a mild frown. She hesitated, placing her gaze back upon her book as she felt his gaze continue to bore into her. What was wrong now? If it wasn't that her music was up too loud, it was that she looked disgusting – if you translate the rants that he would go on into understandable english. While she didn't exactly mind Kid, he didn't do anything to make her like him, especially when he was in an irritable mood. In actuality, now that Serah thought about it, she didn't speak with Kid, or his two weapon partners if she could help it, she didn't speak with Soul, and the young woman called Tsubaki's partner, who was called Black Star. She didn't speak with anyone really, asside from Maka, and occasionally Soul, if the situation demanded it. Maybe it wasn't so much that she was a bookworm that put Meisters off, maybe it was her neglect to actually go out and talk with people?
Serah slowly looked up at the blackboard, her mind beginning to drift off into thought. She had been in the DWMA for six months, and no one seemed to give her any weird looks for being a Weapon with no Meister – for some strange reason, they didn't care, like there were better things to worry about than a Weapon that couldn't be used. She joined the DWMA when that Kishin had been defeated, because she wanted to make a difference, to use that freakish ability everyone at home feared. But her assumptions had been completely wrong – being in the same class as those that defeated that Kishin was proof enough – where two had no problem with her, two had no real idea she even existed, and the others seemed to either dislike her or not care either which way. It put a dampener on her spirits.
"Everyone, take your seats, class will begin shortly." Came the sounds of a voice belonging to a man much older than most of the people in the class. Serah looked up from her book after a few moments, looking over at the blackboard again as the hints of a man clad in a white doctors coat rolled around the room, sitting backwards on a kind of wheeled computer chair. The usual teacher for this class, Serah noted with the tiniest hints of interest. No, she wasn't that interested in who taught what, it was just the fact that someone was teaching something, and even though she wasn't that fond of the constant disections of various animals that this teacher – Stein – seemed to constantly feel to have the class do, she still found what he taught that was not disections interesting. "Oh, and Serah." Came Steins voice, causing Serah to blink in shock. She placed her attention back upon Stein, feeling that someone was still frowning down at her for some reason she couldn't seem to comprehend. She saw Stein fix her with one of those looks that had her shift in her seat nervously. "You're wanted in the Death Room, don't keep Lord Death waiting."
"Yes, sir." Serah spoke, putting her book in her bag quickly as she began to gather herself together.
"Ooh, I hope he's got a Meister waiting to meet you!" Maka spoke, and indeed, her voice was laced with hope that Serah couldn't seem to muster herself – she had the sneaky feeling that it was for something else all together.
"Maybe." Serah spoke, standing up carefully, and with a kind of salute with two fingers to Maka, she began to step past the irritated looking Kid carefully. She had just managed to squeeze past enough to have a step secured past him, when all of a sudden, the chair in front of her suddenly pulled out, and the young girl in the chair stretched so suddenly that she was knocked off her centre of balance. Stumbling backwards a pace, she accidentally bumped into the irritated Kid, earning a look of shock. "S-Sorry!" Serah spoke, her nerves taking over as she squeezed past the young woman called Patty, ignoring the weight of her bag knocking against the back of her legs as she jogged out of the class room, ignoring the incredulous looks from more than just Kid.
Letting an irritated breath out slowly through her nose, Serah made her way down hallway after hallway, once again beginning to navigate her way through to a room on the other side of the academy. Feeling more than a little embarrased, Serah had to try her hardest not to let that strangled growl escape her – oh why did Patty have to suddenly push her chair out and stretch like that when she was trying to get past?
Arriving at the door that Serah had to enter through, she hesitated before she lifted a hand to the doorhandle carefully. She always hesitated here – even though she was summoned, should she just open the door any walk in? Or should she knock first, and wait for a response. The second seemed silly, for the room inside was so huge, that a feeble little knock couldn't possibly be heard from the very middle, now, could it? She decided to go with the first, and hesitantly, she pulled the doorhandle down carefully. There was no lock activated, like she had expected, the door opened with very little effort at all, and almost seemed to open itself, despite her grip on the doorhandle remaining. The room inside was very different, a huge yellow expanse for the ground, and the walls and ceiling were a sky blue, with cartoonised clouds moving along the walls. Many black crosses stood at strange angles, all arranged aroung the room stabbed into the ground for some reason. This was not the strangest part of the room, however, the path ahead, which was clearly the way to go, was lined with arches through to a raised area in the middle, but were guillotines rather than normal archway decorations. The blades of the guillotines even looked sharp.
Taking a breath carefully, Serah began to make her way through to the middle of the room, where a huge mirror stood, along with two forms that were actually quite familiar to Serah. Her bag knocked against her knees as she walked, however she was that used to it, that it didn't even seem noticeable to her. Perhaps an effect of the summons, either which way, it wasn't that important to her at that moment.
"Hiya!" Came the tones of a humerous voice as Serah reached the middle of the strange room, and the bouncing of a black silhouette came to Serah's notice. "I'm glad you came so quickly, thanks for coming!" The silhouette was wearing a white mask, in the same design as the skull on Kid's shirt and his rings.
"Hello, Lord Death." Serah spoke quietly, shifting the strap of her over the shoulder bag carefully as she straightened up, the glasses upon her nose beginning to slip slightly, however she ignored it – at least for the time being. Of course Kid and Lord Death had the same design of skulls – Lord Death was Kid's father, and because of this, Kid was already very skilled at being a Meister. And that made it Kid to inherret the academy when Lord Death decided to retire, whenever that unforseeable future occurred in any case. Serah looked at the second form after a moment, to see a man in a untidy suit. He had red hair and green eyes, and stood to be quite tall, despite his slouched posture. The look in his eyes were the same as Maka's, and it wasn't too hard for Serah to pick who this man was. Serah inclined her head forward to the man, and he seemed to smile slightly.
"So how've you been? Are you enjoying class?" Lord Death asked, eager and energetic, his voice always sounded like some kind of energetic old man who loved to spend time with kids – well, he would have to be something like that, surely, afterall, he was the founder of the DWMA, surely he had a fondness for children.
"It's not too bad. A little too much bookwork though." Serah admitted, a smile across her face – although she did feel uncomfortable – she couldn't seem to figure out why Lord Death had asked her to come to the Death Room all of a sudden.
"Is that so?" Lord Death said, and he looked at the man who Serah had assumed was Maka's father, Spirit, who happened to be a deathscythe – a high powered weapon. "Well, given the circumstances, I can understand that." Serah remained silent as Lord Death looked back at her. "Actually, that was the reason I've asked you here, Serah. I wanted to know how you were doing in class, given that you don't have a Meister of your own."
"Well, I learn as much as I can." Serah spoke, and she saw Lord Death lift his arms from his sides – where two huge, white hands that looked like they were carved from foam more than anything else suddenly appeared, like they had been shrunken the whole time.
"It's unfortunate that no Meister has stepped forward to partner with you, however, I have come to the belief that it's the case of what weapon you are, rather than the fact that you're flexible with other souls." Lord Death spoke, and Serah inclined her head forward, gently pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.
"What weapon would Serah be, Lord Death?" The man who Serah was now certain was called Spirit asked, and Serah blinked as Lord Death looked at the man himself. Serah couldn't really answer that question – she never really knew what she was either, just a two part ringed blade, or something like that – she knew what she looked like, but that was it.
"Serah's weapon form is a set of Circlets." Lord Death answered, an air of pride in his funny voice for some reason. With Lord Death's statement about why people might not be partnering with her, and that tone, it might be that she was an unusual weapon of sorts – the look across Spirit's face actually confirmed that, he looked a little surprsed at Lord Death's answer.
"Circlets?" Spirit repeated, and Serah smiled slightly. She'd have to remember what Lord Death had just said, it sounded right, and it would help when she'd explain it to someone.
"Yes, and I think that's why it been so difficult to find a prospective Mesiter for Serah. Most people don't know how to weild such a fragile weapon, let alone know what a Circlet is." Serah inclined her head forward again, taking in the information for future reference.
"I see. So that would also make it difficult for Serah in classes." Spirit spoke, and Serah blinked momentarily, confusion touching her pallid face. It wasn't that difficult in class.
"I've been thinking about this for a while, Serah, and I'd like to make the offer to you." Lord Death began, and Serah looked up at the bouncing Grim reaper with a tiny smile. Just the way this grim reaper bounced around like that with a funny voice made her smile all the more easily. "It will take a very long time to find a Meister suitable for you, but for the time being, I believe that it would be beneficial for you, if you took up the role of a Meister, and use a replica of your own weapon form, at least until we find someone for you." Serah blinked, confusion creeping in on her. "It means you'd be able to participate in practical assessments in class, and you'd be able to show how a set of circlets is supposed to be used – you never know, you might catch the attention of a new Meister."
"That's not a bad idea." Spirit spoke, looking back at Serah again with a kind of interested look across his face. Serah thought for a few moments on this, beginning to wonder about it. He was right, even if it was just a replica with no abilities or anything, it would get her in practical assessments, at least for the Meister side of things, and yeah, it would be cool if a new Meister watched her use a replica of herself and think 'wow, now that's something'. Looking back up at Lord Death, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of it. "Well, how about it?" Spirit asked, and Serah glanced at him momentarly, before placing her gaze back upon Lord Death.
"I'd love to." Serah answered, and she saw Lord Death begin to bounce energetically again.
"Excellent! Then I'll have you go and see Professor Stein after class!" Serah blinked, a nervous look crossing her face as she thought on that. Why would she have to see Stein? He was only ever really interested in experiments and all that, what reason would she have to go see him?
"But, why Professor Stein, Lord Death?" Serah asked curiously, and she saw Spirit seem to smile sheepishly – did he know something about Stein that would stop her from sleeping at night?
"Making a replica of your weapon form isn't just the metal that the weapon is made from. There are a great many elements of the soul that change the way that a weapon moves, how it works, and even how the weapon will look." Lord Death explained, his huge white hands clasped in front of him. "To understand the makeup of a weapon, and to make a perfect replica, one has to be able to analyse the soul. It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's the general idea behind it." Serah nodded slowly, and she looked back up at Spirit, who was giving her a look of understanding. Oh why did it seem like Professor Stein was one that she didn't want to lose track of when he had his scalple set out?
"I'll take her to go see Stein." Spirit spoke, and Lord Death looked at him curiously.
"I don't see why not, but why?" Lord Death questioned, and Serah looked at Spirit hesitantly.
"Stein's a scary man to visit when he's not giving lessons. And I'm sure Serah hasn't been to his laboratory before." Spirit proceeded to explain, and Lord Death fixed him with a look of exasperated confusion.
"Okay ..." Lord death spoke, and Serah blinked in confusion. Asside from a replica of herself being made, the rest of the conversation, and even the whole morning, had been more than just a little confusing for her.