A/N: For simple ease, Azusa's weapon form in this story will be referred to as a crossbow. I know it's not exactly what it is, but it's simpler.
This story explores some of the reasons behind Azusa's current actions towards Spirit. It's a little less fluffy than most of my stuff – a bit more shippy. I don't see anyone complaining about shippy.
Some of the characters here may seem a little OOC in some of the actions they take. But, read to the end. It should tie it up. And there are some large time-skips in parts, so keep that in mind. Also, the ages in this story differ from what I usually have as ages. I usually have a four-year age difference between Spirit and Azusa, but for the convenience, once again, they're only about two years apart.
It all really started the first time they met, not that she'd ever admit it.
"I'm Spirit Albarn," the boy smiled as he pushed his flaming red hair behind his ear, "I'm thirteen, I'm a scythe, and I'm single." he laughed to himself, but the blonde girl sitting next to him elbowed him.
"Spirit, don't be stupid." she said. Spirit slung his arm around the girl next to him, and she huffed.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, Marie." he murmured. The blonde rolled her eyes and a dark-haired girl behind him flicked him in the head.
"Mira! Geez!" Spirit rubbed furiously at the back of his head.
"Whoops." the girl poked her tongues out, and the other blonde girl gave a small laugh.
"Shush. It's the next person's turn." she said, and she looked back down at the teacher. They were currently in their introductory weapons class at Shibusen – the first class they'd ever taken at the academy.
"Okay, next on my list, we have Yumi Azusa?" the teacher called. The girl sitting next to Marie stood up, smoothing out her pinafore dress and pushing her glasses up over the bridge of her nose before clearing her throat.
"I'm Yumi Azusa, I'm twelve years old, and I'm a crossbow." the girl said with a punching clarity, and the whole class looked at her. Her knees suddenly buckled underneath her with the attention and the girl next to her rushed to her aid.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Yumi nodded awkwardly, and the girl extended her hand.
"I'm Marie. Marie Mjolnir. Didn't you go to the same school as me?" Marie asked. Yumi nodded uneasily.
"Yes. I was the grade below you though… I skipped up." Yumi said. Marie smiled.
"You must be really talented." Marie said with a smile, the thirteen-year-old's pigtails bouncing happily.
"Thanks," Yumi gave a small smile, "but I'm not, really."
"I'm sure you are, Yumi. This is Mira," Marie pointed to the dark-haired girl behind her, "and this is Spirit."
Yumi's eyes flicked to the redhead, and she stopped for a second. Her eyes flicked over his face, and it was like nothing she'd ever seen before. All of the boys her age were starting to go through that awkward, squeaky phase, but this boy seemed to be past that.
"Hey." he gave a smile and outstretched his hand, and Yumi shook it gently.
"Don't be afraid of breaking him. He can suck it up." Mira muttered from behind them.
"Very funny, Mira." Spirit retorted. Yumi blinked and Marie put her hand on her shoulder.
"So, do you have any friends here? Do you know anyone?" Marie asked. Yumi blinked and looked around sheepishly.
"I know a meister here. I did the advanced program at grade school with him – Franken Stein?" Yumi asked. Marie's eyes widened.
"No way! He's a good friend." Marie smiled.
"He's a freaking nut-job." Spirit muttered.
"He's also your meister, Spirit." Marie said, and Spirit sighed and sunk further into his seat.
"Still can't believe that. It's crap." Spirit crossed his arms. Yumi looked at Marie, and she kept talking.
"So, do you have a meister?" Marie asked. Yumi shook her head.
"I'm in the rotations program. My soul is quite adaptable, and because I'm younger than everyone, they figured it would be a good way for me to meet other people." Yumi said. Marie smiled and nodded.
"Well, I'll have to take you to meet mine and Mira's meisters. They're really nice. My meister's name is Kami, you'll love her, she's so sweet. And Mira's meister is called Sid – he's a big teddy bear. You'll fit in, I'm sure." Marie gave a reassuring smile. Yumi smiled back, and she felt that Marie's statement was true. She was sure that Marie was going to become a good friend.
Then, her mind drifted back to the redhead. Maybe he'd want to be more than friends at some point.
That was where it all started.
Nearly four years after that first encounter, Yumi had indeed become a part of the group. She'd been through it all with them – resonance, sparring, partnerships, breaking up, making up – and then there was the swapping of weapons and meisters.
It wasn't the swapping that bothered Yumi.
It was the reason.
On the outside, she was happy for Kami. She was happy when she came bounding to the girls to say that her weapon swap had been approved, and that Spirit would now be her weapon. It didn't faze Marie one bit, because it meant that her meister would be Stein, and seeing as she had more than a little crush on him, she wasn't going to complain.
But, deep down inside, Yumi was shattered. Because she knew that Kami had swapped weapons so that she could be her boyfriend's meister.
Because Spirit was her boyfriend.
Nevertheless, Yumi continued to hang out with all of them, but it was one sleepover that dropped her guise to her best friend.
"So, Yumi, you got any boys on the scene?" Mira asked, and the raven-haired sixteen-year-old crossed her arms.
"Do I ever?" Yumi asked. Mira sighed and leant against the crossbow.
"Someone'll come along." Mira said. Yumi sighed and nodded.
"Never mind that, anyway. How are you and Sid?" Yumi asked. Mira smiled and pulled her knees to her chest.
"We're good. We're never bad, really." Mira added. Yumi smiled and so did Marie and Kami.
"What about you and Spirit, Kami?" Marie asked. Kami bit her lip and leant in.
"Well, I've got to tell you girls something." Kami began, and all of the girls leant in. She looked at them, and with a blush spreading across her cheeks, she spoke to them.
"Well… Spirit and I kinda, maybe, sort of… aren't virgins anymore?"
The squeals that erupted from the group could have been heard for miles around, and Marie and Mira looked incredibly enthused.
Yumi, however, spoke in a small voice.
"I've got to go to the bathroom." she stood up and whipped her head around, her face boiling tears as she left the room. As soon as she got the the bathroom, she shut the lid of the toilet seat and sat on, it, her head falling into her hands as she sobbed.
She wasn't sure what she'd expected – that whole fairytale We'll wait for one another thing? No. Of course not. But there was something about it, the one that she liked not only taking something that precious from someone, but giving his own virginity to someone else, that just ached.
A small knock on the door came after a minute.
Oh, Death, don't be Kami, please don't be Kami, don't be-
"It's Marie." the voice said, quietly. The door's lock clicked and the door opened. Marie slid inside the small room before shutting the door back around and locking it again. She knelt down in front of the sobbing girl, and she took her hands.
"Yumi… honey, what's the matter?" Marie's eyes told Yumi that she was so concerned, she simply needed to tell her everything.
"Y-You have to promise me you won't tell K…" Kami's name drowned in Yumi's tears, and Marie looked at her.
"Yumi, I won't tell anyone, I swear." Marie pressed her hand to the side of Yumi's face. She managed to squeak out the words.
"I… I really liked Spirit. For… for a long time." she managed. Marie's eyes widened and she hugged Yumi tightly, and Yumi collapsed onto her shoulder.
"But it's not liked, is it. You still like him, don't you?" Marie asked, in a whisper. Yumi nodded into the crook of Marie's neck, and Marie nearly began to cry herself.
It was almost tragic – Spirit was very popular, as was Kami. Yumi was the underdog, and it hadn't turned out for her – she'd left it too late. And now this.
"I won't tell anyone, okay?" Marie asked. Yumi nodded.
"How are we going to explain this to Kami and Mira?" Yumi asked. Marie gave a small smile and took Yumi's hand, leaning her out of the bathroom. She walked back in with the raven-haired girl, and Kami and Mira looked up sympathetically.
"What was it, honey?" Kami asked. Yumi looked at Marie, and she sighed.
"Really bad cramp. The joys of being a woman, hey?" Marie asked. Yumi's eyes widened almost imperceptibly and she looked at Marie. Marie gave a tiny shrug and smirk before sitting down.
Now Marie knew her secret… if only she'd had the guts to tell Spirit before it was too late.
It was no more than three months later that everything fell to pieces.
"Spirit, stop!"
"Marie, just butt out! Just go!" Spirit yelled as he ran down the corridor and into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Marie's uncovered eye brimmed with tears – she had recently acquired an eyepatch along with a healing wavelength – and her raven-haired friend hugged her tightly.
"I'll go and talk to him." Yumi said. Marie looked at her and shook her head wildly.
"Yumi, he'll yell at you!" she said, through tear-choked coughs. Yumi shook her head and made a beeline to Spirit's room, knocking on the door.
"Piss off."
"Charming. I'm coming in." Yumi pushed the door open to see Spirit sitting on the edge of the bed, wiping tears furiously from his eyes.
"What is it?" Spirit asked. Yumi sighed and sat down on the bed.
"You didn't have to yell at her." Yumi said, quietly. Spirit looked up and tears welled in his eyes again.
"I know I didn't. I – I'm sorry, I just… Kami and I are too young to have kids, Yumi!" Spirit exclaimed. Yumi took a deep breath in and sighed.
"You're going to get through this." she said, adamantly. Spirit looked at her through tear-streaked eyes.
"Yeah?" he rasped. Yumi nodded and, before she realised what she was doing, took Spirit's hand.
"We're going to get through this." she murmured quietly. Spirit looked down at her, his blue eyes peering into her very soul, so it seemed.
She swallowed, as did he, and their close proximity wasn't helping any. Emotions were high and Yumi was sure that if she sat there with her hand in his for one more second she'd-
"Cam I come in now?" Marie's small, tear-choked voice came into the room. and Spirit let go of Yumi's hand and walked over to her.
"I'm so sorry, Marie." he hugged the blonde girl tightly, and she hugged him back, rubbing circles into his back.
"It'll be okay, Spirit." she said, quietly.
"Kami, are you okay now?" Yumi asked, rubbing circles into the two-month pregnant woman's back. Kami flushed the toilet and sat back, looking up at Yumi.
"Not really. Is Stein here yet?" Kami asked. Yumi shrugged.
"I'm sorry that we have to go. The teacher said that all of the weapons have to be there unless we're dead." Yumi said. Kami nodded and stood herself up, her hand resting on her subtly swollen belly – the belly which contained Spirit Albarn's child – and walked out into the living room where Marie and Stein were waiting.
"You'd better take good care of her." the blonde weapon told her meister and, as he had become recently, her boyfriend.
"I will." Stein said, quietly. Marie smiled and walked over to Yumi, and Kami walked over and flopped onto the couch next to Stein.
"Have fun at weapon camp. Yay." Kami said, sarcastically. Marie and Yumi smirked and said goodbye before leaving the apartment.
"Okay, I have to go and meet Mira, and she's going to drive us there. You're going to wait for Spirit?" Marie asked. Yumi nodded and hugged Marie gently before she made her way off. After a few minutes, a frantic redhead came bolting down the corridor.
"Shit, Yumi, I overslept, sorry, quick, let's go, the teacher's going to kill me if I'm late!" Spirit exclaimed, running past the raven-haired girl.
"Spirit, you're not late, calm down! It doesn't start for another 45 minutes and it only takes us 15 minutes to get there!" Yumi exclaimed in response. Spirit stopped, jerking Yumi backwards.
Then, completely spontaneously, Spirit took Yumi's face in his hands and kissed her smack bang on the lips. Her face heated up when he pulled back.
"You're a lifesaver, Yumi. An absolute lifesaver." he said, a wide smile adorning his face. She murmured something unintelligible before they continued making their way down to the car.
Did he just – did that happen?
Kami's pregnancy continued, and Yumi's feelings for Spirit did not waver, no matter how much she tried to make them.
One Winter day, four months into her pregnancy, Marie and Mira had taken Kami out to go shopping for baby clothes. Yumi was going to go, but she had come down with an awful cold, and was instead cooped up inside.
After about forty minutes of solitude, a knock on her door made her sigh. She stood up, all three blankets in tow, and opened the door.
"Spirit?" Yumi asked, though her blocked nose distorted the name a little. Spirit smiled and held up a small flask on front of Yumi's eyes.
"It's soup. I didn't reckon it was fair that the girls left you here all alone. So here I am." he gave that trademark smile and Yumi nearly fainted.
"Come in. It's warmer in here." she moved out of the way and allowed Spirit into the apartment. He gave a small shiver and set the flask down. Yumi went to sit on the couch, and he came and sat down next to her.
"So, how've things been? Haven't had much chance to chat, not with Kami." Spirit said. Yumi looked at him and shrugged.
"I don't really know. I'm sick, nothing's really fun at the moment." Yumi said. Spirit smiled and nodded.
"Fair enough." Spirit said.
"What about you?" Yumi asked before snivelling.
"Stressed. And then a little bit more stress. And then a lot more stress." Spirit said. Yumi sighed and she almost felt sympathetic for Spirit.
"I'm so – so – so… ah, ah… Ah-choo!"
Yumi Azusa gave one sneeze. And then another. Her sneezing fit lasted for about six sneezes before it actually ceased. Spirit turned to her and she turned to Spirit, and they both started laughing. Yumi had sneezed so many times that tears had started running down her face. Spirit clicked his tongue and pressed his hand to the younger girl's cheek, wiping away the tears with his thumb.
"You're adorable." he said, quietly. Yumi swallowed when she realised that, despite the fact that all of the tears were gone, his hand was still pressed to her reddened cheeks.
"I…" Yumi murmured, but the words wouldn't come out.
No. No. This is wrong. He has a girlfriend – a pregnant girlfriend – your pregnant friend's boyfriend, Yumi, you can't –
But before she knew it, Spirit's lips were on hers.
It was unlike the kiss they had shared some months before, for that meant nothing to Spirit. But, no, this meant something. This meant more than anything Yumi had ever experienced in her young life. It meant my girlfriend's pregnant and I need someone to seek solace in and you're all I care about at the moment all at the same time.
Yumi broke away first, pressing her forehead to Spirit's. They both knew what they had done was wrong, so wrong, and yet, the words they uttered were nothing to do with that issue.
"You're going to get sick." Yumi murmured. Spirit couldn't help but smirk at the time.
However, when he came back sick a couple of days later and was moping around with Kami, he felt like he would be caught.
He took no time to think that it was Winter and that colds were common, no – he figured Kami would jump straight to him kissing Yumi. When Kami asked him about it, he seized up.
"I… I…" he stammered. Kami leant forward in one of her rare moments free of anger and kissed Spirit on the forehead.
"You must have caught it when you were out in the cold. Just don't give it to me." she said, and Spirit sunk back into himself
Despite the fact that both Spirit and Yumi knew how wrong it was, what they were doing, they continued to see each other. Every night, after she and Spirit had seen each other, Yumi would repeat it all in her head, her subconscious splicing You know his girlfriend's pregnant, right? into her memories.
Eventually, and almost inevitably with the rate their relationship was escalating, they ended up alone in Yumi's apartment, more specifically her bed.
There was something that clicked for Yumi that day, and it was not just because of what they had done. It was not just because she had given him something that could never be regained, something that he would always have, no. It was because of what happened afterwards.
"Are you sure it didn't hurt?" the redhead murmured to the now seventeen-year-old, his fingers encircling her belly-button repeatedly. She shook her head – it was a lie, but the last thing she wanted to do was worry him.
"It didn't." she murmured, closing her eyes and resting her head into the crook of Spirit's neck. He ran his hand up and down her side, resting his chin on her head.
And then he spoke the words that sent it all falling to pieces.
"Kami's having a girl. We found out the other day."
The way those words rolled absentmindedly off of the eighteen-year-old's tongue made Yumi's eyes bolt wide open.
He was talking about his unborn child, who was being carried by the woman he was cheating on to the woman he was cheating with.
Yumi pushed Spirit away almost instantaneously, standing from the bed and beginning to hyperventilate.
"Yumi," Spirit pulled himself up from the ground, "Yumi, what is it?"
"You need to go home," Yumi said, through sobs, "you need to go home to Kami! And your baby, Spirit!" she yelled.
"Yumi! Stop!" he called.
"No! You stop! We, we need to stop! Spirit, this is ridiculous! Kami is one of my best friends and she's carrying your baby!" Azusa near-screamed. Spirit's eyes widened.
"What does it matter? Can't you see we're fraying at the seams? If it weren't for the baby, we'd have broken up months ago! She's cheated on me before, what does it matter if I- Oh, no."
Spirit saw the look in Yumi's eyes change. He knew he'd said the absolute wrong thing.
"What does it matter? What do I matter?" Yumi asked, rage bubbling inside her.
"Yumi, I didn't mean it like that! No!" he exclaimed. Yumi began picking up Spirit's clothes and throwing them at him.
"Get out! I don't want to see you ever again! Never!" she screamed.
"Yumi! Calm down!" Spirit called back.
"Don't tell me to calm down," she hissed, "just get out."
Spirit swiftly got dressed and exited the apartment, I mix of tears and profanities pouring from him as he did so. At that point, Yumi broke down.
She couldn't tell anyone. She couldn't risk them knowing and telling Kami.
So she sat alone, curled up in her apartment, and cried.
"She's gorgeous, Kami." Yumi smiled, looking down at the cooing bundle in her friend's arms.
She didn't want to see Spirit, but she figured that not coming to see baby Maka Albarn would be far too suspicious.
"Thanks, Yumi." Kami smiled, and as Yumi looked up, she saw the redhead across the bed. He looked every bit the doting father, and Yumi sighed.
It was his role, and it was a role he was going to play for the rest of his life – a father.
She politely nodded and left the room, and it was the last time she would see Spirit Albarn for over a decade.
Coming back to the DWMA was both exhilarating and scary for Yumi. She didn't go by Yumi anymore, anyway. People called her Azusa, because they knew she was no-nonsense, last-name, get-to-the-point.
She followed all rules and regulations to a tee now that she was older. It resulted in less accidents, less harmful incidents, and most of all, less sleeping with her pregnant friend's boyfriend.
She didn't know what became of Spirit after Maka was born. She'd only kept in touch with Marie, really. Marie never talked to Azusa about Spirit, she thought he was a sore topic because she liked him all those years ago – she'd never heard the full story.
"Even if you aren't happy about work, Marie, you must be glad to be back here." Azusa said. Marie nodded and gave a little smile.
"I suppose I am. Shinigami-sama said that Franken was working here now." she said. Azusa raised an eyebrow.
"They can employ people like that?" Azusa asked. Marie rolled her eyes and hit Azusa in the arm.
"Not again, please!" she exclaimed. Both Marie and Azusa gave small, composed laughs, and Azusa turned to look at Marie.
"Do you know what Deathscythe's stationed here with Shinigami-sama?" Azusa asked. And, at that very second, they ran into two men. Two men who, despite all this time, looked firtually identical.
Well, save for the giant hunk of metal in the silver-haired man's head.
"Long time no see!" Marie exclaimed. Azusa's eyes flicked up and met Spirit's. She almost gasped, but fell on her first defence mechanism – being the leader.
"Wasn't it your fault that the Demon God was reawakened, Spirit?" Azusa asked. Spirit's eyes widened and he waved his hands about madly.
"No, no, don't tell Shinigami-sama!" he exclaimed. Azusa stepped back and rolled her eyes- he hadn't changed.
"Please stop your whispering! Shinigami-sama is expecting us!"
Spirit had been held back in the Death Room for a few minutes now. Azusa had the urge to run, but Marie told her that she needed to talk to Spirit. She wasn't sure why.
As the scythe walked out of the Death Room and down the corridor, he looked at Azusa. He walked slowly to her, and she raised an eyebrow.
"Are we speaking? It's been a while with the whole silent treatment." Spirit said. Azusa didn't reply, and they continued walking.
"Stop, Yumi. Stop." Spirit turned her around, and she nearly throttled him.
"What?" she hissed. Spirit cleared his throat and began.
"I'm sorry. I really am." he said, quietly. Azusa looked up at him and crossed her arms. Spirit sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"I should fill you in. After Maka was born, Kami and I got married. We were never happy, but her parents insisted, what with Maka and all. But, now Maka's here at the academy… We got a divorce. Maka hates me, Kami's run off somewhere and my life's a little bit crap right now, so I don't need your hatred right now." Spirit said. Azusa blinked and she dropped her hands.
"What finally broke it off?" Azusa asked. Spirit almost smiled – Azusa was actually talking to him again. It was good to hear her voice.
"Kami accused me of cheating. And… I told her that I'd cheated on her when she was pregnant." Spirit said, quietly. Azusa's eyes widened.
"I didn't' tell her it was," Spirit lowered his head, "you. So, if she ever comes back, she won't hate you."
"Fine." Azusa crossed her arms and kept walking, Spirit struggling to keep up.
"Is that it?" Spirit asked. Azusa flicked her eyes up to him.
"Is she a weapon or a meister?" Azusa asked. Spirit laughed.
"Meister." he said. Azusa scoffed, and Spirit couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah. Look, Yumi… can't we just start again?" Spirit asked. Azusa raised both of her eyebrows this time, and she seemed shocked.
"Says you. How?" Azusa asked. Spirit stopped, but Azusa did not. Not until Spirit started talking.
"Hi, I'm Spirit Albarn, I'm thirty-one, I'm a scythe, and I'm single." he said. Azusa's memories of her first day at the DWMA flooded back and she spoke back.
"I'm Yumi Azusa. I'm thirty, and I'm a crossbow. A Deathscythe, actually." she replied. Spirit smirked.
"You seem like a bit of a perfectionist." Spirit said.
"And you seem like a bit of a dick. Nothing's really changed, has it?" Azusa asked, turning on her heel and walking off. Spirit's eyes widened and he began to chase Azusa down the hallway.
"Yumi? Yumi?! Does that mean we're good?! What? Yumi, wait!"
A/N: Let me know what you think . Like I said, a little less fluffy, maybe a little OOC with Azusa, with the whole cheating thing, but nevertheless, fun to write. All 4,700 words of it :D