Welcome to The Trouble with Meisters (REMASTERED)!

I am very glad you all stopped by, and...yeah. I decided to go through and fix up some of the crap that went bad and yada yada. This is an edited version of the first chapter. If you have already read the chapter, I suggest rereading it because some plot points have changed.

ALSO, Please excuse the language of a select few meisters and weapons. They mean no harm...mostly.

DISCLAIMER: The rights to Soul Eater sadly do not belong to me. I'll have to work on that, huh? I own only my OCs (Original/Own Characters) and the plot. That I worked hard on.

ENJOY!

"You fucking good for nothing bitch!"

"Please keep your voice down!"

"You're not the boss of me, I'm your MEISTER!"

"Well I'm not your slave!"

"Bite me!"

I sighed shakily. This was the how many-ith time we'd had this conversation, except now it was worse because we had an audience. I gave an equally level gaze at Miranda, but she could probably detect the way my soul shied away from the fight. I wasn't very good at defending myself. I preferred no conflict. My eyes slowly moved towards the ground.

She snorted. "Idiot. Now why don't you do something suited for a weakling such as yourself. You could...I don't know, polish my shoes?" Her and a surrounding group began to laugh.

I put my head down fully, letting the dark muddy tresses fall in front of my face, guarding myself. I hoped that if I covered my face they couldn't see how uncomfortable I was with this whole situation. I'm not built for this sort of humiliation. Of course Stein decided then to interrupt.

"Alexis, Miranda." He said patiently, "perhaps you should take your disagreement to Lord Death." The 'suggestion' was addressed to both of us, but it felt directed towards me. There were murmurs all around the room. I heard snips of "Here we go again," conversations. It was true, though. This was the fourth time I would feel the burning shame of what was coming, and the gazzillionth time I've gotten sent to Lord Death's office.

Miranda dramatically flipped her hair and strutted to the door. I do mean strutted. That girl has a walk about her that just couldn't be matched. I shoved my hands in my hoodie and kept my head down. But when I briefly looked up, Stein met my eye with curiosity. I felt as if I were before him with no skin. I wasn't sure if it was his gaze or what he was doing with that gaze. It had never been directly spoken to me, but I heard many inferences that my freaky professor was blessed with some form of soul vision. It didn't help me feel any better knowing he was glimpsing at mine.

By now, I practically knew the way to Lord Death's "office" by memory. The walk was completely silent, save for the click of Miranda's heels and the tapping of my high tops. She only glanced back at me once, made an unreadable face, and continued her snooty march. I did nothing to defend myself in such an attack. You're so stupid, Alexis.

When we finally arrived at our destination, she stopped at the door. I waited patiently behind her. "Well?" She broke the silence. I arched an eyebrow. "Ugh you are good for nothing." She swung open the door, making an effort to show how 'heavy' it was. Then slammed it in my face. I sighed once again, closed my eyes in a calming manner, and opened it quietly. Sometimes I wasn't sure if she did these things for show, or because she really believed in such a silly and flawed belief.

I approached the center of the room cautiously. I disliked being reprimanded, sure, but I disliked the discomfort of what was to happen even more. I noticed the circle at the end of the guillotine-like path that usually held Lord Death instead showed Death Scythe and Miranda.

"-telling you, Death Scythe, she does nothing a weapon is supposed to! And she's so dirty! All she ever wears is that sweat shirt and a pair of jeans. I think in the past month I've been with her she's dressed up maybe once, and that was for the dance. She-" Miranda's ranting was stopped when Spirit cleared his throat to announce my presence. She shot an annoyed look at me and turned back to the red-head.

"Hello, Alexis." Spirit said, smiling. I almost thought I saw desperation in his eyes. "Now, tell me why you've stopped by?"

I was about to answer when Miranda cut me off. "I've had it with her! From the start this hasn't worked out. We cannot be partners anymore."

I frowned. I had felt this was coming for so long, but it still hurt hearing it out loud. I knew it was never going to work, but there was an original spark that I couldn't forget. Not as easily as she could, apparently.

Spirit also showed his disapproval. "You know that splitting up as partners is very serious, Miranda. It's not the same as breaking up with a fling. This is throwing away anything you two have worked through." He gave a glance towards me, shaking his head. "And it must be mutual. Alexis, do you agree with Miranda? This partnership won't work?"

My voice caught in my throat. Every muscle in my body was telling me to say yes. You knew this wasn't going to work! Just let it end! But deep in my soul I felt a twinge of mourning. I'd been hurt before. It shouldn't have to end so abruptly. My bottom lip quivered and I put my head down. "...Yeah. I agree."

Lord Death's weapon was not happy with my words, either. I think I even saw-no, felt- a sliver of regret from Miranda. But all of that was fading now. It was as if voicing out loud what we both had been yearning for broke whatever small connection we had left. Miranda seemed unmoved on the outside, and nodded her head in approval.

"I told you, Death Scythe. That girl has no backbone. She can't even look people in the eye when she's talking. I'll be going back to class now." She spared one small look towards me. "Good luck out there, Lex."

As the clicking of her heels faded out, I let out a deep breath. Lex. It's what she called me at first, when things were okay. We had never hit anything off horribly, but we didn't used to hate each other so much. I composed myself and finally lifted my head the the red headed scythe that stood before me with disappointment in his eyes. "What happened?" was all he asked.

I closed my eyes and let out a bitter laugh. "I just realized that she isn't worth it," I explained, letting myself lay down on the cold ground. "When we first were partners, It seemed okay. I didn't feel the hatred she has now. Sure, I knew she wasn't going to be my best friend or anything. The girl has completely backwards views on weapon-meister relationships. But we matched wavelengths early on. It was so weird, Spirit. It's like she completely changed." Or maybe I did.

He seemed to be deep in thought. "Maybe it was just your eagerness for a partner. I know you went a while without one."

He was right. It'd been a while. But things were going on. There was a war, there were battles, there were things to be done. There wasn't time to make sure silly Alexis had a meister. The closest I got to the field was attempting to defend the school. There were others far more brave than me helping out with far more important things.

Since I'd come to the DWMA I went though, in total, 4 meisters. That's 4 meisters in three years. Maybe it isn't a lot, but it sure was more than it should have been. I was taught that the bond between a weapon and meister was supposed to be special. Guess that was a load of shit.

My first meister's name was Corey. She was a senior, 3 star meister who was in the EAT class. She was kick-ass and nice and wonderful. I was just a stupid freshman hoping to change the world. And she definitely wanted to help me do just that. But Corey couldn't get over the fact that I was so much younger. She had just lost a partner-and not in a good way. He got sick. She was still so scared of losing another one. I was inexperienced and she needed to take missions that would get her the satisfaction she needed. I understood, but after a year it's hard to take the rejection. I didn't go to school for two weeks. Didn't start looking for a new meister for another three weeks.

Then came Jacob. Jacob wasn't smart. He wasn't even that skilled or anything. But if there was one thing that got under Jacob's skin, it was others pointing these things out to him. And to prevent that, he blamed me. He blamed me for not matching his wavelength. He blamed me for not being able to do soul resonance. He blamed me for his inability to fight with a sword properly. I couldn't take being with him any longer. I had lost what I first saw in him.

Celeste was my partner for a very short time. While Jacob had been close to 7 months of nonstop training, Celeste lasted maybe 4. She was in every sense a "bad girl." She wore mostly black and leather. She supported herself and smoked like a chimney. She was constantly in a state of depression, though. Her parents died and she had no one to talk to. I felt her pain at the time. I felt I had no one else out there after having screwed up twice with meisters. She thought it would be okay to have someone around. That is, until she kicked me out with no notice. She never spoke to me again. I later found out that she dropped out of the academy and moved to a new city.

Finally we come to the witch herself. After Celeste left me, I moped my way back to the dorms and stayed for a good while. Once I finally got the courage to pick myself back up and find a partner, shit hit the fan. There were witches, there was a Kishin, there was a war. And when all of it finally settled, I felt lonely and useless. I needed someone; anyone. That turned out to be Miranda.

She was known to be a weapon hopper. She couldn't make her mind up. I knew that. I didn't seem to care at the time. I just needed to feel like I could do something again. We met at a meet night. They happen periodically throughout the year, t introduce new students or transfers or even just people who want to meet a new partner. She had squinted at my name tag, glanced at me, and stated in a proud manner, "I think I want to try out a sword. What do you say?"

I realized right away that she saw weapons as objects. For some reason, I didn't care. I felt something with her. It was a weird spark. But with time, it faded, and she got more and more upset with little things about me, and I with her. Things got progressively worse. Two months. That's how long it lasted.

All of this heartache- this soul-ache- since day 1. It made me entertain an idea I hadn't thought about in a long time. Now seemed like a good time to bring it up, though. I'd tried being in the NOT class, I'd tried different meisters. It was time to just admit the truth. "I'm not right for the DWMA"

Spirit leaned over my pathetically limp body. "That doesn't make any sense. You are a weapon. And you know where those belong."

I rolled over and muttered into my arm, "I don't feel like a weapon."

Spirit rolled his eyes. "You're being dramatic," he stated before attempting to lift me from the ground, "now get up before Lord Death comes in here and sees one of his students trying to bail."

I swatted his hand away and lifted myself up, ignoring how much my muscles hated me. "Not like it matters. I'm sure he can already tell. He is Death, after all." I lightly brushed off my jeans and centered myself. "I'll just get to class. Sorry for bugging you, Scythe."

As I tried to walk out, he caught my arm. I turned towards him curiously. He let out a soft smile. I hated those smiles. I knew of the pity that lay behind them. "Listen," he said, "I want you to get those thoughts out of your head. Just because you don't have a meister does not mean you aren't useful at the Academy."

I rolled my eyes. "You could have fooled me."

He didn't let go of my arm. A weird look in his eyes formed. "Alexis, I'm being serious. I've known you for a while now and I'm not about to give up just because it didn't work out with a couple meisters. You will get through this."

I frowned. Sometimes he got so serious and upset when talking to me, and I couldn't ever figure out why. I didn't know why he cared so much. I'd known Spirit for a long time, better than most students get the chance to. I used to look up to him so much when I first got here. The year before I was able to join the Academy, I took lessons twice a month with Spirit. We talked about history of weapons, my father, all sorts of things to prepare me for the DWMA. I wasn't sure why or how my mom managed it, but I valued that time.

Then he served as a counselor almost after I lost my first meister. None of it made sense at the time, but I wasn't about to turn down a little help. He helped me find a meister each time. But I couldn't get behind his reasoning for being so kind to me. The whole thing was weird. Am I just now realizing this?

I gave a soft smile of my own. "Thanks, Spirit. I'll think about it. I better get to class." And with that, I tapped my way out of the strange room with one thing on my mind: how I was going to leave the DWMA.

...

The rest of the day was a blur. I was told to take my hood down several times, and people stared at me. Usually, I'm not a big attraction. I try hard not to be one. But ever since I'd been partnered with Miranda...

Everyone could tell we were no longer a pair. We completely ignored each other in class, didn't sit near each other, and avoided eye contact. This meant that Miranda was up for grabs for those love-sick weapons. She got several requests from even those who had partners. Men.

When I had gotten home, I noticed vaguely that Miranda had left a note stating she was staying with Skylar. She wanted me and my stuff out before the end of the week. Skylar could get just as snooty as Miranda could, but she didn't seem to share the same view on weapons her long haired bestie harbored. She treated her weapon, Mai, with more respect than I had gotten in a long time.

I looked around at the small apartment Miranda and I had managed to swing for a decent price. Moving out would mean going back to the dorms. I hated the dorms. My experience with hem had been nothing but zero privacy and idiotic teenagers trying to get under my skin. You'll get through it. It was a small reassurance, but it did seem to calm me down.

I made my way to the tiny room I had been residing in. Miranda called dibs on the master bed, so I got the smaller bedroom. I didn't mind too much, not at first. I didn't own much, and I usually kept it packed up anyway. Looking back on it, I guess I knew that this wouldn't be permanent anyway. I picked up what was left scattered in the room and returned them to their appropriate boxes. I had to the end of the week, I should be able to remove everything by then.

With a sigh I laid down on my bed. I was hungry, but I couldn't cook for the life of me. It just wasn't something I ever bothered learning, and every time I tried it turned out horribly. Miranda wasn't bad at cooking. I'd give her that. She was just bad at being a partner.

I checked my phone for the time. 5:45. Too early to sleep. I rolled my eyes. I could kill time online for a while. I flipped onto my stomach and pulled out my cheap laptop I had gotten a little while back. It wasn't anything really spectacular but it ran. I clicked through social media until eventually I couldn't take being online anymore. Sleeping early isn't that bad. I'll be fine. My eyes closed before any part of me could protest.

...

My alarm blared at me in shiny red letters. I opened my eyes and practically screamed. It was already six thirty! There was no way I could cram in breakfast and get ready with a shower. I decided to skip breakfast and hopped in the shower. That right there was ten minutes, and I still had to put on my clothes. Five Minutes. Five more minutes to brush my hair and teeth. Ten minutes left of travel time. On foot. I was so screwed.

On my way out, I briefly glanced in the mirror. I expected to see my frazzled dark headed self, but instead I saw something different. For just a quick second, my reflection seemed to smile at me with a shit-eating smirk. She had on sharp makeup and her hair was not as messy or frizzy as mine was. That couldn't be me. It was gone the minute I processed it, however. I wrote it off to too much sleep. If I get too much, it seems to just make me more tired.

I actually got to class, panting and coughing from the slight cold I'd caught. While it didn't snow in Nevada, I managed to get a cold whenever Winter hit. Nevertheless, I got there, but five minutes late. And Stein starts on the bell.

"I'll see you after class, Miss Mathews." Stein interrupted what I'd hoped was a stealthy entrance. 'Course I didn't key in his Soul Perception. I was sick of just taking shit. In response, I turned to him with a look of annoyance.

"Professor Stein, with all due respect, I don't understand how me being five minutes late gets me a detention, but when Kidd is an hour late, he receives no punishment," I quipped. A collective gasp sounded around the room. Yes, Kidd always comes at eight instead of seven, and gets nothing but a nod. And no one in the class addresses him on it because he's so 'famous.' He's Lord Death's son, that's it. Nothing fancy.

Okay, that's a lie. It is fancy. But it was five minutes for Pete's sake. Compared to an hour. I just wanted a break

Liz and Patty, upon hearing their meister's name, instantly perked up from the boredom they were experiencing in their seats. "Now, I don't think that's exactly a good point-" Liz started, but Stein cut her off.

"I didn't say it was detention, I said I'll see you after class. Now please take your seat, Alexis." He snapped in my direction. I heard Miranda snicker from her corner. I sat in the front seat- where I sat before I partnered Miranda- with my head down.

Class was pretty boring, just another dissection, but I felt constantly watched. And when the bell rang to go to my next subject, I wanted to flee. I couldn't believe I'd made such a display. And now I had to stay after class, according to Stein. I ground my teeth as my classmates giggled past me. I placed myself right in front of Stein, awaiting my punishment.

He didn't talk until the last student left the room. "Alexis, I wanted to talk to you about your current situation." I raised my eyebrow. What would he know of my "situation?'" His glasses glared as he pushed them up the bridge of his nose. "You've been having trouble with your partners lately, and I have found a peculiar side effect with this. You're already a defensive person, and with every meister lost your soul seems to shrink even more, putting up guards."

I was a bit worried about my soul shrinking, but still confused. What did he want? "I don't get it. What are you talking about?

He smiled. It did not feel friendly. "I want to do some experiments with you. Lessons, you could think of them as. Death Scythe thought it might be a good idea for you to resume extra training while you are in such a transition."

I frowned. "I'm sick of training. I don't really like the idea of experimentation either.," I stated while staring at his giant screw. "No offense Professor Stein, but why even bother with me? I'm not anything special. There's plenty of other students who would kill to have some extra lessons."

Stein didn't answer right away. He thought carefully before speaking. "Your soul is reacting in funny ways to environmental stress," he said in a bored tone, "I'm genuinely curious as to why. I want to figure it out. You will be under no harm, just think of it as some... observation."

Observation didn't sound pleasant either, but maybe it would help. If a person who sees souls tells me my soul is acting weird then why shouldn't I believe that. It just sort of put the lights out on my leaving plan. "I'll..." I trailed off, gazing warily at his hidden eyes, "I'll think about it." He nodded his head. "As long as I can ask any questions I want during these lessons?"

He didn't answer me, just told me to get to class. I scowled and stalked off, my head down. Had I made a deal with the devil? Possibly. Was I going to regret it? Maybe.

I sighed and made my way to 'gym'. It was really just a training center. I usually was with Miranda, but as you know that wouldn't work. So instead, I beat on the bags. Hard. It was a good way to relieve some of the anger and frustration I'd stored within myself, but it did hurt my knuckles. I wasn't completely weak or anything, I did train regularly. However, I didn't exactly have the best or greatest tact when it came to battle.

I was stupid and spared a glance at my previous partner, noticing that she was fighting with a pair of nun-chucks: presumably Kieth Anderson, a guy that's been pining for her. I only grew angry and kicked at the bag. Unfortunately it was at just the right angle to lift it slightly off the hook and onto the ground. I cursed in my head and hung it back up. Not an easy task, but it is doable. I then swept my gaze back over the room.

There, right in the center, dueling a relatively weak meister and his spiked ball was Maka Albarn and Soul Eater. People I envied with passion.

First of all, Maka was so much more friendly than I was. I iced people out while she accepted them. I didn't mean to, it's a natural instinct. And she was extremely smart. She had a partner who appreciated her and such a determination that killed all competition.

A quick look at me and you'd see an antisocial freak with no backbone and so much self pity it's laughable. Not to mention the freaky soul.

Any who, they were also really strong, and really close to making Soul a Death Scythe. I was jealous, to say the very least.

Next to them was Kidd with his pistols, and Black Star and Tsubaki. The role model kids. The people who never seemed to slip up. At least in my eyes. And...half the school's. These were the DWMA's finest and brightest.

I shook my head and slid down on the floor. I amused myself by making my arm glow a bright purple switching from arm to blade. It wasn't anything particularly spectacular, but I liked to think it was nice. I was born a katana, which in all honesty didn't make much sense to me because I didn't have any Japanese ancestry to my knowledge. Lord Death had said things like that can happen. It took me a while before I learned to control changing parts of my body, but it was pretty entertaining, really. Today I didn't get to do it very long, however, because a student came up to me. If I was right, it was Kleighton Bridge, a guy about my age, blonde hair, blue eyes, girls dream, etc. You get the picture. He grinned a devious smirk.

"Hey...Alexis, right?"

I closed my eyes for a moment before smiling slightly. "Yes? What is it you need?" It was the most polite tone I could muster. I had no patience for people like him.

His smirk widened. "I just came to verify that what Miranda said was true."

I practically growled out, "What did she say?" My heartbeat quickened.

His eyes narrowed to match his smile. "That you slept with Death Scythe."

A good cliffhanger, eh? That's nice.

I would love to hear all of your thoughts on this chapter, and I want to say thank you for those who decided to go back and try reading this thing again. Thank you so so so much.

Let me know if you have any suggestions, as I am open to criticism. Just don't be outright rude.

3 from Brainstormer