Author's Note: First draft, most DEFINITELY not edited. I love Soul Eater. Can't write for it to save my life, but what can you do?
Neuroses
A Word of the Day Ficlet
By Kysra
It was decided. Team Kidd would be featured in the yearbook as "Most Neuroses between Three People." Because if Kidd's over-developed need for symmetry, cleanliness, and general order and Patty's seemingly unshakable gaiety/eerie every-present giggle wasn't enough to tip the scales in their favor, it was Liz's newly developed fear of anything associated with the number thirteen.
No one quite knew when it started or why. (Not even Maka with the library in her brain, Soul had asked because Liz would cower everytime he wore his #13 basketball jersey.)
All they really knew is that her sudden, mysterious fear caused her to skip class regularly on the thirteenth day of every month. (Dr. Stein was amused, but not enough to put away the scalpel; Death Scythe was really tired of having to hold the crazy meister back; and Black Star scoffed. What was there to be afraid of? It was just another day.)
And that a baker's dozen of donuts made her cry and slobber in terror, chewing away at her freshly manicured nails. (Even Kidd had to raise an eyebrow at that . . . before going completely bonkers at how her nails were no longer symmetrical and the polish was peeling away unevenly while Tsubaki stood back, offering timidly to eat that thirteenth donut and make it twelve. Patty just laughed her usual jibbering laugh. Shinigami-sama asked blithely if she needed a Shinigami Chop (tm) to put her to rights again.)
Patty doesn't seem affected - but then, is she ever? - and while Liz was frothing at the mouth about the approaching Friday the 13th, Patty was counting her own fingers and toes and as she closed in on the third toe to make jolly 'thirteen' Liz gave a cringe-worthy scream and ran in the opposite direction. (She nearly bowled over a trotting Sid-sensei, came close to boiling Death Scythe's naughtier bits with a hot cup of coffee, and just missed ramming Marie-sensei into a strangely placed and angled javelin point.)
Kidd was puzzled and fielded every question with an "I don't know!" But really, she was find otherwise; and eventually, when the novelty wore off, and her teachers and friends became accustomed to the mental blip, all was normal once again.
And that was when Patty added a crotchety old man to her already two-fold split personality. It was at that point Team Kidd had the school record of "Most Neuroses . . . " in the bag.
Word: Triskaidekaphobia