Author's notes: So this is all because Luna-sempai said go for it. You can all thank her by going to read her stories. Anywho, this is based in the Soul Eater universe so expect some things to have been changed for this rehashing. I tried to make the Soul Eater verse as approachable as possible for people not familiar with it; so, if any of you get overly confused by what's going on drop me a line so I can embellish parts in the story.
Oh! And I must thank the lovely SlickCiggy for her beautiful work at beta-ing.
Warning: Tsuzuki is not dead; he's a young adult. Hisoka's not dead; he's a teenager. Because they are younger and not!dead there's a couple of things I should go over. Their personalities are intrinsically the same but because they have not experienced more years they are bound to be OOC, kay? Yes, I said it. Keep in mind that they are going to be as close to their characters as possible.
Oh, and I changed two YnM peoples' names in the course of the story. You guys are smart enough to figure them out. :D Enjoy!
The laughing, spiky, sun was in high spirits as it hung far above the Death Weapon-Meister Academy. It was the beginning of a new semester, and the crowd of un-partnered Weapons and Meisters were lounging about the open courtyard in front of the massive odd-looking building. The towering building sat at the highest point in the center of Death City, two massive lit candles sidling the three enormous skulls that acted as a sort of 'welcome' mat to visitors.
With their best face on the flunkies were all waiting, some nervously and others not so much, for the incoming Freshmen who were trekking up the long stairs to the academy. A couple Weapons were throwing simple Q & As back and forth practicing like they were about to be tested. While a few Meisters chatted quietly, they tried to calm their inevitable jitters. From their vantage point they could pretty much judge how much longer until the Freshmen stepped up onto the man-made plateau.
Finally, those newbies trickled up onto the flat stonework, the pass-overs from the previous semester moved to intersect them for a casual meet-and-greet, hoping to pair up with a Meister or Weapon suited to their abilities and needs.
Dressed in his typical black duster jacket and business suit, Tsuzuki hung out in the shadows of the right-most giant skull. It was much cooler there than hanging out in the sun. He idly wondered if this batch of bodies was even-numbered like the last two, or odd-numbered, with twin Weapons, like the one before even that.
The mass was thinning as Pairs headed to registration and then to whichever classroom they'd been assigned. They wouldn't find out until later whether they were compatible or not.
Behind sunglasses and a lock of brown-black hair, he watched until there were five left talking and gesturing at one another. Odd-numbered, maybe he'd get lucky...
Four walked away in groups of two. This was his chance! If this short blond was a Weapon it meant diddly-squat, but if she was a Meister... maybe he'd finally get Paired.
Hell, who was he kidding. At twenty-five, he was the oldest unpaired student, and, in accordance with his deal with Death, a year away from getting kicked out of the academy. However, unlike other DWMA dropouts, he wouldn't be allowed to leave Death City if it came to that.
He was trapped here either way. Even as hopeless as the prospect seemed, choosing a Meister felt freer than the only other option. Frankly, he wasn't picky, since so many experienced Meisters would deign insults on him, instead of attempting to wield him. The real problem to getting a wielder was finding one that stuck. It didn't matter whether or not they were compatible. At this point, it wasn't really a matter of choice.
Shifting uneasily from foot to foot, the kid turned at his approach, a small pin with 'Meister' sitting primly on their chest.
Thank All for that. Tsuzuki had started to hope a little too hard and his head pulsed with the beginnings of a headache. The Meister was male, but as long as they were compatible it didn't matter to him. He knew others who could afford to be picky. He politely removed his sunglasses pocketing them in his front coat pocket. Casual. Stay casual. "Hey, I'm Tsuzuki Asato, a Weapon. Mind pairing up?"
He was scrutinized, and, really, he was used to that, but not in such a neutral way. It was a little unsettling, but not unpleasant. He fidgeted as he waited to pass whatever assessment the green-eyed Freshman was non-verbally administering.
It didn't seem long before the kid nodded, though his cheerless expression didn't change. "Secret Blackriver." With that, the kid walked ahead without another word. Not a chatty one, huh.
Regardless, Tsuzuki pumped himself up at this unexpected opportunity and simultaneously tried to smother the hope that swelled in his head, 'maybe, maybe' knocking in his skull like an overused baby-rattler. He could've built a glass palace if he had melted down all the windows of opportunity he'd broken in the past.
As he passed under the massive stone archway, underneath the likewise massive skull, which had wicked red spikes for eyes, he noticed that the kid was already well beyond the informational table, manned by a cheerful Meister and a grumpy Weapon, set up for new Pairs.
As he jogged to catch up, Tsuzuki waved at the short, long-haired Wakaba, while he completely ignored the male cigarette smoker next to her.
She waved back with a happy smile and nudged her Weapon in the midsection. "Hajime, don't be rude." The grunt could have been, "hi there" or "piss off" but by then Tsuzuki was already down the hall.
He called out to the short Meister. "Hey! Slow down!"
Despite his height disadvantage, the kid was quick on his feet. By the time he'd caught up, they were already halfway to their assigned classroom. Silently, they passed the 'Gibbous Moon' classroom and turned right, and continued down the hallway.
Tsuzuki glanced down at him. It was unusual for someone his age to be so stoic. He couldn't be more than thirteen, maybe fourteen. Tsuzuki knitted his eyebrows. The kid hadn't checked the sheaf of papers bundled in his left hand or asked him where they were headed; Secret seemed to be somewhat familiar with the odd layout of the building.
The silence was so full and his curiosity so strong, Tsuzuki couldn't stand it any longer. "So, Secret, what made you come to the DWMA?"
Secret sent an irritated look towards him as if the silence hadn't chafed him the smallest bit. "To hunt witches."
Tsuzuki braked, clamping down on the surge of unhappy feelings that the simple mention of the 'w' word wrought. "Did you lose someone?"
The kid slowed to a stop, not answering as he tilted his head to look at the elegant sign hanging from the bracket off the wall. The 'Half Moon' classroom was in view with its door still open and the voices of eager Freshmen emanating from the room.
With a quick shake of his head, Secret entered the room. A minute or so behind, Tsuzuki followed, ever curious about the pervasively enigmatic Meister, but not before slipping his sunglasses back on. It would dissuade the other Freshmen from staring at him too intently because of the notoriety that preceded him. His reputation caused him problems; not because others would attack him, but because in the past if his reputation hadn't scared off a potential Meister the other students would.
The only two seats open were far apart in the mini amphitheater. So Secret sat in the front section in the middle, while Tsuzuki made his way up the stairs along the wall to the highest section in the rightmost corner, ignoring the distasteful looks that were slanted his way. The only other occupant of the desk looked vaguely ill at his presence as he took a seat on the built-in bench. Tsuzuki crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, quite content with what would be his seat if he decided to attend class with any regularity.
It was a lucky break that he'd gotten such an advantageous seat. He didn't have to worry about objects flying at the back of his head.
Tsuzuki was feeling pretty good until the teacher stepped in. The tall, brown-haired man was a three-star Meister, the highest honor for wielders, and typically the only ones who held such an esteemed position in the academy. It was just his luck that for every brief good thing that happened to him, some bad crap always followed to put a damper on things.
See, he should have graduated with that Meister years ago. He'd been an upperclassman and Tsuzuki's previous partner, but it hadn't worked out. True, a huge number of his partners didn't work out, but with Tatsumi—well, they had been a damn good pair while it had lasted. Tsuzuki closed his eyes from the pain that filled him at the memory of the bespectacled man, knowing that Tatsumi only wielded a Shadow Type Weapon now. Distracting himself from the past with the present, he called up the image of the green-eyed youth who would (hopefully) become his Meister.
Without so much as an 'Attention', Tatsumi Seiichirou turned to the chalkboard and wrote his name. He turned sharply, his glasses glinting in the light, and smiled. The chatter in the classroom quieted abruptly; the flunkies, in particular, knew they needed to shut the hell up with this strict teacher.
"For this class, you will be expected to be on time, follow my lectures, and do the homework in between meetings. When you do all of these, the exams will not be difficult to pass. Missions where Kishin souls are captured are also required to pass this course. While class is in session," Stern blue eyes scanned the students as he continued, "I expect common courtesy as well as respect for myself and your fellow classmates."
Abruptly, he turned a stony stare at a couple of Freshmen, a boy and a girl who were whispering to one another and apparently hadn't noticed his annoyed expression. "Which means, do not speak unless answering a question, and when called upon stay relevant to the topic at hand." The two students pulled away from each other, embarrassed by the teacher's censure coupled with quiet snickering from their classmates.
Tatsumi paced by the lectern. "Any further questions will be answered at the end of class. Before I begin my lecture, there will be a practical demonstration of compatibility."
His gaze wandered to the upper corner of the room, and he paused. "Are there any volunteers?" Hands shot up like various earth-toned weeds, but his eyes didn't waver. "Tsuzuki. Why don't you and your Meister show everyone how it's done?"
He hadn't glanced towards the chalkboard after seeing who was teaching, and his dark shades kept anyone from knowing where his attention was. Tsuzuki stiffened. What is he up to, making me the center of attention like that? "Sure." He stood, and ignored the whispers and glares.
So close to the front of the classroom, his prospective Meister was already on the platform, staring straight ahead at the undecorated wall. That is, until he stepped in front of him, blocking his view.
"Introduce yourselves properly to the class." The teacher's even tone did more than to suggest their next move.
They both turned towards the seated group, neither really liking the attention of the class. The shorter of the two opened his mouth but paused in the face of the raw hostility that a great many of his classmates drilled into him with their eyes and disapproving frowns.
"I'm Secret Blackriver, one-star Meister." He started to bow but caught himself and played it off as a shrug instead. Glad it was over, he quickly turned away from the smoldering onslaught though it itched like a sunburn. He faced Tsuzuki, who was removing and pocketing his sunglasses to introduce himself, like he had when they had first met.
"Most of you already know my name, but at the teacher's request my name is Tsuzuki Asato." He smiled brightly, knowing that his lack of reaction angered the ones who thought he was better off not paired or, better yet, expelled from the academy.
As Tsuzuki turned to face him again, Secret briefly looked into the odd-colored eyes before settling his gaze uncomfortably somewhere over his shoulder. With a frown, Secret suddenly pivoted his head towards the class, just as someone threw a crumpled piece of paper at him, but Tsuzuki's long-fingered hand caught it, crushed it, and tossed it aside. Without missing a beat, Tsuzuki stepped back. "You okay, Secret?"
Tatsumi's reprimand was brutal and swift, and within a minute the offending student was sent out, her untested partner looking smug. Without looking at Tsuzuki, Secret nodded hesitantly.
"Well, well. My apologies, Blackriver. Some people have no manners. A specific punishment will be doled out to the offender, if you would proceed with the testing?" The teacher's voice was kind, but steely.
Momentarily stunned, Secret tore his gaze away from what were supposed to be neutral classmates on his first day at the academy and held his hand open invitingly towards Tsuzuki. With a nod and without glancing at the Weapon directly, his look of practiced boredom changed to concentration.
In a flash of dark purple, Tsuzuki phased completely to his Weapon state, and hopped amorphously to Secret's warm hand.
The kid changed his hold to two-handed on the hilt for comfort and ran his eyes over the blue-steeled sword that was so dark it was nearly purple. Testing his grip a bit to see if the sword was too heavy or hot and finding nothing amiss, he sliced the air with the traditional Japanese sword before going back to an 'at rest' stance.
There were two claps, and Secret dropped the blade down as he faced the teacher who was smiling. "All the signs of a good match. Very nicely done, you two. You may return to your seats." Tatsumi turned back to the class, apparently unwilling to let his students be unsupervised behind his back just yet, and began his lecture.
When the kid relaxed his grip, almost dropping him, Tsuzuki re-formed to Human state, put his sunglasses back on, and quickly headed back to the fourth tier of seats—all while trying to keep from showing his enthusiasm to angry stares trailing him.
Like Tatsumi had said, there were no symptoms of incompatibility, yet. That was very rare for Tsuzuki, who often had to match his wavelength to whoever wielded him, which was slow-going and bothersome. Yet, his new Meister didn't seem to see their compatibility as something momentous as the slight form stoically moved behind the others on the small walkway between the second tier of conjoined desks and first tier's middle bench.
Opening his notepad and picking up a pencil, Secret also apparently didn't notice how the students reacted around him. Many were glancing at him in disgust or pulling away from him like he carried an infectious disease.
Eyes closed and leaning his chin against a fist, Tsuzuki sighed as Tatsumi began, the familiar sound of clacking chalk on blackboard constantly reminding of where he was.
The lecture was nothing new. The teacher, because that was all Tatsumi was to him now, was all clinical objectivity about compatibility and its anti-thesis. Personally, Tsuzuki always thought it was all extremely subjective. The symptoms of a pair-rejection were too numerous to really remember them all, but the teacher listed them off one by one, filling the board. Tsuzuki's personal definition of a true complementary pair just felt 'right'—it lacked the cold technicalities the teacher was in the process of listing.
Tsuzuki stifled a yawn. All that mattered to Tatsumi's long-ass lecture was that if the soul wavelengths of a pair didn't match up, forget about wielding or being wielded.
With the compatibility issue out of the way, Tsuzuki wondered how he was going to pass. He hated lectures and avoided homework whenever he could, so it wasn't surprising that his marks on the exams were equally atrocious when he didn't do the work or come to class. Assignments were his strong suit. Or at least he thought they were. It'd been awhile since his last successful one.
He opened an eye to look down at the lectern. Now, Pairs were being called up three at a time to introduce themselves and then to test for compatibility. Despite the obvious animosity of his classmates, Tsuzuki leaned forward with his arms outstretched on the built-in desk, laying his head down chin first, good and ready for a nap.
He knew that after the whole class had performed the assessment task, the ones who were compatible would be given a break while the incompatible ones were sorted out under the teacher's ever watchful eye. Having to wait until everyone finished made Tsuzuki sleepy.
When Tatsumi started calling out the no-go Pairs, who would be staying behind to try to make new matches, Tsuzuki straightened blinking blearily behind his shades and rolled the stiff muscles in his shoulders, neck, and back. "... for the rest of you, you're dismissed until the morning after tomorrow. Be on time. If you wish to complete a mission, you may, but you will only be able to lift the easier mission plaques from the Death Board until we get farther along in the semester." Hardly anyone heard the teacher finish the last sentence as the class was all too happy to empty out of the room as soon as possible.
To Be Continued...
Next time: Tsuzuki and Secret head over to their dormitory, but not before stopping by Walter's place first... It should be explosive!