"Father, lookie" the little boy cried as he waddled his way across the soft sand, chubby limbs flailing to keep him standing.
"Kiddo, slow down or you'll-" An eruption of cries were heard as soon as the child hit the sand, small tears bubbling at the corner of his eyes. Death sighed, leaning down and scooping up his small child in his arms. Brushing away the sand from the child's cheeks and hair, he cooed words of relief.
"What have I told you of letting go of daddy's hand?" The toddler roughly rubbed his eyes and sniffled, suddenly putting up a brave face.
"N-Not t-too…" Death sighed again, remembering how troublesome a child is as a single father, but nonetheless. He smiled and poked the child's side, knowing his son's weakness. Giggles bubbled from his mouth as he pushed his father's hand away with little effort, pleading for him to stop. Yet, Death continued to tickle more and more, bringing up the child's glee. However, it was cut short when a shrill cry was heard. Death immediately held his child close in his black cloak, looking left and right for where the sound came from.
"Daddy, over there…" the child whispered, tugging on Death's dark hair to catch his attention. He looked down at his kid who pointed over to the rocks where the calm ocean water splashed gently across it.
"What do you see Kid…?"
"A basket; something is moving inside" he whispered back, curling up closer to the protective cloak of his father. Death moved slowly to the basket, unsure of what was inside. Crying suddenly came from the basket, an all too familiar type of crying and Death immediately quickened his stride. Down casting his eyes to the basket, the pale green blanket shifted around frantically. Kneeling down, Kid peering out curiously from the fabric, Death pulled down the blanket to reveal a little girl.
"It's a baby daddy" Kid confirmed, fully curious now and unafraid as he tried to squirm out of his father's arms. Death looked over the little girl as she now stared wide eyed at them both, viridian eyes gleaming in the sunlight with small tears. She wasn't pale, but fair skinned, her hair an ashy blonde that was only a few shades darker than her skin. Her hair, adorned with two black ribbons, held her hair in short pigtails on the side of her head, giving her a more childish look. Looking at her, she couldn't have been much younger than his own.
"M-Maka…" Kid questioned, a small tag held in his small fingers as he looked upon it. Death looked over at the tag, but seeing no other information besides a last name following hers, Death stood and peered around the area. Seeing no one else around and neither sensing anyone relatively near, he picked up his son and the basket. Kid looked at him strangely, then looked back at Maka.
"What are we going to do with her father?"
"We're are taking her home. It is apparent that someone left her here." Walking across the sand, he looked down at her and thought quietly to himself. Did she come across the sea? Or did someone just left her at the beach? Was she one of us, or one of them? Kid smiled at Maka, who smiled back and giggled with uncomprehend able words. She didn't seem so, or else he would've been able to tell. Only time will tell, he reassured himself. Walking back up to Death City with the two children, he kept a constant eye upon her.
Years passed from that day on the beach. Death City changed very little through the years, only growing larger in population by most. Humans and meisters walked along the streets, the incredibly warm weather of mid-summer beating down everyone. Meisters? Well, they are humans, but most of them have something like a sixth sense. There is something special about them, something a little different, but not so much. Nothing like the strength of ten-thousand men or super powers like the witches in the far-east. The greatest thing is the our sensibility and sometimes manipulation of souls, used for the best reasons though.
No, meisters were normal; at least considered so. Death City's ruler was supposedly Death himself, a gift not to be tampered with. Years ago, he would walk streets and was deemed normal himself, but as time passed, a few differences struck him. Everyone in Death City, humans alike, loved him though. Comically looking now, he wears an almost childish skeleton mask and ridiculously large hands. Covered entirely by a black cloak that swept across the ground as he walked and a top that bounced this way and that, no one was scared by this gentle ruler.
No one was scared of his son, Kid, either. Although his crazy obsession of symmetry could be argued to by scary, he is a good kid too. At least, from what I can tell… Who am I you ask? Well, from what I know, I'm Maka Albarn. Currently, I attend Death Academy for Meisters, a second-year student. I'm nineteen years old and have known my life to be here in Death City, however, I know how I came to be here. Either left or washed ashore the beach below Death City, Death taking me in himself. Well, at least a few of the workers at Death Academy did.
"Maka!" I whipped my head up, the end of my pigtails tickling my shoulders as I looked at my two friends.
"What is it now Black Star…" I questioned, looking at him suspiciously as he spun a basketball on his finger. The blue-haired boy snickered and stopped spinning the ball, holding it with two hands.
"Wanna make a bet?"
"No…" I replied dully, knowing better than to make bets with this egotistical friend of mine.
"Aw, come on! Don't just sit there reading that shit!" I felt my eye twitch as I closed my fantastic book on the 'Physical Entity of the Soul.'
"What did you just-"
"Make a bet with me!"
"Leave her alone" Kid stated off from the side, poking around in the dirt. Black Star growled and slapped his hand on the basketball, grinning at our other friend.
"Who said you could jump in this bet Kid? This is between me and Maka!"
"Maka and I" I corrected him, although was blantly ignored as usual when it came to something educational for Black Star. He stepped up to me and pointed right at my nose, my eyes crossing slightly as I looked at it with disgust.
"I, the great and godly Black Star, make a bet with Maka Albarn that the next time a damned weapon enters this city, it won't even last the torture chambers this time around!" I sighed and shook my head, crossing my arms and looked at him tiredly.
"Fine, whatever… The last weapon had made it all the way to Death himself last time. I think they're stronger than you think."
"Who could be stronger than the great I" Black Star bellowed with a cackle, bending over backwards in an angle that seemed impossible. "Black Star surpasses even the Gods! Not even a weapon could surpass me!"
"Do you even pay attention in class Black Star" Kid sighed, standing up and dusting off his black slacks.
"Like you're one to talk," Black Star stood tall with a sneer, "Coming from the one who spent the entire class writing his name on our assignment…"
"…I COULDN'T FIX MY D IN MY NAME! IT WAS ASYIMMETRICAL GARBAGE COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE LETTERS" Kid cried out, collapsing onto the ground and punching the ground. I sighed and watched as Black Star laughed at my crushed friend, taunting him even more. I then looked up to the blue sky, thinking about Black Star's bet.
Weapons; monsters that can contort body parts or their entire body into a literal weapon to attack others. The worse part of it all is that they use that grueling power to consume souls of living things. I've never seen one in person, although I've heard the stories. They look like humans in every single way except for some of their features. Inhuman coloration in their pigmentation skin or hair, even physical features that seem so unreal, they don't need their weapon form to seem demonic.
These beings are banished from Death City, or to be killed at first sight. However, some are caught in traps and brought within the city to be tested on, before their life is taken away. The last weapon brought within the walls of Death City was seven years ago, but I was in school and was not able to see it being brought through the street of Death City to the dungeons. Within the dungeons, I hear their beaten and tortured for answers about them, about the world outside of the walls. We are free to leave Death City whenever if we choose, but most stay within the walls for the safety of not encountering weapons or even witches, another being banished from this city. The description of a witch is very little, considering the last witch seen was far before I was even born; about 60 years ago, give or take.
Coming out of my thoughts, I looked at the two boys, still quarreling. I stood up with my book, straightening out my red-plaid skirt and cleared my throat.
"Fine, I accept your bet. However, I doubt the weapon would even make it through the streets of Death City" I said, waving my hand passively. Black Star grinned and fist-pumped the air.
"Yes! I'm glad you accepted such a godly bet!" I smiled, rolling my eyes; Typical Black Star.
"How could you…" Kid whimpered, mumbling about something else as he whined pitifully about something being asymmetrical. Black Star smirked and kneeled down beside him.
"Hey, I just find it funny that the one about obsessed with symmetry is asymmetrical himself" Black Star states, pointing out the three stripes of white in his black hair, it only being on one side. Kid just cries louder, almost looking like a kicked puppy. Black Star cackles even louder, holding his stomach and bending backwards again. I laughed and told them both my goodbyes, the sun starting to set over the city. Black Star waved a goodbye with a reminder of the bet, while Kid just cried on.
Walking back down the street to my single apartment by the academy, I thought about weapons again. Because of them, when new shipments come in, meisters have to check anything that could be considered as a weapon. Guns, tools, knives, and even down to the forks and spoons, everything is checked with a soul wavelength check, in which a meister amplifies their own soul out to the weapon and opens up its form, if it is a weapon that is.
Easily heading up the stairs onto the second floor, I entered my small apartment and set down my book on the kitchen counter. It was quite lonely living alone, but I guess it kind of is being an orphan basically. However, I don't mind. I have my friends and I enjoy my life in Death City.
Even if things are about to change.
Dun Dun DUN! And this is begins a new story for me. The idea for this story was actually brought up as a prompt from someone else and while writing this one, I realized this isn't what they wanted. (^-^) Whoops. It still turned out to be a good story and I decided, why not? Post it! I hope you enjoy and review. Thanks!
~soulfullySoulful