Part one of two (unless I get hit by sudden inspiration and manage to make it longer, though that would be unexpected). For the (rare) ones who would like to read the sequel: if writing goes well, I should have the next part up within the next weeks, but please bear in mind I haven't started on it yet.

I have only read until chapter 14 of Soul Eater Not (I can't find the rest), so if anything doesn't make sense with the original storyline, that's probably the reason why.

I am not certain whether this is really horror or not, but it might be considered as it to some, so this is put up as horror. Please do tell me if this really isn't this genre; this way I can change it to the right one.


Really, Death City was as nice as ever, I mused lightly, noting the beautiful view that it offered to any visitor or resident all year long. All of the buildings were coloured in any shade of the spectrum and stretched more upward than horizontally, cramped against each other in a charming way that gave off coziness, while the streets were composed of large yellowed stones placed one beside the other in an orderly fashion. Moreover, today was a particularly pleasant day; the now darkening sky had stayed a pretty azure from the rising to the setting of the sun, sporadically hidden a little by the few white clouds floating about lazily, and the temperature, surprisingly enough for the middle of the month of October, was cool enough for most people to go around the streets covered only in light jackets.

As was usual for me after school ended, I was heading off to Master's café, humming softly to myself as I played hopscotch with the cracks in the streets. Anya-san and Meme-chan would join me later; they had had to excuse themselves, informing me that they had a (boring) special class for meister to do beforehand – visibly, weapons didn't require extra lessons for now, which made one wonder whether later the situation would become the opposite. They promised me it wouldn't take too long, only a brief meeting that no matter the length was still necessary, and I quite hoped that they would manage to keep their words true. At least the Thompson sisters were still supposed to be working at the café, otherwise I'd end up all alone – though at that time I was attempting to befriend the sisters my best friends rarely came, therefore my table was a lonely one. Perhaps my other classmates, Akane-kun or Clay-kun, would be present? Or maybe that shinigami (Death the Kid, he had presented himself as) would– No, brain, don't go there.

Lately, things in the city had been curious, in an alarming way. Our teachers warned us about going out at night; we were to avoid night outings, or at least as little and early as possible, and to always stay accompanied. I had difficulty to believe how long it took me to convince Meme-chan and Anya-san to let me head off to Master's café on my own, though it was heart-warming to know how much they cared about me. Although if one went with my hypothesis that, since my tsundere friend was attacked not too long ago, every student of the NOT! class was freaked, it seemed obvious that rare were those who would dare disobey.

To be honest, I would have rather preferred to follow orders and wait for my friends before going out in the city all alone. The late events frightened me as much – or more – than anyone. But I seriously needed money – I might have, you know, wasted all of my allowance into useless trinkets... – so I didn't have much of a choice. I did apprehend that Master would scold me for being so careless, but I saw no reason why the incident would repeat itself with me, based on who it was that was attacked. Anya, for example, was a pretty, rich-looking girl who just radiated waves of confidence – although I suspect very strongly that it's just a cover, with how she acts the rest of the time. Me... not so. I didn't have anything valuable on me, I looked weak, and I didn't think I'd be of any use to the enemy (who was the enemy, anyway? They didn't explain anything, except mentioning traitors), apart from being an hostage – and from what little I knew of the situation, hostages didn't seem like their next step.

Furthermore, it was still pretty clear outside – the constantly drooling sun was starting to set, dipping the world in orange, but still present – and many citizens were still bustling around. A sudden fight would stand out like a sore thumb, which meant that if I were assaulted, I'd quickly be helped out by the witnesses. This city was known for its many strange characteristics; fighters were surely around the corner, weren't they?

See, no problem at all–

Was what I repeated to myself again and again, but who was I trying to kid? Those recurring nightmares of mine still plagued me, until I began to be insomniac. However, I rather preferred to work this on my own than worry uselessly my friends. I also desired the capacity of staying independent and not always rely on my friends, so this was the first step in my plan that I formed during one of those sleepless nights. If I couldn't be strong enough to protect others, I wished to at least never be a burden. I admired greatly a person like Akane-kun, who had his goal set from the start and his ambitions just as high, or Jacqueline-chan, who was determined to befriend the witc– Kim, and succeeded once she put in all she had. I needed to learn to make choices by myself, and if this was how I could get used to taking decisions, then so be it. Yeah, right. As if I was this confident.

Besides, bad dreams were only that; dreams. There was no way those kinds of events would happen to me, of all person. Despite my weapon abilities, before I came to the DWMA I was just an average girl, with an average school life and with an averageloving family and friends; I wasn't used to be a 'special' case. Since I moved to Death City, only my school life – and perhaps the particularities of my new friends – had changed. I was still Tsugumi, that average girl.

Glancing at the sun, I noticed that I didn't have that much time before the night settled in. Luckily, I also didn't have much road left before I reached Master's café. Ignoring the amused glances people sent me, I kept playing hopscotch, until I missed a step and my right foot gave under me with a foreboding noise. I pressed my right shoulder against the closest wall to keep standing (relatively) straight and gritted my teeth in a failed attempt to ignore the sting of my fresh injury.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch... This doesn't look nice..." I observed my hurt foot. My dreadful examination noticed how it was bright red and experience informed me that in a few minutes it would have swollen a lot – enough so it looked like an egg attached itself to my ankle. Crutches, here I come... Sigh.

There was a shift to my right – the sound of clothes moving and the soft slam of a few steps heading forward – and I discovered that there was a dark alley right next to where I 'stood'.

"Straight out one of those horror movies," I murmured to myself, half-excited, half-frightened, and leant toward the alley in curiosity. Perhaps I could tell all about this to Anya-san later, with added gory details, just to see her face – horror stories both fascinated and scared her. In my mind, I already began to etch fear-inducing characteristics to narrate. Perhaps I could wait until night settled in for my tale and use that quite convenient flashlight I had brought from home – it would surely create a nice setting for my scary story. Almost nervous, I threw a quick glance at the dark place, expecting anything – or so I believed.

Eyes stared right back into mine.

My hand fluttered to my mouth automatically as I refrained a shrill scream. There was a man there! What was he doing?

He appeared relatively normal, dressed in that popular, typical way for men in their mid-twenties, slouched a bit on himself as he advanced forward a bit – closer to me. Normal, except for his strange tattoos and his eyes – those just nullified any normality about him. His eyes were blank– No, blank was Meme-chan's face when she just realised she forgot something again, or Anya-san's look when she was coming up with a lie to cover herself. This man wasn't blank, but more of a mix between alive and dead. Brrr, a walking dead. What a pleasant comparison, Tsugumi. He looked just plain eerie, his soulless eyes boring into mine in a fashion that caused shivers to crawl up my spine. He grumbled something that I couldn't comprehend, then straightened up to ask:

"Did you sleep well last night?"

Did I hear correctly? I wondered as I cocked my head to the side "Pardon me, mister? Did you say anything?"

In the blink of an eye, his hand jerked out and grabbed my arm painfully tightly, before he pulled me in the shadowed alley brusquely. My back slammed against the wall and I let out a cry of pain. I peered at him as discreetly as possible. This man... He meant trouble. And I couldn't even escape, for he held me still with one of his gloved hand and his right feet was stomping on my injured one. Even if I manage to divert his attention, I can't run; he'll catch me very rapidly.

"Shibusen, Shibusen... You don't protect your students enough!" he said as he made a noise of disapprobation with his tongue. His tone was akin to the one of someone scolding a child, some detached, impassive part of my otherwise panicking mind amusedly noted.

He drew out a sharp knife that glinted menacingly when it caught a ray of sunlight just beside him. We stood in the shadows just beside the open street, and unfortunately for me, it was enough for no one to notice what was going on here.

"Well now, little girl," he drawled out, a maniacal grin forming on his lips. "Let's begin, shall we?"

The knife dived in.

.

.

In the DWMA, Tsugumi's best friends were walking across the many halls, on their way to the weapon's side.

"I wonder how Tsugumi-chan is doing?" Meme inquired to Anya, who shrugged her shoulders as if it didn't concern her at all (though just the previous seconds she was pondering about the very same question).

The large hallway was desert except for the two meisters and the heels of their shoes resounded loudly against the ground. It was one of the most quietest time in this part of the school, for it was between the end of classes and the end of the extra lessons, though those had already began, as the multiple lit rooms proved. All that could be heard were the muffled voices behind doors and the two girls strolling in silence in the hall, thus it was to be expected that when rapid footsteps started, they noticed it immediately.

"Akane-san? Clay-san?" Anya asked, surprised. What were they doing in the school at this hour? Furthermore, Akane didn't even show up at that freshman meisters reunion they were just previously at.

"Is anything wrong?" Meme prompted to the two running boys.

They barely slowed down to respond, the meister throwing over his shoulder, "We forgot something importa– Where's Harudori?"

"Hmm? She went to Master's café," Anya explained to the two, as Meme couldn't recall, as usual. The runners stopped to an halt. "We're going there ourselves–"

"On her own?"

"Well, yes. We didn't want her to, but she insisted," piped in Meme with a pout.

Akane and Clay glanced at each other quickly. "Shit!"

"Uh? What's wrong? Is–"

"What are you still doing here, boys?" Sid walked in with a frown. "You should rush there as soon as possible. We don't want any victim."

The sole weapon present turned around and announced hurriedly, "Sid! I think that there's already a victim!"

.

.

The cold blade carved a line just below my left cheekbone, just digging deep enough to draw out blood and send it dripping down my cheek. I let out a small hiss – it burned, but the little experience I earned from books hinted that any noise would worsen my situation. I can't believe I'm relying on fiction to survive, now. The man – a traitor, I identified from our teachers' tales– smiled in self-satisfactory and leant in, his breath ghosting over my ear and causing me to shiver in disgust.

"Good, good. Don't worry, girlie. I'll just damage you a little before sending you back to your dear school in one piece." The man straightened and mimed contemplation, then grinned, a gesture that emphasised the crazy glint in his eyes. "More or less, I guess."

The weapon dived forward again, this time planting itself in my shoulder, lacerating skin and flesh as it went in and out. I lurched forward and would have screamed if his hand hadn't immediately shot up to muzzle me. Blood spurted out at an alarming pace and black spots began to flash across my vision.

"Shh, no noise. You wouldn't want to ruin my fun, would you?" the traitor whispered and proceeded to drag me deeper in the alley.

I struggled vehemently, putting all I had into trying to tear away from him, for I understood that this was probably my last chance to escape. Unfortunately for me, he was too strong for me, and he threw me carelessly on the dirty ground. My head knocked hard on the surface and I blackened for a few seconds. Gripping my shoulders roughly, he pulled my top half upward, his strange eyes searching for mine.

"Look at me," he demanded.

I stared resolutely at the ground, feigning disobedience, though I was in reality scared out of my mind and somehow trying to come up with a plan. What am I supposed to do? I've never been in this kind of situation. What should I do? What would that senior girl, Maka, do? Inspiration hit me with a flash. Oh! My weapon ability! I've seen some students transform only an arm to battle by themselves. Even though I was well aware there were more chances I failed than I succeeded, as even in a normal situation I was often unable to, I tried to shift into weapon form. I struggled in vain for a few seconds, with my attacker observing on in an entertained manner, before I gave up and let my tense body sag on the ground, exhausted. Strangely, it seemed even more complicated than usual, and I wondered if he had done something to me, apart cutting or hitting.

Getting tired of my attempts to escape, he slapped me hard, sending my head lolling to the side, and the black spots in my vision intensified. I started to feel nauseous and bit my tongue in order to not faint. I think that fainting would only complicate my precarious situation. So, what's next, genius...?

"Look at me," he gritted out and his hand reached out under my chin to force my head forward. I didn't have the choice; I looked into his frightening eyes.

"You're pretty weak, uh," he noted, amused. "You're already on the verge of losing consciousness, and simple poison was enough to interfere with your weapon blood." He stepped back suddenly, glancing behind him nervously, before muttering words I didn't catch. "Well, then, let's finish this, alright? Don't worry, you shouldn't die...normally."

Waves of panic overwhelmed my agony and I tried to crawl away from my assailant, to no avail; he kicked my sides absentmindedly and grinned at the sound of my pained groan. He dug fervently into his pockets, grumbling under his breath, and triumphantly displayed a piece of paper in his palm.

"Here, hold this," he ordered and pushed it between my trembling fingers. "You make sure to show that to your little friends, okay?"

When I didn't respond, he stepped on my stomach with a crazed laughter as he observed my face contort in more torment. "So...? What do we say?" I nodded as much as I could – which wasn't much more than a tiny jerk of the head. He smirked. "Great. A little farewell and I'll be going, then!"

The knife reappeared between his gloved hand; it plunged in my stomach, tracing a deep gash as it went from right to left. Blood oozed out rapidly from the wound and I coughed out some of the red liquid too. Agony filled my mind and my world was painted white as it spun around me. I let out a scream, a never-ending one – I just couldn't stop myself, not until my voice would get too hoarse and then broke. All I wished for was for the pain to stop; I couldn't support how much my body hurt. I felt like I was slowly burning, dissolving into minuscule particles of tortured flesh. My head pounded horribly and merely keeping my eyes open took a lot of effort out of me.

"Good, all according to plan," Some disjoined portion of my mind heard a soft voice murmur, along with footsteps heading behind me before they disappeared.

Rapid ones resounded somewhere to my left forward, along with distraught voices. I strained to lift my head (just a little, please, just enough to know what is going on) losing consciousness for a few seconds in the process. I finally managed to grasp the hazy sight of people (Sid-sensei, Akane-kun, Meme-chan, Anya-san...) rushing toward me, shouting in panicked tones syllables that sounded a lot like my name –

And then the world turned pitch black.

.

.


Comments would be very appreciated, if anyone has a little time to spare. But more importantly, thank you for reading, anyway.