My first author's note!:
Hello! This is the very first chapter of my very first published fan-fictions. I've published a lot of poetry in the past on a couple of different sites but I've never tackled an entire multi-chapter story. As such, I am new to the way 's system works. It's much different than anything I've previously worked with. I was going to stick to single line breaks for dialogue breaks, but I've decided that I think it looks much better this way. It's a little more spaced out, but overall easier on the eyes. So, it's not a mistake, it is indeed on purpose. After all, I don't want to shove a big brick of text down your throats!
Anyway, Please review and let me know how you like this first chapter. As long as I know that someone is reading, then it really motivates me to keep going. I know some of you may be disappointed at the lack of CC cameos thus far, but I really wanted to carve out my own experience in the Soul Eater universe. I want to make something that is much my own as it is an extension of the original story. (Anime-verse BTW.) I enjoy reading them from time to time, but I really can't stand to write a story where I just thrust some new person into everyone's life during a timeline that we're all already familiar with. Some people pull that off very well, and I may someday with a Hellboy II fan-fiction that I was thinking of resurrecting. I wanted to try something different for sure this go around, however. A new Kishin will be emerging, as well as plenty of deception, conflict, romance, and lemony goodness! There will be witches, new and dangerous artifacts, possible hints of canon pairings, and a journey that will grow my OCs and force them to come to terms about the true nature of their feelings for one another after many long years of partnership and friendship. There will most likely be a happy ending, but my macabre ass has been known to leave things on a slightly dark note. Even I haven't forseen the ending of this yet, but that's just part of the fun! If you have any suggestions for me, I'd love to hear them, and I promise to bring in a few of the characters you know and love, at least once in a while! Who better to help fight off a new Kishin than people who have dealt with one before, after all? I hope you enjoy this ride with me, and I hope you'll stick around until the very end! I promise to do my best not to disappoint.
Now, off we go!
Elle.
Chapter One: Fondest Memory - Looking Back While Moving Forward?
It had been two months since the final defeat of the Kishin Asura, and things in Death City were finally getting back to normal. The school had been forced to close so that all traces of the underground shrine, where the Kishin had slept for so long in a bag of his own skin, could be taken down and sealed off properly. Since summer break should have ended a month ago, this was technically going to be the first day of the new school year. And, of course that meant new classes, and new classmates. Alice Acero felt something she hadn't in so long that she didn't remember the correct name of the emotion. Whatever it was, it was twisting her stomach into cold knots beneath her black corset, and half buttoned violet trench that billowed out behind her. She didn't normally wear any of her fighting gear, but today was special. First impressions were very important to Alice. It could be very hard to change someone's opinion of you once they'd made their judgments. A fresh wave of the foreign emotion squeezed her in the gut, causing her to grimace and massage her hands over it to relax the muscles.
"Nervous, Ally?" A familiar, sarcastic voice said next to her. Shadow loomed over her, grinning like he always did when he was feeling cocky.
She frowned up at him. "Yeah, aren't you? We've got seven possible classmates who defeated a Kishin, that's some stiff competition, Shadow. Aren't you at least a little intimidated?"
Shadow let out a sharp laugh." Ha! I don't get intimidated Ally. The only thing I'm worried about is how many of our new classmates are hot."
Alice rolled her eyes. "Yes, because they're so much easier for you to catch once they've been paralyzed from fear…" They continued up the steps.
"What are you talking about? I'm dead sexy." Shadow smoothed back his black hair, two long pointy orange bangs bouncing back into place, falling barely past his chin.
"Dead scary is more like…" Alice muttered, tugging his ridiculously long, amorphous ponytail playfully. The dark, shadowy strands snaked up her fingers and curled around her wrist before she gently removed them and pulled her hand back. And it was true, Shadow came off as more of an obnoxious corpse than the suave bad boy he thought he was. Standing at six foot six with a thin and lanky frame, he was deceptively strong. Alice hadn't been the first person to try and wield his weapon form. That had been four years ago, but she still remembered clearly as her footsteps up the giant staircase faded in her mind, along with Shadow's chatter…
"Alright, all of you in this room have had almost the entire school year to find a partner. This exercise is to test your instinct for soul compatibility, as well as try to get the rest of you partnered up so you can begin getting assigned missions." A nervous group of thirteen year olds stood clustered together in one of the training rooms while a teacher addressed the group. The walls and floor were strewn with weapons of all shapes and sizes. Among them were traditional scythes, of which there were two, to a medieval flail, and a large number of swords. There were also a few stranger looking weapons, including some that looked too confusing for someone to even begin to ascertain their proper function. Alice stared around curiously, scoping out each weapon carefully. There was no particular reason why she was still 'unmatched'; it was mostly that nobody had captured her interest. It was plain apathy more than anything else. But, the teachers were right, it was time she and the other meisters in the room buckled down and got to work, with someone, anyone. She bit her lip, not liking being forced into a decision. It felt like being backed up against a wall. There was nowhere to go except forward.
Alice pulled herself out of her thoughts as Mr. Sid, the teacher who had brought them all here, began talking again. "All of these weapons are also unmatched. On my mark, I want you to choose the one whose soul speaks to you, or seems most compatible. They will remain in weapon form until chosen, so you can also choose a weapon that you know you will be able to learn to use in battle. Are there any questions?" The group of them all shook their heads simultaneously, with a few 'no sirs' thrown out. "Good. Now choose!" Sid stepped aside as some of the more impatient, brash students rushed forward to grab a weapon first. Alice shook her head, and instead hung back, focusing all of her energy on the souls of these weapons. She combed over them meticulously; some were kind and accepting, and some exuded great confidence. But, none of them made her feel anything, not even curiosity. Her eyes finally rested on a half-circle-shaped weapon, about two and a half times her width. It was such an odd shape; with a crescent blade was six inches wide, and spanned across the whole weapon. Fifteen razor sharp spikes carved into its edge, and a much longer, thicker spike in the center. In all, it made for sixteen points of possible disembowelment or severe maiming. It looked wicked and deadly. A black, wrapped leather handle ran parallel with the blade, connecting at it's two edges, where on each a long spike came forward and shot back a little past where the handle ended, sort of like a guard for the wielder's hands. In the center of the handle, another piece of the blade connected from the center, cutting the empty space in between handle and blade in half. On the inner side of the blade, two pointed ovals had been cut out of the metal, giving the weapon the illusion of eyes.
It wasn't its flashy appearance that made Alice look more closely. It was the energy, orange and black, that was pouring from the weapon itself, making it almost glow with a sinister light. She couldn't tell what kind of soul this one had, but something about it drew her in. She took a step forward, then gasped with dismay as another student picked up that very weapon. Her despair was short-lived, however, as the boy who had picked it up so eagerly now screamed in agony, smoke seeping from where his hands grasped the handle. Alice wrinkled her nose as the stench of singed flesh reached her. The boy dropped the weapon and backed up, staring wide-eyed at his hands. Another, more arrogant student, a girl named Lysa that Alice severely disliked, scoffed at the boy. "Idiot, you're obviously not strong enough for a weapon of this caliber." Nose thrust high in the air, she shoved the injured student aside, ignoring his pained protests. She hoisted the blade up, and began examining it with delight. Alice's heart fell. Lysa sneered at them, brandishing her prize. "See? It's not that difficul-" Her sentence was cut short when a shadowed head poked out of the center of the blade. It was completely black, and had two orange eyes that glowed with power and amusement. Sharpened white teeth showed as its lips pulled back into an evil smile. "Helloooo beautiful." It said in a deep teenage male's voice, leering up at Lysa, who looked terrified. "So you think you're the right partner", he drew the word out, almost purring it, "for the great Shadow Reign?" Lysa didn't respond, she only proceeded to shake like a leaf. 'Shadow Reign' tilted his head and the grin fell slightly. "Hmmm, I hate to break it to you toots, but any meister of mine can't be such a scaredy-cat. I still enjoyed you holding me though, very much…" With that, he leaned in and licked her hand, which had a white-knuckle grip on his handle, and disappeared back into his weapon form. Almost everyone else had paired at this point, and now weapons and their newfound meisters were gathering around Shadow and Lysa, who had become quite the spectacle. Lysa screeched and dropped the blade, wiping her hand violently onto her skirt. Just as she let go, the blade burst into orange flames. Shadow was obviously tired of being picked up. Fascinating… Alice spied two more students eyeing the weapon hungrily. 'I think I know how to deal with him…' Alice had gotten a brief look at Shadow's soul while he was busy molesting Lysa. All that bravado and talk about how great he was, he reminded her of another boy in the school named Black Star. But, Black Star really just was that confident with himself. Shadow, however, was hiding something. All that big talk and repeated rejection of partners was clearly some kind of emotional wall. Alice was the kind of person who liked to climb walls, because they were usually put up to protect something that was well worth discovering. Alice now desperately wanted to know what lay beyond this particular barrier. She took off without another thought about it, hoping blindly that the third time really was the charm. There was a cocky blonde boy reaching his hand out to the blade, whose flames seemed to leap higher and burn brighter with the prospect of being handled again. Alice leapt, and used that boy's shoulder to vault herself right over him, landing in a crouch. She swept her leg around and tripped her competition, grabbing hold of Shadow's handle, heedless of the flames that reached out hungrily to curl around her fingertips. A collection of gasps was all she heard before the world plunged into blackness…
…Alice woke up on her back. Her first impression was that she had somehow gone blind, because there was nothing but suffocating darkness around her. She sat up, and then stood slowly, not sure what sort of objects could be within head-thunking range.
"What the hell are you doing in here?!" An outraged voice caused her to spin around, and she almost tipped over in her haste. Standing in front of her, staring at her accusingly, was what she could only assume was Shadow. He towered over her by at least a foot and a half, so the menacing glare from his pitch-black irises, indistinguishable from the pupil and framed by thick black shadows that almost appeared like eyeliner, was far more intimidating.
"I have no idea…" she trailed off, gaping dumbly at the velvety black around her. "Exactly where am I that I'm not supposed to be exactly?"
"My soul." He ground the words out, displaying none of the charm he had towards Lysa.
'But I'm prettier than that rude skanklette Oh yes, this is totally fair treatment.' Alice thought, sneering slash pouting inwardly, although she felt instantly childish for doing so.
"Much." Shadow responded coolly, though his eyes retained their flint-like hardness.
"Excuse me?" Alice responded, wondering what in the world he was referring to.
"I said you're much prettier than Lysa. And, for the record, that 'skanklette' at least didn't traipse into my private sanctuary then have the nerve to try and play innocent!"
Alice felt her blood run cold. How had he heard all of that? Shadow crossed his arms, which covered the fishnet shirt he was wearing under a long sable trench coat, whose tattered edged trailed the pitch colored ground, barely visible. His low-slung pants were tight, black, and looked like shiny leather material. He scoffed at her and replied "You're in my soul. I can hear everything that goes on in here. Duh."
Alice felt her face burn, feeling moronic. Shadow continued, "I'll ask you once more, since you seem to be either stupid or hard of hearing. Whaaat-" Shadow spoke slowly and loudly, clearly mocking her. "-are you doing here?"
Alice bristled, not appreciating being treated like a fool. "I told you, I have no idea. My best guess is that my intention of reading you more closely accidentally triggered my Soul Bridge. I'm very sorry, I never meant to invade your sacred space…"
Shadow tilted his head, tapping his booted foot impatiently. "First of all, what the heck is a freaking Soul Bridge? Secondly, give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick your pretty butt out of my home."
Alice tapped the tips of her index fingers together, staring hard at the ground as she tried to put her ability into terms that another person could understand. Maybe even a pig-headed jerk like Shadow.
"Hey! I heard that!" He flipped her off.
Alice just rolled her eyes at his immature antics and sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "Look, it's just what I chose to name a side-product of my own specific soul reading abilities. It's called Soul Bridge because that's exactly what it does. It bridges our souls without requiring either party to match wavelengths and allows me to venture inside a person's soul plane. Physically. I normally maintain perfect control over this, but somehow all of the chaos must have caused me to lose my grip on it, and I accidentally reached out to you. As soon as our souls touched, I woke up here. The other students are probably having a huge freak-out right now. I've never demonstrated this ability in the classroom before because I didn't think anyone would be able to handle seeing my whole body sucked into a weapon or a person headfirst."
A devilish smirk cracked Shadow's stern visage, and he snickered. "Oh I can't wait to see the looks on their faces!"
Alice moved closer to him, chancing closing the distance between them to a mere arm's length now that his mood seemed lightened. "As for why you shouldn't boot me out of your soul, I really can't think of a good reason. I just ended up here because I wanted to get to know you more." He quirked an eyebrow at her, arms remaining crossed over his exposed chest as he shifted his weight to one hip. He looked her up and down properly for the first time since she'd landed smack dab in the middle of his world. She was short. 'Really short.' he thought with amusement. She had to barely break five feet. Her body was petite and curvy; with a generous bust that seemed out of place on her small frame and made him wonder why she didn't topple over face first. He couldn't get a look at the back of her right now, so he settled for assuming that she had to have some sort of ass balancing it out. She certainly had the hips to suggest it. Her waist-length, wavy hair was parted slightly to the left, and the thinner side was bleached and dyed snow white. The opposite was a slightly softer black than his own void-colored mane. Her face was small and round, with a delicate pointed chin and high cheekbones. Her features made it hard to discern whether she was beautiful, or just adorable. Her big, violet doe eyes didn't help the 'adorable' side any, and were fixed on him while she scrutinized him as well, deep in thought. She simply looked like an innocent bimbo with a neat hairstyle. He was content to wave her off as such until she uttered in a quiet whisper, "Why do you hide yourself?"
"Heh?!" Shadow blanched, taken aback by the random, and vague accusation. "How the hell am I hiding anything? I'm letting a random bimbo I just met lounge around in MY giblets. How the hell can you call that hiding?"
Alice's dark brows pushed together, and her lips pulled down into a frown. "You turned down two perfectly good partners, and went against our professor's instructions. When your weapon form burst into flame, it was clear that you were adamant about not choosing anyone. You risked expulsion rather than partner up. I don't know about that first guy, but Lysa is a strong meister, if a teensy bit insufferable as a person. Any weapon would be happy to be chosen by someone like her. You even said you liked her holding you… It's like you don't want to let anyone get close." Shadow stared at his astral invader, shocked into rare silence. Alice continued her onslaught, jabbing a pale finger towards him and causing him to stagger back. "That's not all. Before, when I was watching you with the others, I caught a brief glimpse past all of your bravado and snark. Do you want to know what I felt? Fear. You're afraid. Afraid to care about someone, to let them near you. Not just physically, but emotionally. You're a loner that masquerades as some ladies' man bad boy. What are you afraid of? Is it that you're worried you'll grow attached to your meister, and then lose them in battle or some other way? Do you fear rejection? What in the world is it?!" In a gentler tone, she pleaded, "Please tell me, Shadow." Shadow's mind was reeling. How could this girl, this stranger, peel back his layers with such apparent ease? She was prodding around in his heart, which he kept behind very thick defenses, though apparently not thick enough. His heart, that was now pounding in his throat while he flailed around for a response. He gulped then nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll tell you. But first, you tell me what made you want to even look that closely in the first place?"
Alice shuffled her feet, blushing. "You…you were the only one that made me feel. Anything. That's why I ended up here today. I refused to pick a partner as well because everyone's soul just bored me to tears…except for yours." Shadow unfolded his arms, closing the gap between them. Alice gasped softly as she felt icy hands grip her shoulders gently.
"You were right…I am afraid. I don't exactly do people. Until I came here to the DWMA I spent my whole childhood and early teens brutally shunned and feared. No one's ever treated me like anything but a freak. Until Lord Death summoned me here and offered me a place at this school, no one had even bothered to learn my name." Alice's eyes were brimming with tears. Standing directly in his soul, his sadness and loneliness, even his bitter anger, permeated her whole being. She felt cold drops of water begin to pelt her skin, and she looked up in surprise. "Sorry…it does that sometimes… Mostly when I'm sad." Shadow's expression was glum, almost sheepish. Alice rested her palms on his chest, still amazed at the harsh chill that his skin always seemed to contain. It was like caressing a corpse. Instead of being repulsed, she was merely fascinated, interested in this strange weapon in front of her. If Shadow minded or even noticed the gesture, he gave her no sign. He only continued to stare at her with dead eyes as the rain picked up, turning from a gloomy drizzle into a miserable storm. Lightning ripped open the sky, and illuminated the vast emptiness around them. The jagged branches of light reflected in the water that had gathered at their feet. Alice might have been amazed that they were both standing on the surface of the water rather than sinking, but she was too enraptured in Shadow's words, which were coming faster now with newfound passion and desperation. "I lived in a small village, where very few weapons had ever been born. I never knew my parents, and my earliest memories are of fending for myself and living off of the scraps of kindness that a guilty passerby would casually toss my way on occasion. So, I sought refuge in the only place that offered me any comfort or safety. Here. I shut everything and everyone out. Even since I've been here, I still see people eyeing me warily when they think I'm not watching. It-it hurts. I thought that finally I'd found a place where people would accept me, but it seems like I'm just destined to be alone." He chuckled darkly, "It's not like I exactly have the social skills to keep anyone around if they ever took the time anyway." Tears started spilling from Shadow's eyes, mixing with the droplets mercilessly assaulting them from above. "Maybe they're right. Maybe I am a monster…if Death is the only person who can look me in the eye, then-" SMACK! Shadow staggered back, having to catch himself to keep from falling on his ass from the force of the blow. Alice pulled back her hand, shaking it out with an expression of pain and a curse. Shadow's face was harder than it looked. It felt like she had just slapped a brick wall. An angry bolt of lightning struck dangerously close to Alice. She felt her hair stand up briefly and the hot air scald her side. A deafening crack sounded immediately after. Shadow's eyes had completely blacked out, the color from his irises bleeding into the whites like ink on parchment. His lips pulled back into a snarl, his shark-like teeth glinting menacingly in the erratic lighting. "Why did you do that?!" He roared at her. He expected her to cry, to leave, or to beg for her life. He expected pretty much any reaction but the one he received. Alice's body crashed into his hard. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest.
"Stop it!" She yelled at him, hot tears sliding down her cheeks and onto his skin. "Stop doubting yourself! You're not a monster. You're not even a freak. You're unique, and beautiful."
"Beautiful?" He repeated numbly, tasting the unfamiliar adjective.
"Yes, you stupid idiot! Beautiful. I can feel the beauty behind your pain. I only hit you to snap you out of your pointless downward spiraling." Shadow was overwhelmed. He'd never been touched like this. Tenderly. Unease squirmed in his gut, but also another, warmer feeling. It spread throughout him, melting a portion of the ice in his heart. All Shadow could do in the face of this strange phenomenon was to wrap his arms around the soaking wet girl holding onto him for dear life.
"Shadow, let me be your partner. Let me be your friend." She pulled back just enough to look up at him hopefully. "I promise, I won't ever let anyone treat you badly again. You don't deserve it."
"I don't even know your name. How am I supposed to trust you?" He muttered, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"It's Alice. Alice Acero."
"Hey Alice…Alice?..." Thunk! "Alice!" A white hand connected lightly with the back of her head.
"Ow! What the heck was that for, Shadow?" Alice rubbed the back of her head, more out of annoyance than out of discomfort. Shadow huffed and folded his arms, returning his gaze back to the front as they passed under the giant skull and through the front doors of the school.
"You weren't listening to me. That's not like you. Are you sure you're okay? I mean, what were you even thinking about with that much focus?"
Alice felt her face flush. "I was just thinking about the day we met. Do you remember, Shadow?"
A genuine smile replaced Shadow's previous smirk, and he gazed down at her with fondness. "How could I ever forget about that day? That was the day I met my little angel after all. The woman who saved me, and then became my first and best friend. Also, the most badass and sexy partner a weapon could wish for." Alice was shocked at the level of sincerity in his voice, until he tapped a finger to his chin and added thoughtfully, "Great jugs too-OW!" Alice jabbed him firmly in the ribcage, then cackled madly as she took off down the hallway, ignoring the bewildered looks of their fellow students. Shadow grinned and chased after her, calling, "Hey missy! You'll pay for that! Nobody strikes the great Shadow Reign!"
There you have it! The first chapter! I hope you liked it! I'll try to have the second one up as soon as possible, pinky promise! :)