"So did you catch the game last night Giorgio?" the man asked as her drove the garbage truck through the streets of Chicago. His companion – a large Italian man with a full mustache and balding head – shrugged his shoulders and sighed.
"How many times do I have to tell you before it gets through to you, Vinnie? I'm not a sports kinda guy," he said. "I mean, you ask me this every day, and every day I tell you the same thing. I'm starting to think that mullet of yours is eating your brains."
"Hey, at least I've got hair old man!" Vinnie teased with a laugh.
"Yeah, enough to make me think you were part Bigfoot. And what's with the 'old man' crap anyway? You ain't that much younger than me." They both had a good laugh as they pulled over to the next stop – a pair of cans by an old apartment complex.
"All right man, it's your turn: go get 'em," Vinnie said as he set a toothpick between his teeth.
"What? I thought we agreed to switch every other block?" Giorgio complained. It was starting to get cold out and he didn't want to leave the warm car.
"That was before you lost the coin toss, pal. Now get to it."
"Yeah, yeah, you and your gambling," Giorgio grumbled as he reluctantly left the truck. "One of these days that's going to catch up to you."
"You sound like my wife," Vinnie called back.
"Sheesh," Giorgio thought out loud as he heaved the first can into the truck. "I swear he's cheating on those stupid things. That jerk thinks he can trick me, well I…" He stopped as a strange sound caught his ear. "Is someone crying?" he wondered as he looked for the source of the muffled noise, only to pinpoint the second garbage can. He lifted the lid to find a teenage girl curled in a ball inside the can. Her clothes and short, messy auburn hair were all smeared with garbage. "Hey, kid, what are you doing in there?" Giorgio asked, unable to mask his astonishment. "That ain't no place to…" The girl looked up at him, only now revealing her puffy brown eyes, tear-streaked face, and running nose. "Hey, are you okay?" The girl gently nodded. "Look, I don't know what's going on here, but that ain't exactly a safe place to hide." Giorgio held out his hand, which the girl took as he helped her out of the can. "I almost threw you out there, you know?"
"You wouldn't be the first one," the girl whispered so softly the garbage man could barely make it out. She bowed politely and turned to leave. "Sorry to bother you sir, I'll just go now…"
"Uh… I…" the garbage man stammered. He really had no idea what to do, but this girl looked like she needed help.
"Hey, what's going on Giorgy?" Vinnie called from the truck. "What's the hold up?"
"There's a girl here and…" Giorgio called back, but when he turned back to where the young lady had been, she was gone. "What the…?" he wondered.
As the girl continued walking down the street, she came across an old barbershop, closed for the day. She fogged the glass with her breath and drew numbers in the fog, mumbling "42-42-564 whenever you want to knock on Death's door." She stepped back as the window transformed to reveal not a barbershop but a strange room with walls like a moving sky. A dark figure, Lord Death himself, appeared before her.
"Hm? Rebecca?" he asked, looking around in confusion. "What are you doing here? Did you collect the kishin egg? And where's your meister, Hugo?"
"Lord Death," the girl whispered, her voice cracking and new tears forming in her eyes. "I want to go home now."
Welcome to Death Weapon Meister Academy, more commonly known as the DWMA. It stands as a defense against the forces of evil, which would plunge the world into chaos and drag humanity to the very depths of fear and madness: the demons known as kishin, and their insatiable hunger for destruction. To ensure the kishin never regain their hold on this world this academy was founded by the Grim Reaper, Death himself. So basically, we're an organization that exists to protect and preserve peace. I guess it's not exactly a typical school? Oh well, that isn't important. For now, let's roll up our sleeves and get to work!
-Lord Death (OwO)
The girl, Rebecca Morningstar, two and a half months removed from that day, lay sleeping, safe and warm, in her bed at the dorms of the DWMA. Yet her brow furrowed and her arms tightened around her stuffed raccoon as the events that left her heartbroken and alone in a Chicago trashcan continued to replay in her mind. As the memory reached its climax, her eyelids fluttered open as she wrestled herself from her slumber. Half-asleep, she could only vaguely feel the new sunlight warming her skin and calling her to greet the day.
"Morning already," she mumbled as she turned to her alarm clock. The clock's digital face told her that she had once again woken up earlier than she had intended, leaving the alarm pointless and unused. "Oh man, I've got to get this under control or I'm never going to get a good night's sleep."
"Aw drat," another, male, voice complained from behind her. "And I was that close to finishing, too." Startled, Rebecca bolted upright, morphed her right arm into her weapon form – a massive ball-and-chain – and swung at the intruder. "Crap!" the young man cried as he fell back just enough to avoid getting clobbered. Rebecca's window wasn't so lucky. Finally alert, the girl could finally make out the face of her unexpected guest, a boy her age with short black hair and brown eyes hidden beneath a pair of glasses.
Rebecca sighed. "Oh, it's only Eichiro," she mumbled, relieved, as the ball-and-chain resumed the form of a human hand. She caught sight of a notebook and pencil lying on the ground at the young man's feet. "What are you doing in my room at this hour?"
The boy – Rebecca's meister – collected himself and his things and rose to his feet. "I was doing research," he said, flipping through the notebook, a goofy, excited grin spreading across his face. "I find that – in manga and in life – there's something about finding someone sleeping that makes them extra cute and cuddly. I wanted to discover what that essence was by observing and sketching my sleeping partner."
"Oh, is that it?" Rebecca asked, without a hint of sarcasm.
"Exactly!" Eichiro exclaimed, practically bouncing with enthusiasm. Rebecca scolded herself for not expecting something like this. Unlike other meisters, Eichiro Otsubo had not come to the DWMA to learn how to fight or to forge a Death Scythe by feeding corrupted souls to weapons like Rebecca, but to, in his own words "Draw on life experiences that will aid me on my journey to become a great mangaka. And to help me write some really badass lines." As if attending an academy for living weapons and the warriors who wield them just to learn to draw comics wasn't crazy enough, Eichiro had the bad habit of poking his nose into places it didn't belong, if only for "research."
"Well, that may be," Rebecca warned him, "but you really should ask permission first, or someone could get hurt." She gripped her sheets and shot him a sideways glance. "And don't call me your partner in that context; it's kind of embarrassing."
"Okay, if you say so," Eichiro said as he turned to leave the room – Rebecca thought it was amazing how easily he could flip from nuts to normal. "Well, if that's the case, you might want to get changed already. We've got a busy day ahead of us." With that the boy traipsed out of the room and presumably into his own. Once she was sure he wasn't coming back in, Rebecca slipped out of her bed and started changing into her uniform – starting with a sky-blue and white hoodie and black pants.
"So, busy day huh?" she asked as she pulled on a pair of black stockings. "What did you have in mind?"
"We're heading to New York," Eichiro called back from his room. "I picked up the mission yesterday. Some guy named Fibes went nuts after an accident and ate the souls of some doctors. Now he's on his way to becoming a kishin." Rebecca finished slipping on her black boots and looked herself over in the mirror. Huh, she wondered as she inspected her appearance. Maybe I need to update my look. Wearing the same clothes I did on that mission may not be all that healthy. On the other hand, she certainly looked better than she had at Chicago, and she had to admit she started feeling better about herself after Eichiro became her new meister. Still, I think I might need to use a brush, she thought, running her fingers through her hair.
"Hey Rebecca, can I ask you something?" Eichiro called out. "Come here a second."
"You're dressed right?" she called back. She wouldn't put it past him to call her in before he was done, just so he could learn how to write an "authentic reaction" to such an incident. Especially since he'd tried it once before.
"Well… Enough," Eichiro replied, hesitant. "I need your opinion on something."
Rebecca sighed. He's not going to come out of there if I don't, is he? "Hang on," she called back. She gave one last twirl in front of the mirror, smiled, and bounced off to see what was so important. She stuck her head in to find her Meister – thankfully – dressed. He was wearing a white dress shirt, a red tie, green pants and brown shoes – normal enough, but his hair always made Rebecca want to giggle, he combed most of it down neat, except for a big old cowlick he'd leave in the front. He said it gave his appearance "character." And she'd always tell him he was a character, alright.
"Ah, just in time," Eichiro said. He yanked a black longcoat off his bed and flung it over his shoulder. "So what do you think would make me look more badass: wearing it like normal, or on my shoulders like a cape? That way when the fight starts I could throw it off in one of those 'now I'm serious' kind of moments. Know what I mean?"
"Sure," Rebecca murmered, thinking it over, finger to her cheek. "Hmm…You said we were going to New York, right? Definitely like normal. If you threw it off in some alley it might get stolen, or at least dirty."
Eichiro paused to consider it. "Yeah, but is it still badass?"
"I think so," Rebecca told him with a nod, completely serious. A silly question perhaps, but she'd learned long ago that this was her Meister's way of "drawing on life." "So how do I look?" she asked in response.
"Perfect," Eichiro replied. "We've got your look down, and like most mangaka once I've gotten a look figured out, I'll run with it. Unless we hit a time skip or something."
"Do those happen in real life?" Rebecca asked, wondering just how he'd answer.
Eichiro just stared at her, confounded. "To New York!" he cried, fist in the air.
"Well that's one way to make a transition, I guess," Rebecca noted.
"Ahh, New York, New York!" Eichiro exclaimed as they roamed the urban streets, on the prowl for their target. "The Big Apple! The lights are shining, the moon is smiling, and I've already been cheated out of twenty-five dollars and almost mugged three times! I'm telling you Rebecca, this is the kind of thing I became a meister for. Now if only you wouldn't scare off those thugs every time, I could have some really great material right now."
"But Eichiro," Rebecca explained, "if I let them mug you they would have taken your camera and ruined your sketchbook. Then you would have lost so much great data, right?" Personally, she just wanted to keep him safe, but sometimes the only way to reason with Eichiro was to, well, ignore reason. The young meister's face tightened at the thought.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he grumbled. "And now that I think about it, there's no way some two-bit crooks could legitimately threaten a Meister, so I wouldn't have experienced real fear, now would I? Good call Rebecca." Ridiculous logic as it was, it still made Rebecca smile.
Eichiro suddenly froze, a look of surprise on his face. "Hm?" Rebecca asked, coming to a halt and turning back to her partner. "Is something wrong Eichiro?"
"Rebecca, did you see that alleyway?" Eichiro asked, indicating the narrow passage with his eyes.
The young weapon turned her gaze to match his. "What about it? Did you see the kishin?"
"Even better. I saw…" Eichiro whipped out his sketchbook and pencils. "An opportunity! Just look at this place!" he squealed with glee as he sketched like a madman. "The suffocating closeness of the walls! The shadows from which any manner of man or demon could emerge! The garbage and ruin that reeks of death! That hobo! This could make a perfect scene for my manga and I almost missed it! Man that would have sucked!"
As he continued drawing and babbling, two large men did in fact come around the corner, brandishing some wicked-looking knives. They looked the two over, pausing noticeably at the sight of Rebecca's ample bosom. The girl merely morphed her arm into weapon form, smiled, and waved at the two would-be muggers, one of whom waved back in shock before they both scrambled away.
"I mean imagine it!" Eichiro continued to rant, oblivious to what just happened. "New York and not one shady, mugger-plagued alley?! Talk about time misspent!"
"No kidding," Rebecca humored him. "But don't we have a kishin to be looking for right now?" An ear-piercing scream cut her questions short.
"Either that's him, or we've got ourselves a mugging!" Eichiro exclaimed, ecstatic as he tucked his art supplies away. "Either way, I get to practice my material!"
As they followed the voice, a young woman was thrown against a wall by what had to be the strangest figure she'd ever encountered – a tall man in a black cloak, wearing a phonograph turntable on his chest, with a trumpet horn protruding from each shoulder. The man threw his hand over her mouth, muffling her screams as he set a record on the turntable. "At last," a voice intoned from the horns, "the nurse from the surgery that killed my wife. You, my dear lady, are the very last one. Once I have your soul my revenge will be complete. Then I will continue collecting souls until the secret of life is in my hands." The recording cackled as the woman passed out from terror. The surreal figure reared back his hand to strike the fatal blow.
"The secret of life? You have to be kidding me," someone interrupted. The cloaked figure turned to find himself face-to-face two with Eichiro and Rebecca, the former with his eyes shut and an arm in the air, a single finger piercing the heavens. "The secret of life is to live to the fullest until the day you die," Eichiro continued. "But you could never know that, Fibes – you who are so consumed by death that you have mired your soul in evil and taken the lives of the innocent." He leveled an accusing finger at the cloaked madman. "But your abominable crimes end here! I'm Eichiro Otsubo, meister of demon ball-and-chain Rebecca Morningstar, and in the name of Lord Death himself your soul is mine!" He withdrew his hand and turned to Rebecca. "So how was that, do you think I could use that one in my manga?"
"Of course," Rebecca replied. "But shouldn't we…?"
"The ending felt a little weak though; a little cheesy," the Meister interrupted. "Could I have used a different line? Maybe…" But before he could finish Fibes charged him, taking a swing at Eichiro's head, his fist passing within millimeters of the young man's face. "Well that was rude," the boy complained. "Rebecca! Weapon Mode!" The girl nodded and assumed her full weapon form, a massive metal ball covered in blunt thorns, connected to a long chain which coiled around Eichiro's wrist. With his free hand the meister swung the ball over his head and assumed a battle stance.
Fibes replaced the record on his chest, which played "Ah! So the DWMA has sent a meister after me have they? This works to my advantage! What better way to comprehend the secrets of the living and the dead than by examining the body of a soul eater?"
When exactly did he record all this? Eichiro wondered. This guy must spend almost as much time on his lines as I do.
"Hand over the weapon and I promise your death will be as painless as possible," Fibes threatened through the record.
"Not happening!" Eichiro shouted as he swung Rebecca down to crush Fibes. But the soon-to-be kishin leapt out of the way, retreating from the alley as the force of Eichiro's attack shattered the concrete below the two combatants. "And in case you haven't noticed, I'm the one who's armed here, so you're in no position to make threats!" the boy cried as he swung the iron ball at Fibes.
Fibes switched records as he dodged again. "Oh, but you'll find that I'm far better equipped than you think," he sneered.
How on Earth could he possibly know to record that? Rebecca wondered. But before any sort of answer could begin to form in her mind, her opponent sidestepped the blow and turned a knob on the side of his turntable. An excruciating, ear-piercing screech tore through the air as the two trumpets unleashed a blast of concentrated sound on Rebecca's weapon form. The girl cried out in pain as the ball changed its course and crashed into the wall.
"Rebecca!" Eichiro cried. To his horror, the chain in his hands vanished and the ball turned back into a girl.
"I'm fine Eichiro!" Rebecca cried, getting her legs underneath of her. "Don't worry about me, we've…" But before she could finish her sentence, a dart embedded itself in her neck. She turned her head and found Fibes holding a blowgun. The madman turned the dial back and changed records again. A chortle echoed from his trumpets.
"It seems that the reputation you DWMA students hold isn't nearly as well earned as I thought," he scoffed. "One blast of my special sound is enough to scramble your brainwaves and turn you back to human form."
As he said this, Rebecca became woozy and her vision darkened. A sleeping agent? she thought. Crap! This is not good.
"And it doesn't matter if your weapon form is as hard as iron, your human form is as soft and vulnerable as anyone else," Fibes continued as he turned towards Rebecca. "Oh don't worry, my child. I don't intend to kill you yet. You are one who grows stronger by devouring kishin souls. Your body could hold the secrets I so crave. I will enjoy our time together very, very thoroughly."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Eichiro shouted as he charged Fibes. "Get away from my partner!"
Rebecca, on the other hand, couldn't even raise herself to a kneeling position. As her head spun, as the world grew dark around her, as she fell to the ground, one murmured word escaped her lips.
"Eichiro…"
As the physical world vanished from her eyes, the world of her memories came back to life.
"I can't believe it, the DWMA!" Rebecca's father – Richard Morningstar – exclaimed over the girl's cellphone. Rebecca, several months prior to her battle with Fibes, stood outside the gates of the Death Weapon Meister Academy – a weird building looking like a deranged birthday cake decorated with cartoonish skulls, red thorns, and giant candles – her suitcase in one hand and phone in the other. Her dad told her to call as soon as she arrived, and thus the conversation began. "That's my little girl!"
"Papa, I'm going to school to be a weapon; to fight the kishin and witches," she half sighed, half giggled. "I'm not exactly a little girl anymore."
"Yeah, I guess," her dad chuckled. Rebecca could see him sheepishly rubbing his mop of hair – the same color as her own – in her mind's eye. "But you'll always be my girl, don't forget that."
"I won't Papa." There was a prolonged silence – neither of them quite knowing what to say next – before her dad sighed.
"I can't believe it's been seven years already," he said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "If only your mom could see you now. Her little Becky, all grown up, finally able to become a full-fledged weapon. You've become a strong young woman. I'm proud of you, and I'm sure Mama is watching you from heaven with so much pride in her heart. You go knock 'em dead, okay Becky?"
Rebecca gave a demure smile that she sincerely wished her Papa could see, so that he'd know she'd be alright. "Okay Papa."
"I love you."
"I love you too. Bye Papa."
"Bye sweetie." They hung up, and Rebecca, trying hard not to let her emotions show too much, picked up her suitcase and made her way into her new school and her new life.
But first, she had to climb a lot of stairs.
Oh sheesh, that was brutal, she thought as she sat down to catch her breath. Still, not as bad as I would have thought. I guess all that hard work and exercise really paid off.
"Aw man, I am going to die out here!" Rebecca turned to see another girl her age – bearing chin-length green hair and dressed in a yellow tank top and pink miniskirt – about to collapse from exhaustion.
"Carly?" Rebecca asked. "Carly deVenus? Is that you?" Carly was an old friend of Rebecca's – their parents had all gone to the DWMA, and when Rebecca's mom died, it was Carly's mom who helped Mr. Morningstar out whenever he needed advice on more… feminine issues.
"Rebecca?" the girl queried back. "OMG, you made it!"
"Yeah, but I'm kind of surprised you made it," Rebecca said, pointing at Carly's shoes. The young lady, always one to take style over substance, had worn a pair of strappy, high-heeled sandals. "Not exactly hiking boots, right?"
"Oh hush," Carly moaned. "My poor feet are killing me. Let's get inside so I can take these stupid things off. I mean honestly, they do know there are girls going here right? What's this crap with the stairs? We shouldn't have to subject ourselves to this, we're delicate! Let the boys wear themselves out!"
"But Carly, you're going to be a meister, right?" Rebecca asked as they followed several crudely doodled signs down the halls of the DWMA. "You're the one who's going to be doing all the legwork for your team, right."
"Hmph," Carly sniffed as she swung her sandals over her shoulder, following Rebecca in her bare feet. "I didn't even want to come here in the first place, but Mommy and Daddy insisted on it. It's totally not fair!"
"It's not that bad, is it? I mean, our folks all survived it."
"Maybe for you. You get to be carried around in fights, but not me."
"My meister will be throwing me around. Demon ball-and-chain, remember?" They pulled into a small conference room, where one of the faculty handed them each a pin. Carly's read "Meister" and Rebecca's "Weapon."
"So this is it then?" Carly asked. "They give us a pin and tell us to go fetch a partner, huh?" Rebecca stuck her label to her hoodie, but was too busy staring around the room to listen to her friend. The place was filled with people in more shapes and sizes than she had anticipated.
"Would you look at this crowd," Rebecca breathed. "How am I going to pick a meister in all this?"
"Well, I don't know about you," Carly began, a revitalized and determined look in her eyes, "but I'm going to go find the cutest boy with a 'Weapon' label and make him mine! I suggest you do the same with the meisters. Good luck, Becky!" With that she skipped off into the crowd.
"Thanks, you too," Rebecca replied just before Carly disappeared into the throng. And I'm going to need it. Honestly, Rebecca was a little taken aback by all the different people in that one room. There was a little girl with pigtailed pink hair running around, knee-high to everyone else, wearing a pin labeled "Weapon." A boy with blue, spiky hair stood in the corner screaming like a maniac about how he was a "big star." He was a meister. There was another girl in Chinese martial arts clothes looking around, her face covered in scars. This one was a weapon. How was Rebecca supposed to find a good partner in all this?
"Excuse me," someone said, tapping Rebecca on the shoulder. She turned to find herself face-to-face with an incredibly handsome young man. His golden hair swept down to his shoulders, and he had a strong, confident face and a warm, inviting smile. His glasses failed to obscure his beautiful blue eyes. His black t-shirt displayed his figure nicely, as did his jeans. Rebecca felt a little color come to her cheeks. His label read "Meister."
"Hey there," he said. "My name's Hugo. Hugo Pryde."
"R-Rebecca Morningstar," she replied, just the slightest hint of a stutter in her voice.
"'Rebecca Morningstar," Hugo repeated. "That's a really pretty name." He extended his hand to the young weapon. "I don't know if you know this, but my family's just one long line of great meisters. So I was wondering if you'd like to be my weapon. I could really use someone like you, if you'll have me."
"Oh… Well… Sure, I guess," Rebecca said, taking his hand. Honestly, with everything so busy around her, she was willing to take the first person who asked, provided they were nice, and Hugo seemed like a decent enough guy.
"Awesome," he said, smiling and shaking her hand. "I'll go let Sid know. See you at the dorms later?"
"Sure," Rebecca said, smiling and still blushing a little.
"Cool. Later," Hugo said as he walked away.
"Sheesh," Carly complained, scowling, as she walked up to Rebecca. "It's a good thing they don't make us pick a partner right away; this isn't easy. All the good boys are taken already." She tapped Rebecca on the shoulder and motioned behind them with her thumb. "Hey Becky, check out the boy with the glasses over there. He keeps looking at me and scribbling something in that notebook. I hope he isn't some kind of pervert or something; he looks like he's staring at my feet."
"Carly?" Rebecca murmured.
"Yeah?"
"I think I found my meister."
But the going proved rough for Rebecca and Hugo.
"Dammit!" the boy cried. His brow dripped with sweat, and his hands were slick as he struggled to lift Rebecca's weapon form. "Why the hell isn't this working?!" The duo was in the school gym alongside the other new meister-weapon pairs, each practicing transformation and wielding under the watchful eye of Sid, one of their teachers.
"Our soul resonance is really low, Hugo," Rebecca explained. "For a meister and weapon to work together, our souls have to be synchronized. If they aren't, then my body won't be able to move the way you want it to."
"Well then fix it already!" Hugo ordered, getting testy with her. "You're my weapon, right? You have the easy job. Just synch your soul to mine and let me do the rest."
"I'm trying. I really am," Rebecca insisted. Practices hadn't been going well for the two of them, and as Rebecca looked around, she could tell that the other teams were making a lot of progress. The spiky-haired boy – Black Star – was bragging about how much of a star he was while swinging around his partner – a kusari-gama named Tsubaki – like a microphone, the pink-haired kid was practicing turning into a bazooka (though Sid wouldn't let them fire in the school), and even Carly – bizarrely enough teamed-up with the girl with the scars, a kwan dao named Dao-ming – was doing reasonably well. And the boy with the glasses and sketchbook, well, he was amazing. It seemed like every other week he had a different weapon with him, but he always got the hang of them in short order. It made Rebecca feel embarrassed to be so far behind – her transformation skills had landed them in the combat-ready EAT class, but she had a feeling that might not last at this rate.
"Well you're going to have to try harder!" Hugo snapped. "Honestly, I'm holding up my end of the bargain – why can't you?"
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here?" Sid asked, walking over to the duo. "Is there a problem?"
"Why don't you ask her?" Hugo grumbled. He dropped Rebecca's chain and stormed out of the room, followed by Sid and Rebecca's combined gaze as the girl resumed human shape.
"Sheesh," Sid sighed. "Is everything alright here, Rebecca? You know, I'm a little worried about you. I know your talented – it's the reason that I put you in the EAT class – but I don't think things are working out between you two. It's not too late: you could always try to find another meister. That boy Eichiro's kind of throwing a monkey wrench in the registration process, so things are pretty flexible right now. And besides, you've got a good grip on handling your soul wavelength, so you could make the leap pretty easily, I think."
"No, I'm fine," Rebecca assured him, trying to feign confidence. "You see, my parents started out as meister and weapon, and Papa says that they had a rough time too because Mama was kind of clumsy, but they worked hard and graduated together, so I owe it to them to at least try to do the same. Besides, I made a commitment, so I'm not going to give up just yet."
"Well, if that's how you feel about it, then I won't push you one way or another," Sid said. "I'm going to respect your decision – that's the kind of man I am."
"Thank-you."
Rebecca poured everything she had into becoming a better weapon for Hugo, working hard to match her soul wavelength as closely to his as possible. And it was working. Over time Hugo became able to lift her, and finally to swing her weapon form around and practice fighting. And the smile he gave her when they did made Rebecca feel warm inside, and made her smile back. But there was only so far she could push things. Try as she might, their movements were still clunky, and it really strained her to correct the differences well enough for them to actually fight. But the girl held fast and kept her chin up, and they were finally able to go kishin hunting. Each hunt was very difficult – they barely won against even the weakest of kishin eggs, and the souls that Rebecca ate weren't making a big difference. Finally, one day they took a mission to Chicago to hunt the soul of a mad bomber, and things went wrong.
"You let him get away, you idiot!" Hugo screamed at Rebecca. "The hell is wrong with you, you stupid broad?!"
"I'm sorry Hugo," Rebecca apologized, exhausted from trying to keep their soul resonance as high as she could. "I…"
"Shut up!" Hugo shouted, cutting her off. "I am sick and tired of your excuses! You suck! You're the worst weapon ever! Even that stupid preschooler does her job better than you, idiot!"
"But…" Rebecca tried to assert herself, to defend herself, but Hugo wouldn't have it.
"I said shut up! God! Do you know what your problem is? You just. Plain. Suck! I'm the most talented meister at the academy – I have more potential than that Otsubo nitwit will ever have! My family's been fighting circles around kishin eggs and witches alike, and I can do the same. But no! I got stuck with you; a lazy, good-for-nothing twit! The only thing your good at is dragging other people down! You're a wreck!"
And Rebecca certainly felt like one too. After months of devoted sacrifice Hugo's words hurt her so much that she couldn't even begin to think on a response. Within her weapon form, Rebecca felt tears stinging her eyes. But Hugo wasn't letting her off the hook yet.
"Do you know why I wanted you as my partner?" he asked. Rebecca shook her head. "The only reason I picked you was because of your big boobs! I figured that with my talent I could pick whatever weapon I wanted and annihilate anyone in my way, so I went ahead and picked the hottest girl I could find. But no! I picked a bimbo like you! Should have picked that Tsubaki girl. At least she does her job! I'm done with this!" He turned and dragged her down the sidewalk – Rebecca was too stunned and hurt to manage her soul wavelength.
"W-wait," Rebecca choked, trying to hold back her tears. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to do something that should have been done a long time ago," Hugo snorted, grunting with effort as he pulled up to a trash can on the corner. "Damn you're one heavy cow," he complained as he removed the lid. He groaned from the strain as he lifted Rebecca off the ground.
"W-what are you doing?!" Rebecca squeaked as she rose into the air.
"You don't belong in the DWMA, Rebecca," Hugo grumbled. "This is where you belong." With that he dropped her straight into the garbage.
"H-Hugo…" Rebecca could barely whisper as she changed back into human form, pleading with eyes on the verge of crying. "Please…"
Hugo peered down at her from above, his face a silhouette against the neon-lit night sky, but Rebecca could feel the disgust he emanated. He spat in her face, then picked up the lid.
"Hugo, no!" Rebecca cried so desperate to stop him she didn't even wipe the spit from her face. "Don't do this!" Her hands flew to the edge of the can, only for Hugo to slam the lid on her fingers. She cried in pain, struggling to free her digits from the lid as Hugo held it tight. She couldn't restrain her tears any longer. "Hugo please! Let me out!" she sobbed. She finally wormed her fingers out and banged her fists against the walls of the can, weeping and pleading the whole time but receiving no pity. Having used up all her stamina in the fight with the kishin egg, her struggles ceased. She had no idea how long she was in there or how long her meister stayed outside; she simply hugged her knees to her chest – her stupid, stupid chest – and cried her eyes out. And she stayed in there until a kindly garbageman let her out.
Papa, you were wrong, she thought, weeks removed from the incident and back at the academy. But the same thoughts plagued her every day. Mama wouldn't be proud of me. She could never be proud of me. I'm worthless. Maybe that's why everyone always leaves me. Rebecca became despondent after the traumatizing incident in Chicago. Lord Death must have known something was up – Sid was waiting for her when she got back. He asked her if she was okay, but his compassion was too much for her to handle: she hugged him tight and cried into his chest. Afterwards Carly would try everything she could to cheer Rebecca up – always suggesting that they do things like go shopping, get Rebecca a makeover, check out a café – but the demon ball-and-chain always shot her down every time. "I don't feel like it," she'd always say. She didn't do much in classes either. She no longer had a meister of her own, and though she was partnered in class with a number of still indecisive students, she couldn't bring herself to transform. She no longer volunteered anything in class, and she kept to herself. It was easier that way, and besides, she didn't think she could be of use to anyone anyway.
One day, after the bell had rung and everyone was dismissed for the day, Rebecca hung back, just staring off into space, when Sid approached her.
"Rebecca," he said. "I know it's none of my business, but I can't keep my nose out of this one. That's not the kind of man I am. There's someone I want you to meet." Rebecca turned her head to see Sid accompanied by the boy with the sketchbook. "Rebecca Morningstar, this is Eichiro Otsubo. We've been having a lot of problems with him as of late – we can't get anyone to work with him for very long, and he's alone once again. You need a meister and he needs a weapon. You're a good student Rebecca, so if anyone can work with this misfit, maybe you can."
The boy stepped up to Rebecca and simply stared at her. Rebecca averted her gaze, but the boy sat in the chair beside her and continued gawking.
"Rebecca?" he asked, not even blinking.
"What?" she answered so softly you could barely hear it – as if her voice was falling into disrepair from lack of use.
"Can I draw you?" Eichiro requested as he pulled out his sketchbook and pen, without taking his eyes off of her for a second. Rebecca stared back at him. There was something in his eyes, something different from the way anyone else looked at her. It wasn't coy or inviting like the look Hugo first gave her, nor was it pity like in Sid's eyes, or even the look of lust she noticed in other boys when she first came to the academy. It was curiosity; simple, innocent, earnest curiosity, like she was a marvel for him to behold and he couldn't disguise the awe he felt.
"Sure," she told him, the shadow of a smile forming on her lips. "That would be great."
The memories became blurry again, and as they faded Rebecca could hear a faint voice calling out to her. "Rebecca! Rebecca!" Someone was shaking her. "Come on Rebecca, wake up already! This is not good…" She recognized the voice. Eichiro. Her eyes slowly opened, and as the world cleared she found Eichiro bent over her, but looking away. "I've got to try something else," Eichiro mumbled. "Oh, I know!" He started tugging at her shoes. "Rebecca once told me that her feet are really sensitive, so maybe if I tickle her a little…"
"Don't you dare, Eichiro!" Rebecca cried. Her meister whirled around to face her.
"Rebecca, you're okay!" Eichiro cried, flinging his arms around her in joy. Rebecca blushed a little but smiled. As soon as Eichiro released her, she blinked the remaining bleariness out of her eyes and surveyed their surroundings. They were on a rooftop now, far above the alley where they fought Fibes.
"What happened back there?" Rebecca asked.
"Well, to put it simply, I messed up," Eichiro explained, not bothering to hide the disappointment in his voice. "There's no excuse for it, really. I let my guard down and you got hurt. I'm sorry, Rebecca."
Rebecca sighed, but gave her meister a reassuring look. "No," she said, "it's not your fault. It isn't anyone's, really. I'm just glad we beat that Fibes guy so we can go home now."
"Yeah, about that…" But before Eichiro could finish, he grabbed Rebecca and rolled to the side, just as a blast of concentrated sound ripped apart the roof. The two teens turned to find Fibes standing on the edge of the building. "You see," Eichiro explained, "I kind of just grabbed you and ran, and this guy's been chasing us the whole time."
Fibes replaced his record again. "I'm surprised you could evade me this long, and you carrying an injured girl too," he "said." "You really are a remarkable young man. Pity I have to kill you now."
"You're welcome to try," Eichiro called back. He stood up and turned his attention to Rebecca once more, holding out his hand with a grin. "So what do you say, partner? Want to try again?"
Rebecca nodded. Never "weapon," she thought, it's always "partner" with him. "You bet," she said, taking his hand and resuming weapon form.
"Alright," Eichiro said. "And don't worry about this guy; I've got a plan this time." He swung the demon ball-and-chain over his head and charged at Fibes, letting out a battle cry. Fibes, on the other hand, stood his ground as the boy came to an abrupt stop and hurled Rebecca with all his might. But the ball merely sailed past Fibes's left shoulder, without the kishin egg having to move an inch.
"Oh dear," Fibes "teased." "I'm afaid you missed me entirely that time. Were you trying to lead your shot? A pity that didn't work."
Eichiro gave a determined grin and shifted his weight to his back foot. "Sorry Fibes…" he began. He reared back and gave a mighty tug at Rebecca's chain. "But it looks like the doctor is out!"
"Whatever are you…?" Fibes wondered. Realization struck him too late: the madman turned his head just in time to catch sight of an iron ball hurtling towards him. Rebecca crashed right through Fibes, causing his body to disintegrate and vanish, leaving nothing behind but a glowing ball of red fire: the kishin egg's soul.
"The doctor is out…" Eichiro pondered. "Yeah, that was a pretty good one. I'll have to write that down." He whipped out his notebook and pencil as Rebecca resumed human form. She cupped her hands around the Fibes's soul. She turned to Eichiro, who nodded and returned his attention to his writing – this next part embarrassed the young lady just a little bit, so she rather he didn't look. Rebecca tilted her head back and, in much the same way one would drink soup, swallowed Fibes' soul.
"And there you have it," Eichiro said. "Another chapter comes to a close. Let's report to Lord Death and head on home." He turned to leave, but stopped, noticing that Rebecca remained rooted to one spot.
"Actually, Eichiro," Rebecca said, her voice betraying some reluctance. "There's something I need to talk to you about..."
"What's this?" Lord Death asked. The Death Room – the principal's office of the DWMA – was now occupied by four individuals: Eichiro, Rebecca, the scar-covered mad scientist Dr. Stein, and Death himself. "You want me to confiscate all the souls you've collected so far? But you're doing so well, Rebecca. You're already well on your way to becoming a Death Scythe."
"I know, Lord Death," Rebecca calmly explained. "But some of the souls inside of me were ones that Hugo collected. When I become a Death Scythe, I want it to be because of Eichiro and me alone. I know it's a little late in the game, but I want to start over, to make a clean break from my past."
"I see…" Lord Death began, nodding and somehow stroking his chin(?) with those big foam-finger hands of his. "And what does Eichiro have to say about this?"
Eichiro just shrugged and put his hands behind his head. "Aah, well," he said, "my work here started out kind of messy, so a clean slate sounds like a good idea to me too. Besides, the more missions the two of us go on, the more material I get, so it's all good."
"Hm…" Lord Death murmured, considering their arguments. "Very well then. You two wait in the hall while Stein and I prepare." The two kids nodded and bowed to Lord Death before following his orders. Once they were out of ear shot, Lord Death turned to his other companion. "Stein. A word if you will."
"Yes?" Stein replied.
"What's your opinion on those two?" Lord Death asked.
Stein considered the question and took a good, hard look at their students, peering straight into their souls. "Well, from my observations their both quite talented," he said. "They're both able to alter their soul wavelengths to match a variety of forms, but there's a bit more to it in this case. The girl's soul is patient and accommodating, but it's wavering a bit. It's the kind of damaged soul that needs to latch onto another to feel validated. The boy's soul, on the other hand, is extremely accepting, though to say he is a little overenthusiastic would be an understatement. I assume that's the reason he's gone through so many weapons already?"
"Something like that, yes," Lord Death confirmed.
Stein gave a small smile at the thought. "I like this one. Though his soul gravitates towards art instead of science, his wavelength only slightly differs from my own. I assume that's why he's able to adapt so quickly to any weapon. Personal matters aside though, they each seem to fulfill a need for the other – the girl's for someone to cling to and the boy's, frankly, for someone who won't run away from him. Taking this symbiotic relationship and their talent for accommodating other wavelengths, I'd say these two have a lot of potential. It'll be interesting to see where this all goes."
"Yes, that it will," Lord Death replied, nodding in ascent. "Well, we'd better get this soul confiscation taken care of. We all have a lot of work to get to, so let's go ahead and get down to business!"
After Rebecca had undergone the procedure, she stumbled out of the Death Room, holding her stomach and groaning. "Ugh, I don't feel so good, Eichiro," she moaned.
"Well you basically had your stomach pumped," the young meister pointed out, "so maybe you just need to eat something?"
"You don't mean another mission, do you? Because I think I'm done fighting for today. How about we just get some regular food? How does Chinese sound?"
Eichiro thought about it. "I guess that'll work. Can I draw you while you're eating? I don't have a lot of sketches of that."
"Well…" Rebecca teased, dragging it out just a little. "Since you asked permission this time, I'll say 'okay,'" she answered with a giggle.
"Hooray!" Eichiro exclaimed. "Let's eat!"
As they left, Lord Death watched them closely. "Yes," he said to himself. "I think they'll be just fine."
Side A End