Chapter 2

I Thought First Days Were Supposed to be Easy

My Comments :

There were a couple follows and favorites, so I thought I should continue the story! Enjoy the second installment! And that's an order ^.^ Mmm... Cliffhangers... My favorite!

~.~ My responses to reviews I have received:

~ oshagirl : First reviews are my favorites! ^.^ And maybe your right, I'm still deciding! I'm half and half on Maka. I just don't know who to stick her with. Besides, I like to be different!

~ DarkLover62199 : Thanks! My first chapters usually aren't that good, so I'm glad you liked it!

The Story :

"No."

Maka sighed in exasperation. "You have to go, Asura. Everyone who is a student at the DWMA goes to classes!"

Asura stared out the window of Maka and Soul's apartment, having been refusing to leave after he got there the first time. According to his 'doctor', Stein, he was finally healthy enough to go to school. All of the bandages covering his wounds were gone, but the older ones covering his tattoos were still there. He had gotten his own usual outfit, a pair of jeans, combat boots, black t-shirt, and leather jacket.

"I'm not going. You said I can't hide myself and you'll know what will happen if anyone sees me." He frowned, turning to look at her. "Fear. Anger. Hate. How is that belonging?"

Maka put her hands on her hips. "You can't belong if you don't make an effort, Asura. You'll be in the same class as me, so everyone else will make sure your safe too. I made you a promise, remember? I won't let you get hurt."

Asura sighed. "Fine." He stood up, playing with his hair to make sure it covered the bandage on his head. "Where's Soul?"

The young Meister froze. "Dammit!" She spun, running towards his room. "Soul! We have to go! Are you and Blair almost done in there?" Not even waiting for a response, she opened the door. Soul was pinned to the bed, being suffocated by Blair's chest. "Blair! Soul has to go to school. Can you please stop suffocating him for now?"

Blair purred a little. "Oh, you're no fun, Maka." She sat up, ignoring Soul gasping for air. "We were just playing a game!" She pawed the air with one of her arms. "Maybe we can play in the bath later," she purred at Soul.

Rolling her eyes, Maka walked into the room, dragging the nose-bleeding Soul into the living room. "We're going to be late, Soul."

He muttered a few choice words about Blair as he stood up. "You think I don't know that?" the Weapon growled. "She just attacked me!"

Maka rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Soul. C'mon. We have to go."

Asura watched, one eyebrow raised at the interaction. He shook his head. 'These people are weird. Maybe I was better off as a Kishin.'

~ Break ~

Asura, feeling a strange sense of Deja-Vu, froze at the bottom of the steps, staring at the DWMA building towering above him. Students milled around the front, talking and laughing. Asura's new friends – Kid, Liz, Patty, Black Star, and Tsubaki – were near the door, ready to protect him if they had too. Behind him, Soul walked past and joined his friends. Maka stood next to him.

"Nope," he said quietly, turning around.

Maka spun his back around. "Nice try, but you're going to school today." She grabbed his arm, starting to drag him up the stairs.

As they neared the top, Asura was very aware of the gazes on him and Maka. Mostly him. Very few of the students realized who he was right away, a couple seemed to think he was playing a sick joke, and the rest of them had no idea who he was. Though, Asura didn't doubt for a second they'd recognize his name.

"Fear," he muttered under his breath.

"Bravery," Maka replied quietly.

"Maka! Asura!" Patty ran forward, smiling. She pulled both of them into a hug.

Maka just smiled lightly, though Asura froze. He noted all of the other students around them freezing as well. The whispers were already starting.

"Did Patty just say Asura?

"Did Maka bring that evil Kishin into this academy?"

"Did Lord Death allow this?!"

Asura gulped as Patty let go of him. His gaze flit to his feet, refusing to move. Maka grabbed his arm, leading him towards the rest of the group. Upon reaching them, they surrounded the duo, leading them towards the classroom. The group talked amongst themselves, leaving Asura to merely think to himself and keep pace with them. Just as they reached the classroom, the bell rang.

~ Break ~

"How strange," Maka murmured, "there were no clouds in the sky this morning." She gazed at the windows being pounded with rain. "It hasn't rained this hard in months."

She turned her gaze to the rest of the classroom. Stein was explaining how to dissect some endangered animal down below. In the seats, she had Asura to her left, Soul to her right. In front of her, Black Star was talking about how awesome he was while Tsubaki just nodded in agreement. Behind her, Liz and Patty were trying to calm down Kid, who was apparently having some sort of break down because the animal Stein was dissecting wasn't symmetrical. Around the group, no one was paying attention. All eyes were on Asura. The Asura's left, Ox Ford sat stalk still, afraid to move because of who was next to him.

"Professor," called out one of the female students. "You never took attendance."

"Hm?" Stein hummed, glancing up from the scalpel he was about to plunge into the endangered creature. "Oh. I guess I didn't." He frowned, placing the scalpel down. "Alright, alright." he picked up a piece of paper. The first name on the list caused everyone to freeze, having their fears realized.

"Asura?"

The Kishin froze, glancing up from the table. "I am here," he said, his voice slightly sour.

"Mm," Stein hummed. He continued to call off names. The group answered calmly, Ox Ford was almost too scared to answer, and the rest of the students were quiet. After everyone answered, the intercom went off;

"Will Death the Kid, Maka, Black Star, their weapons, and Asura please report to the Death Room immediately."

Maka frowned. 'What now?' She sighed, standing up. Before heading towards the door, she grabbed the very unhappy looking Asura's arm and dragged him with her.

After the door shut, Asura let out a deep breath. "The air feels much less stuffy out here."

Soul rolled his eyes. "I wonder who caused that feeling."

The Kishin cringed, seeming to shrink a little. "I-I didn't mean to," he murmured sadly, following behind the group.

~ Break ~

As they neared the entrance to the Death Room, the bell rang. Students filed into the hallway, whispering, talking, laughing. The group continued on, ignoring the others. When they reached the entrance, Maka paused.

"Hey guys?"

"What now?" Soul asked, still annoyed fro the events of the morning.

"Where's Asura?"

The group's faces became straight at the same time, their eyes widening.

"Shit," Soul muttered, taking off the way they came. Sure, the guy pissed him off and had hurt a lot of people, but he'd been living with him for a few weeks now. The Kishin had changed. He went from arrogant and crazy to meek and scared. Being surrounded by all those students? Hell, it was practically a death wish.

~ Break ~

Asura grunted as someone pushed him to the ground. Black and red blood came out of his mouth.

"So what is this?" the guy questioned, growling. "Are you actually the Kishin Asura or are you just playing some sort of sick joke on Death City?!"

The girl from his class spoke up, "Stein called 'Asura' during attendance. He responded."

"You sick son of a bitch. You think you can come here and act like nothing happened?" the guy growled, his fists clenched. "You practically destroyed Death City!"

Asura said nothing, just staring at the ground. The man jumped forward, grabbing his shirt and pulling him to his feet. Once he was on his feet, the kid tossed him again. He coughed a few time, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. The kid called forward his weapon, a sword. He sliced off Asura's bandages.

"N-no! I don't want to see that!" Asura yelled, closing his eyes. Blood trickled down his face and hands where the sword had cut.

The student pressed the sword at Asura's chest. "Open your eyes! You have to watch! Anything we do to you can never atone for what you have done!"

Asura opened his eyes, afraid to be killed right there and then. Blood from the cut on his forehead dripped into his right eye, blurring his vision. Why did they want him to suffer? He'd changed!

Moving the sword, the student slowly cut into the Kishin's skin, leaving small red marks all over his chest and destroying his shirt and jacket.

"P-please don't kill me," Asura begged, his teeth clenched in fear. "I don't want to die."

"What about all those people you killed?! Did they want to die?!"

"I'm s-sorry. I don't w-want anyone else to get hurt!" Asura put his weight on his elbows, sitting up partially. "What will it take to make sure no one else gets hurt?"

"Die," the student said simply.

Before Asura could respond, a familiar, female voice called out, "stop!"

The student swung around, his sword swinging with him. "Don't interfere!" He stretched his arm out a little to far, cutting the girl who called out. "A-ah! I'm sorry!"

Asura flinched, jumping up. "Maka!"

Maka stepped back, backing into Kid. He gasped. "M-maka! Your stomach!"

Asura stepped to the side, getting a clear view of Maka. The sword had cut a large horizontal gash across her stomach. Asura felt something in his stomach spreading outward, filling his entire being. A scowl appeared on his face, the first since he had returned. The new feeling, one he had almost forgotten about, anger, was spreading throughout himself.

"How dare you?" Asura hissed, his eyes fierce. "I'm your enemy, yet you hurt Maka, someone who is innocent in all this?!" The Kishin stood tall, a constant growl low in his throat. "You cannot claim that you know what atonement means if you are willing to hurt others!" Bandages erupted from the holes in his shirt wrapping around him, discarding the torn shirt and jacket. He widened his eyes, his hair separating and showing the third eye. "You shall pay for hurting the innocent!"

Maka's eyes widened. She gripped her stomach in pain, but watched the Kishin. Behind her, Kid seemed to be in the same state of shock. The rest of the student body was the same, unsure what to do.

Bandages spread out, lifting Asura off the ground. Four more bandages emerged, acting as arms. His laughter was deep and rumbling, rolling over everyone. His smile was unsettling, and soon, everyone felt his effect, the effect he had on everyone he was near. Madness. Rain poured down harder and faster than it ever had.

One bandage lowered and picked up the man who was wielding the sword. The Weapon reverted back to their regular form and tried to run, but was caught by another arm.

"You want me to atone?! Why don't you atone?!"

Maka separated herself from Kid, limping forward. "Asura! Stop it!"

The last two bandages lowered, carefully picking up Maka and lifting her up so she was near Asura. Looking at her, his face softened slightly. One of his hands traced her new scar, and upon his touch it healed.

"Why should I stop?" he asked, his voice projecting to all of the students who were outside. "They mush be punished for hurting you."

"Asura! You want to belong, right?" Maka's voice was urgent. She didn't want his situation to be worse than it was. Besides, she could feel the evil in his soul again. Something had triggered his power to return, and it wasn't helping anything. "If you hurt them, then you won't belong! Look at them! They fear you, Asura!"

The Kishin froze, glancing down at everyone. He frowned, lowering the bandages so the students were back on the ground, including Maka.

"I," Asura paused, his voice seeming small, "I am sorry. I am sorry for what I once did." His hair settled again, covering the third eye. One of the bandage like arms wrapped around his head, two others wrapping around his hands. "I had lost sight of myself years ago. I was revitalized by those with bad intentions. Therefore, I had bad intentions." Asura retracted the last bandage. "I... I am sorry." His eyes closed, the rain and clouds disappearing. As the last cloud disappeared from the sky, he plummeted towards the ground.