Chapter 3: Soul Bonds
Hands shoved in his pockets and shoulders sagging, thirteen year old Zeke Evans yawned widely, a bored expression set on his face as he trudged his way up the stairs of Shibusen. By now he had untucked his dress shirt and loosened his tie to develop some sort of comfort. His mother told him he shouldn't look like a bum his first day while his dad told him it was the soul that matter. They then vanished to start their own day off leaving him standing groggily in the bathroom trying to figure out why they seemed more anxious than he did. Glancing up, he groaned at the mountain of stairs he still had to climb. He was expected to be at the entrance ceremony at 8am sharp, but he was convinced it had to take at least an hour to climb the damn stairs alone. He scowled. This had to have been some kind of sick joke. He let out a defeated sigh, distracting himself with a tune he had made up, only to catch sight of a figure just ahead of him.
It was a girl. She was wearing knee length black tights and a short red dress with a yellow star in the corner. Her long black hair was up in two high pig tails and she was wearing boots. A slight smile crossed his face when he took in the speed the girl was going at. He knew her all too well, having spent more than half his life playing and sparring with her. She may have gone off to Japan for a year, but she was back in Death City and just as ready as him. Cupping his hands together, he allowed some relief to flood through him. "Hey, pigtails!" He called. Instantly the girl stopped. Bangs framed her face as she turned swiftly, apparently ready to deck whomever it was that broke her concentration, but just as quickly as she turned, the frown vanished and turned to a wide smile.
"Zeke!" He grinned and ran up the stairs until he was in front of his childhood friend. He held back a laugh when he noticed he was still a good foot taller than her. Would she always be a pipsqueak? She jumped onto him, hanging from around his neck with a wide grin, allowing him to hug he back before placing his childhood friend back on the ground.
"You're still a pipsqueak I see, Aya-chan." He teased causing the girl to purse her lips in a disapproving pout.
"And you're still a jerk," Ayame countered before eyeing him thoughtfully. "What's with the tie? It's only Shibusen." The girl teased, a smirk crossing her face as she raised an eyebrow at him. He frowned slightly.
"I wanted to look good for the first day." He answered earning a snort in response.
"I guess." She said in an unconvinced tone before turning and pointing up the stairs. "The ceremony starts in twenty minutes. I hope you weren't planning on dragging yourself the entire way up." Zeke blinked in confusion.
"I-I wasn't dragging myself." He tried to defend but she shrugged a shoulder once again. She stared off into the direction she had been rushing towards before pointing ahead distractedly.
"My dad's been working on Speed Star with me, but I've tweaked it some. I'll be up there way before you." She informed, cracking her knuckles. Zeke raised an eyebrow when he saw the challenging twinkle in her eyes.
"Your dad's passing techniques to you? That's cool." He informed, causing Ayame to beam.
"He said he thought I should start off small and speed star is as simple as it gets." She answered. She then gave him an expectant look. "You coming?" He faltered.
"You wanna race?" he asked.
"If you can handle it." At this, a wide grin split across the white haired teen's face.
"You're on!" Before he could say another word however, she had vanished. Blinking in confusion, he looked up and saw her grin at least a flight ahead of him. "What the…"
"Come on or you're gonna be late!" Ayame sang over her shoulder. He scowled. Ok, so maybe it wasn't cool to be beaten in a race by a girl, but he wasn't going to just back down and look like an idiot, especially since she had taken to simply walking at a mockingly slow pace, glancing over her shoulder with an entertained smirk. He took to running once again, but Ayame didn't move as he passed her. Grinning to himself, he continued to run, feeling some relief at the realization he was actually reaching the top.
"Sweet!" He rejoiced only to stumble over the final few steps and fall forward at the feet of the one person he was once beating. Leaning forward, the girl smiled smugly down at him. He wanted no more than to push her down like when they were five, but with all the curious looks sent their way he tried to regain whatever pride he had and pushed himself up.
"Guess I win. No chocolate milk?" Ayame teased. He reached out and gave one of her pig tails a tug before walking past her, despite the outraged cry.
"Grow up." He called over his shoulder. Ayame quickly trailed after him with a huff.
"You." She weakly retaliated. He glanced down at her from the corner of his eye and fought back a smile. She was such a brat.
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While she had come to visit Shibusen quite a few times when she was younger, Ayame was still in awe of the school when she and Zeke fully entered the crowded halls. There were current students intermingled with newly arriving students, bringing about a bit of chaos that the professors were clearly avoiding or probably just didn't care about. She instinctively grabbed the sleeve of Zeke's shirt as he walked smoothly forward, ignoring those around him. He didn't flinch, slowing down slightly so they were at the same pace as one another. She had taken to clutching to his sleeve when they were younger and if she felt insecure. He never barked at her to back off, only adjusted himself until she was comfortable. Even with a year apart, certain habits seemed to never die.
"We're supposed to report to the ballroom." Zeke murmured to himself and frowned as a boy wearing a vest and cargos brushed swiftly past him. "What the hell is wrong with these people? I should kick that guy's ass!" Ayame ignored him however. There were students of different heights, ages, weight classes, and colors running through the halls and for the most part, half of them were probably panicking on how to find the room they were supposed to go to for orientation.
"Attention students, attention students." Everyone seemed to freeze at the sound of the voice over the intercom. "New students, please begin to report to the ballroom. There are signs posted above you directing you as required. That is all." The voice ended and so did the chaos. Instantly students began to properly file into their appropriate destinations.
"Ayame!" Glancing over her shoulder, the girl lit up.
"Angela-niichan!" She let go of Zeke and ran over to the witch who was accompanied by a tall boy with brown hair and reddish brown eyes. "You're still at Shibusen?" She asked, earning a laugh.
"No! I'm here to assist with a lesson with Arthur here." She answered. Her partner smiled warmly and gave a wave. "But you should get going. If you're late for orientation you'll miss out on the meet and greet." She informed with a wink before patting the girl on the head and continuing on her way. Angela was very close with Ayame's parents and would come by from time to time to play with her or even let her ride about with her on her broom from time to time. Ayame couldn't help but wonder why all witches couldn't be like her.
"Aya-chan, let's go!" called Zeke impatiently. She nodded, running back to his side.
"Hey, are you excited?" she asked earning a raised brow. "You know, today you're gonna become someone's weapon!"
"And you're gonna become so unfortunate soul's meister." He reached out once again, giving her pigtail a tug while looking ahead as she swatted him away. "Of course I'm excited." He finally answered as they entered the ballroom. Excited voices filled the air easily as students sat or perched themselves from different areas. There was a check in table where a plump frog faced woman sat as the pair approached.
"Type?" she asked in a strangely pleasant voice.
"Weapon." Zeke answered.
"Meister." Ayame added after him.
"Partnered already?" The woman asked, handing them each a pin. Ayame shook her head.
"No, we're just friends." She answered, looking out into the crowd. "But as soon as I find my partner I'll come right back to you!" she answered brightly. The woman smiled warmly and nodded, waving them in.
"So, should we go our separate ways from here?" Zeke asked, looking down at her expectantly. He must have still been concerned about her.
"I'll be fine!" she answered confidently, earning a knowing smile. Why did he have to do that? She pursed her lips. "Knock it off, Zeke." She muttered but he laughed, mussing her hair playfully before vanishing into the crowd. Fighting back the suddenly lonely feeling, she pushed back her shoulders and nodded in determination. Her father taught her to never fear anything or anyone. These people were no better than her.
"Hey!" Turning swiftly, she came face to face with the boy she recognized from bumping into Zeke earlier. His brown hair was slightly mussed and his bangs fell in his face in a strange fashion, but his eyes were green and bright. "Names Gabriel Ford, meister." He said, puffing his chest out proudly. Ayame raised an eyebrow.
"Ayame, Mesiter." She answered simply and watched as the boy deflated.
"Oh, I was hoping to meet a cute weapon." He muttered causing her to blink at him in confusion. He sighed and eyed her for a moment before grinning all the same.
"Ayame, huh? No last name?"
"Nakatsukasa."
"Oh! You're like Japanese or something?" She frowned slightly.
"Yes."
"That's cool! I've got a little something in me too," he informed with a wink. She blinked in confusion. Something like that? What did that mean?
"Leave her alone, Gabe." A boy with dark hair walked up, flashing an apologetic smile at Ayame. "I'm sure she doesn't care you're mom's a witch." He informed. His hair was swept to one side, coming down over the right side of his face in a sweeping bang. He wore goggles loosely around his neck and a band around his arm. Gabriel glared at the boy.
"Go away, Aiden. I've made a friend." He huffed.
"Who's a meister, the complete opposite of what you should be looking for." The dark haired boy added before holding out a hand. "Name's Aiden Éclair, weapon."
"Oh hi!" She took his hand, shaking it, despite the irritable look that crossed his friend's face. "So you two know each other?"
"We grew up together." Answered Gabe simply, running his fingers through his already messy hair. "I guess you just can't escape certain people." He said with a sigh as Aiden rolled his eyes. Ayame smiled slightly. They were like her and Zeke. She glanced into the crowd, wondering how he was doing.
"Ahem," All attention was directed to the stage where a white haired man stood with a blue muscle man. Gabe let out an interested sound while Aiden's eyes widened. "Hello students and welcome to Shibusen, academy to meisters and weapons alike!" A few students hooted and whistled. "My name is Sid Barret and I'll be dealing with you the most as first years. With me is our current local Death Scythe, Soul Evans." A chorus of cheers filled the room.
"Dad's pretty popular," Ayame jumped and spun around to see Zeke standing behind her. His eyes were focused on the stage.
"Before we get under way, we'd like you all to have a bit of a meet and greet. We believe that meister and weapon are instantly drawn to one another so before we get started, try to speak to as many potentials as you can. These will be your classmates, friends, and potential mission team mates. You have twenty minutes." Sid lowered his mic and instantly chatter filled the room.
"I'm gonna go meet more people!" Ayame announced, shoving Zeke out of her way before he could say anything more. She was not going to be the last with a partner.
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She had done it! It took nearly two hours, but she had managed to climb the mountain of stairs to her destiny! Flipping her curly red hair back over her shoulder, Aimee allowed a content sigh to escape, placing her hands on her hips and taking in the view. She had traveled all the way from California for this opportunity! She wished she hadn't wasted sixteen years of her life in the hell hole she had been in, but Shibusen was the chance she needed to do something real! She nodded in finality and turned on her heel, face falling slightly when she took in the school
"What? Was this place built during Halloween?" she chocked out.
"Not necessarily." Jumping, she turned swiftly, eyes lifting up to the dark haired boy on a board above her. He landed easily, the board seemingly vanishing into his palm. She stared at him wide eyed, getting an expectant blue eyed gaze in return. "I'm gonna assume it's your first day here as well?" He looked up at her expectantly but she was distracted by the twin white stripes on the left side of his hair. "Hello?" She flushed.
"Oh! Yes! I'm Aimee!" she said swiftly, allowing a warm smile to cross her face. He considered her for a moment before smiling as well.
"Liam." He greeted, holding out a hand which she swiftly shook. "So, you're new to Death City then."
"Mm-hm! I'm from California." She answered, quickly moving to walk in pace with him. The kid didn't look to be too much older than 13 or 14 yet he carried himself in a dignified manner. In fact, even the way he dressed was dignified. Maybe he was loaded.
"So, you're here as a meister or weapon?" he asked, catching her off guard. She smiled faintly. That's right, she was somewhere where he abilities wouldn't scare people away. She was normal here.
"I'm a weapon." A smile crossed the boy's face.
"Really? Which type?"
"I can transform into a… pistol… but I can also become something else." She answered, causing the boy to raise an eyebrow. He stared at her for a moment.
"Something else? Something you prefer not mentioning?" he asked. Absently she tugged on her tank in an effort to cover the ying/yang tattoo on her collar bone.
"For now, I suppose." There was a silence between the two as they continued to walk. The halls were mostly clear and she was starting to panic that she had missed the entire orientation when chattering voices caught their ears. "It's not too late!" she rejoiced, running forward and pushing open the double doors. Students of different varieties were talking and laughing amongst each other. One kid was talking to a girl, his arm transformed into some form of shield as he spoke. Her eyes lit up. These were her people. A bunch of weirdos who were actually not weirdos.
"Good luck," she glanced back at Liam who gave her a quick smile. "Hope you find a great meister." He said. She smiled at him warmly. He really was a nice kid.
"Li-kun!" A girl had shoved through the crowd and immediately jumped on the unsuspecting male with an excited hug. His once stoic expression went from shocked and soon a wide smile crossed his face as he hugged the girl back.
"Ayame! Welcome back!" he laughed, placing a hand on top on her head and patting it affectionately as she hugged onto him. Aimee felt some envy at the bond the two seemed to share. While Aimee was much taller than Liam, he seemed to be a good few inches than the girl and spoke to her in a caring and brotherly manner. She wished she had that kind of bond with someone. She wanted someone to be excited to see her, to hug her, and give her affectionate attention. She deflated once again.
"Alright, alright students!" Her eyes went to the stage and widened. Was that a zombie on stage? "We want all meisters on one side of the room and weapons on the other." He instructed. Instantly shuffling began to take place and Aimee swiftly moved in the direction those labeled weapons did. They all instinctively lined up side by side, staring ahead at the meisters. A woman with sandy hair stepped out on stage accompanied with a chipper purple haired woman in a revealing outfit. The sandy haired woman seemed completely annoyed by her busty companion, but easily took the mic from the zombie.
"Right now, you will be discovering who your partner is going to be." She paused while whispering began to take place. "Some of you may have known each other before this, met right before this, or have no idea what you're in for, but certain souls call out to one another. For every meister there is a weapon and for every weapon there is a meister," Aimee felt herself relax at these words and the encouraging smile on the woman's face. "So, with that said, Blair, do the honors."
"Nyah! Righto Maka-chan!" the woman sang, snapping her fingers together. Aimee stiffened when a cloth covered her eyes and from the sound of things, everyone was suffering from the same impairment.
"This is our first time trying this technique but we're certain you'll all do fine. Right now you are going to trust your soul to lead you to your weapon or meister." The woman's voice spoke once again. "I need you to all relax. No speaking will be necessary. While soul perception is a rare trait, meisters and weapons are still able to sense even the slightest wavers in each others' souls. It's called a soul bond and you are all going to eventually build this bond with the person your soul draws you to." With that, the only sound that filled the room was footsteps and shuffling.
It was strange that there were no sounds of crashing or bumps, yet all the students still managed to move about so well. Aimee swallowed, trying to relax her body and listen to her soul. She had a lot experience in meditation, trying to keep all her negative vibes at ease so she could function in society, but this was different. She let out a deep breath. 'Trust your soul. Follow your soul…' she continued to tell herself and let out easy breaths. This was really happening. For the past fifteen minutes she was walking around blind folded, feeling a strange tug on her body that was supposed to lead her to her meister. Finally she came to a stop and held out her hand as if someone was supposed to take it. For a moment she was starting to feel like an idiot. Instinct, or maybe it was her soul, told her to stop moving, but for some reason, she wanted to turn and run. Feeling awkward, she prepared to lower her hand when one took hers in return.
"Looks like that's everyone." The woman's voice finally broke through. There was a snap and Aimee flinched when the blindfold was finally lifted from her eyes. She reached up her free hand to rub her eyes glancing to the side at a current pair that stared at each other in mild shock. The girl was brown skinned with blue eyes and square rimmed glasses, her long dark hair cupping one side of her face in a long bang. Her partner was a boy that's height was just to her bust. Some of his sandy hair stuck out from the hat he was wearing backwards and his golden eyes looked back at the girl in just as much shock.
The girl who had excitedly hugged onto Liam earlier stood across from a tall boy with white hair. The pair of them stared at each other accusingly. It was slightly entertaining, but in Aimee's own view, the guy was pretty cute so the little girl should have counted herself lucky. Turning her attention back to her own new partner, her heart skipped a beat. The blue eyed boy allowed a friendly smile to cross his face.
"Guess you can tell me what that other something is now."
