The DSM?
Chapter 3: Answers?
Disclaimer: I don't own soul eater or the characters, I do own my plotline, Dawn and the DSM.
Recap
"What is it Maka?" Tsubaki asked, concerned.
"I…I can't see Dawn's soul either."
End Recap
"Huh?" Everyone but Soul and Maka said together.
"Wait. What do you mean either Maka?" Blackstar asked suspiciously.
"She means," Soul interrupted, "that one day, she was wondering what Lord Death's soul looked like. When she looked,"
"I couldn't see it." Maka said finding her voice.
"And you couldn't see Dawn's soul?" Liz was now even more confused.
"I believe that's what she said earlier, Liz." Kid stated.
"Well excuse me mister know it all." She retorted.
Kid just sighed and started walking away.
"I'm going home. Goodnight everyone. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye Kid." Everyone but Liz and Patty called after him.
"We will catch up with you later Kid!" yelled Patty.
Once he was out of both sight and ear-shot, Soul turned to Liz.
"What's up with him?"
"No idea. He does seem kind of distracted though."
"Kind of? I don't think he heard a word any of us said until you made that comment about Maka not being able to see Dawn's soul." Soul exclaimed.
"Be reasonable Soul. Even if he did miss everything until then, it was like, three sentences. That's no reason to get worked up."
Soul was about to continue when Liz held up her hand in a motion that clearly stated, 'Leave it alone.'
"Come on Patty. We better go and make sure Kid didn't have a symmetry breakdown on his way home."
"Okay!" Patty exclaimed happily.
"Bye guys." Both sisters waved.
"Bye Liz, Patty!" Tsubaki called.
"I just want answers!" Blackstar yelled to no one in particular while throwing his hands in the air.
"You want answers? Ok, let's see… yes, no, ten o' clock, four, to get to the other side…" Soul jumped at the chance to make a joke and get on Blackstar's nerves.
"Ha ha." Blackstar said sarcastically. "Really funny."
The remaining weapon and meister partners decided to part for the night. They said goodbye and left for their respective homes. While Soul and Maka were walking to their apartment, Soul noticed that Maka seemed kind of distant.
"Hey Maka, is something bothering you?"
"Huh?" she looked stunned.
"I said, is something bothering you?"
"Oh. I'm just trying to figure out why I can't see Dawn's soul. It's really bugging me. Nothing I can think of explains it." Maka frowned.
"Well, lots of people say the only way to get a song out of your head is to get a new one stuck in it."
"What do songs have to do with this?"
"Well it's similar. Like, to forget the problem of not being able to see Dawn's soul, you should try focusing on solving a different problem."
"Good advice Soul." She smiled. "But what problem should I focus on?"
By now, the meister and weapon had gotten into their apartment and were standing, facing each other between their rooms. Soul thought for a minute before turning to Maka with a wide grin on his face.
"Why, the DSM of course."
"Cool idea." Maka gave him a matching grin.
"Cool ideas come from cool people."
They both laughed before doing their signature handshake and going into their own rooms.
"Goodnight Soul."
"Night Maka."
The next day, Maka worked on ignoring the 'invisible soul' problem by focusing all her attention on the mysterious DSM. So much so, that she was zoned out from most of the conversations and exchanges that took place as she tried to decipher the mystery. So she missed Dawn's official introduction into the class. It was a good thing they had already been introduced. The day before, a seat had opened up beside Blackstar. Luckily for Dawn, Soul had jumped at the chance to sit beside his best friend. Opening up the seat between Kid and Patty and effectively putting an end to the possibility that she would have to sit by Blackstar whom she still failed to get along with.
"Class," professor Stein said while sitting backwards on his wheeled desk chair with his arms crossed on the backrest. "we have a new student today. Her name is Dawn." He then gestured to Dawn who was standing in the doorway clutching her books to her chest. When the attention of the class was directed at her, she gave a small smile and a shy wave.
"Dawn we only have one seat open so you will have to sit between Patty and Kid. Let me know if you have any problems with your seat ok?"
"Sure thing professor Stein." Dawn nodded as she hesitantly walked further into the room.
She walked up the steps to the mentioned section of seats and sat down between Patty and Kid. She put her books down in front of herself just before Patty threw her arms around her in a awkward sideways hug.
"Dawn!"
"Hello to you too Patty." She chuckled.
"We get to sit together!"
Dawn just laughed some more and pried Patty's arms off her shoulders. She then turned towards Kid who just smiled and nodded because professor Stein had started the day's lesson. The lesson was about soul wavelengths. Everyone took out some paper and a writing utensil and took notes as he gave a lecture.
"Class, today we will be talking about soul wavelengths. You all know that you sync your wavelengths with your weapon or meister to create a workable partnership. Also, when you expand and further sync your wavelengths you create soul resonance and become stronger. This comes easier for some people than others because they have more compatible wavelengths. Although, it is theorized that compatibility may not be an issue for some. Lord Death, for example, has a soul large enough that he is easily able to sync the soul wavelengths of multiple weapons, the death scythes. Soul compatibility is not required. The only requirement is that they need to be strong enough to handle being partnered with such a large soul."
"Is that why, in order to become a death scythe, a weapon needs ninety nine kishin souls and one witch soul?" a random kid near the back of the class asked.
"Yes it is." Stein answered. "Without them, the weapon would be too weak to handle it. Unfortunately, it works both ways."
"What do you mean?" Maka asked, very confused.
"What I mean, is the often after a weapon has the required amount of souls and become strong enough to be a death scythe, they become too strong for their original meister to use."
"But not always, right?"
"No, not always. I estimate it at about a fifty percent chance either way."
Then Patty raised her hand and was waving it around frantically.
"Yes, Patty?"
"So is that why Kid was able to sync the wavelengths of both me and my sister?"
"Basically. The souls of grim reapers allow for easier syncing of multiple weapon partners."
"Cool!" Patty exclaimed grinning broadly.
"Does anyone else have any questions on the subject?"
Stein looked around the rows of students, his gaze lingering on Dawn as if expecting her hand to shoot up at any second. If she had noticed, she pretended not to. Most of the class didn't notice anyway. Most being the key word. Only some of the more observant kids in the class were able to detect Stein's gaze on Dawn. Two of those kids were none other than Maka and Kid. Maka turned and consulted with Tsubaki, while Kid just stayed quiet.
"What do you think that was about Tsubaki?" Maka whispered.
"What?"
"The way professor Stein's gaze lingered on Dawn."
"It did? I hadn't noticed, but if it did I'm sure he was just expecting her to have questions because she is new that's all." She said like it was nothing important.
"I'm not sure…"
"You need to relax Maka." Tsubaki said with an encouraging smile. "You are just nervous because you couldn't see her soul. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation that will be revealed soon enough."
"I suppose." Maka said reluctantly.
Then she returned to mulling over the DSM mystery. Later, Maka planned on going to the library to do some research. She was hoping there would be something there. By now, Stein had assigned some book work to the class. Maka worked on hers absent-mindedly, refusing to give up thinking about the DSM. All of a sudden, Kid was hit in the head with a balled up piece of paper. He looked around until her met Blackstar and Soul's gazes.
'Sorry.' Soul mouthed.
'It is for Dawn.' Blackstar added.
'Yeah. Can you give it to her?'
Kid nodded to them then turned to Dawn.
"Blackstar wants you to have this."
Dawn took the paper and opened it up to read what was written inside. Kid couldn't help but lean over and read it as well.
How do you like sitting by Kid? ;)
What are you implying Blackstar? She wrote down in neat cursive before balling it up again and throwing it towards the blue-haired boy. She managed to get it to land right in front of him. He uncrumpled it, read what she wrote, and replied before throwing it towards her again, failing miserably and hitting Kid instead. For the second time. Kid just rolled his eyes while handing it to Dawn, giving a look that made her giggle and him smile in return. Then, she opened the paper and read Blackstar's response.
You like him don't you?
Dawn's eyes widened and her jaw dropped for a split second before she quickly covered the expression with a more guarded one. Then she quickly scribbled her response on the paper.
What would make you think that?
She dreaded the answer to her own question and paused before throwing it. As fast as the second thoughts came, they left. It was a safe answer and she knew it. So she threw it anyway. Although, this time she took very careful aim and smirked when she hit her target. Kid, who was still watching and reading the conversation, laughed quietly with Soul when the ball of paper collided with Blackstar's face, right between his eyes. Blackstar was obviously not as thrilled. His scowl changed though, as he wrote a response with an evil grin on his face. Once done, he threw the resulting ball of paper toward Dawn. This time, finding his aim, he sent it flying towards her face only to have her catch it at the last second. She smirked at him before reading it.
Please, it's obvious. You look at him like he is better than me. That is saying a lot because I am the great Blackstar!
Dawn just shook her head and replied.
I'm done with this conversation. Your ego is giving me a headache.
After throwing it back, she returned to her book work, ignoring any and all attempts by Blackstar to continue communicating via paper ball.
"Hey Dawn?" Patty asked.
"Yeah?" she looked up from her work.
"Do you remember what professor Stein said is not an issue for some people?"
"Soul compatibility. Some people have souls that are strong enough that it doesn't matter whether their souls are compatible with their partner's or not. Although souls of this strength are rare outside of grim reapers and almost always meisters."
"I don't remember him saying those last two points."
"He didn't. I was just adding what else I know."
"Wow. You know a lot for someone just starting here!"
"Uh, thanks. I think."
"Your welcome!" Patty said cheerfully.
After classes ended for the day, everyone decided to go to the basketball courts. Maka excused herself though, saying she had some important work to do. Investigative work that is. So, after the rest of the gang and their new member, Dawn, had left for the courts, she made her way to the library. Maka had searched the entire non-fiction section of the library and there was nothing relating even remotely to anything close to the DSM. Feeling defeated, she had almost given up and left the library when one more idea came to her. She could ask the librarian if there was anything on it. So, it was with a renewed sense of hope that she walked up to the librarian's desk and rang the bell. Within a few moments, the librarian came out and asked to see her student card. Maka handed it over and after inspecting it and handing it back, he asked her what book she was looking for.
"I was wondering if there are any books on anything referred to as the DSM."
"One minute please."
The librarian disappeared back into the stacks of books for a few minutes before re-emerging with a very thick book that had a bright blue cover.
"This is the only book with anything pertaining to the DSM available for one star meisters such as yourself."
"There's that much information on the DSM?" she asked, surprised.
"Not exactly."
The librarian put the book down and signed it out to Maka. She took it over to one of the table and, upon inspecting the cover, found it was a dictionary of sorts.
"Well maybe it says what it stands for. I was hoping for a little more information though." Maka mused to herself.
She opened the book and looked for the letter D. She searched through them until she found DSM.
"Ah. Here it is." She said aloud. "DSM is an acronym that stands for…"
Maka's voice trailed off as her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. Upon finishing, she slowly shut the book in shock. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, she jumped up, slammed the book onto the librarian's desk and ran as fast as her legs would carry her, heading to the basketball court.
Author's Note: Answers? I think not! MWAHAHA! Cliffhangers are awesome to write! Horrible to read, but awesome to write. Sorry for the late update. My internet was down for a while. It was just my town too! Talk about back luck. Anyway, the reviews are lonely, so, have a heart, review and give them friends.
Review Q: Any idea's as to what DSM stands for and why it made Maka freak out?