A/N: Audience. I am so, so, so, oh so wholly sorry for not updating in like...3 months?! Wow, longer than I had anticipated, but—I have good reasons! I...have finals, this week? Okay, okay! Lame. I'm sorry, but this is a short update, sorry! And, yes, I changed the title. Instead of "Shadow", it will be "Shokunin" which means "meister".
But geez, everyone, you're all too much! I'm gonna have to start PM-ing people; 43 reviews?! And over 4,000 hits? *eyes water* Y'all are so awesome...! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support.
Alright! Review Corner! Ch. 4!
BlackCat-Otaku13: Thank you! :D
Apocalypse owner: Yes, I will!
ChiChi-O: Yeah, I'm kinda leaning towards that coupling. *drools, lost in her daydreams* Uh, but...harem/reverse harem. I promised that, so I'm not really sure about official pairings 'cause I'm not a fan of the Soul Eater canon pairs.
william and jack and jake: Thanks for the enthusiasm!
Ch. 5!
NeitherSaneNorInsane: I like harems and reverse harems. :3 Gives my story a lil' bit of romance and rivalry! Besides, Hinata would look good with most of the guys from Soul Eater. Kuku, might put in some evil characters, too! Same goes for Sasuke.
Apocalypse owner: Yeah, Sasuke is just too cruel like that. ;)
william and jack and jake: Thank you!
Pokeshadow55: Glad you liked your gift!
damnheart.o3: Thanks, it was my first attempt at a kissing scene. My initial reaction after posting it was: "Did I seriously just write that?"
puppyluv513: Of course! I don't have any intention on giving up the story.
kikigirl4321: Thank you!
Now...Chappie 6!
Apocalypse owner: Thanks! You deserve a virtual cookie for being a faithful reader/reviewer. *gives cookie* People who review keep my spirits up and motivate me to write. *~*
william and jack and jake: Thank you, always, for the compliment!
kikigirl4321: I'm grateful (always!) for your reviews! It's people who review chapters every time motivate me! Virtual cookie! :D
Ehlonna the demoness: I'll try! I'm trying and—LOOK A CHAPTER!
Hyoyeon: Wow, thanks! I'm glad I have their personalities down. I was honestly kinda worried about it, but now I feel a bit more confident.
Crazylilic: Thank you for the support! I definitely will keep it up! :)
deidara-chan's lover214: Indeed, VERY interesting...although, it's still the beginning and all, so...more to come! Stay interested!
Knightmare47: Thanks! About your thoughts...hm...maybe, since I'm making this a harem/reverse harem, I can squeeze in their moments.
year-of-the-panda: Aw, thanks! Everyone's going overboard with the compliments...but, here's a chapter!
Kitty Uzumaki: Soon, soon. Still more chapters to come! And thanks for the enthusiasm!
Lucyole: I don't know if I'm going to make them the official couple of this story, but I AM kinda leaning towards their coupling. And, who knows? Maybe Stein will have his moments, along with other older male Soul Eater characters.
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Well, that sums it up. On to the main feature!
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'Thoughts'
Hinata and Sasuke communicating
"Dialogue"
Demon speaking
Chapter 6: Observation?
"I know they seem to lack proper respect, but once they understand your purpose they'll be plenty more willing to cooperate. So don't worry about their behaviors. Though...do watch your temper, Sasuke-kun. Black*Star especially is a difficult person in general."
"Hn."
"Very well...please be very patient with this bunch. They are a very promising group of pupils. In due time, explain yourselves to them; your background, why you can do certain things, stuff like that. Okay, so far?"
"Hai!"
"Hai..."
"Good, good! Now go on to see Stein-kun's class. Finish your observations and whatnot. Don't worry about beginning just yet; I'd like to give it a bit more time. I hope it's not too much to ask. You're doing very well, so far."
"Oh, not at all, Shinigami-sama. We are honored by your praise, and we respect your decision. Ne, Sasuke-kun?"
"Hn..."
"Alright! See ya!"
She gave a short bow. A gust of leaves encircled Hinata, whisking her away within mere seconds. Sasuke followed soon after, having given a stiff nod of respect. Shinigami-sama sighed in relief, scratching the top of his head.
"Hopefully, the kids will be understanding. After all, each of them has their own little quirk."
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"Alright, class," Stein drawled, "Open your textbooks to page, hm...let's see, ah! Page 248 and begin reading. Take some notes on the chapter and write a 3-paragraph essay on what you've learned. Homework if you don't finish it in class."
Groans and complaints echoed in the room, but were silenced seconds later by a series of sharp knocks. The class broke out into a hushed murmur. Stein swiveled his chair to face the door, contemplating whether or not to answer. He allowed the cigarette to fall from his mouth so as not to get caught smoking. The smoldering remnants were crushed by the wheels of his chair.
"I wonder who it could be..." Turning the knob, he saw two figures standing in the doorway, one with a smile and the other with a scowl. His eyes widened briefly before glinting with mirth. "Well, I didn't think I'd see you two again so soon. What a pleasant surprise."
"Konnichiwa, Stein-kun! Don't let our presence disturb the class. Please continue as you were before we arrived," Hinata said pleasantly. Her lavender eyes briefly glanced at a flash of neon blue in the upper corner of the room.
They sit in the upper left corner of the room. How convenient, ne?
"Stein-hakase! What are they doing here?! Stupid, NOOBS!" Black*Star shouted. He glared hatefully while he stood on his desk with his arms folded. The air surrounding him oozed with defiance. His wavelength flared and lashed out, furiously sparking in every direction. Although not enough to harm anyone, it was enough to annoy them.
Sasuke disinterestedly stared at him, daring him to further insult them. The females swooned over his "bad boy" attitude.
"Is this a sign of insubordination, gaki?" He smirked when he sensed the shift in emotion in Black*Star's fluctuating wavelength.
Hm, he has quite a strong wavelength. Too bad Shinigami-sama sealed our powers. They haven't witnessed true strength yet...
"Iie!" Hinata yelled aloud. Her hand clamped over her mouth as quickly as she had spoken. Everyone stared at her; either alarmed by her outburst, or entranced by her beauty.
"Yes, Hinata? Is something wrong?" Stein questioned. He had a new cigarette hanging from his smirking mouth. He seemed amused by her reaction, even if he did not show it.
When the blush died down, she replied, "N-no, gomen. Everything i-is fine."
Our souls are not to be released! The chances of losing yourself in the power are too great. We cannot endanger the safety of the students. Unless we are granted permission, it is absolute.
"Alright. Class, you may temporarily stop working. I'd like you to meet our newest additions. Please introduce yourselves." Hinata cleared her throat and stepped forward. She poked her index fingers together nervously.
"A-ano, hello. I am Hinata Hyuuga, Scythe-shokunin—ano, meister. Please take g-good care of m-me," she said before bowing.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
"Alrighty! That was pretty much it. Go back to what you were doing before we were interrupted. Oh, and don't be bothered by them. They're under strict order to observe the way we work around here. Carry on!" announced Stein. He swiveled his chair to face the two behind him. He flicked the cigarette, and specks of ember fell to ground. There was idle chattering in the background, the usual gossip-goers filling most of the conversations.
"Can you take care of the class for the last ten minutes? I have some experiments to finish. You don't mind, right?"
"Hai," came Hinata's hesitant answer. Sasuke nodded.
"See ya. And seriously, if they give you any trouble, you have permission to release your seals. Not like you'll need them, but whatever," he said with a casual shrug of his shoulders. Swiveling his chair around again, he kicked off the ground and hurled the chair and himself through the door. "Ah, Hinata, may I see you outside for a moment?" he called loudly from the hallway.
"Ano, sure," she replied rather hesitantly before stepping out of the classroom. Taking one last worried glance at the Uchiha, she closed the door.
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Stein and Hinata
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They stood in a calming silence for a few moments. The kunoichi refused to meet his gaze, choosing instead to stare at the floor. Stein merely continued to stare at her, analyzing and taking in her features.
'She's grown a lot since the last time I've seen her,' he mused. His steely grey eyes roamed over her developed her figure. 'Yes, she's definitely matured since long ago.'
"So, Hinata," the madman began, "what have you been up to lately? You and Sasuke have been gone for quite some time, huh?"
"Yes, we have," she replied, growing comfortable with the familiarity. "We've been back for a while now. It is a shame we couldn't have met up with you sooner, or anyone for that matter."
He regarded her avoidance of the question carefully. He figured he should not read into it deeply, but he was a tad curious. Then, something clicked in his mind.
'Testing my patience, are you? Well, I have other means to get the answers I want,' he thought. His demeanor turned lecherous as he bent to her eye level. Hinata tilted her head to the side out of curiosity.
"Yes, Stein-kun?" she asked, her face as innocent as her soul. She hadn't expected him to trail his thumb along her jawline, or pin her against the wall and press his body against hers.
"Tell me, Hinata-chan. Where have you gone all these years?" he asked playfully. "I missed you, ya know. My favorite plaything, leaving without telling me." A hand traced the curvature of her body, brushing against her breast in a tantalizing manner. She involuntarily shuddered, gnawing her lip to hold back a moan.
"Stein-kun, why do you do this? Does..." She trailed off as she pondered her question. Then, in a somber voice, she said, "Your insanity. It's worsened, hasn't it?"
"Don't speak as if you know what it's like," he hissed while tightening his grip on her wrists. She winced slightly but held her head high in defiance, refusing to submit to him as she had when they were younger.
'I don't want to hurt him, but if he doesn't let go soon...'
Hinata prepared to shove him away when someone pulled her away from the scientist and held her against his own chest. With a quickened heartbeat, she immediately recognized the person holding her. 'Spirit-kun!'
"Stein! What the hell are you doing to Hina-chan?! You sadist!" The Death Scythe angrily yelled at his partner. He glared at Stein with a hatred none of them expected him to be capable of.
'This hatred...I've never seen this side to Spirit-kun. I would understand anger, but I sense more hatred than anything.'
"Ah, Spirit-kun, it's not his fault...his insanity is—"
"No, Hinata-chan! He...he doesn't act that way when the insanity controls him. These are actions of his own," Spirit explained. He hugged the kunoichi protectively, surprised that her petite figure fit perfectly in his arms. However, he didn't dwell on the thought as he was too angry at Stein to think about anything else.
'Dammit, Stein. What the hell is wrong with you? How could you go so far as to do this...!' She felt Spirit's possessive hold tighten around her waist, sensing the troubling emotions running through his mind.
"Relax, Senpai. I didn't really do anything to her," Stein said nonchalantly with a shrug. He dug in his pocket and produced a cigarette, which he stuck in his mouth, and lighted its end. He took a long drag before releasing a content sigh. They stood in tense silence before he finally walked away, much to the others' surprise.
Once he was out of sight, Spirit sighed. He, somewhat reluctantly, released Hinata from his arms, who rubbed the sore areas on her wrists. A tinge of fury erupted in his chest when he saw bruises developing on her flawless skin.
"Ano, arigatou, Spirit-kun. I would have been forced to hurt him had you not interfered." He shook his head furiously and took her up in his arms once again. She blushed when he nuzzled his head against hers.
"I'm glad you're back at Shibusen," he whispered to her in an affectionate voice. Her presence soothed the chaos in his mind; what with the divorce, Maka's apparent dislike towards him, etc. Now with Stein's "tendencies", he'd need to warn her and her partner of the trouble he could cause for them.
"A-ano, S-S-Spirit-kun? Are y-you okay?" The redhead shook his head slowly and sighed. Hinata's maternal instincts came in, trying to soothe him by whispering reassurances and stroking his hair. It was the only thing she could really do in his moment of weakness. "You can tell me anything, you know."
"Yeah, but...later. I'll tell you some other time. I want you to be careful around Stein from now on. He's been stable for quite awhile, then you come back and he's just..."
"Okay, Spirit-kun. I trust you." She pulled away from him and removed the hitai-ate from her eyes, allowing it to hang loosely around her neck. "I-I should get back to Sasuke-kun. It was nice seeing you again, Spirit-kun."
"Same, Hinata-chan."
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As soon as she stepped through the door, Sasuke mentally bombarded her with questions. He was furious at the moment knowing something had happened between her and Stein. She turned away from his glare and shamefully showed her wrists to him. The faint sight of purple coloring fueled his rage.
'Damn Stein...he'll have hell to pay later.' A sinister aura leaked from his soul and flooded the room. Hinata glanced at him worriedly feeling his abrupt shift in emotion. She began to panic when she realized killer intent began to radiate from his soul. She gulped softly and prepared herself to activate her Byakugan. What she saw made her stomach lurch in fear.
Tendrils of darkness were stemming from the evil which had been lying dormant in his soul, reaching out to the souls surrounding him. Hinata had seen this happen many times before, and every time there was always someone who killed him/herself in an attempt to escape the cursed power.
No, no, no! Sasuke-kun, please! Matte!
He growled in anger as his hands balled into fists. His breathing became labored and heavy, as if he had risen up to the surface from the depths of the ocean. The onyx of his eyes intermingled with bloody crimson, his kekkei genkai threatening to activate.
'Dammit! I can't lose...my self-control...FOCUS!'
Give in to the black abyss within your soul, Uchiha. Do it now, before you lose yourself completely...before you harm the ones you hold dear to your heart...
"Urusai..." he muttered to the demonic voice in his mind.
The students watched in fascination though some were understandably uneasy, namely those who possessed a developed Perception.
"Um, is he okay?" one of the students asked warily. A few of the perceptive ones were murmuring frantically about the change in his aura.
Hinata nodded calmly and faced her partner. Her voice was resolute when she spoke, "Sasuke-kun, calm yourself."
His body shook uncontrollably but ceased when she tapped the area where his heart lay. His eyes widened and he gagged, feeling the darkness retreating to its dormant state. Through their bond, they watched as her radiant wavelength branched out to consume the remaining tendrils which threatened to infect the students' souls.
"Hey, what the hell's wrong with him?" Black*Star practically yelled. He still stood upon his desk and was keenly watching Hinata's actions. He wondered what the hell she was doing to him.
"Ehhh? Will Duck-Butt be okay?" Patti pouted at the panting Uchiha. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Her paper mâché giraffe lay forgotten on the floor. The rest of the group also had looks of concern on their faces.
'So this is what Shinigami-sama meant...their compassion for a comrade.'
"H-he will be fine. Do not w-worry, I know h-how to help him," Hinata replied. Glancing at a clock, she saw there were only a few minutes left until dismissal. "Everyone, you know what y-your homework i-is?"
"Yes!" came the enthusiastic reply.
The bell rang, and everyone rushed to leave. Just as they were about to open the door, she stopped them. "Ano, w-wait!" They froze and eyed her with irritation written on their faces. "Those w-who are currently t-taking remedial lessons are to report i-in the Death Room by 5:30 tonight. You know who you are. Class dismissed."
Approx. two hours later
"Ugh, where are they? It's been like for-EVER since we got here!" Black*Star complained. He grumbled to himself and decided to busy himself by punching the wall. Everyone chose to ignore his outburst, although they also were wondering the same thing.
"It's only five minutes after the set time, Black*Star," Maka said with a tired sigh. She rubbed her temple to soothe her oncoming headache. "I'm sure they'll be here soon."
"Yeah, Black*Star. Have patience, and try not to destroy the wall." Tsubaki warily watched as cracks formed from the impact of his punches.
'Why me?' thought Soul while readjusting his headband. He sat on the floor with his head propped up by his hand. 'I wanna go home, eat dinner, sleep...what the hell's taking so long?' Those thoughts repeated until he dozed off. Maka didn't care that he fell asleep; it was routine that he would take a nap out of the blue.
"Geez, I hope they hurry," she sighed. True, she was known to be a bit impatient, but she preferred people to be punctual. She wanted the two to come soon; she had studying to finish. As soon as the thought popped into her head, she sensed a familiar presence approaching. "Hey, guys, I think they're here–"
"LOOK OUT!"
A flurry of shuriken and kunai were headed towards the idle group, who immediately sprung into action to dodge the oncoming projectiles. Maka had grabbed her partner by the collar and pulled him away from his previous napping place, her eyes wide as she saw the numerous knives stuck in the ground. Black*Star was perched on the rafters above in a defensive position, Tsubaki having transformed into a kusarigawa. His eyes were trained on the entranceway where two people were quickly heading.
'What now? I thought we were past this phase...' She thought irately as she assumed an offensive stance. Soul stood next to her with his mouth agape as he stared at the floor. The shock of nearly being sliced to death caused him to stand as still as a statue, as if it could make him any safer.
"Crap..." was all he could say before transforming into a scythe landing in Maka's hands. He tried redirecting his thoughts from the near death experience to other matters. 'What reason do they have to attack us now? And, more importantly...'
"Where the hell is Kidd?!" More kunai came flying through the air. These ones were different from the others which were plain; the newer ones had a tag attached to their handles. One managed to imbed itself in the space next to Black*Star, momentarily catching him off guard. "Oh, crap."
"Black*Star!" Maka and Tsubaki cried out in alarm when the tag went off. The assassin was falling head first, unconscious, towards a pile of discarded weapons. She watched in horror as he came closer and closer to his inevitable death. "No!"
A blur of black had caught him before his body could touch the floor. The blur sped towards Maka, revealing Kidd on Beelzebub with the unconscious meister. He slid his body off the board gently before getting off himself.
"Hm, seems I came right on time," he remarked a bit playfully. He assumed his defensive pose, his Twin Pistols ready to fire at any given second.
"Just as we come to a close." Hearing her voice made Maka and Kidd tense. "Oh, don't worry! We've finished for today."
"What the hell do you mean?! How are we supposed to trust you after you just randomly attacked us?" An angry Soul said. "Not only that, Black*Star nearly fell to his death!"
"Yeah! What's your deal, Hinata-san?" Maka asked. The kunoichi sighed as she approached them. The group immediately noticed the absence of her partner, wondering why he was not present.
"Awww, Sasuke-kun isn't here," Liz complained to her sister. Kidd groaned and told her to shut up. 'You shut up, stupid asymmetrical freak!' Although she really wanted to voice her thoughts, she shut her mouth. Patti just laughed at her misfortune, taunting her for liking "Duck Butt".
"My...deal? Today was just a short observation of your reaction time," she explained to them calmly. By now, the Weapons had transformed and stood (or, in Tsubaki's case, crouched) by their partner. "I wanted a sense of how quickly you would react should an enemy appear suddenly without your knowledge. And, apologies for taking it to the extreme. I have a tendency to make it too...challenging," she said, referring to the incident with Black*Star.
"Chichiue will be notified of this, Hinata-san. I cannot let this go overlooked," Kidd said sternly. "A student was nearly killed in this test of yours." She nodded in understanding, knowing that Shinigami-sama would ignore his son's report.
'I would have stepped in to save him. But you reached him before I could, Kidd-kun.'
"If that is all, may we take our leave?" Tsubaki timidly asked. She was anxious to get Black*Star home to tend to his possible wounds.
"Hai! You're all free to go. And remember: stay vigilant."
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A/N: It's...1 o'clock in the freaking morning. Sorry if the end seemed rushed, I just got tired...and what am I saying? God, I feel horrible for saying that now. I apologize; the stress of finals has gotten to me. And on a side note:
"shokunin" : "meister"
"Senpai" : "upperclassman"
"Urusai" : "Shut up"
"Chichiue" : "Honorable Father"
