Chapter 10
Christian downed the last of his coffee as he made his way to class, draining the styrofoam cup as he stepped through the open door. With a back handed toss he threw it away and found his seat among the lecture hall. Brian followed soon after, carrying his bag by the top strap. "Alright everyone, sit down and shut up." Sidd's voice called out. "Today we're going to study the transition of a human soul to a kishin egg."
"We already covered that!" Ox yelled from the front row.
"Maybe, but a considerable number of students still made low marks on it." Sidd glanced at Blackstar, Brian, and Soul all in turn as he said this. "So we will cover it a third time, and hopefully it will stick."
Christian picked up his pen and began drawing in his notebook as Sidd gave the lecture that he had heard, literary, twice before. His ink scribblings gave shape to resemble the back of Tsubaki's head. As the class continued he ended up making a fairly decent sketch of the back of her head and shoulders. By the end of the class he had done Blackstar as well.
Minutes later the bell rang and upon exiting Christian saw the crowd of students gathered tightly around the mission board. "What's going on?" He asked.
"Somebody took the Pyramid Mission!" A student answered.
"Really, who?" Brian asked.
"No one recognizes the name." Soul's voice cut through.
"Everyone needs a start." Christian said absently.
The Davises moved away from the group and went to the courtyard for their free period. Upon arriving they met a young couple who waved in greeting. The boy was a little older than Christian and Japanese. He wore a loose fitting pair of jeans and a green, zip up hoodie. The tips of his otherwise black hair was bleached and he wore a dark blue shirt. The girl was a year younger and Chinese American. Her beautiful red hair was bound into a short pony tail on the back left but hung free on the rest of her head. She wore a pair of knee length khakis and black leggings underneath. Her own sky blue hoodie was zipped only halfway up, just enough to cover her full breasts. Her black tank top and a sandals completed the outfit.
"Ken, Jade!" Brian yelled. The brothers ran over to the couple sitting on the steps. Ken sat one step higher and Jade sat in between his legs. "Haven't seen you in ages man."
"Just got back from our mission." Kenji replied. "Got back this morning." Christian sat next to him on the step while Brian remained standing.
"Sounds good, not much farther to go, right?" Christian asked.
Jade and Kenji smiled in unison and exchanged a look. "You tell me." He handed Christian a small piece of tri folded paper he had been holding in his hand.
Christian took it and began to read it. "By order of Lord Death, you are to depart for Bucharest, Romania by January 13th for your witch hunt." Christian looked up from the paper. Kenji smiled and nodded at him to keep reading. "You, brush meister Bashō Kenji, and your weapon, Jade Sonnet, have acquired, through direct combat, a number of ninety nine kishin egg souls. Prepare for departure immediately and best of luck on your assignment. Upon arriving in Burachest, contact Death Scythe Justin Law for more information and direction."
"Next time you see me I'll be a death scythe." Jade laughed.
"That's great guys." Brian smiled.
Christian looked down and his smile grew wider. "I also notice the lovely lady has picked up some new jewelry." Jade's hand shot to her lap as her face flushed red. "Finally popped the question did you, Ken?"
"Right there on the cliffs of Dover." Kenji leaned back and smiled. "Sun shining and the sea blowing, we had just claimed the third and final soul, some guy claiming to be Guy Fawkes, and I told her there were rumors of some madman raving at the cliffs. Shoulda seen the look on her face when I opened the ring."
Christian nodded. "Good, you'll be a great couple." Jade shot Christian a look. "Sorry, are a great couple."
"Says here you leave tomorrow, are you ready?" Brian asked as he read over the paper.
"Yeah, bags are packed and everything." Ken reached into his bag and started feeling around. "I actually have a gift for you Christian, seeing that I'm going to miss your birthday."
"No, that won't be necessary Ken." Christian objected.
"Oh, yes it is."
Another minute passed and Kenji pulled a long black box out of his bag. "Back in my home town of Ogimachi, a boy would be given his first sword when he turned eighteen." He gave the box to Christian. "It's more of a knife than a sword though."
Christian opened the box and saw a beautiful, six inch long tanto blade. "I ordered it last month, and they shipped it here last week." Kenji explained. "I would've given it to you on Friday, but then I got this letter."
Christian took the blade from its case, it was heavier than it looked. Christian shook his head as he read the Kanji along the blade, he recognized it as his name. He examined the cherry wood hilt, wrapped in gold trimmed black silk. "You didn't have to get me this man." Christian could feel a tear welling up. "Thank you."
"That's the real thing, folded steel and everything, made by the village blacksmith." Kenji boasted.
"Thanks Ken." Christian said. "No really, thank you it's an honor."
"Don't mention it." Kenji looked back at Brian. "I'll get you one in September."
"Could I have one of those big swords instead?" Brian asked.
"Big swords?" Ken asked
"You know, those two handed katanas." Brian put one fist on top of the other and began acting like he was swinging a sword.
"My friend, an ōdachi maybe a little big for you."
"Brian, stop being an ass." Christian said.
"Let him have his fun, maybe he'll trip down the stairs." Jade teased. With a chuckle and a flourish she stood to her feet. "Now, if you boys will excuse me, I need to get to class."
"See you later broom!" Brian yelled to her back.
Christian put the blade back in its box and put it on the step beside him. "Who else have you told about the engagement?" He asked.
"Just you guys, Sidd, and Lord Death." Kenji said. "No one really, we're just kind of letting people put two and two together here."
Christian nodded. "I just never thought that I'd see her embarrassed." Brian interrupted. "I mean she's a little fire ball."
Kenji began laughing in his seat, stair. "You got that right."
Christian smiled as he remembered his first sparring session with the pair.
…
"A brush?" Brian asked. "A giant calligraphy brush, that's your weapon form?"
"That a problem, hick?" Jade spat.
Christian circled Kenji, stepping closer with each revolution. The two weapons continued to foam at each other like caterwauling feral cats. In his mind he couldn't see any danger in the weapon, only a brush, but he was not going to be reckless. After all, Sidd had assigned him because he thought Christian to be a "warmup match" for Kenji.
Christian had heard rumors of Kenji in the first few minutes after being assigned to him. How he could defend from all directions at once, and even attack in the same instant. Even an upperclassmen had whispered to him as he entered the ring, "Don't stop moving." What the hell did that mean?
"Chinatown Harlot!" Followed closely by "Trailer Trash!" The two weapons continued to bicker until finally Christian silenced Brian. Kenji smiled and stopped moving his feet, Christian kept going. Suddenly ink began flowing out of the tip of the brush. It built up in a large puddle, growing wider and more pronounced with each passing second.
Christian took a few steps back, wary of what was about to happen. Kenji dipped the brush in the ink and picked it up, but something very strange happened. As the brush moved it left a suspended trail of black ink hanging in the air. He made the kanji for fire, then water directly beside it. He met Christian's confused gaze and smiled. "You shouldn't have let me make these."
He spun the brush and tapped the kanji of fire with the tail end. A great crack filled the air as black flames roared to life. They shot for Christian, who dropped to the ground to avoid the blistering heat. "What the hell!" Brian screamed. Christian remembered the water symbol and immediately rolled from beneath the flames and jumped away as the ink tidal wave came crashing down with crushing force in the very spot Christian had hit the ground.
"Impressive, that usually works." Christian witnessed him finish the kanji for bat and tap the suspended ink. Hundreds, upon thousands of tiny black bats erupted from the ink. They swarmed Christian, biting and blinding him. They fell in ones and fours as Christian swung his glaive to fight them off. Suddenly the ground was ripped out from under him and he was dragged by both feet by a dark tentacle toward Kenji. "This is where you lose, country boy."
"Like hell!" Christian yelled, he brought the glaive down and cut the tentacle holding him. He jumped to his feet and turned to see that Kenji had a multitude of kanji surrounding him. Among the seven were; wall, snake, fire, man, monkey, sky, and ice. Christian's eyes widened in surprise as Kenji twisted the brush and the kanji moved, fire now facing him.
Christian charged as the kanji was activated. Hitting his knees, he slid underneath the licking flames. Then, upon their exhaust, he leapt to his feet and swung the glaive as hard as he could. Clang!
Christian's eyes widened in surprise once again, realizing that this was the wall kanji. Ink had made a literal wall around them, harder than steel and only half as thick. Suddenly a fist crashed through the wall and a man stepped out of the hole. He was pure ink, just like the others and heavily resembled a storefront mannequin.
The wall repaired itself as the man assumed a fighting stance. "Damn, um I'M SORRY FOR CALLING YOU USELESS BRUSH LADY!" Brian yelled as Christian fought the superhuman mannequin. He was actually winning, until something bit his leg. "What the hell?"
Christian looked down to see the little ink snake clasped onto his ankle. The distraction cost him a freight train level punch to the face. He stumbled back, staggered by the devastating hit.
Suddenly all the ink creatures fell away and recombined into the black puddle at Kenji's feet. "I win." He said.
"What?" Christian asked.
"My little snake just injected exactly four ounces of my ink directly into your bloodstream. I can just spread it through any limb, and it's mine." To demonstrate, Kenji moved and twisted the bush and forced Christian to move his arm. "If I wanted to kill you, I would just collect it in your heart. Then poof." Kenji mimicked a small explosion with his hand. "One more for the pile."
…
That was six months ago, funny it seemed like years. They had become close after that, respecting each other's power. Brian continued to tease the mess out of Jade and they argued constantly, in a teasing friendly way.
"She hasn't changed much since that day." Christian commented. "She's a good catch though, take care of her."
"She hasn't changed a bit my friends." Kenji laughed. "I remember meeting her in the NOT class and thinking that no one would ever be able to pair with her."
"And yet here you are, what? Four years later?" Christian asked.
"Four years, three months, and eighteen days." Kenji boasted.
"Not that you're counting." Brian laughed.
Christian smiled and picked up the knife. "Thank you for this." He stood up. "Listen, me and Brian have some extra money. How about we get Adam and the Carson sisters and a few of your other buddies and meet up at the Death Desert Wing House tonight after my private lessons. We'll throw you a little party celebrating the whole death scythe thing in advance and the engagement."
"No, I mean I can't let you do that." Kenji denied. "It wouldn't be right."
"You got him a present Ken." Brian scoffed. "He won't back down."
Kenji smiled and stood up to meet Christian. "What time?" He asked.
"Oh, ninish." Christian answered.
"Alright, I'll tell Jade." Kenji nodded. "Thanks guys. See you later." Kenji picked up his bag and ran to the door.
Christian looked at Brian with a smile. "You're feeling pretty good right now aren't you?" Brian asked.
"Yep, I just can't wait for the bachelor party." Christian began walking down the steps. "That's going to be fun. Do you think we could sneak him into Chupo Cobra's?"
"Yeah, then again we could always just get Blair to give him a private show." Brian laughed. "I'm sure Maka wouldn't mind us getting that cat out of her hair for a night."
"True my friend, very true." Christian nodded. "Man, I'm starving. Want to go down to the Deathbucks café and grab something to eat?"
Brian shrugged his shoulders. "Might as well, we still have forty five minutes to kill. Besides, I'm not looking too forward to biology today, Spirit doesn't exactly like me."
Christian turned around and began descending the stairs backwards. He fixed Brian with amused eyes. "I wonder why, I mean you did drop a guillotine on him."
"Nope, that slips my mind, don't remember that." Brian denied. "Lets go grab something to eat so you'll be ready for tonight."
"Sounds good." Christian descended the stairs in twos and stopped at the bottom. "I think I'm going to like tonight."