Chapter 9:
Torn from Another's Soul - Wrath's Doppelganger Appears?
Ox and Harvar were walking up the stairs, pausing to notice a familiar face waiting. "Ah, good morning Wrath-sensei." Ox stated, waving a hand. The girl did not respond, instead staring at Harvar.
"That's an unusual look for you sensei." He stated, eyes hidden behind his shades. "Trying out a new style?" he asked, glancing her over. White with hints of grey and purple wasn't really her normal wear but it seemed to look nice on her. The girl then took a step towards Harvar, leaving no time for him to pull back as she planted a kiss on his lips, Ox's mouth dropping open in shock as the woman pulled back from Harvar and turned away. She walked off quickly across the open area, vanishing into the entrance of the school. Ox turned to his partner, who's face was red and his mouth hanging open.
"H-harvar are you and sensei-?!"
"D-don't be ridiculous!" he replied. "W-we need to go figure out what the hell that was." He added, rushing into the school building with his partner in tow.
Wrath was sitting with Kid when the door opened. Harvar came walking over with Ox. "Wr-wrath-sensei...?"
"Ah, Harvar... Ox... Is... something wrong?" she asked them. "Did you want to go over the information from class? I know that the interruption of Poltergeist Fusion is a rather intense lesson-"
"Why did you kiss me earlier?" Harvar asked, cheeks bright red.
"... Hah?" Wrath blinked. "I don't recall... when was this?" she asked, her tone suddenly turning serious. "And where?"
"At the stairs, it was about 20 minutes before first period." Ox replied, his partner red in the face.
"There must be a mistake." Kid stated. "I was with her all this morning, studying from last week's lesson." he added. "We were in the classroom since about 6:15."
"... But then who?" Harvar asked. "She looked JUST like Wrath, except for the way she dressed.
"... Pardon me." she walked by, placing a hand on Harvar's shoulder. "Sorry for the confusion... I'll go check it out." she seemed very concerned, heading straight for the stairs and stopping in a particular spot. Kid followed, as did Ox and Harvar. "... She was here." she seemed shaken by this... something upset her.
"Who, Wrath?" Kid asked.
"... No time." she turned to them. "Ox, Harvar. Go inside and tell Stein to lock down the classrooms, get all students out of the halls. Kid contact Shinigami-sama." she added. "This is bad... how did she even get in here?" she wondered, pulling out a little pendant hanging around her neck. It was a plain silver circle, at least at first glance. Ox and Harvar headed back into the building as Kid contacted his father.
"Hello hallo~ Oh, Kid and Wrath~ Are you two on a date~?" he teased.
"Shinigami-sama this is not the time." she replied as she gripped the pendant, causing it to glow purple. "There is a poltergeist-controlled doll wandering Shibusen, I need to request that you keep the students inside the school until I find her and eradicate her."
"Hoh... was this that little "problem" Sumagawa mentioned before?" Shinigami tilted to the left, putting an oversized white hand over his "mouth".
"... It is, unfortunately."
"... Alright." he sighed. "I'll do that... be careful..." he nodded. "Kid, keep an eye on her would you?"
"Y-yes, chichiue." Kid nodded, letting his father cut the connection before turning to Wrath. "So... what is this... problem?"
"... Do you remember, before in one of the lectures...? I mentioned that Generals can pick apart your soul..." she began. "And... that I defended my brother from a general when I was young?"
"Yeah."
"... That general took part of my soul... it was a small part, almost insignificant many would say... if you look at my soul there's a small part that glows brighter than the rest..." she turned to him. "Oblivion filled in the gap. My soul is technically incomplete." she smiled weakly. "The doll that kissed Harvar has been stitched together with bits and pieces of various souls... and because of Oblivion, she took on my appearance... the strongest energy manipulates the appearance, I guess…" she sighed. "... They've never used her, I assumed she was broken... but I guess they've decided to put her into play."
"They?" He wanted to ask more, but that was the most pressing question he had.
"... The poltergeists... the Generals... And unfortunately it can only mean that the King has begun his revival." a pulse of purple ran across the ground, out from where Wrath stood. "She will seek more of my soul to complete herself... It's another reason I was sent here... I'm bait."
"Bait?" Kid asked, confused. "Why?"
"... Because even as a doll, this girl is as strong as I am... and she has no fear of death or of losing anyone... But you don't have to worry, she'll never go after a Shinigami's Soul. If that mixed with Oblivion's, she'd shatter immediately. Something about the power output being too much for something artificial." she stated, seeing someone appear at the other side of the courtyard. "She's here." Kid turned to see essentially another Wrath, but this one was wearing mostly white and one of her eyes was grey. Not to mention that most of her clothing was not symmetrical. It made him cringe. In fact he was almost sick right then and there. "Just close your eyes and sit down if you need to, Kid." Wrath added, locking eyes with the doll. "She won't attack you so don't worry."
"But..."
"She's not going to go after you... if anything you have to dodge some attacks." Wrath replied.
"Do not... worry." the almost broken speech of the doll sounded a lot like Wrath, but it was higher in pitch. "I will not... attack you... Shinigami-kun..." she wandered over, stopping and taking a fighting stance. "I want... Oblivion... her soul..."
"You won't get her." Wrath replied, taking out her pistols. "Bloody Black Cross... Hexen Voultrie." she muttered, her outfit changing to a slightly different version of her Hex Hunter Uniform. "Well? come on, Doll-chan." she grinned, Oblivion's soul seething out from under her own. Her voice dropped lower and her eyes got darker, sharper... more sinister. "Come get me." The doll charged at frightening speed, Wrath jumping out of the way and firing a few rounds. "Oblivion Rotary!" the bullets dissolved, a purple wave of energy turning into a giant rolling round saw blade. But the doll moved in time to dodge, soon pulling out a scythe blade from a compartment on her back and attaching it to a chain coming from her arm.
"I will... claim your soul..." the doll tilted her head, flinging the blade at Wrath, catching her on the leg. "I will... devour..."
"Shit, that blade!" Oblivion pulled back and fired another set of bullets. "Hex Chaser!" the bullets turned on an arc to aim at the doll. "Encapsulate!" The doll broke through the bullets and came at them again. "How did she get her hands on that thing?! She shouldn't be able to touch it!"
"She's a doll, of course she can touch it." Wrath's voice came out from behind Oblivion's. "She's changed tactics since the last time, let me fight."
"... Fine." Oblivion receded just in time for Wrath to dodge the blade again.
"Bloody Black Cross! Vengeful Triptych!" she fired the bullets, creating a barrier around 3 sides of the doll. "Voulvet!" the next bullet she fired went straight for the Doll's torso as the triptych closed in on her, but the doll managed to escape. " Hex Chaser!" she fired off two more, the doll continued to dodge. "Shit, she's fast..." she pulled out her black gun. "Oblivion Phase 6! Black Water Ruin!" A huge wave of black energy shot out from the barrel, Wrath managing to clip the doll's face. But, she dodged a majority of the damage, seeming un-phased. Before the fight could continue, the doll jumped back and left a large group of poltergeists at least Beta level behind. Stein and Spirit emerged from the school ready to fight, but Wrath shot them all down in a heartbeat. "Damn it..." she muttered. "...I should have been faster on the draw..."
Wrath, after getting patched up by Stein, went to the classroom and shot the chalkboard with one of her information bullets, creating her lesson plan for the day. "Alright, listen up!" she stated, turning to the students. "Most of you know what happened this morning. A doll using my guise came into school." she motioned to the image on the board. "These dolls are created by witches, put into motion with magic and sustained with bits and pieces of souls that Generals steal from humans." she added. "They are as fast and as strong as the person who owned the strongest soul in their being." Maka raised her hand. "Yes?"
"So... this doll from today... she has part of your soul?"
"... That she does." Wrath nodded. "She goes by the name Ayumi." she added. "This doll in particular is dangerous, however many more dolls are sure to exist. Taking the forms of those who have passed or gone missing in many years of the King's absence." She turned to the board, motioning to one particular item. "This symbol is the symbol of the King of Poltergeists. The monster who seeks the world's destruction, and the GHA's number one enemy."
After classes, Wrath stared out at the sky, noting that it was darker than normal. She couldn't sense Ayumi anywhere, and that was unsettling. The girl could just vanish into thin air, like how witches used soul protect, but she could also call poltergeists to her and use them as the generals could. She gripped her hand, shaking her head. "Without Axis I'm not strong enough…" she mumbled, knowing she wasn't going to be able to take Ayumi out alone.
"Thinking about how to fight the Doll?" she turned to see Stein standing there. "You're stressing yourself out over nothing."
"… I know." She mumbled, turning back to the sky. "I always do…" she let Stein walk up next to her, pausing before speaking again. "You and Mama were close… when she went to school here…"
"I'm surprised you know about all that… I'll assume Sumagawa-san told you?" Stein asked her, looking down at the girl as she nodded slowly. "... What else did he tell you about this school?"
"… He told me that it was where Mama made many friends… and where, had she not met father, she would have wanted to stay…" she glanced up at Stein, eyes slightly narrowed. "… With you…" she turned away again, Stein quirking an eyebrow. "Anyway…" she shook her head. "You came up here to tell me something?"
"Only that you shouldn't do everything yourself… You'd be surprised at how adept Shibusen's students are at overcoming obstacles." He pat her head before heading back downstairs, Wrath letting him leave before taking a breath.
"It's not Shibusen's students that I'm worried about…" she felt a Fright Pulse nearby, turning and slamming the butt of her gun into the face of a poltergeist before shooting it through the face, the core dropping to the roof top as the ectoplasm dissolved. "It's the GHA's students that need the work…" she picked up the core before heading back to her housing, staring at the ground the whole way.
For the next couple of days, Wrath was working the GHA students harder than ever. She was throwing them into the battle field against every stray poltergeist she could find, testing them one at a time, never allowing the partners to interfere. "She's really mad at something…" Tia said, exhausted as she and the other 3 made it back to their housing. "She's never been so intense with the training."
"But what's got her so upset?" Aki asked. "She hasn't said anything about another exam or anything…"
"She's got a lot on her mind." Satoshi stated, both girls turning to him immediately. "Think about it, she's here without her partner, she's trying to get our scores up to par for the academy so we DON'T have to go through those regulated classes, she's trying to figure out what she's up against and dealing with the council…" he sighed. "Plus she's trying to get into it with Kid, remember? She's probably overloaded."
"Ooh, good point…" Yuuji nodded. "She probably needs a proper break."
"Like you'd get her to stop working. The only time she stops is for food."
"Oh I know I know!" Tia exclaimed, eyes sparkling. She grabbed Satoshi's arm, turning to Aki. "Tell her we're having dinner, I'll be back!" she ran off to the market with her partner, Aki's eyes sparkling as well as she realized the shorter brunette's plan. She grabbed Yuuji's arm and ran out of the building as well, messaging their leader about the plan.
Wrath awoke from a nap about an hour later, picking up the message. She paused to tilt her head. "Dinner…?" she paused. "Oh god, please tell me they aren't going to try cooking…" she sighed, getting up and heading down to the kitchen area. When she arrived, she paused at the door, eyes wide. "Kid…?"
"Wrath, uh…" Kid's face was red. "S-sorry, did we wake you?" he asked, carrying bags of groceries. She glanced around to see her students and Liz and Patty all carrying grocery bags. Wrath turned to Tia, the girl grinning and giving her a thumbs up. "They said they wanted to make you dinner, so…"
"… They'd sooner burn down the building." She chuckled, walking over and giving Kid a hug, his face coloring redder. "Thank you…" she added, looking up at the others. "Well? Get the ingredients on the counter. Food's not gonna cook itself."
After dinner, Wrath walked with Kid back to Death Mansion. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, earning a nod from the girl. "I'm glad…"
"I don't think I've been this calm in a long time." She chuckled. "… I appreciate it, Kid, I really do…" she stopped at the door with Kid. "So, thank you…"
"No problem…" he shook his head. "It was a pleasure." He paused for a moment as he realized they'd been holding hands, not really wanting to let go. "… I'll see you at school tomorrow?"
"Yes." She nodded, squeezing Kid's hand gently. "… Would it be too much to ask you…?"
"Ask me?" Kid leaned in, seeing as Wrath was mumbling a little. She leaned in, Kid's face coloring red as he felt her press her lips against his. He squeezed her hand back, leaning into the kiss a little before they pulled apart, Wrath smiling as he slowly let go of her hand, noting his shock at the kiss.
"Goodnight, Kid." She turned and headed back to her housing, leaving a stunned Shinigami boy in her wake. But he turned to the door and walked inside, still trying to comprehend that just now. They'd kissed. Moreover, she'd initiated. He put a hand up to his mouth, smiling a little.
"She's warm…"
"Who is, Kid~?" Kid jumped at the sudden appearance of his father, who had his over-sized gloved hand in front of his mask's mouth, obviously grinning at the boy's red-tinted face. "Could it be~? She kissed you~?" he teased, poking fun at his son as he walked back into the house, chuckling to himself as Kid tried to get some words out.
Wrath was almost all the way to the housing again when she heard Ayumi's almost mechanical footsteps behind her. "You're not trying to kill me this time?" she turned to look at the doll, noting that her eyes were more bright than before. When she'd attacked at the school she looked dead… but now she looked almost alive.
"You… are the King's prize… my job is not to kill you…" she tilted her head. "It's to take Oblivion's soul out of you for myself…" she seemed confused. "Why… would I kill my kin?" a shot rang out and clipped Ayumi's shoulder, Wrath glaring at the doll as she revealed her black gun, the barrel smoking.
"You are no kin of mine… you're the enemy."
"Ah… I am sorry to hear that…" Ayumi tilted her head. "But… your trembling hand does not lie…" she looked at the gun, noting Wrath's hand shaking a little. "You know it in your heart to be a truth… you choose not to accept…" she tilted her head the other way. "I am… a Doll… but I am also… a part of you, am I not?" she asked. "You could not kill me… even if you tried…" Ayumi faded away into the shadows, Wrath placing her gun away before rushing back to the housing.
"Damn it, she's messing with me…" she growled, gripping her hand to stop the trembling. "Damn it…" she leaned against the wall of the next house for a second, taking a breath before heading into her own housing, stone-faced. She was not about to lose her cool in front of her students. But that nagging thought remained… was Ayumi right? Was she really close enough to be considered Kin, despite the fact that she was a doll? Wrath racked her brain for answers all night, and before she knew it the sun had risen again.
((I hope I didn't make you guys wait too long-
; 7 ; I missed this fic but I apologize if my progress is slow... I'll do my best not to take this long to get the next one out~
-Winter Cheshire))