11. The Death Weapon Meister Academy, Revisited

"Soul, wake up or we're going to be late!"

"But it's so earrrrrllly." He was definitely spoiled from his free time.

"Soul."

"Just ten more minutes," he mumbled.

"You said that three more times before. No more! We have to go!"

Groaning as he sat up, sheets falling from his warm, snuggled spot, Soul knew the first day would be a challenging change, but 6:30 am?

"...fine. I'm up."

"No, you're not. Out of bed. Now!"

First leg, then the second. Moving wasn't necessarily what he wanted to do, but this was what he signed up for. At a stand, Soul fumbled about for some clothes, picking the best he could for such a tired state of mind. How Maka was already up and dressed, he wasn't sure. Surely his meister wasn't human.

A three-minute shower later, and words came to his mouth easier. Dressed and ready to depart, he grabbed two granola bars for the trip, tossing one to Maka.

"Thanks! Alright, let's go!"

Maka lead the two of them to the alley next to their building. Soul thought they would be taking a cab, but he was surprised to see Maka taking the cover off of a shiny orange motorcycle. He gasped, eyes lighting up. It was exactly his taste, and in his favorite color. The strangest part was that he felt like he knew exactly what that vehicle yet.

Maka held up a keyring. "Ready?"

"I have a motorbike?!"

"Had it since fourteen," Maka said. "Driving laws here are a bit looser than the rest of the states. Now come on! It's faster than walking."

Soul frowned. Was it safe for him to drive? Oh, who cared? This was a dream come true! Soul took the keys from Maka's waiting hand and sat on the seat smoothly. He revved the engine, feeling powerful.

"Wow."

"Stop being awestruck and get us there," Maka said, clambering on behind him and putting on her own helmet.

The ample parking by the DWMA was pretty great. Soul was impressed. What impressed him both equally and a lot less was the sight before him. Nothing could have prepared him for what he would face next.

Before them were rows upon rows of massive stairs that looked to be five miles long from where they stood. Why hadn't Maka mentioned this?!

"What the hell are these steps?"

"What?" Maka looked back to where Soul was standing, staring up. "Oh, the stairs? They're excellent training for meisters and weapons alike."

Soul let out a low whine. Training, huh. He glanced around for any other options. No one prepared him for this!

"Let's go. We're behind schedule as it is!"

And with that Soul watched in awe and horror as Maka began to run up the stairs two at a time. His suspicion was confirmed: Maka was definitely not human! Keeping up with her two steps verses his untrained single steps was impossible.

I should've picked up two granola bars for this. And a bottle of water.

Soul stopped, bent down with his hands resting on his knees to catch his breath after a couple of minutes.

"This school is not handicap accessible in the slightest, is it?" he panted out.

"Hm?" Maka turned, then giggled. "Oh, no. There's an elevator for injured students and staff, but it's a nightmare to find it. It's practically in a maze."

"You're kidding."

"I am."

Soul glared, which only made Maka laugh a bit more. She waved for him to follow.

Several pants, coughs and whines later, the nightmare was over, sun blazing over them sapping all the energy out of Soul. He really should have brought some water. The top! They actually reached a top to the stairway.

Before them was an amazing view, though, one he only remembered from a photograph. Grand doors with skulls as handles. Large, outward candles seeming to remain lit by the sun itself (otherwise they were too high to reach!). Crowds among them, everyone with an agenda to reach. Being a student here must have meant busy schedules, with all the hustling and bustling about. Wait, but wasn't it….

Soul broke his silent thought as they entered the large doors for an answer to his curiosity. "So, Maka, it's technically summer break, right?"

Maka nodded. "Yeah, most of the classes are out. Exams are pretty much done."

"So why are there so many people here?"

"We still have training grounds, study rooms, and missions available, so most of us choose to stay instead of going home. There's also employment options for E.A.T. students, so we actually get paid for summer missions."

"And N.O.T. students?"

"A lot choose to study here with their partners so they can get to E.A.T. status. Some go home, some stay in Death City and work summer jobs. It's honestly whatever they feel they want or need."

"What did we do?" Soul asked.

Maka paused, then turned with a bit of a laugh. "We trained of course! You wouldn't be a Death Scythe if we didn't, even if you hated being dragged around to do this."

"I'm a weapon, it's not like I can feel exhaustion," Soul quipped back. "It's you who overworked yourself, being a meister and all. Swinging me around pointlessly."

"Ugh, you're always like this Soul—" And then she paused. "You always said that to me when I pushed myself…"

"I must be remembering something, right? I mean, why else would I be saying things like this?"

Soul wanted to talk more, but he was interrupted by a cheerful voice.

"Oh look, they're here!"

Marie came over, waving. Her husband was right behind her. Maka smiled and waved them over.

"Soul, I'm sure you remember both Professor Marie and Dr. Stein."

"I do," he said as he shook their hands again. "Well, I do from yesterday."

Marie was all smiles. "Kid asked us to help with your reintegration to the DWMA for the next couple of weeks. Since it's the first day, we'll both be here, but in future sessions it'll probably just be one or the other since we have to take care of Victoria."

Dr. Stein didn't say a word, but Soul could feel his eyes boring into him.

"Well then," Maka said brightly, "I have a meeting with Kid, so I have to go. Let me know if you need anything else. He's taking calls to his office if need be."

She then turned to Soul and spoke more quietly. "Make sure to ask any questions. Marie and Stein are the best of the best in the world. And you have training with Black*Star as well."

"Got it."

"Good. I'll cook dinner tonight, so I'll see you then."

She squeezed his hand once before leaving. Soul wasn't sure why, but he felt a slight ache in his heart as Maka left.

. . . . . . . . . .

"A sound soul resides in a sound mind and a sound body." Marie began to write on the board. "The body is merely what holds the soul, while the mind is what dictates the body's actions. If either of these are damaged, weakened, or altered in any way, the soul will show the adverse effects of it."

Souls like his? Souls that can't remember their previous training?

"What makes the soul particularly tricky is that it's harder to heal. Once too much damage is taken, it becomes corrupted. It's these corrupted souls that we meisters and weapons collect. When a soul has been corrupted to the point of no return, the name of the individual will appear on the shinigami's list. Kid then puts up advertisements of missions and their difficulties, which a group will then choose"

"Why collect them?" asked Soul.

"Well first off, to prevent them from being revived and released to cause more chaos. Secondly, they enhance the abilities and strength of weapons," Stein answered in turn.

Soul turned to look at Stein in intrigue. "Weapons like me?"

"Yes. Although, you're already a deathscythe, so there will be no need for you to absorb any more than you have. You see, it takes 99 kishin souls and one witch soul to successfully absorb the power of their magic and alter to an advanced form like yours. Other students, on the other hand, will be continuing to collect them for themselves, aside from the witch souls that are protected by the treaty."

"Why would I be needed then? If I already reached that level, then…"

"It doesn't mean you're not needed, Soul. There's a lot of corrupted souls out there that those underneath you can't handle. That's when it becomes your duty to collect them for the sake of safety. Being a death scythe is, as Marie would say, a duty and an oath of protection and loyalty."

Soul nodded. But there was one aspect bothering him since his discovery. Maybe Marie was the perfect person to answer it, being a death scythe herself. It was something he had to know for his own comfort.

"One question, though, since I'm a weapon. Does that mean I'm not human?"

"Technically? Yes and no," said Marie. "None of us weapons are 100% human. We're weapons, after all. What's important isn't our body, however. It's the soul. You never did have soul perception like Maka, but you had seen plenty of souls in your lifetime."

Something flashed before Soul's eyes for a brief second. A red light? Blue lights arranged like a musical score. A warm hand in his. A melody.

Soul shook his head a bit, but the image was gone before he could get a grasp of it. Something about them made him yearn more. Were those some of his memories?

Marie, sensing the younger weapon's unease, took his hands in hers. Soul was instantly soothed.

Stein's curiosity brought another wonder, though. "Have you tried transforming since the day you rediscovered you're a weapon?"

"No," he admitted sheepishly. "Should I've done that?"

"Not necessarily, but that does mean we should work on that here too," said Stein. "I'm sure Maka will begin to work on that with you when you two do one-on-one combat training."

"I see."

"But today," Marie interrupted, "we should focus on theory. Did you bring any of your books?"

"No…"

"That's fine! Here's a spare notebook. And a pen. Take notes! My husband will definitely give you a quiz at the end!"

A quiz… Something began niggling in the back of Soul's mind.

"This is kind of a dumb question, but um...was I the type of guy who wouldn't study for a big test and instead cover himself in a bunch of notes so he's one giant cheat sheet?"

Both Stein and Marie exchanged a shocked look.

"Why do you ask?" asked Stein.

Soul scratched the back of his neck. "I found some old notebooks in my room I was going through the other day, and one of them was full of old notes. I felt like I remembered something, but that was way too ridiculous to be real, right?"

Marie laughed a bit. "It's true that it is ridiculous!"

"Well, and it is true that you did that once, yes," Stein added.

Soul perked up at that. "I did?"

Stein nodded. "Shortly after I became a full-time staff member here, there was the big yearly exam. I wrote it, and Sid helped administer it. He caught you five minutes in. Everything except your shoes and underwear were covered in notes, apparently. Still managed a 35/100 on that one too."

Soul blushed a shade just as scarlet as his eyes. "Uh… r-right. Well, I guess we can say that won't happen again."

"Maybe I'll test you again just for the fun of it, then."

Soul's eyes widened in panic. He could have sworn he saw a faltering crack in his deadpan serious stare though.

"Just kidding. At any rate, I do believe you have another training session coming up. I can guide you there if you wish."

"I'll take him down," Marie volunteered, standing. She gave Stein a quick peck on the forehead. "Tell Victoria I'll be home in time for dinner."

"Will do." The doctor stood, brushing down his jacket. "Take care, Soul."

"Thank you, doctor."

Soul and Marie disappeared from sight as she lead the young weapon out of the room.

"So… where are we going again?" Soul asked.

Marie flashed a soft smile. "Black*Star wanted to meet you in the lower grounds behind the school."

Something was bothering Soul. He felt like he could not to trust Marie, but he wasn't sure why. She seemed like a super nice person. Just being in her presence had a calming effect on him (which, according to Maka, was due to her soul). He seriously doubted he had bad enough memories of her locked away to distrust her like this. Soul ignored them and continued walking.

Twenty minutes later, he was beginning to see why he was so hesitant to follow Marie.

"I think it's just down this way!" she huffed, leading him down yet another hallway.

A few hallways later, and she ran smack dab into another student. "Oh dear!"

Kilik turned his eyes to Soul. His expression carried a joyous greeting. "You guys trying to get somewhere?"

"You know it! Just to the outdoor training grounds. So much to do, so little time!" Marie declared. "This one will be fun though, Soul. Combat!"

Soul paled slightly, unsure if he was truly ready for it. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that these people were professionals. They knew exactly what they were doing.

"I'll take him down, Marie. I was going to mediate anyway."

"Would you Kilik? That'd be amazing!"

Marie hummed for a moment, taking a glance left, right… then a small dash of the foot after what seemed that she'd made up her mind.

"Marie!" Kilik called out before she could disappear.

Marie halted to a stop, turning. "Hm?"

Kilik was pointing towards the hallway on his left.

"Main entrance is that way, if you wanna get home faster."

"Oh!" She flushed a brilliant shade of magenta. "Right. Thank you, Kilik."

Once the flustered professor walked away, the kid just shook his head. "Honestly, everyone should've warned you not to ever trust Marie with directions. She's been here for four years and still can't find her way around this building."

"Who are you?"

"Right, my bad. Keep forgetting you don't remember all of us." The black man held out a fist. "Kilik Rung, two-star meister."

Soul pounded it, grinning. "Good to re-meet you, Kilik."

"Likewise. Now, let's run over. Black*Star's not known for his promptness, but it's still good to be there on time so we can make fun of him for it later."

Soul's grin widened. Just a moment in the other's presence and he could see why he and Kilik were friends before. They took a light jog through the near-empty hallways of the school.

"So you're a meister, right? Who are your weapons?"

"Fire and Thunder. They're actually Earth Shamans, but they're still young, so their powers aren't fully developed yet."

"I see."

Kilik grinned. "How'd you know I had two? Did someone tell you?"

Soul paused. "Two?"

"You said 'weapons,' not 'weapon.' Figured Maka told you about me."

Soul shook his head. "I'm not sure. Just knew, I guess. Maybe from all the pictures."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

Kilik opened a side door. "It's this way. There's a clearing behind the trees."

Soul was quite surprised to see the sheer number of trees growing in the middle of the garden. Maybe there was some sort of magic here? He wasn't sure, but he decided not to question it too much.

"Well, looks who's late!"

Kilik and Soul looked up to see Black*Star hanging upside down from one of the trees. Kilik just laughed.

"Look who's on time, you mean. You actually showed up before you needed to. I'm impressed!"

Black*Star hopped down, laughing loudly. "I needed to be ready to beat this guy to a pulp."

Soul frowned. Beating? What?!

"We're going to spar?" he asked.

"Of course!" said Black*Star, stretching with ease. "It's a good way to get your sad, flabby body back into shape. It's the least a god like myself can do!"

Soul wasn't self-conscious of his body, but being called 'sad' and 'flabby' definitely was a blow to his self-esteem. He'd been pretty impressed with his cool, adult body when he first checked himself out in the mirror back home, despite the large scar across his chest.

Soul started stretching too, unsure how things were going to go. Black*Star was the first to feel ready.

"Block me!" he shouted, before launching himself at the unready weapon.

Soul could not keep up with the speed of the meister. He ended up just ducking with his arms around his face, hoping he was a small enough target. It ended up not working. Black*Star's barrage of punches and kicks kept hitting their mark.

"A sound soul resides in a sound mind and a sound body!" Black*Star chimed as he parried Soul's punch and hit him soundly in the side, knocking the breath out of the weapon. "We're gonna make sure that body of yours is super sound. Use your abs!"

Soul sucked desperately at the air, but stood.

"Do the basics!" Kilik called from the sidelines. "Form. He needs better form."

"He knows form!"

Less than ten seconds passed before Soul landed on his butt. Kilik sighed. He stepped in and blocked Black*Star's attack.

"Dude!"

"Dude yourself, idiot. You're just beating him up at this point."

"He's the one not blocking correctly!" the blue-haired boy bit back.

Kilik rolled his eyes. "Come on man, I know you know hand-to-hand combat. But Soul doesn't remember it, and muscle memory only gets you so far."

"Why don't you teach him then, if you're so good."

"Maybe I will, O Godly One!"

After the two gave each other joking bows, Kilik helped Soul to his feet.

"You alright man?"

"I'll live," he settled on.

"You didn't get this far with sloppy basics. And I know, cuz we've sparred with our weapons too. In the past." He patted Soul down. "Relax, alright? I'm just going to fix your posture."

Kilik started moving Soul's limbs into the correct position, talking the whole time.

"You need to keep your center of balance low. Bend your knees. Keep your stance either straight or to the side. You'll want to make sure no one can hit you, and if they do you won't fall over. Arms guard the face. Feet shoulder-width apart. Tighten your core...and breathe."

Soul took a deep breath. Kilik grinned.

"Already looking better, man. Alright Black*Star, he's all yours! And slow it down too, it's day one for this kid!"

"Roger that!"

Soul readied himself for the battle of a lifetime. He stepped out of the way and tried to throw a punch, which Black*Star blocked with ease. However, the meister was grinning.

"I see you remember how to hit like a girl."

Soul laughed. "I wanna hear you say that to Maka!"

From the other side of the clearing, they could hear Kilik yell, "Oh shiiiiiiit!"

Soul's smart mouth got the better of him as he found himself on the ground yet again. He got up, preparing for more.

"Power position!"

Soul did his best to adjust, sweeping his left leg back and putting his arms up. He barely had a chance to take a breath before Black*Star was before him, kicking down from the sky with a loud YAHOOOOOOOOOO!

It was like watching the fight in slow motion. Soul crossed his arms in front of his face, bracing for impact.

I can't dodge it, he realized. He shut his eyes in fear—

—and then there was a flash of light and a metallic clang.

Soul fell back onto his butt yet again in the most uncool of manners. He opened his eyes, shocked to see both his arms had formed into blades. Black*Star, completely unfazed, landed another blow to him, which left him on the ground for good.

Kilik was obviously unimpressed.

"Black*Star, you suck at this."

"Hah! As if a god like myself would be horrible at teaching his disciples."

"Yeah, and 'his disciples' wouldn't be lying on the ground in pain after ten minutes if you were teaching them right," Kilik pointed out. "Geez man, go a bit easy on him. Soul still can't control his weapon form, so he can't guard you like he could before this whole mess."

Black*Star jabbed a thumb back at Soul's body sprawled on the ground. "Still managed that last guard. I say he's already doing better."

"A fluke!"

"Why don't we just make him fight with his arms like that then? Then he should get the hang of it."

Black*Star didn't even bother waiting for a reply, instead going straight for Soul as soon as he was off the ground. Kilik just sighed and watched the two run around. At least their bantering was fun. There was that usual level of familiarity it always had, despite Soul having lost his memories.

Half an hour later the two sat down on the stone wall surrounding the training area, panting. Well, Soul was panting. Black*Star was just stretching as if nothing had happened.

"Girls should be back from their shopping spree soon," Black*Star noted.

Kilik laughed. "Guess you should call it a day then. Soul still has to walk down the stairs and all."

Black*Star waved it off dismissively. Soul paled. He'd forgotten about the stairs.

"Get rid of your blades, Soul!"

"R-right." Fumbling with the feeling, Soul willed his arms back into arm form. It was still an odd sensation to feel the blood rushing through his limbs again. It was foreign. Beside him, Kilik handed him a protein bar and a container of chocolate milk.

"Eat up. Knowing Maka, she's gonna feed you well, but you'll need some energy to get home."

"Thanks."

Kilik grinned. "Sure thing. Oi Black*Star, you want one?"

"Toss it over!"

Soul chewed his bar in silence, staring out over the city from his perch. The lower training grounds had a breathtaking view, he had to admit. The breeze wasn't necessarily cool, but it was definitely cooler than what he'd expected. The sunset over Death City was also nice. Soul could imagine a song for it, as the sunset bled into twilight, and then nighttime.

His fingers began to subconsciously tap away the melody.

Black*Star noticed and laughed. "What, you're just gonna sit there and not play for us?"

"Huh?" Soul's fingers stopped. "What do you mean?"

Black*Star gave him a meaningful look, then pointed at his leg. "Your blade also comes in piano mode. Like, a white piano with wings. Kinda hard to explain."

"I can do that?" Soul blurted out, wide-eyed.

"Oh yeah, soon after the Fight on the Moon, you'd been able to make piano blades pretty regularly," Kilik said offhandedly. "Used to annoy Maka by playing meme music on your leg when she wouldn't lay off."

"Yeah, I remember that! Probably why she decided not to mention that to you when you got home!"

Black*Star and Kilik laughed at that. Soul stared down at his leg thoughtfully.

"A piano, huh?" he murmured under his breath.

There was that light again. And just like that, there was a blade covered in a standard keyboard's range of keys across his leg.

Rather than thinking it through too much, Soul set his fingers down and began to play. Despite the fact that it was just his leg, it had good acoustics. He played slow and steady, letting the music take over. By the time he'd finished, the sun had set completely and the city was washed in a golden light.

"Cool," Soul breathed, his leg returning to normal.

"It's been a long time since we've gotten to hear you play, dude. This was nice. Should crash more trainings if they end like this." Kilik checked his watch. "Well, I should go. The twins'll be wondering why I'm not home. Later!"

"See ya!"

Black*Star waved as Kilik went running down the stairs. The other meister got up and stretched.

"Well, that's all for today, and a god like me needs a feast to survive. Ready to head back to town? I can walk you home."

Soul smiled. "Yeah, that'd be cool. Thanks."

He made to stand up, but immediately collapsed. Soul groaned. His legs were barely able to hold his weight. Black*Star just laughed.

"Come on! Moving will get that lactic acid build up outta there! Honestly, you'll be in less pain if you walk."

Soul blanched. Oh Death, he was going to be sore tomorrow!

. . . . . . . . . .

Soul bid Black*Star goodbye as the other lead him all the way to the right street. He was honestly ready for a hot shower and a cold glass of water. And dinner. Dinner sounded like a great idea. As Soul walked towards his apartment, he saw someone standing outside. They were staring up at the window on the fifth floor. Was there someone lurking outside the building?

Soul decided to investigate. He snuck up behind the perpetrator and went to smack him across the back of his neck, only for the person to turn around and grab him, effectively pinning Soul to the ground.

"Oh." The voice of a man. "It's just you."

Soul felt himself getting hauled to his feet. He was about to protest when he saw who had pinned him down. His jaw went slack.

"You're the Death Scythe, Spirit Albarn!"

Spirit raised an eyebrow. "You actually remember me?"

"Yeah. Okay, not really. I mean, when I did a bit more research about the DWMA I saw your picture. It says on the website you're the current personal weapon of Lord Death."

Spirit snorted a bit. "In title, maybe, but the current Lord Death has never wielded me. I was used more by his father before him."

Oh. Soul scratched at the back of his head. That was awkward. Soul - 0, the current employed Death Scythe and his roommate's father - 1.

Spirit was leaning in a bit towards Soul. The younger Death Scythe swallowed.

"Is there something I can do?" he asked nervously.

"Oh, nothing really. I just had one thing to say. Lay a hand on my daughter and you'll wish you'd never been born."

Soul blanched. Spirit continued to give him the stink eye before beaming brightly (in a manner identical to Maka) and laughing.

"Man, it's been a long time since I've said that and you were genuinely scared. You used to be so dismissive, calling me an old coot!"

Soul just stared at him open-mouthed. Seriously? What was up with this guy? Was he really Maka's dad? There was a resemblance in the nose and the smile, but it could've been a fluke.

Spirit tousled his hair. "Well kid, take care. I've got a dinner meeting. Say hi to Maka for me."

Soul was left standing in the middle of the sidewalk more bewildered than not.

What the hell?

. . . . . . . . . .

"I'm starting to feel like every Death Scythe has a fatal flaw. Like, crazy levels of uncool fatal."

"Did Marie try to give you directions today?" Maka asked, not looking up from the sink from where she was washing dishes.

Soul turned to look at her from the couch. "How'd you know?"

Maka laughed a bit. "I heard from Kilik that you'd gotten lost today trailing Marie."

"You saw Kilik?"

"His home's neat the market, so I bumped into him. He said Black*Star basically beat you to a pulp without giving any direction."

Soul wanted to deny it, but flashes from earlier that day popped into his mind and he shivered. "Yeah, pretty much."

"I'll talk to him too. Honestly, he volunteered because you two are all buddy-buddy, but I doubt you'll learn much from him. I'll ask Kilik to keep hanging around."

"Thanks." Soul remembered something else. "Oh yeah. I also ran into your dad on the way home. He says hi."

There was a sound of shattering glass. Soul looked over to see Maka had dropped one of the cups she was drying.

"You what?!"

Soul was confused. "Um, yeah? I saw him."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"He just said that he'd kill me if I touched you, and then laughed about how it was the first time I'd ever been scared of him." Soul sighed and shrugged. "Honestly, he's crazy. I'm not so uncool as to just hit on you because we're living together."

Maka bit back her sour expression. "Right."

"Seriously. I wouldn't. I respect you too much for that."

Soul got up to talk to Maka. He leaned on the counter by the sink, watching Maka carefully.

"I may not remember it, but you were the meister who made me a Death Scythe. We were partners. Everyone keeps saying our resonance was the strongest out there." Soul trailed off, then looked away. "I owe you my entire life in Death City, Maka."

Maka looked up at him. Something in her eyes made him stay there, not sure what to do. Nothing was the best thing to do, it seemed, as Soul felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. He inhaled sharply, tears prickling in the corner of his eyes. Why was he crying? Why?

Maka's face was buried in his shoulder. He could feel her breathing, deep and steady, and he matched her breath for breath. Soul hugged her back, one hand burying itself in Maka's loose hair while the other pressed against the small of her back, bringing her closer. He could feel Maka's fingertips scratching gently right where his neck stuck out from his shirt.

A whole minute later, Maka's breath shuddered and she pulled away.

"Sorry," she murmured. "That was weird."

Soul just shook his head. It wasn't weird. In fact, it felt nice. The only weird thing to him was the way his heart fluttered and the way his chest hurt as Maka pulled away, as if he was losing something that should've been there.