Disclaimer:Soul Eater is copyrighted to Atsushi Okubo and all other third parties (characters, series, and concepts). I and HopeDiamond101 of DeviantArt claim no ownership to it. We do, however, own the original characters and content presented in this story.

Self and Shadow: The Unknown You (Part 1)

Month 2, Week 2, Day 3 (Wednesday, February 11th)

At the crack of dawn, Medusa returned to her post. Everything was as she left it. Deactivating the vector shield around her crystal ball, she peered into it and saw that her prey had fallen asleep. Understandable; nobody in the right mind would stay up all day and night. Even if one tried, the mind and body wouldn't allow it.

"Too bad this works to my advantage." Medusa smiled maliciously, eyes glowing in the dim chamber. "These children will be in for quite the surprise when they inevitably wake up." She then sensed magic power in her midst, followed by the sound of yawning and footsteps. "Right on schedule, everyone."

Free walked up beside Medusa to see their targets sound asleep. "Sleeping on enemy territory? Not the wisest of ideas." He chuckled as green and black electricity sparked over his Magic Eye. "Well, just give me the word, Medusa, and I can begin."

Eruka adjusted her hat, glancing restlessly between the Immortal and the Witch. She had been left in the dark about Medusa's obviously special plan for the fourth and final game. However, Eruka was too scared to voice her confusion. The last thing she needed was Medusa telling her snakes to rip her apart because constant questioning irritated her. Luckily, the Mizune Sisters were equally curious. "Chichichi?" All of them chorused, titling their bodies.

"Hmm. I suppose I should explain myself." Medusa replied, bringing out the piece of Shaula's soul she retrieved yesterday. "Free and I are about to use a combination of Spatial Magic and Ouroboros to isolate those brats and make them..." The red snake from before slithered into the room with Atlas's soul, and she welcome it with a loving pet. "Fight themselves."

The mouse witches and Eruka looked at each other before the former faced Medusa again. "Chichi?"

A hiss was heard from Medusa, and Eruka froze up. Her throat suddenly became dry, and she held her breath, fearing Mizune said something out of line. "No, it is not mind control. It's much more than that." Medusa insisted. Calling it mind control meant she was in the same category as Shaula. What an insult to her caliber. "Rather, I'm using Ouroboros to temporarily draw out their innermost insecurities, flaws, faults, and such. Then Free is going to use his new spell to manifest them so they can fight. Not only will they be destroyed physically but mentally and emotionally too."

Free positioned himself in front of the crystal ball and stretched his arms out to the side. "All right, Medusa, I'm ready."

Medusa then took Atlas's Kishin Egg Soul, staring into the crystal ball to make sure they were still sleeping. "Eruka, I'm going to need your Arithmetic Magic. I want no slip-ups."

"O-Okay..."

Medusa carefully placed both souls against the crystal ball, and they phased through the surface as if it were water. Within the artefact, the two souls merged, and Medusa gave a nod to Free. With that, a dark green aura appeared around him. "Wolf wolves wolf wolves." Green and black electricity crackled along his entire body as he generated the Magic Power needed for his spell, his Magic Eye glowing brightly.

Medusa then gestured Eruka. Swallowing thickly, the frog witch nodded slightly. She took a deep breath and placed her hands together.

"Arithmetic Magic: Magic Calculation."


Sounds as soft as silk flooded the room. Each note was slow and deliberate, meant to prolong their inevitable death. But with another strike of the key, the notes were born anew, a delicate melody that refused to die. Towards the middle, they were joined by deeper, more booming notes. The walls seemed to shake as they commanded one's attention, and the softer notes danced at their behest.

At the crescendo, the melody sung out like a lone wolf crying out to the moon. Each deep cry filled the room, and the gentler notes could not compete, never to be heard again.

A young boy dressed in black sat at a stool, leaning over a piano inside a dark room. The machine was like an elegant beast, brought to life by his delicate fingers. The sweet but sad music slowly reached its conclusion as the boy panted slightly. When he played, he did not play just music; he conveyed to whole world what was inside his soul.

When he finished, he placed the fallboard over the piano's keyboard. "Even then, it's still not enough to be better than him."

He heard the creak of a door and instantly looked toward the entrance to the room. He saw a flash of ashy blond withdraw behind the frame. "I saw you. Might as well face the music, pun not intended."

Slowly, a girl around his age advanced through the doorway. The first things he noticed were her two pigtails. "Um, I'm sorry to intrude… it's just…" The girl paused to collect her thoughts. When she first heard the piano playing, she let the sadness of the music seep into her body and spread throughout her veins. It was creepy but oddly interesting, like cool icicles prickling her skin. "You played so beautifully."

He yawned, thinking nothing of it. "Yeah sure… What's your name?"

The girl smiled. "Maka. Maka Albarn."

He grinned, showing her his naturally sharp teeth. "Soul."

Soul stirred as he heard some faint noises. Then, he felt something tight around his arm. He cracked open one of his eyes and saw a shivering Maka beside him. Her hands latched onto him like shackles, and her face contorted with fear, apparently having a bad dream. Soul couldn't empathize with her like Crona, but it pained him to see strong and confident Maka like this. Comfortingly, Soul placed his own hand upon hers. "It's okay, Maka. It'll be all over soon."

"—Hey! I'm talking here!"

Both Soul's and Maka's eyes snapped open. The voice sounded familiar, too familiar in fact. Sitting up at a slow pace, Maka and Soul laid eyes on their awakener, and their eyes dilated.

"It's about time you lovebirds woke up." Maka Albarn said, sticking her tongue out and faking a gag. Smoky blackness danced around her body, making it appear black and purple. Leaning against a scythe of darkness, the apparition giggled sinisterly. "I've got so much to say and not enough time to do it."

Soul cautiously stood up, his brain trying to register what was before him. "I-It's…"

Maka palmed one of her cheeks, feeling the sweat running down her face. It was like looking in a mirror, a dark mirror at that. "M-Me."

Getting over his initial shock, Soul finally took note of the room they were in. An abyss of darkness, so rich in black that it made Soul wonder why visibility was normal and why he could plainly see the shadow of his meister standing before them. None of their friends and comrades were around.

Soul gritted his sharp teeth. It looked like the game started while they were asleep. "All right, now what in the hell is going on?"

"Oh, I'm not here for you, Soul." Maka's shadow pointed its scythe at the real one. "I'm here for the sniveling coward over there with a mother complex."

Soul instinctively stepped in front of his meister as his right arm turned into his scythe's blade. His red eyes locked with the shadow's purple ones, intense rage building up in them. "Back off. I won't let you touch her."

Maka's shadow laughed raucously as if Soul told the world's greatest joke. By the time the mocking laughter died down, a wide grinned stretched across the shadow's dark face, eyes widening as the pupil shrunk. Soul recognized that as the face Maka wore under the influence of the Black Blood. "Oh, Soul~ You're so sweet. Always my knight in shining armor even when I can take care of myself. But, as the Meister, I order you to…"

Soul readied himself, but when he made the slightest twitch, Maka's shadow was already in front of him. "Move!" The carbon copy drove its knee into his gut and sent him careening off to the side, leaving nothing between it and the real thing. Maka covered her mouth, trapping the scream welling up in her chest. She had to escape; however, the minute she turned around, her shadow placed its scythe around her neck.

"Oh, no. I want you to stay here and listen to what I have to say." Maka's shadow spoke softly as though their conversation was supposed to be secret. It moved its scythe down to her chest and pulled her inward, the cutting edge narrowly breaking skin. Maka released a strained cry as her back hit her shadow. "You know, you really should stop worrying about other people and think about yourself for once." The carbon copy whispered directly in her ear, placing its own hand over Maka's. "That's one of the reasons why you have so many insecurities right now. Failed to make Soul a Death Scythe? 'People are going to think I suck for doing something so stupid.' My friends are more skilled and have better techniques than me? 'I can't catch up no matter what. They're better than me.' Can't beat a target or opponent you know you have to? 'It's all over. I failed dearest Mommy. I'm the worse Scythe Meister in the Academy's history.'"

Maka's shadow pressed the blade in further, drawing blood. The girl squirmed, trying to get out of her shadow's iron grip but to no avail. It only giggled as its eyes flashed sinisterly. "Speaking of Kami, you may be her blood, but you aren't her. You'll never be her. Sure, she's your inspiration, but you take it too far at times. Oh, poor Spirit… all that undeserved hate he gets while the mother who apparently needs several months to clear her head gets all the praise."

The scythe sliced across Maka's chest, spilling her blood. At the same time, the carbon copy pulled Maka's hand away from her mouth. The scream finally came out – a loud, agonized one that echoed in the darkness. The girl fell to the ground, nursing her injury and curling into a ball. Her body shook uncontrollably as the pain ignited every nerve in her body. "Bah! You make me sick sometimes." The shadow rolled its eyes, manic smile now gone, as it raised the scythe of darkness above its head. Maka still screaming and writing in pain was a pitiful sight. "A sorry little girl who's not mature enough to handle her problems."

"I said don't touch her!" Closing the gap between himself and Maka's shadow, Soul jabbed his scythe blade forward. Maka's shadow barely blocked the attack and was forced to jump backwards to prevent further attacks. Soul glanced at his injured meister, and his heart ached. Gnashing his teeth together, he glared at the smugly-grinning shadow. "Damn you, why are you even here?!"

"Aw, Soul, you party-pooper." Maka's shadow giggled again, resting its scythe of darkness across its shoulders. "Well, if you must know, I'm here to either break Maka or kill her. Whichever's best. Right now, I'm still in the process of doing so, so can you not get in-between us ladies?"

Soul assumed a battle stance, ready to wipe that look off of its face. "No way. That's the only freebie you're getting on Maka." Carbon copy or not, this version of Maka was a monster, an emissary of Medusa. Since Soul was the only who could do something, it was up to him to protect Maka.

"OK, fine then." Maka's shadow assumed a battle stance, the same one her real version used. "Make this fun for me, Soul Eater."


"Father?"

This was a question burning inside the head of young Death the Kid. So much so that he could not sleep until he asked it. So here he was, entering the Death Room in the middle of the night. His father, the God of Death and Order, turned away from his mirror and titled his head. "Kid? What are you doing up so late?"

"I couldn't sleep." The young Shinigami said as he stood in front of the much taller man. "Father, what are Grim Reapers? What are our jobs? What is our purpose in life?"

Lord Death figured it would come to this, but for Kid to ask the question so soon was a surprise. Nonetheless, since he was grooming Kid to be his next heir, he had to prepare him properly. "The answer is simple, Kid. We govern people's lives and deaths. We're the absolute existences which maintain order." He looked off to the side, staring at one of the many clouds inside his personal pocket dimension. "Or that's what they say, but that's not it, Kid." Lord Death had to constantly remind himself of their true role, passed down from generations of Death Gods since the beginning of order.

Kid titled his head as he stared into the unreadable mask of his father. If the given definition wasn't accurate, then what was the true one? Lord Death turned to Kid, looking him directly in his eyes. Kid had to figure this out on his own; if he did not, he would never understand.

Kid thought about it. The governance of life and death, two equal but opposite constants in life.

A balance.

Kid's eyes brightened up as a smile appeared on his face. "Understood, father. The point is balance!"

Gunshots rang, and multiple flashes of pink lit up the dark abyss. Kid moved as fast as he could, holding down the triggers to his pistol. The spiritual bullets either missed or shot down enemy bullets. Kid never encountered an enemy like this before. One that matched his marksmanship shot-for-shot. It was like fighting against a mirror image.

Probably because he was.

Soon, Kid and his shadow ceased firing, standing meters across each other, guns drawn. The young Reaper sweated, his brain trying to comprehend how and why such a being existed. His shadow, on the other hand, stared at him vacantly, almost bored with the prospect of fighting its true self. The shadow's lips parted slightly to release a low sigh. Kid took note that the five vertical lines over its mouth never moved out of place.

Kid's shadow glanced at the darkness around them, finding more interest in it. "This darkness… It's much like nothingness, don't you agree?"

Kid's brow furrowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's like nothingness in as much as there is no left nor right. It is a unity that exceeds symmetry insofar that it is the zenith of order." Kid's shadow explained. One of his hands then touched the purple skull that doubled as its tie. Skulls were the crest of Death's Family. "The nothingness, shared amongst all living things, is death. If everything is gifted death, if everything is eliminated, then the perfect 'order' is achieved."

Kid's grip on his pistols tightened. This imitation was perverting everything he and his father stood for. "You're mad."

"Perhaps." The carbon copy let his arm drop, looking at Kid straight in his eyes. "But isn't symmetry your aesthetic? 'Left' and 'right' must be the same, must be constant, or else it's asymmetrical, disgusting garbage. In your mind, "order' is 'symmetry.' Hate to disappoint, but your mindset is utterly flawed."

Now it was insulting his very life's creed. Kid's head dipped a bit, the effect creating shadows over his face. His gilded eyes shone with righteous anger. This was not him, it couldn't be. As such, he had no compunctions shattering this dark mirror. "Liz. Patty. Execution Mode."

As the trio began their Soul Resonance, Kid's shadow only stood there, unfazed. "Here's a corollary to that. You're the future leader, but not everyone will see eye-to-eye with your beliefs. Your love for symmetry is far too unique. Differences bring about insurrection, and insurrection leads to fighting."

Kid aimed his twin cannons at his doppelganger as energy built up in the openings. It was either brave or foolish for not making any sort of movement. Kid's shadow continued to talk, "Which brings me to my next point, are you even strong enough to protect the world? Your father can do it, but he's unfortunately trapped. You, on the other hand, have freedom, but are you even ready? What if Kishin Eggs, Evil Humans, and Witches aren't the only creatures you must be able to fight? What if there is something far more powerful that you're expected to be capable of handling?"

"Death Cannon."

The cannons fired with a deafening bang, the recoil making Kid slide back a few inches. The twin spheres of energy raced toward Kid's shadow before slamming into it to create a giant explosion. The bright fire lit up the abyss as a skull-shaped cloud of smoke formed over the inferno.

Liz removed her hand from her eyes after the bright flash disappeared. "Did that get him?"

Kid let his arms drop, the cannons reverting back to normal pistols as he peered into the thick smoke. "I sure hope s—" He lost his voice when he saw his shadow step out of the plume, swatting smoke away from its face. Wounds and burn marks marred its body, but it kept walking as if they were a minor inconvenience. "You're kidding me!"

Kid's shadow locked eyes with the shocked boy and smiled eerily. "If you think you can, I'm here to tell you you're solely mistaken. Both your current level of skill and the way your mind works make you an inadequate leader." It didn't bother dodging Death Cannon just to prove that point. Kid couldn't even decisively kill his own shadow with it. "Now then, let's expose something else about you."

Kid's shadow brought his feet together, raised one arm, and pointed the other down. Kid noted this position seemed vaguely similar to a combination of his 'Crime' and 'Punishment' stances. "Death God Martial Art: 'Mad Crime' Stance."

Without warning, the shadow darted at Kid, strafing left and right, at such speeds that Kid wasn't sure when to pull the trigger in fear of missing. His hesitancy earned him two hard blows into his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. Kid's shadow then grabbed his shoulders, flipped over him, and then delivered a hard kick to the Shinigami's exposed neck. Kid staggered forward, but he used his arms to help roll himself back to his feet, now facing his shadow again. "I can't let him hit me like that again!" Kid thought, lungs working to reclaim lost oxygen. He unleashed barrage after barrage of gunshots for his shadow, who repeatedly dodged them. After a few seconds of this, the carbon copy fired its own shots, but Kid managed to avoid them.

"Hold still!" A growl escaping him, Kid sidestepped another retaliatory shot and fired more blasts. Kid's shadow smirked coolly as he blocked the blasts with his pistols. Kid examined the motions too closely. His shadow moved its arms in a manner that created perfect symmetry. One wave of its arm was mirrored by the other. "How can something so dastardly be so perfect?" For the briefest of seconds, Kid stopped firing, and that moment was all the doppelganger needed.

In a flash, Kid's shadow caused the gap between them and placed one pistol against his forehead. A loud bang echoed through the abyss as the shadow pulled the trigger. Kid's head jerked backwards, taking his whole body with him. He hit the floor with an audible thud, blood starting to fall from his forehead. He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain. "You fired… one-handed?"

Kid's shadow now stood above him, a sinister smirk forming on its face. "Does that bother you?" It then shot Kid in one of his legs, this time with the other pistol, just to annoy its real self. He had to commend Kid, he wasn't going to give it that scream of agony it yearned to hear. "Of course it does… Even when facing the worst of the worse, you'll keel over if they show that symmetry you love so dearly."

Kid's shadow crouched down, jabbing one pistol each into where his AC joints were. "You are not worthy to rule this world." Its purple eyes flashed with malice, steadying its trigger fingers. When Liz and Patty heard the telltale, preparatory clicks, their eyes widened, knowing the worst was coming.

"KID!"


Tsubaki ran as fast as she could, but it seemed the darkness was endless. There was no door, no exit, and no way out. This was bad. Having to carry around an unwilling Meister caused enough problems, but she also faced something neither she nor Blackstar were prepared for.

Just then, she felt a strong sting in her left leg. With a squeak, Tsubaki fell over. That was the freshest of many cuts all over her body, all of which bled slightly. Blackstar laid beside her, nothing more than dead weight thanks to his undying need to do nothing.

"Tsubaki, just stop so I can deal with my real self. Then we can play this game as long as you'd like." Some of the darkness in front of her moved, like ripples in a puddle, as a black and purple clone of Blackstar emerged from it. Seeing her struggle, it finally found its chance. The shadow walked over, grabbed a fistful of Blackstar's hair, and yanked him toward it. "Hey, I know Medusa cursed you all but open those ears of yours and hear what I gotta say. That whole 'I'm gonna surpass God' act ain't cute, pal. It pisses off everyone around you. Nobody really takes you seriously even after you punch 'em in the face. With that attitude, nobody's ever gonna recognize your skills and strength. But you know what they do see?"

Blackstar's shadow grinned as one of its eyes turned into a glowing star. "The last scion of the Star Clan, a demon in human skin, a little boy who's practically designed to be pitied! You say you don't care… but I wonder. What's beneath that superhuman body? That 'holier-than-thou' attitude? That genius of hard work and effort? Ah, yes.. there it is. Arrogance coming from a need to gain recognition. You want to set yourself apart from your clan. You don't want to be feared. You want to be beloved! But here's something we both agree on."

The shadow threw Blackstar to the ground, his grin widening. "That's impossible! So you might as well stick with what ya got!" All the while, he failed to realize a chain snaking up his leg and back, going for his neck. "Nothing's gonna change! It's hopeless!"

The second it stopped talking, the blade of the chain-scythe appeared before the shadow's neck. "What the-?!"

"Be quiet!" Tsubaki yanked the chain with one hand, resulting in the chain-scythe slicing the shadow's neck open. No blood was spilled, but the effect was all the same. Within seconds, Blackstar's shadow couldn't breathe, and it felt extremely lighthearted. Ultimately, the copy fell backwards, its body fading away into darkness.

Tsubaki transformed her ponytail back to normal, panting slightly. She hunched over, placing her hands on her knees. Her many cuts still throbbed, but she had long grown accustomed to the pain. "Blackstar is none of that… He's fine as he is, and he still has many great friends, including me."

She hobbled over to Blackstar and put him back on her back. That was one problem down, now to find out how to leave this abyss. "Tsubaki." She heard his low, unenthusiastic voice and stopped moving so she could grant him her full attention. "Thanks, you hear?"

Tsubaki smiled warmly. "Anytime."


All thirty, uniformed students sat stiffly in their seats. As the instructor passed out yesterday's graded exams, the floorboards creaked with every footstep. For each slap of the paper on a desk, children either slumped in relief, shook in despair, or hung their heads low in shame. They knew the procedures at this school, and they wondered why their parents sent them here.

Once all scores had been distributed, the teacher returned to the front where the student council was. Her back faced the class as she spoke in a low voice, "Those with A's are free to go. Those with B's step to the front. All those with anything lower than a B please follow the Student Council president."

The lucky few with A's immediately grabbed their belongings and scurried out, thanking the heavens they escaped punishment. The Student Council left after they did. A whole line of students followed them, crying their eyes out and hugging each other comfortingly.

Ox watched the line disappear beyond the doorstep. Every time a major exam was announced, the Student Council was notified in advance. Whenever students failed to meet certain criteria, they were in charge of disciplinary actions. They had the administration's blessings, so they used whatever force they could. As he and a couple others walked to the front of the room, Ox flinched when he heard distant screams and cries.

"You'd think they'd learn." A baritone voice said. Ox looked beside him to see a boy his age wearing sunglasses over his eyes. "You got a B too? Worse we'll get is corporeal punishment. Best is scolding. Even then, you get used to that after a while."

The teacher slammed a paddle onto one of the desks, the crack destroying all sound in the room as the students faced forward. "Ford! Éclair! Silence yourselves!" Once order had been reestablished, she folded her arms behind her back. "The B Grade… Some say it's perfectly acceptable, proof that one succeeded in something difficult. I, however, disagree. It's a stain. A stigma. You could've gotten an A if you applied yourself more! Worked harder!"

The teacher stared at the students with piercing green eyes, barely curtained by forelocks of chestnut hair. "I've said it time and time again, but I will say it once more. We at Washington Boarding School aim to bring out the full capacity of your brain and to discipline you, the future leaders, into going beyond the status quo. Your intellect is your greatest weapon in life."

Lightning flashed and thunder roared as two fighters fought without rest. Just like the dark clouds during a storm, the darkness was lit up by the lightning. In the middle of the calamity, Harvar – one of his arms transformed into his spearhead – clashed with Ox's shadow.

"I bet Ox feels pretty low without that precious intelligence of his!" the doppelganger yelled as it and Harvar locked weapons. "It's all he has. Without it, he's nothing but a weird nerd who can't get a clue."

"I'm getting sick of you." Harvar said with a bite, eyes brimming with hatred. Taking a hard step forward, the Demon Spear pushed the shadow back. "We both know better than to listen to the ravings of a faker crafted by Medusa."

Ox's shadow then set its sight on his real self, who lied on the floor rolling back and forth idly. He chuckled, finding entertainment in something so pitiful. "Is that so?" It then dashed to Ox, brandishing its electrified spear. Harvar instincts kicked in, and he surged in front of the copy to protect his meister. However, that was exactly what the shadow wanted. It swung and released all of the black lightning stored in its purple spear, knocking Harvar far back.

Ignoring the groaning Demon Weapon some meters away, the imitation approached Ox and forced their bespectacled eyes to meet. "Ever heard this, Ox? I hope in your sorry state you can comprehend this… You're scared of having your perfect record tarnished, aren't you? Beyond that everyday bumbling fool is a raging perfectionist who fears failure. I know what goes through your mind every time you study for a test or a quiz."

The shadow stood up, stabbing the blunt end of the spear into the floor. "'If I fail, what will everything think of me? My only good quality is gone and has been compromised. I'm not the genius I'm known to be.'" Ox's shadow frowned and wiped his mouth as if its real self's innermost thoughts disgusted it. "Get over yourself. Perfection is unobtainable."

In the midst of its ranting, Ox's shadow failed to catch Harvar getting up and charging right at it. "You need to shut your mouth!" The Demon Spear drove his transformed arm into the shadow's torso, the same location where he stabbed Kim under the Moral Manipulation Machine's effect; he knew that was one of the most vital locations in the human body. Ox's copy released a strained groan as it forced itself off of Harvar's spearhead and staggered backwards.

Harvar's face remained cold and uncaring as always. "And don't touch my Meister anymore. Got that?" At Washington Boarding School, Ox somehow managed to convince that sadistic student council president Harvar was innocent of a rule violation. This was after even a teacher couldn't prove it. Ever since, Harvar swore loyalty to him, even when he decided to transfer to the Academy.

Ox's shadow coughed as darkness began to swallow its being. Since death was inevitable, it had to ram its message home. "Don't coddle me, Harvar. You cannot run from the truth."


Tsuji and Marcellus lied side-by-side, eyes shut and unaware of everything around them. Marcellus had his arms crossed behind his head, using them as makeshift pillows, with one leg propped up and the other crossed over it. Tsuji was in a similar position, but he wasn't asleep. He tried to get some rest, but his uneasy mind prevented that. "Yo, Marcellus?"

The African-American teen snorted a little, disliking that his nap was interrupted. "What, Tsuji?"

"Man, you were totally right back outside," Tsuji admitted, "We really shoulda bailed when we had the chance."

Marcellus inaudibly winced as if the words struck him in a sensitive spot. What normally should be a compliment felt like a stinging insult. "Don't say that please. What's done is done." Honestly, Tsuji's words made it sound like he could have done something to prevent this but chose not to – acts he had committed in the past. "You still hung up on being cursed?"

"Yeah…"

"Don't be. Find a way to be useful. You'll feel better when you do."

Tsuji thought about it. At a school like the Academy, even weak NOT students had some use. Using Marcellus was an example, he wasn't a fighter, but his intelligence and his Forms' utility compensated for that. So, the Bow Meister needed to figure out what other useful qualities he had other than marksmanship. He still had his agility and athleticism, and his kicks were strong. Other than that, perhaps he could use Marcellus's Javelin Form like a makeshift polearm.

Marcellus cracked his eyes open halfway, noticing Tsuji didn't say anything. His vision was a little blurry from keeping them closed for some time. He swore he saw something glinting orange, but he dismissed it. It was not important. "So, figure anything—"

"Wakey-wakey!"

Hearing the piercing of flesh and his meister crying out, Marcellus's eyes snapped open, and he shot up into a sitting position. To his surprise, there was a clone of Tsuji standing above him. Except for its glowing orange eyes, the imitation was black and purple. With a manic grin, the doppelganger pressed an arrow into Tsuji's ribs. The Bow Meister, face contorted in pain, kept a tight hold on the purple arrow so it wouldn't go any farther.

"Try and not be useless all you want, but it don't change the fact you stepped into some stuff you weren't ready for." Tsuji's shadow laughed as it twisted the arrow, relishing in the strained grants Tsuji made.

"H-hey! Get off him!" Marcellus sprang to his feet, but Tsuji's shadow was faster. The minute the Demon Bow stood tall, the copy lifted one of its legs and kicked Marcellus right in his chest. The shadow's heel struck like a sledgehammer and, for a brief moment, the world went white around Marcellus as he landed on his back. Writhing on the floor as he struggled to breath, the Demon Bow wondered how much of a fake that copy was. That kick certainly hurt as much as the real deal.

That done, Tsuji's shadow looked at its real self, and its maniacal smile disappeared, replaced with an expression of pity. "So it's all caught up to you, huh, Tsuji? Thought your aim was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and now it's gone. You paid for your hubris… But!" The dastardly smirk returned when it forced the arrow deeper into Tsuji's body. "That's not even the half of it. While this may sound out of the blue for other people, you are someone who's always had doubts about being a Meister. If you aren't facing something you can handle, you freak out a little, but you try to repress it. It works for a little while, but now the cat's outta the bag! It's a holdover of that scared little boy and his sister that got attacked by that Kishin Egg five years ago."

Marcellus managed to listen to and comprehend all that Tsuji's shadow was saying. "W-What?"

The shadow stopped and looked at the African-American. "You mean I never told you, Marcellus? Shame on me! I'm not a total bigshot like I act. Well, I'm better than Rowena, but that's not important right now. You saw how badly I lost it at the puzzle, right? Now tell me, would Tsuji Ricardsen act like that without an ulterior reason?"

Now that he thought about, Marcellus agreed that it was very strange for someone like Tsuji to suddenly go off the deep end like that. "Will you be quiet!?" Tsuji exclaimed, bringing up one of his legs and driving it into his shadow's gut. The doppelganger was sent careening backwards, giving Tsuji time to remove the arrow and apply pressure to the wound with his hand. "Like we're goin' to sit here and listen to some recolor with the wrong eye color!"

Tsuji's shadow caressed the sore spot as it shot a glare. Without a response, it aimed an arrow at Tsuji and fired. Eyes widening in surprise, the Bow Meister barreled to the right, but the arrow grazed his shoulder. Stumbling to keep himself on his feet and to keep moving, Tsuji placed a hand on the bleeding wound. His shadow proceeded to fire more arrows, each adding another cut to the human's body.

When one in particular nicked his leg, Tsuji finally lost his balance and fell on his side. "God damn it…!" He pushed himself up. As much as he hated to admit it, his shadow's marksmanship, and therefore its validity as a clone, was spot-on; even though he was moving fast, the arrows never missed completely.

Tsuji's shadow relaxed its aiming stance and glowered at the panting human. "Stop trying to deny things. That's the whole reason why I'm here."

Tsuji scoffed, rolling his eyes. "No. The reason why you're here is cuz Medusa's being a bitch."

"That's not important right now."

Tsuji gritted his teeth. Anger, frustration, fear – those were but three emotions this whole mission brought about, and the whole storm was rushing at him all at once. "Just… just leave!"

Tsuji's shadow cracked his knuckles, raring for a fight. "Just make me."


"Kirikou! To Mr. Ricardsen's room!"

Kilik ceased fighting another student to glare at the intervening teacher. With an irritated sigh, he released his opponent, shoved his fists into his pockets, and walked off. "I know the way."

Kilik didn't know why he was so mad at the world, why after only a few months of enrollment he was in the Correctional Class. Perhaps he was venting. He was rather frustrated with how things went between his parents. It wasn't fair that, out of the whole population, he got a father who's never around. His mother tried so hard, but it just wasn't enough.

The 12-year-old boy was so deep in thought he never noticed someone in front of him. He bumped into a tall African man with an afro. "Watch where you're going!" As soon as the words left him, Kilik instantly regretted it. Death Scythe Dengu Dinga curiously turned around and looked down at him. With him was Death Weapon Meister Alexandre. "Er.. Never mind. I wasn't paying attention."

"Oh, it's quite all right." Dengu nonchalantly waved his hands at Alexandre's legs. "As long as you did not scare the little ones."

At this point, Kilik noticed two little kids hiding their faces with Alexandre's pant legs. He made out a blob of orange and yellow hair. They slowly peeked around their havens to make eye contact, only to retreat once met with Kilik's piercing eyes.

"They yours?" He asked, exchanging glances between them.

Dengu shook his head. "No, no, you mistaken. We found them after a mission, and we're simply giving them a home."

"They were lost in a middle of a village in Africa," Alexandre added in, "Couldn't leave the little ones behind with no one to look after them."

Kilik's gaze lingered at the twins. He then closed his eyes, thinking about his own problems in life. "No. No, you can't."

While Kilik may have only cared about himself back then, his heart bled for Fire and Thunder. They were lost, scared, alone, and in need of guidance at their tender ages. Fueled by the desire to be a better role model than his dad, Kilik made them his partners, cleaned up his act, and returned to Class Crescent Moon. He'd take a bullet for them.

And, right now, he had taken at least several of them. Both made of fire and lightning.

"Kilik! Kilik! Wake up!" The Pot Twins shook the fallen Utility Meister, but he was too injured to move. "It's coming! It's coming!

"Yeah, get up, you sorry excuse of a Meister!" Kilik's shadow was stomping over, each of its black and purple gauntlets brimming with flames and electricity. "Worry about your daddy issues later. We're fighting right now!"

Pot of Fire turned to face the shadow, face contorting with anger. "Can't you see he's hurt? Leave him alone!"

"Sorry, kids, this is grown-up talk. Stay out of this." Kilik's shadow approached the three, bent down, grabbed the Pot Twins, and casually tossed them aside. Then, he secured a fistful of Kilik's shirt and hoisted him up so they were face-to-face. "Hey, you still with me? You still thinking about the past? Snap back to the present, Kilik." The copy used its available hand to generate energy, getting ready to finish this. "This is your last moments of it after all. Medusa's orders."

The Pot Twins regrouped with each other, gasping when they saw the copy preparing to kill Kilik. "Thunder, we gotta do something!" Fire certainly didn't want to see it end like this. The boy started tearing up, and his voice cracked a little. "I-I don't wanna see Kilik die..."

Fear for the worst gripping her, Thunder shakily beheld the sight. They couldn't let this happen to Kilik, one of the people she was closest to. Just then, the blond girl thought of something. "Fire! Blow fire in its face!"

"Okay!" Pot of Fire quickly scuttled over to Kilik's shadow and latched onto its pant leg, pulling at it. "Leave Killy alone!"

Kilik's shadow groaned, slowly looking down to the nuisance on his leg. "Kid, buzz off."

The minute it showed its face, Pot of Fire breathed fire on it. The shadow immediately dropped Kilik and screamed in pain. Its whole head felt like it was stuck in a furnace, burning its skin and the bones under it. Flailing around, the shadow covered its face, unable to stop its cries of agony. "Y-You little brat! How dare you!"

Once Kilik's shadow had stopped moving around like a dying roach, Pot of Thunder inconspicuously climbed up its back. She then saturated her fingers with her own saliva. "Wet willy!" She jammed them into the shadow's earholes, sending a small electric shock directly into the shadow's brain. The copy's muscles tensed up and its mind shut down. Thunder jumped off, and Kilik's shadow slowly fell on its side, darkness swallowing its being.

"We did it! We did it!" The Pot Twins ran over to each other and shared high-fives in a pattycake-esque fashion.

Kilik, conscious enough to have seen it all, smiled softly to himself. "They're growing up."


"Aunt Katrina?"

A young Caius watched with a dull expression as his 35-year-old aunt jerked back to life. She had fallen asleep trying to write her book. Again. Releasing a small yawn, the blue-haired woman looked at her youngest nephew while rubbing one of her carmine red eyes. "Can I help you, Caius?"

"W-Well," Caius fiddled with his fingers, trying to form the right words. Sure, they were blood, but Katrina was considered 'The Greatest Vladingham.' Naturally, he was a bit nervous around someone with such an accolade. "Auntie, what's the hardest part about trying to be good at something?"

Katrina already had the answer ready. For better or worse. "The part where you almost lose yourself."

Caius and his shadow raced at each other, and they locked lances with a loud clang, only to separate and keep attacking. Eyes focused on the other, they looked for something, anything, to get an edge. Caius's shadow, unfortunately, was the first to think of something. It swung low, sweeping Caius off of his feet. As he landed on his back, the shadow lifted its black lance over its head. Alarmed, the Vladingham quickly rolled out of the way, making the copy stab into the ground instead.

The Lance Meister returned to his feet and again charged at his shadow. The two swung again, but to Caius's surprise, the shadow's was engulfed in purple flames. On contact, the flames exploded, sending a screaming Caius flying back.

He hit the ground with a thud as his fallen lance clattered on the floor. "O-Ow! That burns!" Claudia's form shook as she herself tried to rub out the burning sensation she felt on her body. "W-what was that?"

"So my cheap knockoff gets everything while I don't?" Caius sat up, feeling the hot embers he normally would have been resistant to. Then again, he shouldn't be surprised given Medusa's track record.

"Can you not fight better than that…?" His shadow stood in the same spot, unmoving and unblinking. "Shameful… It is not enough, and in the back of your mind, you know that. Your closed heart may have been wrenched open, but that is far from the end of your problems."

Caius rose to his feet, assuming his battle stance again. "If you're talking about my vendetta with Cancer, spare me. I'm going to make her pay, I'm going to kill her and avenge the Vladinghams. Period, point, blank, and no one is going to stop me."

The shadow slowly approached its real self, seemingly in no hurry or in no danger. "Revenge… the most pitiable, self-destructive motivation known to man. Let us dissect what you said. 'Make her pay,' 'kill her,' and 'avenge'… You call it justice, but it is actually a blind form of it. You walk the path of vengeance."

Tired of the drivel, Caius sprinted toward his shadow, but it blocked his swing. Its guard was up the entire time. "It is a sad, lonely road that corrupts man and breeds endless hatred." The doppelganger generated more fire on its lance and blasted Caius away. "As you are, you're far too steeped in vengeful anger to realize what will happen. What will become of you in the end when revenge is all you have? Or if you manage to kill Cancer? You will be nothing but a cold, bitter, and world-weary man. Or perhaps worse."

"Will you be quiet?!" Claudia shrieked, hoping this would buy Caius time to recover. "You know nothing! He's very lucky to be alive, and I'm very lucky to have him as a partner! And as his Weapon partner, I will help him avenge his family no matter what! I can assure you on that!"

Caius's shadow formed a smile without feeling. "Oh, Claudia. You'd jump off a bridge if I wanted you to. And such bold talk coming from a little girl who's rather useless."

Claudia growled, unable to retaliate. That's twice a Caius struck her where it really hurt. The Lance Meister himself managed to get back on his feet again. Tired he was, this was a fight for survival – how he felt was irrelevant. "Enough talk. Let's hurry up and finish this."

Caius's shadow sighed in irritation. His eyes glinted, a flash of killer intent. "So, my words failed to break you. Perhaps my flames will."

Caius tried to fight back, he really did, but the shadow slowly wore away at his endurance. The fire burned hot, its strikes were hard, and Caius was losing energy fast. His technique became sloppy; he missed blows and was hit by some he normally could handle.

All the while, Claudia could only watch in horror. As it stood, there was nothing either of them could do, especially her. She gasped when she saw Caius get cut on the side of his face. He fell to the darkened floor again, dropping his weapon as he placed a hand on his fresh wound. Caius gritted his teeth, trying to stay strong. Burns, cuts, stabs, and hits – almost every sort of pain imaginable racked his body. He looked up to see his shadow slowly walking to him, black flames dancing around its lance.

Claudia's heart sank. She recognized that look. The look of someone full of pain and suffering who tries desperately to hide it.

The same look Constance had on her face.

It all rushed back to her again. "N-no…" Her voice was barely above a whisper. A friend was in danger, but she didn't know what to do. And, if she did, would she just cause more pain? "I-I gotta think of something.. We can't die here!" Calling herself crazy, something needed to be done. Now could she do to help out? She wasn't really as resourceful as she claimed. Honestly, dancing was about the only thing she excelled at, and she had stopped doing that long ago.

"Dancing…"

The light bulb went off in her head. "That's it!"

Author Notes

Maka's, Kid's, and Caius's parts will be finished in part two. Part two will also have what Rowena, Kim, and Crona go through. Especially Crona, whose will probably take up most of the chapter. Also, Tsuji's part is done. I just won't be showing how his shadow will be defeated, I've already said everything I needed to..