An Interesting Case
3rd POV:
Within the Witches' Prison under the Grand Witch's castle, a guard sleeps soundly, his drink has been spiked, and Eruka sneaks past in her frog form. "Looks fast asleep," She mutters and hops down the hallway towards the end cell.
"Who is it? Who's there?" Prisoner 13 questions, sniffing the air, sensing her getting close.
"I-I was sent here by someone to break you out of here," She replies, holding the key in her mouth. "I'm going to let you out now."
"Who do you take me for? Do you think I would accept the help of others?" He asks her, and she gulps in fright.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Eruka hops in front of the hopping Prisoner 13 as they escape the Grand Witch's castle with some ease. "Thank you!" He yells as he jumps behind her.
"Don't mention it!" She replies.
"It was an easy matter to give the Witches chasing us the slip. But still, I went to prison. Do you know why?" He asks her at the worst time.
"Never mind, why hurry! They'll be coming after us!" She snaps, wanting to get away as quickly as possible.
"You see the scene a lot in the movies, right? Using a spoon to steadily dig through the prison wall every day, making a tunnel, and escaping! It was so cool how low-key they were! Yes, I wanted to try it, too! But the only utensils they had there were chopsticks! I completely blew it! I tried to think of other ways out, but then I realised something. I'm not an idea, man!" Prisoner 13 tells her.
"Not that it matters now, but you could have urinated on the iron bars and gradually corroded them away, right?" Eruka questions, upsetting the man, coming to a stop and smacking his head hard on the side of a tree.
"Goddamn! Sh!t! I could have done that?!" He cries in anguish.
"Hurry!" The Frog Witch shouts, trying to get him moving again. "They'll be coming after us! If they surround us while your hands and feet are in shackles -" She spots the prison guards surrounding them, and the prisoner stops his assault on himself, sensing the guards.
"Watch yourself. There's someone nearby," The man warns the Witch.
"I know that!" She snaps at him.
"Prisoner number 13, The Man with the Magic Eye, resist, and we will show you no mercy!" The guard warns him, all of them pointing their weapons at the prisoner.
"You have been keeping watch over me for 200 years, right? You think I'm just going to let myself be caught without a fight? Yeah, I'll resist you," Prisoner 13 replies with a smirk and the guards strike him through the head, making the little frog shriek.
"Magic Eye! H-Hold on!" Eruka cries. "If I don't bring you out of here, I'll be killed, too!" The Man with the Magic Eye groans, alerting the others, who look at him as he snaps down on the metal pole running through his mouth, scaring the others.
"Hey, it will take more than that to kill me. After all, I'm…." Prisoner 13 growls.
"Damn it!" One of the guards snaps, taking out a flamethrower.
"No, you fool!" Another guard yells, but it's too late; as they pull the trigger, a torrent of flames flows towards the prisoner, engulfing him in a fire. Then, the fire disappears with clouds of smoke, hiding the former prisoner.
"The Old Witch didn't just keep me alive to lock me up. She couldn't kill me," He smirks, his shackles falling to the floor, freeing him. "The reason why is because I am…." He pulls off the blindfold, revealing his mismatching eyes. "...immortal." The guards and Erulke scream as he attacks the guards with malice.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
At the DWMA, Maka and Soul sit within a chamber full of unique candles with the Steins standing over them. "Thanks for coming. You can sit wherever," Dr Stein suggests as he looks down at his students.
"Why do we have to come to school on a Sunday?" Soul questions, wanting to go home.
"I asked him to give us some special instruction. Keep quiet," Maka scolds him.
"This room has sort of a weird smell to it," He complains, sniffing the air.
"They're aroma candles," She corrects him.
"Let's get started right away," Rebecca cuts them off from their little argument.
"But first, I should warn you, today's training is extremely dangerous. If it fails, the worst case that might happen is that the two of you will never be able to match soul wavelengths again." Dr Stein informs them, shocking the two students.
"Do you still want to undergo this lesson?" The greenette asks them.
"Yes, please," The blond replies quickly.
"Hey!" The white-haired Demon Weapon snaps at his Meister.
"Your Meister has made the decision. Follow it," She orders him, and the young Death Scythe shakes her head.
"What are you champing at the bit for?" He asks the blond.
"Okay, let's begin. The two of you turn and face each other," Dr Stein instructs them, and they comply. "Tell the other person who their flaws are." The two students look at him in shock, turning to face him.
"That's what our training consists of?" Maka asks him.
"Yes, that's right," He replies.
"You're stubborn and reckless. Your hobbies are reading and doing puzzles, so you're introverted, and your ankles are fat." Soul follows through, and Rebecca can't help but snort at the ease of saying any of his Meister's flaws, but the blond angrily hits him with a book. "That hurts! You're quick to hit me! That's a flaw, too," She hits him again. "Professor, can she do that?"
"No more raising your hand to the other, okay?" He instructs the two students.
"You're overly careless!" The Demon Weapon snaps at the Meister.
"It may look like a meaningless training exercise, but the scent of the candles burning in this room inflames a person's emotions." Dr Stein thinks to himself as he watches them bicker amongst themselves.
"What about you?! What's with your sloppy appearance?" Maka retorts.
"Shut up! You can't cook for cr p!" He argues back.
"Your feet stink!" She snaps.
"Stop taking long baths!
"Put the toilet seat down!"
"Even a casual remark is liable to break down their friendship," Rebecca frowns as she watches them.
"Your momma's belly button sticks out!"
"That's my papa's belly button!"
"Stop having to get the last word!"
"Mind your own business!"
"But once they get beyond this, their soul wavelengths will both resonate even stronger." Dr Stein looks at them as they snap at each other, not really listening.
"What?! You're such a pest!"
"You're the pest, Soul!"
"You've been acting weird lately. Like this lesson - you decided on taking it without asking me. I don't know what you're looking for!" Soul calmly tells her.
"I'm just trying to become stronger, so you never get so badly injured again, Soul," Maka snaps at him.
"The Meister fights, in order to strengthen the Weapon, right?" He questions, "Your thinking is messed up if you're getting stronger in order to protect your Weapon!"
"Why?" The blond snaps, standing to her feet. "Am I not allowed to get stronger?! I hate having to be protected by you, Soul!"
"Don't shout. It's annoying." He mutters, not looking at her.
"Soul, you're the one who's messed up! Why are you so negative about me getting stronger?!" Maka snaps at him, and he remembers what the little demon in his dreams would say.
"It's not like I'm afraid of that little demon or of becoming stronger." He thinks to himself and looks up at his Meister. "Forget about it, just sit down. You're straining my neck."
"No!" She declines.
"This isn't good. Their soul wavelengths are starting to slip," Dr Stein sighs, and Rebecca looks at them, worried for the students.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
"I'm here! Black Star, in London! Yahoo!" He shouts on the bridge; Rebecca sighs as she sits on the railing, overlooking the river below as the blue-haired assassin stretches.
"It's snowing. Aren't you cold?" Tsubaki asks her Meister.
"Snow? What's that? I may take something off in cold like this, but I won't put anything on!" He replies. "Man, ever since you were attacked by that Demon Sword, our extracurricular lessons have to be done with two sets of teams. And now with a teaching assistant! Don't you go slowing me down, now?" He points over to the disgruntled Maka and Soul, who grunts, looking away from each other.
"Man, they really have done a number on each other," Rebecca sighs, looking over at them. "Don't worry, loudmouth, I'm only here to observe; if it gets too hairy, I'll jump in."
"Look at this, you two. See?" Tsubaki exclaims and rushes over to stand in between the two. "The view at night here is so pretty. Yay, London!"
"What's with them?" Black Star questions, looking at the greenette.
"It's a work in progress," She replies and looks back at the night sky.
"Hey, Maka, I can't sense souls, so it's up to you," He tells her.
"Mm-hmm, I'm on it," She nods, and closes her eyes, concentrating. "Let's see, the souls I'm reading around here…." She snaps her eyes open. "There's one right over there?" Everyone looks over to see The Man with the Magic Eye standing before them, appearing out of nowhere.
"What's that older dude up to?" The assassin questions, looking behind him at the older man.
"What's going on with that guy's soul? It's not normal. There's a bunch of stuff mixed together. Human? Witch? I sense something else, too," Maka announces, and Rebecca frowns, remembering Lord Death mentioning something along those lines. Still, her orders were to watch over the four students and only to intervene if necessary.
"I've found you," Free grins.
"Looks like he wants to go at it. This extracurricular lesson is getting off to a good start." Black Star grins, getting amped up.
"Be careful. He probably uses magic," Maka warns the assassin.
"Tsubaki, Enchanted Sword mode! Let's finish this one shot!" He tells her, and his Weapon looks at her in worry.
"But you still can't handle that," Tsubaki retorts.
"If I can last 30 seconds, that will be plenty. Let's go!"
"Right!" She jumps into the air, transforming into a katana, and Black Star catches her.
"That kid is strong," Free mutters to himself.
"Soul Resonance!" Sparks fly around his figure, the markings on his face appear.
"Incredible! Their resonance rate is stable. Is that… Black Star's soul?!" Maka gasps, looking at them in awe, and the blue-haired loudmouth runs towards the Man with the Magic Eye.
"What are you doing, standing in the bridge's centre lane?!" He yells as he runs towards the former Witch Prisoner.
"Wolf Wolves… Wolf Wolves…" Free mutters, moving around on the spot. "Icy Cone!" A sharp shard of ice shoots up from the ground in Black Star's path.
"Tsubaki!" He orders.
"Right!" She complies, her shadow slithering along the ground, wrapping around the icicle, stopping it from attacking.
"What?!" The Wolfman mutters in surprise.
"Amazing! She stopped it with her shadow!" Maka gasps in awe as Black Star skids to a stop ahead of the older male.
"Take this! My secret technique! Shadow Star!" He feels the effects of the new Weapon and falls away, missing his mark. "...star…star…star…." He falls into the snow, and Tsubaki reverts into her human form.
"Ah, I told you, it was too much for you," She lightly scolds him.
"He didn't even last ten seconds," Soul sighs.
"He might be strong, but he's still a moron," Maka groans.
"Idiot, idiot, but keep trying," Rebecca smirks, planning to extend his training once the Super Exam is over.
"Now then, next up…." Free turns back around, seeing Soul with his blade inside his chest, having been caught off guard.
"Mister, you drop your guard too much. This is a battlefield," Soul warns him.
"He got him. No…" Maka mutters, but she sees what's wrong, too late. "Soul! Get out of there!" She yells.
"Oh, no. My constitution being what it is, I'm always careless letting my guard down." He replies, and Soul, sensing danger, retracts his blade from inside the man's chest and jumps away back to Maka's side.
"What's that guy's deal?! What's going on?" The Demon Weapon questions.
"Look there!" The blond tells him, seeing the cut from Soul's scythe blade sealing itself. "His wound is closing up!"
"Yeah, it would close up. I am an immortal, after all." Free announces, Rebecca looks at the man in shock.
"An immortal?!" Tsubaki repeats in surprise.
"Let me show you my true form," He tells them.
"Your true form?" Soul asks, and the Wolf Man screams as his form and soul begins to reshape.
"The shape of his soul is changing!" Maka announces as his soul grows bigger and grows pointed wolf ears.
"No doubt about it. This is the legendary Wolf Man, who stole the Witch's eye." Rebecca announces, standing to her feet.
"Soul! Change into a scythe!" The blond demands.
"Yeah!" He complies, changing his form into his Demon Scythe, jumping into the air, and she catches the scythe, swinging it around.
"Let's go, Soul!" She says.
"Yeah!" He agrees, and the heat from Soul's scythe begins to burn the blond's hands, and she grimaces in pain.
"Yow!" She yelps in pain, dropping the scythe into the snow.
"What are you doing, Maka?!" Soul snaps at his Meister but sees her hands steaming from the intense heat.
"Soul, you're so hot, I can't hold you," She informs him, looking down at her hands.
"What?!" He asks her in surprise.
"You don't suppose…." Tsubaki wonders, thinking back to the time Soul and Black Star was fighting with Death the Kid and the Thompson Sisters. "...it's like that time when Black Star tried to lift Soul. The symptoms may be different, but are their soul wavelengths not in sync?" Eruka sits in her frog form on the railing opposite Rebecca, watching the scene with Medusa's snake peeking out as she watches from the safety of her nest.
"Hard to breathe… I never thought this would happen… How do I go about breathing, again? How do I go about using my Weapon again?" Maka begins to overthink, breathing heavily.
"Fighting Wolves' Fist! Here I come!" Free shouts, rushing towards the blond, hitting her in the chest and sending her flying.
"Maka!" Soul shouts after her, reverting back to his human form.
"Icy Pillar!" He snaps his fingers up, and a column of ice shoots up behind the female Meister, who crashes into it, knocking the wind out of her. Wolf Man jumps to attack her again, using a powerful kick, smashing the ice pillar, some of the shards hitting the white-haired Demon Weapon. Rebecca covers her face as the fragments hit her, and losing her footing on the icy railing and falls off the side, she catches herself on the side, but the ice nibbles at her fingertips.
"Soul! Miss Stein!" Maka shouts, but her distraction is her downfall as he kicks her across the face, sending her flying, but she catches herself on the iron, swinging around with a tight grip.
"Magic Eye Cannon!" Free shouts, opening his mouth, casing to the spell, an eye flickers in front of him, but it goes wrong, striking himself with an icy spike in the side. "Damn it, that was not good. I always forget to put those things where they can skewer me." He groans in pain and pulls the shard out of his stomach. "But that's okay. Yeah, no problem. After all…immortal." Soul looks at him, then over to Rebecca, but he doesn't see her, and in a panic, he rushes over to the side to see her handing over the side.
"How's it hanging?" She asks him, smiling; he looks at the greenette, shaking his head, taking her hand, pulling her up.
"Fighting Wolves' Fist, magic, immortality…." Eruka mutters to herself, looking at the fight. "I can't deny that he's clumsy, but he is strong."
"It looks like 200 years of prison life has taken its toll. I can't use my magic all that well," Free mutters, rubbing his stomach, still feeling the effects of the hit.
"Maka, if you can't use Soul, please use me!" Tsubaki suggests.
"But even if I become an impromptu assassin, Meister, I won't be able to beat that Wolf Man. Even if I was using Miss Stein," Maka replies, and Rebecca nods; she was like her father, being able to match any Meister's soul wavelength. Though she was extremely picky, only allowing Lord Death to be her Meister.
"DWMA… The rules that Death made up. Those rules, which decide what evil is," The Wolf Man says as he looks at the students.
"Rules?" Soul asks him as he and Rebecca stand to the side.
"Those arrogant rules. I don't care if he's a God or not; where is your guarantee that you're correct?" He questions and steps towards them. "If you threaten the human way of life, you will be killed. But if your numbers are reduced, you are protected. I don't want any load-of-cr p future like that!" He leaps towards Maka, punching down into the road as the blond jumps out of the way. "Now, it's my turn to judge!" He swings back, a giant ball of ice wrapped around the ball attached to his shackles, pitching the ball. "My wrath is the wrath of nature!" He swings at her, she dodges it a little, but they reach it too much, knocking the blond flying.
"Maka!" Rebecca and Soul call out to her as she lands before them; she tries getting back up, looking at her Weapon.
"Soul, turn into a scythe," Maka orders, much to the Demon Weapons dismay.
"But right now, we can't even…." Soul protests.
"Hurry!" She demands with a look of urgency.
"Using a Weapon whose wavelength you're not in tune with is a physical burden, not to mention a mental burden. But Maka is, after all, a Scythe Meister," Tsubaki thinks to herself as she watches Soul turn into a scythe, and the blond catches him, her hands burning.
"Your hands…" He mutters, watching her hands steam up from the contact.
"I'm going to become…." Maka grits her teeth. "...stronger!" She runs towards the Wolf Man and swings down with her scythe. "Damn it…!" She pierces into Free's stomach but can't rip through him.
"I am immortal," He reminds her and punches her across the face, sending her back, but she catches herself running back towards him.
"Why, you…!" She sneers and goes to swing at him, but he backhands her away into the side. "Damn!"
"What are you doing?! Calm down a little bit!" Soul scolds her.
"You keep quiet! I'm going to get stronger! I can't let myself be beaten here!" The blond retorts.
"Are you dense?! If shouting and acting stuck-up made you stronger, everyone would do it!" Soul snaps at her, and Rebecca feels the need to step in but stops herself.
"Shut up! It's because you always say stuff that holds us back that our soul wavelengths are out of sync, isn't it?! I thought you wanted to be a cool man!" She yells, and he remembers the little demon in his dream.
"Shut up! Shut your mouth!" He shouts at her. "What do you even know, Maka?!"
"That's enough, you two!" Tsubaki shouts at them, surprising everyone. "You have to ask each other's opinions before you assert anything! If you lose your temper just because your view isn't accepted, you'll never get anywhere!"
"What do you mean?! Tsubaki, your partner is exactly that type!" Soul argues, and Rebecca glances at the blue-haired assassin still lying covered in snow.
"Black Star is goofy, through and through. What's more, I think it's okay for me to be goofy, too. That is the style of our twosome, after all." She replies with a smile, and the greenette sees the thoughtful look on the blond's face, knowing the girl's words reached them somehow.
"Just like there's a way for me to become stronger, there's a way for both of us to do so, too." Maka thinks to herself and remembers when Soul was injured back in Italy. "All I ever thought about was catching up to Soul. No matter how hot it gets, even if my hands melt, I want to grow stronger, together with Soul." She tightens her grip on her scythe, her hands still steaming from the intense heat.
"You're an idiot. I don't even have all that much power. Why are you trying to be bossy and put restrictions on me?" Soul questions with a grin.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Soul walks into the room from his dream, towering over the little demon. "Hey, demon…" He greets the little red demon, who looks over at the Demon Weapon. "Lead me wherever you want. I'm going to bust up your little plan."
"Come with me. Madness and delight await you," He replies with a grin.
"Ter-ri-fic," Soul replies with a grin.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
"Soul Resonance!" Soul and Maka shout, their souls flaring and merging into one, Rebecca looks in worry as they yell, and a strong breeze picks up around them.
"Amazing. Their resonance rate is remarkable," Tsubaki mutters as she watches, and Soul screams, feeling overwhelmed.
"What is this sensation?" Maka shivers, feeling a shift of fear. "Am I being devoured by Soul?"
"Damn! It's like my consciousness is being carried away!" Soul grits his teeth, feeling himself losing his grip.
"Soul!" Rebecca shouts, and he pulls at his lips, snapping himself out of it.
"It's all right! I won't let it be carried away!" He assures them, equally converging their souls.
"Scythe Meister technique of lore!" Maka shouts, the scythe's blade growing more prominent and glowing blue. "Witch Hunter!"
"An anti-demon wavelength, huh? Fine. Wolf Wolves, Wolf Wolves…" Free mutters and moves his tail. "Wolves' Tail Wall!" He enlarges his tail, creating a barrier between him and the Meister.
"We'll get past it!" The blond shouts, jumps into the air, and slashes at the tail wall, even pushing herself to slice through it. "It doesn't hurt! It's not hot! I'm not scared! This isn't agonising! I won't be beaten! I won't be beaten! I won't ever let it happen again!" She pushes herself more. "I'm going to become stronger!" She shouts, and Rebecca smiles at the blond's words as she slices through the Wolf Man's tail. "Figure-6 Hunter!" She cuts through his chest, spilling blood.
"What the…?" Free grunts as he falls backwards.
"Did we get him?" Soul asks, looking at the Man with the Magic Eye.
"Still too shallow!" Maka replies, dropping Soul and jumping towards Free, pushing him further off the bridge.
"A Meister, tossing aside her Weapon and tackling?!" Free questions as he looks at the blond.
"Maka!" Tsubaki and Rebecca shout and Soul reverts back to human form, shouting her name with them.
"Down you go!" The blond screams and Rebecca runs towards the edge of the bridge, catching her ankle before she falls too far, but she slips, keeping a hold on the stone railing for support and Soul helps keep her steady. "Miss Stein! Soul!"
"Huh? Your legs are more slender than I thought," Soul teases her, and Free rips his claws into her side, making her cry out in pain.
"Maka!" The Demon Weapons shout in worry for the blond.
"You think I'm going to fall by myself? No, I'm not!" Free snaps as he hands in the air, but the extra weight is too much for both Demon Weapons.
"Maka… Damn!" Soul grits his teeth as he tries gripping harder. "No way am I letting go!" Finally, black Star wakes from his snooze, and Tsubaki transforms into her shuriken form, slicing through the Wolf Man's arm, much to everyone's surprise.
"Yahoo!" He shouts, and the others look over, spotting the blue-haired assassin. "You guys need me around, all right."
"It's not over yet!" Free exclaims with a chuckle as he falls towards the river below. "Wolf Wolves, Wolf Wolves…" "Make an Icy Pillar materialise in mid-air, then kick against it to get back to the bridge. Can I do that? Sure, I can do that! As long as I have my physical abilities! Icy Pillar!" He smirks, but it stops as the icy column forms around him, preventing attacks. "I messed up where to put it!" He falls into the water with a splash.
"To think he would screw up again at the end…." Eruka sighs as she looks down into the water and sinks.
"I'm surprised at how weak my body's gotten! Rehabilitation! Yeah, first comes rehabilitation!" The Wolf Man says to himself as he sinks to the bottom of the river, and Rebecca and Soul lift Maka back onto the bridge.
"Are you okay, Maka?" The greenette asks her as they catch their breath.
"Mm-hmm, thanks," She replies.
"Judging by your hands, it'll be my turn to cook for a while, huh?" Soul asks his Meister.
"Make it tasty for us," The blond laughs, and the two Demon Weapons get to their feet, leaving the blond on the floor, who coughs into her hand, looking to see a black smudge of blood in her palm. "Black…blood…?" She mutters in shock; hearing this, the greenette turns around and looks at the blond.
"Maka, I've decided you and Soul will be training up both my father and me," Rebecca announces, and the look in her eyes frightens the young Meister.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Rebecca stands in the training room used for the Not Class and smiles as the door slides open. "It's been years since I stepped into this room," She remarks as Soul and Maka walk into the room.
"What are we doing in here?" Soul asks her, looking around the room.
"I felt bad that I was standing on the sidelines when you went against the legendary Wolf Man, but it's a learning curve for you. So, I thought, why not teach you something that will benefit you." She replies, making the duo glance at each other.
"And what are you going to teach us, Miss Stein?" Maka asks her, and the greenette smirks at them, making a chill run up their spines.
"What would you do, Maka…if you don't have Soul?" She asks the blond, who looks at the Death Scythe. "Or if Maka is badly injured or dead? Soul, what would you do?" She looks at them, both unable to answer. "I didn't think so; that's why I only rely on myself or Lord Death." She sighs and transforms her right hand into the tip of her staff form, leaping towards Maka, who jumps out of the way; the impact of the attack creates a loud crash, startling the white-haired Demon Weapon.
"Her power, it's so…cool!" Soul looks at her in awe as she turns to look at him, kicking out his legs, making him fall onto his back. "What the-!" He looks up in fright as she holds the tip of her blade at his forehead.
"So? Shall we begin?" She smirks and looks up at Maka, then back at Soul, who looks up at her.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Franken Stein sits in front of the class of the Crescent Moon with the words 'Written Test in 3 Days!' on the chalkboard behind him. "People, I'm sure you are aware of this, but time is short. The general test for Meisters and Weapons, the Super Written Exam, is in three days. Are you up to speed with your studies?" Dr Stein asks the class.
"Of course, I've been preparing for this for a month now," Maka thinks to herself with a confident smile.
"I have written up the questions for this one," Dr Stein informs them. "I'm sure there are both those who are anxious and those who are looking forward to it, so good luck to all." He pushes off from his desk, launching himself towards the door. "Okay, you're dismissed!" He speeds towards the door, but the wheels catch on the door frame, causing him to fall backwards.
"Ugh, isn't there some easy way to memorise this stuff?" Soul asks, sulking, feeling sore from his training with Rebecca the other day.
"There's no meaning in winning an easy fight. I won't let you get away with any dirty tricks, either." Maka warns him, getting her books organised and getting to her feet.
"I wonder if you'll take first this year, too, Ox," Harvar asks his friend, sitting in front of the blond.
"Hmm, we'll see," Ox replies with a grin.
"That's right. Last year, I got beat out by Ox," The blond frowns, looking at the two boys in front of her.
"But then, there are some hard workers in this class," He adds and looks over at the Scythe Meister. "Like say, Maka there, who came in second to me last year." She glares at him as he grins back.
"Do you know why there's a 'Super' tacked on to this test?" Soul asks his best friend Black Star, who sits behind him with Tsubaki. "There's a jinx that says that whoever comes in first will make a Death Scythe."
"What, really?" Black Star exclaims, leaning over the desk in excitement.
"Yes. It's my destiny. Mama was at the top of her year, after all. I have to make it to the top, as well," Maka thinks to herself, determined to win.
"All right! I'm going to come in first and turn you into a Death Scythe, Tsubaki!" The assassin exclaims with excitement.
"Right," Tsubaki replies with a smile.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Death the Kid and the Thompson sisters walk out of the classroom with other students talking. "This will be our first test ever, huh? Let's do our best!" Patty exclaims, cheering.
"I'm not going to study just because there's a test," Kid replies.
"Big talker. Are you studying at all?" Liz asks him, and Maka walks out of the class behind them as they walk down the hallway.
"I am a Shinigami. I have a firm grasp of phasmology," He replies with certainty.
"That's right. Kid is here this time, too. I sure have a lot of rivals," Maka mutters to herself, not sure of the outcome anymore. Spirit stands at the other side of the hallway making strange movements and sounds; Stein walks over to his former Weapon partner, watching him in confusion.
"What are you doing, Spirit?" Dr Stein asks him, watching him.
"Ah, Stein… I'm sending out an aura to my daughter to do well on the test." He replies.
"I see," He mutters.
"Why?" He asks, looking at the Meister.
"Okay, continue," The Professor replies and Spirit continues making strange movements and sounds and hisses his daughter's name.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Soul sits at his desk in his room at the apartment, trying to study for the upcoming exam; Blair grows bored in Maka's room and ventures to his. "So…the originator of phasmology…was…." He mutters to himself as he tries studying but struggles.
"Oh, Soul, you're studying, too?" Blair asks him as she peers into his room in her feline form from her door.
"Yeah. I'm busy. Don't bother me," He tells her; growing bored, she reverts to her human form, skipping over to him, sitting on his desk.
"Oh, but I'm bored! Play with me!" She whines, pulling him into her chest, making his nosebleed. She huffs, as he's barely conscious, and leaves him to his room, walking outside to speak with Maka. Soul reaches for his phone with shaky hands as he looks through his contacts and presses the call button.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Rebecca stands in her home's surgical suite, pulling up her mask as she looks down at her test subject with glee. "Don't worry, it won't hurt…much…." She smiles, watching as the Kishin tries escaping the restraints; she gently picks up the scalpel from her instrument tray, but before she can slice, her phone rings. "Damn…" She sighs, looks over to see its Soul, and pulls down her mask, taking her phone to her seat, answering. "Hello, Soul, what is it?"
"I need your help," He replies, seeming strained, and she smiles.
"With the test that's coming up, I take it? Well, I don't know…why not ask Maka?" She asks him.
"She won't help me but won't let me cheat either," He replies, and she smirks.
"Okay, I'll be there soon," She tells him and hears him cheer as she grabs her new leather jacket.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Rebecca knocks on Maka and Soul's apartment door, she hears shuffling on the other side, and the door opens to Maka in her pyjamas with her hair in two buns. "Evening, Maka, Soul called me," The greenette informs her, and the blond looks at her, seeing the new outfit for a second, but snaps out of it and lets her inside. "Thanks, like the hair, Maka."
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Rebecca peeks into Soul's room, seeing him hunched over his desk, looking down at his book, she giggles as she opens the door. "Blair, go away," He grumbles as she steps into the room, not even looking over at her,
"I feel slightly offended," She says, and Soul looks over in surprise at her arrival. "You do still need my help, right?"
"Yeah," He sighs as she walks over to him at his desk and sits on the side as she looks at the textbook.
"Well, I wouldn't start with that one," She mutters and swaps his book with another. "I'd skim through this; it makes more sense if you're not used to studying or reading." She teases him, and he scowls at her a little.
"I wonder how Black Star is getting on?" Soul says as he writes down notes on a piece of paper.
"Probably driving poor Tsubaki mad; she's a saint having to deal with him every day," Rebecca remarks. "I'm glad I only have Lord Death as my Meister now."
"Yeah, I guess that's true," He agrees, and she looks at his notes and takes out a packet of gummy bears.
"Want one?" She asks, and he looks at them, nodding.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Rebecca yawns and walks back to her home, opening the front door with her keys; she hears a shuffling from behind her; she glances over her shoulder but doesn't see anything and walks inside. "Yahoo!" She hears and looks around, smirking, knowing the voice's owner all too well. "Whoops! I shouted! Quietly, quietly…" Black Star mutters, covering his mouth as he crouches down by the open window on the second floor and takes his sandals off, sneaking around. "Someone like me isn't cut out for dull studying, all right. I'll just steal the test, like an assassin." He looks around and finds Stein's office; while downstairs, Rebecca walks through the dark hall with a sinister grin as she spots her father walking out of their kitchen, both looking at each other before walking upstairs. In Stein's office, Black Star sees the pile of test papers sitting on the Doctor's desk; he looks at them in glee. "There they are!" He cheers as he grabs one of the exam papers. "With this, I am a God!" He sits down as he reads through. "I'll have a perfect score even among Gods!" He laughs, and the Steins hear him, walking up behind him with excitement glinting in their eyes as they watch the blue-haired assassin laugh, unaware of the two figures standing behind him. Black Star stops laughing, feeling the intense bad feeling behind him, his eyes widening in fear, and shakily turns his head to see the two Steins standing over him with grins, and the loudmouth lets out a girlish scream.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
The next day at the DWMA, the Crescent Moon class sit at their desks as Sid and Rebecca walk into the room. "I, Sid, will be proctoring your exam along with Rebecca. Just one more thing before we start the test," He announces, and Rebecca lifts up to reveal the bloody and beaten Black Star pinned on the blackboard.
"Ya…hoo…" He croaks.
"Black Star!" Tsubaki shrieks at the sight of her Meister.
"We had a certain idiot who went into my laboratory to steal the test last night," Rebecca informs the class with a smirk.
"Ya…hoo…" Black Star croaks again.
"Remember, don't you dare do anything dishonest!" The Zombie Professor snaps, looking over at the beaten student.
"The test will go for 60 minutes," The greenette says and sits on the desk.
"Keep your problems face down!" He says and looks around at the students for a moment. "Begin!" The students all turn over their papers, writing quickly.
"It's all right. Relax," Maka thinks to herself as she begins writing.
"Anyone who does this earnestly is a fool. There's no way the tortoise who gets the late start can win the race against the hare. The world is full of unrelenting hares. Whoever gets a good score on the test prevails, no matter the means." Soul smirks to himself, pulling out a roll from inside his sleeve with the passages from the book Rebecca showed him. "I know Rebecca helped me last night, but I won't let it go to waste. My entire body is wrapped with cheat sheets!" He moves his headband, revealing more cheat sheets. "There's no meaning in not winning an easy fight. Just as long as you end up winning." Sid spots the movements of Soul and drags him to the front of the classroom, and strips the Demon Weapon of his clothes,
"Is this all of it?" Sid asks the naked Demon Weapon.
"You fiend! You want to take my underpants away, too?!" Soul snaps at him as he sits on the floor; Rebecca blushes at the exposed skin of the Demon Weapon and looks away.
"What is he, a moron?" Maka gapes as she watches.
"Go back to your seat. I'll forgive you this one time. That's the kind of man I was," Sid says, waving him away.
"Damn!" He snaps, making the other students giggle, apart from Maka, who sighs to herself.
"No! Concentrate, concentrate… The following questions are fill-in-the-blank. Let's see… 'Complete the following sentences: A sound soul….' Easy, easy! '...resides in a sound…'" Maka thinks to herself, filling in the sentence.
"...skin, and sound cuticles.'" Liz thinks to herself as she writes but stops. "I'm sure that's wrong."
"I hadn't even answered a single question yet! This is not cool! But I'm still in luck. Sitting next to me is the brilliant Kid," Soul thinks to himself and leans over, stretching to look at Death the Kid's paper, Patty spotting him as she sits next to him, and seems to get an idea as Kid keeps trying to write his name at the top of his exam paper.
"Abysmal!" Kid screams, standing to his feet but sitting back down. "I can't write it neatly!"
"He's still writing his name! Kid's no help," The white-haired Demon Weapon groans and looks over to his left at Patty. "And on the left… She's writing with a crayon?!" He looks at her as the blond Weapon carelessly uses her yellow crayon. "She's worn down the yellow one a bit."
"Giraffe! Giraffe!" Patty hums with a carefree smile, and Soul smacks his head onto the desk in defeat.
"Must be her favourite," He mutters to himself.
"'Answer true or false,'" Maka reads to herself. "There it is! Just like Dr Stein. This is a trick question."
"Is this a trick?" Tsubaki thinks to herself. "No, couldn't be. The professor wouldn't do anything to trick the students." She draws a circle thinking the answer is true, while Maka puts a cross, knowing it's false.
"False! I won't be fooled by that trick!" The blond thinks to herself with a smug smile.
"Teacher, I'm finished!" Ox announces, and she looks at the boy in front of her in shock.
"Oh, then read a book or something," Rebecca tells him, not looking up from her book as she reads at her father's desk as Sid keeps watch over the examinees. Ox, being all smug, turns around with a grin at Maka, who looks back at him with gritted teeth and goes back to her exam paper.
"Study freak," Liz scoffs and notices the single hair at the top of Ox's hair, the need to pluck the hair out and leans over.
"Ten minutes left!" Sid announces.
"What?! I'm running out of time!" Soul panics and looks over at Kid. "Kid is still writing his name!"
"Done!" Patty exclaims.
"What?!" He turns to look at the blond to see the origami giraffe in front of her as she claps happily.
"Giraffe! Giraffe!"
"She's doing arts and crafts with her answer sheets?!" He looks at her in shock.
"I oughta break yer neck!" She points at the origami giraffe.
"She's gifted in one sense." He looks at her.
"Damn, it's no good," Kid weeps to himself. "Damn, it's no good. No matter what I do, the placement of the 'K' is off." He cries and tries whipping away his tears. "I'm nothing but shrivelled-up scum." He uses his eraser. "I'm a trash pile of a person, and that's why the 'K' has forsaken me." He harshly rubs the eraser and rips the top of the exam paper; much to his dismay, he screams, his face explodes with blood, and he falls to the floor, lying on the cold floor.
"Teacher, Kid has collapsed!" Soul announces, and Rebecca looks over the rim of her book.
"Let him be," Sid tells him, and the greenette goes to stand, but he stops her. "No, sit," He orders, making her pout, and Soul looks at the baby Shinigami on the floor.
"Soul…" Soul hears Black Star's voice, turning to his beaten friend.
"Black Star!" He gasps and watches as the blue-haired assassin uses his blood to start writing on the blackboard. "He's using his blood to write… That's right. You saw the answers in the laboratory. You're trying to tell them to me. Leave it to me! I will carry on your dying wishes!" He watches intensely, but it's a waste as Black Star finishes showing his autograph. "Who cares about your autograph!" He shouts, and the two teachers look up; Sid throws a pen at Soul's head, striking him.
"Whisper amongst yourselves when you're dead! 30 seconds left!" Sid announces, and Soul looks at the clock, screaming.
"It's all right," Maka looks at her paper, checking for mistakes. "I've checked over everything," She nods as Liz reaches out for the hair on Ox's head and Tsubaki checks her test paper.
"Ten seconds left!" Rebecca announces, putting her book down.
"There…" Maka mutters to herself.
"Five seconds left!" Sid announces.
"Perfect!" Maka smiles, placing her pen down, and Patty puts her origami giraffe in a headlock, crushing its long neck, and Liz rips the hair from Ox's head, making him scream.
"That's it!" Rebecca announces with a grin.
"I got 'im!" Patty shouts.
"I got it!" Liz shouts, both sisters standing with a cheer.
"It's over," Soul mutters, feeling defeat. "No…" He falls onto his seat. "It was over when I was busted down to my shorts," Rebecca smirks and takes Soul's clothes from the desk and walks over to him as Patty continues cheering.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Maka stands at the exam scoreboard as another class comes out from their exam, complaining, and the blond opens her eyes and searches for her name, looking up to the top to see her standing right at the top. Number 1. Ox being one number down, she smiles and walks away.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Maka sits in the Nurse's Office with Doctor Medusa as they discuss what happened on the blond Meister's last mission. "The results of your blood test are in," Dr Medusa announces.
"What's the diagnosis?" Maka asks her.
"Your red cell and white cell counts are both normal. No haemoglobin issues, either. You're as healthy as can be," She informs the young Meister.
"Huh? Really?" She asks, not sure what could be wrong with her. "But I'm almost certain…that I coughed up black blood." She remembers the moment she saw the black blood. "Why could that have been?"
"Blood does darken over time. So maybe that's why it looked black to you," The Witch replies.
"Right… It sure is strange, though," The light blond mutters, looking down at her shoes.
"Yes, that it is. I saw you cough up black blood, too, through my crystal ball. Such a powerful resonance should cause the black blood to infect others." Medusa ponders to herself as she looks at the Meister.
"Is something wrong, Dr Medusa?" Maka asks her, seeing the strange look on the older woman's face.
"I'll give you some medicine for now," She suggests and pulls out a plastic bag full of red and white pills. "Take some of these pills twice a day, in the morning and at night." She instructs the young blond. "These pills promote the effects of black blood. I guess I'll administer them for a little while." She smirks to herself. "Say, come to think of it, how is Soul doing?"
"What do you mean?" Maka asks, confused.
"Does he still have dreams about a strange demon? He seemed to be bothered by them," She replies as she puts the pills into another bag.
"Huh? A demon?" The young Meister asks and takes the bag.
"He came to talk to me all the time about it," She replies, irking the light blond.
"Oh, that! I think he's fine now!" She fakes a laugh. "He's all better, A-OK!" She fakes another laugh. "Say what?! I was never told about this!" She growls inside her head. "Dr Medusa! Thank you very much!" She gets up and walks to the door. "Well, goodbye!" She closes the door behind her, leaving the Witch alone.
"Stupid girl…" Medusa mutters to herself and sits in her office alone, but something is bugging her about the disappearance of the black blood in the young Meister's blood and goes to find her file, but it seems to be missing.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
"He went to her all this time!" Maka growls to herself as she fixes her tie. "So he trusts Dr Medusa way more than me, his own partner?!" She walks down the hall, wanting to get her hands on her Weapon. "That makes me mad! I'm gonna confront him about this!" She stomps away, searching for Soul, unaware of Dr Stein taking the pills from her.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Rebecca stands in front of Soul as he tries catching his breath; she looks at him as she reverts her arm back. "You seem to be thinking about something; it's making you slower than normal." She remarks as she watches him.
"I've been having this recurring dream," He admits, and she looks at him with a frown.
"What's it about?" She asks him, walking over to him.
"It's me alone in a dark room listening to jazz music, but the record seems scratched, then this little red demon swings into the room." Soul retells his dream, and the greenette looks at him.
"I see; it seems like temptation; dreams are sometimes subconscious thoughts and can be open to interpretation," Rebecca replies, and he looks at her in surprise. "What does he say?"
"About become stronger and breaking a rule," He replies, and she looks at him/
"I see, it seems like he's trying to tempt you, but you're a strong person, Soul; you don't need to listen to that little demon to become stronger." She tells him, placing her hand on his shoulder; he tenses for a second but relaxes as she smiles at him, and he smiles back, but their little moment as Maka bursts through the door angrily.
"SOUL!" Maka shouts, and both Demon Weapons look at the angry blond in fright.
"I think I'll leave two alone," Rebecca says and walks out of the room, hearing Maka shout at poor Soul.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Rebecca spots her father as he wheels down the hallway; she walks over to him as he stops at the end. "How was training?" He asks her as they begin walking again.
"It was fine, but Maka burst in to shout at Soul about something." She replies as they walk and come to a stop, meeting up with Sid and Naigus.
"Well?" Sid asks Stein.
"No question about it. How about the location of Medusa's home?" Stein asks him, and Rebecca looks at her father, seeing the slight fear in his eyes after confronting Medusa.
"Already looked into. I was a very meticulous man," He replies.
"We'll handle this case. All right?" Naigus informs the Steins.
"Sid. Naigus. Stay sharp," Rebecca warns them. "We're dealing with a Witch here, after all."
"We know. We've seen many people lose their lives that way." He replies, and the greenette smiles at the man.
"Let's go, Sid," Naigus tells him, and they begin walking away.
"Yeah," He replies. "If we can just find physical evidence that she's a Witch, Lord Death will issue a warrant for her. We've caught sight of her snake tail. Now we just need to grab it." The Steins walk away, and Rebecca looks at her father.
"I should have gone with them, especially if she's a Witch," She remarks, and he looks at her.
"No, Sid and Naigus can handle this, I forbid it, "Dr Stein replies and carries on walking.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Medusa stands at the window with her eyes closed, knowing she's been found out, and it's only a matter of time. "Eruka! Eruka!" She calls the frog Witch with her mind, who resides at her hope out of Death City. "I'm speaking through the snakes in your body! The item is in the attaché case. Yes. that one. Go quickly. I assume you know what's left to do after that."
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Death the Kid and the Thompson sisters arrive back at the DWMA later that night; he lands in front of the Academy with his skateboard, and the sisters revert back to their human forms. "That sure was one crazy trip! I'm pooped!" Liz sighs, feeling tired after the stressful mission and makes her sister laugh.
"Liz. Patty. Go back to the Gallows Manor," Kid instructs the sisters.
"Where are you going, Kid?" She asks him as he walks away.
"I have to ask my father something," He replies, not looking away.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Naigus and Sid arrive at the location of Medusa's home, looking over the quiet town. "There?" Naigus asks.
"Yeah," Sid replies. "It would be best…."
"I know," She cuts him off and transforms into her Demon Knife form, and Sid catches her with ease and slides her into the sheath on his lower back, and he carefully makes his way to the house of the suspected Witch and pushes the door lightly, causing it to squeak it open.
"It's unlocked?" He questions.
"Careful! It could be a trap!" Naigus warns him.
"I'm aware," Sid replies and peeks inside. "In life, I was quite a cautious man."
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Sid walks inside to see glowing pink jars full of various items inside as he looks around. "Whoa, now. This is the home of a school nurse?" He questions as he walks through the jars to find Medusa's desk area. "Look at this…."
"A magic circle with Witch writing… There's no doubt about it now." Naigus says and spots something interesting on the desk. "A diary?"
"It would appear so. I wasn't the kind of man to secretly read a woman's diary." He replies.
"This is no time for that! Diaries exist to be read!" She argues.
"Y-You have a point," He picks up the diary and skims through the pages.
"What is it?!" She asks. "She knows this much about the DWMA?! Could that be what Medusa is after?! And that's why she's researching black blood?! Not good! If this is put into action during tomorrow's eve festivities-! We need to tell the doc and Lord Death at once!" Sid exclaims in shock.
"Sid!" Naigus alerts him to the numerous bouncing bombs, and he takes out the Demon Knife, turning around to see the threats surrounding him.
"What are these?!" He frowns, and one bounces up and explodes. "Sh!t!" He yells as the other bombs detonate.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Eruka stands away from the town as she watches Medusa's home explode with a smile. "So, how do my Tadpole Bombs taste?" She asks and walks away, heading back to Death City. "Ribbit. Destruction is nice. I'm so glad I was born a Witch. Now to hurry and deliver this to Medusa." She says to herself.
-CHAPTER FIVE-
Lord Death stands in the Death Room alone, waiting for news from Sid and Naigus about Medusa when Death the Kid walks inside. "Heya! Long time, no see! Good to see ya back!" He greets his son. "So, you ran into the Demon Sword?"
"I have something to ask you, father," Kid asks him.
"Whatever's the matter, Kid?" He asks him.
"I'm a Shinigami, but I'm still a child. There is a lot I don't know. 'The Kishin that is right next to us….' What does that mean?" He asks his father, curious for the answer.
"Both people and Gods possess weakness. To bury that weakness, they try to seek strength. Fear and desire are two sides of the same coin." Lord Death replies.
"No. that's not what I'm asking," Kid corrects him, looking up at his father. "The Kishin that is right next to us… Does that have some connection to why you can't leave the DWMA? I want to know, precisely and exactly!" He demands.