31. Apprehensive Figs and Marjoram
Too Close For Comfort
She was pretty sure no matter how long she pondered it, the same result would appear in her mind, over and over again: This was all Spirit's fault.
Yumi Azusa breathed into her gloves, sending up a cloud of breath that dispersed in the cold, winter air. London appeared even more dreary with a layer of snow everywhere. Most of it had turned gray, like globs of moist soot. A rather unappealing sight and being on the outskirts of the large city made it no better.
The young weapon sighed again, giving up any hope of warming her numb fingers.
Yeah. It was all Spirit's fault. No doubt about it.
Being a weapon meant being there for your meister, regardless of the situation. You put your life on the line for them, watched their back.
Azusa grimaced, eyes flashing dangerously.
You did not beg them to let you stay home when you had a runny nose, a cough resembling a bullfrog, and a temperature fit for boiling the soup you'll cook for yourself once, yes, your meister does agree to let you stay home; he'll find someone else to go to the godforsaken tundra with.
Azusa turned and looked over her shoulder at the gray-haired meister behind her as he surveyed their location, blank eyes drifting over the monochrome city. Stein wasn't one she usually went on missions with, but despite discouraging talk she'd heard from Spirit, both the scythe and his meister made a good team. She'd seen them training and both were exceptional fighters. She even questioned how her own skills would fare against the young, dead-eyed child.
Stein's eyes slid lazily in Azusa's direction, and she looked aside, giving a disdainful sniff.
"There doesn't appear to be any kishin in this location," Stein murmured thoughtfully, dipping a hand into the pocket of his thick, tattered coat. "Perhaps they've moved on."
"The sheet on the mission board said they're more active around this area at night," Azusa explained, watching her partner with mild-suspicion before rolling her eyes as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his coat. She strode up beside him and knocked one from his fingers before grabbing the pack and crushing it into her own pocket. "Come on, Stein. Stay focused."
Stein gazed at Azusa's coat pocket with a small frown before saying quietly, "I was going to. Those help me think."
"The only thing they aid is the demolition of your health," Azusa scolded, turning on her heel and clapping her hands. "Now, it's only about an hour before sun down, so we can either lay low here and wait for movement, or we could leave now and—"
Splaat!
Azusa froze, eyes snapping wide open as something erupted against the back of her head in a shower of white and mind-numbing cold. Very slowly, she turned around, lips parting in a look of shock at her partner.
Stein nonchalantly wiped a handful of snow from his hand, sending Azusa a look she wasn't sure could be classified as smug or peeved. It was probably a little of both, the immature bastard...
A small nerve within told her to launch another snowball in the teen's direction, but she wouldn't stoop to his level. Instead, the weapon simply ran a hand through her hair, dislodging the chunks of snow caught in the short strands.
"Was that really necessary?" she inquired darkly.
Stein shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets, sliding a foot behind him in the snow. Then without warning, he launched himself forward, eyes taking on a demonic sheen as he lashed out a foot towards Azusa's.
Azusa leapt aside, stumbling when Stein's boot caught her in the shin, but she righted herself, exclaiming, "What was that for? Quit messing around."
Stein ran at her again, extending his right hand towards her which Azusa sidestepped. She grabbed onto his wrist and drove her knee for his stomach, but he lowered his left elbow, blocking the attack. Gritting her teeth in annoyance, she threw her arm out, catching Stein in the face and sending him back a few paces.
"Would you knock it off?" Azusa demanded before dodging another lunge from her partner. She spun around the meister, sending a swift hit for the back of his head, but Stein hit the ground in a crouch and the attack met thin air. Before Azusa could withdraw, Stein had swung his leg outward, catching Azusa around her ankles and sending her to the ground. Her impact sent up a mild spray of polluted snow, and she could feel a chill seeping through the back of her coat just as a weight dropped on her stomach. Boots dug into her forearms and she couldn't reach up to throw off her assailant.
Stein gazed down at his fallen opponent, folding his arms across his knees and leaning forward. "I believe I've won."
Azusa struggled beneath the teen, glaring viciously at him before hissing sarcastically, "You were being an idiot and now you've won. Yes, congratulations. Get off."
Stein didn't move, resting his chin on his arms and looking somewhat considerate. "Have you ever stopped to wonder what your spleen looks like?"
Azusa went still, staring back at her partner in disbelief. "No, I haven't given it much thought."
"Mm, you could think about it now," Stein hummed, rolling his shoulders, "Or I could just show you."
Azusa blinked and was surprised by the sudden pinprick of fear that had appeared in the depths of her mind. No, Stein wouldn't do anything to her. Yes, he was somewhat crazy and she'd once found him picking apart a bird that had fallen from its nest and died, but dissecting a classmate?
Stein raised a hand towards Azusa's head, running a finger down the center of her forehead and stopping between her eyes. "What about your brain? Have you ever stopped to think about what you're using to think with?"
The young weapon twisted her head from either side, scowling at her classmate. Oh, yeah. That reminded her... This was still all Spirit's fault. Damn him. Damn his nose and his throat and his stupid temperature. Damn his nature of being somewhat of a wuss. Damn all his internal organs, too. Azusa prayed Stein would be coming for them all in good time.
A smile stretched across Stein's face and he tapped Azusa's forehead. "So pretty," he murmured quietly. "I could make a pretty stack with all your organs." He leaned in closer, and Azusa held her breath, resisting the urge to sneeze as Stein's bangs tickled her skin. The young meister was almost nose to nose with her and his lips parted in a long, malicious grin. "I'll put your eyes on the top, like an angel on a Christmas tree of carnage..."
Azusa swallowed painfully, trying to think of something to say or summoning the strength to throw the teen off, but she was frozen. She continued to tell herself Stein wouldn't try cutting her up, but that faith was slowly beginning to drown in a current of anxiety.
Willing away any trembling in her voice, Azusa spoke quietly. "You're not going to hurt me. You may try all your different experiments, but I don't think you can afford to do so on a mission."
Above her own face, Stein's twisted in smug innocence. "Oh, but I don't really need you," he replied tiredly. "I can take care of these kishin on my own, I'm pretty sure."
"You'll still have to deal with me afterwards, and you'll have to keep the kishin away from me as well," Azusa argued.
Stein raised an eyebrow and sighed. "True. I can't risk any of your precious organs getting caught in the crossfire. What a mess that would make."
Despite the creepy image that her mind had conjured up, Azusa nodded shortly. "Exactly. So let me up and that won't happen."
"No, I'm not so sure about that," Stein muttered, resting his forehead against hers and staring into her eyes without blinking. "I'm going to get something from you. That much is for sure."
Azusa swallowed down another knot in her throat, staring back at the reflection of her own eyes, wide and filled to the brim with apprehension. She wasn't going to call out for help. Would anyone hear her if she did? She supposed she could always go into weapon form and hide, but how long would she have to stay like that?
She closed her eyes, focusing all her energy on her arms and waiting for the exact moment to dislodge them from the soles of Stein's boots and lash out at the boy. She would count to three...
Stein gave a quiet laugh and she could feel his breath on her lips as he whispered his next words. "Give my cigarettes back."
Azusa's eyes snapped open and she blinked. Confused, she peered into Stein's face, taking in his smirk and the mischievous glint his eyes held. Very slowly, she curled a lip back. "You creepy, disturbing, son of a—"
Something crashed to the ground a few yards from where they were located, and Azusa tensed, rotating her head in the direction of the sound. A large, ugly creature sat a ways off, two sets of teeth clicking as it rubbed its limbs together like a demonic praying mantis. On the other side of them, two more kishin appeared from the shadows, dragging black, spiked bodies behind them as they advanced slowly on both Shibusen students.
Stein eyed the intruders with consideration and released a sigh against Azusa's face. "We have company."
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A/N: Look at that. Azusa finally got a chapter, although it wasn't one of her finest moments... Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.