[AUTHORS NOTES] Hey everyone! I'm back with another chapter up! I think I'm starting to get the hang of this story rotation again – I used to write five stories at the same time, cause I had a terrible attention span while I was in school, but now my attention is so good it's now horrible for multiple stories. Anyway, now that I'm working on it again, and I get my reading glasses today (Fingers crossed, YEAH!) so I should be able to write more happily – that's if work doesn't kill me first, lol.
Next chapter is being written next, and as I've been spamming the music from Soul Eater, this one is from the same single as Paper Moon, a good song for those that like the more punkish style in Japanese music. Please enjoy, and lemme know what you think of the writing – afterall, I can't improve if people don't tell me, lol. Oh, and thank you Eclipsewings and Nicole for the reviews, they mean a lot, and I should have more chapters for you all to enjoy soon – and I hope your questions are answered soon, Eclipse. Please Enjoy!
~Jozei
CHAPTER THREE: Ruby Shoes
The sunlight shone harshly against the sleepy eyes of the many people wandering the streets of Death City, and as usual, the sun was laughing, as if mocking those that were suffering beneath the rays of light it shone at everyone. Breaking into a kind of job, Serah glanced back as the door of her house locked behind. Unlike how she would normally leave for the academy with a book in her grip, and her glasses on, she was jogging all the way, no book, and most certainly no glasses at the moment. Her bag knocked against the back of her knees, making it a little difficult to move, however she made the effort to continue on. Dressed in a pair of black tights, a pair of pink mini shorts, and a white top with a floral design of a orance colour on the right side, she was set for the day. Her headphones were blaring away, like normal, and as she hoisted her bag a bit higher on her shoulder, she turned the little volume dial on the cord, turning the music up even higher. Her magenta converse were tied nice and tightly, so as to not trip her up again.
For the most part, it was her eagerness to get to class that had her running like that. But for the other part, she just got bored of being home with nothing to do, when she could get to the academy early, and get her replica, early – or so she hoped. Serah hoisted her shoulder bag up a little higher as she passed Maka and Soul's place, glancing up at the window as she went. It was way too early for anyone to really be on their way to the academy – waaaay to early – it had only just gone six thirty in the morning. Serah glanced at the stores on the way, wondering if she should grab a low-fat coffee or something on the way. Though she hated the low-fat stuff cause it tasted horrible, she was cautious of her weight enough to go to the effort of making sure she didn't gain fourty kilo's back onto her total.
"Serah!" Came the sounds of a familiar voice, calling her from behind, which caught her attention immediately. Slowing to a halt, Serah looked around to see Maka jogging to catch up, confusion written clean across her face.
"Hi Maka." Serah spoke, raising an eyebrow as Maka came to a stop just in front of her. "What's gotten you out here so early?"
"What's gotten me?" Maka spoke, an incredulous tone to her voice making Serah blink in confusion. "You're the one running off somewhere. What's going on?"
"I'm just excited to get to class today, that's all." Serah answered, glancing over at the academy momentarily – maybe they'd let her bring a coffee if she was inconspicuous about it?
"Why? What's going on?" Maka asked, her gaze shifting from Serah, to the academy behind her – Serah had to keep an eye on the time, she didn't want to be on time – she wanted to be somewhat early.
"I already told you, yesterday. Remember? You wouldn't shut up about it?" Serah commented, and it was in that moment that Maka seemed to remember, as her face lit up like a christmas tree.
"Oh, that's right, you're a Meister, like me now!" Maka spoke, and Serah merely nodded. "Right, sorry. I guess you want to head to class and see what's going on, cause there's no way you can weild yourself!"
"Unless I was a telekinetic dagger." Serah commented wryly, and Maka laughed at that.
"Right, well I'll see you in class." Maka commented, waving slightly before she jogged back to the house. Serah watched for a few moments, before she sprung back into movement, and began to jog towards the academy herself. Technically, Maka was right, but because of the way that the Replica was being made, it was quite litterally like she was going to be weilding herself.
Jogging up the last few steps towards the academy, Serah came to a slow halt as she spotted a very familiar being cloaked in black – Lord Death himself. He was standing there, with his huge white hands at his sides while he bounced on his feet, facing a few beings that resided within Serah's actual class. Serah could distinguish the forms of Patty, and Liz, the Thompson sisters, who were both wearing their blue and red outfits, like normal. The form of Death the Kid was standing before Lord Death, his hands in his pockets as he stared up at the Grim Reaper, a look of normal boredom across his face – what were they doing here so early in the morning? A glance at Serah's watch confirmed that it was no later than quarter to Seven.
"I'll see you at home, Kid!" Lord Death's bouncily energetic voice echoed loudly through the air, and Serah came to a halt as Liz looked over at her with a look of mild recognition. Serah blinked as she looked at Liz, wondering what the look she had was about – they were in class every day together, why would such a noticable look of recognition cross her face just because Serah came up the stairs? "Ah! What perfect timing! How's it gong, Serah?" Lord Death's voice echoed, glee echoing within the humerous tone the strange man spoke in. Serah blinked in shock, looking up at Lord Death, who was bouncing over – whether he looked happy to see her or not was never a factor – for the man never took his mask off, so no one knew what his face looked like – well, Death The Kid would know what he looked like, surely.
"Good morning, Lord Death." Serah spoke, looking up at the energetic cloaked man as he came to a bouncing halt a couple of meters away. Serah glanced at Death The Kid, Liz and Patty Thompson momentarily, to see that they were walking off into the academy building– although Liz did glance back momentarily.
"Did you come early to collect your weapon?" Lord Death asked, and Serah couldn't help but smile as she nodded slightly.
"I couldn't wait for class." Serah answered honestly, and she saw Lord Death bounce momentarily – was this a reaction close to a smile from Lord Death?
"Well, you're in luck!" Lord Death spoke, another energetic tone in his voice. "Professor Stein has just delivered the completed weapon to my Death Room! He worked on it all night, I'll have you know!" Serah blinked, unsure of whether she should be happy about that, or a little worried. Deciding to go with the first, she smiled a broad smile, unsure of whether or not it was suitable for the current situation.
"I'll have to thank him when I see him next." Serah replied.
"Most definitely!" Lord Death agreed, and Serah blinked as he hopped backwards a few paces. "Come on! You can have it now!"
"Thank you!" Serah spoke, energy filling her own voice as she began to follow the bouncing black-cloaked man into the Academy. He seemed to move slower than he really was, even through that bouncing motion, and Serah had to take to a quick-paced walk – but what with the energy and the strange way to the Death Room Lord Death was taking, she was too preoccupied to take too much notice – she was even grinning as she kept up with the strange man.
Two lefts, a right, three lefts, two rights and one more right after three straights, and Serah found that they had ended up in front of the door to the Death Room. The door opened effortlessly against Lord Death's hand, and as Serah glanced back over her shoulder at the way they'd gone, she felt a touch of confusion touch her as she saw a suddenly present Death Scythe, called Spirit. Blinking in shock, Serah turned on her heel, holding her hands together in front of her as she smiled at him.
"Good Morning, Sir." Serah spoke, a sincere smile in her voice. She saw Spirit smile slightly, his hands in his pockets as he walked.
"Morning, Serah. I trust you didn't have any nightmares." Spiti spoke, and his statement was more of a question. Serah continued to smile, recounting the events of the afternoon before. For all that Serah was beginning to dread from what Spirit hinted at, seeing Stein so he could get a replica made wasn't so bad, her imagination was just beginning to get the better of her.
"None at all!" Serah answered, looking over at the door as she realised Lord Death had gone and bounced inside already. Smiling that little bit more, she began to jog into the Death Room after Lord Death, and she could hear Spirit following at his slow, stroll. She blinked as she finally spotted Lord Death bouncing in the middle of the Death Room, feeling a little guilty as she picked up the pace to catch up. While she had gone and been polite and said hello to Maka's dad, she had gone and lost track of what she was doing, leaving Lord Death to wait for her. Even though in all honesty the strange man wouldn't be bothered by it, Serah felt at least a little guilty over it.
"Sorry Lord Death!" Serah spoke as she came to a jogging halt a couple of meters away from Lord Death, however she got no immediate response.
"No problem!" Lord Death spoke, his voice holding that same bouncing energy as he raised his hands from around his back, and his hands suddenly sprung back to full size, just like in those old cartoons where something got squished, and it elastically sprung back to normal proportions. He rummaged through his pocket somewhat, with such big hands remarkably, and Serah remained politely silent as she watched. After a few moments, he pulled out a little lavendar box, with white stripes down the left side of the broader side, and one long stripe down the length, the box reaching about the size of his forefinger, which remarkably wasn't so small as he handed it to Serah, as it was around one and a half feet by three feet and half a foot tall. Did he have hammerspace there or something? How could he keep such a box in his pocket? Serah inwardly cringed at her jargon statements, reminding herself that she should stop thinking such terms. "There's your weapon! Wanna have a look?" Lord Death asked, and Serah grinned broadly.
"Yes! Thank you Lord Death!" Serah spoke, lifting the lid of the box after a moment. Arranging herself so the box was sitting in the space of her left forearm, she tucked the lid under the same arm and looked down at the weapon inside.
Two evenly sized, white rings were inside, around fourty centimeters in circumference. The blades were two inches wide, with a centimeter thickness to the thickest part of the blade – the inner edge of the rings. There were places on the ring where the width of the blade was just one inch, and it was wrapped in a kind of magenta material somewhat resembling leather. From just next to these patches that were clearly handles, a small, delicate chain of wafer-thin rings made of the same white metal stretched out for around two meters, connecting the two rings together. Serah blinked as she readjusted her standing position, and the usually pure white sheen of a polished weapon was not what she saw – the sheen was a pink sheen, but the blade itself was pure white. Despite the fact that it wasn't exactly like her weapon form, a huge grin broke out across Serah's face, and she looked up at Lord Death.
"It's totally awesome! Thank you so much!" Serah spoke, and just like how the strange man's energy was reflected in his voice, her's was reflected the same way.
"My pleasure! Don't forget to thank Professor Stein! He was the one that polished it and everything else you see there!" Lord Death spoke, the way his words formed showed that he was clearly happy with her reaction.
"Wow, I see what you meant, Lord Death." Came Spirit's voice from behind, causing Serah to blink, and to look over her shoulder at the Death Scythe. "Despite the thickness of the blades, it really looks like it's going to break the moment it's not used properly."
"A Ringed Circlet is a weapon better suited for dancers and such. They are the more acrobatic suited weapons, and are actually able to be thrown around like a returning frizbee." Lord Death proceeded to explain, looking at Spirit as he did so. "Although this weapon isn't identical to Serah's weapon form – Stein decided to make it sturdier by broadening the blades, and leaving the intricate carvings out, since it's a mostly correct replica for Serah to work with in practice."
"Ah, I see." Spirit spoke, looking down at Serah after a moment. "You certainly do look happy with it."
"Of course!" Serah spoke immediately, and she carefully put the lid back on the box, lining up the stripes accordingly. "I can't wait to try them out!"
"Now Serah." Lord Death began, catching Serah's attention once again. "As you are a set of ringed circlets, you know how you should be weilded, but be careful." Serah blinked in shock, but remained politely silent. "Unlike my son's weapons, most people would have great difficulty in weilding a weapon so close to their own form, at least while learning. With a weapon like this, it will be very easy for you to injure yourself, especially with how clumbsy you are."
"Pardon?" Serah spoke, not quite comprehending what Lord Death was saying – she was stuck on that line of difficulty weilding a weapon for a weapon.
"Just be careful." Lord Death clarified, patting one huge white, appearingly foam hand on Serah's head gently. "Certainly we can reattach limbs, but I wouldn't want you to slice your hand off in the first ten minutes." Serah turned a shade paler, and she rearranged the box in her grip.
"I'll be careful." Serah spoke, and Lord Death lifted his hand from atop her head so suddenly that Serah was somewhat startled.
"Okay! You can have today's afternoon classes off, to practice with your new weapon!" Lord Death spoke, and Serah blinked once again – how quickly Lord Death switched topics was kind of hard to keep track of half the time. "You should probably get to class, Professor Stein should have called them in by now." Serah nodded, increacing her grip on the box as she did so.
"Yes, thank you so much!" Serah spoke, and he stepped to the right a few paces on her way out. "Bye Lord Death, Mister Death Scythe!" She called on her way out, and as she pushed the door open with one hand, her bag knocked dangerously hard against the back of her knees. So she had afternoon classes off, which meant that she just had to go to Stein's class, then stay for lunch – yep, that sounded about right.
Jogging through hallyway after hallway, Serah reached the door to the class, where, as Lord Death had spoken, everyone was in their seat, and Stein was seated backwards in his computer chair, taking attendance. Serah hesitated, before she lifted her right hand to the door, and knocked twice. A few of the student's looked over – including Maka and Soul – before Stein paused, and Serah let her arm go back to the box as Stein looked over at her.
"I'm sorry I'm late, -" Serah spoke, but she was a little surprised as Stein smiled one of those strange crooked smiles, and gave her no time to give an explanation.
"I know about it. Take your seat, we're about to start." He spoke, and his smile even extended to the tone of his voice, it seemed. Serah nodded silently, and began to make her way up to the row in front of Maka as Stein went back to taking attendance, moving onto names she knew only the sound of.
"Where were you?" Maka whispered as Serah carefully stepped past Death The Kid, causing Serah to glance at her momentarily. "Stein didn't bother calling your name and just said you were coming soon. What gives?" Serah smirked to herself, restraining the need to giggle as she looked at the box. Remaining silent, and placing a finger to her lips to tell Maka and whoever else was looking – who was Soul, and no one else really – to keep quiet. She lifted the lid of the box with one hand, and watching the expression on Maka's face change to one of complete awe. She placed the lid back down after several moments, and merely turned back to face the front as Stein cast her a look of 'I know you're happy about it, but we're in class'. Being obedient, Serah told herself that box wasn't being touched until the end of class, where Maka was undoubtedly going to drag her away with Soul to have lunch, and for the Circlets to be looked at properly.
"Alright class, we're starting with another disection. This time, we're poking around the insides of an Anaconda." Serah cringed, letting her forehead rest against the wood of the benches in front of her – She had forgotten that Stein was probably going to move onto snakes sooner or later … but an anaconda? Where the hell was he keeping the giant snake? Wait, did Stein have Hammerspace as well? Deciding to keep her forehead plastered against the wood of the bench, she closed her eyes, not noticing the gaze of the Grim Reaper sitting next to her, who was looking at the box in front of her with a mild frown, which, after a minute of staring, turned to a look of pure undiluted glee.