Soul Rider: Again.
Part 3: Sly Meets the Reaper
"Hey Maka?" says an annoyed Sly in cane form.
"Yes, Sly?" she answers.
"Why do I have to be a cane in your own school?" Sly doesn't like the idea of being his own cane. Or being carried around as one. ESPECIALLY by Soul, who suggested it last night. The three are walking through the academy and there are other students present.
"Because if people see that you're a raccoon, they may think you're in league with a witch. And that certainly is bad news."
"Just hang in there a little longer, pal," Soul tells the fellow Weapon. "We're close to the room."
"What room?" the cane asks in confusion. The white-haired boy evilly smirks.
"Why, the room with the Grim Reaper himself, of course!" he answers in a loud and creepy tone with a scary face (The voice and face he made to scare Maka in Episode 4). Sly screams very loudly. Soul gets a Maka Chop from an angered Maka. She takes Sly from him.
"Soul, you idiot," she says in annoyance. The cane begins sweating.
"D-d-di-di-did he just say 'Grim Reaper'?!" Sly asks in a freaked out shaky voice. "Tell me he's kidding, Maka!" Maka nervously chuckles.
"Unfortunately, Sly, he wasn't. The Grim Reaper lives here. He runs the academy I may add." The cane only screams again and struggles to escape the Meister's hands.
"You're going to sell my soul to the Reaper! He's going to kill me! Oh, please let god forgive me for everything!" Some nearby students look at them, only taking full notice of Maka and Soul.
"Will you calm down?" Soul yells. "Lord Death is not going to kill you. The only things he kills are witches and kishins. We can explain everything else later. We're here." Maka feels the cane in her hands shivering all over. When they enter the room, Sly seems to calm down a bit at the sight of a blue sky and cartoony clouds, but gets a little freaked out by the crosses sticking out of the ground. Up ahead are a platform, a tall mirror, and two people. One is human in shape, but his skin is blue. His attire is close to one who plays sports. The other one is weird looking with its cartoony mask with three goofy teeth and cartoony body, but the guy's in black.
"So, Maka, where is this Grim Reaper?" Sly asks in confusion.
"Here's right there," she answers and points forward.
"The blue guy or the goofy one?" Maka squeezes the part where the hook meets the handle, that being the neck. Sly begins to choke.
"No one calls Lord Death "goofy". You should actually be lucky that you're not seeing what he looked like 800 years ago. Now that was a freaky face." Lord Death finally takes notice of the trio and waves with a big cartoony block hand.
"Why, hello, Maka and Death Scythe Soul!" he greets them happily. Sly is taken back by the Reaper's silly behavior, having a question mark float from his head. "What brings you two in here today?" Maka smiles at the academy's master.
"Lord Death, there's someone we'd like you to meet," she answers, holding the cane up for him to notice.
"Oooo~, a new Weapon. How-huh?" He cocks his eye hole and tilts his head to one side. "Maka, is it me or does your new friend have a soul that looks like a raccoon?"
"Well, he is a raccoon, Lord Death." The only female in the room looks at the hook with an assuring smile. "It'll be fine. Go ahead."
"Uh, okay," Sly replies a little shakily. In a flash of blue light, Sly now stands next to Maka. There is a look of nervousness on his face. Both Grim and the blue man stare at the raccoon in surprise.
"By Jove, I've never seen anything like him," the blue man says in slight awe, observing the anthropomorphic man top to bottom.
"Yes, definitely not from our world," Lord Death adds. "What's your name, sonny?"
"Uh, Sly, sir," the thief responds a little faster than needed. "Sly Cooper."
"Well, Sly Cooper, it is so amazing to meet you!" he happily exclaims. "You're a raccoon AND a Weapon! Very unique combination!"
"We were impressed ourselves," Maka replies. The Reaper looks at her.
"So where did you two meet?"
"I found him in an alley, unconscious and in Weapon form. He said he was with two others before he was sent here."
"Interesting. Are they animals like you?" Sly quirks a hidden eyebrow.
""Animals"?" he asks in confusion. "What are those?"
"You're never referred as animals?"
"No, unless you mean the term "party animals". We just call each other by our names. Or races."
"Fascinating. Well, the term "animals" technically means all creatures that aren't human. So to us, you're an animal of a certain species, which is the classification of certain animals, and there are-"
"Not to be rude, Mr. Reaper, but can you save that for my friend Bentley if we ever find him? He's one to easily process info like this."
"Bentley, huh? What species, I mean animal, I mean- Bagh! What is he?!"
"A turtle, sir. My other friend is Murray, a hippo."
"A raccoon, turtle and a hippo? Quite the combo there," the blue man comments. Death gives him a light chop on the back of his head.
"Sid, don't be rude," he scolds before turning back to Sly. "If your friends are here, Mr. Cooper, I would be most honored to have the DWMA help you out." Sly's face brightened with a smile.
"I would be very grateful, sir. Thank you."
"Then, can I propose something to you?"
"Whatever it takes."
"Very good." A small ringing is heard. Lord Death pulls a small wrist watch from his cloak. "Oh! Maka! Soul! You two are going to be late for class! You better get going!"
"What?" Maka partially whines.
"Come on, Maka, give them some privacy," Soul tells his Meister before taking her wrist and pulling her to the door.
*in class*
The teacher hasn't shown up yet. In the meantime, the students are chatting to one another while the more studious classmates such as Maka looks in their textbooks. The familiar sound of something rolling comes closer and closer until it busts into the room, laying on the ground. The kids stop what they're doing to look at their teacher, Professor Franken Stein. The somewhat mad teacher gets up along with picking up his chair.
"Morning, class," he says in his usual monotone voice. "We will have Lord Death joining us in just a moment." A few of the students whisper to one another at that. Then, from a blob of shadow, the Grim Reaper appears.
"Well, hello, everyone!" the reaper happily greets. "I bet you're all wondering why I've come to your class today. Well, we have a new student here-" He is interrupted by the more chatty students' chatters of slight jealousy. "Now now, everyone. There's a reason I'm here for this. He's not like anyone here at the academy so far. He's nothing we've ever seen for that matter." Death sends a glare at Stein, though the latter doesn't notice. "I even had to threaten Stein here that I would destroy all of his research projects if he were to do any experiments on him."
"How could you not? He'd be a very interesting specimen."
"Well, don't even think about," he commands before clearing his throat and looking back at the class with a casual look. "May I introduce to you," he turns to the door with a big hand out, but gives a look of confusion, "Huh? Where did he go?" The student try to lean in to see the door entrance, but no one is there.
"Interesting. Very interesting," Stein comments something with a smirk while looking at the headmaster's side. Maka looks carefully and sees a familiar white soul next to Lord Death.
"No way..." she says softly in shock.
"But you can't hide from me. Not with your soul exposed like that." Walking around Death, stands in front of what seems to be an empty space until flicking something.
"Ouch!" goes a yelp, making the students jump in surprise. The reaper looks down at his side and seems to be happy.
"Oh, there you are!" he exclaims with glee. "Quite the trick you got there! No need to be shy, though. And Stein, get away from him." The professor walks back to where he was standing before. Suddenly, a nervous raccoon in blue appears right next to the headmaster, earning him some gasps of surprise and a few squeals from the girls. "Students, may I introduce to you: Sly Cooper!"
"WHAT?!" is all Soul can say. 'He's a student here now?! That was Lord Death's proposal?!'
"A raccoon?" "Look at him." "Got on quite the outfit." "Oh my gosh! He's so cute!" "Charming fella." Several similar comments are made by the students.
"Now listen, everybody." the Shinigami begins. "He's not used to hanging out around humans, but he lives in a world where animals are the "human" inhabitants. So please treat him with the same respect you would to any of your classmates and don't treat him like he's a common animal. He will also need a partner while he's here, so if anyone here doesn't have a partner yet can see if it works out with him. Everyone got that?"
"Yes, Lord Death!" they all say pretty happily, except Soul.
"Great to hear!" He turns to Sly. "Sly, if anything happens while you're here," he glances back at Franken with another glare, "and if Stein tries to strap you to a lab table, please come tell me right away." Sly nods at the Shinigami.
"Sure, Grim," the raccoon politely answers.
"Did he just...?" "He called Lord Death "Grim"." "How come we can't call him that?" "Why is he allowed to call him that?" the students murmur to one another. Sly begins to sweatdrop.
'This is going to a long day,' he thinks. 'I can tell.'
"And that day, is the day Sly Cooper became a DWMA student," Maka narrates to the viewer.
Soul Rider: Oh my goodness! It's been so long since I added anything! Thank you for to those who waited for the third chapter. Let's hope do faster next time.