Edgy (adj) - daringlyinnovative;
She gritted her teeth to avoid biting down on her tongue as another surge of electricity raced through her body. Sweat ran in rivers, soaking her clothes and turning them into an uncomfortable second skin. She attempted to shift into a more comfortable position but found she was strapped flush to a rather old wooden chair that had been nailed to the ground. There would be no easy escape from her hell and she only had herself to blame.
School had never been something that interested Kazue, she preferred the missions given out by Lord Death than the assignments handed out (seemingly by the truck-load) by the teachers of the DWMA. Yet Kazue knew that Lord Death would not allow her to advance in rank without going through the proper channels and she refused to let some bookwork stop her from becoming a legendary Meister. So that's why she went to Him.
Out of all the professors at the academy, Professor Stein was – in Kazue's book – the best. She knew all there was to know about the legendary Meister, and if she were honest with herself she even had a small crush on the man, but that was neither here nor there.
His methods were, to most people, a little extreme but Kazue didn't see it that way; she knew if she wanted help he was the only one that could help.
"On your feet, Oathbreaker!"
That was easier said than done, especially since he wasn't the one with one hundred and fifty pounds of ball and chain wrapped around each wrist. It was also easy for him to say because he wasn't the one trying to list off all the Death Scythes in existence along with the witches they had slain, all the while trying to avoid being hit by a crazed professor.
She glared heatedly at her teacher. "Maybe… I could answer… a question….. if you gave me….. some time to….. think!" She spoke in broken sentences as she tried to regain her breathing, her chest rising and falling erratically.
The fiery red head was forced to roll away from what would have been a damaging blow to the stomach. However, the manacles around her arms slowed down her retreat, allowing the attack to graze and open a shallow wound across her arm; another one to accompany the countless ones strewn across her body.
A sadistic smile spread slowly across the professor's lips, sending a chilling shiver up Kazue's spine. He turned the cog embedded into his head as he regarded his student. "In your field of work you will rarely find an enemy that will allow you to focus long enough to plan an attack against them. You've been out in the field enough times to know that, Oathbreaker. If you wish me to train you, you will find no sympathy from me." He lunged at her suddenly, forcing her on to the defense.
She shied away from the scalding hot water as she stepped into the shower. Her muscles ached in protest as she inched her way under the shower head, biting back a groan as the heat of the water burned into her skin, but it was a sweet torture that rooted her to her spot.
She washed away the sweat and grime of the day, taking extra care around her freshest bruises so as to avoid any further pain. When she felt clean again she turned off the water and hopped out the shower, making quick work to clothe herself.
Kicking the dirty clothes into a corner of the bathroom to be dealt with later, Kazue stepped towards the large, steam-covered mirror overhanging her sink. Using her hand, she rubbed a decent sized circle into the glass to clear away some of the steam that had accumulated so as to see the damage done to her rather sore face. She almost bit off her tongue in fright when she noticed the tall, looming figure of her professor standing in her door frame, slowly turning his cog.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!?" Although she was fully clothed, the sea green-eyed girl snatched the discarded towel off the floor and brought it close to her body to cover herself.
"Your studies do not stop just because the school day has ended. If you want to become a legendary Meister you must dedicate not only your body but your mind to studying. Now, what all can you tell me about soul wavelengths?"
If it had been any other person, Kazue would have debated whether or not they were serious but she knew Professor Stein had little time for jokes. Groaning in her head, Kazue briefly wondered if she had been mad, seeking out his help.
She could feel the blood racing to her head as she swung precariously from her feet over a bed of spikes. She fought off the dizzying feeling as best she could as she was drilled with question after question. Each answer she answered incorrectly or hesitated with brought her closer to the danger below.
"A Meister must never hesitate!" Stein was saying, eerily calm and unperturbed that he was endangering his student's life. "A Meister must not only be fast on their feet but also fast with solving a problem. Witches and other beings of their kind will put you in many perilous situations, some similar to this one, and it will be your quick thinking that will save you – especially if you do not have your weapon to fall back on."
The blood was pounding in her ears as she swung helplessly back and forth. Sweat poured from her pores from the exertion of trying to make herself as small as possible to bide her some time from meeting with the spikes, the top of her head was mere inches from them.
"Now tell me, Oathbreaker, the origins of the first Demon weapon stretches back to how long ago? Remember what's at stake if you get this wrong."
Psh, as if she could forget!
The weeks flew by in similar fashion and Kazue found she had little time or energy to do anything else besides study and sleep. Her friends complained that they didn't see enough of her but she couldn't find time to explain what preoccupied most of her time. She didn't realize how shunned she had made them feel until one evening when they had crashed into her apartment and bombarded her with questions and concerns.
"What have you been doing these past weeks? We barely see you anymore!" Maka cried. The small blonde meant well but her obvious concern for Kazue was making the latter slightly uncomfortable.
"We haven't seen you around campus lately, is something troubling you?" Leave it to Tsubaki to think that something was wrong.
"Your attendance record is quickly becoming deplorable, Kazue! What kind of impression are you trying to send to the other students?" Kid griped. Kazue regarded him with a blank stare; she didn't know she was ever looked up to in the first place.
"I bet you've just been trying to avoid me, is all!" Blackstar boasted. "You're just afraid you won't be able to match me in battle if I were to challenge you!" He laughed loudly at the thought. If her muscles didn't ache so much she would have gladly met his challenge but she settled for a blood-curdling glare instead.
"You look really horrible," Liz commented offhandedly. "You clearly haven't been taking care of yourself." Her younger sister, Patty nodded in agreement. The red head sweat dropped, her physical appearance was the least of her problems at the moment.
"It's not cool to avoid or hide stuff from us, Kazue. We are your friends; did you think we wouldn't notice the bruises and poor attendance?" Soul's red eyes burned into her exhausted, sea-foam ones.
"I appreciate the concern you guys but I've just been studying for finals," Kazue explained lamely. "If I want to become a better Meister I need to be physically and mentally prepped. Now I'm tired and it's late, can you let yourselves out?"
The sound of the door opening brought everyone's attention towards the entrance. Standing in the doorway was Shu, Kazue long time partner and Demon Weapon. The toddler-sized girl seemed slightly surprised at all the guests filling up her living room but her initial surprise melted away into a child's happiness.
She greeted the room cheerfully. "Hello everyone, what a pleasant surprise! If I had known we were throwing a party I would have told him that it was a bad time to see you, Kazue."
The red head's blood ran cold at her partner's words. Although she already knew who the innocent child was talking of, the Meister still dared to ask who the former was referring to, albeit reluctantly.
"Why, Professor Stein of course!" Shu, stepped aside so that the stitched together teacher could present himself to the room.
"Good evening everyone! I know it is late but I just needed to borrow Kazue for a moment or two." He stood before the group casually turning the cog in his head and smoking his cigarette but Kazue had been around him long enough to see past the pleasant smile on his lips; she knew all too well the cruelties that lay behind it.
Kazue tried her hardest not to look up at the clock that was counting down the thirty minutes left of the test. Her pencil raced across the paper as she answered question after question, the large stack of papers seemingly increasing in quantity instead of decreasing.
Sweat broke out upon her brow but she didn't spare a second to wipe it away, each moment was crucial if she hoped to finish before time was called.
She worked hard to keep her mind cleared as well, for it tried its damnedest to slow her down, her thoughts filled with nothing but self-doubt and hesitance.
'A Meister does not hesitate!'
She repeated the mantra over and over again in her mind, the voice sounding more like Professor Stein's than her own.
'I have studied for months for this.' She thought, this time in her own voice. 'I know that I am prepared, that he trained me well.'
At this thought, Kazue glanced up to watch the aforementioned professor seated casually at his desk, a lit cigarette dangling lazily from his lips. She smiled softly at the man, genuinely grateful for his help, but when he looked over in her direction she snapped her attention back to her paper. He wouldn't be happy to see her daydreaming during the test.
'A Meister does not lose focus!' She couldn't get away from him even in her head.
The classroom was finally empty and quiet, the perfect time for the professor to have some "him time". He lounged comfortably in his chair and lit up another cigarette, probably his tenth of the day. What with Finals finally over with the students spent less time in the classroom and had more free time – sort of like a break before returning to their studies a few weeks later. This meant that the teachers also had a lot of down time, something that Stein was surprisingly relieved to have.
"I wasn't cut out to be a teacher," he mumbled to the empty room. Chuckling softly, he bent his head back so that his neck was supported by the top of the chair but his head hung over, his eyes closed in thought. It was only when he heard the footfalls of another rushing towards him that he opened them.
Kazue slammed the paper down a bit harder than necessary onto his desk, a smug look on her face. The professor regarded her with a dull look as she indicated to the paper.
"Looks like I did pick the right mentor!" Mirth danced within the teen's eyes as her teacher slid his attention to the piece.
In bright red letters on a document that could only be the girl's finals stood a shining ninety-eight percent A+. Stein regarded the paper for a moment longer before turning his attention on the now beaming child.
"Congratulations, Oathbreaker," he said around the cigarette still burning between his lips. "You managed to pass."
Although he didn't sound as enthused as she had hoped, Kazue knew that was the best she was going to get from him. She puffed out her chest proudly. "Well I had help from the best Meister I know!"
Stein lazily adjusted his glasses as he further took in the girl's pride. It almost made him regret his next words….almost. "Yes, well it seems that you didn't remember everything that I taught you or else there would be a one hundred percent on this paper instead." A sadistic smirk completed the insult.
The girl's face quickly fell into one of tightly restrained irritation. Her whole body shook as the words rattled around in her brain. And Stein took it all in with that vicious smile.
"You missed two percent of the material taught to you and who is to say whether or not that information will one day save your life?" The patchwork professor stood from his seat and walked around the desk to stand tall over the steaming student. Placing his hands on her shoulders in mock sympathy, he steered the girl towards the door.
"Your studies start anew bright and early tomorrow." He pushed her from the room and offered her a large, craze-filled grin when she spun around to face him, her face murderous. "Let's see if we can pin-point the area in which your brain is having problems processing that two percent of information."
His glasses flashed in the setting sunlight as he laughed and slammed the door in the student's face.
Onthecutting edge.