Chapter 5: A Book on Pain
The assassin grinned. The boy dressed in the black robes looked like a simple target. He could be taken down easily. With no sound to give him away, the would be killer jumped off the ledge, and prepared his weapon to strike the boy squarely in the back.
The target turned towards his assailant with an angry glare in the eye that was visible, and lifted his arms. Catching the assassin in the stomach with his palms, he focused his soul...and sent his wavelength pulsing into the enemy's body. The assassin crumpled on the ground.
Black*Star grinned even with pain coursing through him. Looking up at his "victim", he gave a thumbs up. "You got it!" Blithe smiled, looking at his right palm. Finally, he had been able to properly utilize the soul force technique. It felt interesting to put his soul into one point like that. It felt good as well.
Black*Star got up and brushed off his clothes. "Professor Four-Eyes was right to allow me to teach you to fight properly without a weapon. After all..."
Bracing himself, Blithe still cringed at what was coming.
"I AM THE WONDERFULLY AWESOME BLACK*STAR! I AM HIGHER THAN A GOD, AND AM PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF TEACHING ANYONE ANYTHING! YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Relaxing, Blithe walked up to the ninja and patted him on the back. "All right, man, thanks for everything. I'd better get going now. It was nice learning from you."
"Hey, I haven't taught you everything yet! Y'know, I have this awesome method of watching girls when they-"
"I'll pass." Blithe walked out of the training hall, back to the normal DWMA he knew. On the way, he saw several people looking at him, fear in their eyes. He clenched his fists in rage, the released them. What could he do? After all, he did not have the most conventional of appearances. Smiling irritably, Blithe, head down, head back to Class Half-Moon.
On the way, a girl with pink hair caught his eye. Running up to him, out of breath, she started spitting out words. "Lord-see-ask-talk-"
"Slow down." Blithe reprimanded her calmly. "Now, what was it about the Lord?"
Recovering, the girl smiled. "Sorry, I just ran from the top floor to pass a message. I'm Kim, by the way." Blithe urged her onward. "Blithe. What was the message?"
"Lord Shinigami would like to see you in his room. Immediately. There. I've gotta catch class now. I'll see you later." Kim took a deep breath and ran off. Blithe sighed, slightly vexed. But, if Shinigai-Sama wanted to see him, there was no saying no.
"Heya, Mr. Blithe! How has your time been at the school so far? Have you been enjoying it?"
Questions swam out of Lord Death's mouth and swarmed in Blithe's brain. The boy actually needed to find a chair to sit down in as not to go reeling. And there were no chairs. So he reeled.
Seeing Blithe's discomfort, Shinigami-Sama slowed down. "Look, I called you down here to talk about something very serious. I hope you don't mind, but this may strike you emotionally."
Blithe waved Lord Shinigami on. "I can deal with emotional discomfort. You go right ahead and ask anything you want. As long as it isn't how I feel about something." Shinigami-Sama nodded. "Well then, let us begin. First of all, I would like to ask you to list..."
The pause made Blithe look up. He saw Lord Death peering at him very carefully. "Yes?"
"I would like you to list every Kishin that you know."
Blithe felt as if he had been slapped in the face for a second. Then, recovering, he responded, "I know quite a few. Well, knew. Before I killed them off. Is there someone in particular you are looking for?" Please, please, please don't say the name...
Lord Shinigami nodded slowly. "Yes, the name of the particular Kishin I wish to know about is Xenax. The Traitor."
Blithe relaxed. It was not him. He need not worry.
"Oh wait. No, not Xenax. That was another one. No, the one I search for is Ehtil, the Shadow Walker. What an annoying bastard. You really can't catch him. He's been bothering us for a while now, but as soon as we catch a glimpse of him, he melts into the darkness. I was wondering if you know anything, with your knowledge on Kishin."
Blithe's heart almost stopped beating. Ehtil. The name filled him with fear. He had met up with that Kishin numerous times. He had already figured out that the particular Kishin's power was affiliated with shadows, like teleporting through them, or even transforming into the owner of the shadow.
"Yes. I know this particular one. I have not had the chance to destroy him. He is extremely tricky. A high-class Kishin. But, what is it that you really want to know?"
Shinigami-Sama looked over Blithe, observing his actions. Then, standing straight up, he stated, "We need to rid ourselves of him. Our spies have reported that he is planning for something big. A 'reunion,' is what he called it. With what, we are unsure, but judging by him, it could even be the return of Asura."
No, Blithe thought. It's worse than that, Lord Death. He kept his thoughts to himself. "If you have spies, what do you need me for?"
The reaper's eyes bore into his soul. In a remarkably serious voice, he said, "You will be asked to infiltrate his base. And you will be asked to destroy him."
Pain. What a good discussion in class.
Doctor Stein had been discussing dissection methods with the class, when a girl piped up and asked if it would be painful to be dissected. Or was there a special way to avoid pain?
Stein fixed his glasses, and stared hard at her. "No. There is never a way to avoid pain. Especially not in dissection." Looking up, his eyes fixed on Blithe. The boy, to his surprise had a wide, almost wolfish grin spread across his face.
"Is there something amusing you, Blithe?"
Blithe shook his head, as if in disbelief. "Pain. I love the subject of pain." This took the class by surprise. The room filled with nervous muttering. Stein's eyebrows arched. "What is it that fascinates you so?"
"The scientific study of pain reactions and the feeling of pain have been on my mind. In fact-"
Blithe rummaged in his cloak for a couple of seconds, then pulled out something minuscule. It looked like a block of wood about the size of his palm, but on closer inspection, one could see that it was a book, a tiny one. In gold letters on the cover were emblazoned the words: "A Book on Pain."
"- I have written this volume, on my study of dealing and receiving pain. In fact, one could get a lot of information from this. I feel rather proud of myself."
These statements only made the muttering in the classroom increase. People were exchanging fearful glances. Others chuckled nervously, as if saying "this is all a joke...right?"
Professor Stein got up, walked to the top row of the desk arrangement. Blithe placed the book in Stein's palm, still grinning eerily. Stein flipped through the book, holding it close to his glasses. Students were amazed to see his eyes widen at times, and even to see him nodding in agreement to something unknown.
He handed the book back to Blithe, then squatted so his head was level with Blithe's. Audibly to the entire class, he said two words. "Nice job."
Getting back to his seat , Stein continued the lesson without another word on the subject.
Blithe never stopped grinning.
Maka sighed, bit into her sandwich. She had stopped spying on Blithe a while ago, finding it inconclusive, but questions about the boy still raced around in her head, especially after the incident with the book. He was becoming more and more freaky, almost to the extent of a Kishin.
He seems almost...inhuman. He does not enjoy flaunting his emotions, is reclusive, and is, all in all, a solo creature. He also has some creepy characteristics. And, of course, there is always his face. She would never forget his face. Even now, when she closed her eyes, she saw the black pit of an eye staring at her from the depths of his hood.
She munched joylessly.
As Winter bore on Death City, the days were becoming shorter.
Soon, Blithe knew, he would be walking to his tower in utter darkness. All the better. He would not attract as much attention as he would in the sunlight.
As he sat on the water storage system, he opened his palm. The book still lay there, a menacing brown thing. he flipped it open to a blank page, whipped out a pen, and began writing.
Chapter 73: Pain Through Emotions
If there ever was a wonderful way to hurt somebody very deeply and very quickly, it would have to be using their emotions against them. This does not cause them direct physical harm, but can distract them, making them open to it, or, in some extreme cases, even scar their psyche, forcing them to waddle around hopelessly, without aim, all of their wishes to live cut completely from their mind.
I was recently asked to hunt and destroy Ehtil the Kishin. This was one of those extreme cases for me. I, even now, feel like I might go insane from worry about what is going to happen. For the reunion he talks of, it has nothing to do with Asura. For Ehtil is actually a part of me, wrenched out by witch magic, my shadow form, taking a shape, and going completely against me. A copy, if you wish.
As for the reunion? He wishes to be part of me again. And, if he succeeds, there is only one outcome.
I become a Kishin as well.