Chapter 2: The Transfer… Student…

Chapter 2: The Transfer… Student…

Sendai Central High School Room 2-17 0830 Hours

"So, Atsushi, I heard there was an explosion near your house last night?" asked Tomomi.

"Yeah, pretty much…"

"They done cleaning it up?" another girl, Kayoko inquired.

"It happened just 6 hours ago, so whaddya expect? Hmm, what class do we have next?"

"Trigonometry," Tomomi replied.

"Oh, hello, you must be Atsushi Ueta, right?" asked an unfamiliar female voice from behind the small group. Atsushi looked up at the new face.

"W-wha?"

"My name is Kei Nagase. I guess I'll be sitting next to you." Atsushi stood up in shock and let out a yelp of fear.

"Y-You!"

"What's wrong, Atsushi?" inquired Kayoko.

"You two know each other?" Tomomi added.

"Oh, of course not," Kei replied. "I'm a brand new transfer student. I just got here last night."

"Ah, yes, I remember Mrs. Nakayama stating that a new student would be starting here today. Welcome."

"Nice to meet you all." Kei reached out her hand, as if offering to shake Atsushi's hand, but then turned her hand palm up so that only Atsushi could see. Written out on her hand, in a rather bad scribble, was 'Make a scene and you are so dead.' Atsushi staggered back a step, looking rather shocked.

"It's Kei, right? I thought you were Shi-"

"Oh, dear, you look quite sick! We should get you to the nurse immediately," Kei announced. She then added in a faint whisper so that only Atsushi could hear, "Listen, say you have to go to the nurse, or I will make it so that you have to go to the nurse."

"Uh… uhh… yeah, I have been feeling a little under the weather."

"You idiot, you almost blew my cover," Kei hissed as she slammed Atsushi against a wall. "What were you thinking mentioning I was a Shinigami?"

"Last night, I thought you said you were Shinigami…"

"Use more than 3 brain cells when you think… My name isn't Shinigami, I am a Shinigami. If you really must know, in B7R, they called me Edge."

"Edge? Then where'd that 'Kei Nagase' come from?" Kei's mood nearly did a U-turn. She slumped back, letting Atsushi off of the wall. Her eyes were concentrated on the floor.

"Kei Nagase… That was my name… Before I died…"

"Huh?"

"All spirits… including the Shinigami, the Strigons and the Aquilas… were living souls at one time or another… I was born and raised over in Niigata… and that's where I died… It was because of a car accident in 1957… I was only 18…"

"Oh… I'm sorry… umm, hold on… I know you told me what the Shinigami were, but who, or what, are the Strigons and the Aquilas?" Kei let off a slight chuckle.

"It seems I left that part off in my lecture last night. You remember how I said Shinigami vanquish evil spirits, right? Well, not all spirits are evil. There are two kinds, Strigons and Aquilas. Aquilas are the type of souls that you would think of when I say "ghost". They are harmless, and it is the Shinigami's job to help them go to B7R, what you living people may call "passing on". The Strigons are souls who have lost their hearts and have been consumed by the darkness. It was one of those that attacked my plane last night and why I'm stuck here in this damn gigai…"

"Gigai?"

"It's a temporary vessel for a Shinigami's soul when they are stranded in this realm… Dammit, I wouldn't be stuck here if it weren't for Cipher-Sotaichou…"

"Uhh… care to fill me in?"

"The Shinigami are separated in 13 squadrons, each with their own Taichou and Fukotaichou. The Taichou of 1st Squadron is also the Sotaichou, and has tactical command of all of the 13 Squadrons. Currently, the Sotaichou is a man named Cipher, but some Strigons that we captured referred to him as "The Demon Lord" and the name sorta stuck. Cipher-Sotaichou isn't very pleased that a single Strigon downed me, so as 'punishment', he's delaying the time before they come and rescue me. My Taichou, Blaze, is currently trying to pull some strings to have me rescued earlier, but from what I've heard, it isn't going so well. He was all like "You can't just leave my Fukotaichou out there! We have to save her!" but Cipher-Sotaichou wouldn't hear any of his pleas."

"Wait… You're a Fukotaichou?"

"That I am. Didn't see that coming, did you?"

"No…"

"You'll learn soon enough, kid, that looks can be deceiving. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to class."

"Whaddya mean I? Shouldn't it be we?"

"You're supposed to be at the nurse, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…"