Chapter 19 – Pin a Little Death on Me

Sai Summers

Sunday

The rest of the weekend was a blur.

After being half-awake during the walk home, I managed to sleep from around two p.m. to early Sunday morning.

During the rest of Sunday I all but locked myself in my bedroom in the apartment organizing what few belongings I brought with me from Iceland. All of it fit into a half-dozen cardboard shipping boxes. I hadn't taken extreme care in packing most my things – which had been foolish considering how far they had had to travel – and most of my personal belongings were scattered about in the boxes. I had been in a considerable hurry to get out of Reykjavík. There's nothing like a school acceptance letter to a nice, warm place to make you throw everything in a box, and move from somewhere cold like Iceland as fast as possible.

In all of the disorder I found a photo album I had brought with me. It was a basic black leather album with white pages. It was the type with the spots to lay out the pictures and lay a sheet of plastic over them to keep them clean. Most of the pictures were eight to ten years old, with a few from the last two years. The older ones were from the time I spent living at Soul's house the first time, and younger ones from the more recent times I had gotten to spend with him and Maka.

There was only one picture of the blond-haired, blue-eyed priest from Iceland in the book. It was the two of us standing side-by-side at the airport to which I had flown into the day I arrived in Reykjavík. Justin had insisted on it. I wanted to rip it apart in rage, but I thought better of it – I'd have to clean up the mess it would make afterward.

As I flipped through I noticed two of the pages were stuck together. I managed to pry them apart, and I found a picture stuck loose in between them.

It was a picture of me and someone I hadn't seen in a very long time.

I flipped the photo over; the back read: Edward and Sai, 2mnths.

The man's ruby eyes were bright, and his pale yellow hair shone in the midday sunlight. He wore the smile of a proud, new father. He wore a maroon jacket and tie; it looked like formal dress, like he had been at some event. There was a small white pin on his label, but it was turned and I couldn't make out what it represented. The baby he held was wrapped the white knit blanket and looked to be laughing when the picture was taken.

"A picture of Papa? Where did this picture come from?" I sighed. "Maybe mom put it in here during one of her 'good days.'"

Papa went missing three months later, and my mother never fully recovered from the shock. Her mental status started to break down at that point, and she started to treat everyone with suspicion. Like everyone was to blame for him going missing. Her suspicion was what landed me in Iceland.

Even now, Papa continues to be considered a missing person.

I moved around some of what was left in the box, and I found a basic wood picture frame. I pulled open the clips on the back, fit the picture of Papa and I in the frame and closed it back up. I set it on the floor next to me for the time being.

It was the only photo I would choose to leave out on my desk.

***

Monday

The outfit I had selected for school was simple, something I could put together most days with a short in-between wash. Shortened black pants, a white t-shirt that contoured snugly and the black suit coat Kid had given me were simple – and that was the way I wanted it. I could switch my shoes around; shoes were one of the few clothing items I had bothered investing in before coming to Shibusen because I knew I wouldn't want to wear my heavy winter boots in the Nevada heat. I opted for cork sandals with tie-ribbons today. I decided I would wear the ribbons Kid gave me in my hair while it was down, despite the fact that the material was more purple than black. I kept trying to claim to myself I didn't have an issue with them being a little off-colored from the rest of my ensemble.

It then occurred to me that I should probably stop caring so much about what I looked like. I didn't need to garner undesired attention.

That thought was quickly followed by the fact that I hadn't bothered to drag Soul out of bed yet. Maka had decided to leave that duty to me in the mornings, spending her time before lecture in the library.

I looked at the clock on the desk. It read 8:45 a.m.

Lecture started at nine. It was a twenty minute walk.

"Oh…crap…" I started, my voice gradually getting louder. "Soul!"

I threw open the door and bounded across the living to Soul's room. I didn't bother to knock and threw open the door.

"Soul! Get up! We're late!" I yelled at him.

Soul was already awake and half-sitting up, but Blair was sitting on his chest in her human form harassing him. She seemed to be wearing light purple lingerie to agitate him further.

"You!" I yelled at her, storming in the room. "Get out!" I kicked Blair in the rear and she landed with a thud on the floor. She meowed, shifted into her feline form, and made a run for the door.

"Oh, thank god…" Soul muttered, throwing him self back onto the bed. "Thanks."

I grabbed him by the front of his red and white shirt, pulling him half-up. "Get up! We're late!" I complained, shaking him.

He blinked. "Huh? What time is it…" Soul reached for his red metal alarm clock, picked it up and looked at it. "Huh, damn thing's broken I guess. Still says it's four-thirty in the morning." He whacked the side of it several times, but the time refused to reset. "There's no way we'll make it on time." He said with a sense of realization.

I released his shirt, and he flopped back onto the bed. I sat down on the edge of the bed for a moment.

It was not the best way to start out the week.

*

While looking at the assignment board between Stein's and Sid's lectures I had my first run in with a student I didn't know. A black haired young man with dark blue eyes approached me when I was looking at an assignment that Soul had signed up for next week.

"Hey! I saw you in Stein's lecture on Friday. I'm Jack." He offered his hand.

I shook his hand. "Hi Jack, nice to meet you. I'm Sai."

Jack grinned. "Oh yeah, everyone knows your name. You're Soul Evan's cousin right?"

I almost laughed at the fact he was using Soul's family name. It made me remember he hated people mentioning it.

"Uh yeah, he's my second cousin." I told Jack with a nod.

"That's cool. You've got some cool ability, too. I wish I could throw people like that." He expressed with a smile.

I always thought that it was the lamest of my abilities, but I gave him a nod anyway. "Thanks."

Jack looked past me and down the hall. "Uh hey…Shinigami-kun is staring at you." He whispered. "Is he, like, stalking you?"

I looked over my right shoulder. Kid was leaning against the wall under the stairs with his arms crossed against his chest, and was most certainly watching in my direction. The scowl on his face was anything but pleasant to look at

I turned back to Jack and muttered a faux giggle. "Eh, heh. No, it's not like that." I scratched my head in nervousness.

Jack's eyes narrowed and he lowered his head. "If he's giving you a hard time my friends and I will take care of him for you." He lightly pounded his chest with his right fist.

I presumed Kid would probably decimate them if he was enraged, but I couldn't bring myself to tell Jack that.

"Oh no, don't worry about it, I will take care of it if a problem arises." I told him with a smile, waving the idea off.

He eyed me. "Man, he is creepy though. If he wasn't Shinigami-sama's kid, there's no way he would have been let in to Shibusen."

I was starting to realize people at Shibusen really didn't like Kid. It made me a bit sad, considering how hard he tried to be nice to people.

I shrugged "I think he's a nice guy; he just…acts a little different."

"Well, he creeps me out." Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, I gotta go, see you in class." He gave a wave and walked off to my right.

"Bye."

I looked over my other shoulder and noticed Kid approaching me.

"Great." I mumbled aloud. "Here we go."

He stood at my left. "People don't want to talk to me when you hover like that." I told me matter-of-factly.

Kid's face was tense. "Most of the people at this school are only looking for someone who can make them look good in a battle."

I looked up at him. "I don't think that's true, Kid."

"You haven't been here long enough to see it yet." He sighed. "Anyway, here." Kid started to dig into his jacket pocket.

I eyed Kid wearily. "I'm starting to worry about the random objects that keep coming out of your pockets."

"Oh hush." He muttered. "Here." He handed me a white and silver object.

It was a miniature version of Shinigami-sama's mask; it had a slight sheen and came complete with a pin backing.

I giggled. "Thank you." I pinned it to my label.

He shrugged. "I had it and I thought you might like it for that coat."

I raised an eyebrow, trying to act suspicious, "I'm surprised you'd let me pin something on only one side of the coat."

He eyed me in mild irritation, bypassing my attempt at humor. "If I can handle my hair, I think I can deal with that pin."

"Mister Serious today, aren't we?" I snuffed.

Kid crossed his arms across his chest. "It's been one of those serious days."

I scowled at him. "If you're going to throw a hissy fit, you could at least clue me in as to the real reason why."

He exhaled loudly. "It's just all of the…people around you. You know that."

I could feel my frustration. "Stop being jealous, it's a misfit to the rest of your demeanor."

He sighed, and scratched his hair with his right hand. "Sorry." He muttered. "I know its not becoming of me."

I adjusted my jacket. "Yeah, so relax, okay? I'm following the professor's rules, anyway. Don't get involved with anyone that could expose my faults. But seriously Kid…" I waved my hand, trying to throw off the subject matter physically.

He looked away from me and at the floor.

My brow furrowed. "You're just upset that other guys are talking to me, aren't you?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

Kid pursed his lips and continued to watch the floor.

I sighed. "Whatever. Let's just go." I took his right hand, stepped around him and started to pull him down the hall. "I don't feel like missing Sid's lecture again."

***

Wednesday

Kid's attitude towards the rest of the student body did not improve as the week went on. In fact, it grew worse. His comments became directed at certain students – usually about how they were unkempt, or social misfits. How they were just not good enough. He also started to follow me around between lectures. The other students seemed to be too afraid to approach me now, and I got a couple of surly looks from a few male students each day.

If Kid was out to chase away other suitors, he was succeeding.

***

Friday

Kid's attitude went from uncomfortable to down right irritating by Friday. He continued to follow me around, and glare at the rest of the students.

I had grown tired of the uncomfortable tension between us, and I finally cornered him Friday morning with regards to his attitude. It had to stop. It was hard to be angry with Kid, but it couldn't go on. No one would want to talk to me eventually out of fear of him, and it made me dislike him slightly.

"Why are you still acting like this? People are starting to seriously consider that you're stalking me." I asked him, trying to emphasize a feeling of annoyance.

He shrugged. "You know I'm not stalking you. Who cares what they think?"

Now I was genuinely annoyed. "I care, Kid! And I'm sorry if care what other people think about me..." I was disappointed in myself for having to express it that way, but I couldn't figure out any better way to put it.

Kid sighed and stuffed his hands in his pant's pockets. "I like you…I'm sorry if that bothers you."

I cocked my head to the right. "That's not the problem, and I'm pretty sure you know that. And you already know I like you, but you're going to have to put a little faith in me, okay?"

He half-smiled. Maybe telling him I liked him was all he had wanted to begin with. Maybe he had just been unable to tell me what he really wanted…

"Are you sure you wanna get involved with her? She's kind of a loose cannon." A man yelled from down the hallway. It sounded like the voice of someone who was deaf, as it was unusually loud for the space.

That voice. A voice that grated on my eardrums.

But he couldn't be here. That voice should be in Iceland.

"Hold her back!" I could hear Soul yelling from an unknown location.

I knew that voice. It was here, at Shibusen. It was coming from the other end of the hall. It came from a man in Christian church garb.

I looked at him, and he rage was instantaneous. I started to storm towards the man at end of the hall. "You! You're dead meat Mister Priest!"

Kid grabbed me, put his arms around my shoulder, and held onto me; I struggled against him. "What's…what's your issue with Justin?" He demanded to know in my ear. "My Father called him here."

I continued to fight against Kid's grasp. "Justin abandoned me in the middle of freakin' nowhere to go join the damn church!" I yelled in the blond-haired man's direction. I felt the need to emphasize where he had gone.

"That's Justin? The guy that Soul mentioned?" He asked, more of himself than of me.

Justin walked down the hall and stood in front of Kid and me. I stopped struggling, but Kid didn't relax his grip.

Justin wore ear buds with Shinigami-sama's mask on them, but the music was loud enough for me to hear. He simply stared at me.

"That attitude is unbecoming of a lady." He said quietly. Or at least quiet for a man who couldn't hear anything.

I started to struggle again, and Kid's grasp was firm. "Screw being a lady! I'm gonna beat your face!"

Justin simply shook his head, and ignored my commentary. "It's nice to see you again, Shinigami-kun."

Since Justin was so close, I started to fight against Kid harder.

"I apologize…Justin…but could we do the formalities, later?" Kid huffed.

He smiled. "Oh, not a problem. I need to see Shinigami-sama, anyway. I'm sure I will be seeing you." Justin gave Kid a nod, turned around, and walked back down the way he had come.

The week ended on a sour note, and next week wasn't looking at being particularly good, either.