Chapter 3: Replay That Wavelength- A broken past emerges?
Humming a bright tune, Maka slid several thick flapjacks onto the last plate of china on the table. The three smooth white circles were arranged in a triangle on the dark oak of the square table in the breakfast nook. Maka stared at the steaming plates of eggs, bacon, and pancakes.
Soul stumbled out of his room, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Mornin' Maka~" he mumbled.
"Oh, Soul you're awake." Maka smiled devilishly. "Could you wake up Sarah for me? Breakfast is ready." Soul grumbled something incomprehensible and went off in the direction of Sarah's room.
Perfect, thought Maka as her matchmaking plans commenced. She sat down at her before specified place, making it so that Sarah and Soul would sit opposite each other. And so quoting Kid, Maka's plan was "absolutely perfect."
So Soul shuffled down the hallway, vision blurry. What a way to wake up. It was probably Maka who opened the curtains on his window that morning. The glaring sunlight had waked him up, and when he opened his eyes the brightness nearly blinded him. He-lo? Albino? Sensitive eyes? Sometimes he thought that Maka couldn't be more inconceivably stupid.
He reached Sarah's room entrance; a sheet of notebook paper taped to the front of the plain pine door. She'd written on it her name in messy purple ink. That's one thing Sarah and Blair had in common, the color purple. However, that's pretty much where the similarities ended.
"Sarah, you up?" he pounded on the door and waited. No answer. "Sarah!" Soul knocked harder in annoyance. When he finally pressed his ear to the door, he couldn't believe it. Light snores were still whistling on the other side. Was she a heavy sleeper or what? Soul decided on "or what". Maybe it was a trick. In any case, she wasn't waking up with just a knock on the door, that's for sure. Soul eased the door open carefully and was genuinely shocked.
There Sarah was, sleeping in Maka's old kitty print pajamas. Her serene face lay in a soft pile of her dark curly hair upon the pillow. She was semi-curled into a ball, and a clenched fist was loosely gripped to her chest. She looked just like a little sleeping doll. Soul crept closer. How was he to do this now?
"Um, Sarah?" he leaned in and shook her shoulder gently. "Wake up."
"Wes…?" she mumbled, slowly blinking her eyes open. "Oh." Sarah inhaled deeply. I knew I smelt a cute boy. "Is it time to wake up already?" Sarah noticed Soul's bemused stare. "What?"
"Nothing," he gestured to the door. "It's time for breakfast."
A yawn travelled past Sarah's lips. "Food~," she drooled at the smell wafting into the room, her stomach rumbling a complaint. "I'll race you Soul!" Sarah dashed past him and out the doorway.
It took a second for Soul's tired mind to catch up with what she just said.
"Wait what!" he chased after her, sluggishly rounding the corner back to the kitchen. By the time he got there, Sarah was already calmly eating her stack of flapjacks drowned in syrup.
"Soul may be pretty cool," Sarah commented with a mouthful of sweetness, "but he's a real slowpoke."
Maka nodded in agreement.
"Not my fault," he said, sitting down. "You cheated." He jabbed an accusing fork at her and then stabbed his frustration into the food on his plate.
She pointed to herself in mock innocence. "Moi? Cheat?" Sara smirked. "If you were really fast, like Black*Star or Kid, maybe you would have caught up...Or maybe not. I wasn't really trying yesterday. I could probably beat them if I tried."
She was lying, of course, but they took it at face value. Not much was known about her anyway.
"No comment," he said. Soul sat with his eyebrows knit together, shoveling food down his throat greedily. After a few seconds he looked up. He noticed Sarah was staring at him playfully. He raised a silvery eyebrow. "What?"
Sarah suddenly seemed flustered. "Oh, um...huh?" she asked. "Was I staring into space again? I'm sorry. It's just that, you have syrup on your face."
"So what?"
"I was just wondering," Sarah replied lightly, staring at her almost empty plate. Silence hovered around the table like a swarm of mosquitoes.
"Wondering what?" Maka leaned forward with her question hanging around her neck.
Sarah turned red instantly and shook her head. "Nothing, it's dumb and embarrassing."
"C'mon," Maka prodded, smiling kindly." What is it?"
If possible Sarah got even redder. "W-well," her voice trembled slightly, as did her hand, making the fork knock against the plate. "I was th-thinking how the syrup would taste if I licked it off of Soul's cheek."
Everyone seated at the table blushed. They finished their breakfast without speaking.
"I-I'll wash the dishes," said Sarah, shattering the silence.
"Wait, I'll take them up for you," Soul protested, trying to help any way he could.
"I'll do it myself Soul." She tried to grab the plate that he was holding.
"I insist." He yanked the plate towards himself.
"I'm trying to be helpful." Sarah pulled the plate back.
"Well I'm trying to help you to be helpful."
"I don't need help Soul-chan."
"If you're going to use those weird honorifics, please don't call me Soul-chan."
"Fine, Soru-kun," she stubbornly agreed.
"Do you have to pronounce my name so, foreignly?"
"You not like it?" Sarah pouted.
"It makes me feel weird," but in a good way, thought Soul.
"Anta wa hen desu." Sarah replied, remembering some of the Japanese from the show they all had decided to watch when they finally arrived the apartment last night. Apparently 'Shugo Chara!' was an anime that was only dubbed in Japanese, and for the sake of the two English speaking people, Maka had graciously turned on the subtitles. For someone with their mind basically empty, learning new things was easy, and Sarah had picked up some vocabulary from the children's series.
Soul looked to Maka for an explanation of what she said.
"You are weird," translated his Meister, sipping some herbal tea.
Sarah let go of the plate and sighed in forfeit.
"Fine, you can help." Almost cheerily he carried the plates and cups to the sink as Sarah rolled up the sleeves of her nightie. "Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work!" Sarah pointed with both index fingers to the sink and winked at Soul.
He laughed. "That's something Lord Death would say, y'know?"
Sarah was suddenly absorbed with the soap and dishes. "Really?" she said quietly.
All of a sudden Maka stood up, the chair's legs scraping the floor, making Sarah and Soul jump in alarm. She banged her palms on the table.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "We were supposed to take Sarah to meet Lord Death before school!"
"What?" asked Soul.
"Huh?" Sarah stopped washing the dishes.
"Papa told me yesterday, but I guess I forgot," Maka recalled.
"Well, let's get our butts in gear!" yelled Sarah with a determined fist clenched. In a blur she ran back to her bedroom.
Maka was already dressed, so she hurried to the bathroom and began furiously scrubbing at her teeth. When she had rinsed and wiped her mouth with the fuzzy grey rag hanging next to the door, she walked to the front door to find her friends had already finished dressing. Soul had one hand on the doorknob, ready to go.
Maka frowned. "Wait you two." She had put on her 'older sister tone', and frankly it was frightening to say the least. They froze in their tracks.
Drat, we've been caught, thought Sarah.
"What Maka?" asked an irritated Soul.
"I didn't see you guys bathe or brush your teeth," pointed out Maka, hands on her hips. Authority rang true in her voice as she continued the 'older sister' air.
"Pfft—so ?" Soul replied, sticking his tongue at her in contempt.
Sarah scratched her head innocently. "Does brushing our hair count, or just rinsing with mouthwash?"
Maka sighed and tromped out the door. "You guys are disgusting."
. . .
Honestly, Sarah was just being plain ridiculous.
"It's okay Sarah, nothing bad will happen."
Still, Sarah stood her ground. She didn't believe what Soul had said one bit. She stood and twiddled her thumbs nervously. Her mouth twitching in uncertainty as to what she wanted to say. Maka rolled her emerald green orbs upwards in annoyance and folded her arms.
"Wou-would you guys hold my hands?" she suggested. "That'd make me feel better."
Seriously?
Sarah flinched at the unexpected incoming thought. Soul's noticed her reaction and his eye twitched.
Wait, you heard that? He sent this thought deliberately, as a test. Sarah nodded. Maybe what she had said earlier about 'peeking into his mind' wasn't complete BS. So, you're really scared, huh?
Another nod.
"Fine," he said aloud, firmly gripping her hand. "This way."
Down the long corridor Sarah couldn't help but stare upwards fearfully. Her mind was already imagining the decorative guillotines coming down to chop her and her friends into delectable meaty bits. Sarah whimpered quietly. Bad memories kept on flaring up in her consciousness.
I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for your—
"Sarah?" She finally opened her eyes.
Maka was beginning to look concerned.
"We're here," said Soul gently.
Before them was Shinigami-sama, Lord Death himself. Sarah stared blankly at him. Slowly but surely, the memories were coming into focus much like in the lens of a camera. Right now she couldn't believe was seeing someone she hadn't heard from for over five years—not since that fateful night. Sarah slowly released the breath she'd been holding. Her stomach dropped to her feet as she said eight words that made both Soul and Maka pale.
"It's nice to see you again Lord Death."
From a chair behind where his father stood, Kid jumped to his feet. It wasn't very surprising he was there. Lord Death was his father after all, why else would he be named "Death The Kid"? His golden-yellow eyes had questions floating in them by the hundreds.
"Sarah," Kid's tone was undoubtedly serious. "What do you mean by 'It's nice to see you again?'" Sarah gave Soul's hand a tight squeeze.
"This room," she said, voice echoing. "This very room, I remember it."
"You do?" asked Maka.
"She should," said Lord Death. Kid was astonished.
"Have you been here before?" Kid asked. His hands hung loosely from his pockets by his thumbs. Sarah frowned and shook her head in the negative.
"No. But I've seen it...through a mirror."
. . .
42-
The reflective surface displayed the entire room. Everything was in disarray, even her mind. Barely grasping her erratic, sobbing breaths the girl stood shell-shocked. Mother and Father's panoramic mirror no longer hung in the den serenely. It was propped against the wall; luckily it hadn't shattered completely from the impact of the fall.
42-
Sarah laid a hand on the glass as she wrote. A sticky red hand-print remained where her palm rested. The numbers she wrote also were scarlet. Sirens blared in the distance. The regular police wouldn't understand; they were too late, anyways. Besides it wasn't their fault. They couldn't have helped even if they had come in time.
564...
"Whenever you want to knock on death's door..." muttered Sarah under her breath. She coughed weakly and stared at the numbers. Sarah may have not been Japanese, but her aunt and cousin were. "Shini shini goroshi." The words burned on her tongue as she clutched her ripped nightshirt.
Death, death, murder.
These two deaths were a murder, how ironic. A fissure ran down the middle of the glass, and a crater-filled spider web of cracks was in the bottom right corner, blood running in and out of the many crevices. Before her the surface of the mirror shimmered and pulsed, thin ripples blossoming on its surface. Soft chimes were humming from the frame. A supernatural call, to report an unspeakable incident.
"Shinigami-sama," she pleaded though the hiccupping sobs, "Lord Death are you there?"
"Hello? Who is it?" A skull floating among a mass of black appeared on the mirror. This only despaired her even more.
"S-Sarah Albarn, sir."
"Sarah-chan?" Concern seeped into his usually cheery voice. He knew he had sensed something awful coming. "I barely recognized you, what happened?"
Sarah choked back tears, looking at her tattered clothes and shivering. Beside her, through the shattered bay window, a chilling gust blew her hair sideways.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault. It's my fault, they were only protecting me!"
"Sarah, please slow down, calm down. Tell me what happened." Reflexively, her eyes flickered to the floor, where the corpses were, out of the mirror's line of sight.
"Sarah?"
Damp cobalt hair matted with blood.
"They're dead," she whispered.
Slender tan legs marred with congealing gashes.
"Who, Sarah?" repeated Lord Death.
One wounded girl clutching her heart.
"Mom and Dad, Ferra and Chad Albarn are dead."
. . .
"I'm sorry Sarah," said Lord Death. From the just the tone of his voice one could tell he obviously regretted what had happened. "When you called me that night, I was going to send Sid and Nygus to retrieve you after the funeral." He looked off to the side. "But as you may know, you disappeared."
"Actually," said Sarah, "the night of their death is the last of what I remember." She looked down. "At least, for the moment."
*Five Years Ago*
A scream in the night, that's how it usually starts out. You climb out of your bed to see what's wrong, only to find dead bodies.
At first, Sarah stood staring in shock, but all that she felt afterward was pain.
Where was her big brother? Away at the DWMA, unable to help.
Mama and Papa meanwhile, had been slaughtered while she slept. She had woken up at the moment they breathed their last breaths.
"Run Sarah," papa had said, wheezing as the thick blood filled his lungs. But it was too late, their attacker had already rushed upon her from behind, using the shadows as an effective cover.
It was then she felt her head jerk back violently as she slammed into the mirror. Suddenly she couldn't breathe. Sarah grabbed for her neck. A hand. A thin, bony hand strangled her.
"You'll be a fine specimen," said the voice. It was unnerving, like hearing a pressurized gas leak near her head, a low hissing noise.
"Ngh," it was a struggle but she bit down on the hand, drawing dark red blood. The assailant screeched.
"You insufferable little brat." Irritated, the witch released her Soul Protect once again in order to attempt to subdue the girl. Though she was an inexperienced Meister, Sarah sensed the magic immediately. She swallowed, iron and copper coating her tongue and throat. Sarah wanted her Oniichan. He and their adopted little brother had gone to the DWMA a while ago.
It wasn't fair. If you were a Weapon, once you found out that you were one, they'd accept you. But Meisters, no they had to wait to be at least 13, when their already strong soul got a boost from the growth spurt.
Young Sarah trembled where she stood among the splintered glass. She wasn't like Uncle Spirit or Papa or little Daniel; she wasn't a scythe. It was clear to see that she was a Meister like Mama and Oniichan, but she was only 8 then—Sarah couldn't quite control her own soul wavelength yet, her soul was strong, but not strong enough. Not against a witch.
"Vector Arrow," said the witch darkly, several dark arrow shapes quickly darting towards Sarah. How was she to protect anyone, much less herself, being so young? If she couldn't at least defend herself against a witch, when she finally did enroll at the DWMA, how was she to get that last 100th soul? The witch's soul was most important, and now it seemed she was to die before she had a fair chance. But Sarah still refused to accept this.
No. Her reflexes went into action then, jumping to avoid most of the vectors, and twisted around in midair, and landing behind the witch. "Hup."
Underneath the black hood the witch wore, her golden eyes narrowed to slits. "What?" she hissed. It should have been impossible; the girl was too young to be that athletic. She spun around on her toes, and leaped backwards just in case.
Right now Sarah was determined, and almost nothing can beat pure determination. That determination seemed to spark a change. She could finally sense her own wavelength, and it was ready. Often she'd heard from Mama and Papa talk of Meisters who could attack with their soul directly, without need of a weapon partner. Sarah wanted to try that now.
Around her hand she built the charge, what was the attack called? Soul Force? An idea exploded, she wouldn't use her wavelength to give invisible blows.
"Vector Plate!" The screech ripping from her lips gave life to the spell. A giant glowing arrow appearing below Sarah, making her weightless for a moment before she was thrown in the direction it pointed—towards the witch herself.
Perfect.
"Hyaaaaaa, Soul Slash!" She compressed her wavelength into a flat line, the feedback changing the invisible force into more of an invisible blade. It sliced though the vectors like they were butter, catching the witch off-guard again.
"What?" she repeated.
Sarah leaped in front of her, and in a spinning roundhouse kick, delivered a massive blow to the witch's solar plexus, enhanced by a bit of her wavelength she added to it. "Hah, hah," she panted through an open mouth, jumping away swiftly, her hands already up in a Judo stance, ready to strike again. Holding her abdomen, the witch backed down, the dark red blood spilling over her arm. The villain retreated to the window she had smashed in, conjuring her broomstick in an instant.
"I'll come back for you later," she decided aloud, flying off into the moon.
"Wait! I'm not finished with you!"
Sarah was met by a low chuckle. "Expect another visit soon then, Sarah-chan," the words echoed into the night. Sarah was left staring into the darkness. When she was sure that she couldn't sense the witch anymore, Sarah went to her parents. Just lifeless and cold. But wait, something was wrong. Something crucial was missing that should have been there if they were truly dead. Sara reeled at the revelation, she couldn't sense their souls. She couldn't see them either.
Both their souls were gone. Stolen. The tears forced their way out of her eyes.
"You damn witch!" she screamed, the night air pierced by her despairing voice.
All my fault…
/
-Present Day-
"Good morning!" called Sarah, still wearing Maka's signature look. Kid had followed the three after leaving the Death Room.
"Hey Maka, Sarah, Soul, how are things?" asked Liz. "You look a bit down."
"Hi guys," said Crona shyly from behind Patty. Patty just grinned brightly.
"Things are, cool, I guess," responded Sarah none too enthusiastically.
"Yeah!" said Maka, trying to lift the mood, "We went shopping yesterday." She hugged Sarah, putting her in a headlock o' love. "Sarah's like my little girl, so I have to."
"A-Ane-chama!" Sarah exclaimed, embarrassed.
Ane-chama? Thought everyone.
"That's so cute!" yelled Patty. "Big sis, I should start calling you that."
"Really Patty?" Liz replied.
"Uh Huh!" Ah, the innocence of blonds.
"Hey, wait just a second!" announced Black*Star. "You can't just come up in Shibusen and steal MY crowd."
"Whatever Black*Star, I bet that 'cause I'm so much cooler than you, that your crowd will part faster than your hair when I'm done with you." Her voice had suddenly become so cold at the end of her threat that Black*Star shivered and hid behind Tsubaki.
"That girl's kinda scary, y'know? Like maybe Stein scary?" he whispered this to his weapon.
"I can hear you still..." Sarah's sinisterly smiling silhouette appeared behind him.
It's as if she's a different person, Tsubaki thought. The weapon-girl may also have imagined that she saw a flash of purple in Sarah's eyes.
"Sarah, slash!" Swiftly she brought the side of her palm rushing toward him, wavelength compressed so tightly that it was like a thin yellow ribbon of energy. It slashed though his hair and part of his cheek. By the time he looked up, a wide row of hair was gone and a shallow wound from his cheek oozed some blood. "You mess with me and you'll get cut into little stars. Got it memorized?"
"Whatever you say Sarah-sama," he replied shakily.
How out of character, thought Tsubaki.
"Wow Sarah, you can use your wavelength to attack?" Maka knew so little about Sarah that she was often astonished; she stared at the girl incredulously.
"Is that what I did?" Sarah murmured. "I just did what felt natural."
"I definitely think you're a Meister now," Maka replied.
"But there's no one without a partner right now," said Soul. "So I guess you're stuck."
Patty raised her hand. "Ooo, ooo! Maybe you could borrow me and sis?"
"What?" protested Kid. "Hey!"
"Yeah~" Liz interrupted. "Or maybe you could test each of us out, I mean maybe twin pistols aren't the best for you."
So the kids went outside to find out.
"Hey maybe I could duel some of you guys." Sarah pointed to Kid, Black*Star, and Maka. "Whichever weapon I fare best with should, like, fight with me when I need them!"
"Sounds good," said Kid. "Us Meisters should practice attacking without weapons just in case we don't have you guys beside us."
"I am not fighting my Sarah-chan," quietly announced Maka.
Tsubaki turned to her Meister. "Black*Star, do you want me to get Professor Stein so he could watch us?"
"Why not?" he cracked a mischievous grin. Black*Star pounded his fist into his palm. "I've been waiting to challenge this girl since she messed up my hair."
In only a few minutes the teacher arrived. "Each trial period should last about 5-6 minutes," Stein announced while sitting backwards on his swivel chair. "Don't strain yourself Sarah-chan."
"Hey, Professor?" Sarah looked to the teacher as he twisted the giant bolt lodged through his head.
"What is it?"
"I was thinking, since I'm an orphan...could you adopt me?"
The chair slipped from beneath him. "WHAT?"
"Could you adopt me?" repeated Sarah with an uncertain look. "I don't want Uncle Spirit to adopt me, he's such a scumbag. I can't believe he'd cheat on Auntie Kami!" She blushed as if she was asking a boy on a date. "So, could you..."
" ..." Stein dragged himself up off the floor and dusted off his coat. "Well sure, if you put it that way, I'll adopt you.
"Yay!" she clasped her hands together. "From now on I'm calling you 'Papa Stein', okay?" She put an inquisitive finger to her lips. "Wait, what was I doing again?"
"The duel," reminded Soul.
"Right," Sarah turned to the Thompson sisters. "Patty, Liz time to transform."
"Okay," said Liz.
"Alright," agreed Patty. In a flash of purple light, the girls changed into two pistols. Sarah caught them very easily, which was surprising because she'd never held a pistol in her life.
"Kid-kun fires with his pinkies," said Liz. "Just in case you want to try it, too."
It was then Black*Star jumped into the air and landed only inches from Sarah, planning to send her flying with his wavelength, but instead she turned just enough so that Black Star missed her completely. She fired several rounds into him (using her pinkies felt a bit awkward), and gave him a swift kick in the balls.
"Ugh!" he clutched the sensitive area. "No, fair..." he said, "Cheater..."
A shadow above her. Crap, she'd forgotten about Kid! The leg of his dark pants swung towards her head, and she ducked, shot him repeatedly and then gave a swift kick to his pale face. He head snapped back, white fire cutting at the base of his neck.
Damn, could she kick.
Black*Star and Kid scurried away and sat on the side, recovering from their assault.
"Sorry Kid-kun!" chimed Patty.
"Yeah, what she said," Liz apologized. The twins transformed back into their human forms and stretched. It was Tsubaki's turn now.
"Oh!" Sarah exclaimed in awe. "So cool."
"I can change into four weapons, actually," said Tsubaki.
"Really? That's just plain amazing!"
Not quite down for the count, the two Meisters struggled to their feet. Were they going to be sore in the morning!
"WOW," said Kid, absolutely relishing that he had used such a symmetrical word. "That wavelength's pretty strong," he paused. "For a human, at least."
"Well, not as strong as mine!" bragged Black*Star. "I bet she can't even take the enchanted sword mode! She wouldn't last five seconds."
Sarah frowned at the ninja. "Really? I bet you I can!" She looked to Tsubaki. "Enchanted Sword Mode, Tsubaki-chan!"
"Eto..." Tsubaki said, "Black*Star, is it okay, I mean..."
"Go ahead, Tsubaki! Let her pass out!"
"O-okay." Tsubaki transformed again, shining and shifting into a grey katana. The black shadow markings swiftly spread up Sarah's arms, her neck, her face.
"Get ready, boys," she said, taking a battle stance similar to Setsuna from Negima! Black*Star swore. She can take the Enchanted Sword too? This girl's unreal.
"It's okay Kid, you can use Liz and Patty if you want," said Sarah.
"Alright, L—"
"We got it we got it," said Liz before the young Shinigami finished. Kid caught them and crisscrossed his arms, pointing the barrels towards Sarah.
"Go," said Sarah, rushing at them with the sword. At first, when Kid came at her, shooting rapidly at her, Sarah used the sword to chop through the shots in several efficient swings. While she was distracted, Black*Star pushed her to the ground, her left knee hitting the stone pretty hard. Ignoring the pain, she blocked Black Star's next Soul Wavelength attack, kicked him again (this time in the face), and when Kid tried to take advantage of the vulnerability of her distraction, he was met only by the back of Tsubaki's blade and thrown back with a punch to the abdomen.
She shook her fist slightly. "You're lucky, Kid, that I pull my punches."
"Alright, fight's over," announced Stein with a catlike smile. She was an interesting one, wasn't she? He nudged Maka. "You see that Maka-chan? Can you see how strong her soul is?"
Maka nodded, and then squinted. "Actually professor...correction: souls."
Kid spat some blood onto the ground. "You called that pulling a punch?" he rasped.
"Did I hurt you, Kid-kun? I'm sorry!" she said this tenderly, helping the boy up onto his feet. Kid shook his head, but then decided against that when pain shot up and down his spine, leaving a burning in his neck area.
"I know, it's okay, I'm okay." he said, while peering at Sarah, his golden eyes blinking rapidly in disbelief. Since he was a Shinigami, naturally he could see souls, but was he seeing correctly? That's weird, he thought. She has two. No wonder. The first soul he saw was already strong. It was pretty big, its circumference only a bit taller than herself, it appeared to be a very pure shade of blue that shone exceptionally bright. Two fluffy wing-like structures fluttered at the top. A ring of blue hovered above it, glowing brighter than the rest of her soul. The wavelength emitted from it was gentle, but at the same time could be cutting if need be. However, Kid could see that within that, within her another soul shone. It was unnatural, the way it glowed, as if it didn't belong there. It was a very deep cobalt that glimmered, it's wavelength pulsing in rhythm to the first. Obviously, it was planted there, but how it was done, Kid could only guess. He blinked, and both souls disappeared from his view. Sarah most likely didn't know of the second soul she apparently owned. "Hey, Sarah," he said. "Why don't you fight with Soul? Maybe you two would make a better team?"
"That's cool," replied Sarah, before Soul had a chance to object. "I've never seen Soul and Maka practice before, so I guess it'll be a surprise." She walked up to him and winked. "Soul?"
He was snapped out of his daydream too quickly. "Um, okay."
Sarah smiled as she watched Soul transform. Yet, when she finally beheld the weapon placed before her, Sarah's heart thundered in her ears. Her lips parted as a fearful gasp was drawn in sharply. Soul clattered to the ground as Sarah dropped him and ran.
"I was afraid of that," Stein admitted, watching her retreating figure.
"Afraid of what?" Black*Star wondered aloud.
"Don't you remember what she said before?" Kid asked. "She was attacked by a scythe. It would be understandable that she 'd be afraid of Soul."
"So in other words," said Soul while Maka picked him up. "She wouldn't be able to fight with me?" His voice tapered off softly.
Stein took a long, lazy draw from his cigarette. "On the contrary." He continued to turn the screw, it's clicking seemed lonely and distant. "I've analyzed her soul data as well. Your, and Sarah's souls have extremely compatible wavelengths. Maybe even more so than Maka and your own."
"So, what you're saying is," Maka looked in the direction Sarah had run. "Her fear is the only thing holding her back."
. . .
Blurry, the whole world was blurry. Sarah kept on running. She was trying her best, so to the passerby, Sarah was little more than a swift blur. Warmth from the setting sun was already drying the tears on her face. Disorienting heat clung to her like a bad smell. Sarah stopped suddenly, dizziness swirling her already confused thoughts around. Why was she suddenly so afraid of Soul? She liked him didn't she? Hadn't he saved her?
But, he was a scythe.
Within a shadowed ally nearby, a twisted smile blossomed in the darkness.
Sarah shivered despite the dry, warm wind pushing at her back. She couldn't handle either fact right now, but it was stupid of her to have left, she quickly realized. Maybe she should go back; they were most likely worried. Sarah turned swiftly, walking back in the direction of the school. On her hurried way down the cobblestone path, she tripped over a loose stone but caught herself. It was then a shadow suddenly appeared from behind, and a cold prickling sensation bubbled across the back of her neck. Why hadn't she sensed him before? Sarah was afraid to turn around, but she finally did.
"You should be more careful Sarah-chan," said the gruff, chilling voice. For a moment her blood seemed to stop circulating. Her brown eyes were smoldering in disbelief. Her entire body felt frozen, a cold numbness had crept over her limbs. "I wouldn't want my precious girl to get hurt, now would I?"
William's steel-tipped boot came around, kicking Sarah in the gut.
"Glk!" Clutching her stomach she fell back, sinking to her knees. "Huff, huff." All of the air had been knocked out of her lungs in an instant. The young boy that was standing next to her attacker smiled, though the only reason he did was to stay alive—William would punish him if he didn't follow suit. William was always watching him, monitoring his reactions, telling her if he misbehaved at all. She wouldn't care much if William killed him, but still...
The beatings were becoming intolerable.
Looking up slightly, Sarah was too stunned to move. She looked to the floor. The reason she had tried so desperately to come to the DWMA...was standing right in front of her. The same reason Lord Death had wanted to speak with her after she had removed.
I deserve this, she thought, still recovering from the ambush. Sarah dared to look up again.
"Daniel," barked William, extending his left hand to the small boy. His companion flinched at the mention of his own name, twisted a finger through his ginger locks, and morphed into a long, jagged edged scythe.
Obedient as a dog, thought William with smug satisfaction. He caught the young Weapon, a smirk chiseled on his sharp features.
"Any last words?" William put one hand under Sarah's chin, making her gaze even higher. He raised Daniel high, the completely grey blade shining in the light. Daniel's small face appeared in it.
I'm sorry, thought Daniel.
I'm sorry, thought Sarah.
William grinned even broader. DIE.
Two solitary tears rolled down her cheeks as she whispered two words: "Why, brother?"
And then, clank of metal against metal. Sarah shivered, she expected to be dead. She should have been dead. But why was she—?
"Sarah."
No, it couldn't. She opened her eyes. "Soul, I'm sorry," said Sarah, looking at the blade staked into the ground in front of her. Soul's reflection flickered across the surface, and she suddenly felt calm inside despite the fact she had been seconds from death.
"Never mind that now, Sarah," ordered Soul. "Get up!"
Right, she thought, nodding once.
"What the hell?" William droned. "Who are you?"
Soul growled as Sarah picked him up and twirled him around.
"I'm Soul, you jerk. She's my friend." Sarah sprang backwards, away from the incoming swing William delivered. "And right now, she's my Meister, so back off or I kill you."
William snarled. "Don't be so confident. I'll be the one doing the killing, you impudent little Scythe." With an almost demonic look, he ran towards them, obsidian hair jostled by the wind, his eyes turning a violent shade of aqua.