I've been super busy with school lately, so I haven't been able to update. If you're reading this and would like to make a suggestion or ask me to write another story, just PM me. I have a list (still ongoing compilation) of fandoms that I belong to if you would like to visit my profile and request a story. I don't care if it's just a one-shot, or you would like to challenge me to do something(I'll write just about anything that's requested). Just want to let you curious souls know.
-Sincerely, Zara-Chan
A/N: WARNING-this chapter has a mention of drugs. Just letting you know if you are very sensitive to the subject. Also, be warned of feels(because of the drugs and Karietta's curse; I explain it some more in this chapter).
Stein sat at his desk, absent-mindedly grading student work. Class had yet to start, and a few kids sat in the back quietly chatting as they waited for the bell to ring. Stein tuned out the world around him. He was obsessing over the strange, charcoal gray creature he had seen the night before. He went through all of the books in his personal collection, searching for references to what he had seen. However, Stein wasn't just obsessing over it, he was fantasizing about dissecting it; not good.
Karietta, oddly, was well rested that morning she remembered more than any previous night, however, she was less haunted by that fact. She no longer had dark circles under her eyes, and she was dressed and made up as pretty as possible. In fact, she felt so good that morning that she was at school twenty minutes early.
She walked into class and smiled at Stein as she entered.
"Good morning, Professor Stein!" she chirruped, bouncing beside his desk.
Stein jumped out of his seat, keeping his balance pretty well, considering his history with wheeled chairs. Karietta worried for a few moments that he wasgoing to lose his balance, so when he swung a fist at her, she barely dodged, getting clipped in her wounded side. She leaned over, grasping her side in pain. She felt something wet trickle through fingers and pulled a hand away slightly so only she could see it. Her fingers were spotted with bright red blood. She replaced her hand and fled the classroom. Stein's eyes followed her with soul perception.
"How did you get such a scar?!" Nygus exclaimed, peeling the bloodied side of Karietta's button-down from her body. The claw marks had scabbed last night after she had consumed the kishin egg, but Stein's punch had torn the scabs open on the two lower lacerations.
"I... I accidentally got myself caught on a pitchfork at a friend's farm..." Karietta lied, looking away as if she felt foolish and ashamed.
"When was this?" Nygus asked, pulling on some rubber gloves and pulling out an alcohol wipe packet. She shook it, tore it open, and pulled out the wipe.
"Just last- Ah!" Karietta gasped as the alcohol in the wipe stung her reopened wounds. Nygus blurted an apology as she continued sanitizing the sensitive area. "Last weekend."
Karietta gasped through her teeth, making a hissing noise. Nygus simply looked up at her while still wiping Karietta's side. "I-I think th-that's enough..." Karietta stammered through stings in her side.
Nygus pulled away and turned towards the cabinets. "Just making sure it was clean..." Nygus trailed off when she heard Karietta shriek. She turned around as fast as she could.
Karietta tried to cover herself with only the clean side of her button-down, but failed and fell onto her injured. She let out a squeal of pain, and rolled onto the floor, letting out another pained squeal.
"What are you two doing in here?" Nygus demanded of the redheaded perv and the silver-haired man next to him.
"Lord Death would like to speak with Karietta." Spirit responded; he had already noticed that the usually punctual Stein was a little off today.
"Alright, let me just finish up with her Nygus replied, turning around and grasping Karietta's arm to help her up. Nygus started to peel Karietta's button-down off when Spirit noticed the claw marks on her side. He quickly stepped forward, swiftly removing his suit jacket.
"Here, you probably don't want to see Lord Death in bloody clothes." Spirit said, proffering his blazer.
"Th-thank you..." Karietta stammered, accepting the proffered jacket.
Spirit turned and grabbed Stein by the arm, dragging him along towards the door.
Once they were both outside the door, Stein seemed to rise out of his stupor, if only a little.
"What was that about?" Stein inquired, pushing up the heavy frames of his glasses.
"What do you mean?" Spirit asked, leaning against the wall.
"You know what I mean," Stein hissed.
It was true. Spirit did know what Stein was asking him, but he didn't want to tell his old meister the truth. However, he also didn't want to lie to him.
"Stein... You know me," Spirit quipped, not wanting to answer.
"Yes, and I know you wouldn't just give your jacket to a girl, especially if you could-"
"I didn't see you offering your coat," Spirit interrupted. Here was the good ol' guilt trip. "I can't see you being fine with speaking to Lord Death with no shirt on; and Karietta's a girl, I doubt she wants to walk around with no shirt. And it would be disrespectful to Lord Death if she was wearing a bloody shirt."
Spirit didn't know why he was so protective of Karietta. Was it because she had been kicked out of her home? Or because she had saved Stein and himself, nearly dying in the process? He couldn't pin-point the cause.
The bell rang. It was almost a minute before Spirit realized that Stein had budged.
"Hey, Stein. You should probably get to class." Spirit suggested, pushing himself off of the wall and turning to his silver-haired comrade.
Stein nodded, leaving down the corridor. Spirit leaned back against the wall.
"Um, excuse me..." A timid voice spoke, barely missing sliding off of the end of Spirit's hearing spectrum.
Spirit looked for the source of the voice. He found it in a crack in the door.
"You ready to go see Lord Death?" Spirit asked as Karietta timidly entered the hallway, adjusting his blazer's position on her shoulders.
"Yeah..." She mumbled, fidgeting with the sleeve for a few moments. She finally looked up at Spirit.
"Don't worry, I didn't tell him." Spirit said, standing straight and leading the way down the hall.
"H-how do you know?" Karietta asked.
"I recognized the scars on your side. You saved Stein and I from having our asses handed to us by that kishin."
There was a moment of silence before Spirit spoke again.
"While Stein and I were looking for you, when visited the address in your files." Karietta looked up at his back in surprise, before lowering her head in shame.
"So, you've met her..."
"Yeah," Spirit stopped and faced Karietta. "I can't believe your grandmother kicked you out." Karietta hugged herself tightly at the comment.
"That was my mother..." she whispered, tears pricking at her eyes and threatening to spill.
Spirit was shocked. That was... her mother?!
"She's a heavy drug abuser, especially meth."
Spirit nodded; now that she said it, it made sense.
"So why'd she kick you out?" Spirit asked while he began walking backwards.
"Because of my curse..." Karietta began tugging on the blazer sleeve trepidatiously. Spirit's eyes grew wide.
"Is that why..." he trailed off, not wanting to say something to offend her.
Karietta nodded meekly. "Yeah, I'm cursed to transmute into my 'true form'."
Spirit thought about it as he took a couple of lax steps backwards. "Maybe by 'true form,' it means your weapon form."
Karietta looked up at him with large eyes. "W-what?"
"Well, think about it, you killed a kishin last night, with nothing but your bare hands."
Karietta chewed what Spirit had said, slowly soaking in the figurative flavor and nutrients it had to offer. She paused, the clacking of her hard-soled Oxfords on the hard wood flooring nothing more than echoes now, and even they had ceased.
"So then, all the people I've killed... had left the path of humanity?"
She looked up at Spirit, tears of sorrowful joy forming a semi-domed meniscus on her lower eyelids.
Spirit wanted to hug her, and so he did.
And that's it for now! I just wanted to get something up. Rate, review, or not. I won't judge!
-Zarathna
P.S. My Slender Man poll is still open if you'd like to cast a vote! Thanks for your participation in this story!
