Chapter 2:
Class in Session – The Demon in all Red?
Wrath was sitting around and in the classroom ridiculously early this morning, it was only 5:00 am and she was just sitting there drinking her morning tea. A little wisp ghost floated around her until the door opened and a man with gray hair and a screw in his head was standing there. The wisp vanished and Wrath stared at the man, who stared back in return. "Good morning, Ryugazaki-sensei."
"Sir, please don't call me that… That is the title my uncle goes by…" she stated, placing her tea cup down. "… However." She looked up at him. "It's nice to see someone who actually thinks of me as a teacher, unless you're just being polite."
"Now why would I do it just to be polite?" he asked, walking over and staring at her. "… Did your mother happen to mention me?" he asked, noticing a look of recognition on the girl's face.
"Yes, she did." She handed Stein an envelope. "Franken Stein, a boy Mama held in regard as a brother while she was here…" she stated simply. "… I'm only sorry you could not have said goodbye in person…" she bowed her head to Stein.
"… It could not be helped." He stated, staring at her. "Well, anyway…" he turned back to the door. "Good luck today." He stated. Wrath just let him leave, staring blankly at the empty seats of the classroom. She let out a sigh as the wisp went back to floating around her.
"Luck has nothing to do with it, Stein-san…" she whispered, picking her tea cup back up before drinking. "It has to do with confidence…" she closed her eyes and felt her mouth curve upward in an almost unnoticeable smile.
The students all filed into the room, Wrath not speaking a word. The clock ticked, and finally, just before the cut off time, the heard the door slam open, glancing up to see Yuuji, Aki, Tia, and Satoshi rushing in and taking their seats. She just watched them, all four bowing their head to her once at their desk, looking a little bit scared. But she simply stood up and turned to the board, writing something on the board. "Good morning, everyone." She stated, underlining the words she'd written. "Welcome to Poltergeist Sealing 101."
"Poltergeist?" One student asked. "Like, ghosts?"
"Yes, that's right." She stated, looking up at the student. "How many of you believe in ghosts?" No one raised their hands. "None? Good, then I might get a good reaction out of you yet." She took out her gun and aimed at the blackboard, firing it and waiting for the smoke to clear. A large amount of notes were now written there on the board, some students gasping in awe. "Now, to start… We have classifications of ghosts. Poltergeists, the dangerous type. Wisps, the type the GHA employs. And lingering human or animal ghosts, freshly deceased and who have not become poltergeists." She stated, motioning to the three types.
As Wrath was lecturing, Kid sat in his seat, watching her. But soon he heard something whispering in his ear and turned, but he saw nothing. Then he heard it in his other ear, turning and again seeing nothing. He looked confused, but went back to watching the lecture Wrath was giving. But soon there were more voices, and he was getting a little freaked out. "Stop there." Wrath stated, looking right up as Kid looked up to see her aiming her black gun on a chain at him. "I did not ask you to speak yet, little ones. Stop hiding." A whole swarm of little wisps suddenly materialized around Kid and flew off in other directions, phasing through walls and desks, avoiding people. "Goodness, this is why I didn't want them all here at once…" she mumbled, going up to where Kid was. "Are you alright?"
"Y-yes, I'm fine." He replied, noticing that she seemed… almost worried about him. She bowed her head and reached over, pulling a little clinging wisp from his shoulder. "Oh…"
"I apologize for that…" she stated. "They are all young, so they have yet to learn any manners." She walked back down to the front of the room and began her lecture again, the little wisps soon returning and floating around the people. Once she'd finished explaining about how to identify poltergeists, she moved on to their stages. "All poltergeists start out as wisps." She stated. "But they are charcoal gray or black in color, as compared to white or pale gray." She stated. "As for their next stage…" she paused. "Ah, well maybe I should show you." She opened her pocket and pulled out a little white capsule that had a stamp of a black wisp on it. She dropped the orb on the ground and it changed into a black blob-like jelly figure, about one foot tall and rather round looking with stubby arms and legs.
"Waaah! So cute!" A few girls squealed as the pseudo-geist looked around, smiling emptily.
"This is stage 2." She stated. "Don't worry, this is what's called a pseudo-geist." She stated, noticing a couple of students looking shocked. "It's meant for performing demonstrations." She added, patting the little one's head. It flopped around a little, looking considerably adorable, almost child-like. "Then we have the third stage…" she looked at the pseudo-geist, which nodded its head and changed into the next stage, showing the process as well. Its body morphed and the legs vanished while the arms extended, the claws growing sharp and blade-like. "This is the base form of any high-level poltergeist." She stated. "No legs, but spindly arms and wisp-like forms." She poked at the head of the pseudo-geist, her pointer tip sinking in. "They are made of ectoplasm… Who would like to attempt to attack this creature?" a few students volunteered, going down to the front of the room.
"I'll go first!" But the attack of the blade did nothing. "Whaaa?!"
"Me next!" Again, no result.
"My turn!" Nothing happened, the pseudo-geist floating there doing nothing.
"Cutting them, punching them, shooting them, all of which do nothing to harm their bodies." Wrath stated, staring at them as they all looked so confused. "Ectoplasm absorbs physical attacks, and most all soul-based attacks are minor inconveniences to strong poltergeists." She added.
"S-so how are we supposed to fight them?!" Someone exclaimed from the back of the room. But before Wrath could answer, Kid raised his hand.
"Yes, Kid-san?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Would it be to attack their core…?" he questioned. The little poltergeists had been whispering to him about the "center" and the "core", telling him various things about it being weak. Wrath's eyes went wide in surprise, all four of her students turning to look at where Kid was, Yuuji giving him a thumbs up and Satoshi nodding his head. Tia chuckled at Wrath's face and Aki smiled.
"Th-that's correct." Wrath stated simply, turning back to the board and erasing what was there, replacing it with information about Poltergeists' Cores. "The core of a poltergeist is its weakness. Its core can be seen as a white orb inside of its body. The location varies greatly, but the main point is that the core is the only place you can attack that will cause serious injury to a poltergeist." Wrath looked up and noticed Maka raising her hand. "Yes, Maka-san?"
"How are we supposed to find the core?" she asked.
"By feeling it." She stated. "Poltergeist cores put off tremendous amounts of what the GHA calls Fright Pulse." She stated. "It is a reason many people fear ghosts in the first place. Fright Pulse causes the body to react and makes us afraid, even when we can say we aren't. The stronger the poltergeist, the stronger the Fright Pulse…" she paused. "It's almost like Madness, in a way." She stated. "But, you can use Fright Pulse as a mechanism for finding the core." She added. She checked the time. "That will be all for the day, we will continue tomorrow." She stated. The class filed out of the room and Wrath sighed, looking exhausted. Aki and the others went over to her, smiling.
"Great job, Wrath." Tia smiled. "Shall we go get some lunch?"
"Can we?" Aki asked. "I'm starving!"
"I suppose…" Wrath said, pausing when she noticed Kid hadn't left yet. "Ah, Kid-san… Is there something I can help you with?" she asked.
"Ah, um…" Kid paused for a moment before nodding his head. "It's about the wisps, actually…" he mumbled. All the little wisps from earlier had clung to him once everyone else left the room. "They don't seem to want to let me go…"
"Ah… that's not good." She said, helping him remove the little ones as her students looked on. "I am sorry about them, I didn't realize they were so attracted to Shinigami souls…" she stated, shooing the little ones away. She heard Yuuji whispering something to Satoshi and turned to glare at him, making her students duck behind their partners. She sighed at them as Kid spoke.
"Would you perhaps… like to come eat lunch with us?" he asked.
"Eh?" she turned back to him. "Lunch?"
"Yes, um… Maka and the others were thinking that we should sit with you at lunch…" he stated. "I-if that's alright with you all, of course."
"Yeah let's go let's go!" Tia exclaimed, grabbing Satoshi's arm and dragging him to the cafeteria, Aki doing the same to Yuuji and leaving Wrath and Kid alone in the classroom. Wrath just sighed again at her students being ridiculous, muttering about their behavior before she and Kid started walking.
"They seem very enthusiastic." Kid stated. "Are they always like that?"
"Most of the time." She nodded her head. "Yuuji is a bit of a trouble maker… as is Aki… but they're both good people." She stated. "And then as for Tia and Satoshi… they're both kind of bookworms, though Tia more so." She stated. "Satoshi only acts like a delinquent with Yuuji, since they're friends… they make each other worse." She sighed. "But…" she noticed Tia waiting at the end of the hall with Aki and the boys, waving frantically like a little kid. "They mean well…" that ever so slight smile appeared on her face and Kid's cheeks colored a little, having never seen her so… well, it wasn't quite happy but it was definitely not depressed or upset like she had been.
"You seem close." He stated.
"… You could say that." She chuckled a little.
"Come on, you two!" Tia called to them, waving cheerfully. "Let's go!"
"Tia, calm down!" Satoshi said, not wanting her to fall over or anything as she waved at their "leader" as they still called her. They hurried over and headed to eat, Wrath and Kid ending up falling behind the enthusiastic foursome.
Once the school day was done, Wrath had wandered off to do patrols as her students went to have some fun with Maka and her group, Kid having returned home to do some work. "Was Wrath-san really so busy?" Tsubaki asked.
"She said she had to patrol, but…" Tia pouted. "I think she's just looking for an excuse to be all by herself." She crossed her arms. "She's always running off and doing things unnecessarily-" the group paused when a group of students from DWMA who had picked fights with the GHA students earlier as well as a few more surrounded them. "Oh great." She pouted. "More meanies."
"Tia, stand back." Satoshi stated, standing in front of his partner. Aki let Yuuji step forward as well, Soul and Black Star confronting the people in front of them.
"What do you want?" Soul asked.
"You punks should leave us alone before you get yourselves hurt." Yuuji stated. The students paired off and changed into weapons to fight or wielded their partners, Maka and her group tensing and preparing to fight when something slammed down in front of them. A giant hammer.
"Oh my, oh my~" she cheerful voice rang out. "How troublsome~" the hammer changed back into a person, the boy rolling his shoulders as he glared at the people around the group. "Oliver~ Shall we show them why they shouldn't mess with the GHA~?"
"As LaMuse-sama wishes." The boy stated, the girl stepping forward, her red and white wardrobe off set by her sweet blue-green eyes and chocolate brown hair. The DWMA students who had attacked the GHA group all froze, looking horrified.
"Th-that's…!"
"RUN!"
"IT'S THE RED DEMON!"
"GYAAAAAA!" They all fled, the girl tilting her head and removing her hat once they fled.
"Oh good grief." She sighed. "And here I was just going to tell them not to be mean to my kouhais…" she shrugged, holding her hat at her side. She turned, smiling at the group. "Tia, Yuuji, Satoshi, Aki~" she chuckled. "My dear little kouhais~" she hugged onto them all, nearly suffocating them all except Aki, due to her height. "How I have missed you~!"
"L-laMuse… senpai… let go… please…" Tia stated, flailing as her face began turning blue. Satoshi had already been nearly suffocated and Yuuji was almost at that point as well. "I… can't... breathe…" LaMuse let go quickly and the four GHA students fell to the floor.
"Ah, LaMuse-san…" Maka stated. "I thought you weren't feeling well…"
"I wasn't~" LaMuse smiled. "But seeing as my precious kouhais were in danger, I HAD to do something~" she giggled. "After all, Wrathie is busy patrolling and can't come to the rescue right now, neeee~?" she spun around and hugged onto Oliver, the boy just standing there as his meister clung to him. "And Oliver wanted some exercise too~"
"A-ah, I see…" Maka replied, having only heard rumors of LaMuse's frightening skill as a fighter. She knew that the girl had also come from the GHA, but to think that she was so close to the new transfers was a little shocking.
"LaMuse." The group turned to see Wrath standing there, staring at the brunette girl in red. "What did your father tell you about running rampant? And misusing Oliver's powers?" she asked, looking slightly annoyed.
"Wrathie~!" LaMuse dove at her friend, only to be dodged and to fall onto her face. "Awww, so mean~" she chuckled, Oliver just sighing at his meister. "Wrathie, give me a hug~ I demand that you agree~"
"… I'm sorry but I must refuse." Wrath stated, bowing her head deeply to LaMuse. "Even if you are the reason I've had to come here, I cannot agree to hugs." She added simply, as if this had happened countless times before.
"No no, Wrathie you must!" LaMuse pouted at her friend. "Or I'll tell them about your-"
"If you do that I'll have to tell your father that you are spending all your money on sweets, LaMuse." She retorted. The girl in red pouted and swayed back and forth.
"Wrathie you're soooo mean to me~" she complained. "I haven't seen you in a whole YEAR, why must you run from me when all I wanted was a hug?"
"Because your hugs have suffocated your underclassmen." She stated, motioning to Yuuji, Satoshi, and Tia who were all still trying to catch their breath. "You do not understand how powerful you really are, LaMuse…" she sighed. "I still have the bruises from the last hug you gave me before you ran off…" she added. LaMuse just kept pouting at Wrath until Maka spoke up.
"Um…. So…"
"Ahhh, right right~" LaMuse turned to Maka. "You see, you see~ My father sent Wrathie here to keep an eye on me~" she said cheerfully. "Because my father's the leader of the GHA~"
"EEEEEEEEEEH?!"
"Yes so…" Wrath sighed, having invited Maka, Soul, Tsubaki, Black Star, Liz, Patty, and Kid over for tea, LaMuse looking cheerful that she had gotten her way and was sitting on a comfy arm chair, Oliver sitting on the arm of the chair, staring at the wisp ghost floating around him. "Basically, I was sent to baby sit…"
"Awww, don't call it that!" LaMuse complained, waving a finger at her friend. "You're supposed to say you missed your best friend and that you needed to come see me so you begged father to let you come here~"
"… Never." Wrath replied simply, sipping at her tea as she sat next to Kid, where Tia and Liz insisted that they both sit. "Besides, LaMuse." Wrath pulled out a folded paper from her jacket pocket and looked up at LaMuse with a sharp, scolding look. "What's with these grades?"
"Ahhh, no no don't look at those~" she stated, trying to grab the paper back. Wrath held it away, sighing. "You haven't told Father, have you?"
"No, but I should. How did you, a Straight-A student at the GHA, drop to a C-grade student?" she asked, looking bothered by the fact. "You've been slacking off since you don't have supervision." She scolded. LaMuse pouted and ate another piece of pastry. "Don't think that I will allow for you to continue this." She said.
"No no of course not." She pouted. "But you're so mean…. YOU get to be a teacher, you don't have to take classes like I do…" she complained. "Father's so mean~ And Wrathie is too~"
"Oh, stop that…" she sighed at LaMuse's pouting. "You're supposed to be a dignitary, stop acting like a little kid…" she mumbled at her friend, the others laughing a little at the comedy act going on between the girls. This was nice. Things were peaceful… for now.
((Second chapter of the day, and yet this is just a way to procrastinate from my paper ahaha-
A-anyway~ ; u ; Hope you enjoy it~ Installment number 3 coming soon~
-Winter Cheshire))