Chapter 3:

After School Date!? Love Blooming at Shibusen?

A few days after the GHA students had come to Shibusen, there was a lot of talk of something going on between Shibusen's new teacher and a certain son of DWMA's founder. "Oi. Maka." Soul whispered to the girl as they sat in class, watching Stein dissecting yet another creature. "Did you hear?"

"Hear what?" She asked, taking notes diligently.

"There's a rumor going around school that Kid's started seeing somebody out of classes." He stated. Liz glanced back at them, having caught the conversation, Kid not in class today and Patty busy daydreaming. "Right, Liz?"

"Yeah, he's been acting strange, running off and leaving me and Patty to walk home alone." She replied. "It's not like him… he's all jittery and stuff too." She sighed. "It's almost like he's trying to hide something." Maka quirked an eyebrow and put her pencil down.

"But who would it be?" she asked.

"It's quite obvious." All three jumped at the sudden voice, looking up to see LaMuse behind them in her now usual seat. "It's Wrathie, of course~"

"E-eeh? Kid and Wrath-san?" Maka asked, eyes going wide. "Really?"

"Yes, Wrathie's been behaving quite similarly~" LaMuse chuckled. "Not to mention that she keeps glancing at Kid when we all have lunch together and whatnot~" she added. "And plus~ Wrathie never looks so nervous around anyone~ She must be in love~"

"E-eeeeeeh…" the others in on the conversation stared at the girl, then back to the front. It had just been confirmed by the Demon in all Red… Wrath and Kid must have been going out.

When the group went to talk with the GHA transfers, their reactions were all very different. "Wh-whaaaaaaaat?! Really?!" Aki exclaimed, looking ecstatic about the news, eyes practically sparkling. She joined LaMuse in their corner of flowery cheery auras. Tia and Yuuji were happy for the pair and joined Soul and Maka and Liz in the corner of "Good for them". But Satoshi was skeptical.

"Somehow I don't think it's really like that…" he said as they walked along and towards the lunch room, but he kept it mostly to himself. When they arrived, though, there was no sign of either Kid or Wrath.

"Weird, where do you think they went?" Tia asked, glancing around. "If they aren't here, did they ditch school?" she questioned, Satoshi shrugging in response.

"Who ditched school?" Tia jumped at the sudden appearance of Wrath, who looked irritated. "For your information, I was working in the library." She jabbed her younger friend in the side, causing her to hide behind her weapon partner who attempted to calm their "leader".

"Now now, Wrath-san." Satoshi said. "You know Tia always jumps to conclusions…"

"… That had better be all it is." She grumbled, walking past them and going to get food. They all stared after her, LaMuse's chuckle breaking the silence.

"She's so cranky~ But if she's been working, where is Kid-kun?" she asked. After a minute, they noticed Kid walking in, carrying books. "Oh? Kid-kun~" she waved, the boy walking over. "Did you come from the library?"

"Yes, I had some things I wanted to research…" he replied. "Why?"

"Wrathie was just there~ I wanted to know if you ran into one another~" she smiled. Kid's face colored a little and he shook his head before going to get lunch as well. "Ohoho, flustered~" she said cheerfully. "They MUST be in love and meeting secretly to do things~"

"LaMuse… don't jump to conclusions." Oliver stated to his meister.

"Aww, Oliver." LaMuse pouted at the boy. The rest of the lunch period continued with Kid and Wrath trying to avoid the subject of love that LaMuse insisted on bringing up.

That afternoon, Kid had "suspiciously" rushed off somewhere, and as soon as Wrath's class was over she seemed to vanish without a trace. The GHA students and Maka's group of friends had gone off to look for them, each with their own opinion on what was going on. However, according to Oliver, they were all just being weird, LaMuse pouting at the boy as he went back to their apartment to nap. Being that he was still young, he had no interest in whatever the others thought was happening between Wrath and Kid. So off the others went, to find out the truth that LaMuse insisted Wrath and Kid were hiding. The group split up with Liz and Patty pairing off with LaMuse, Maka and Soul going with Yuuji and Aki, and Black Star and Tsubaki pairing up with Tia and Satoshi.

With Maka's Group:

"So, why are we going to Wrath's apartment?" Maka asked Aki.

"Well, she's the type to invite people over rather than go to their place. She's not good with being out of space she's used to~" Aki grinned. "So, I think she'd go to her place than Kid's, or to a neutral place to meet~"

"That's a little creepy." Soul mumbled to Yuuji, who nodded in agreement.

"It's just how she's always been…" he replied. The girls kept talking and walking a little ways ahead. "Apparently, when she was little, she wasn't like that. She was just like any other little girl… but when her parents died, she got all introverted and she started acting weird." He shrugged. "But those are just rumors I guess… not too many people knew her back then."

"So, what, she just came out of nowhere and became your guys' military leader?"

"Actually, yeah." Yuuji nodded. "She wasn't even 10 yet when the leader of the GHA placed her into training as a Joker, all the kids looked up to her and wanted to be her friend." he added. "But… she didn't really talk to anybody, she just kept to herself."

"So she was just antisocial?"

"Nn, not really antisocial… she would talk to people if they initiated conversation. But she kept it short and she was pretty emotionless about most things…" he recounted. "Aki was one of the first people she called a friend outside the Jokers. And Tia, too." He stated.

"Hah…" Soul nodded. "And how old was she when that happened?"

"Mm, I'd say… maybe almost 4 years ago?" Yuuji mumbled. "So she was about 14."

"Hm…" Soul sighed. "Man, that's kinda complicated…"

"Right?" Yuuji nodded. "But… Wrath, despite being the way she is… she's always looking out for everyone." He sighed. "The Chartreuse Joker calls it Subconscious Reckless Self Endangerment. That's a serious understatement…"

"An understatement?" Soul asked. "How reckless could she possibly be?" To Soul, Wrath seemed the kind to think everything through before acting… or at least think most things through…

"Reckless enough to have jumped infront of a General of the King's army when she was only 7 years old to protect her brother." Yuuji stated simply. Soul's eyes widened a little. They'd just gone over General Class Poltergeists the day before in Wrath's lecture. Generals were extremely powerful Poltergeists, there were very few records about them because they almost never entered a fight. Even then, generals had many more abilities than a simple basic poltergeist. There were many rumors that Poltergeist Generals were born directly from the King coming into contact with someone's soul, sucking it dry until the soul was absorbed and the hold left was filled with a white orb from the King's own core. Wrath's only direction was NEVER to fight one.

"Generals are difficult to kill, even for a Joker. If you ever encounter one, you RUN. Do not confront them, do not attack them, just get away from them." Wrath had said. "Their fright pulse can paralyze and they have the distinct ability to pick your soul apart without killing you." Her voice had gone solemn. "If that happens, you won't be able to get it back…"

With Tsubaki's Group:

"So…" Tsubaki walked with Tia and Satoshi, Black Star having run off to do some training, not wanting to deal with chasing after someone else. "You and Wrath seem close, Tia-san." She smiled. "How long have you known her?"

"Well, I've known of her almost all my life. But I didn't actually meet her until I was 13." Tia smiled. "Wrath was… quiet… but she was nice~ She offered to buy me lunch after she saw me trip and drop my own… she helped me get books from high shelves when I was in the library…"

"Oh, I see~"

"But she was always avoiding talking about stuff like her family… no one pushed but…" Tia's eyes dropped to the ground. "But someone started spreading rumors around school… and Wrath got really mad…"

"Eh? She did…?" Tsubaki asked.

"Is there was one thing Wrath couldn't stand, it was someone badmouthing her family… against Headmaster's orders, she hunted the guy down and beat him till he was almost dead…" Satoshi stated. Tsubaki and Tia turned to him. "But she was stopped, thankfully, before it went any further…"

"Who stopped her?" Tsubaki asked, feeling quite concerned.

"… her little brother." Tia stated. "Axis."

"Her… brother?" Tsubaki looked confused. She thought Wrath was an only child. She never talked about it or anything. The others at least mentioned their siblings every now and again.

"Axis is also her weapon partner… all Jokers have their siblings as their partners." Satoshi stated. "… he's also the only person Wrath would never get mad at…"

"… I see…"

"Ah, enough sadness!" Tia exclaimed, shaking Satoshi by the arms and making her weapon partner dizzy. "C'mon, we gotta find them!" she grabbed Tsubaki and began dragging the two taller people as best she could to look for Wrath and Kid, trying to clear the air.

With LaMuse's Group:

Patty was wandering and "searching" for Kid and Wrath, but Liz wasn't convinced by her sister's efforts. "So, LaMuse…" the girl turned to the brunette. "You and Wrath seem pretty close… how long have you two been friends?" she asked.

"Hmm, let's see…" LaMuse pondered. "I believe its been almost 14 years now…" she pondered as they continued to walk. "Wrath was 5 when her brother was born… I met Wrathie the year before." She nodded. "It was nice, since I wasn't really allowed to have friends back then~ Father kept me inside and under close watch~"

"Eeeeh…." Liz blinked. "So… then why were you and Wrath introduced?"

"It was mostly because Wrath's mother, Misako-san, was having tea with my father~ Wrath's father was out hunting poltergeists with his partner~" she smiled. "She was so shy~ I haven't seen her be that quiet in so long~ So I really want to know if she's with Kid-san so I can make fun of her again~" she chuckled, making Liz quirk an eyebrow at her. She was pretty scary… "Anyway~" LaMuse smiled at Liz. "Where would Kid-san go?"

"Ah!" Both girls turned to Patty who was pointing at something. They looked and noticed Wrath and Kid walking down the street together, Kid seeming to be showing the girl around and Wrath smiling ever so slightly.

"Oooh, Wrathie is taking back seat?" LaMuse giggled. "Now I simply MUST know~" all 3 girls gravitated quietly towards the pair, following them at a distance.

With Kid and Wrath:

"I do apologize for having you show me around town…" Wrath said to Kid as they walked. "I've never been very good with new places… but since it seems I'll be staying here for quite some time, I didn't want to be too uncomfortable…"

"Not at all." Kid smiled at her. "You agreed to teach me more about Poltergeists, so I'm more than happy to show you around."

"Yes, well…" Wrath chuckled a little, her laugh pretty weak and listless, but… it still made Kid blush. "Educating others about something that "doesn't exist" to most of the world… it's what I do." She stated. Sensing that the subject was a little touchy, Kid cleared his throat.

"Um, well…" the young shinigami found himself tongue-tied. Wrath turned to look at him and smiled a little.

"Don't try so hard, Kid-san." She stated, placing a hand on his shoulder, making Kid jump a little. "So, shall I show you how to locate a poltergeist's core?" she asked. "There are two poltergeists within 300 yards of us right now." She stated. "A hands on lesson, even with unevolved ones, will be good for experience's sake."

"U-um, I don't have a weapon…"

"Its alright. You don't need to fight." Wrath smiled. "They're both only Delta Strains, there's no reason for you to worry." She stated, removing her hand from Kid's shoulder and turning to look at the two poltergeists who had suddenly appeared. "Now, Kid-san." Wrath stated. "Their cores… can you find them?" she asked. The poltergeists stared at the two for a moment, their faces twisting into grins before rushing at them. Kid stared, trying to "see" the cores. "Don't look for them, feel them." She stated. "Their fright pulse is nothing special, just focus."

"R-right." Kid stated. After a moment of concentrating, he could feel something emanating from the poltergeists. They both charged Wrath at once before Kid could say anything, the girl grabbed both Poltergeists by their heads and slammed them together, a grinding sound coming from their heads.

"Kid-san. When fighting poltergeists, speed is essential. If you have even an inkling of where the core is, speak up." She stated calmly. "It's usually a correct assumption, anyway." She pulled the Poltergeists apart before slamming them back into one another, the grinding sound now accompanied by a crackling noise. "Of course, don't try and touch them directly…" she added, her soul flaring out a little. After another moment, the crackling got louder and suddenly the poltergeist ectoplasm dissolved and the cores were left in Wrath's hands. Two white orbs. She turned to Kid and smiled. "Here, feeling one directly makes it easier." She placed one in his hand, Kid's eyes going wide. There was a powerful energy coming from it.

"This… is fright pulse?"

"Yes." Wrath nodded. "Quite something, isn't it?" she took it back from him and placed it in her pocket. Kid nodded and realized Wrath was kind of staring.

"Ah, my apologies… shall we continue the tour?" he asked. Wrath's eyes went wide.

"You… aren't afraid of me?" she asked.

"Eh? N-no no." he shook his head. "That… is part of your job, right?" he asked. "As a Joker… and a member of the GHA…" he smiled. "I admire you for that." Wrath's cheeks flushed a little red, the girl looking shocked. He wasn't scared… he wasn't afraid of her…

"… Thank you, Kid-san." She smiled. A real, genuine smile crossed Wrath's face and Kid felt something. What, he wasn't sure… but… he felt something. The two began walking again, seemingly unaware of the three girls following them around.

((Finally updated- ; 7 ; I apologize for the delay.

I hope you all like the little bits and pieces of information I've been dropping in about Wrath ; u ;'' ahaha-

Anyway, I'll do my best to continue updating the fics when I can~ Hopefully you all enjoy look forward to reading more~

-Winter Cheshire))