(Author's Note: This was supposed to be up yesterday afternoon but, first, our heater died - which is no fun when its negative degrees outside - and then the internet was being stupid! Eventually I gave up... but here it is!)
Chapter Seven: Can Maka Crack the Whip?
Five months, three weeks, seven days.
At exactly the moment that Black*Star and Kai were facing off with a kishin in Florida – though Maka had no idea – she was crossing off yet another square on her calendar. It was one of the cheap ones you can buy in any supermarket with some sort of European boy band staring at her from each picture. She didn't know who they were, but Rosario hadn't really cared when he'd bought it for her, just acted as if her disdain for the 'gift' wasn't deserved.
After all, Maka knew he'd gotten it to apologize for being an ass. Unfortunately, unlike when Soul tried to apologize to her, Rosario hadn't even begun to try to find out an appropriate way to make it up to her and went with the easiest way he thought possible: buying things. She'd just about had it with the Spanish weapon and his perversion, his too-thick charm that practically made her sick. Just resonating with him had made her soul feel slimy. Not to mention, he often stayed out too late and brought slutty, drunk girls to their apartment. On those nights Maka made sure to go out and take extra-long walks, sucking up her anger and frustration for the sake of gaining more strength.
It was on one of these nights Maka had met Brie.
The French girl had been one of the many girls Rosario had brought back to their apartment to have his way with. Something about the young female had Maka immediately feel protective, so she did what was natural to her and confronted Rosario. The electrified whip had glared at her, cussing at her silently with his neon blue eyes, and said that his business was his business, and if she wanted to have a say in his business, she'd meet him in the bedroom.
Of course, Maka never was one to put up with someone's shit for long.
This is why, four months and three days after the Japanese meister's departure from her beloved weapon, she found herself switching weapons for the second time. Brie, much to Maka's surprise, was a student at the DWMAE, a scythe. The two girls bonded quickly, falling into their friendship as if they'd know each other for years. Though Brie was shy, the petite French girl had a penchant for alcohol that surprised Maka. She didn't look it, only making it to Maka's chin when standing tall, but she could drink with the best of them. Her perfect blond ringlets contrasted sharply with her reputation.
So, Maka had moved from Rosario to Brie – from pervy ass-hat to innocent drunkard.
"It's time for school!" Maka shouted sharply, having finished her private morning routine and beginning with breakfast. Much like Soul, Brie was particularly difficult to wake up. It wasn't until Maka went into her roommate's room and shook her awake that her brown eyes opened, slightly red because of her late night the night before. She winced, rolling away from Maka and groaning. Hungover.
"Maka!" Brie whined, reaching towards her nightstand and patting around for her glasses. "Please shut the light off!"
The ash-blond just shook her head and put two Advil and a glass of water in her weapon's hands.
"Not today, Brie." Maka rolled her eyes as she grabbed the pillow her friend had been trying to cover herself with. "It's Thursday, remember?"
"Shopping!" Brie squealed, jumping out of bed and downing the Advil and water like a shot. The girl, much to Maka's amusement, was ready in about ten minutes flat afterwards, and the two began their trek to school. Brie's apartment was a tad farther away from the DWMAE than Rosario's had been, but Maka would have traded anything to get away from the Spanish weapon. A little farther walk was an easy choice over restraining herself from murder on a daily basis.
As they walked Brie gushed on and on about what kind of dress she was looking for. Yesterday they had been given an envelope by one of their professors that held an invitation to the Exchange Program ball in the Land of Mirrors – Lord Death's own domain – in the Shinigami's own mansion! After seeing Death the Kid's manor in Japan Maka knew that his father's must be something grand. After all, Kid had some rather expensive tastes, and while Maka wasn't often impressed by expensive things, there was definitely something about the young Death god's home that appealed to her.
She frowned as she wondered how Kid was doing with his new weapons, and whether or not he would make an appearance at the ball. Team Maka had all been too busy to talk all together on the mirrors lately so she had no way of knowing whether or not he was. In fact, she wondered whether or not any of them would be coming. Black*Star, in America, seemed to be dragging his weapon around on missions 24/7 – the poor girl – while each of her other friends were throwing themselves into their own missions and studies. Tsubaki, in Africa, had told Maka that she absolutely loved her new meister. He was a drastic change from Black*Star, she'd said, though she did miss the blue-haired assassin terribly. How couldn't she? The bond between weapon and meister was strong in each of their group.
Maka's hand clenched as her mind turned to her own weapon. Soul was stuck in Russia, and it seemed the DWMAR was quite the change for him. For one, it was in an old abandoned prison. They didn't get to choose their own missions there, nor did they get to leave without permission. Soul's free spirit was practically suffocating – the only thing that made it better was his fabulous meister and he and Maka's weekly calls. It wasn't as if he was being mistreated, but she knew him like he was a part of her and could see that he was definetly suffering.
She hoped he would be allowed to leave so she could see him this weekend.
"Maka," a voice pierced the meister's thoughts, "if you keep frowning like that you're going to get wrinkles!"
Green eyes blinked for a moment, her feet pausing as she was brought back to reality. She focused on Brie for a moment, rooting herself in the present before smiling with a closed mouth.
Brie, for her part, was wiser than Maka gave her credit for. The corners of her mouth turned up as she raised an eyebrow, "Thinking about Soul again?"
Blushing, Maka rubbed the back of her neck with one gloved hand and avoided the weapon's probing eyes, shaking her head and mumbling some curses under her breath. This was as much a verification as any words would have been. Brie snickered and nudged her friend with her shoulder, starting to walk with her towards the castle that served as the DWMAE. It was on the outskirts of the opposite end of town, taking nearly half an hour to get there when walking. The two girls enjoyed the rest of the early morning, a spring in each of their steps as they cheerfully discussed their after-school plans. Both of them had decided to take some time and buy a dress for the ball so they could each look their best.
"It looks like it might rain today," Maka remarked with a bit of worry, wondering how they would get their dresses home if it the sky decided to give the earth a shower today.
Brie, also turning her eyes to the clouds, hummed. "We should have brought our umbrellas."
At that moment, as they rounded the last bend and the DWMAE came into sight the rain began to pour with a passion. Within seconds the two were soaked. They took off at a sprint, splashing through the mud and giggling as they ran to the old castle and hurried through the doors, dripping water as they pushed open the heavy wooden doors. Though the outside of the castle gave off the impression that it was abandoned, the inside was warm, inviting, and surprisingly well furnished. Maka stopped to catch her breath in the entryway, still laughing at her weapon began trying to shake herself off like a dog in an attempt to get dry.
One of the many mechanical maids that serviced the DWMAE wheeled herself over and pushed warm towels towards the two girls, another coming with a tray of hot chocolate. This was one of the many perks the DWMAE had: their headmaster was a genius inventor. It was rumored he was descended from Eibon himself, but Maka doubted it. She had, after all, had heard too much about the ancient wizard to think that he would have ever in his entire lifetime had children between trying to achieve immortality and building all his magic tools. Then, after Kid had told the rest of Team Maka about actually meeting Eibon, she was nearly 100% sure that her new headmaster was just a very smart meister.
And that he was.
The DWMAE was furnished with some of the most technologically advanced robots Maka had ever seen and ever would see – ranging from the maids to the teachers. Many didn't even appear to be made of metal. The blond meister had a difficult time deciding whether or not she found it creepy or comforting that most of her professors charged their batteries at night instead of slept, so she tried not to think too much about it. Soul probably would have thought it was cool, she thought.
"We won't be late for class if we hurry!" Maka wrapped her towel around her shoulders and began trotting down the stone hall with Brie's curls bouncing close behind her. Their first period of the day was a sort of Physical Education class, but it was more about the two girls making sure their soul resonance was a strong as it could be. Maka and Brie hadn't yet attempted any of Maka and Soul's special techniques, but their goal had been to start this morning.
Luckily the pair barely made it into their classroom – an old ballroom – before the church bell that was mounted atop the castle began ringing to signal the beginning of classes. The two snickered together, finishing drying off and handing off their towels to a nearby mechmaid. Their professor barely paid them any attention, instead talking with Rosario and his new meister.
Maka glared across the room at the duo. Seeing them was her least favorite part of the entire class, especially when his new vixen of a meister seemed to think Maka was some sort of trash. The girl was tall, azure eyes with enviously long eyelashes brushing her cheeks as she blinked. Black hair, tall, curvy, the typical mean-girl that Maka disliked just as much as she did the weapon she now was wielding. Not only was she more offensive than Black*Star, but her boobs made Maka feel self-conscious about her flat chest – though she'd never admit it.
Brie cleared her throat next to her, taking her glasses off of her face and folding them before placing them in the front pocket of her shirt. A hand was offered and Maka took it, feeling the shape of her friend change more than seeing it. Just like Soul, Brie was a scythe. Unlike Soul, however, Brie's handle was engraved gold that had pale pink gems as flower petals set into grooves, coupled with green glass that filled other grooves, giving her the appearance of a vine-covered golden staff. Her blade was crystal clear, but sharp and strong. She was much flashier than Maka was used to, but she rather liked the way her friend flashed as she sliced through the air.
"Alright, let's go soul resonance!" Maka huffed, getting into the movement and building up her energy. The second their souls began resonating she felt the sparks, attempting to shape her wavelength to Brie's like Professor Stein had tried teaching her before she'd left Japan. It worked, their resonance building, their souls growing larger and kicking up a ring of dust around them.
Maka held her ground, pulling Brie back over her shoulder with gritted teeth. A hum began deep within the blade, Brie beginning to sing a little bit as she kept up with the building power. Maka let out a shout, feeling the resonance reach its peak and Brie beginning to change. Everything was trembling, sweat wetting Maka's neck as she struggled to keep her soul fitted to her weapon's own.
Now, Maka's instinct urged her, release Witch Hunter.
Maka held, straining for that next level with all her might.
With a shout, Brie grew hot in her hands as their resonance fell to pieces. Witch Hunter exploded into a million shards of pearly glass, hurling Maka through the air and into one of the stone walls. Brie, now back to her human state, kneeled on the ground, pale. Pain spread through Maka's shoulder and she winced as she stood, rolling her shoulder to work out the kinks. Her face felt hot as she saw the rest of the class all staring, having stopped their activities to watch. With her chin held high she walked back over to Brie, kneeling beside the heaving girl. "It was my fault, I held it too long," Maka gulped, a feeling like dread mixing with her frustration and causing her own stomach to churn with acid.
Brie stared up at her, her freckles seeming stark against the paleness of her skin. "Are you kidding? That was amazing!" Her eyed danced with excitement as she unsteadily stood, wobbling until Maka took her arm and supported her. "It's my fault for not being strong enough, if anything!" Brie sniffed embarrassedly, flushing as she looked at her feet.
"Well, personally, I think you're both at fault. Techniques like that are for strong meisters and weapons."
Maka's blood ran hot, she turned to look at Rosario and Eliza. The two had walked near to enjoy the spectacle, and Eliza was clearly enjoying the embarrassment. Her ruby-red lips smirked at the two and Maka stood a bit straighter, stepping slightly in front of her weapon friend. Despite being a self-confidant party girl, Brie was extremely sensitive to what other people thought and said. The meister narrowed her eyes.
"What do you want?"
Rosario answered this time, looking too much like a snake for Maka's liking. "Just to give the new partners some tips. You've only been together for what, three months? And you're already trying techniques such as that?" His grin grew, teeth seeming sharp in the light, "You haven't even gone on a mission yet and everyone knows you're both failures."
Blood boiling, Maka was about to take a step forward and tell Rosario exactly where he could shove his advice when a hand on her arm held her back. She half turned, surprised to see the determination in the short French teenager's eyes as she glared at her adversaries. Brie held out a hand to Maka, saying one thing telepathically to her meister when she transformed back into a scythe. "Let's do this."
It was Maka's turn to smirk as she returned her gaze to Eliza and Rosario, now holding her scythe lightly in her hands. "If you think we're such failures, why don't you duel us? It's not like you have anything to lose."
Eliza's eyes widened, but she took Rosario's hand without question as he transformed his own form. He was now a coiled whip, blue sparks traveling up the length of his braided rope. The two meisters backed up and faced off, all the other students backing up and the professor coming to the front of the group to supervise.
"We're done with your shit, Eliza." An image of Brie glared out from the blade, black and white.
Their foe smiled a too-sweet smile, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took in the determined look in Maka's eyes as she swung Brie around and stood in her fighting position, scythe blade skimming just a few inches above the stone floor. Rosario crackled, Eliza releasing the coil and flicking him out to his full length. The two meisters met eyes, tension building, before suddenly they were clashing.
Immediately everyone in the room, including the professor, took a large step backwards. Sparks flew as Eliza attempted to keep Maka at a distance, her fighting style more like ballet than attacking. A fierceness had settled on her face, a snarl making her perfect lips pucker. Those who knew enough saw through her façade. Eliza was on the defensive, cracking Rosario and doing her best to keep Maka and Brie at a distance. While the whip was useful at a distance, the scythe was deadly at close distances. Brie deflected another slash and came in close, chopping off a length of Eliza's hair as the meister barely was able to duck out of the way. The whip-wielder squealed, throwing her hands up as, suddenly, the scythe was pressed to the side of her neck.
Maka stood there, her face a mask of resolve. Eliza trembled before her, lower lip jutting out, eyes burning with what could only be described as fury. "You're done, Eliza." Our hero said, hefting Brie over her shoulder. "You both are."
Just as Maka turned her back, Eliza shrieked and brought Rosario up and cracked him, whipping the rope at Maka. Sensing the attack rather than seeing it, Maka twisted her arm without turning and brought Brie parallel to her back, then flicked her wrist. The result was a swipe that was so forceful Rosario was blown back into his human shape, tumbling several feet towards Eliza's feet.
"Done." Maka said again, green eyes flashing as she turned her head.
Eliza seethed, Rosario groaned, and the rest of the class cheered.
The rest of the day passed with much less excitement as the partners went from class to class, waiting for the day to end. Every time they exited a classroom there was a crowd of people waiting to congratulate them on the duel, each glad that Rosario and Eliza had been put in their place. As Maka listened, she learned that the two had been off-and-on partners since Eliza had come to the DWMAE. Suspicion began to crawl through her as small pieces started coming together: something was definetly fishy about her being paired with Rosario if he had a present meister. It twisted with her questions about the entire Exchange Program, her doubts, her confusion at the ball. Why would Lord Death have a ball if he wanted the new pairs of partners to resonate efficiently? She knew that seeing Soul would make her wavelength match with his again automatically.
Finally the end of the day came, signaling the beginning of what Brie had been gushing about all day: shopping. They walked into town, Brie practically bunny-hopping the entire way to the dress shop in her excitement. Maka had a bit more on her mind than looking her best, still trying to fit the Exchange Program into her head and make sense of it. Lord Death was always doing strange things, she suppose. He was a pretty strange guy, even for a Shinigami. So what if she couldn't make sense of his plans, right? There had to be some reasoning behind what looked to be illogical.
Dress shopping went by equally quickly, Maka coming away with a purple dress with a sweetheart neckline, shimmery and practically embodying midnight. Brie, of course, got a pale blue floor-length number that showcased her petite curves and shimmered as she walked. Both girls walked away feeling confident that they would look their best this weekend, though Maka was still mainly preoccupied with what she was unsure about.
Still, she was left to consider: what was Lord Death playing at?