Preparing for War!
"So remember students to be at high alert for any and all Kishin sightings," stated Quill from the front of the class. While he may have been facing the wrong way and addressing the blackboard rather then the students, they didn't mind. They were still understanding what Quill was saying and were intent to listening to him while he went on about the Kishin invasion. There was a unanimous hush over the students as all of them listened to every word hung on listening to the intent behind them. Even Shi was quiet.
"We have reason to believe that an incredibly powerful being is leading them," continued Quill, "someone who is on Lord Death's level, so I must insist that if any of you see this man or even feel his wavelength to run away as fast as you can get to a secure place and leave it up to Lord Death to handle the rest." The majority of the students nodded, the rest of them scoffed at the idea of running away, believing that they could handle a Kishin at Lord Death's level. "Finally, after today all of the shops will close down and the shopkeepers will leave and move to a much safer location for the time being until this attack is over. So please shop for a week, perhaps even a month's supply of food, water, and the like."
Quill then let out his own sigh as his arms dropped to his side as he continued his lecture, "of course, we have called more and more Death Scythes to the school to help us defend it. We have allocated them about to supply better support for all of the regions, but seeing as how we are currently lacking an actual scythe, Death Scythe...we have ordered them to consider Death City and the DWMA their number one priority. Two of them have already arrived and making themselves at home. I do hope that you'll help them see that this place is like a second home to them."
"Finally," said Quill with a sigh of relief as he was getting tired of talking to this group of student, he could feel their eyes burrow into him. "As a last note the school has decided to end all classes and have the students focus on the impending war." As soon as those words left his mouth Shi got up and ran out of the room as fast as ze* could. Melody shrunk down into her chair, embarrassed by Shi's six-year-old like behavior. Regardless of Shi's absence Quill continued, "please take this time to buy supplies, fortify your houses, and make up your own battle plan. We trust you to defend the home front as well as you possibly can." With that Quill closed up his book and left the room, he had his own problems to worry about. An attack on Death City was unprecedented. In Death City was a weapon more powerful then anything anybody has ever seen before, he doubted if even the H-Bomb was a match for Lord Death when he was in a bad mood. So for someone to recklessly charge in even with an army of Kishins, it seemed like a suicide mission and, yet...and, yet, Lord Death was taking this signal of war with the utmost care. Quill was starting to fear that whoever was leading the charge was truly a deadly competitor.
Michael leaned back in his chair. He didn't feel all too keen on war. He was really starting to panic in the idea about it. He only just recently got his first mission to hunt down a Kishin and he screwed that up and got killed, then they took on Marburg, and they nearly got their butts kicked, if it wasn't for Quill entering when he did...they probably would've had their butts beaten. Michael let out a sigh, "I think when this is done, I'm going to go back and visit my mother."
May perked up at this. Despite knowing that Michael comes from a pretty decent family and that he was an only child, she didn't know anything about his actual family. She never met them, the only thing she knew was that Michael performed perfectly fine without them. He went back to their house, every so often for a holiday. Which was something she couldn't say for herself. Her own thought jumped back to the idea of the war, which caused a certain uneasiness in her stomach. She didn't like the idea of going off to war. She knew that if someone attacked the school it wouldn't end prettily. Best case scenario was that the entire city got wrecked, several students wind up in the infirmary...and they are back to hunting Kishins like nothing ever happened.
Xander had a different thought of war. His normal arrogance easily convinced him that he'd be a hero. Ash would, of course, be just easily a hero, but only due to his strength. Xander had to chuckle and could already imagine the students of the city carry him about on their shoulders. Xander sighed as his own diluted fantasy got away from him. It took a less then gentle nudge from Ash to snap him out of it.
Ash shook his head. He didn't like war at all. Things tended to get dirty during a war. While everybody was imagining the gruesome ends and fighting. Ash was thinking about the streets littered with bodies and the buildings crumbled onto the ground. The dust and dirt and bones and earth and grime and sludge and mess and...and...and...and all the other gross items of war strewn about hanging from street lamps and houses. He hated those thoughts.
Michael, May, Melody, Xander, and Ash all left in a group. After the mission with Marburg, they had decided that sticking together would be wise. Xander stated that he felt like he and Ash didn't need, but he would be more the willing to help out May and Melody, making no promises to save Michael's or Shi's skin if they were in danger. Neither Michael nor Melody had any complaints. "I guess we should go shopping first...before all the good things get taken," stated Melody. The concept of a war had gotten her all riled up and on edge, probably the same feeling everyone else had. They all had the same emotions of nervousness and anticipation. This was either going to make them a hero and a great warrior or they would never see each other again.
The rest of the group agreed in solemn tones. They immediately bought a lot of food as much as Michael and Xander could carry which they felt was enough to last them through the war. May had offered to help, but Michael insisted it wasn't necessary. Following up the shopping treat for food and other rations, they went to the mall to May's insistence. May wanted to get some more clothing for the week that they would be holed up. And since none of them had any reasons to refuse the proposition, they all tagged along.
"These prices are a sin!" shouted a man from a couple of stores over. The group flinched immediately, they all raised their eyes and wandered over to the man who was raising the ruckus. He was an older man probably in his late 40's. He had an impressive build and was wearing a heavy black robe. He had on small round black glasses on which barely covered his eyes. He was banging his fists on the table, he didn't seem to be very serious, but all the same he seemed annoyed.
"I mean these prices are so high! Are you really planning on stealing from these poor men and women?" stated the man as he continued to make a mad rant. People immediately reacted all of them were gathered around watching the debacle. The man continued to shout, "these sinful prices! I am beginning to see a bit of avarice in you! What's next? Sloth? Wrath? Tell me which one of the deadly sins is going to make itself known in you?"
The group were beginning to become intrigued as they listened to him shout. One question was very common amongst the crowd. Just who the hell was this man? He acted like he was a big man and continually berated the man as if he was trying to win the argument by focusing on the man's weak points rather then the actual prices and those facts. Finally the man had emerged victorious getting the apples the vender was selling for only half price. He smiled as he left the place. While he was walking through he bumped into Michael, during that brief interaction he bent down and whispered into his ear, "kishin lover." Michael twisted around and looked at him, but was stopped by the rest of the gang, who didn't over hear the comment. Michael looked down at the ground, when he had bumped into him Michael had accidentally spilled some of their wares onto the ground.
"Hey, now that guy was just rude," stated May with a frown on her face as she began to pick up the less damaged, boxed items. Some of the items were just considered a lost and left on the ground like the broken cans of sauce. "I wonder who the hell is? Or who the hell he thinks he is for that matter?" She sighed as she looked Michael, who still appeared semi-dazed.
Ash arrived with the answer to May's question, "according to the buzzing of the other students around us. That man is Enma Judge. He picked the name out for himself and even changed it to his official names on all of his birth certificates. He is one of the Death Scythes Quill mentioned today during his lecture." Ash let out a brief sigh, "and he is definitely not someone we should mess with. He has the highest Kishin killing rates of all of the current Death Scythes and possibly the highest kill-rate ever. Rumor has it that he goes on monthly raids of possible Kishin hideouts and destroys them all without even breaking a sweat."
Xander gave Ash a look of disbelief, "please...those are just rumors. He probably just did once, and even then it was probably with the help of Lord Death or another Death Scythe and everybody just blew it out of proportion. Nothing to worry about. Personally, I think we should go up and beat the crap out of him with our bare-hands and make him apologize to Michael and pay us back for the damage to our food he caused!"
"No, no," said Michael calming his friends down as May piled more of the boxes into his arms. "Everything is fine. Not much was damaged, besides we'd probably drop most of this stuff on our way home anyways." Xander grumbled, but he knew in the end launching the offender was no good if the victim just shrugged it off. Xander shrugged as the group left and headed back down and away to their house.
They decided to hole up in Shi's and Melody's house, which in comparison to either May's or Michael's house as bigger and all in all the location was better then Ash's and Xander's. Ash's and Xander's were a bit of a longer jaunt from the school and far more isolated. With Shi's and Melody's house not only was it bigger, but they were also near a lot of other students so if need be they could help other students out or if they needed it, they could be helped out.
The group arrived at the house to Shi's loud hammering in the upper loft. They all flinched as they heard him going nuts upstairs. "Is it important that we now what he's doing?" asked May as she flinched as she heard a loud drill sound.
"I'm pretty sure he is just fixing up the room...maybe blocking the windows...maybe drilling a hole in the wall for no reason," said Melody with a frown. "Its kind of hard to tell with..." Melody was caught off from her speech by a girlish shriek. The entire group looked at Ash.
"Look at all of the filth on the ground!" shouted Ash pointing at the floor. Melody and the rest of the group looked down at what appeared to be a perfectly clean floor. There wasn't a single clop of noticeable dirt on the ground.
"I...I don't see anything," stated Melody. May and Michael nodded their heads in agreement. Xander simply brought his own palm to his face in disappointment. Xander quickly buried his head into his hands in shame,
"Are you crazy?" asked Ash, looking at them like they didn't know what they were talking about. "It is very dirty! Melody where do you keep your broom and dustpan." Melody opened her mouth to respond, but was apparently not fast enough as Ash continued talking, "never mind. I'll just use my own!"
Everybody remain calm. I know this is probably the worst thing that could happen, having a dirty house, but remember Ash is here. Anyways, the Kishin Lover comment from the Death Scythe will make sense in a future chapter (probably not during this arc), but soon after it. Just hold your horses. Not much action, just a little bit of what goes through these guys' mind (except for Shi's) during the preparation for a war. And, yes, you will see what Shi was working on during the next chapter.