SWITCHING

1 month, 3 weeks, 4 days after Asura

"Alright, look, we just got back two days ago! We were on our way to pick up a mission, but you intercepted us beforehand!" Maka was grimacing, her back to Lord Death. She couldn't believe how Agnes was mouthing off to him; firstly, because she was never usually like this, and secondly, because it was Lord Death. She dared to spare a glance at the shinigami, whose only response was to Reaper Chop the girl. Agnes pouted, much like Rudy would, before sighing and turning away from him.

"Settle down, my goodness! I just wanted to ask about the details of your remedial lesson - Maka tells me you encountered Free, and Rudy, you were left to defend against him?" Maka's shoulders sagged in disappointment - their mission had been successful, but Lord Death sounded miffed that she had abandoned the younger weapon.

"No, I told Maka to go and get me help. She isn't accustomed to wielding a sword, she can run faster and longer than I can, and I'm not very good at matching wavelengths with others. Which is why I paired with my sister. She saved me, really. But, while I was waiting for her to come back, I dodged a few ice cylinders. He headbutted me," she flicked the bandage on her forehead and frowned when she discovered it to still be a bit tender.

"But he didn't seem like he was coming after us. It was more like... Honestly, it seemed like he was trying to protect the witch he was with. She seemed scared." Rudy tapped her finger to her chin, recalling the fight. She knew that Free could have easily turned the tables on her, he could have overpowered her, but instead he stayed near the trees and allowed her to toy with him. Lord Death, as usual, gave nothing away.

"Still, we should probably keep an eye on him. You're all doing well, I presume?" Death the Kid chose this moment to enter, Liz and Patti at his side. Patti approached Agnes rapidly and the two began to wrestle, instantly clearing up her foul mood. Patti off-handedly greeted Rudy before returning to her game with Agnes.

Maka began to talk to Kid, filling him in on the small details. He looked thoughtful for a moment before repeating his question.

"Yeah, we're all okay. Maka was the big concern, since she still has some healing wounds, but she came out alright." Rudy supplied the answer for him, her voice jovial and covering the ire he knew was in her eyes. They had a staring match for a few moments before she was sucked into a conversation with Liz and Maka; Maka mentioned something about going shopping, and Liz joined in.

"Kiddo, maybe you'd like to join the girls on their next mission?"

"Nope, we'll be alright! The process isn't as scary now that we've seen it. We can do it solo! Besides, doesn't Kid have more important jobs to tend to?" Rudy jumped back into the conversation, hoping that Lord Death would accept her request. He seemed to think about it for a few moments before conceeding, beginning to talk to Kid about another mission that was a three-star. He dismissed Agnes and Rudy, who bid the sisters farewell.

"Wait, do you still want to go shopping?"

"Yeah, we'll go when we get back from our first solo mission! We'll bag our first soul!" Rudy waved back to Maka, who seemed worried - she knew she was still wiped out from that fight, she wondered where those two got it.

On their way out of the Death Room, Agnes noticed Crona waiting skittishly outside.

"Hey, Crona." They practically jumped out of their skin before blanching. They held up a shaky hand and gave an even shakier hello before trying to meld back into the shadows. Rudy would not allow this; she had been interested in Crona since their first meeting a month ago, and had seen little of the meister since.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for Maka." It was quiet, and if she hadn't been listening to them she was sure their answer could have gone unheard. She smiled and grabbed Crona's hand, pointing between herself and her sister.

"We never introduced ourselves before - I'm Rudy, and this is my sister Agnes!"

"I'm Ragnarok!" Black liquid shot out of the meister's back and formed into a small body that rested on their back. Rudy almost couldn't control her smile - this is what she wanted to see again. This strange substance that seemed to harden into an entirely different entity, seperate of Crona, and with a will of its own. Ragnarok, something about that name seemed so familiar to both of them -

"Hey, haven't seen you two in a while. What's up?" Kilik walked up to Agnes and high-fived her before bumping fists with Rudy. He greeted Crona, who returned it and skulked away - Maka had left the Death Room and was waving them over.

"Hey, Kilik, we just did our first mission!"

"Not really. That was a remedial lesson." Rudy faltered for a moment before regaining her footing, before Agnes swooped in to save her sister's ego.

"We're about to go pick out our real first mission. Would you like to oversee us? Lord Death recommended it."

Kilik hardly had to think about it before he was following them to the board - which was about three flights down and in the middle of the Moon section, halfway across the school. The Pots trotted along with them faithfully, the little shamans once again holding a silent conversation with Agnes through clapping and signing. Kilik and Rudy discussed her remedial lesson before they came to a stop. With a quick glance at the board, Kilik reached up and grabbed one of the easier missions - just a kishin egg in Poland. Knowing that they came from China and would have passports, he let them read it over and decide on their own.

"Okay, so now we have to go back to Lord Death and get some details and then we can leave tomorrow, right?"

"Afraid not. This time, right after you talk to Lord Death you'll go home and pack. I'll give you two hours and we'll meet at the airport - you know, the same one you went to last time. Poland is a lot farther than Vermont." Agnes almost got airsick right there - the thought of being on another plane for an even longer amount of time was enough to make it feel like Death City was wobbling like a plane taking off. The Pots took notice, tugging on her hands until she brought her attention back to them. Rudy looked at her sister and sighed.

"You head home and start packing... I'll deal with Lord Death." Agnes' eyes shined in thanks before she realized the underlying meaning in her words.

"I'll walk you home, it's on the way." Kilik began leading them out of the hallway, and before they rounded the last corner Agnes shot a nasty glare back at her sister, who was smiling and waving still. She stopped and clutched the mission to her chest before groaning aloud - she had to go all the way across the school again.

When Rudy had finally convinced Lord Death that they would be alright, after she had convinced Agnes that they wouldn't die on the plane, and after the second longest flight of their lives -China was 15 hours away on a good day, and Poland was 14- they set foot on foreign soil. Rudy took a deep breath and sighed, turning to look at her sister who was reading more about the mission.

They were in a dense forest, a few hours outside of Winniki and very close to the Poland-Belarus border. They were careful to give it a wide berth, lest any police arrest them on trying to pass border control. They were searching for a kishin egg that had been attacking people in Winniki, only to return to this very forest when chased off.

Rudy tried looking the material over, but maps didn't make much sense to her -and even if she wouldn't admit it, they made no sense to Agnes, either- and Kilik refused to help them. He kept telling them that it was their mission, and he was only there because of the Free incident. He kept telling them to walk around, and that they were sure to happen upon the egg.

"We don't want to be ambushed."

"Even if we're caught off-guard, that's kind of what Kilik is for. That's why you invited him, to be our safety net before we go out into the big world by ourselves!" Agnes ignored her sister, who often acted 'like a ham' in front of Kilik when Agnes was present, just to see if she could embarass her. She was keeping a distant eye on the Pots when then came scurrying back. They were handing her various leaves from poisonous and non-poisonous plants, as if testing her knowledge. She began to sort through them carefully, handing the Pot of Thunder poisonous leaves the Pot of Fire the safe ones.

She felt her sister's leg bump hers and she patted their heads, finished sorting the leaves. She stood up and felt Rudy's hand brush her own as she began whispering in Chinese, saying that the air felt wrong. Kilik heard the intensity in Rudy's voice and began questioning them, the Pots by his side at an instant, the leaves forgotten on the forest floor.

Somewhere beyond the trees they heard a whirring sound, like machinery being run. They were sure that no mill work was being done here, and so they waited to see if it would stop. It seemingly did after a few minutes, but Kilik stayed tense. A man burst from the foliage, chains wrapped around him and spinning at high speeds. He recognized this man as a former enemy - one of the many Arachnophobia agents. Rudy was in Agnes' hand and the Pots were on his fists, ready to attack without a moments delay.

"Well, look who we have here! Some academy students out playing grown ups?" His chains whirred again as he shot out towards the group; Kilik dodged to the right and Agnes blocked with her sister. She kept her cool as he upped his power before the force of it pushed him back. He sneered at the older sister before coming back at her, who matched blow for blow.

"Agnes, you gotta watch him - he's bad news!"

"Yeah, we kinda figured that! Nothing like an archaic, out-of-date weapon to get the blood pumping." Rudy's tone was toxic and he wished he could have seen Agnes' face. Rudy was always cheerful and Agnes was critical, but now Agnes was quiet as she deflected each blow. Kilik pushed his way into the fight, trying to take the heat off of the girls, but he soon went onto the defensive as Giriko -whose name came back suddenly after trying desperately to remember it- drove him back.

"Out-of-date? That's what they teach you brats at school, to disrespect your elders?" He shouted angrily, then he used his chains and ripped up the land around them, sneaking in a brutal kick to Agnes' stomach. He didn't expect her to completely ignore it, and he didn't expect what she did next.

Kilik couldn't see them in the cloud of dirt that had been kicked up, and he waited for it to begin to settle before he jumped back into the fray. Giriko seemed distracted by something, and Kilik got the upperhand. He landed a devastating and electric punch to his left, then a fiery punch to his right before kicking him back into the foliage from whence he came. Agnes watched, satisfied, as he ran away from them. She leaned on her sister for a minute, the kick getting to her, before letting her sister transform back. Kilik looked a little worn, but was unharmed aside from a few scratches.

"What was that all about?"

"Who was that guy?" Agnes questioned, probing Kilik's mind for answers. He was probably thinking along the same lines as her - that this attack wasn't a coicincidence, like running into Free and Eruka.

"His name is Giriko, and he used to run with Arachnophobia back when we were still trying to take out the Kishin, Asura. I only ever saw Justin Law take him on, so he's gotta be strong. Then you have the incident three days ago, with Eruka and Free - who used to serve Medusa. It seems like they're mobilizing for something, if we're running into them."

Rudy had wrapped her sister's arm around her shoulders, supporting her. That kick was meant to throw off her entire center, which it seemed to do because Agnes didn't bother pushing her away. Agnes took in everything Kilik said - so he had more field experience with all of these people than she had been aware of. She thought for a long while before pulling out the details of the mission again, handing them to Kilik.

"So, with that in mind, do you think there's even a kishin egg here? Or do you think that it was a sham to lure us here? His attack was much more deliberate than Free, whom we stumbled upon in the mountains in the States." Kilik hesitantly took the papers from her, both Pots gripping his pants. They were nervous to step away from him, in case Giriko decided to come back.

He looked over the information again, checking the maps and the vicinity of each attack to the forest. He marked their position and it seemed that the attacks happened right around here and the area directly outside of this patch of woods. He read the information again, the only claims being of a loud noise before they ran off. None of the people had been killed, and not all of them were injured when they returned home. This didn't seem like a normal attack pattern, at least, this wasn't a normal kishin.

"It doesn't look that way. We should probably head back home, then. Lord Death isn't gonna like this."

"Yeah, well, we're slowly becoming his least favorites anyway."

Not only was Lord Death angry, he was absolutely terrified. According to Agnes and Rudy, whom had been bringing him nothing but headaches, they had run into not only a prior Arachnophobia agent, but Giriko. He had been at the core of the operation, from what Justin Law had informed him. Not to mention he was vulgar and typically brutal in his attacks.

He was surprised that Kilik had accompanied them, especially after Rudy had made it a point to tell him that they didn't need extra help. The thought was swept away in relief that they had asked for help from someone more experienced. Kilik informed him of minor injuries they sustained before they were all dismissed, Lord Death requesting that they take it easy for the next week. Agnes would have formed a much better argument about how he had just threatened to kick them out two days prior for not doing missions, but decided to let it go in favor of nursing her bruised stomach.

Kilik had lead them out, the Pots hot on their heels, before telling them that he'd better get home, knowing that the shamans were most likely exhausted from their short battle - he knew they would be alright, but he tended to baby them after such an intense fight. He bid them goodbye and they began to head out of the school, when Agnes stopped and turned around. Rudy paused on the stairs, waiting for her sister.

"Agnes!" Tsubaki was running out of the school, following the duo.

"Tsubaki, how are you doing? Where's Black*Star?" Tsubaki sighed, explaining that he was in the middle of a remedial lesson. She was there helping him, of course.

"I had just wanted to see how you two were doing. Kid told me about your missions and we were worried about you two."

"We?"

"Me and Black*Star. Sid wouldn't let him out until he finished cleaning all of the bathrooms, so he asked me if I could catch you!" Agnes smiled and told Tsubaki that they would have the next week off from missions, and promised to catch up with them in school the next day. Rudy asked Tsubaki to tell Black*Star that she hadn't forgotten their bet, and that she would bag a soul before they did. Tsubaki laughed before heading back inside, and the sisters waved to her retreating form before descending the stairs. The sun was beginning to set over Death City, struggling to stay awake. It had been two days since they had left for the mission in Poland, and they had arrived here only hours before.

They were both tired from the plane ride and were having trouble finding the right alleyway to turn down. Rudy stopped before turning around, waiting for the presence that had been following them to reveal themselves. She was surprised to see Justin Law step out from behind a wall, the same, small smile on his face as usual. Agnes was right beside her, their shoulders touching the walls.

"Good evening, I presume you are Agnes and Rudy? Lord Death has told me all about your missions, and I have a few questions for you girls." Rudy twitched nervously, unsure of what to make of his confrontation. Was Lord Death sick of them? Did he send one of his personal weapons to kill them in this alleyway?

"What are you getting at, death scythe?" Agnes' voice commanded an answer, and Rudy shrunk back into herself. She was so scared she was sure Agnes threw a glance her way to communicate that she could hear her thumping heart. She swallowed hard and tried to breathe even, but she really wasn't ready to fight in this city.

"My question for you girls is, what did you plan to do after you made a Kishin? Or did Arachne just send you here and you blindly followed?" Rudy had transformed one of her arms into a sword and she was ready to lunge at him and tear him apart. Of course there was no plan, Agnes hadn't bothered to think of one because Ms. Mandy's servant, Mosquito, had told them all would be well. He saw the spark in Agnes' eyes and his smile widened before he held out a hand.

"I'd like you two to come with me. I can help you find what you're looking for."

"Did Lord Death think he could send an infant to kill us? If so, he made a mistake because you're apparently better at monologuing. If you don't explain yourself, we will cut you down here and burn you into nothing."

"Ladies, he is offering you something beyond the kishin." Mosquito stepped out from behind Justin, further confusing Rudy. Was this guy being serious? This wasn't a trap? One of Lord Death's very own personal weapons was trying to help them destroy the entire world? She put a hand to her head before glancing up at her sister, who was watching Mosquito.

"What is this, Mosquito. Can we trust him?"

The word 'trust' triggered a memory response in Rudy, recalling her last time playing basketball with Kilik and Black*Star and Soul and Tsubaki and Maka. As she was listing all of these people, each name brought new memories with each person. She recalled coloring an entire book with Patti because Liz had told them they couldn't do it all in one night. She thought about Maka's nasty Maka Chops when her and Soul argued over dinner while she and Blair sat back and watched. She remembered -with much more fondness- spending the night at Black*Star's because she had simply eaten too much food, and the two of them slept at the kitchen table.

There were even more memories, with Kilik and the Pots, her sister, even Crona and Kid. All of these people she had met had become her friends, and she trusted them far more than a death scythe who wanted the world to drown in madness.

"Sis, you can't possible choose this guy over our friends?" She said it quietly, and everyone's attention was on Agnes' response.

"They aren't our friends. They're our fodder."