A few things to clarify before we get into the chapter.

I understand there's significant difference between the anime and manga for Soul Eater. So just so everyone is aware, I have only ever consumed the anime and I am basing the Soul Eater world in KH:R off the anime as a result.

Soul Eater world is also post canon, for reasons that will become clear in future chapters. I say this now rather than letting the story reveal it because it's been some time since I've seen the end of the Anime, and while I am working through it again now, I haven't finished it yet. I'll try to stay ambiguous on details, but if there is something I get wrong, I hope this explains why.

Finally, I wrote this in spurts over the past several weeks, and finally made a huge push and finished only a few minutes ago. It's five AM where I am, I'm tired, but impatient to get this chapter out. This is a straight up no edit adventure, unless I fix things after the fact once I'm more awake later.

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy!

-VengfulFate

The student body watched as well as they could through Beacon's windows, even after the strange dog-like beast chased that first-year prodigy out of sight. Most of the student body, if you counted Mercury Black as one of the student body. While everyone else was still in awe as the battle began in the courtyard, Mercury was already halfway back to Cinder's team's guest dorm.

Emerald broke away too, intent on looking for Cinder to get her opinion. She reached the dorm shortly after Mercury, in time to see him packing his bag. Cinder was temporarily forgotten as she called out her partner, "what are you doing!?"

"Getting the hell out of Dodge," Mercury told her, not slowing his packing.

Emerald scoffed, offended on her boss's behalf. "You're just going to abandon us?"

"Don't pretend this isn't everything you wanted," Mercury shot back, "me gone so you can have Cinder all to yourself. Wake up, Sustrai. She never cared about you, she only cared about keeping you loyal."

"You're right, I do want you gone," Emerald admitted. "But it's not my decision. You think Cinder will just let this happen?"

"I think the thing Cinder is becoming won't care," Mercury told her. "I want to survive. And I'm starting to think sticking around here will only get me killed. Possibly by Cinder's own hand." The assassin hefted his packed bag over his shoulder and walked toward the door.

Emerald stepped in front of the door, blocking his path. "What on Remnant are you talking about?" she asked.

"You cannot be this blind," Mercury shook his head. "This new power of Cinder's is driving her insane!"

"Because she was such a charitable saint before the Darkness," Emerald pointed out.

"Yeah, she was always a cruel witch," Mercury nodded. "But can you really tell me she's always been so… vicious? Using us as guinea pigs, obsessing over her new power… She's on a dangerous path, and I'm pretty sure we just saw a glimpse of how it will end."

"You mean that giant dog Grimm?" Emerald questioned.

"That thing wasn't a Grimm," Mercury countered. "It was Ironwood."

Emerald stuttered, but quickly shook her head. "I'll give you that there was a humanoid shape in the cloud the monster came from, but you couldn't possibly tell it was Ironwood."

"You can take one look at someone and figure out if they're worth stealing from, that's your talent as a thief," Mercury explained. "I can take one look at somebody and figure out if they're my target. Even if they're in rags and hiding in dark alleys, I'll have studied them enough to know. That's my talent as an assassin. And Cinder has had me studying Ozpin's group since the moment she recruited me."

Emerald bit back a snide remark. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't honestly say he was wrong. "Okay, maybe that thing was Ironwood. What does that have to do with Cinder?"

"That black cloud he was in felt a lot like the boss's 'Darkness'," Mercury revealed. He finally pushed Emerald aside and reached for the door. His hand stopped as he gripped the knob. "Look, I don't think the Cinder we have now is the same Cinder we swore our skills to. Maybe you should get out too, while you still have your life."

Emerald was only unnerved for a moment before stealing her resolve. "No… no, you're just justifying your own cowardice. I won't be shaken so easily."

Mercury rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You can't say I didn't warn you. That's enough to keep my conscious clear. See ya, Em." He opened the door…

"Going somewhere, Mercury?"

…and was met by Cinder's cold glare.

To his credit, the assassin didn't panic. Only sighed in disappointment with himself. He knew he was already caught, and so he didn't try to lie. "As far away from Vale as possible, as fast as possible."

"Is that so?" Cinder scowled. Her eyes shifted from amber to yellow.

Mercury didn't even blink. "If you're going to kill me, just do it."

Cinder appeared to take a moment to consider her options, though it was only play. "Very well."

Mercury was blasted back into the room, slamming against the far wall and crumpling onto the ground. Cinder stepped into the room and closed the door, taking a brief moment to be thankful that the entire school was focused on the courtyard, and would be blind to this corner of campus. Dark flame began surrounding her as she stepped towards Mercury, who was slowly and defiantly finding his feet.

Mercury's eyes flitted Emerald's way. "You can't say I didn't-"

The Steel Assassin was engulfed in black fire before he could finish his sentence.

This is bad.

Ruby turned to Blake and watched her teammate begin to scan the castle with widening eyes.

This is really bad. I need to control this situation before it gets out of hand!

"Blake!" Ruby called out, suddenly taking her faunus friend by the shoulders.

Amber eyes filled with questions turned Ruby's way.

"So… you know how we were just talking about how if I gave you strange orders, you would trust I'd have my reasons?" Ruby brought up tentatively.

Blake's eyes narrowed. "That was ten seconds ago, so… yes…?"

"Good," Ruby nodded, "I need you to stay quiet."

"Pardon?" Blake recoiled.

"I'm serious, Blake!" Ruby pressed. "If someone tries to talk to us, let me do the talking. If anyone asks you strange questions then deflect, pretend to be mute if you have to, but do not answer, not even to say 'I don't know'!"

"What's going on?" Blake asked.

Ruby shook her head, "and for the love of all things holy, no matter how weird things may get, do not ask any questions of your own!"

"Why?" Blake questioned.

"Please, Blake," Ruby pleaded with her hands clasped together. "This is probably the most important thing I will ever ask of you… I need to hear you promise!"

"WAHOOOOO!"

The shout brought the pair's attention to a figure currently falling toward the courtyard, having to have leapt off one of the castle balconies. A boy with wild blue hair and star tattoo on his shoulder landed with a heavy slam before standing slowly.

Everyone stared wordlessly at each other until the boy finally spoke up. "Speechless, huh? Not that I blame you. It's not often you get to stand before such a big man like myself."

The generous brag was more than enough to loosen Blake's tongue. "I'm sorry, who are you?" she asked to Ruby's ire.

"Blake!" Ruby scolded quickly while holding her index finger over her lips. Sure the dude sounds full of himself, but he could also actually be the most famous person in this entire world!, the Keyblade wielder fumed silently. She turned to face the man, trying to mend bridges. "Sorry about that! We're just a little stunned is all… you really know how to make an entrance!"

The boy crossed his arms before responding, "you're one to talk. That explosion of yours shook the whole school. It took everyone's attention away from my grand speech!"

"I'm sure they were devastated," Blake replied dryly, rolling her eyes at the boy's obvious arrogance.

Ruby was stuck on an entirely different part of the boy's response. "Attention…?" She looked toward the doors of the castle and, sure enough, a crowd was beginning to gather. "Uh oh…" she had a bad feeling about this. "Look, we're just travelers passing through," Ruby tried to invent quickly. "We're sorry if we caused a commotion, we'll be on our way." The young wielder tried to pull her team mate away from the castle and the crowd at its base.

"You know, I never did answer your question," the boy spoke, stopping the pair in their tracks. "'Who am I?'"

Ruby turned again, trying her best to be cordial. "That really isn't necessary…"

The kid threw his hand up, pointing toward the sky and shouting, "I am the man who will surpass God himself! The biggest man you will ever meet! The world's greatest assassin, the legendary Black Star!" His arm slowly dropped until he was pointing at Ruby and Blake. "But most importantly… I'm the big man who's going to kick your butt!"

"WHAT!" Ruby reeled.

"You didn't think you could steal my thunder and walk away, did'ya!?" the kid, Black Star apparently, hollered. "I got a reputation to uphold!"

"Black Star's playing into his reputation, all right," was briefly heard from within the crowd by a bored sounding male voice.

The comment provided insight, but was otherwise ignored by Ruby, who was still trying to defuse the situation. How does Master Kairi always manage these things without starting fights? "You don't need to do that! The thunder is all yours! We're not even fighters!"

"Ruby, what are you talking about?" Blake's confusion continued to rise, "we attend-"

"Blake, you are really not helping!" Ruby cut her team mate off through her teeth. "Please just be quiet…"

"Oh, but do tell 'Ruby'," an authoritative voice broke through the crowd. Ruby followed the voice to a tall man with stiches on his clothing and skin, and an actual screw stuck through his head. "What are you trying to say? Perhaps that that's an oversized toothpick on your friend's back? Or perhaps that the armor fragments you wear are just for show?"

Ruby froze. She suddenly went from dealing with an overzealous and stubborn kid closer to her age to an obviously intelligent man who clearly didn't trust her. She already had a hard time responding to Black Star. She had no idea how to answer this man.

"Your silence speaks volumes, but there are other ways to answer my questions," the stitched man spoke confidently. "Tsubaki," he called a girl nearby with a star design on her clothing matching Black Star's tattoo, "I think your partner needs you."

"Right," the girl Tsubaki nodded before jogging toward Black Star.

Another girl in more traditional school dress and twin-tails stepped next to the stitched-up man. "Are you sure about this, Dr. Stein?"

"You think we shouldn't test these two, Maka?" 'Dr. Stein' asked in return.

"Not that," the girl named Maka assured, "but are you sure this should be handled by Black Star?"

Dr. Stein only took a brief second to consider his answer. "Black Star's self-aggrandizing nature may make his attempts at stealth difficult, but when it comes to a head-to-head fight he can back up most of what he says. If anything, what most people see as his greatest flaw may be his greatest strength in a fight. It makes people underestimate him."

"All that hardly matters anyway," the bored sounding boy from before, sporting white spikey hair, stood next to Maka. "Once Black Star gets worked up like this, it's just hard for him to hear 'no'. Simple as that."

"You definitely have a point there, Soul," Maka responded to the boy.

Only bits and pieces of this conversation were picked up by Ruby or Blake, who were more concerned with Black Star and his apparent combat partner joining him. Ruby didn't see any way out of this fight anymore… Even running away would only start a manhunt for them, and it wasn't easy to hide in an unfamiliar city. She turned to Blake, hoping against hope the girl would actually listen to her this time. "Stay out of this fight."

Blake couldn't believe her ears. "I'm not just going to let you fight alone!"

"I'm serious, Blake!" Ruby laid into her, quietly so the people around them couldn't overhear. "This isn't a polite request! Too many of my rules have been broken today already, and those rules forbid me from allowing you to interfere here!"

Blake did take a step back. She wasn't used to Ruby laying down the law like this. Despite her numerous questions about her mysterious leader, the faunus still respected and ultimately trusted her. Blake didn't want the two of them to be angry with each other, and she could tell Ruby was at her wits end regarding whatever aspect of this incident Blake herself currently didn't understand. So she simply nodded and got out of the way.

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief before turning to her apparent opponents. "I appreciate you giving me a moment with my friend."

"Wouldn't be fair of me to strike you in the back before you're ready," Black Star told her. "I'm too big a man to resort to cheap tricks like that."

"It's still appreciated," Ruby assured him. "Do you two need a moment as well?"

"HA! As if!" Black Star raised his arms, "Tsubaki!"

"Right!" The girl jumped into the air and began glowing pure white. Once she was pure light, she shapeshifted into the form of a pair of hand scythes connected by a chain that always seemed to be whatever size it needed to be. Black Star caught the chain scythes and settled into his combat stance.

Blake's eyes widened. "Wait, how did she-?"

"Blake!" Ruby cut her off. "No questions, remember?"

Blake shut her mouth and looked around, quickly realizing that no one else reacted to a girl magically transforming into a weapon for someone else to use. An idea began to form in her head… a stray thought that seemed impossible, but would explain so much if it was true.

Ruby took her own combat stance, summoning Crescent Rose into her hands. Blake noted that Ruby's power did elicit a reaction from the crowd. A harsh murmur spread quickly, and the word 'witch' could be picked up frequently. Maka was one of the few to stay mostly silent, her gaze locked onto the Keyblade in disbelief. "That sword…"

Black Star made the first move. He threw one end of the chain-scythe, which flew perfectly straight at Ruby. The Keyblade wielder deflected it easily, keeping her eyes on her opponent. Black Star grabbed Tsubaki's chain and yanked. Ruby was quick to pivot and block the returning scythe blade. Black Star kept the chain taut, locking the two weapons together. Using that leverage, the self-proclaimed assassin pulled himself through the air toward Ruby. Ruby took one hand off her Keyblade, turning the palm toward the approaching assailant.

"Reflect!" The barrier expanded outward from Ruby, pushing the scythe blade off her Keyblade as well as blocking the new attack. Black Star was still airborne when the barrier burst, knocking him back a fair distance. Black Star was agile enough to land on his feet, and quickly recalled both scythes to his hands. He ran toward Ruby and assaulted her with rapid strikes, each one easily blocked by a Ruby solely focused on defense.

Her strategy wasn't missed by her opponent. "If you stay on the defensive forever, you won't win!"

"I didn't even want to fight!" Ruby reminded him.

"Then you've already lost!" Black Star goaded, suddenly pulling Tsubaki's chains. Ruby failed to notice them slowly saturating the air. The chains wrapped tight around Crescent Rose, keeping her from moving her weapon.

Ruby growled. She was already mentally exhausted from helping Penny, dealing with Ironwood, fighting War Dog, and accidently jumping with Blake to another world, all without break. Ruby liked to think she was a kind and patient Keyblade wielder, but even she had her limits. As far as she was concerned, she had gone above and beyond to try and keep the peace. Now? Now she needed to let off some steam.

"Fine!" She answered, dispelling Crescent Rose and placing both of her palms on Black Star's chest. "FIRAGA!"

The resulting explosion launched Black Star across the courtyard. The crowd at the courtyard collectively gasped. Dr. Stein's eyes narrowed. "Interesting…"

Crescent Rose reappeared in Ruby's hand as she ran after Black Star. Tsubaki was still lying across most of the ground, and Black Star was quick to use this. "Smoke Screen! Ninja Blade!" he shouted. Tsubaki's entire weapon form burst into a dense cloud of smoke. Blinding Ruby, but not for long.

"Aero!"

A burst of magic wind cleared the smoke quickly enough to ruin Black Star's sneak attack with a different weapon form, a short dagger. Ruby dodged with a pirouette and slashed at Black Star's back with her Keyblade. Black Star was quick to spin around and lash out, but Tsubaki's blade only met air. Ruby had leapt backwards, opening up distance for another spell.

"Blizzaga!"

The spell hit Black Star's leg, freezing it to the ground. To his credit, the assassin didn't blink. "Tsubaki! Shuriken!" In a flash of light, the dagger turned into a giant throwing star. Ruby was running toward Black Star to capitalize on his immobility when he threw the massive, spiked disc.

Ruby, thinking quickly, flipped over Tsubaki and used the decorative rose 'teeth' on her Keyblade as a hook to catch the throwing star by its center hole and fling it back at Black Star. The hit shattered the magic ice and laid out Black Star.

Ruby took a deep breath, her frustration successfully vented. It was time to return to being a responsible Keyblade wielder. "Are we done here?" she asked the prone boy.

"Hardly," Black Star growled. He managed to stand and took his weapon partner back in hand in chain-scythe form.

Ruby shook her head and raised her weapon, settling back into a defensive mindset. Black Star began his rush, and Ruby responded in kind. Even without frustration, she still had to defend herself.

Suddenly, a deep, booming voice filled the air around them, "STOP!"

A black shape landed on the ground between the two fighters, stopping the combat effectively. The shape appeared to be vaguely humanoid, as if wearing an oversized cloak and hood, with a mask that resembled a cartoony skull. He straightened his posture and turned to face the larger crowd.

"Oh boy," the figure was suddenly speaking in a higher pitched and friendlier sounding voice, catching Ruby off guard. "I haven't busted out the dark and scary voice in quite some time. I do apologize."

"Lord Death?" Black Star questioned.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. Like the grim reaper?

"Yes, I'm sorry to interrupt the excitement, but this duel must come to a stop," Lord Death announced.

Someone from the crowd stepped forward. "But Lord Death, these people-"

"Are not witches," the true reaper interrupted. "I understand their arrival was unorthodox and their abilities are strange, but they mean us no harm. If it helps, consider them my personal guests from this point forward. And as such, consider them under my protection. They are not to be questioned or attacked, understand?"

Dr. Stein sounded a grunt of curiosity, but ultimately was beholding to his boss and leader. "If you say so, Lord Death." He turned to the crowd, "all right, back to class all of you!"

"Yes, yes!" Lord Death followed up cheerfully. Two large white hands appeared from Ruby didn't know where to wave off the students. "Go, enjoy your young lives!"

"Now wait a minute!" Black Star cried, "I didn't get to finish my fight!"

"I'm finishing it, Black Star," Death tried to explain.

"Hey, I don't care if she's a witch or not, I'm not gunna just let a fight go! That's like admitting defeat, I'm way too big a man for that!"

Tsubaki returned to human form to try and reason with him. "Come on, Black Star, it's more like a draw and that's basically winning, right?"

"Hell no!" Black Star argued, "A draw isn't a win at all! Come on, let me at 'em! I'll use my fists if I have to, I'll knock em down in no time flat!"

"Reaper chop!"

Faster than Ruby could see, Black Star was out cold with a dent in his head and the side of Death's hand was smoking. Tsubaki profusely apologized for her partner before dragging his body inside the castle.

Everything seemed to happen so quickly that only now did Ruby's mind catch up enough to assess the situation. She looked up to the strange reaper, "Lord Death?"

"Hm? Yes?" Death turned to face Ruby.

"Not that I don't appreciate the whole stopping the fight thing…" Ruby asked carefully, "but… how do you know I'm not here to cause trouble?"

"Because I know what you are," Death explained, "and I know where you came from. At least insofar as it's not from 'here'."

Ruby's eyes widened. "What?"

"Hmm…"

Ruby could fell Lord Death's gaze bore into her behind that weird mask.

"I think we should continue this discussion in private," Death declared. "Follow me."

The true reaper started sliding along the ground toward the castle. Ruby motioned for Blake to follow as well before falling into step behind Lord Death.