Mama Mirajane-36
~Taboo Tattoo~
"Scythe, are you sure that we should be going for this?" Wendy asked behind the change curtain of her room, which she shared with her husband Scythe.
It's been two weeks since their wedding day, and the two of them were still trying to get used to the idea of living together and sharing a bed, but they were coming around to it, slowly and surely.
"I'm sure Wendy, we've been back from our honeymoon for a week now. I'd say it's time we went and took our first assignment from Grandpa." Scythe said, fastening the final piece of his suit that Rarity had made for him to match Wendy's.
The suit was comprised of a black single piece legless leotard with a spider with a skull for the thorax, on the back between the shoulder blades, accompanied with a pair of form fitting pants, and vambraces connected to a pair of fingerless gloves.
"I know, but I don't think I can face your grandparents dressed like this." Wendy said coming out from behind the curtain. Wendy's outfit was extremely similar to Scythe's, but with some major differences.
The main body of Wendy's outfit looked like it was comprised of a black sports bra, with the same red spider skull between her shoulder blades, and a black skort with red trimmings. She had the same vambraces and gloves as Scythe, but her outfit was accompanied by a long black stockings with zip up ankle height combat heels with red souls.
"I know what you mean, but Rarity said it herself, one of us was knighted, by the devil so it's fair we do something to represent him." Scythe said.
"You make a good point." Wendy sighed.
"Hey, look on the bright side, you'll get to choose a weapon from the armory that will be your main piece." Scythe said. "Ready to go?"
"Ready." Wendy said, taking his hand.
In a flash of light, both Scythe and Wendy went from being in their room in their house, to being in the Celestial Armory's war room, where Shirou, Rin, Shimura, and Toshinori were waiting for them.
"It's about time the two of you got here." Rin said. "We were beginning to wonder if you were backing out."
"We're going through with the mission." Scythe said. "But why are the two of you here? Not that I'm complaining, it's always nice to see the face of my master and sibling apprentice."
"We're here because we wanted to thank you for giving us a chance to explore your world over the past couple weeks. Shirou will be setting us back to the time when we had left, and we wanted to say goodbye in person before we left." Shimura said.
"Well, it was good training under you Nana Shimura." Scythe smiled. "Perhaps one day, you can train Wendy."
"Perhaps." Shimura laughed.
"I don't know what I did to be so lucky in deserving a friend like you Scythe." Toshinori smiled.
"Let me tell you something Toshi." Scythe smiled. "There's a difference between being lucky, and deserving. One's an accident, the other a reward. Never get the two confused." Scythe exclaimed. "You deserve my friendship, because you helped me to go beyond my limits, you helped me to go Plus Ultra, when I needed it the most."
"Well-spoken Scythe." Shirou smiled, before Rin took the two Heroes away.
"Shouldn't you have told him you got that from the manga he's in?" Wendy asked.
"Hey, he had to have gotten it from somewhere." Scythe chuckled.
"All right, before we do anything else, we have to pick which weapon is right for Wendy, since she's a Celestial Knight, she needs a weapon from the armory." Shirou smiled.
Grabbing both their shoulders, Shirou brought the duo to the armory, and had Wendy take a few steps away from them before he gave her the same instructions he gave Scythe.
"First, you have to hold out your hand. Hold out your hand, and search with your mind, with your soul, and connect with the primary weapon of your choice." Shirou explained.
Wendy held out her hand, and let her soul free, waiting for a few minutes, before she connected and the weapon, flew into her hand. She opened her eyes, to see a sniper rifle in her hand, by the barrel.
"Did not see that coming." Shirou said.
"So, how do I use this thing?" Wendy asked.
"Rin can teach you how in the fifth level training area when she returns." Shirou exclaimed.
"No time like the present." Rin said appearing right behind Wendy, startling her. In another flash of light, Rin and Wendy were gone.
With the girls gone, Shirou brought himself and Scythe back to the war room, where he tossed the young Celestial Knight a gourd filled with liquid.
"I'd suggest you drink some of that right now. It'll help you accept the nature of your mission when I explain it to you." Shirou said taking a seat at the head of the table.
Scythe nodded and popped the cork off the gourd, before taking a swig.
"Oh man, this… is this the wine Iskandar brought to the reception a couple weeks ago?" Scythe asked.
"A portion of it, yes." Shirou said, before Rin and Wendy returned, the bluenet carrying the rifle on a magnetic holster on her back.
"Hi honey. I've missed you these past six months." Wendy smiled, kissing his cheek.
"So, what's the mission?" Scythe asked. "Take a sip." He said handing the gourd to Wendy.
"This mission, is an initiation test to see if either of you actually have what it takes to complete the jobs assigned to you." Shirou exclaimed as Rin stood beside him.
Shirou held up his hand, and a file appeared in it, and he slid it to Scythe.
"What's this?" Scythe questioned picking it up.
"Your mission." Shirou stated. "The world we'll be sending you to is, run by unique symbols, known as tattoos. These tattoos grant their wielders power such as enhanced speed, strength, agility, and even grant special abilities."
"But recently, there's been one tattoo wielder that has allowed the power to go to her head. She's even murdered her own parents just to see her plans press forward." Rin exclaimed as Scythe and Wendy both looked over the file.
"Your mission, is to eliminate this tattoo wielder and her subordinates, especially one who goes by the alias Schrodinger's Cat. Her real name is Iltutmish, and she might not be as powerful as her employer, but she's still one you need to watch out for." Shirou exclaimed.
"So this is an assassination mission." Scythe sighed, closing the file. "I'm so glad you gave me some of that wine."
"Do you accept the mission?" Shirou inquired.
"Sometimes to do some good, you have to get your hands dirty." Scythe sighed. "My hands are already stained, so there's no point in washing them, before getting them dirty again."
"Will we still be able to call on the other servants for help?" Wendy asked.
"Only a few may be able to assist you." Shirou said.
"Alright. Be sure to keep Iskandar and Hercules on standby, maybe Robin Hood and Saber to." Scythe said.
"Will do." Rin said. "Scythe, are you sure you're ready for this mission?"
"I'd rather get it done sooner than later." Scythe said.
"All right." Shirou said getting up and walking towards them, handing Scythe a badge. "Show this to a man who goes by Colonel Sanders, he'll know what you both are if you do. He's sort of like a downgraded All Might. He's a Brigadier General in the American Forces, but still prefers being called Colonel Sanders." The badge wasn't anything fancy, just a round palm sized gold coin with a diamond shaped ruby in the center. "We'll be sending you both to his last known coordinates before the battle begins."
"Roger that." Scythe said, grabbing the sealed gourd and tying it to one of the belt loops, as the ground beneath him and Wendy lit up with a magic circle.
"Good luck." Shirou said, before they both disappeared.
~Japanese Military Base~
"C'mon let's get a move on people, we don't have all night. We need to attack the ruins yesterday." A large beefed up, bulky man with blonde spiky hair, sideburns, and a small beard on his chin, shouted to his men. "Move it, move it let's go."
"Colonel Sanders, sir."
Sanders turned around to see two of his subordinates, and two civilians, one of them was the wielder of the Triggerless tattoo Void Maker Seigi Akatsuka, the other was a red haired girl, who was rather well developed for her age, and had the remnants of a tattoo on her forehead, Toko Ichinose. His subordinates were the silver haired girl with the foul temper Bluesy Fluesy, who preferred to go by Izzy, and the brown haired idiot Tom Shredfield.
But behind them, were two weirdly dressed teens he didn't recognize. One of them had a sniper rifle on her back, while the other had a giant sword on his.
"Who are they?" Sanders asked. "This ain't no cosplay convention."
"The name's Scythe. This is my partner Wendy. We've been sent here by a… higher order." Scythe said, flipping the badge to him like a coin.
Sanders caught the badge, and when he got a good look at it, he stood at attention and saluted them.
"Welcome aboard your majesties. I am honored to have you on my team." Sanders said.
"Uh, dad what are you doing?" Izzy asked.
"Take a look at the badge and see for yourself." Wendy said.
Sanders showed the badge to Izzy and Tom, causing both of them to jump to Sander's side and mimic his actions.
"Celestial Knights on the premises." Tom shouted.
The entire base seemed to freeze and salute Scythe and Wendy, causing Seigi and Toko to become very confused.
"Uh, what's going on?" Seigi asked.
"Adese everybody. We're not actually all that high up in the ranks." Scythe said. "To be honest, this mission we're on is our initiation to see if we have what it takes to be actual Celestial Knights."
"Still, it is an honor to have you on our team, joining us for this mission." Sanders said. "In any way we can, we will help."
"We're actually after this girl. Princess Aryabhata." Scythe said showing them the file for their mission. "She's gaining too much power, and is about to tip the scales of balance way off. Past the breaking point even."
"This is actually fortuitous timing, as we're heading for her current location tonight." Sanders exclaimed.
"I see. That is a lucky break for us. We don't have to go searching that hard." Scythe smiled.
"Will someone please just tell us what the hell the deal is, with these two?" Seigi asked in frustration.
"Come here." Izzy said taking Toko and Seigi aside. "Celestial Knights are people you do not want to get on the bad side of. One knight alone, is capable of taking out an entire armed battalion of Original Sealed. The last Celestial Knight to come here was a beast of a man. His mission was left unknown to us, but let's just say, the Grand Canyon in the US, got a little bigger. Celestial Knights, are basically the royalty of the universe. They're the ones who make sure the scales of balance remain neutral. Only the royal family and world militaries know about them actually existing."
"What was his name?" Seigi asked.
"It was a Japanese name, Shirou Emiya." Izzy said.
"Oh, so you three are over here talking about my gramps." Scythe chuckled, alerting them to his presence. "He was the one who sent Wendy and me, here for this mission."
"So, you're Shirou Emiya's grandson?" Sanders asked. "Shirou Emiya, was said to be the strongest among the Celestial Knights."
"He was actually the very first Celestial Knight. We knights are able to travel through time and space to get to our designated time zones for our missions. Past or present." Scythe explained. "Now enough with the chit chat, we're wasting precious time that could be used to fight this evil princess."
"Sir yes sir." Sanders said saluting him as he and Wendy loaded up into the chopper. "Tom, you stay behind and alert headquarters to our two royal guests."
"Sir." Tom said, saluting them before the helicopter took off.
As the helicopter flew through the air, Scythe and Wendy were introduced to everyone.
"Sorry that the chopper isn't as comfortable as you deserve." Sanders said.
"We didn't come for comfort Colonel, we came to fulfill our mission." Scythe exclaimed.
"Right of course, sorry for insinuating sir."
"Pardon my asking Colonel, but why are you bringing two civilians onto this mission?" Wendy asked.
"Ah, these are Seigi Akatsuka, and his friend Toko Ichinose." Sanders introduced. "Seigi wields one of the four Triggerless Tattoos, and is somewhat able to control its destructive power, Void Maker. Ms. Ichinose refuses to leave his side, despite the constant warnings about danger."
"Please call me Touko." The girl exclaimed.
"Kid, I expect you to show me what you're made of out there." Sanders said.
"With all due respect Colonel, I think it's unwise to bring him into this fight, if he's barely got any control over his own power." Scythe exclaimed. "That being said, what can you do Seigi?"
"Well, I've been training in martial arts my entire life, and am quite good at hand to hand combat." Seigi said.
"That might be useful." Scythe said. "If at all possible, I don't want you to use the full extent of your Tattoo. Rely on the enhanced strength and speed, to boost your strikes in combat."
"I'll do my best to fight. That said, how about Touko?" Seigi asked, turning to look at Sanders.
"Her safety's guaranteed." Sanders said.
"I'll make sure of that." Wendy said. "I'm mainly here to provide Scythe with support, but I'm no joke when it comes to a close quarters fight either. I can keep Touko safe."
"That being said. We do need to be cautious of two other individuals that are with the princess." Scythe said, looking over his file.
"Who's the other person?" Wendy asked.
"The one who dresses like a Shrine Priestess. Kar Shekar." Scythe said.
"We'll do what we can about the tattoo on Touko's forehead." Sanders exclaimed.
"In the meantime…" Scythe said, swinging his blade to point it and Captain Johnson's throat, as he approached both Wendy and Touko to flirt with them. "I'd suggest you sit and leave these ladies be. Wouldn't want you losing your head now would we?"
"All right, I'm taking a seat." Johnson said, backing up.
"Scythe I think that was a little overkill using the Grimm Reaper like that." Wendy said.
"We're reaching the drop point." Sanders said, grabbing a com device. "Listen up soldiers, any piss ant that dares to threaten us, or our allies, will get their skulls crushed in. That's how the US army does it."
"Sanders. We're at the location, yes?" Scythe asked, looking out the window.
"Indeed we are." Sanders said. "All right. Time to ram a big fat sausage up their unsuspecting asses."
On his mark, one of the helicopters sent two missiles towards the ruins, causing a major explosion to go off on the Cliffside of the mountain. Afterwards, the turrets began to rapid fire for five minutes straight, and to Scythe and Wendy, it looked like they were having too much fun with firing those guns.
"Come on Colonel, tell them to hold their fire." Seigi exclaimed.
"Kid listen, I don't think you understand the way this game works." Sanders said. "We're at war here, I'd figured you knew that coming in."
"Get ready y'all, it's payback time." Lisa shouted out.
"Right." The other Sealed said.
"Colonel." Scythe began. "Have your men hold their fire, and wait for my signal."
"Hold your fire." Sanders shouted into the coms. "The Celestial Knights will take it from here."
"Have your men deployed, but make sure they stay concealed until I give the signal." Scythe exclaimed. "Wendy and Touko will remain here with you while Wendy provides sniper cover for me."
"Sir." Sanders acknowledged.
"Wendy, if you are separated from Sanders at any given moment, be sure to stay at Touko's side at all times. This is a warzone, so she's not to go anywhere without you by her side." Scythe instructed.
"Understood." Wendy said, before giving Scythe a lite peck on the lips.
Once the firing of the turrets had stopped, Scythe jumped and twisted in air, saluting them all before he went plummeting to the ground.
"Did he put on a parachute?" Major Burns asked.
"No, no he did not." Touko said.
"That's my husband for you." Wendy smirked.
"No wonder he was so defensive when Johnson was about to flirt with you." Lisa snickered.
Falling through the air, Scythe managed to right himself forward, and seconds before he made impact with the ground, he entered Satan's Soul, and like a bullet, went gliding along the ground, a mere foot from it, either maneuvering or slicing through the trees. Finishing the clearing, Scythe could see Kar standing in front of the ruins, with what looked like a dozen or so maids all around her.
Before any of the maids could intercept him, they fell to the ground as they were one by one shot with a silent bullet comprised of highly compressed air, before all that remained was Kar looking baffled and confused, but didn't have time to stay that way, as she had to deflect Scythe's swing of Grimm Reaper, with her own katana.
Using the momentum of the blades colliding, Scythe flipped over Kar with a flap of his wings, and kicked her from behind, sending her forward.
"H-How were you able to break through my ultimate barrier?" Kar questioned.
"The power of your tattoos, they're nothing compared to the power of a Sorcerer." Scythe said, landing on the ground perfectly on his feet. "You condense the air to create your barriers, but I am a manipulator of all elements." Scythe said, as a ball of black air formed in his hand.
"Nothing will stand in the Princess's way, she will recreate this world in her own image." Kar exclaimed.
"That's where the Celestial Knights stop her." Scythe exclaimed. "She is tipping the balance. An' that has to be corrected."
"Well if you're busy fighting me, then who's gonna protect your friends from Iltutmish?" Kar questioned.
The sound of a feral roar echoed through the air, as a giant lion beast leapt from the ground towards the helicopters.
"Wendy." Scythe called out through his com piece.
"On it." Wendy responded.
Moments later there was a large funnel of air that sent Iltutmish away from the copters to the ground.
"You see, we Celestial Knights, always come in pairs." Scythe said, before blocking a strike from Kar, as she tried to strike at him faster than he could see, but that plan failed. "I'm not that slow of gullible you know."
Scythe redirected Kar's blade to the ground, and with lightning fast reflexes, kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying through the air, and into a tree.
Kar managed to pick herself up, but had to duck, to avoid a swing from Scythe's blade. Swinging his sword down, Scythe was able to hurt Kar, before she jumped away, clutching her left arm, as the gash she received was bleeding out.
"You're fast." Kar said. "But it won't matter. My Princess will be here soon, to see you don't interfere with her plans."
"Shut up." Scythe said, kicking Kar in the face, knocking her out. "Damn she's annoying." He sighed before the sound of gunshot and the echoing roar of the monstrous Iltutmish resonated through the air. "Wendy, everyone okay?"
"Could be better, Touko is safe for now. Everyone else is dealing with forces that were waiting for us in the trees. Seigi is heading for your location. Touko and I are a ways behind but we're on his tail." Wendy responded.
"Well keep them occupied for as long as you can. Our target is almost out of the ruins. She's been here longer than we thought." Scythe said tying Kar up with a chain. "I've dealt with Kar. Where's Schrodinger's Cat?"
"Currently fighting Major Burns and Lisa." Wendy replied, before there was a large explosion that shook the earth. "Correction, Major Burns is KIA."
"Damn it." Scythe growled. "Try leading Schrodinger's Cat to my location."
"Scythe."
The Etherion Godslayer turned to see Seigi running towards him, but Seigi's face gave an expression of horror, and for good reason, that Scythe found out, from being pierced from behind.
He looked down to see a stone spear piercing him through the bottom left part of his abdomen. Scythe turned to see Princess Aryabhata with a smug look on her face, as she was holding the spear that pierced Scythe from behind.
"Well-well-well. Look at this, I was able to kill a Celestial Knight." She smirked.
"Heh. You think so?" Scythe questioned with a smirk. "The way I see it, you just delivered yourself right to me."
Aryabhata gained a look of confusion before Scythe used his elbow to shatter the spear. He pulled what was sticking through him, out with a grunt of pain, and turned to stand in front of the princess, showing her the wound was sealing up.
"Healing factor. I can't die, not even from decapitation." Scythe smirked, seeing her bewildered face.
"With power like that, you could rule the world. Join me, and we will reshape this world for the better." Arya said.
"Hmm, let me think about that." Scythe said, cupping his chin for a second, before using the same hand to bitch slap Arya across the face, and send her flying into a tree. "How about no?"
Reverting from his Satan's Soul, Scythe pulled the Grimm Reaper off of his back once more, and made his way to Aryabhata.
"Princess Aryabhata. For crimes of trying to tip the balance, the Celestial Knights have deemed your punishment, execution." Scythe said.
"Wait hold on." Seigi said, trying to stop Scythe. "You can't just kill her."
"This is beyond your comprehension Seigi. Don't try to interfere." Scythe said.
"I see I'm late to the party." A new voice said.
Scythe and Seigi turned around to see a tall slender man wearing a trenchcoat with black hair, wearing sunglasses coming towards them.
"Might I ask who you are?" Scythe asked using Grimm Reaper to pin Aryabhata in place through her leg, causing her to scream in pain.
"BB, what are you doing here?" Seigi asked.
"You know him?" Scythe asked.
"He's got the same tattoo as me." Seigi said.
"Oh, well in that case."
Scythe's hand gripped BB's face faster than he could react, and a black sphere of air and crystalline particles surrounded his head like a dome for several minutes, before it disappeared, and Scythe retracted his hand, holding BB's Tattoo back in its crystal form.
"I'll be taking this." Scythe said, sending it to the Celestial Armory.
"What did you just do?" Seigi asked.
"Hold on I don't feel as drained as I used to anymore. How is that possible, who are you?" BB asked.
"Name's Scythe. I'm a Celestial Knight." Scythe said, turning back to Aryabhata.
"That… actually explains a lot." BB said.
"Due to my magic reverting your tattoo back to its crystalline form, your soul has been restored to its full capacity." Scythe explained. "What brings you here anyways?"
"I had heard that a raid on the ruins was commencing and I came to protect Izzy." BB said.
"Ah, so she's someone you have feelings for huh?" Scythe asked. "I can understand, I have someone important to me like that as well."
"Hey, I'm still here you know." Aryabhata said, though obviously in pain with the sword sticking out of her leg.
"Don't worry, I'll get to you in a moment." Scythe sighed. "BB, do me a favor and keep Seigi occupied. I have an execution to commence with."
"Wait, Scythe…" Seigi began.
"Don't interfere kid." BB said. "I don't like it any more than you do, but we can't try and stop a Celestial Knight from doing their job. We'd be judged as aiding and abiding whoever they find guilty, which puts us on their list of prosecution."
"But…"
"Scythe, Seigi."
The trio of men turned to see Wendy and Touko running towards them, but their eyes widened in horror when the monstrous form of Iltutmish was approaching them from behind with her jaws wide open.
"Look out." Seigi shouted. "Behind you."
Touko and Wendy turned around, and the jaws came down on them, just as they began to scream, but there was no sound of tearing flesh, only the sound of tooth meeting metal.
Seigi and BB stood there in shock. Both Touko and Wendy fell to the ground as the adrenaline of the near death experience was already starting to ebb away. Scythe was standing in front of them, arms covered in black metal, holding Iltutmish's jaws wide open with his hands.
"Iskandar, grab Wendy and Touko and get them out of here." Scythe growled.
Iskandar emerged from the Celestial Armory, and grabbed both girls in his arms before heading towards the others.
"Where did he come from?" Touko asked.
"Touko, Seigi, meet Iskandar, but you know him better as Alexander the Great." Wendy said as Iskandar put them down.
"A pleasure to meet you all. But I don't have time for idle chit chat, the young prince needs my help." Iskandar said.
"Prince?" Seigi and Touko asked.
"If he's a prince, and I'm a princess, then we definitely should get together." Aryabhata said.
"Hands off. He's already taken." Wendy said pointing the barrel of her gun at Arya at point blank range. She fired a low level shot and that was enough to knock the deranged princess out.
"Iskandar." Scythe called back. "Don't come to my rescue. Stay there and protect them, that's an order."
"As you wish young prince." Iskandar said, standing guard in front of the girls.
Scythe growled as Iltutmish pushed back against him, digging his feet further into the dirt.
"Alright kitty cat, play time's over." Scythe said, twisting his hands, throwing the monstrous lion to the side.
(Cue Music… Strike Back: We as Human)
Iltutmish picked herself up and roared with a fury, before she went charging at Scythe again. Evading her strikes, Scythe ducked under one of her swiping claws, before she hit him with a surprise attack coming from the other side, knocking him into a tree. Picking himself up, Scythe growled at her with a glare, his eyes glowing red with flames seeping from his right eye.
"Alright you wanna fight like a monster. I'll oblige you." Scythe said, entering his Satan's Soul.
Scythe charged at Iltutmish, soaring through the air and using his wings to dig up dirt, and throwing some in her remaining eye, before he slammed into her.
"Nice scar." Scythe snickered. "I see Major Burns left something for you to remember him by."
Iltutmish roared and used her tail to flick Scythe away, but that didn't work as Scythe simply grabbed it, and dug his feet into the ground to keep the appendage from moving again.
"So it's like that huh? Bad kitty." Scythe shouted swinging Iltutmish by her tail and slamming her into the ground.
Scythe repeated this slamming multiple times, before the sound of flesh tearing and bone cracking was heard, and Iltutmish's tail was torn off her body causing the great lion monster to scream in pain as she flew away from him with the momentum of his swing when her tail was ripped off.
"Aw, don't tell me that's all you've got in you kitty cat." Scythe said, throwing the tail away and charging at the monstrous lion again.
Iltutmish got up, but charged at where the others were, wanting to get them away from Aryabhata, but her running was interrupted when Scythe slammed both his feet into the side of her head.
"Your fight is with me." Scythe growled as he sent the lion tumbling away.
Iltutmish again charged at Scythe, opening her jaws to bite down on him. Scythe ducked under her, before the lions jaws could close down on him. Being under her, Scythe put both his hands to her stomach, reciting a spell he could only do in his Satan's Soul, and learned from his mom.
"Darkness Stream." Scythe shouted, dark magic circles appearing on Iltutmish's torso, and black shadowy arms and hands wrapping around her body, before the skin where the dark magic began to burn.
Iltutmish roared in pain before breaking away from the arms, and running a short distance away, before circling back to Scythe's location. Scythe jumped to avoid a strike from her claws, before performing a jack knife kick on her face, knocking her to the side a bit.
Following the kick, was a gainer flash, slamming Iltutmish's head into the ground. Just as she picked herself up, Scythe performed an oblique kick on her chin, before roundhouse kicking her in the head.
(End Song…)
Picking herself back up, Iltutmish began to glow, reverting back to her human form, as her power boost was at its end.
"How dare you, I'll make you pay for hurting Princess Aryabhata." Iltutmish shouted running at him.
Scythe took a fighting stance, exiting his Satan's Soul, and the second Iltutmish was within range, he performed a spinning back kick, decapitating her with the force of the kick, while it also caused her skull to collapse and cave in on itself, becoming half unrecognizable.
Seigi and BB just stared at him in awe, with a bit of fear mixed in. Touko and Wendy were in shock. Wendy had no clue Scythe had that kind of potential for killing, and was grateful he'd never point that aggression towards her.
"Scythe… what are you going to do now?" Wendy asked.
"I'm gonna finish the mission." Scythe said, walking over to where Aryabhata laid as she began to regain consciousness.
Scythe pulled Grimm Reaper from her leg, the pain of which woke her up even more, right before Scythe swung his blade, silencing her, as the top half of her head and skull fell to the ground, before her dead body fell as well.
"Iskandar, report to grandpa and tell him the mission has been completed." Scythe said, swinging Grimm Reaper, flinging the blood off it, before placing the weapon on his back.
"Of course young prince." Iskandar said, disappearing.
"Scythe, shouldn't we be going now?" Wendy asked, noticing he was walking away.
"Not yet. I'm not ready to go back yet." Scythe said. "I want to stay for a bit, clear my head. I'll meet you all back at the American Stationed Base."
"All right." Wendy said as Scythe entered his Satan's Soul again, and took off.
"I take it this is the first time he's ever taken a life?" BB asked.
"A human life. The other times he's only taken the lives of demons and monsters." Wendy exclaimed. "His Aunt told me the night before our wedding, he killed someone who was the equivalent of an intelligent zombie since he was brought back from the dead."
"Wedding?" BB asked.
"He and I are married." Wendy explained.
"Wendy."
The bluenet turned to see Izzy running to them with Colonel Sanders and other soldiers following behind.
"Where's Scythe?" Izzy asked. "Did he complete the mission?"
"He did." Wendy said. "But, he's gonna need a bit of space. He's got a mess of emotions to sort out. He's gonna meet us back at the base."
"I see." Izzy said, knowing what she meant. "I'm sure all he needs is some time to himself. Let's get going."
~Japan's American Military Stationed Base an Hour Later~
Scythe was grunting as he used his sword to deflect a strike from Excalibur. The force behind the attack was so strong it forced him to skid to the side, as he countered with his own attack back at Saber, sending a shockwave through the near empty hanger of the base that rattled a few of the crates lining the walls. Scythe was quick to maneuver his blade to the other side, but was too slow, getting hit in the side by the sharp edge of Saber's blade, knocking him away, and spilling blood on the ground.
"You're movements are a little off today Young Prince. Is everything all right?" Saber asked lowering her sword as the gash on Scythe's side healed up.
"I'm fine." Scythe said.
"I can see something troubling you Young Prince." Saber exclaimed. "Are you troubled by the fact you took a life today?"
Scythe sighed, sitting down on the crate where a water bottle had left for him, resting his weapon on the side of the crate.
"Not just one, but two." Scythe said. "I saw her, Schrodinger's Cat, about to kill Touko and Wendy, and I just lost it. I don't want something like that to happen again, but I'm scared because I know it will, and I don't know if I will be able to tell the difference between friend and foe next time."
"I see. You're worried you might let the monster take control, that your soul might be taken over and become rotten to the core, is that it?" Saber inquired.
"Pretty much." Scythe sighed.
"You know, there's a certain type of creature that devours souls, after its own has rotted away." Saber said, taking a seat next to Scythe. "It's called a Kishin."
"A Fierce God?" Scythe asked.
"More roughly an Oni God. A creature as powerful as a God, but does not possess any sort of divinity whatsoever." Saber smiled. "I learned it from one of Master Emiya's books on lore and mythology."
"Is that so?" Scythe chuckled. "Then I guess I'm on my way to becoming a Kishin."
"No you're not. But if you're that concerned about it, there is somewhere you could go in order to prevent that from happening. It's actually somewhere Master Emiya studied for a while during his travels through the multi-verse." Saber exclaimed. "I'm sure that if he spoke with the Headmaster of this school, he could get you enrolled in it no problem."
"I'm not so sure." Scythe sighed.
"I'm certain it could help you with accepting what you're going through right now." Saber said. "Going to this school might actually help."
"I'll give it some thought. But if gramps manages to get me in somehow, then I'm not gonna say no." Scythe said. "I think as soon as Wendy gets back, we'll head back and report in."
"Sounds like a good idea. I'll meet you at the Armory." Saber smiled before dissipating in a sparkle of light.
Once Saber was gone, Scythe sent the Grimm Reaper to the Celestial Armory, and stretched to loosen his muscles just as Wendy and the others returned to the hanger.
"Hey Scythe, you doing okay?" Wendy inquired.
"I'm doing okay. I just finished a sparring session with Saber." Scythe exclaimed.
"Your clothes are torn in several different places. You were going it no-holds-bar, weren't you?" Wendy asked.
"Yeah, but I got my healing factor remember? So I'll be fine." Scythe said trying to reassure Wendy.
"I still don't like that you ordered Saber to go all out against you." Wendy grumped. "Next time I want you to have non-lethal restraints."
"Yes dear." Scythe sighed.
"You're in for the long-haul now young knight." Sanders said, with a laugh as Kar was transported through the hanger, her hands cuffed behind her back.
"What's gonna happen to her?" Scythe asked.
"She's going to be tried and executed." Sanders exclaimed. "She's committed over a hundred homicides, and that's not counting the number of my men she's killed in the past. A lot of lives were spared tonight, not as many as I'd liked, but those that were spared, were all thanks to you."
"Well, do us both a favor to keep that number down. Chop off the hand her tattoo is on. She won't be able to use her power it it's not connected to her body." Scythe said, before he and Wendy disappeared in a shimmer of light.
In the Celestial Armory, both Scythe and Wendy were greeted in the dining hall, with a large cake in front of them, on the table that said, Congratulations on your first Mission Accomplishment, in big blue frosting letters.
"Seriously?" Scythe asked.
"Oh sorry honey. Saber just told us about your mood, and I guess I was too late to hiding the cake." Rin said, stepping into the dining room. "C'mon, your grandfather and I are wanting to talk with you in the study."
Scythe and Wendy followed Rin to the study where Shirou was talking into a mirror. The duo thought it'd be rude to listen in on the conversation so they walked up to him when he was nearing the end of it, and ignored what was being said.
"All right, thank you I appreciate you taking the time to accept my request, I owe you for this one old friend." Shirou said.
"No, no it's my pleasure, I'm more than happy to help. See you soon, goodbye." A voice came from the mirror.
Once Virgo took the mirror to put it away, he noticed Scythe and Wendy standing across the desk from him, and waiting to speak.
"Iskandar and Saber have reported you both did very well. Wendy provided excellent support and Scythe took out the two targets who were sanctioned for execution." Shirou said. "Though I do understand that you're feeling quite unhappy with the end results Scythe. Saber told me about how you felt. I actually just finished talking with an old friend who might be able to help you with that."
"I finished the job, but I don't like that I'm basically a mercenary now." Scythe said, clenching his fists.
"You're not a mercenary Scythe." Rin said. "You're a soldier. An' sometimes, killing is part of the job."
"So there will be missions where killing isn't required?" Wendy asked.
"Exactly." Shirou smiled. "Scythe, do you know why, it's important for you to have your spouse as your Celestial Knight Partner, like I had Rin as mine?"
"Wendy knows my movements, she can tell what action I'm going to make without me having to say it, and what I might be thinking if I'm in a pinch." Scythe said.
"That's partially it. Anyone who knows you that well enough, can be your partner. But there's a special reason as to why it's your spouse." Shirou exclaimed.
"Scythe, Wendy is your partner not just on the battle field, but also in life. She's there to support you in a fight, as well as emotionally. If you're ever feeling like the job is too much, or you're regretting the choice of accepting a mission that requires you to kill, then that's when you turn to your partner, and you lean on her." Rin explained. "In our days as Celestial Knights, before we settled down and had our family, Shirou was always the one doing to killing on the kill missions. I was always there to support him, whether it be through the emotional pain, or for the frustrations you've been experiencing. I've even been there, when he's felt like he can't handle it anymore."
"You don't have to shoulder the burden of guilt alone." Wendy said, taking his hand. "I'm always going to be by your side, and whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me as both your Celestial Partner, and life partner."
Scythe sighed, knowing they were right, but he wasn't ready to go on another job just yet.
"Now, seeing as we've handled that. Let's get this over with." Shirou said, standing in front of Scythe and putting a hand on his shoulder.
Looking up at his grandfather, Scythe didn't notice as Shirou rammed his fist into his chest, releasing a glowing stone that began to merge with his body as Shirou removed his hand, and Scythe's outfit began to repair itself until it was good as new.
"I do apologize about that Scythe. But I needed to get that in your chest before we left for a meeting with my old friend." Shirou exclaimed.
"That fucking hurt damn it." Scythe groaned, clutching his chest as the wound sealed up and the glowing from the stone began to fade away.
"I know it did. But without it, neither of you will be allowed into the school my friend runs." Shirou said, wiping the blood off his hand. "Come along now. We don't have much time to waste." Shirou exclaimed, ignoring the menacing glare Rin was giving him.
Rin placed her hand on Wendy's shoulder, with Shirou doing the same to Scythe, before the four of them disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing in front of a rather large city with red roofed buildings, and white walls, and death themed architecture.
Scythe and Wendy were in awe as they looked around, before their eyes widened upon seeing the sky.
"Does the sun really have a face on it?" Scythe questioned, seeing the sun smiling and laughing.
"Scythe, Wendy, I welcome you both to Death City." Shirou smiled.
Scythe and Wendy were in awe of what they were seeing, but they couldn't really believe it, even though they were standing right in front of it.
"This is a city run by the Grim Reaper himself." Rin explained. "His soul is chained down to the city for a specific reason, which means he can never leave the city. The city is actually in the center of a desert in Nevada in a separate universe than the previous tattoo one."
"So… what are we doing here exactly?" Scythe asked.
"We're here to give you a tour of the city and the DWMA." Shirou exclaimed.
"DWMA?" Wendy and Scythe inquired tilting their heads in question.
"It's a special school for training special people." Rin exclaimed.
"It stands for Death Weapon Meister Academy." Shirou said as they walked through the entrance to the city.
"What exactly do they teach in this school?" Scythe asked.
"Well, the normal academic curricular for this world, but they also train Weapons and their Meister's how to fight and to hunt Kishin eggs, and witches." Shirou explained.
"Train their Weapons and Meister's?" Scythe asked.
"In this world, there are people who can turn themselves into weapons, who partner up with a meister. Unfortunately, those who can turn into weapons, aren't given a choice in going to the DWMA. They are required to by law, in order to control their weapon abilities, only the meisters are given a choice since they are unable to turn into a weapon." Rin said.
"Seriously, wouldn't the weapons be able to learn to control their abilities on their own?" Scythe asked.
"They could, but there's a higher risk of innocent people getting hurt if they choose to ignore the requirement of going to the DWMA." Shirou sighed. "It's unfair I know, but it's a required law worldwide for the safety of the public."
"I get it all right." Scythe sighed, clasping his hands behind his head. "As much as I hate the thought of forcing people to do something they might not want to do that could mentally scar them, some rules are necessary for the greater good, even if they're hated by the people." He tsked. "Just really triggers me you know? Forcing people into doing something they don't have a say in really pisses me off."
"Then you're not gonna like what I'm about to tell you." Shirou stated. "That glowing stone I shoved in your chest, was a weapon core. Which means, you are now a weapon just like nearly half the students in the academy."
"So that's what the rush of power I felt was." Scythe sighed. "But what weapon am I?"
"That all depends on you and your soul." Rin exclaimed. "That's where you come in Wendy."
"Huh, me?" Wendy asked.
"Scythe is the weapon, and you are the Meister." Shirou exclaimed.
"I don't have to have a glowing stone shoved into my chest, do I?" Wendy asked.
"No, you don't need a weapon core, implanted inside you like Scythe did. Though I wanted Shirou to merge it to his soul with a gentler touch, not just shove it in like stuffing a turkey." Rin exclaimed crossing her arms.
"I wouldn't put it like that." Shirou said.
"That's basically what you did." Scythe exclaimed. "You know mom is gonna have a fit if she finds out you did that."
"I already asked her about the weapon core. I had originally planned on enrolling you into the DWMA after your third mission as a Celestial Knight, but it seems plans have changed a bit." Shirou exclaimed.
"But she wasn't aware you were going to merge the stone with his soul as roughly as you did." Rin said.
"I'm sure she'll forgive me after I smooth things over with her." Shirous sighed. "Anyways. The town as you can see, is pretty straight forward. Just head down the center of it and you'll get to the base of the DWMA's steps, climbing them gives the students a daily workout in cardio. There you'll climb them to the Academy's campus. Find a man named Sid, and ask him to take you to the Death Room, where Lord Death presides over the entire city."
"You're not coming with us?" Wendy asked.
"We can't spend too long in this world. Celestial Knight's without physical form, can't spend long in a world they haven't rooted themselves in. You'll both spend a couple days here to see how you like being in the academy. We'll be back to pick you up in time for the S-Class Trials in little over a week." Rin exclaimed.
"As I said, just follow the center street and you'll reach the academy." Shirou said, before he and Rin disappeared in a flash of light.
"Well, shall we make our way to the academy?" Scythe asked, looking at Wendy.
"Sure, let's get going." Wendy smiled.
Scythe stuck his hands in his pockets, and with Wendy walking beside him, made his way down the center street. Wendy stopped when she noticed a shop down an alleyway.
"Hey Scythe, do you think we have time to stop for a drink?" Wendy asked.
"Hmm? Yeah, but I don't think we have this world's currency. Why, you thirsty?" Scythe asked.
"Yeah, I was actually hoping to get a cup of coffee from that café over there." Wendy said, pointing to a café that said, Deathbucks on the sign.
"We can stop by and get some after we're done with our initiation." Scythe said, continuing down the road. When they got to the stairs, Scythe realized that Shirou forgot to mention the number of stairs there actually were. "Gramps wasn't kidding when he said the stairs gives a rather serious cardio workout."
"Carry me?" Wendy asked, raising her arms to him like a child.
Scythe sighed and knelt down, allowing Wendy to climb onto his back, before he went running up the stairs, making it to the top within five minutes, setting Wendy down on the ground after.
"Man just how big did they make this school?" Scythe asked.
Before Scythe could question anything else, he had to push Wendy's head to the side, while moving his own to the other, avoiding a chained scythe flying towards them.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" Scythe questioned, grabbing the chained scythe as it came back.
The one holding the other end of the chained scythe was a kid wearing black, with fingerless gloves, and a star tattoo on his right shoulder, and a turquoise hair in the shape of a star.
"One of my classmates mentioned sensing the presence of two witches. Guess she was off, one's a witch the other's a wizard." He said.
"Wizard, witches?" Wendy asked. "Hey, what is he talking about?"
"I have no idea." Scythe sighed.
"Don't play dumb." He said. "It's obvious you evildoers came to challenge me, the great Blackstar, the guy who'll surpass God."
"Talk about major ego." Scythe sighed. "Hey, while I have you here, can you tell me where I can find a guy named Sid? He's supposed to be my guide."
"What, too scared to face off against me and my weapon that you'd rather face a teacher?" Blackstar asked with a snicker.
"Okay now I'm annoyed." Scythe groaned.
"Sorry about him. Please forgive his rudeness." A woman's voice echoed from the weapon in his hand.
"Get ready. Here I come." Blackstar called out, pulling on the weapon.
"Okay, how about I shut you up?" Scythe questioned pulling on the chain with one arm, which brought Blackstar flying towards him, before the Etherion Godslayer slammed his knee and elbow into the student's stomach and back, knocking him out instantly. "Hey, weapon lady, where can I find Sid?" He asked looking to the weapon before it began to glow.
The chained scythe transformed into a black haired girl wearing shinobi attire kneeling next to her knocked out partner.
"Yeah, he's in the orientation room, still waiting on the new students to come. His speech starts in ten minutes." She said. "My name is Tsubaki by the way. I'm sorry about my partner, he jumps to conclusions without any sense of reason or rationality."
"We should be good if he doesn't attack us again." Scythe exclaimed. "The name's Scythe, this is Wendy."
"Nice to meet you." Wendy smiled.
"Scythe? Like the weapon?" Tsubaki asked.
"Yeah. My mom named me that because she saw some great potential in me." Scythe said. "So she named me after a weapon. Which is actually what I am."
"I'm a meister." Wendy said.
"Oh so you must be here for orientation. Some of my classmates will be here in a bit. I'd take you there myself, but I'm gonna have to take Blackstar to see Nurse Medusa." Tsubaki said.
'Medusa?' Scythe inquired. "Pardon me for asking, but what does this Medusa look like? I actually know a Medusa."
"Oh, well she has short blonde hair with long side bangs braided down the front and has yellow amber colored eyes." Tsubaki said.
"Ah, the Medusa I know has long purple hair, wears a face mask over her eyes, and has a thing for horses." Scythe said.
"Hey what's going on out here?"
Scythe and Wendy looked up to see a red haired man dressed in a black suit with an upside down cross tie.
"Oh, I apologize Mr. Albarn. Maka sensed the presence of two witches, and Blackstar jumped to conclusions, attacking two of the newest students on their way to orientation." Tsubaki said.
"Is that so? My daughter has never been wrong on stuff like that before, but Blackstar can be a bit of an overzealous kid when it comes to a fight." Mr. Albarn said. "You two, you're new here right? I'm Spirit Albarn. I'm a Death Scythe. Follow me to orientation. Tsubaki please take Blockhead to see Nurse Medusa."
"Right away sir." Tsubaki said. "It was nice meeting you two."
"See you around Tsubaki." Wendy said as Scythe waved at her, following Spirit.
After a bit of walking, the silence was broken by Spirit asking a question.
"So, you two are new here right? What are your names?"
"Name's Scythe Strauss."
"Wendy Marvell Strauss."
"Same last name, and one of you is already named a weapon. You two siblings or cousins?" Spirit asked.
"Neither." Scythe smiled, seeing Spirit turn to look over his shoulder at him. "Wendy and I are husband and wife."
Spirit stopped in his tracks, not even flinching as Wendy and Scythe walked past him, before they turned around and looked at the redhead man, Scythe chuckling at the shocked look on his face, and Wendy just blushing a bit from embarrassment. To prove he was telling the truth, Scythe and Wendy showed their left hands, and the rings they wore.
"O-okay then…" Spirit said, sounding and looking like he just had the life sucked out of him. "I'm gonna be… on my way. Have fun in orientation." Spirit said.
"Hey wait, we're not even at the classroom yet." Scythe exclaimed.
"Yes you are… just turn to your right, and go through the door." Spirit said, walking away.
"Man, he's even walking like someone drained his life energy." Scythe exclaimed turning to the door, finding it was the orientation room.
Scythe opened the door, letting Wendy come in before he followed her, closing the door behind him.
"Sorry we're late. Had a bit of a run in with an upper classman who wanted to pick a fight. Weird kid too, went by the name, Blackstar." Scythe said.
"You're both new students?" A tall, tan skinned man with a headband asked, looking at them.
"Yeah, name's Scythe and Wendy Strauss. Are you Sid?" Scythe asked.
"Indeed, Lord Death told me you'd be coming to orientation, and has already told me who's the weapon and meister. If you are the two I've been waiting on, then I'd like for you to stay behind for a bit after orientation so I can take you to see Lord Death." Sid exclaimed, handing Wendy a tag that said Meister, and Scythe a tag that said Weapon. "I'll be honest, this is the first time I've heard of freshmen students joining the school as a married couple."
"It's a bit confusing at first yeah. But we'll tell you how we met when we're not about to start orientation." Scythe chuckled putting his tag on.
After that, Scythe and Wendy went to stand among the other freshmen, and waited for Sid to begin.
"All right, that should be everybody." Sid said, putting the roll call book on the podium. "Welcome to the DWMA. I'm Sid, one of the teachers here. Some of you can transform into weapons, and some of you wish to become meisters to wield the weapons. Your skills may vary, some of you weapons may not be able to transform at will."
'Yeah, I haven't transformed once, and I don't even know what weapon I am.' Scythe thought.
"Don't worry, there's no rush. That's why we're here, to teach you." Sid explained.
"Are you serious man, you let people like that in?" A snotty blonde asked, with his tall black haired friend chuckling at his remark.
"Beginning today, you will fight as partners." Sid exclaimed. "Matching up is simple, every weapon needs to have a meister. There's the occasional exception to that rule every once in a while, but the rule generally sticks. If you're still a relatively inexperienced weapon, the meister you partner with will be especially important. Having a partner should have a learning process. Many weapons find it difficult to transform, unless they have a meister to wield them. Take your time, and find a partner you have good chemistry with."
"How should we play this?" The tall guy who chuckled, asked his friend.
"Don't know about you, but I want a girl. Far as I'm concerned, the ideal partner, is someone who'll clean up after me, tend my wounds, and you know, other things." The blonde said, which prompted them both to laugh at his remark.
"Ugh, sexist pigs." Wendy groaned.
"Ignore them Wendy." Scythe said, making sure they could hear him. "They're probably just too stupid to understand what it means to be a decent person." That remark from him prompted the two to look at him with looks that could curdle milk, and Scythe knew how to handle them later on.
"I'm not a particularly eloquent man, and in this case, I think showing will be a lot more helpful than telling. You'll understand better if you see partners who have matching wavelengths. " Sid exclaimed. "You can come in now." He called to the door, most likely to the people Scythe could sense standing outside it.
The door opened and two students came in, one with ash blond hair, and wearing a black trench coat over a white shirt and a red flannel skirt, and heavy steel toed boots, and the other wearing jeans, a white shirt with a black blazer, and red sneakers.
"These are two senior students here, the Meister Maka Albarn, and the Weapon Soul Eater." Sid introduced.
"Always good to see new students, nice to meet you." Maka said, before spotting something.
Scythe noticed Maka look at the petite black haired girl that was standing a bit to his left in front of him and Wendy, before her attention was on them.
"Um Sid?" Maka said. She motioned him to come to her, and whispered something to him.
"Don't worry Maka, I can assure you Lord Death has a perfectly good reason for having them enrolled into the academy." Sid exclaimed. "Go ahead and begin the demonstration now."
Soul and Maka looked to one another, before Soul began to glow, and turned into a death scythe, to which Maka demonstrated their compatibility with one another, while also explaining how their compatibility worked, which resulted in the podium Sid was using to be cut into four separate pieces.
"So that's what a Weapon and Meister pair looks like." Sid exclaimed. "I hope this helped. You'll learn more as class progresses. But for now it's best of you try to listen to your gut. That's all for today, class dismissed. Scythe, Wendy if you'll wait a moment for me."
Scythe and Wendy nodded in agreement, before Scythe realized something.
"Wait here Wendy, I wanna talk with that Soul kid who turned into a death scythe. I wanna see if we can be friends." Scythe exclaimed. "I'll be back in a minute."
"Alright, don't take too long." Wendy smiled, before Scythe went to talk with the upper classmen.
Wendy stood there, just twiddling her fingers, feeling a bit awkward standing there on her own. But things got worse when she was approached by the blonde pig.
"Hey there cutie, why don't you ditch the meat head, and join me as my meister?" He asked, smirking at her with a perverted grin.
"Sorry, but I've already got a partner." Wendy said, declining him.
"Aw, don't be like that, I'm a much better partner than that guy, any day of the week." He exclaimed.
"Yeah, again, I'm not interested, and I've already got a partner." Wendy stated. "So you can take your perverted ass away from me, and go fall down the steps of the academy."
"Why you little bitch…" He said, grabbing her by the front of her shirt. "You need to learn your place. A woman's job is too clean after a man, cook for her man, and sexually please him, nothing more, nothing less."
"Then it's a good thing, you're not her partner." Scythe said.
The blonde turned to look at Scythe but was sent flying into a wall from a fist hitting his face.
"Get your hands off my wife." Scythe growled, smoke rising from his fist. "I won't let your filth taint her."