[Soul Eater] 2 - The New Student of Shibusen

The New Student of Shibusen

***

Fate exited her apartment after a good sleep and started walking towards the academy; she wasn't sure if she wanted to attend school, but she couldn't do anything about it now.

	It's been almost two years since the last time I stepped foot in a school, she thought. Well, if it's like Maka said, then it shouldn't be so bad.

	The city looked rather peaceful during the day; a lot of the shops were open or were starting to open, and Fate saw some teens exiting their houses. They were probably students of Shibusen, too.

	Heh... too...

	She arrived at the long stairs that lead up to the academy and started to walk up them, seeing a lot of boys and girls who were doing the same thing, and when she reached the top, she saw that there were a lot of people near the entrance of the academy, so she decided to take a look. She noticed that everyone was looking up, so she did the same, and she saw a boy standin on the tip of a spiked structure of the building. She half-closed her eyes to see him better, and she could see that the boy had spiky blue hair and was wearing a ninja outfit.

	The boy pointed to the sky. "LISTEN UP, SHIBUSEN!" He shouted. I KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE WORRIED ABOUT THOSE BLACK MONSTERS, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY BECAUSE I, BLACK*STAR, WILL DESTROY THEM ALL!"

	Fate stared at him with wide eyes, but an amused smile pulled at her lips. Looks like she had some competition in the Obumbratio hunt. Despite her interest in the boy, the other students around her had bored looks on their faces.

	"That idiot is doing it again..."

	"Let's just ignore him like always..."

	After that, the crowd started moving into the academy and Fate did the same, crossing through the front door; Kid and the Thompson sisters caught sight of her.

	"Fate, over here!" Patty called out, waving her hand frantically.

	Fate saw them and made her way over to them. "Hey, good morning!"

	"Good morning," Liz yawned.

	"Well, if you're ready, we will lead you to your class," Kid said.

	Fate nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

	They started walking towards the class. Fate started to look at her surroundings, trying to memorize the place; she saw some sort of bulletin board and there were some students looking at it, and as they walked, she could overhear a conversation between two girls.

	"Did you hear the rumors?"

	"No, what happened?"

	"I heard that there was another attack yesterday. Those monsters attacked a woman that was alone in the streets."

	"Oh no... what happened to her?"

	"Nothing! Someone destroyed those creatures and saved her!"

	"Wow, I wonder who it was..."

	Fate was surprised at how people already knew about her fight last night, and Kid leaned close to her.

	"It looks like your fight didn't go unnoticed," he whispered.

	Fate let out a light laugh. "Yeah... maybe I was too noisy?"

	Kid laughed as well. "Well, sooner or later, the entire academy will know that you're here, so you won't have to worry about being discreet."

	Finally, they arrived at the door of the class.

	"Here it is," Kid said. "Class Crescent Moon - this will be your class. We have different teachers, but the main one is Professor Stein. Look, here he comes."

	Fate turned to see someone coming down the hallway in an office chair; he had silver-gray hair and was wearing a doctor's lab coat, but what stood out most was the large screw going through his head.

	"Well, who do we have here?" The man asked, looking at Fate."

	"Hello, sir, I'm-" Fate began, but was interrupted by Stein.

	"Fate, right?"

	"Uh... yeah."

	Kid patted Fate's shoulder. "We're going to go inside, see you in there."

	"Alright," Fate answered, and then she looked at the man in the chair again.

	"Finally, I get to meet you," Stein said with a smile. "I'm Professor Stein. It's a pleasure."

	"Likewise," Fate said, returning the smile. "Kid told me that you would be my teacher while I'm here."

	"Ah, yes," Stein began. "Shinigami-sama told me the reason of your visit, but first let me say that you did good work yesterday."

	Fate looked at him in disbelief. "You know?"

	Stein found her question funny. "Yes, Shinigami-sama told me. He's always aware of what is happening in the city."

***

	While Fate and Stein were talking, the students of Class Crescent Moon were doing the same; a certain girl with two pigtails was reading a book.

	"What are you reading now?" Soul asked with curiosity.

	"I found this book in the library. It talks about magic users who aren't witches," Maka replied. "I'd like to know more about the person who is going to help us."

	"You sure are excited about it, Maka-chan," the girl next to her commented. She was tall and had black hair that was tied into a long ponytail.

	Maka chuckled. "Well, it's the first time that someone so powerful is coming to Death City, so it's normal that I'm a little curious. Aren't you curious, Tsubaki?"

	"Yes," Tsubaki admitted. "I wonder if she's as young as us."

	"If she's strong, I'm going to fight her," assured a boy who was sitting next to the girl with black hair. He was the one who was giving a speech outside the academy.

	"Told you..." Soul whispered to Maka.

	"Do you really need to pick a fight with everyone in the academy, Black*Star?" Maka asked, annoyed by the boy's attitude.

	"Only if they are strong enough to fight me," he responded with a grin. Tsubaki sighed at hr friend's behavior.

	Soul decided to change the topic before someone got Maka-chopped. "Did you three hear about the attack last night?"

	Maka closed her book and looked at Soul. "Yeah, it sounds like a woman was attack by some Obumbratio, but thankfully, someone saved her in time."

	"Do you think Kid, Liz, and Patty were the ones who saved her?" Tsubaki asked.

	"Well, why don't we ask them ourselves?" Soul asked, pointing to the door where Kid and the Thompson sisters were entering the classroom.

	They went to sit near their friends.

	"Hello everyone," Liz greeted as she sat down.

	"Hi!" Patty greeted cheerfully.

	"Hey Kid," Maka addressed the Shinigami.

	"What is it?" He asked, looking at her.

	"We heard that some Obumbratio attack a woman last night," she explained. "You three were patrolling the city, right?"

	"Yeah, we were watching over the city last night and saw the Obumbratio," Kid said. "But we weren't the ones who saved the woman."

	Soul grew curious. "Then who was it?"

	"The girl that my father talked to us about," he responded with a smile. "She arrived yesterday evening."

	None of them expected that answer.

	"She's here!?" Maka asked in surprise. "I thought she was going to arrive today."

	Liz smiled at Maka. "Well, it seems that she arrived sooner than expected, and I'm grateful. Thank to her, we could finish sooner."

	"What's she like?" Tsubaki asked.

	"She looks younger than us, but she's about fifteen years old," Kid answered. "She had silver hair, blue eyes, and she wears a yellow sweater."

	Maka had a pensive look on her face after hearing the description, and Soul noticed

	"What is it, Maka?" He asked.

	"That description... it reminds me of-" Maka began, but was interrupted by the sound of someone opening the door to the class.

	Professor Stein had just entered the class followed by a girl, and when Maka saw the girl, she was surprised to see that it was the same one she met yesterday after buying dinner.

	"Listen up, kids!" Stein called out, trying to get his students' attention. "As everyone should know, dark monsters called Obumbratio have been attacking the city recently. Shinigami-sama decided that it was necessary to ask for help from outside, so this girl here is the one who is going to help us. She is know as the Sapphire Warrior..."

	Upon hearing this, the students began to whisper.

	"What the hell? She's barely any older than us."

	"She looks pretty cool, though."

	"And she's kind of cute..."

	"Please, you will have time for that later," Stein said, interrupting the chatter. "As I was saying, this girl's magic - no, she is not a witch - is the only thing that can make the Obumbratio disappear, so she will be staying with us for a while. I hope you can get along with her and don't cause her any trouble, okay? Now, we'll begin with the class."

	Fate went to sit down next to Kid. "I guess I'm no longer a secret."

	Kid chuckled at her remark. "It's better this way, although students are going to get curious."

	The class began and everyone was listening to Stein, but Fate noticed that Maka was looking at her, so she turned her head a little to look at her and gave her a smile.

	When the class ended and some of the students had left, Kid turned around to introduce Fate to his friends.

	"Guys, I'd like to introduce you to-" Kid began, but was interrupted by Maka.

	"Fate," she remembered.

	"Wait, you two know each other?"

	Fate let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I met her yesterday, right after I entered the city."

	"Why didn't you tell me that you were the Sapphire Warrior?" Maka asked, crossing her arms and pouting.

	"You never asked," Fate replied, shrugging with a grin on her face and making the others laugh.

	"Well, now we know your name, so it's our turn," Soul said, and he extended his hand. "I'm Soul Eater, it's a pleasure."

	"That's a pretty cool name, Soul," Fate said as she shook hands with him.

	Then a girl behind Soul walked next to Fate and bowed. "I'm Tsubaki Nakatsukasa. Thank you, Fate, for helping us."

	Fate was a little taken aback at her bow. "Nice to meet you, Tsubaki, but you don't need to act so formal towards me." Then the blue-haired boy next to Tsubaki was about to introduce himself, but Fate cut him off. "You must be BLack*Star, right?"

	The others had a surprised look on their faces when Fate said that.

	"You know me?" Black*Start asked, and then started to arch his back while laughing. "See guys, the great Black*Star is known all around the world!"

	"Actually," Fate spoke up. "I saw you before entering the academy today. You were giving a speech about how you were going to destroy all the Obumbratio, if I'm not mistaken."

	Black*Star stopped laughing and sweatdropped while the other sighed.

	"You'll never change, Black*Star," Soul said.

	"What an idiot..." Maka muttered.

	Black*Star then straightened up and pointed at Fate. "Fate, let's fight!"

	Kid sighed. "Here we go again."

	Fate was a little surprised at this. "Wait, why do you want to fight me?"

	"If you're going to protect the city from Obumbratio, then I'll have to see if you're strong enough," Black*Star said with determination.

	Fate crossed her arms and closed her eyes to think for a moment, and she thought that Black*Star was right, so she decided to accept his duel.

	"You have a point there," she said. "Okay! We'll fight, as long as your partner agrees, too."

	"Alright!" Black*star cheered. "What do you say, Tsubaki?"

	"Well, if Fate agrees to fight, then I'll be at your side," Tsubaki agreed.

	"If you're going to fight," Stein spoke up. "Then do it outside in front of the academy. I'll be the witness, come on."

	Kid sighed in defeat as the Shibusen students began to follow their teacher. "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen."

	"It was inevitable, Kid," Soul said. "The only thing we can do now is watch the fight."

	"Yeah, remember that you fought Black*Star voluntarily, too, when we rolled in the academy," Liz reminded him.

	"Yeah, but he was fighting with a partner who was incompatible with him," Kid said, referring to Soul.

	"And it was a disaster; I don't think I could stand seeing another "Friendship Combination"," Maka said, smiling at Soul.
	Soul groaned. "Thanks for making me remember that..."

	"Hey Kid," Patty said, trying to get the Shinigami's attention. "Who do you think will win?"

	"Well, I have to admit that Black*Star is one of the strongest students here, even if he is a moron," he answered. "But I don't think he can defeat someone of Fate's level."

	Maka then turned to her teacher. "Say, Professor Stein, have you ever seen a magic user who wasn't a witch fight?"

	"Fate is the only one I've ever seen, so I'm as curious as you are. Besides, according to Shinigami-sama, she's not ordinary. It's to be expected, being Xenon's daughter and all..."

	As they talked, Tsubaki warned the people in the courtyard that there was going to be a duel, and some students of Shibusen heard about the fight Black*Star was going to have with the new student, so they came outside to see it.

	"What do you mean she's not ordinary? Daughter of Xenon?" Maka asked, full of curiosity.

	Stein smiled at her. "Xenon is a friend, a powerful one. Do you happen to know the ranks of magic users?"

	Maka thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so... three ranks: apprentice, wielder, and master, if I'm correct."

	Patty tugged on her sister's shirt. "Sis, didn't Kid's father said that Fate was the first of three or something like that?"

	"Uh, yeah, I think so," Liz answered with a pensive expression.

	"That's right," Stein said. "The Three Chosen Ones, a legend between magic users. It's said that the chosen ones have a level far above any other magic user."

	Maka and Soul looked a little worried.

	"Then... does Black*Star have any chance?" Maka asked.

	"Why don't we watch the fight and find out?" Stein asked, looking at the kids who were going to fight.

	Fate, Black*Star, and Tsubaki were in their positions, looking at each other, read to begin.

	"You better not hold back!" The blue-haired boy called out.

	"If you don't, I won't!" Fate said with a grin on her face.

	"Let's go, Tsubaki!"

	"Alright!" Tsubaki agreed, transforming into two scythes that were united by a long chain.

	Fate looked amazed at her weapon form and her grin grew wider, and she summoned a long sword made out a sapphire blue magic.

	Everyone watched her in awe, not having seen anyone use magic before, and then the fight began.

	Fate dashed as fast as her legs could carry her to make the first hit, but Black*Star jumped in the last moment before the silver-haired girl could hit him. When he was in the air, he launched on of the scythes of the Kusarigama, but Fate parried it and jumped to him him, and the ninja blocked her attack with the other scythe. The both landed and ran to hit the other, and their weapons clashed.

	"I've gotta admit that you're fast!" Black*Star said with a wide grin on his face.

	"Same to you," Fate replied.

	"But that isn't enough!" The ninja insisted as the Kusarigama transformed into a small sword.

	Fate was surprised that Tsubaki had another form; they struggled, but then Black*Star stepped to the side and tried to cut Fate, and the girl managed to dodge it by an inch and step back.

	That was close, she thought.

	Tsubaki transformed again into the Kusarigama and Black*Star rushed over to Fate and began attacking her with fast attacks, one after the other; Fate barely managed to block his attacks and they were moving through the courtyard really fast.

	Suddenly, Black*Star launched one of the scythes at Fate again and the girl crouched to avoid the scythe, and then blocked the attack Black*Star did with his other scythe.

	The blue-haired boy smirked. "I got you now!"

	Fate looked at him with a puzzled look, but then she realized that she was between Black*Star and the first scythe, and Black*Star pulled the chain to trap Fate's leg.

	"Damn it!" She tried to break free but failed, and Black*Star launched her into the air.

	"Tsubaki, Shuriken mode!" Black*Star cried, and Tsubaki transformed into a huge shuriken. Black*Star launched it at Fate.

	The shuriken flew at an amazing speed at the silver-haired girl. Fate put her sword in front of her and the huge shuriken clashed with the blade, but it didn't stop; it kept rotating at a quick speed and sparks appeared because of the friction, but it began to stop after a few seconds.

	Seeing this, Fate used her free hand to grab the shuriken and launch it back at her opponent.

	"WHAT!?"

	The people watching the fight were staring at Fate in disbelief, surprised that she could grab Tsubaki as if it was nothing.

	"Well, that was unexpected," Stein said with a smile.

	Maka looked at Fate with amazement. "She simply grabbed her... without even thinking about it..."

	"Maka, let me ask you something. You were the first person to meet Fate when she arrived, right?"

	"Uh, yeah, that's right."

	"Did you, by chance, take a look at her soul?"

	"Oh, well, I didn't," Maka answered, understanding where her professor was going. "I didn't know she was who she was when I met her, so I hadn't any reason to do it."

	Stein smiled. "Unlike us, people like Fate use the strength of their hearts, not of their souls, so you'll need to focus more to see her soul when she's fighting."

	"You're not talking about a physical heart, right?" Liz asked, a little confused.

	"Of course not," Stein answered. "Although the heart and the soul have a connection, they are very different things. The soul can tell the personality of the person, while the heart tells the tendency towards things. You could ask Fate if you want - I'm sure she could explain it better."

	Returning to the fight, Tsubaki returned to normal and landed next to Black*Star, and Fate returned to the floor at the same time.

	"Well, it looks like we'll have to use that," Black*Star said with a smirk.

	"That?" Fate asked, preparing herself.

	"You'll see Tsubaki's most powerful form!"

	How many forms does Tsubaki have? Fate thought, impressed that the girl had so many weapon forms.

	"Tsubaki, Uncanny Sword Mode!"

	When Black*Star said that, Tsubaki transformed into a katana with a black blade, and the face of the meister was covered with black stripes. Fate looked at them in surprise; it was the first time she had fought someone like this... and she was starting to enjoy it.

	Black*Star charged at Fate so fast that it looked like he had teleported, but Fate had trained personally with someone who could teleport, so she managed to block his attack with ease. Black*Star disappeared from where he was and appeared behind Fate, but Fate, without turning back, put her sword behind her back and parried the attack, leaving an opening in Black*Star's defense. She turned and hit the ninja in the torso, sending him flying backwards.

	"Dammit, that hurt!" Black*Star said to himself. He recovered and used his feet to stop from going any further, and then charged at Fate again, and the silver-haired girl did the same.

	Both of them were moving beyond fast around the courtyard, almost no one being able to see them because of their speed, but shockwaves could be seen when their swords clashed, destroyed some parts of the ground.

	The spectators watched the two fighters with astonishment.

	Fate and Black*Star continued trying to break the other one's guard; Black*Star was panting and Tsubaki noticed.

	"Black*Star, you can't hold this mode any longer," Tsubaki said, worried for him.

	"Then we'll have to finish this quickly," he answered, and then he ran at Fate. The silver-haired girl noticed that the ninja was getting tired and thought that maybe the technique he was using was draining his energy, so she decided to finish the battle before Black*Star got hurt.

	"Tsubaki, use the shadow!" Black*Star called out.

	"Okay!" Tsubaki agreed.

	Suddenly, Black*Star's shadow came out of the floor and several black spikes attacked Fate, and she could destroy some of them, but that gave Black*Star the opportunity to attack. The ninja put his sword between Fate and her blade, and with a pull, he disarmed the so-called Sapphire Warrior. Fate had her guard down so Black*Star's idea was a success, and she retreated, keeping distance with her opponent.

	The blade was now behind the ninja, stuck to the ground.

	"This ends here, Fate!" Black*Star shouted, and started running at her.

	Fate smiled and acquired a position, like she was holding a blade on its sheath, and started to glow with a gold aura. Black*Star looked puzzled for a moment, but then he saw that her blade had returned to her hand.

	"What the-!?"

	"It came back to her!" Tsubaki exclaimed.

	Black*Star let his guard down when he saw this, and Fate took this opportunity to attack. She performed a powerful slash; the attack was so fast that she appeared behind Black*Star, and the ninja fell to the ground defeated.

	The battle was over.

	Tsubaki turned back to normal. "Black*Star, are you okay?"

	Black*Star got up and sat cross-legged on the ground. "Damn, I thought this was going to be a piece of cake," he sighed while rubbing the back of his head.

	Fate dismissed her blade and walked over to them, standing in front of Black*Star, and she offered her hand to him with a grin.

	"That was on of the best fights I've ever had!" She told him. The ninja grinned and took her hand, and she helped him stand up with surprising strength.

	Meanwhile, the students who were watching the fight looked amazed at this short, young girl who had just kicked their classmate's butt.

	"To be honest, I saw this result coming," Kid said.

	"This was more interesting than I expected," Liz added.

	"Maka," Stein said. "Now that they've finished, could you try to look at Fate's soul?"

	Maka nodded and closed her eyes, trying to focus on just the silver-haired girl, and it was a little difficult, but she managed to do it.

	"I've got it," she said.

	"What do you see?" Stein asked.

	"Um... it looks like her soul is compatible with every other soul... like Tsubaki's soul, that can adapt to others' wavelength."

	Stein smiled at her. "That's right. However, she doesn't need to adapt her soul."

	"It's possible to be compatible with every soul?" Soul asked.

	"Well," Liz began. "She's a very likable person, so it wouldn't be strange."

	Maka looked at Fate while she talked to Tsubaki and Black*Star. "We just talked for a few minutes, but it was really nice."

	"There's something really genuine about her," Soul admitted.

	"The Sapphire Warrior, First of the Three Chosen Ones..." Stein muttered, his expression switching to a perturbed face with a twisted smile. "I want to dissect her."

	The students looked at their professor with pale and scared faces, but after his creepy line, they began to walk towards the silver-haired girl.

	"You're pretty skilled, Fate," Tsubaki complimented.

	Fate let out an embarrassed laugh. "Thanks! I've gotta say, when you transformed into different weapons, it took me by surprise."

	"That's Tsubaki! A big warrior like me needs an awesome partner like her!" Black*Star shouted while laughing.

	"She's an amazing partner. Don't let her out of your sight," Fate said with a grin. Tsubaki blushed slightly at her compliment.

	As they talked, the others who had watched the duel arrived.

	"It was a good fight. Congratulations, you two," Stein said.

	"Are you okay, Black*Star?" Soul asked his friend.

	"Of course!" Black*Star said cheerfully. "This was good training!"

	"You got you butt kicked, don't deny it," Maka said.

	"Maybe, but the next time won't be the same! I'll make sure that the next time we have a duel, Fate, I'll be the winner!"

	"I look forward to it," Fate said with a smile.

	Black*Star returned the smile and held out a fist, and after a moment of hesitation, Fate bumped her fist against his.

	Looks like she had some new friends.