Chapter Text
The night was barren; silence filled the streets of Death City with only the noise of swinging rickety old signs of pubs and the soft pitter-pattering of street rats in the corner just 'round a closed café. Not like the teen really cared, it was the silence that always had their back on these missions. It was their friend. The wind rustled through their hair that had matted since yesterday, being unable to even get a quick bath right before bed was impossible considering how dead they and their partner looked once they captured the rogue kishin.
"Fuck. I stink." They can even hear even more obscenities coming out from their partner's mouth, the weapon in human form with an expression full of dread. They see him raising his arm to smell his armpits. Gross. "Let's just get this over with so I can take a nice long shower and that the extras at Shibusen don't keep avoiding me." The boy brought his hand to brush along his own matted locks of hair. The once currant red hair had dimmed slightly, obviously in need of taking care of.
They smirk, "I think that's for the best. They obviously wouldn't want some freckled weirdo calling them 'extras' near them. Good-smelling or bad." Immediately, they received a glare. Dark purple eyes, almost like velvet, bore into them.
"Like they weren't doing the same to you?" He huffs. He had crossed his arms, walking slower than before.
"They were avoiding me because I'm a Top Tier Meister. I proudly flaunt my rank— which you should also act like one," they bump their shoulders against him, making him stop and step back with a sour look and pursed lips. They see him ruffle his clothes. The ugly mustard colour of his long-sleeved shirt hiked upon his body, resting just atop the hem of his black jeans with homebrewed rips.
"H a h? What was that, you condescending shit? You're a One Star like me." The chain of his dog tag necklace rattled when he shoved himself forward. "By the way, you smell like one too."
"Damn, I wish they could demote students like you," the young meister comments, smirking still. They ignored the weapon's insult, but still felt offended. "You know? Bad morals? Inappropriate behaviour?"
The weapon jumped back, startled, "Ina—?!"
The meister scoffs at his outburst, starting to pick at their nails, "Black☆Star? At the tip of the Shibusen spikes?" They start to make the questions hurt a little, making sure they hit the right buttons— and they successfully did.
"He. Was. Being. Annoying," he says with gritted teeth. "Screaming some… muffled bullshit about being god???" He continued walking, hands now shoved into his jean pockets.
"Yeah, yeah. You hate him or whatever," they wave their hand to dismiss whatever dilemma their weapon was having. "We should hurry up and get this over with before we end up sleep-deprived again." Another smirk rises to their lips now, cocky and confident. Their hand gestures outwards towards their partner, commanding almost and it caught his attention. "Jas," they started, and the weapon already knew what they wanted. "bow form. We've got a kishin to bust."
"Do we get to go to the hot springs afterwards?" Jas mimicked his meister's expression with the same amount of confidence.
They playfully scoff at the question, "Only if we do our job right." And at that, Jas took his meister's hand, his body engulfed in a bright white.
"It gave itself the name Boogeyman. I thought it was gonna be some Michael Jackson or Prince bullshit but no—!" Tan hands threw themselves into the air, "It was just some weirdo in a weird— fuckin'— mummy costume!" They watched Jas turn right towards them and only laughed tiredly at his exasperation, "A mummy. One— that's some shitty branding, two; all it did was hang his tongue out like a dumb dog!" Their snorts reached his ears and he stood still, confused for a minute "What's so funny?" He asked.
The two had just recently acquired one of the kishin eggs they were tasked to deal with and had already contacted Shinigami to give a brief report. Both were now stretched across their couch with Jas' leg across his meister's stomach.
The childish, nasally laughter continued, only getting louder by the second, "Are you just pissed because you wanted to fight a popstar themed enemy for once?" They smirk, fully knowing the answer.
Jas frowned, "That's—"
"You've been putting in too many hours into playing Plants versus Zombies, haven't you?"
He was quiet.
"And your favourite is the Disco Zombie?"
His lips were sealed into a tight thin line before he gave up, letting out a huge sigh. "Yeah," he confessed, "He is so cool—" Loud, hoarse laughter then roared into his face, making him roll his eyes. They only rolled back further because of the comment he just had to hear.
"Stupid. Boogeyman doesn't mean Boogie."
"Like you didn't almost face-plant in the doorway," he snickers, pointing towards the entrance hall of their home.
"Almost. You were there to catch me." They point out, laughing.
Jas sat up and hit them gently over the head with a rolled-up magazine, "Wish I didn't."
Imagine deciding to accept two missions that involved taking out high-ranked kishins that only attack during the night. They were students, them and their partner. Jas barely gets sleep, to begin with, being such a comic enthusiast, he would spend nights awake until morning just to finish reading a whole set of them. But even if Jas didn't spend nights awake, taking two missions without break was still out of the question, yet Shinigami-sama allowed them to take both missions at once.
"Ya think it's 'round 'ere?" The lazy tone of their weapon echoed.
In the meister's hands was a bow with a sleek black finish that they could see Jas' reflection on it. The grip was curved and made of rubber with tiny buds for extra friction. It was darker and obviously not reflective like the bow's surface but perfect for a technician to hold the weapon comfortably. Though the bow was beautiful, it didn't have a string connecting the two ends, but it's nothing they can't fix. They hold the bow with an outstretched arm so they can lick their thumb. "[It's] for the theatrics," the meister once said and Jas, for good reason, thinks it's disgusting. They could already feel Jas shiver when they did it.
"Pretty sure. It's already near midnight, so it's sure to come out soon," they reply, "besides, we already got reports of its sightings being around here. We gotta trust that."
Their eyes rolled and they took their hand to the notch as if they were attaching the string. However, it didn't have a string at hand— that's when sparks and crackles of electricity started to overflow from the meister's hand. They pulled away from the notch to reveal a luminescent string, made completely out of their soul's wavelength. The meister looked proud as the bright light shone across their features. They continued pulling until they reached the lower notch, securing a tight and durable string. It kept sparking and they couldn't help but grin. They pulled on it, pulling far back, simulating them about to shoot an arrow.
"Perfect," the self-compliment rolled from tongue effortlessly and Jas snorted.
The weapon's reflection shone against the sleek black once again, "Yeah, yeah, Captain Perfect. Let's go." Jas licked his lips, "Can't wait to get my hands on another kishin egg."
"And to think you were repulsed by this idea the first time," the meister laughs.
"I was not, in any way, r e p u l s e d,' the weapon defended. " I was just… against it."
"What do you think is going to happen?! Do you expect the kishin to knock at our apartment door, greet us a swell night, offer us cookies, and ask us oh-so-politely to take its soul?!"
"It's a possibility~" The meister chirped, swinging their legs back and forth, bouncing the heels of their shoes against the cemented railings of Shibusen's balcony-type thing. The two never knew what they were called. "If they're chocolate chip cookies, I'd be more than happy to finish the deed." They watched as the demon weapon looked close to exploding and the sight of it could never be funnier.
"... You are insufferable," Jas deadpanned. "I have, like, two?? five?? a lot of assignments due on, like, Friday."
"And I am, like, your meister. You're, like, stuck with me, like, loser," they clicked their tongue, chuckling as they mocked Jas' way of speaking. "Also, it's your fault for not doing them ahead of time."
Jas just stared at them in disbelief, ignoring the fact he was just insulted right in his face, "You NEVER do yours though??? You copy off ME."
The meister tsks, tapping a finger on Jas' chin, "And that is why you should do them early. You don't want me failing, do you?" Oh, the doll eyes. It never affected the very apathetic demon weapon, but why not try and try again until it works?
"You look disgusting."
Or just fail. That works too.
"You were so repulsed by it," the meister pushed.
"Was not."
The meister readied themselves as they began walking through the dead streets of Death City, cutting their and Jas' petty little argument right then and there. They had one hand on the bow's grip, their other hand gripping nothing but pressed tight on the bow's arrow rest. The pair entered an alleyway, hearing voices from the other side of the dark passage.
"Is that the kishin?" Jas' voice perks up from the silence but is quiet as a whisper, still aware that he might alert what could be the kishin they were hunting.
The meister shrugged, unsure, "Dunno. But there're more voices than one. They don't sound distorted or creepy either. Could be drunk townspeople from the cabaret." It was dark and the voices were muffled, but they could make out three voices. Two too familiar than the other.
"Hearing the word 'drunk' is making me want a bath more. Just hurry up and find out what the voices are— or maybe they're inside your head?"
"Not the time for jabs, Jas," the meister frowned at their partner.
"Yeah, yeah. Wish you could see souls though…"
What?
"You know?" Jas' voice was getting louder, "Like Maka Albarn?" Not this again— "Isn't she at the top of the class with… whatshisname… Orobas? Ototo? I forgot, or I'm not close to what I'm guessing." Is that a smirk or just the moon's reflection on the bow? "But I wish you could be like her… see souls and stuff… so we can know if kishins are nearby…"
This guy—
"GEEZ, I GET IT. I'M SORRY I'M NOT TALENTED AS FUCKING ALABAMA-BARN. CAN'T SEE SOULS BUT AT LEAST I DO MY SHI—"
Their words were cut off by the distant chanting of "Pump-Pumpkin, Pumpkin… Smashing Pumpkin!" and a huge explosion. The sound had already reached the pair's ears before they were blown away by a gust of smoke, pushing them out of the alleyway and onto the hard cobblestone ground. The meister choked on the smoke and Jas had reverted back to his human form, groaning. They hear a scream.
"What the hell was that—?"
In the air, they see the person the meister didn't want to see the most. Dusty blonde pigtails flowed in the wind and Mickey Mouse gloved hands tightly held a black and red scythe. The girl landed roughly on the terracotta roofs. It looked like she was in a pinch… too bad for her—
"Is that Albarn?"
Please, just shut up for once Jas. Can't a teen have a grudge in peace? Even then, the meister stood up, stepping back a few feet so they could see a great view of Ms Top of the Class failing to catch a kishin.>
"Is that a witch?"
"Shut your trap, Jas!" Oop, they snapped. But their eyes did stare up at the dark-clad figure in the sky, riding on a giant floating pumpkin. It did look like a witch with the stereotypical black garments and pointed witch's hat. But, "Something is off."
Jas quirked a brow, "In what way?"
"I know I can't concentrate and see souls to save my life, but I know for a fact that the vibe I'm getting off that woman isn't a witch." With Jas already on his feet, the meister held out their arm once more. Their eyes follow the figure of their classmates running across the roofs, squinting. "Bow, now," they commanded, "we're trailing them."
"Huh? What about the kishin?" Jas looked like he was about to disobey his meister's wishes. "Don't we need to finish this?
"I'm not getting one-upped by Albarn," they snapped, "I'm stealing that kill."
Jas was really confused now. "Why would you do that? And you said it wasn't a witch, right?" He sighs, rubbing his temples, "So why bother?"
"... Just do it."
This dumb grudge is going to kill Jas someday. The weapon transformed into a bow once more, the meister cleanly snatching it by the grip in the air and they ran off. At the same time as they tailed behind the other pair, they re-attached the string on the bow, but this time also pulling from the arrow rest after the string. Electric-like sparks circled around the glowing arrow that just formed out of thin air, pulled back into the wavelength-made string. They were locked and loaded.
Making a sharp turn around fallen debris, the meister found themselves in a clear street, and not alone. They see the famous scythe, now in human form standing by the 'witch' with Maka looking betrayed just a few metres from them. What was this? A lover's spat? They clicked their tongue and started to aim, gaining the attention of the three in front of them. One step taken back was all they needed as they crouched down and turned their bow sideways. All their attention turned towards the glowing arrow aimed point-blank at the witch, pulled the farthest it could by the bow meister. A grin crept on the meister's lips as they heard the young girl call out their name in shock.
"(Name) Luck…?"
"The one and only."
The arrow shot through the witch's chest, piercing clean through the body and to the other side. It barely scraped Maka's cheek as the arrow whizzed by her. For a moment, the witch looked down at the hole made in her chest, but she didn't seem too surprised until her physical form exploded, creating a large gust of wind; it barely pushed (Name) back though. They could only stand and watch, pride welled up in them as they saw the soul finally appearing from the dusty mist. (Hair Colour) hair was now messed up on top of the teen's head and they looked like they just rolled right out of bed. (Eye Colour) eyes were squinted with absolute glee from that clean shot.
(Name)'s bow started to glow and the meister tossed it slightly in the air, allowing space for the weapon to transform back to his human form. He cracked his neck, stretching just slightly before walking towards the soul with a hand tucked into his pocket.
"Don't forget about me," he tutted.
The scythe was the one who uttered out a name this time, "Jas Simmons."
"That's my name. Don't wear it out, Soul Evans," he replied, coy.
He reached for the soul, snatching it from Soul's side. He gave him a grin, teasing him by dangling the soul in the air for a few seconds before dropping it into his mouth. He began chewing. Slowly. The weapon made sure he was keeping eye contact with the scythe before swallowing.
"Oh— and thanks for the meal," he grins.
Maka was instantly filled with rage, bitterness laced her words as she barked at (Name), "What are you—!" It seems like the shock had made her fall short on words. She stomped towards Jas, grabbing the taller boy by his cheeks and the bow couldn't be any more bored with the action. "Spit!" She screamed and Jas just pried her hands off his face.
"Can't. And not a dog. Want me to regurgitate the fuckin' thi—?!"
Just as Jas shooed Maka away, she delivered a nasty uppercut into Jas' stomach, making him fly backwards.
"JAS!" (Name) yelped. They watched their partner fly up into the air, startled yet made no effort to run after him.
The boy's body flopped to the ground like a ragdoll and, slowly, the soul he just swallowed escaped from his mouth, floating just above the battered body.
Maka stomped over to Jas' unconscious body, snatched the soul and called out for the scythe. "Soul!" Pretty sure her volume woke up a few people. "EAT THIS."
Her partner immediately declined, crossing his arms as he jumped further from the furious meister, "NO!"
As if Maka had superhuman speed, she was in front of Soul's face in a blink of an eye with the soul in her hand. Soul tripped and fell down and Maka kneeled over him to pin him down. He was pleading by now to not have to eat the gross seconds. Would it be called seconds? Eh. (Name) could only watch in both awe and fear at the other pair, but they also took a few glances at Jas' body to make sure he was relatively alive.
Her other hand crammed itself into Soul's mouth, forcing his jaw open so she could shove the soul down his throat. Oh, the poor soul.
"EAT IT."
"NOOOOOOOOO—"
gulp.
"Nya~!"
"Hah?!"