"A Strong Soul dwells within a Sound Body and a Sound Mind."
Those words and wisdom had been passed down into the mind of every Meister and Weapon that walked through the halls of Death Scythe Academy and it was something that was drilled into Death's own son and his odd foster care case.
Kidd was curious as to why his own father had opted to take in a second child to look after alongside him when he was around 10 and even more confused as to why his father was so off when it came to talking about his life before.
"He's going to be a kind of foster brother for you, Kidd…So don't sweat the small details and just treat him like a member of the family." Death's rather goofy voice reminded him in his head that he seemed to keep up even when the two boys had grown into teens.
"That phrase…He's always defaulting to that ever since I started asking him questions." Kidd grumbled to himself as he headed for the library to go look for something to take his mind off of the whole thing. "I get it if Father has his reasons but I just feel like he's-"
"Kidd, I thought you'd have gone out with the twins." A boy's voice said with surprise as another boy entered the library and started leafing through the titles. "Something wrong? I could hear you muttering from the door."
"It's nothing, Spike…Just go find something to read." Kidd sighed as he felt a little unnerved that his tangent was cut off by his "foster brother" and even more annoyed that he had to try and keep his eyes focused on the book he had in hand to distract himself.
Spike was a boy around 5 foot 9 with long, shoulder length black hair that seemed to resemble a messy, bedheaded mane that to Kidd's dismay; refused to symmetrically bow to any amount of water, gel or comb. His pale skin contrasted this and almost seemed to bring his dark eyes out to the point that they almost looked like shining pools of obsidian, this along with his attempt to placate his friend by wearing a plain. perfectly symmetrical white hoody and pressed blue jeans to ensure no meltdown occurred.
"Don't worry, I'm just here for the quiet…Plus I kinda wanna see if Mr Death put anything new on the shelves." Spike admitted as he started leafing through the shelves; "It's kinda boring to keep re-reading all the same stuff."
"Spike, I still have issues believing that you read every single approved book in this side of the library." Kidd scoffed as he peered up to look Spike in the eye, though the fact that his unruly hair's asymmetry made it hard to look for long. "You might be able to fool Patty and possibly convince Liz but I'm not falling for it."
"Well, the logbooks beg to differ and I HAVE read most of them at least once or twice." Spike remarked with a faint hint of annoyance; He could tolerate not being as physically strong as Kidd was but questioning his integrity as a reader and his passion to learn was enough of a button to push. "Besides it IS true, the only stuff I haven't read is the stuff barricaded by a steel gate."
"Come on…You honestly want me to believe that you have read every single one of these books cover to cover and know all of it's contents? Because just reading them isn't the same as retaining the information." Kidd explained as he grabbed a random book from the shelf and flicked through until it landed on a random page. "Alright then answer this: How does a Meister create a Death Scythe?"
"The Meister's Weapon has to eat 99 evil Human Souls and 1 Witch's Soul…Or at least one Strong Soul and a Witch's Soul" Spike answered equally as quickly and without any note of hesitation.
Kidd blinked as he read the passage and saw that Spike was right, "Okay, looks about right." He admitted before going to another book and doing the same. "Then how about something a little harder: What happens when a Meister and a Weapon don't match their Souls with each other?"
"It can rebound and cause pain to either Weapon or Meister both physically and mentally." Spike answered again as he recited the answer: "If a Meister and a Weapon are incompatible with each other then the Meister will either find the Weapon too heavy to pick up or injure their hands in the process…The Weapon on the other hand may also unintentionally get hurt by a Meister's incompatible Wavelength; Which can cause internal damage to them, even in their weapon form and can cause them to bleed."
"Okay, maybe he ISN'T kidding about this…But maybe I can slip him up." Kidd thought as he then skimmed the spine of a history book and decided to try that. "What is stronger: A Witch or a Warlock?"
"Trick Question for two reasons; The first is that both are powerful because they are masters at wielding Magic but they us it differently." Spike said before thinking for a brief moment and then continued on his encyclopedia-esque explanation. "Warlocks can utilise multiple branches of Magic to compensate for lack of Magic Strength in their Souls, Witches on the other hand can utilise powerful Magic but can only specialise in one branch of Magic."
Kidd nodded as the passage read correctly but the "two reasons" comment confused him. "Wait, why two? You read out of that passage almost perfectly."
Spike nodded as he carried on; "The other is that while Witches are growing rarer to find but they still have a lot of numbers, Warlocks aren't around anymore…They ended up extinct roughly 800 years ago during the Grim Times in a cold war between the Witches." He explained as he then looked to Kidd. "Mr. Death went to go looking for them to broker a treaty but when he arrived, there was supposedly no one around…just bodies in the houses and the streets that numbered by the thousands."
"Yeah…Father said that the last recorded male Magic user was Eibon and that was 800 years ago too." Kidd mused but then found his talk interrupted when Liz and Patty came barging through the door and disturbed the quiet.
"Kidd!"
"Spikey!"
"You guys know this is a library, right?" Spike asked as he saw the two girls marching over to them, he had been used to the Thompson Twins' attitudes and up front demeanours since they were taken in as Kidd's Weapon Partners but he was still taken off guard by Patty's rather erratic attention span. "Besides, you know how Kidd gets when you-"
"WHEN YOU KNOCK ONE DOOR OFF ON AN 88 DEGREE ANGLE AND KNOCK THE OTHER ON A 94!" Kidd shrieked as he started going off on a long pent up symmetry rage after stifling the frustration of Spike's mane of hair, this door knock didn't just break the camel's back but it managed to kick the camel up the backside with a steel toe boot.
"So what's the big emergency anyway? You guys don't normally come down here much." Spike asked the two curiously; "Or is it a Kidd specific thing?"
"Lord Death actually wants to speak to you, Spike…Said it's important." Liz said with a rather confused note in her voice; Most of the time whenever Death wanted them to pass on a message, it was normally for Kidd to check in while Spike was engaged in "Home School Studying" but this was probably the first time in months that he was called on. "You didn't break something in the house, did you?"
"What? Why the hell would I break something that belongs to the literal Grim Reaper that is pretty much my foster father?" Spike asked indignantly as he crossed his arms; "If anything, you or Patty are more likely to break something than I am." He stated and gestured to the door that Kidd was currently measuring up to realign. "Case in point…"
"Okay, first off: How dare? And secondly, when have I ever broken something myself? Patty's always the destructive little goblin." Liz asked with an equally huffy tone as the two began the long tradition of butting heads.
There were never that many times where Liz found herself agreeing with Kidd but the condition of Spike's untamed bushy head of hair was one of them; While Kidd found himself stubbornly trying to fix the whole thing to make it in his own perfectionist way, Liz being the ever fixated on looks and beauty made it very irritating to see Spike not taking care of what she saw as beautiful hair beyond basic shampooing.
Patty however loved these times as she very rarely saw Spike ever get irritated due to his constant quiet nature and spending most times with his nose in a book rather than entertaining her. "Yeah! The only thing that Liz breaks on her own is her nail and that is bad enough!" Patty cheered a little too happily as she often found humour in the oddest of things.
"Patty!"
Spike snorted as he heard that; "See? Patty agrees, while we're on the subject: Can you please stop trying to comb my hair? You and Kidd both agree it doesn't work…Plus I am getting sick of having to pull out broken comb teeth out every time I take a shower."
"That unruly mane of hair needs to be treated properly!" Both Kidd and Liz yelled but for different reasons.
"The fact that I've seen your hair when it's…Moderately neatened up and it honestly breaks my heart to see such gorgeous hair getting ragged and untended." Liz bemoaned as she kept reaching out to try touching his hair, only to have him lightly slapping her hand away each time.
"I'm gonna go see what Lord Death needs of me, I'll catch you guys later." Spike said as he started to walk out of the library, leaving Patty to unsuccessfully try cheering Kidd up and Liz to be the responsible one for the two.
The long hallway leading up to Lord Death's office was a surprisingly imposing one; Each portrait on the sides were of him at different times plus pictures of Kidd as well certainly fit a royal's image but once the doors opened into his room, the entire thing practically changed.
"Ah, Spike! Wassup, wassup!" The cheery Lord Death greeted his ward as he entered; the entire room was a completely open space that resembled a sky with white clouds and a line of torii gates to his work area. "I see that Liz passed on my message to you, how have you been?"
"I've been fine, Lord Death." Spike said politely, even though he had been taken in as a foster for…Well, Death never actually told him why. The Reaper of Souls had reiterated that he wouldn't be opposed to the young boy calling him father, however the boy had chose not to: Though he never specified if it was either simply being polite or just choosing not to. "You said that you wished to see me?"
"Of course, as you are well aware; Kidd has asked me to enroll him at Death Scythe Academy in order to conduct a more inline education so that he can take over from me once he is ready." Death explained to him and gestured to the image of the school that had displayed itself in his mirror.
"Wait...But Kidd's your biological son, wouldn't he naturally take over by default?" Spike asked in confusion; "Same thing for Liz and Patty as his weapons, right?"
"Typically Kidd would naturally take my place when he comes of age since he is a Shinigami like I am, if he so chooses then both Liz and Patty can become Death Scythes when he does…" Death explained as he then gazed out to the open landscape. "But he explained to me that he wants to earn his position; To see everything from his perspective and understand how to maintain life in his own perfectly balanced way."
"That does make sense with his logic." Spike agreed as he found himself gazing up at one of the clouds. "So does that mean he's going to the Academy now?"
"I've already filled out the paperwork so he can attend in the next semester but I also understand that this puts you in a rather…isolated position." Death remarked as he turned to look at Spike with that unblinking stare from behind his mask/face. "As it stands, you two were previously home tutored up until when Kidd became partners with Liz and Patty, the reason why I called you here is a lot more of a simple one; If Kidd does start going to the DWMA to continue his work, would you like to join him on this?"
"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to learn more…I did want to see what else could be read and studied out there besides what's in the library." Spike admitted as he began getting excited at the process of learning new things. "I wanna be able to learn everything I can."
"How about that? One wants to earn their way and the other wants to learn about everything in the world…I must say it's very refreshing." Death thought with an almost happy note in his mood, however the fact that he noticed Spike's nearly boundless curiosity and desire to learn struck a rather uncomfortable nerve with a Deja Vu hammer. "Alright then, Spike. I will fill out your details to get you enlisted as a student at the DWMA…But I must reiterate a point: You are responsible for what you do there, you are a smart young man but I will not be happy if I find out that you've started slacking or getting lazy."
"You have my word, Lord Death…I will take every opportunity to learn everything I can when I can." Spike said with a wide smile and promised to Death.
"Good! Now onto the most important thing that you need to get a handle on before your start…" Death explained as he eyed the boy up; "I can give you the chance to enter but you still have to put the effort in to get approved for being a student. You are going to need to work harder than you already have to make sure you earn your place. Because I can assure that just coasting wouldn't feel right to yourself or to your Partner."
"Hold on…I get a partner?" Spike asked as he felt uncertain about the idea, especially since he hadn't considered that aspect of the school.
"Of course." Death pointed out as he gestured a large finger at the boy; "Everyone has a partner going into the school and while there are rare occurrences of Meisters or Weapons going solo, I wouldn't recommend it." He added, recalling certain testimonies from teachers regarding a certain Meister who was at the bottom of the list in both grades and popularity.
"So what do I do until the next semester? Because that's still a ways away from now." Spike asked as he thought on the process and the possibilities of where this could lead him.
"Kidd's already got steps ahead of you because he's worked with a Weapon team for far longer than you have, while you may be able to think on the same level he can: Knowledge is no absolute substitute for on hand experience." The Shinigami explained but then stopped when the mirror behind him started to ripple like someone was trying to call him. "Though that'll have to be discussed for the moment."
Spike was left to mull things over as Death took his "Call" through the mirror. "Well…It's not a no to getting in…" He thought to himself as he watched Death slowly swaying back and forth in his coversation before looking confused as he was waved over.
"Spike, this is Sid Barrett, he's one of the instructors at the Academy and a Three-Star Meister." Death introduced once Spike had walked over; "Sid, This is Spike…He's going to be a prospective new student at the Death Scythe Academy."
"I see, nice to meet ya, kid." Sid greeted as he gave a casual wave to Spike. "So did Lord Death fill you in on what to expect?"
"He told me that I was going to be put through physical training and something else but we didn't get there quite yet." Spike detailed as he recalled what Death had explained earlier.
"Alright, well we may as well bring you up to speed then." Sid remarked as he looked to Death who responded with an approving nod. "Lord Death said you're a smart kid so I can probably guess that you'll be okay in terms of actual academics. However that only covers half of things, I'll be training you in the physical aspect of things and make sure you're ready for the next Semester."
Spike listened intently as he was eager to know what he needed to do and better understand. "I've been more of a theory person but if learning how to fight and handle myself will get me better chances, then I'll do my best."
"Good, you'll be meeting with me and my other student tomorrow so we can hash things out on how to prep you, though make sure you focus all your efforts in because I'm not gonna take it easy with the teaching…That's the kind of guy I am." Sid concluded as the "Call" hung up and left both Spike and Death in the room.
"Well, there you have it…You now have someone to help you with your training up until your enrolment exam in the next year." Death said and clapped his giant hands together. "For now, I'll just say this; Learn the tactics that a Meister would use to fight and get the basics understood for when you meet Sid, it'll help make things more easier for you to get down to business."
"Don't worry, sir…" Spike promised as he headed for the doors. "If there's one thing that I can do well, it's study."
Once the door shut and it was just the Lord Shinigami in his room, a sudden thought crossed his mind. "Oh…I should've probably mentioned that Sid's other student can be a little…Much…"
Morning came on the first day of Spike's supposed training and he had been the first one there, the training area was as out of the way as he expected it to be. "Well…I guess I probably made it here a bit too early." He thought to himself but checked his watch out of habit; "Mr. Sid said to show up at 8 and it's 7:30…Though I'd have thought that he'd be setting up around this time."
Nestled in a thick forest which made it difficult for anyone to peep in on them but also to make it hard to see anyone lurking around from the inside, a moderately sized arena for what looked like sparring etched into the dirt along with faint chalk marks and along the side were chairs, training equipment and even a rack for training weapons.
"Still…Even though it's a little brighter out now, it still feels eerie." Spike mumbled as he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched while the grinning sun was making it's way into the sky, unfortunately for him though.
"YAHOO!" …He was right.
Without a warning or the proper time to prepare himself, Spike was brought to the ground by a very, very fast moving blur from the top of the trees; It was a very loud and raucous laugh that made him realize that it wasn't an illusion of the morning or the some wild animal that had slammed him into the dirt.
Standing over him with a foot on his back was a very triumphant feeling yet still obnoxious blue haired boy guffawing at his supposed victory; "Alright! I've managed to catch my prey and do it from the shadows like a future Master Assassin would!" He yelled out to the heavens and using a nearby stick as a microphone.
"Black Star, for the last time; This is not a hunting mission, this is a training exercise to both help an applicant and t-Black Star, can you let the kid up?" Sid said with a mostly tired expression since he was walking a little behind alongside a girl in a ninja uniform who looked to be the same age as Spike. "Glad to see you made it, Spike."
Spike groaned a little in pain as he got to his feet unsteadily; "If that's what my first test was supposed to be…I'm not sure I could've prepared for that." He griped as he leaned himself back to stretch himself out and suppress the aching.
"Well, that's the first challenge you have for this training and a core lesson for this way of fighting…To be able to predict the unpredictable." Sid explained as he then slapped the blue haired boy on the shoulder; "This ball of energy is Black Star; He's a One-Star Meister and a current student at the DWMA, for the next few months leading up to your enrolment however; He is your fellow trainee under me and technically your senior."
"Yo, make sure you remember my name, newbie…Because I'm gonna be the Meister who's gonna become the strongest and surpass God!" Black Star said with a big grin on his face and pointed to the sky dramatically.
Sid sighed to himself, it hadn't been the first time that he heard this speech and considering that Black Star was his student, he was probably not going to get sick of saying it. "In any case; This lovely lady over here is Tsubaki, Black Star's partner." He said and moved to the side so Tsubaki could properly introduce herself. "She's a One-Star as well but she's a Weapon and a good head on her shoulders so if you have questions then feel free to talk to either of us."
Tsubaki smiled politely and bowed toward Spike; "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Sid said that you were going to join the school as well in the next year, so I hope we can become friends in the meanwhile." She said with a mix of both pleasantry and optimism.
"Same to you." Spike agreed as he smiled back before putting his focus back on Sid; "So what's our first lesson?" He asked curiously as he glanced around.
"I've filled these two in on what's going on but for the main focus for next few months or so; You are going to be put through an intense physical training that'll help you develop proper Soul techniques and get you prepared for handling a weapon." Sid explained as he gestured to the rack full of weapons and to Black Star who pounded his fists together eagerly; "You've got a lot to work for so make it count."