Everywhere

Rue was cornered. The crisp folds of the two adjacent walls gave her the odd sense of being swallowed whole, though she fought to maintain herself. Before her stood three girls, each at least a head taller and twice as beautiful. With their arms folded over their large busts and their eyes cold, they grinned dark smiles at her. Nightmare-ish? Possibly, not that she cared anyway. Though they were larger, she was the one to be feared in this situation. Even without Fade beside her at this moment, she held her chin high, allowing her dark hair to fall from her face and reveal her eyes. The three cringed, not at the blue, but at the starred red right one that seemed zapped at their confidence.

"Please leave me alone," she said in that soft, signature introverted voice.

The tallest and most cocky of the three laughed it off, an action that allowed her two companions to relax. "Please? Is that all you can add, sweetie? 'Oh Mistress Misty, please don't hurt me' would be more like it." At her sides, the two others giggled maliciously.

"Me next," one chirped, eyebrows curving downwards, eyes ablaze.

Rue held a steady gaze with Misty as she shifted her hands to rest on her hips. "Please is enough. Please leave me alone."

"Now now, don't get upset," the girl cackled. Her face suddenly darkened and she kicked out a foot. It slammed into Rue's chest and pinned her sightly to the wall. The black haired girl, however, remained unfazed. Irritable that their torment wasn't working, the girl applied more pressure to her foot. "Don't act all high and mighty, Ruska. Everyone knows you're just a fake. Without Shinigami-sama taking you in, you'd be dead. Without Fade to protect you, you're nothing. But then again, Fade isn't much either--"

The girl was cleanly cut off as Rue's hand suddenly lashed out and striked the girl across the face with the back of her hand. The usual shadows had fallen back over her eyes and the impatient thin-lipped line returned as opposed to their temporary little frown. "Don't talk badly about my Fade, Misty," she said, voice low and annoyed. "You can beat me and torment me all you want, but don't you think for one second that you can bring him into this." It had to be the post words she'd ever said to the girl, if any words had ever been spoken at all.

Almost immediately one of the girls behind Misty transformed into twin revolvers. Misty smashed the side of the gun into Rue's cheekbone, leaving a clean cut and almost immediate bruising. Before the battle could get further, however, the nurse was standing between the two of them. One of her hands was holding tightly to the calf of Misty's leg that was pinning Rue down and the other was on the girl's armed wrist. "That's enough," she said cooly and with unbelievable strength pushed Misty off. Grumbling, the girl turned and left with her two companions. After sending a glance to Rue, the nurse also made her exit. Rue, however, remained standing in her position. A hand lifted to the slash mark on her cheek, feeling the liquid at her fingertips.

Where was Rue? Fade's heart pounded in his throat, as his pale violet eyes searched, scanning the surrounding areas for his technician. He knew she could handle herself but...it wasn't like Fade to usually worry this much. He turned the corner, just as Misty and her two companions left. The nurse was soon to follow and Fade...just knew.

He pushed open the door, seeing his technician.

"Rue," he breathed in relief, running towards her. "Are you alright?" he blinked, putting a hand to her cheek when he saw the blood. "Rue....don't run off like that," he sighed. "At least tell me next time." Fade frowned. "I can't protect you if you keep running off..."

Rue turned her head to the left, gaze never meeting Fade's. "I'm fine," she replied in that small, quiet voice. "You shouldn't worry about me. I can handle myself..." It was true, the black haired girl was in fact very skilled even without a weapon. However, her reputation around the school wasn't the best. Since she was raised by Shinigami-sama, she was assumed to be just as powerful as he. But once people saw her for who she was, they were fairly disappointed. It wasn't until they actually saw her fight that they were pleased with her.

"Anyway, we've got a mission. There's been witch activity lately and I want to get it over with now." She pushed a strand of black hair behind her ear before swiping her thumb across her fair skin. She then pulled her hand away from her face so she could examine the blood on her cheek. The look the nurse had given her before leaving, it still chilled her. "I've got to put my books and stuff back at the appartment before we can go, so if you need to do anything go ahead." Rue lifted her thumb to her lips, allowing her tongue to frisk over the skin and clean off the blood.

She gazed at Fade from through her shadowed bangs, not exactly sure what to think. It was true that she liked his protection. He was very useful in that fact, and that he was her one and pretty much only friend. But part of the time, Rue wondered if he was only kind to her because he wanted to be a death scythe. Mismatched eyes flashing brightly as she turned, she headed down the hallway and towards the exit without a backwards glance at Fade. This was her normal way of doing things, holding him at a distance as she did to everyone else. But Rue hoped Fade knew better than the others. She hoped he understood that if he got too close, he wouldn't like what he saw.

Kuro walked down the main hall, quietly easing through the crowd, and wishing there weren't so many people. he wondered when his partner, Sprite, would pop up, sure to have a plenty of useless information she felt like sharing. Kuro found her constant banter annoying, but he seemed to find everything annoying, so it really wasn't her fault. Kuro cut around a corner, and almost bumped into the nurse. "Excuse me." Kuro meant to continue on his way, but the nurse seemed to have other plans.

"Well, good morning Kuro. How have you been? Adjusting well?" The nurse had a friendly smile on her face, and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. The nurse had been one of the first people he could remember meeting. She had been part of a small group that had monitored his development over the years, and had always been interested in how he was doing since. It was annoying.

"Fine." Kuro continued to walk, ignoring whatever else she had to say, not really up for idle chatter. Kuro rested against a wall, just outside the door to the music room, and closed his eyes.

Fade looked steadily back at her, before he ran a hand through his red and black hair, messing it up even more than it had before. But he let it go, his face relaxing into its usual easy grin. His single fang stuck out of his mouth, as he ran his tongue over it in habit. He winced, tasting blood as he once again forgot just how sharp the point was.

He reached a hand up, pressing against his tongue and swallowing, tasting the coppery-metal as it flowed down his throat. He hurried to catch up with her, before slowing down and matching her walk.

"A mithon?" he asked, his speech impeded by his thumb in mouth. He looked at Rue curiously out of the side of his eye. "A with mithon? Thure we can thandle it?" he pulled his thumb out, wiping it on the front of his shirt. But then he shrugged, not bothering to repeat his question. "Let's go!" he grinned, reaching over and grabbing her wrist, not caring that she usually hated it when he did that.

His eyes seemed to glow with excitement at the prospect of what they were about to do. But then the second half of her statement reached him and he paused. "Off to the apartment first!" he changed course as sharply, heading straight for the front door. He understood Rue - or, well, he tried to understand her.

Sprite skipped down the hall lightly before ducking under the nurse's window casually, a nervous habit she had developed ever since the nurse started here. She was just looking for a way to kill time. She and Kuro had no current missions and Sprite was feeling to hyper to focus on training and learning. She heard the nurse's door open behind her. She froze, she could already feel the nurse's gaze digging into her back. She frowned and looked behind her but the nurse had turned away. She knew people thought she was paranoid but Sprite was sure the nurse had it in for her.

She slunk around the corner, walking backwards keeping her eyes on the nurse as she walked away. She peered around the corner until the nurse was out of site. She continued down the hall, back to light springing footsteps. As she came to the next corner she saw Kuro. He was off in his own little world of doom and gloom. Sprite smirked, thinking it was her job to bring him out of it.

She crept towards him in complete silence. She got on her knees down to his level. "Hey Kuro! Time to return to planet Earth!" she yelled playfully. Giggling as he noticed her, but she pouted as his features formed a glare. "Cheer up grumpy guts." she sighed before parking herself next to him. "What's bothering you?" she asked. She had to ask him this nearly everyday but he never seemed to give her a truthful answer.

"I don't know," Rue replied blandly, no emotion in her voice other than pure amusement, "but it's worth a shot. Then we don't have to deal with getting a witch soul later on." She blinked as he suddenly grabbed her wrist and began pulling her onwards, changing course only so they could stop by the apartment. She was fairly sure that Fade was aware that she hated his hand latched to her wrist, but she wasn't about to please him and appear annoyd with it. Patience. That is all one needed to become wise. Patience... right?

Soon they had reached the small apartment. Rue pulled her wrist free from Fade's grasp before wipping out a key and unlocking the front door. She pushed it open, then immediately halted as something appeared to be blocking the door from opening to its full extent. Irritated, she squeezed through the small opening. And froze. Her furnature, belongings, everything was scattered and thrown all around. Pieces of fluff from the pillows littered the ground like ants at a picnic.

"Fade?" the girl said darkly. "If you're the one who did this, I'm going to dis-own you." Rue pressed forward through the clean gaps of the floor, jumping from space to space in a futile attempt to get around without tripping. The black haired technician stood in the middle of the cramped living room, arms folded and mismatched eyes flashing dangerously. If anything, her possessions and her friends were the things that could set off her short fuse. She swallowed down the crazed look that she so wanted to put on, then turned to look at the door where Fade stood.

"If you disowned me, you'd die soon enough," Fade snorted, as he too squeezed through the cramp in the door. "And did I do--?" he stopped, staring at the destruction in the room.

His eyes widened, as he looked down the hallway towards his room. He had definitely closed it this morning - why was it swinging open? He started struggling through the furniture, before he answered Rue's question.

"Of course I didn't do this! I was at school with you all day!" There was a note of panic in his voice. Why would someone want to trash their apartment? And how had they gotten in?

Rue's mismatched eyes flicked over to Fade as she picked up that shrill, panicked squeek in his voice. "Like I ever thought you actually trashed our apartment," she grunted, irritated with the entire situation. She hopped between the litter and after a short journey stopped before her room. The door felt like it was bolted shut, so she did the only thing she could comprehend to do at that moment. With a powerful blow she kicked in the door before freezing, still leaning oddly on one foot with the other still in the air.

There was a gaping hole where her window used to be. It was a clear answer to Fade's unspoken question, though Rue herself was a little too shocked to even say anything. Then her eyes narrowed, noticing a tuff of fabric on the jagged remains of her window-sill. Misty, she thought, leering.

No, she wouldn't let them think this was enough to get to her. Instead, the black haired technician stood straight and turned to her partner. "Let's just go," she said, voice impassive and dull once more. "Perhaps killing that witch will be easier now." Rue, eyes looking dead despite her rage, made her way back to the door.

Stein Jr. woke up to the sound of his father shouting." You fool, you didnt go to school today!" His Father yelled atleast two inches from his face. Stein was still under the influence of sleep, he really didnt know what was going on. " Sorry dad, won't happen again." he said as he sat up in his bed. Steins father left the room, upset as usual. Although very similar in traits, the two didnt get along much. Stein jr grabbed the bolt in his head and adjusted it a bit. He stood up and headed for the bathroom so he can began his day, well afternoon. About twenty minuetes passed and he emerged from the bathroom completely dressed and ready to go. The question was were he was heading off to. Unfortunately he didnt even know. He hadn't seen his excuse of a partner sense the day before.

Scratching his head thinking of things he could possibly do, he came up with nothing." Crap, i wonder if Camilla was assigned anything today." he said sort of dissapointed. His insane side began to creep out, the want of bloodshed began to consume his mind. He placed his hand upon the bolt once more and gave it a good twist." Thats better." He whispered. Knowing his partner, he realised that she would probably show up at his house anyway. Thinking about his house, he realised that this was his home. He didnt live with his father anymore so why was he even here. He turned around to find his Father taking sandwich supplies from his refrigerator." What are you doing!?!" Stein jr shouted. " Alright im leaving." His father said as he quickly threw together a sandwich. As his father headed out the door, Stein jr sat down and closed his eyes, awaiting the arrival of his so called partner.

Fade noticed the return of the impassive to her voice. His eyes scanned her face, before casting a glance down the hall towards her room. He had two options - go check out what it was that bothered her, or just go with her to the mission. But then he noticed the rage glittering in Rue's eyes and he broke into a half-grin.

"So she has emotions," he forced a chuckle, as he cast another look over their trashed living room. He followed her out the door, hands in his pockets, flicking his tongue again over his sharp fang.

"Where are we going this time?" he asked, running to catch up with her. He knew she hated it when he asked too many questions, but he had to know everything about the mission. "And what's the situation? What level mission is it? Rue, did you pick up a level three mission again?" Fade frowned remembering that mission quite well.

Rue's already bubbling frustration was brought to a boil as Fade asked her what felt like a continuous amount of questions. She was about to snap, though her anger suddenly died as he mentioned the level three mission. Her lips formed a tight line immediately and the flare in her step ceased. Misty had put her up to the mission, not that Fade knew that. She'd taken it out of pure idiocy, thinking it would set the girls in their place once and for all. It didn't, however. Her mind still remained blank about the second half of the mission. The injuries she'd suffered had left her with a trace of amnesia. Whatever Fade remembered about it, she felt awful that she couldn't bear the pain with him.

"I didn't pick the mission," she said quietly. "Father asked me to take it." Everyone knew that by Father she meant Shinigami-sama. Everyone knew that she was nothing like him, and that wasn't because they didn't share a drop of blood. Everyone knew that Rue, despite who even Shinigami-sama said she was, didn't live up to the name. But everyone knew that if he trusted her with something, she'd do it for him. He did, after all, save her. Her mismatched eyes flashed slightly before she continued. "He says that we can pick off some kishin eggs along the way, but he doesn't want us to engage in battle if we don't have to. He'll be sending two other pairings - other students, I guess - to help us."

Kuro opened a single eye and glared at Sprite, "You are." Kuro got to his feet, not even waiting for his partner, and started walking down the hall. Nothing in particular was bothering him today, he just wasn't in the best of moods. Kuro turned and yelled to his partner, "Keep up!" Then continued on his way.

When Sprite caught up, he decided it was time to get things rolling, "So we were given a mission to take down an Evil Human. I hope your ready, because I don't feel like waiting around for you." He had received the mission the night before from Shinigami-sama, and didn't want to put it off for too long. Another study, apparently in a hurry, bumped Kuro, and he instantly went red with anger.

"O sorry. I didn't..." Before the kid could finish, Kuro had picked him up by the throat, having an easy eight inches, and about sixty pounds on the kid, and slammed him into a nearby wall. "Watch were you're going!" Kuro drew back his left fist, and was intent on teaching this kid to not bump him, especially when he was in such a sour mood.

Sprite pouted as Kuro stalked away, but he then yelled for her to follow even after he had said she was a problem to him. She got up and walked after him, without the spring in her step she had before. Kuro always sent mixed signals like that, and it drove her insane. Once she had caught up with him she listened intently to the new mission. "Oh come on when have I ever made you wait for me?" she asked a little hurt. Even though she thought Kuro was a downer, and he always had a way to dampen her mood, she would always do what he said as best she could especially when it came to missions.

She was about to inquire more about the mission when Kuro snapped. Another student had bumped into him and now looked like he was about to wet himself with Kuro practically strangling the kid. Sprite acted quickly, she grabbed Kuro's left fist holding it back and clipped him over the head with her spare hand. "Kuro! Calm down you idiot or you're going to get both of us in trouble. He didn't mean to so cool it" she said staring at him fiercely, although she was a little bit scared. She wouldn't put it past Kuro to hit back and lash out at her, even if she was his weapon.

Kuro felt Sprite's weight on his arm, attempting to keep him from smashing the frightened students head. He hated admitting it, but Sprite had a way of calming him down. Kuro released his grip on the students neck, and watched him scamper away. "What the hell Sprite?!" Kuro turned and gave the weapon a hard look, then reached around and threw her over his shoulder. He didn't mind her struggle, and just kept walking. "You know, I have this sudden urge to throw you off a cliff."

After putting a little room between them, and the Academy, Kuro suddenly dropped Sprite with little warning. It seemed he might off dropped her a little too hard, "Sorry." Kuro took a seat by a tree, and looked at Sprite. "So you want to hear about the mission?" His eyes drifted off into the sky, and he watched a single cloud drift across the sky.

Sprite did her best to pull away from Kuro but he was stronger than her. She eventually gave up struggling, resting her head on her hands with a bored look. "You are such a knob head. Throw me off a cliff and then who's gonna save your butt from witches" she teased. Kuro carried her out of the academy. She felt like bugging him more but knew it was best to leave it. Kuro dropped her and she let out a little high-pitched "oof" noise.

She followed him to the tree but was too energetic to sit, so she climbed the tree instead. She found a sturdy branch and hung upside-down from it. She stayed there and folded her arms across her chest. "Yeah whats the mission?" she asked at last. She giggled quietly, she was thinking how everything looked kind of funny upside down.

Kuro looked up at Sprite, and was about to say something, but decided why bother. Why couldn't she just sit still for a second and not make a fool out of herself. He didn't understand why Shinigami-sama had partnered them up, they had nothing in common.

"Ok, so our mission is to take out an Evil Human named Hell Hound Son of Sam. I want to get this done before midnight, so we should head out soon." Kuro sat for a while, and looked over the information. "We should catch the 2:30 train, which will get us there around five. Maybe an hour or two searching, three minutes to collect the Kishin Egg, 7:30 train back, and finally home by ten." Kuro stood up, and looked at Sprite, "Got all that?"

Sprite nodded and dropped from the tree branch to the ground. "Lets get going" she said walking over to him smiling. She did appreciate Kuro's organization, she was never very good at organising. As they walked Sprite did cartwheels down the path. She would wait at corners and lamp posts for Kuro to catch up, occasionally waiting in a handstand. Her mind began to wander again. They passed a bakery and Sprite's tummy growled. She thought about looking in the window but held back, she knew Kuro would disapprove and it would probably waste too much time.

"Do you think we could get something to eat when we get back...like shortcake?" She asked hopefully, her eyes sparkling with innocence. She knew it was a long shot but Sprite had been really good at resisting sugar overloads lately.