Braum Noazaku's Story

Brinne stood in the shower, facing the floor as the hot water rolled from her shoulders, down her body, and down the drain. She was nervous. She didn't know how well her first day at the DWMA was going to go, and it made her worry something awful. She crossed her arms across her chest, squeezing tightly and shuddering. "I hope Braum isn't this nervous..." She whispered, letting her hands slide down her stomach and hang by her side. Braum. Just the thought of him made her quiver a little. He had been friends with her for as long as she could remember, back when her and her mother first moved to Death City. He had always treated her like a little sibling, which is why she never told him how she truly felt. The truth was, she had been head over heels about him since they were little kids. Maybe it was because he was always so nice, or maybe it was simply because nobody had ever treated her as nicely as he did. She thought for a moment of what it would be like if they weren't going to be partners at the Academy, but she quickly shook the thought from her mind.

After getting dressed, she hurried downstairs where her mother had breakfast waiting. She was sitting at her end of the kitchen table, gently stirring a cup of coffee and hovering over the newspaper. "Morning, love. Did you sleep well? Today's the big day." Brinne stretched her arms high over her head and yawned. "Not too bad, I guess. I kept waking up thinking it was time to go, but I still had hours of sleep left to go." Brinne sat at the opposite end of the table and poked at her eggs. "I'm...not all that hungry. Besides, I can eat lunch at school, and I'm already running late." She grabbed a piece of toast from her plate and approached her mom. "Bye Mom, wish me luck." She half hugged her mom around the shoulder, who gently caressed her forearm. "I love you, sweetheart, and I'm so proud. Make today the best day, ok?" She gently kissed Brinne's forearm before she hurried out the front door.

Once outside, Brinne gazed high into the sky, watching the sun panting high above in the sky, almost as if watching over all of Death City. She gazed down the left side of the street, a warm feeling rising in her stomach. Braum had not missed a single day of spending time with her in almost two months, and today was certainly no exception. She knew that any minute he would round the corner and make his way down to her house, and together, preferably hand in hand, they would make their way to the Death Weapon Meister Academy, to start a brand new chapter in both of their lives.

Braum stared up at his ceiling. His first day at the academy was today. Its not like he was nervous, but if there is one thing he hated doing everyday it was getting out of the sheets. He quickly pried them off so as to get it over with. He stood in his boxers and placed his hands on his hips. He looked to the chair in the corner of his room and smirked. His clothes he'd set the night prior. He didn't bother with a shower, he'd taken one last night. He quickly got himself dressed in his black shirt, and pants. Putting socks on one foot at a time. Then putting his nice sneakers on. He stood up and brushed himself off. He moved to the bathroom and quickly got to brushing his pearly whites once more. After finishing that he looked at his messy bed head. With a few hands through his hair and a shake of the head, he was once more sitting with a spiky mane atop his head.

With a turn Braum made his way down stairs. He picked up a piece of toast that sat on a plate and hauled ass out of the door, not wanting to get a pep talk from his dad. Boy was he long winded. He chuckled and bit into the toast. He made his usual way to Brinne. He smirked and turned the corner to find Brinne waiting for him. He strode up to her, brought her into a short brotherly hug and then looked to the School. "Man you must've been waiting forever, yeah?" He chuckled and smiled at her. "Ready to begin our first day at Death academy? You dont look ready! Where's that victory smile!" He placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest, giving her the cockiest smile he could muster.

When Braum wheeled the corner, Brinne's heart skipped a beat. She lit up with a smile and rushed to meet him halfway. When she got to him, he pulled her into a hug and she squeezed back. "Kept me waiting, too long, as per the usual." She blushed and nuzzled into his chest, releasing her arms from his middle and backing away slightly. She gazed up at him. He asked where all her enthusiasm was and she merely crinkled her nose. "We've been waiting for this day for quite some time, I think we're both ready, regardless of smiles, don't you?" She wheeled around and starting running in the direction of DWMA. "Come on! Race you!"


After several minutes of jogging they were at the base of the stairs leading to the academy. She looked up, leaning back in exaggeration and smiling. "Today is the day!" She yelled, rushing up the stairs. With Braum in tow, she was confident in herself that she was going to be able to make her time at this school the best years of her life, and she vowed secretely to herself to make Braum into the most powerful Death Scythe the academy had ever seen.

Following Brinne to the school he finally saw her enthusiasm. Braum chuckled as he ran behind her. When they made it to the stairs he heard Brinne exclaim. He wagged a finger in the air and smirked. "Yaaaaaay~" Braum chimed enthusiastically. He looked up at the school and before the look of the school came into mind he spoke. "I wonder how many cute girls are gonna be at this school? Oh I bet there'll be a lot!" He nodded as he continued, still following Brinne. "They'll be all like," Braum cleared his throat and took on the terrible impression of a teenage girl. "Oh Braum Senpai, I wish you were OUR weapon! Kya-" He started coughing as his voice could no longer handle the idiocy.

Looking up at the school again he couldn't help but admire it. Sure he had plans to become a strong weapon, but really he just couldn't wait to meet all the girls on the first day. A smirk placed itself upon his face and he hummed sweetly as he continued to follow Brinne.

Brinne blushed a deep shade of red, wheeling around and facing Braum. "Hey now! I won't have your mind clouded by thoughts of meeting girls on the first day, we have to focus, we are here to become a weapon and meister combination that hunts kishin souls, remember?" She seemed thoroughly upset, but it was mainly because she was jealous that Braum was thinking of all the girls who weren't her in the academy.

Once they were inside, Brinne couldn't help but gaze in awe at the many things happening all at once. There were so many students, and yes, alot of them were girls. She noticed a girl with white hair who was being helped up off the floor by a younger boy. She couldn't help but feel like she was prettier than she was, and she looked down at the ground, nervously tugging her sweater below her shorts and burying her chin in her scarf. She hurried in the opposite direction, towards a large bulletin board posted up in the center of a corridor. Many students were gathered around it, but up top was a large banner, revealing the "FRESHMAN ORIENTATION" would be held in a room not far from where they were. Brinne had been in the academy for a tour once a couple of years back, so she semi knew her way around. Not even seeing if Braum was following, she took off in the direction of orientation.

Brinne pushed open the door to the orientation room and looked around, nobody seemed to have made it yet, so she hurried to the corner and sat in one of the many chairs. She pulled her sweater down over her knees, and tucked her head down inside as well. It was starting to creep up on her how nervous she was. Braum was so concerned with meeting girls, what if some floozy flashed her goods and he wanted to be her partner instead? She had been friends with Braum for so long that even if she never got to be with him, losing him as a friend would be even worse. A tear rolled down her cheek and landed on her thigh, making a small wet spot on her shorts. 'It's too late to try making new friends, what if I don't get a weapon partner and they make me leave? Should I just go home now? Pretend none of this happened and just get a part time job?' She cursed her insecurity as more tears rolled silently down her cheeks, littering her legs with multiple little drops. 'What am I gonna do?'

Brinne blushed a deep shade of red, wheeling around and facing Braum. "Hey now! I won't have your mind clouded by thoughts of meeting girls on the first day, we have to focus, we are here to become a weapon and meister combination that hunts kishin souls, remember?"

Braum scratched the back of his head. "I got it, I got it..." He groaned and was a little brought down by this, but quickly shook that off. He started looking around at all the other new people. He noticed Brinne heading to the entrance orientaion, he followed and was about to join her at her seats when he was about to pass a beautiful blonde girl. He turned toward her and smirked. Time to put on the charm. He started walking toward her. "Hello beautiful, I couldnt help but notice you from where I was. You must tell me d-" He couldnt finish because he'd found himself tripping over his own feet. He heard giggling and the shuffling of feet as he lay on teh ground. He looked up and the girl was gone. He shook his head and sighed. "Damn, so close.." He put his hands in his pockets and looked around.

He finally spotted Brinne and saw her head hanging. He casually slid over and sat next to her. He saw that she'd been crying and put a hand on her head. "What are you doing ya idiot?" He spoke with a joking tone. "I cant have my Meister crying like a little baby on the first day, can I?" He chuckled. "Your a mess, I cant leave for a second without worrying about you. You've been like that these past few years." He looked at her seriously. "Is someone bullying you? Cause I can beat em up!" He smiled at her confidently, and tried to place his hands on hers to make her feel better. He'd tried it before and it worked for him, he thought.

Brinne tried to pretend like she wasn't crying when she heard Braum sit down next to her, but it was no use. She couldn't help but crack a smile when he called her a little baby. He was right, she was a weapon meister now and she had to act accordingly. She shuddered when he placed his hands on hers, sending a chill up her spine. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, gripping his hands tightly. "Oh, Braum, I'm so sorry I've been acting like this for so long. Nobody has been picking on me, I promise, I wouldn't want you to have to beat anyone up anyways. I guess I've just been so nervous that we would come to this school and things would be different between us. Like, you might find someone else who was better suited for the role of being your meister. I'm so afraid of that, because I'm just not sure I would be able to make any new friends on my own, let alone find a new weapon partner." She moved her hands up and wrapped them around his arm. "Promise me we'll stick together in this school, ok?"

She began to notice other people making their way into the room, including the white haired girl from before. She blushed a deep shade of red and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, hoping they weren't all puffy and red. She straightened up and let go of Braum, trying to quickly compose herself. More and more people began funneling into the room, it looked as though there were quite a few freshman this year, but only a few of them really stood out. The others seemed to be so distant, like they didn't really want to be here, like this was all some sort of chore for them.

Once all of the students had made it in and were seated, there was an odd aura in the room. Everyone was waiting for someone to come in and address the freshman class, but did anyone know who it was going to be? Or when they were going to be there? Thoughts swam through Brinne's mind as to what their teacher would be like, she hoped, whoever it was, was nice. She wondered if they were going to make them do anything crazy on their first day, like try to resonate with their weapon partners after being paired with them. Thinking of pairing with people made her unconsciously reach down and grab Braum's knee. "Sorry..." She whispered. "Just...don't go anywhere, ok?" She folded her hands in her lap and crossed one leg over the other.

After a few more minutes a teacher made his way into the room. He was tall, thin, wore a black suit, and had greasy black hair that was slicked back along his head. "My name.." He announced, almost as if he was bored. "Is Professor Mikail, and I will be conducting this years freshman orientation." His voice droned on, but it had a certain authority to it. "Now, you're all here for one thing, and that is to get paired up with a weapon or meister to undergo the process of harvesting Kishin souls to create a Death Scythe. This won't be a walk in the park, by any means. If you were expecting everything to be done for you, I suggest you leave now." He adjusted his golden, horn-rimmed glasses as he gazed around the room. "That's what I thought, now..." He tucked his hands into his pockets. "I don't know whether or not any of you came here knowing who you were going to partner with in this academy, but now is the time to find out. I'll give you a chance now to mingle with your fellow classmates, try to get a feel for one another, see if anyone stands out. If you already have a partner, come put your names on this list in the specified chart, but still feel free to talk to your classmates, these are the people you very well may end up fighting alongside to the death, wouldn't want anyone to feel lonely in those times, now would we?" He spun around, making his way around a large desk in the center of the room and plopping himself down in the chair. He gazed sternly around the room, but said no more.

Everyone seemed to jump up all at once, and an uproar filled the room. Brinne stood slowly, and then faced Braum. "What do you say, want to try and make some friends, together?" She offered a warm smile and cocked her head slightly to one side.

Braum smiled at the girl as she grabbed his arm and told him about her worries. He could sympathize, he was worried something might come up and the one person who knew him the most would be taken from him. He chuckled and posed dramatically. "As if I would leave! You clearly need my magnificence far more than those other women." He laughed triumphantly hoping that made her feel better. He hardly noticed when she put her hand on his knee. He hoped that she wasnt still upset. He pulled his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her into him. To reassure her that they'd be partners.

He watched the man go up on the stage and drone on. He hardly payed attention, looking about the crowd. He saw a bunch of interesting people, and a few cute girls. He wouldn't let Brinne know about that though. He hadn't heard a word the man on teh stage said, but he turned back to watch him walk off the stage.

Then he saw Brinne get up and look at him. "Make friends, huh? We could do that! Hey I know we'll be partners and all, but uh if we find a cute Meister I wont hold it against you if you try to flirt." He winked and stood up, looking down at his friend. He chuckled and put his hand on her head. "Just don't get to crazy, leave some cute girls for me! You just make sure to tell me if you get a boyfriend! I wont have no loser being your boyfriend! He's gotta be big, strong, dependable, and..." He ran a hand through his hair and posed to give her an example. He pulled up his finger tips to mimic shooting her. "Be super cool like me." He started laughing, holding his sides as he did so.

She blushed when Braum mentioned her looking around for a boyfriend. She pretend punched him on the shoulder and offered a light smile. "I won't be boyfriend hunting any time soon, now is the time to get serious and focus on what we are here to do, and not oogle at all the pretty girls." She almost sighed, if only Braum knew how he was the only one who fit the description of what he wanted her to have as a boyfriend, even in her eyes.

She turned to face the girl that had approached them, the blush hadn't quite faded from her cheeks and she suddenly seemed nervous. "Oh, uhh...Hi. I'm Brinne, I'm a meister as well, it's...nice to meet you." She shakily offered her hand for a handshake and hoped the girl wouldn't think she was weird. Braum would no doubt be a boisterous as ever and holler his name at the two, followed by some sort of theatrics. She couldn't help but eye this girl curiously, as she did most females. She looked a fair bit younger than she was, and for some dark reason, a thought flashed through her head of this poor little girl getting killed in the heat of battle. The color faded from her face as dark, graphic images crept into her mind. "Oh my...excuse me..." She covered her mouth with both hands and ran out of the classroom, wheeling down a hallway to where the nearest restroom was.

She threw open the stall door and collapsed in front of the toilet, heaving into the bowl, clenching both sides tightly. She was glad in this moment that she hadn't had any breakfast. She began sweating, and she propped herself against the wall, trying to catch her breathe. The pressure was really starting to get to her, and it only made her stomach knot up even more. The teacher was right, some of these kids were going to die because of this academy, and what if it was that sweet looking little girl? Brinne removed her glasses and rubbed tears from the corners of her eyes. "Get it together, Brinne. Focus.." She clenched her fist and banged on the side of the wall, causing loud echoes to emanate from the girl's bathroom.

After a couple of minutes she managed to get out of the stall and wash her hands, splashing some cool water in her face. She propped her glasses back into position and exited the bathroom, making her way back to the classroom, hopefully she wouldn't be in any troubling for running out like that.

Braum was about to make conversation with one of the lovely female Meisters when Brinne ran out of the class. Without a word he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked out to find Brinne. He looked around the large halls, a disappointed look on his face. He noticed Brinne coming out of the girls bathroom and decided instead of scolding her, he'd try and do something nice. So he walked into a group of female weapons and Meisters conversation and waved. He kept his voice low and whispered to the girls. "Hi, I am Braum lovely to meet you gorgeous ladies. My meister-" He turned and pointed to Brinne hoping she'd notice. "Is feeling a little nervous and she seems to get mad when I converse with ladies, so I would like to do something to make her feel better. Would you all mind playing along?"

A blue haired girl, with bangs that covered her left eye spoke up first. "D'aww that's sweet! Of course we will! What do you want us to do?" She whispered back at Braum.

Braum smiled like a big idiot and took her hand, shaking it violently. "Thank you, thank you! I want you to say really loudly, 'Hey cutie be my weapon, after all we connect so well!' Then i'll say something stupid and friendly sounding, yeah?"

All the girls laughed ,but the Blue haired girl nodded seriously. She sucked in a deep breath and said loud enough for the whole hallway to hear. "Oh my~ What a cutie! Please tell me you'll be my weapon! I can already feel the connection!" She giggled and winked at him.

Braum was blown away by her performance, but responded just as loudly. "Oh my, another compliment. Truly ladies i'd love to, but there's only one Meister for me here. She's dorky, easily made nervous, and throws up in the girls bathroom on the first day of school. She's still my meister, and it would be totally uncool to leave her! She's totally cute to." he leaned down and whispered to the girl. "Thank you so much, I owe you one."

She whispered back. "You owe me ten-" She stood back and made an indignant sound. "Fine! She must be really special if your turning ME down for Her!" She turned around and pouted.

Braum waved a hand and turned down the hall to face Brinne, a false look of surprise appeared. "Oh~ Brinne! Didn't see ya there, I was just uh...Never mind. How are ya feeling?" He moved to close the gap between them, the girls he talked to still giggling at him.

Brinne eyed Braum with a stern look from afar as he mingled with the group of girls, and the he did something way out of the ordinary. He pointed directly at her, in front of all these girls, and started telling them all of her flaws. Her face flushed red with a genuine anger. She marched toward them, pushing her glasses up with her index finger and wrinkling her brows. When she got up to him, she gripped his hand tightly and continued walking, pulling him along. "Of all the self-centered, inconsiderate, completely idiotic...!" She paused for a moment as the girl he was talking to smiled at her. She marched on with Braum in toe. "Beat it, hussy." She pulled Braum along until they rounded the corner, and she marched him on father still, not loosening her grip on his hand. "The very idea, are you trying to make this a living hell for me? Is that what you're doing? Don't even answer, I don't want to hear it right now."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks when she finally stopped in an empty hallway. She wheeled around to face him. "Braum, why? Why would you put that kind of pressure on me the first day here? Do you have any idea how hard all of this is for me? I'm not here to make friends, and I'm certainly not here to watch you play matchmaker with yourself. I'm here to learn the proper way to harness our power for the sake of Death City, and even the world. This isn't some high school where we can afford to laugh and have good times every day, did you hear what the professor said? People are going to die! Braum! People are going to lose their lives fighting for this school, and you're worried about the next girl whose going to have her boobs bouncing in your face. Well, I'm not like that, I'm more focused on learning what I need to learn in order to protect these people, our fellow students, our comrades."

She threw her arms around his waist and pressed herself against him, burying her face in his chest. "I've had nightmares about this academy Braum, about you, about me, and it's just been really hard for me, and I know it may seem like I'm overreacting but I can't help it. I'm excited but terrified at the same time, happy and sad, Nervous but raring to go. I'm so many conflicting things all at once, and I just need you to be my rock." She squeezed him tighter, sobbing into his shirt. 'I love you, so much.' she thought, finally admitting it to herself. 'I love you and I'm terrified to lose you..' It felt weird to be hearing it in her head, she had always known she was crushing on Braum, but it was never as overwhelming as it was now.

Hiriku sat , legs crossed, on top of the mirror centered in Lord Death's room, silently enjoying an apple, taking small bites occasionally, turning it to and fro in her hand as she did so. Estabelle was below, sitting at the tiny table off to the right, in a small square stool, stirring a cup of tea with little enthusiasm. She sat bolt upright, with not even the slightest slump in her back or shoulders, it almost made her look like she was stiff, or frozen, but this was just how she sat.

They had been there almost 45 minutes before a couple entered the room. Hiriku noticed them immediately, as she could see their souls the moment they had walked in. This peaked her interest, considering one of the souls was that of a witch. "Lord Death, a witch has just w-" She was cut short as Lord Death held up his hand in a motion for her to remain silent. "I'm aware, dear. Please, allow me." Hiriku nodded and went back to her apple, though she couldn't help but feel a little antsy. What on earth was a witch doing just marching right into Death's domain? Did she have some kind of death wish? As the two got closer, it was made more and more apparent that this girl was a witch, you could tell by the way she dressed, like she was a 5 year old, only she had her breasts displayed like she was going to infatuate Death or something. She clenched her apple hard in her fist, causing juices to run down her wrist, and she tilted her head to both sides, causing it to crack loudly.

Belle was in a better position to hear what was going on, but she cared very little, although it was rather alarming when this witch admitted to wanting to become a student at the academy. She didn't even glance in their direction, but she clung on to every word that was said, occasionally sipping her tea. At one point, she dared to look in their direction, only to make an awkward eye contact with the male. Something shot through her, it was like a cold chill that sent a shiver down her spine, and she immediately looked away. 'Did you...feel that, Hiriku?'

Hiriku took another large bite out of her apple. 'How could I not have? Something is odd about him. He's an older student, I'm pretty sure he is a senior. Don't worry about it, we can talk to Death about it when they leave.' She continued to glare at the witch, though it would be hard for her to tell seeing as how she was wearing her yellow shades. It would merely look as though she was gazing in her direction from up high. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, Lord Death was actually going to let this witch run about in the name of the DWMA? Had he gone completely insane? Or was there something more than size when it came to this witch's boobs? Regardless, she trusted the will of Death and would not question it, no matter how bizarre and completely idiotic it seemed.

After a while, the two were dismissed, and they exited Death's room. Hiriku pushed off from the mirror and landed gracefully on the ground. "Lord Death, did what I think just happen, happen? I'm wrong, right?" Death turned to face her. "Afraid not, sister. We're going to give this a chance to play out. Now, don't tell me you didn't sense what I sensed, you of all people should have been able to catch on." He was referring to the ways their souls matched up quite well, almost a perfect coexistence, she had felt it the moment the two entered the room. "I felt it, but there was...something else about their souls, something...wrong. Almost as if they were...tainted."

Death nodded in agreement. "Good girl! I'm glad you were able to see it so clearly, I was worried you might not. There is something indeed wrong here, but we can't go pointing fingers just yet, I've a new assignment for you. You're going to follow them, take them out into the field one that errand I gave you, see how they fair with one another." Death clapped his hands together before continuing. "Let me be clear, I want Salem taking the helm on this assassination. You're to let her engage the enemy, wielding Cory as a weapon. If something goes wrong, and this witch isn't as truthful as she appears" The holes where his eyes should be tilted as if displaying anger, and his tone got serious. "Complete the mission and bring her back here, I'd want to kill her myself."

Hiriku was a little taken aback by this, but she nodded in agreement. "Of course, Lord Death. It will be done. I hope they got a good night's sleep, we were planning on heading out later this afternoon. Moving on Freshman Orientation day would be our best option, since everyone in the school is going to be caught up in all of it." She looked to Estabelle, who nodded and stood from her stool, taking one last sip of her tea before placing the cup gently on the table and re-positioning her scarf to cover her mouth. The two of them bowed before death, and turned to leave.

They rushed to catch up to the two of them. Luckily, they were just outside Death's room, introducing themselves to one another. "You two, I've received orders from Death to instruct you to come with us, we're heading out on our most recent assignment, Death wants the two of you to come along and have us witness how well you fair with one another, and.." She paused for a moment, tilting down her glasses so she could look the witch in the eye, "To see if you've really got what it takes to be a student here in the DWMA. He wants you two personally carrying out this assassination, We're coming along in case you get in over your heads. Shouldn't be a problem, right?" She pushed her shades back into place with a cocky grin. She excused herself by shouldering her way through the middle of the two, and Estabelle followed behind. As she did, she looked at the witch, her red eyes gazing, emotionless into hers. She held her gaze for a moment, and slowly turned her head forward. Hiriku tucked her left hand into her shorts pocket, and waved behind her with her right. "Meet us at the train station in four hours. If you can't show up on time, don't bother coming back to school tomorrow, Witch." With that, they rounded the corner and were gone, headed out of school to their home in the center of Death City to make preperations for their mission.

Braum was a cool headed individual, most of the time. To be pulled aside, reprimanded, and then told to be a rock for doing a NICE thing? He frowned. He let her cry into his chest for a moment, but pry'd her off and stared down at her. "Listen Brinne, I didn't mean to put pressure on you." He let out a sigh and stared down at her. "People are going to die, and your going to have to deal with it. Its part of the job, dont be scared because people are going to die. If that scares you, you shouldn't be a miester. I am sorry, but thats how it is." Braum put his hands in his pockets and continued to stare at the girl. "So you had some bad dreams about me, and others dying? Its just a dream, nothing to worry about." He shook his head. "Seriously Brinne, what the heck is wrong with you? First day and your somehow stressing out, already yelling at me, crying into my shirt, and on top of that you blame it on a dream!"

Braum shook his head once more, his green eyes become cold. "You should go home. Cool down, and come back tomorrow. Whenever your ready, cause right now. I dont feel like I could rely on you, especially in this whole 'I am say cause people are gonnna die' State." He turned his back on his long time friend and looked at her over his shoulder. "When you get back your 'rock' will be waiting for you." He shook his head and continued walking, back to class. Braum was annoyed ,he tried to do something nice and SHE gets mad? What kinda idiot does that. 'What the hell is her problem?' He couldn't help but think as he increased the distance between them.

Brinne couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her eyes were filled with tears as he spoke to her, like she was some sort of stranger, like she couldn't be trusted anymore. "Braum...I-" She begged, but was cut off as he turned away. He said something that sounded so derogatory it made her stomach turn. He simply shook his head and walked away. She held her hand out toward him as he disappeared around the corner. A lump made it's way into her throat. She collapsed on her knees and looked down into her hands. He had just turned his back on her and walked away, just like that.

It was like a mirror, being shattered, into a million tiny little pieces. Her eyelids sagged, and her hands fell to her sides, in that moment, she had lost control. She stood, wiping the tears from her eyes and pawing her hands on her sweater, which was stained with wet marks from her tears. She felt nothing, in that moment she could understand nothing, but everything became clear. She walked, slowly at first, toward the exit of the academy.

Once outside, she broke into a run. She ran as hard and as fast as her legs would carry her. She ran until it burned in her lungs for her to slow down, but it only made her run harder. She made it to her house in hardly any time at all. Her parents weren't home, and she didn't mind. They didn't need to be here for this. She ran upstairs into her room, and slammed the door behind her. She ripped her glasses off first, tossing at the wall with a crunching sound. She stripped down to her bra and underwear and stood in front of her body mirror that hung on the door of her closet. Her vision was slightly blurred from not having her glasses, but it didn't take away from the fact that she was disgusted with what she saw.

She cocked her fist back and punched the mirror, right where her face was reflected. The mirror cracked, but did not shatter. Now, she looked at a blurred image of herself, cracked and rippling along her head and shoulders. She traced her fingers along the scar that was on her neck, why couldn't she remember how it had gotten there? Images flashed through her mind of one of her nightmares, and she clasped her hand back to her side. Flinging the door to the closet open, she dug around for some clothes. She went with a black turtleneck to cover her scar, and pulled on some black pants. Just before she closed the door, she noticed a jacket that her mom had gotten her the previous year, that she had yet to wear. Snatching it out of the closet, she threw it on. After slipping her shoes back on and putting in her contact lenses, she made her way down into the living room. She went into the cabinet where she kept her personal things, and found her old mp3 player and a pair of large headphones that she never enjoyed. She grabbed those, and shoved the mp3 in her pocket, draping the headphones around her neck.

She entered the kitchen, where she gazed at the drawer where her mother kept her cigarettes. She ripped it open and snatched a pack, as well as a lighter. Tearing open the package, she popped one into her mouth, using the lighter to light the end, before taking a long drag. She inhaled and almost coughed. She had smoked some of her mom's cigarettes before, but she had never craved one, but now she did, for one reason or another.

Once outside, she debated on where to go and, ultimately, decided that heading back to school was her best course of action. She hadn't thought much since she ran out, and it was starting to pile up in her head all at once. 'He thinks I'm not ready, that I shouldn't be a weapon meister, that if I can't suck up my personal feelings in order to get shit done then I should just sit at home and braid my hair. I'll show him, I'll fuckin' show 'em all.'

She nearly threw herself back into the classroom where the freshman orientation was taking place. She could feel eyes on her, but luckily not for long, because it seemed as though the mingling aspect of the morning was still going on. She marched to the front desk, and nodded at the Professor. "Sorry for leaving like that, I got a little sick and had to go change my clothes. May I?" She pointed to the sign up sheet for weapon and meister, and Professor Mikail nodded, pushing it over to her with a pen. There was a list to write down pairings. Under one of the columns, she wrote her name under the 'Meister' category. She placed the pen back on the desk, offering the teacher a vague smile and slipped her headphones over her ears. She put her music on shuffle, and marched over to where Braum was sitting. She precariously placed herself in the seat next to him, not even bothering to look at him. "I left my weapon slot open for you, if you so choose. Although, in light of recent events, I'd understand if you didn't think I was the right choice. I'll find another, if that's the case." She turned the music up louder so she wouldn't be able to hear his response, and closed her eyes, tilting her head back and letting the music soothe her.

After Braum had made his way back to class he sat down in the furthest corner of the room. He didn't socialize with anyone for a long time, until some girl came up to him. She had short blonde hair and beautiful yellow eyes. She stood next to his table and smiled down at him. The first thing out of her perfectly plump lips was "Your a weird weapon, I can tell!" She giggled and stared at Braum.

Braum shook his head at her. "And your a weaponless meister? Or the other way around?" He tossed back at her, not feeling in the mood for conversing.

"Yikes, whats your problem?" She spat out. She looked away as a female voice seemed to call her name.

"Nothing, is my problem." He adjusted his position in his seat and sighed. Braum sat in silence, leaving himself to his thoughts. He rarely did this, so he liked to savor the time he did spend doing it. He thought about what Brinne had said, what if she was telling the truth? Bah what a bonehead! Braum you really goofed up this time! Goofed up something fierce! He thought angrily at himself. He grabbed his head and roughly ran his fingers through his hair. He shook his head to once more and after a while of sitting alone he got bored.

Braum was about to fall asleep due to boredom. He felt his vision unfocusing until Brinne charged her way into class. He watched her apologize, and sign her name. She walked over and sat down next to him. Her next words suprised Braum. "I left my weapon slot open for you, if you so choose. Although, in light of recent events, I'd understand if you didn't think I was the right choice. I'll find another, if that's the case." He looked at her, as she listened to music. He pat her on the head, then push on it lightly to use her to get to his own feet. He walked down to the paper and found Brinnes name. He looked at the Weapon Slot. He filled out his name nice and slow. Right next to Brinne. He walked back over and sat next to her. He didnt bother saying anything, just put his hand on her head as he normally did. He gave her a relieved smile.

Salem Witch

She was trapped…trapped in this relationship with this weapon that seemed to have a hatred of the world, trapped to live with him, and trapped to wield him. She sulked, wanting nothing more than to punch a hole through something. The very tip of her witch had begun to get blue- a sign showcasing her extreme depression. She wanted nothing to do with a weapons he only wanted a little fun and to study them,-what she said about that part at least was true, but this!? This was insane!

Had she but given it a second thought she would not have went through with her little plan and now she was stuck with him like sap to a tree. With her head held down she scooted away slowly, her signature red shoes scuffling across the floor like she was a zombified person who had just awoken from a long, peaceful slumber to realize “Oh shit, its school time.” She sighed ever so heavily, not bothering to show off her deep rooted frustration with this sudden change in her plans. On top of him being her weapon he would have to roam about her beautiful little floral boutique that doubled as her home. Her poor pink abode, being stunk up by the likes of…A weapon. How Disgusting!

It was enough to prune her grapes! She stamped her foot and briskly walked with her sights set straight on giving that Cody guy a piece of her mind. If he was going to be living in her home she would set down no ground rules and she would not have him treating her like he was as of recently. She only had patience for polite, easy-going, kind people. People with manners, people who spoke back to you; people who didn’t shove you off like you were a fly buzzing in their ears. She despised him more than any other weapon she had ever met in her entire life. Ever. Yet she could not deny the magnetism of the two of them, but if there was to be a magnet he was most assuredly the negative side. He suited not her perky, prim, prima-donna like attitude. Couldn’t she have gotten someone with a little more respect? At LEAST he could pretend to be more hospitable.

Even still, when he tried to be of some compliance and be a gentleman of sorts she could tell very well he was putting up with her, only bearing with her because the “oh so mighty” Shingami-Sama wanted him too. He held disdain for her and distaste for her type. Just like every other she met. He was being forced to hold out his hands, basically spitting out the ice cold words that he was trying to make sound civil. She wanted to smack his finely shaped arm away along with those horrid cuticles. He needed a serious manicure. Wait, why was she thinking about his nails? He was being an absolute pig! No, worse-A Boar. She would not have it…but as bad as he was, he was nothing in comparison to what was to come.

Suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere out pops these two tight-lipped, stuffed-shirts, arrogant little know-it-alls. They were both girls, and although Salem would not lie-The Meister was a beauty (though, internally she was cocky to say, “Not nearly as beautiful as me, of course”), she loathed the authority they thought they had over her. Every turn she got to speak they cut her off with volatile words of “do this” and “do that or else”, and when all was said and done Salem was apparently expected to be shoved into her first mission already, without much training or rest. She knew damned good and well it was because of what she was. That was always some sort of repercussion or expectation with being born a witch. At times, she was curious as to what would happen if she was mortal but then things would be a lot less fun.

Then they brusquely shoved in-between her with the utmost callousness toward her and then…then they shot the arrow that pierced her. ‘Witch’, she said, the one with yellow shades the color of mustard. Witch. That insulting term that limited her down to just her blood-line, to the bare basics. It was no better than calling a woman a ‘bay maker’. In fact, it felt just as appalling. She was much more than that, she had a name, past, a history, friends, a garden, a love for life….and yet they labeled her as if she was something to hold antipathy for, like she was someone who had burned their house and murdered their family.

Not all witches cackle, have warts, green faces, and try to “get you, my pretty”. Certainly not. Just as all humans were not all dictators who killed people or slave owners or-to be simple about it- wretched people. Some were, not all. Why witches weren't considered as moral as the rest? Because of how they once were? This was the 20th century; couldn't there be some le-way for her? She was innocent by all means. She never caused any fusses-save for today perhaps. Sure she was a lusty pervert and an undeniable flirt but she was not evil. She was pure, in some aspect; at least she was not capable of killing anyone. Sure she beat up a few people because they got on her rare bad side but never killed. Never.

“I have a name…” She whispered hoarsely underneath her breath, trying hard to fight back any tears that hadn't spilled in quiet some years, “I have a name…I’m not just a witch…My name is Salem! Salem you got that!” Her voice rose as with the anger bubbling inside of her, waiting to pour over and boil all those in her path.

When she was infuriated she did become violent, she became blind with rage. She was offended, she was hurt. She now apologized, of course internally, for thinking Cory was the worst the DWMA had to offer. He was a sweet-heart compared with the way these girls made her feel. Even though the halls were empty of the two tyrants, at least she same them as such, she screamed,

“MY NAME IS SALEM!!!”

She was certain that Cory was staring at her in some strange way or something. She didn’t give a shitake mushroom about him and his cold yet somehow attractive eyes. She looked back at him, giving him the iciest of looks, he could tell that somewhere behind her enchanting orchid orbs there was some darkness, some hidden evil, an evil she dared to ignore, an evil she swore she didn't have. Her look at him was much colder that his could have been at any moment and it remained that way, tainted with seething fury. How are they! If she weren't trying to uphold some kind of impression she would of back-handed them. She huffed out a heavy sigh while turning around and stomping away.

“Come on scythe boy,” She hissed between gritted teeth, using the pet name Blair used on Soul for him, though she did not mean it in a kind or loving or cutesy way. I they would use terms on her that would insult her pride then she would do the same. They deserved the same treatment.

‘But Your mother told you to treat people how you were treated,’ A small angelic voice sweetly said in her mind.

‘I don’t care what she thinks! My real mother abandoned me and the rich smothered me. They just used me as a replacement…what does she know?”

‘Still…she was very smart and kind. Perhaps it’s best to take her advice? Maybe you should be nice to that Cody kid. He could need a friend.’

‘He’s a weapon, if he wants a friend it should be another weapon…or a human…not…not…’

‘A witch?’

She didn't answer her thoughts, realizing the corner she backed herself up in. She was such a hypocrite at times. She really was, but at times she couldn't see that. She thought herself justified in her actions. She hoped Cory was following her, Death help him if he wasn't. She’d have a few choice, unlady like, words to say to him. Curse words-to be exact. When she got to her tea-pot shaped house it gave her no joy-nor did the fact that she had some fresh new flowers and crops growing. Nothing helped. Nothing assuaged her. The only thing to do was head to the one source that could silence her ration thoughts that tried to make her nice to the thing that she hated or to anyone at that moment.

He opened her fridge widely and pulled out a large bottle of Brietenbach-Strawberry Wine. What else would it be? She uncorked it and poured it into a white wine glass that was covered in glitter with little jeweled hearts on it. She shoved a strawberry onto the rim after dipping the rim into pink sea salt. She looked at Cory for he had indeed followed her in and was more than likely disgusted with the cute frills and pink glut everywhere, and gave him a quick bit of sympathy and a dash of her true pain.

“You know…I hate the DWMA. I hate what it does…what it stands for…I hate it, I think, more than weapons. More than you. I just hate people, ya know?”

She gave him no room to question as she downed the wine, trying to remain a lady before she trudged into her room to drink herself into a pit, still keeping in mind that she needed to be somewhere in four hours. Eh, I can make it on time. I can do it…but I’m going to be so drunk…heh, imagine the look on their ostentatious little faces then? Priceless.

She lay down on her plushy blush colored; very girl bed that looked as if it belonged to some pre-pubescent young pop star loving girl instead of a grown woman. Salem discarded the glass, no time for fancy properness, only time for drowning herself in her delicious bottle of wine. She would need to buy more because she was absolutely sure she would drink all of this one. Off went all her clothes and in the bottle went to her mouth, as she blared a surprising choice of music. Some type of rock, and with it her voice, her singing voice, captivating and exquisite, soothing and calm like a practiced singer of high-caliber, sang out;

“I said I don’t care whatcha think, as long as it’s about me. The rest of us can find happiness in misery…”

Brinne remained motionless as Braum patted her on the head, got up, went to sign his name, and came back and started petting her again. "You know, Braum, you were right..." She began, the music still bumping into her ears, so it was still impossible to hear if he was talking back to her. "I wasn't ready, not at first. I had to realize something, and that was that we aren't here to save people from dying, we're here to focus on becoming the best weapon/meister pair we can be, the only people we should care about dying are those we are going to hunt in the name of the DWMA, I had to let go of personal emotions and focus on the task at hand." She sat upright, moving her headphones from her ears to drape around her neck.

"I want to start training with you, today, after school. We have to start somewhere, and we aren't going to be able to start getting assignments until tomorrow at least, and we need to start getting prepared for what's out there. Sound good?" It was like she had taken on a whole different personality. She was the same, but different somehow. The music continued to play but the headphones remained around her neck. Her eyelids still sagged a little, and the stench of cigarettes was still on her breath.