Soul Eater Fan Fiction ❯ The Rise and Fall of a Witch ❯ Katya and Astrid, Meister and Weapon ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

All the good missions seemed to have been taken.  Black Star took the best one, killing Alcipone would've gotten Astrid enough to be close to finish.  Maka seemed to have lost her souls and had to start over, wasn't she on 99?  The other good ones were taken by an unknown student, whoever that person was took all the ones that would've made Astrid into a better weapon.  Katya had her arms crossed as she eyed the bulletin board angrily.  As one of the newest top meisters, she had thought coming across a better mission would've been easier for her since her position had risen.  Instead, she was fighting and kicking her way to the front of a crowd just to get passing missions.

She gritted her teeth as she stomped away with nothing to show for.  Her midnight black hair swung from side to side near her thighs as she approached her weapon, Astrid.  Katya's sharp, baby blue eyes glowered at the floor as she grumbled, “We've still yet to get you a kishin soul.  This is going to be more irritating than expected.”

“Don't get doubtful yet,” Astrid smiled, her braided, light green hair bounced slightly as she put her hands behind her back, “We'll make me a death sythe even if it takes us a hundred years.”

Katya's mood darkened at Astrid's 'hundred year' remark, causing her to walk away dismayed as Astrid quickly walked after her.  The two young females walked into the fresh daylight hours as Katya put her hands in her back pockets.  She felt Astrid link her arms along with her right arm as she always did.  Katya sighed as she led Astrid away from the building, she was getting tired of the basic choices on missions.  She glanced to her side to see Maka heading away from the building.  Katya was in the same class rank as Maka now, but how come she was getting all the good missions while Katya was stuck with barely anything to work with?  

“Let's follow her,” Katya suggested as she started to lead Astrid towards Maka.

“What for?  She can't really help us and-” Astrid then put two and two together, her dark brown eyes widened with surprise, “Katya...we can't just take the soul she's going after.  That's cheating and it's against the rules!”

“Nothing says that we have to take what we signed up for,” Katya shrugged as she continued to follow Maka, “Besides, it's just one soul.  Don't you want to be stronger?  Do you really want me to carry all the weight between us?”

This made Astrid glance downwards as she bit her bottom lip.  Astrid hated being asked those questions and Katya smirked knowing her partner would decide to go along with her plan.  Katya and Astrid kept their distance from Maka and Soul.  They didn't want to get too close in case Maka would sense their souls nearby, but they didn't want to lose track of them either.  Katya had Astrid transform into her war-axe and strapped the weapon to her back as she pursued in silence.  Her black, thigh-high combat boots were great to keep a low-profile cover as her dark gray, short dress made it flexible to travel in.  Katya followed Maka for a few hours until she and Soul stopped in a field where a kishin was ready to eat five human hostages.

“Jeffery Donmer,” Katya murmured to herself as she eyed the kishin, “His soul will do just nicely.”

Donmer's spirit was still human-like, but on his head was only a large, jagged tooth mouth.  His hands were claws soaked in blood as he neared his hostages.  Devouring human flesh before his death took the humanoid side of his spirit into a demonic one.  Anymore, Donmer desired more and more flesh of any unfortunate humans that passed by with their meat-scent filling his core.

“Katya...I  think this is a really bad idea.  Death will be really mad if he finds out about this, ” Astrid spoke through to Katya, “And what about Maka and Soul?  They'll surely come after us if we take what they've worked hard for.  We're only new at this..”

“And we'll get recognition for being the toughest pair ever,” Katya stated as she wielded her war-axe.

Katya's war-axe is twenty-feet long and an inch-wide at the rock and five feet for the silver wedge.  The rod has a serpent-like design with a sharp point at the top and bottom.  Anyone who tries to pick up the war-axe without Katya's consent will trigger Astrid's response in making the weapon physically impossible to wield.  Katya kept low to the ground as she held her war-axe closer to the ground to where they would remain unseen, “Ready, Astrid?”

Her partner remained silent just before Katya took off in a high-speed run before running in between both Soul and Maka.  She heard them protest angrily, trying to stop her, but Katya beat them to the punch.  The spirit of Jeffery Donmer turned in shock to see someone ready to kill him just before Katya sliced him right in half.  In a flash, the kishin spirit of Donmer disintigrated into pieces and a red, circular soul remained.  Astrid turned into her original form and eyed the soul warily, “Katya...”

“Hurry up and eat it before-!”

“Hold it right there!” Maka approached Katya from behind, “This is against the rules and i'll have Death know exactly who did this!”

Katya glared over at Maka before quickly rushing over to the soul and shoved it into Astrid's mouth.  She kept her hand over Astrid's mouth before she knew the soul had been swallowed reluctantly.  Astrid lightly shoved herself away from Katya as she bowed down to Maka and Soul, “I'm so sorry, i'm so sorry what my partner and I have done!  It was so recklesss of us and I hope you do forgive us!”

“We have just as much of a right to that soul as you do!  You already have a lot of them, one won't kill you,” Katya stated angrily as she got in Maka's face.

“And who are you to decide who gets to have a soul or not!?” Soul shoved Katya away from Maka.

“Touch me again and i'll decide who lives and who doesn't!” Katya growled at the short Soul.

“Oh yeah?!  Let's just see then!” Soul's arm turned into the sharp end of a sythe.

“Wait just a minute!” Astrid hurriedly went in between Soul and Katya, “Can't we compromise?  This isn't a typical ordeal that we normally do..”

“It sure looked like it,” Maka retorted as she glared over at the two females, “Katya was able to subside both myself and Soul without even hesitating.  I'm sure Death would just love to hear about this.”

“P-p-please let's not be rash,” Astrid put her palms together as she stood in front of Katya intentionally, “We can make this up for you somehow!”

“Wait a sec,” Soul pinched his chin as he looked Astrid up and down, “You're that new girl, right?  You just got top-ranked about a week or so ago.”

“Well...uhm...” Astrid blushed lightly as her voice became a little more than a whipser.

“And you're Katya,” Maka took a step besides Soul, pointing to Katya, who was seemingly staring at her nails, “You're only top-ranked because of the bloody messes you left during your training.  Just because you made a lot of weak kishin souls pool blood doesn't make you better than anyone.”

“You must not know where I come from then,” Katya commented dryly as she shrugged, then her sharp gaze fell onto Maka, “I come from a long line of blood-lust murderers.  It's only natural that I feel the same desire everytime I go into a battle.  You've only witnessed a very, very small portion of my strength.”

Astrid coyly stood besides Katya as she kept her gaze lowered as Katya put her arm around Astrid's shoulders, “And my partner's family has always been allied with my family.  They are our war-weapons and each generation has become a death sythe, each stronger than the last generation.”

Katya proudly smirked with a hand on her hip and Astrid in her grasp, until she noticed that Maka and Soul were no longer in front of them.  Astrid wriggled her way free as she realized that Soul and Maka were already on their way to get Death.  She sunk to the ground on her knees as Katya placed a hand on her own forehead, “Let's just go back to the bulletin and get another legit mission.”

“We're going to be kicked out for sure,” Astrid groaned as she placed her hands on the ground, “We'll have to face our ancestors in shame...  I don't want to do that...”

“We're not going back now get up!” Katya forced Astrid back on her feet and gripped her shoulders, “Let that brat and short stump go to Death and say whatever they want.  I'll take the blame so you can be someone else's partner.”

Astrid's eyes widened before she gripped Katya tightly.  Katya rolled her eyes, she was a little bit taller than Astrid and rested her chin on top of her head.  She glanced to the side where the school building stood and knew Astrid would never get another partner, it just wasn't like her to do such a thing and it was against their familys' code.  So, Katya and Astrid walked back to Katya's apartment where they shared a bed together.  However, on Katya's front door was a summons by Death himself.  She felt a cold chill run down her spine as she thought of approaching Death himself.  

Katya kept her eyes right on Death as Astrid was the one cowering and apologizing for every little movement she made in front of him.  Death peered down at Katya, “I was told of how you stole a soul today.  In all of your family's history, no one has ever done such an act.  I cannot even recollect someone actually stealing another soul they did not assign themselves to.”

“Look, if you want an apology, i'm not going to give one,” Katya put her hands on her hips, “Eversince getting one of the top-ranks, I've barely scraped by with piss poor missions and itty little souls that aren't even worth getting.  Taking one from Maka and her weapon isn't a big travesty that everyone is making it out to be!”  

 Astrid's normally tan skin went strangely pale at Katya's outburst.  Katya bit her tongue as soon as she  was finished and figured she would've been kicked out.  Usually she isn't fearful of getting punished by teachers or Shinigami, or even her family, but this was different.  All of her family had become someone famously known for their skills, power, and blood-lust, was she really going to be the first to get kicked out?

“What's interesting about this entire situation was your family before had done the same exact act,” Death tilted head to the side as Katya's eyes slightly widened at this fact.

“Exactly what?” she questioned as Astrid looked back over to Death.

“You see, I know that your father stole a soul as did his grandmother and her mother before that.  It's actually quite common for someone of your bloodline to steal,” Death explained, all the while a big smirk formed on Katya's face while Astrid sunk lower and lower in shame, “I'll let this slide once, but if you're going to steal more souls you should either have more stealth so to not get your identity seen or just not do it at all.”

Astrid quickly bowed repeatedly as she gave many thanks to Death as Katya smirked slightly to herself.  They were allowed to leave as Death watched them go, but his death sythe reared around from his hidden location, “Just like that, you're letting them go?”

“There's not much I can actually do to have them listen to me,” Death turned to look back into his camera-like mirror to watch the other meisters, “One soul will persist against any odds while the other follows without question.”

Later, Katya laid back on the couch as she heard Astrid cooking dinner in the kitchen.  Katya was pleased to know that Death pardoned her actions, but that still meant that she had 98 more kishin souls to collect and one witch's soul in that order.  She would hate to be like Maka and have to start all over again because of one mistake.  Katya sipped at a soda she had grabbed earlier as she kept her gaze on the pale white ceiling.  Then, Astrid entered the living room and sat a plate of food on the coffee table for Katya, “We'll have to apologize to Maka and Soul.”

“No, we'r not,” Katya stated as she sat straight to eat, “We're not apologizing for wanting to survive and get you stronger.”

“Katya...” Astrid spoke softly, “What if we were just different than our families?  Can't we just actually be nice to others and not have to play dirty just to get ahead?”

Katya rolled her eyes as she took a bite from her food.  This was the same argument every night between them.  Astrid was far from what her family was like.  While she was ok with training, she hated every second of fighting.  Katya would be the first to praise Astrid's strength as her weapon, but Astrid holds back if she feels an opponent isn't her enemy.  This was Astrid's downfall every, single time.  She didn't respond to Astrid's question until she finished and pushed her plate of food away, “We don't have to become murderers or kill other meisters for souls.  All we need to do is take the souls and leave everyone alive.  Isn't that better than killing a meister and their weapon?”

Astrid glanced from Katya to her plate of food as she nodded slightly.  Katya finished drinking her soda before throwing it into the trashcan, “Besides, we're far behind.  Once we have a few more souls in you, we'll do our own missions.”

The two females remained silent for awhile as they thought about their situation.  Katya then stood up and announced that she was going to bed.  Astrid remained silent as she watched Katya enter their room.  Instead of returning to bed as well, Astrid decided to go for a walk.  She left a note just in case Katya looked for her and went outside to get some fresh, night air.  

She didn't like arguing with Katya.  It was always the same argument too.  Apart of her knew that Katya wanted to live up to her family name, but what about herself?  Astrid had trained alongside Katya eversince they were toddlers and had shed the same blood as Katya.  Yet Astrid was the one who didn't want to fight as badly as Katya does.  She sighed to herself as she stood beneath a street light.  It wasn't fair to Katya and it wasn't fair to Astrid as well.

“Astrid, are you ok?”

She gasped slightly as she turned around to see Tsubaki with a basket in her grasp.  Astrid took a breath of relief before smiling, “Oh, i'm fine.  I'm just taking an evening walk.”

“That's very relaxing,” Tsubaki smiled as well, “Becareful, you never know what lurks in the shadows.”

Astrid watched as Tsubaki walked away with the basket full of food.  She figured that she was going to make Black Star dinner.  Her thoughts went to how her situation was almost opposite with Tsubaki's.  Tsubaki was a talented weapon, and Black Star didn't understand her true strength.  Astrid stared at the ground with a dulled gaze.  In her situation, she was holding Katya back.  

The next day, Katya entered the classroom with Astrid trailing behind her.  Katya placed her hands on her hips as she looked at her new classroom and tried to find a good seat in the far back for herself and Astrid.  Astrid gently grasped Katya's hand to give it a light tug, “There's two seats in the front..”

“Oh...  Well, there's two seats in the back.  Let's take those,” Katya shrugged as she led Astrid to the back.  

Class had gone by slowly, too slowly for Katya's liking.  When class finally ended, she and Astrid were one of the few that remained.  Katya stood up finally only to see Maka blocking the classroom door with her arms crossed over her flat-chest.  Astrid worriedly stood as Maka and Soul approached them, “We don't mean any trouble...”

“Lord Death may have forgiven your actions, but rules are rules,” Maka stated sharply as she glared at Katya, who wasn't paying attention, “Are you listening to me!?”

“How about a fair fight then?” Soul smirked, which got Katya's attention as she glanced over at him, “One battle and we'll settle this like meisters and weapons.  Whoever wins gets the next soul either of us happens to defeat.”

“If we win, then we'll take the next soul you guys get,” Katya extended her hand to shake, “If we lose, which I hardly doubt we will, you can take the next one we defeat.”

Maka eyed Katya's hand for a moment before extending her own and grasped Katya's hand, “It's a deal.”

Katya gave Maka's hand a light squeeze, “Don't be too scared, I'll go easy on you.”

“Are you two going to fight!?  Awesome!”

All four of them turned to see Black Star standing on the desk with his hands on his hips, “If you two are going to fight, then i'll be the referee!”

“Hold it right there.”

Their new teacher, Dr. Stein, approached all five students from behind as he lit his cigarette.  Katya dulled her gaze as she commented, “There's no smoking in the building, Dr. Stein..”

“Regardless, you two still need a teacher to watch the match,” he retorted as he fixed the screw in his head, “This should be interesting.”

The battle was taken place just outside the school building.  A crowd of students circled Katya, Astrid, Maka, and Soul as the pairs faced each other right in the middle.  Astrid grazed her fingers against Katya's wrist as she murmured, “This is a bad idea...  What if we lose?”

“We're not going to lose,” Katya smirked as she grasped Astrid's wrist, “Now turn into my weapon and have faith in me, i'll never let us lose.”

“Quit talking and start!” Maka yelled as she wielded her sythe and running after them.

Astrid quickly turned into a large war-axe as Katya easily dodged Maka's swing.  Her amber eyes turned into a bright crimson as she analyzed Maka's body movements.  She could see Maka's arteries dialate from moving so fluidly, her heart rate was calm as her soul easily matched Soul's.  This was typical in any meister who had the perfect weapon for them.  However...  Katya smirked as she continued to dodge Maka's attacks...Maka was no match for Katya's own skills.  

“Soul...” Maka stopped swinging and jumped away from Katya, “She's not fighting back..do you know what she's doing?”

“Don't you know who she is?” Soul asked.

“Of course not, i've never seen her before she decided to steal our soul,” Maka quickly answered as she kept her gaze on Katya as she readied her axe.

“What's going on?” Black Star asked as he glanced over at Dr. Stein.

Dr. Stein fixed his glasses as he looked over at Katya, “Katya is from the Osaki Clan.  A string of murders and serial killers are in her bloodline.  Her clan has fought alongside Lord Death for centuries and have been accepted into the academy.  The reason why Lord Death allows her clan to enter and fight for him is because of their love of blood.”

“That doesn't answer my question..” Black Star retorted as he turned his attention back to Katya, who was now casually walking over to Maka.

“Katya has no ordinary capabilities,” Dr. Stein sighed before taking a drag from his cigarette, “She fights, and kills, for fun.  This is her advantage, she'll figure out Maka's and Soul's connection before making one big show before completely destroying them.”

“She's trying to be the star here then...” Black Star growled, “I'll show her...”

“You may want to wait until she's not expecting it,” Dr. Stein shrugged, “Best not to get in her line of vision when she sees red.”

“Astrid,” Katya murmured as her smirk widened, “Make it rain blood.”

“Right,” Astrid made the wedge of the axe glow a deep red.

Then, in a split second, Katya was right in front of Maka as she swang her axe towards her neck.  Maka didn't hesitate as she blocked the axe with her sythe.  Katya jumped off the ground and kicked Maka in the stomach before leaping off of her back towards the sky.  She raised her axe high to her side as she came crashing down to slash Maka!  A cloud of smoke surrounded the two meisters, causing the other students to murmur about what could have happened and who could've died.  The smoke began to disappear as the appearance of Dr. Stein easily blocking the final blow of Katya's axe with Maka using her sythe to hopefully stop the attack.

“Alright, enough of this.  Katya would've sliced you to pieces, i'm giving her the match,” Dr. Stein stated as he held his cigarette with his free hand, “Now the four of you have settled whatever score you have.”

After everything was said and done, Katya and Astrid stood proudly as Maka dusted herself off with Soul turned away to where the others were facing his back.  Maka glared at the ground as Katya walked over to her, “No hard feelings then?  It's obvious that-”

Astrid covered Katya's mouth and made her meister bow slightly, “You two put up a really good fight is what she means to say.  Thank you for the opportunity.”

Maka lightened her glare on Astrid and smirked slightly, “I don't really care for your meister that much, but she has a really good partner like you.  A deal is a deal, the next soul we get is yours.”

“Oh, it's ok,” Astrid smiled, which caused Katya to bite her hand, “Ow!”

“No!  A deal is a deal!” Katya hissed angrily at Astrid.

“If we were able to beat them, then we can defeat a kishin soul for ourselves,” Astrid stood her ground, “You don't have to follow in your family's footsteps, you can pave a path for yourself!”

“I'm going to guess this is personal...” Maka took a step back, “I'll just be going..”

Before they even knew it, Maka was already gone.  Katya noticed first and sighed, “Good, she's gone.”

That evening, back at their home, Astrid and Katya sight in silence as each glared at the other.  Born as meister and weapon destined to fight together, they each knew that this fight wouldn't last long.  Katya was the first to glance away as she sipped at her drink.  She could tell that Astrid was really upset with her, but she didn't need Astrid's constant concern.  So, she turned her gaze to the table, “I know you're mad at me, but you're going to have to see where i'm at in this life.  I'm here at the DWMA under the constant watch of Lord Death and always hoping I have his acceptance here.  When you say that i'm always trying to follow in my family's footsteps...look how much family I have left.  No one else is alive and i'm the only one living under the watch of the man who killed them.  So when I act a certain way or I do something that reminds you of my family, then you're going to have to remember how far i've come without having any of my blood family around.  I'm going out..”

Astrid watched as Katya stood up and left the apartment.  She didn't stop her.  If anything, it would just piss Katya off even more.  Why didn't Katya realize how worried she was about her?  It wasn't the murderous family she had, but it was something much stronger.  Everyday, she worried that Katya would get mad enough or desire blood more to turn into her true nature.  Astrid stood up and went to their room where most of their hidden treasures remained.  She went to the closet and pulled out a dusty, old broom stick with Katya's initials written at the top.  So many nights she had tried to break it, but it won't ever break.  Katya was a witch and that could never be changed.

Katya sat a small oriental restaurant as she ordered herself some food and a drink.  She fished around for her fake ID to see if she could get something stronger.  The waiter came back with her food and drink when she handed him her 'ID', asking for a bottle of sake and the availability to use the bathhouse in the back.  She was able to use the bathhouse and even get that bottle of sake she ordered with her food on a small tray floating on the surface.  Stripping off her clothes quickly, she stepped into the warm water and poured herself a cup of sake.  The strong spice of the sake reached her throat just right to make her thoughts disappear.  

“First rule of an assassin...”

Was this really happening?  Katya glanced over to where she heard the source of the noice.  Was this kid really trying to sneak up on her?  She took another shot of the sake as the warmth of the bathwater and the strength of the alcohol soon took effect.  Katya squirmed slightly at the thought of being watched before turning towards the source of the noise.  Peeking over the edge was Blackstar, the so called 'big star' of the DWMA?  She chuckled to herself, he was so short!  

“Well look who it is?  The big star from the academy?  I'm honored,” Katya fanned herself.

“Wait..what?  You know i'm the big star?” he climbed over the lattice wall quickly then leaped down, “But the bigger question is who the hell are you!?  How were you able to defeat Maka and Soul without getting a scratch!?”

Katya took another shot of sake before turning back towards Black Star, “Hm?  What was the question again?”

“I..ugh...I...” he stumbled his words as he eyed what parts of her body he could see, “Uh..”

She smiled before turning her back to him to pull her towel on.  Katya stood up and turned to see Black Star still staring at her.  The sake was still affecting her system, but she had enough sense to know that it was time to go home.  So, she picked up her uneaten plate of food and handed it to Black Star, “I'll see you at the academy tomorrow.”

With that, Katya made her way back to the locker room, changed her clothes, and headed back to her apartment.  No use staying out late when she had to get up early in the morning anyways.

The next day, Astrid barely got Katya up on time for them to be on time for school.  As soon as they made it to their first class, Dr. Stein had told them that Lord Death wanted to see them.  So, the girls made their way to Lord Death's occupancy where each hung their head in shame.  Katya believed they would be kicked out for her fake ID while Astrid thought it was because Lord Death was changing his mind and have them both killed.  When they arrived in front of him, Katya kept her gaze averted while Astrid kowtowed many times and repeating how sorry she was.

“What's gotten into you two lately?” Lord Death asked as he tilted his head slightly to the side.

“You're not going to expell us?” Katya asked.

“Of course not.  You've got your powers under control and both of you are top students,” Lord Death chuckled somewhat, “I've brought you two here with grave news, however.”

Katya and Astrid glanced at each other before looking back towards Lord Death.  He continued, “Katya, your home village has been waiting for your return since the death of your family.  They've been unrested long enough and are starting to cause a little trouble.  I'm formally asking you to calm them, or get rid of them.”

Astrid sucked in a quick breath.  The people of Katya's home village were distant family members and people who served her family for generations.  Killing them meant killing her own family and the people who adored her.  Astrid looked over at Katya to see the determined look in her eye, “Katya?”

“I understand and will oblige,” Katya bowed slightly.

“I'll be sending Black Star and Tsubaki with you as well.  You must keep your magic hidden under all circumstances.  Don't let the village know you're a witch,” Lord Death stated sternly to her.

Katya and Astrid left Death's occupancy to go to the main door of the academy where Black Star and Tsubaki were waiting.  As soon as Black Star saw the two females, his smirk widened as he pointed at Katya, “It's about time you and I fought!  I've been waiting-”

“We're not fighting together,” Katya commented as she approached him and his weapon, “We're on a mission together.  How about we fight afterwards?  Will that shut you up?”

“Hey!  You can't talk to me like that!  I'm a big man and-”

“Uhm..Black Star...they've already left,” Tsubaki timidly interupted him.

Black Star looked around to see the main doors opened with Katya and Astrid already leaving.  He cursed beneath his breath as he, and Tsubaki, ran after them to catch up.  The entire time traveling there was with constant bickering between Katya and Black Star.  Astrid and Tsubaki kept together behind their fighting meister partners.  Though it was obvious that Katya was annoyed with Black Star, Astrid had to smile at the fact that she could tell that Katya respected Black Star as a meister.  He was in a class ahead of their own and they managed to catch up to him, so Katya respected him for his superiority.  Tsubaki looked over at Astrid with a worried look, “Do you think they'll get along enough to fight together?”

“I think so,” Astrid shrugged as she put on her brave smile, “If they're bickering like this, then that means they already like each other.”

“Like..each other...” Tsubaki stammered beneath her breath.

“Don't say anything, but I think Katya has feelings for Black Star,” Astrid nudged Tsubaki a little, “She's always respected him as an assassin and wanted to fight with him sometime.”

As soon as they entered the village, Katya went quiet.  She vaguely remembered where her parents would take her to teach her old witch's texts.  The dark, wooden homes seemed as if people had set fire to the entire village to search for something.  What set the mood was the dark clouds high in the sky that let out a rumble of thunder, rain was coming soon.  Katya looked at each individual house until memories poured into her mind that everything else became deaf to her.  What brought her back was someone's voice calling her name.  She recognized that voice and instantly felt his soul close to hers.  Black Star?  

Astrid felt an intense feeling as she heard Katya become still.  She could feel her meister's soul become distant to her own.  As the key holder to Katya's witch soul, she could always reach her meister.  This time...she couldn't.  Astrid took a few steps towards Katya and even called out to her, but Katya wouldn't respond to her.  Then, Black Star walked forwards toward Katya and called out to her, “Hey!  Katya!  You're scaring Astrid!”

That's when Katya finally snapped out of her trance and turned slightly to look at Black Star.  She was surprised that he was able to waken her from such a memory.  Katya took a breath before turning towards the village once more, “Don't worry, any of you.  I have to do this on my own, all that I ask is that you don't hurt anyone and don't let anyone hurt me.”

“I'm not anyone's bodyguard...” Black Star retorted as he crossed his arms.

“Then go back to the academy,” Katya began to walk into the village, “This may be too hard for you anyways.”

This triggered Black Star's anger as he marched forwards, “Alright, if you want a bodyguard, then you got one!”

Katya and the others made it into the village, looking for any signs of life.  She remembered how Death was saying they were causing trouble, but where was everyone?  Then, a single person left a broken home with eyes widened as soon as he saw Katya.  He then began shouting names from all around him before running towards her and bowing to her, “Oh thank the Old Ones!  You've finally escaped that damned place!  We've been waiting so long for you!”

“I've heard of the trouble this village has been causing,” Katya noticed the rest of the village starting to surround her and her group, “I'm alive and safe, and stronger than ever before.  There's no reason to cause such destruction.”

“But..but we need you here!” one of the other villagers stepped forward, an older woman, “We've served your family for centuries.  Without you here, we have no purpose.”

Katya felt troubled as she thought of reasons for them to stop what they're doing.  Also, she was getting nervous that Black Star or Tsubaki would figure out her identity by mistake.  She hoped Astrid was keeping a good hold on her witch soul.  All she could feel now was the nervousness and madness surrounding her.  Not only that, but the power that was being handed to her was enough to satisfy even the highest of witches.  Katya bit her bottom lip as she lowered her gaze.  That is until Black Star moved to Katya's side, “All of you are worshipping the wrong person here!  I'm Black Star, the best assassin of the DWMA and i'll make sure you guys know who's boss around here!”

Katya's eyes widened at his words and saw that he had just angered not one, not two, but all of the villagers.  They glowered at him as if he had stabbed her and began feasting on her corpse.  She quickly put her hand over his mouth and pulled him behind her, “I'm training him...don't mind him..”

“He spoke ill of our Katya,” one of the other villagers growled as the others began to join in.

“He'll pay...” another villager's fists turned into a ball of fire.

Katya's eyes widened even more as she saw the magic all around her.  Surely these people wouldn't force her to do what she wanted to hide?  Astrid then took Katya's arm, “We have to do this.  I'll transform...”

“No,” Katya stated, “But transform, we're not hurting anyone.”

The villagers began to ready their magic as Black Star, with Tsubaki behind him, began to really feel what this village was made of.  Katya readied her weapon as she stood in front of Black Star.  This village were servents for witches, they were allowed a minimal amount of magic to fight for their masters.  Katya slammed her war axe into the ground and shouted, “You will not lay a hand or any type of magic on him, is this understood!?”

“He's slain your name!” the original villager stated angrily, “We don't want to hurt you, but if you stand in our way, then-”

“Then do your worst,” Katya growled as her amber eyes glowed a bright red.

The villagers hesitated at first, but the fireballs, magical lightning, and other elemental attacks were thrown at her.  Katya blocked them all from hitting Black Star and Tsubaki, using her arms and Astrid as a shield.  She bit her bottom lip as she knew what she had to do, but was preventing it so much.  Astrid then stated to her, “We can still use that, no one will know.”

“But it's too damn close,” Katya grumbled as she kept restraining the villager's attacks.

“Katya!” Black Star shouted as he ducked to avoid being hit with lightning, “What the hell are you doing!?  You're going to get killed!”

“I'm not letting you get hurt!” Katya shouted back, then smirked, “You're going to be jealous of this!”

Then, a rich brown glowing set of wings sprouted from Katya's back.  Her spirit wings spread about twenty to thirty feet wide as she took all the beatings her villagers were throwing at her.  She then used her wings to tightly pack them together as her eyes glowed a bright amber at that point, “As your leader, I command you to cease or I will kill each and every one of you.”

A moment passed, but the villagers slowly stopped their attacking as they stared over at Katya.  Katya was about to speak, until she felt someone behind her.  She turned to see aiming their palms at Black Star and Tsubaki.  In an instant, Katya saw the waves of flame leave the person's palms and make it's way towards Black Star.  She immediately moved herself between the flames and Black Star, using her back as a barrier.  As soon as the flames hit her, she felt the pain rush through her body and her wings as she managed to deflect the attack.  When the attack ended, Astrid went back to her human form and went to Katya's aide.  Katya felt the crushing pain all throughout her body.  She hadn't come across such pain in many years and forced herself to stay awake to make sure everyone would be safe.

“Katya?” Black Star knelt down to her, “Hey, you're going to be ok, right?  C'mon, answer me.”

“Our leader has sacrificed herself for your safety without hurting us,” the villagers began to tear up, “We're too pitiful to even keep our leader safe.  Here, we'll take her to the medical center and prepare rooms for all of you.  Please take this gesture as our apology.”

Astrid saw Black Star ready to answer them with anger, but turned to Tsubaki to stop him.  Tsubaki covered Black Star's mouth as Astrid responded to the villagers, “We accept your apology, but please help Katya.”

Dazed from the pain, Katya's spirit wings disappeared as she was transported to the medical center.  She was given a salve for her back to ease the pain.  Astrid had Katya lay on her stomach as she rubbed the healing salve on her back, “You were really great out there.  You managed to calm the village down without having to hurt anyone.”

Katya remained silent as she felt the healing salves take an instant effect.  She had barely made it out alive.  That blow to her back was enough to kill her if she hadn't been able to hold out for a little while longer.  Without her witch abilities, she was as vulnerable as the others were.  Katya cursed herself without saying a word as she rested her head on her arms.  Astrid stood up to leave while Katya felt a second presense making it's way to her room through te ceiling.  She had told Astrid to tell the others that she didn't want company, but who really could stop Black Star from getting what he wanted?  Katya sighed to herself as she heard him fall to the ground next to her, “I'm fine, Black Star, i'm just tired.  That's it.”

“I want to know why you did that,” he retorted as he sat next to her, “I'm an amazing fighter and you took the heat of the damage on your own.  That's not what partners do and-”

“I like you,” Katya confessed as she turned her head away from him.

Black Star was about to continue to lecture her until he heard what she had to say.  He turned his gaze to her and tilted his head to the side, “What?”

“I like you,” Katya repeated, then added, “I don't want you to get hurt because of my problems.  You don't realize it, but I really like you and respect you.  If you see what trouble I am, then you'll only not like me and avoid me like the others.  I wouldn't care if Maka, Soul, or anyone else saw this of me, but you...  You mean something to me.”

All was silent in the room.  Katya didn't want to look at Black Star nor did she want to know that he was sitting right next to her.  She was ashamed of herself for who she was and felt like an open wound for everyone to see.  Because of her abilities as a witch, because of the secret she had to keep, and because of all the trouble she and her family had caused, she was afraid to show what she had inside of her to the one person she respected the most.  Then, she heard him lay down on the mat beside her.  Katya quickly sat up slightly and turned her head to see that he was staring up at the ceiling.  She kept the covers over her chest as she sat up, “Are you going to say anything?”

He glanced over at her and shrugged, “There's not a lot to say.  You said you liked me, so I like you too.”

Katya glanced away with an annoyance in her voice, “That's not how it works...”

“I'm a big man now, but i'll be an even bigger man later on,” Black Star looked back at the ceiling, “I have a lot of fans and they're all rooting for me to get better everyday.  Sometimes I forget to stop and really see things for what they are.  So, when you say you like me and respect me, it makes me open my eyes and see that I like and respect you too.”

She laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling as well.  Katya could feel some type of connection with Black Star, and maybe she was rushing too far into it, but this felt right.  Besides, he may not be a gentleman or a romantic that sweep her off her feet, and maybe it won't last as long as she wants.  Katya had to smile to herself though.  She was still happy that he still liked her even though he saw one of the dirtiest parts about her; her home.

Leaving the village and going back to the academy was an even better feeling.  Katya walked casually alongside Black Star as he continued to tell stories of how he defeated this person or how he killed that enemy.  It didn't take a smart person to know these were just stories, but she enjoyed hearing him talk about all the excitement that he had apparently been through.  All the while she listened, Astrid could see the difference between Black Star and Katya.  She was a little worried that her meister was getting too close to Black Star.  Astrid looked over at Tsubaki who seemed to be even more worried than she was.  

“It's good to see them getting along,” Astrid tried to lighten the mood.

“Yeah...it's really...nice,” Tsubaki did her best to answer.

Astrid couldn't seperate Black Star or Katya away from each other.  He came over to their apartment so he could talk with Katya all night.  They fell asleep on the floor sometimes from talking so long.  Then, they would quickly shower before eating together and going to class together...on time.  Astrid felt as if she were losing a very hard battle.  She was still connected with Katya's soul, that would never change, but she was losing a very close friend to someone who barely knew her.  

For weeks they were inseperable.  Astrid and Tsubaki watched without much hope as their meisters became closer than before.  They had inside jokes, they trained with each other, and they even sat next to each other in class now.  It was getting harder to watch.  Katya had gone to the restroom with Black Star waiting in the classroom for her, but Astrid made a quick escape to find her friend.  She found Katya primping herself in the bathroom.  This took Astrid by surprise, she never saw her meister primp herself in all of their years together.  Astrid blocked the door as she gazed at the ground, “So...what's up with you and Black Star all of a sudden?”

“Hm?  Oh, we're kind of dating or something,” Katya softened her hair as she looked herself up and down, “Sorry if we've been hanging out too much, but I have to say that i'm liking this guy more than I have before with any one else.”

“Anyone else, huh...” Astrid sharpened her glare on the floor, “Did you forget your weapon or the fact he has a weapon he needs to train with on his own?”

“It sounds like someone is jealous,” Katya commented dryly, “Our soul wavelengths are still in perfect unison and so is his with Tsubaki's.  Now, if you excuse me, I have to go back to class.”

It didn't take but a small shove to get Astrid out of the way.  Katya didn't want to be rude to her only closest friend, but she needed a break from secrecy, hiding, and watching the crowds go by.  This was her chance to be seen as a normal meister and she wasn't about to give it up just yet.  When she got back to the classroom, she sat next to Black Star who was already murmuring an inside joke to her.  Astrid entered the classroom and sat next to Maka and Soul, glaring at Katya from afar.

“Looks like Black Star has himself a girlfriend.  I never thought i'd see the day,” Soul commented as he leaned back in his seat.

“She's not his girlfriend, they're just dating...” Astrid grumbled beneath her breath.

“Uhm...that usually means that they are boyfriend and girlfriend,” Maka corrected as she looked over at Astrid, “Are you ok?  You seem pretty mad.”

“No,” Astrid quickly opened her textbook, “I'm fine, perfectly fine.  In fact, i'm so fine, that I can barely pay attention to this classroom and read this really fine textbook that has amazingly fine knowledge for me to finally learn.”

“Uh..ok..if you say so...” Maka nervously scooted towards Soul then whispered to him, “We have to figure something out about these two or they'll rip each other to shreds.”

The rest of class went by quite easily and the weekend was only a day away.  To celebrate the weekend, Soul and Maka decided to invite everyone to their place for dinner.  Black Star, Katya, Astrid, and Tsubaki came as one group while Kid, Liz, and Patti came as another.  Katya and Black Star sat together as they spoke amongst themselves as they ate from a shared plate of food.  Astrid and Tsubaki stood away from each other as they each tried to ignore their meisters.  Maka and Soul bowed their heads in shame as they saw that their plan wasn't working.  Kid then approached the two disappointed pair, “Who is that woman talking to Black Star over there?  Does she go to our school?”

“I haven't seen her before.  Is she dating Black Star?” Liz asked as she watched Patti dance around to the music.

“That's Katya Osaki, and she's dating Black Star,” Maka answered gloomly, “It's getting their weapons pissed off at this point and I can see why.”

“She's...absolutely...” Kid stared over at Katya, “Symmetrical...”

“Excuse me?” Maka, Soul, and Liz all looked dumbfounded at Kid.

“Her clothes line up perfectly with her body with the same shade on each side.  Her hair is perfectly parted at the top down the middle for perfect length on both sides.  She has no facial markings on her that suggest that one side is less perfect than the other.  This woman is utter symmetrical perfection and I cannot stand that she would be interested in an oaf like Black Star when she can have equal symmetrical perfection from me!” Kid stated as he marched over to Katya.

A few moments passed before he was sent back discouraged as he murmured how he didn't deserve to live in such a disgusting world.  Liz saw the results as this 'perfect woman' denying Kid.  She didn't mind, but now she had to revive her meister before he really did try and kill himself.  Maka sadly began to clean up as the other guests began to leave, except the two love birds and their angry weapons.  This had to stop.  Maka left Soul's side as she stood in between the four of her friends, “Alright, we have to talk this out before you two lose your weapons and you two lose your meisters.”

“What's going on here?” Katya asked as she finally turned away from Black Star, “We're just having a good time with each other, we're not hurting anyone.”

“You're hurting Tsubaki and Astrid,” Maka pointed to them, “Obviously you two have spent too much time together to realize that your weapons are afraid that you'll forget about them.”

“It's not all our fault!” Black Star stood up in front of Katya, “Tsubaki, don't you want me happy?  Don't you see that we can all be friends here even if Katya and I are on a different kind of friendship?”

“I know, and I want you to be happy...” Tsubaki reasoned, then added, “I also want you to remember that you haven't said a word to me since we went on that mission with them.”

“Katya,” Astrid spoke up, “You used to tell me everything before, and now you spend all your time with him.  It's like you forgot that I existed...”

Katya then stood up as walked over to Tsubaki and Astrid, “I hope you two understand why I want to spend time with Black Star.  Especially you, Astrid, know that all I want is for us to have a normal time here at the DWMA.”

“Having a normal time here is important, but at the cost of your friendship with your weapons?” Maka asked.

This time Katya and Black Star looked over at each other.  Though Katya was really starting to like Black Star more and more, she had to remember who the real important person was.  Astrid was her weapon and the key to her powerful soul.  If anything were to happen to Astrid, Katya would always be in her witch form until she could find a spell strong enough to hold her soul back.  She gave a small smile to Black Star as she shrugged, “How about you and Tsubaki come over for breakfast tomorrow?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Black Star shrugged back, both of them had to give in to the argument.