Soul Eater's Curse(BeyondPoetry X Mikanu)

[Mikanu]

Imagine if Weapons went through a curse that caused them to be unable to transform from a weapon to human and human to weapon willingly. Imagine if they suddenly started becoming corrupt, turned their backs on their meisters. How would the DWMA survive then? What if there is no cure? What if this curse has actually been kept under wraps for a long time, not even Death knowing what was wrong? The answer, my friends, is that the future of the weapons, as well as the meisters, is in jeopardy.


----------


There was a time when things were all okay at the DWMA. A time when things weren't so disastrous. It was a better time than it is now. It was a happier time. The Kishin had been defeated, all everybody could do was celebrate. Things became peaceful, but that didn't last as long as everyone expected it to.


It started with a minor weapon. He'd have made bad moods, he wouldn't listen to his meister and would misbehave constantly, he wouldn't listen to anyone. That was just the start of it. In the end, he killed his meister. He turned corrupt and had to be destroyed himself.


After that, others fell to this mysterious corruption. The teachers at the DWMA called it a curse, but they kept it under wraps. They did not want the students to panic over this. This terrible tragedy has not happened in a while, easing the teachers, but it still lurks in the shadows, waiting to corrupt the next weapon...


My Character:


Name: Elijah(Eli) Aeristo


Age: 17


Gender: Male


Weapon or Meister?: Weapon


Weapon Appearance:

Spoiler

Personality: Elijah is a very upbeat individual. He's good at encouraging his meister when in battle and is high-spirited. Usually he's happy and fun to be around, sometimes silly. However, things are changing...


History: His history is not all that interesting, he had loving parents and a sister. He left them when he met his meister and unlocked his potential.


Appearance:

Spoiler

Elijah was at the Mission Bulletin, scanning the jobs and looking for something to complete. The jobs were the same as always and he was seeking something exciting to do. Why not a sense of danger? That was always quite amusing. Eli also kept an eye out for his meister, not wanting to make a final choice without her. She was just as much a part of the team as he was.


He had a bad feeling as he searched through the jobs. The hair on the back of his neck was on end, it was almost as if he could sense that something bad was going to happen. Elijah softly chuckled to himself and continued his search. His partner was a great Meister, he knew, and together they made quite a perfect pair.

 

[Poe]

My Character:


Name:


Valerie (Val) Grayson


Age:


17


Gender:


Female


Weapon or Meister?:


Meister


Weapon:


Eli Aeristo


Personality:


One of the best meisters that the DWMA has to offer, Valerie is a hardworking and strong-willed fighter with the best intentions. Though she is powerful, Valerie often does not think much of her own strength and instead overworks and over trains herself. This self-determination often inspires those around her to become better, faster, and stronger. Much more aloof than her weapon, she often finds herself withdrawing into thought without noticing and much more self-critical of herself as a person and as a meister. When with Eli, though, she finds herself comfortable and much more likely to crack a joke or a smile – revealing the empathetic and caring person she is behind her slightly abrasive outer shell.


History:


Valerie is the only child of two weapons. When she was born, they were devastated to learn that their child did not inherit their weapon blood, against the odds. Despite this, they tried their best to conceal their hurt for Valerie’s sake. They have always been supportive of her, but they have been disconnected – never really seeing things the same way their daughter does. She keeps just enough contact with them not to worry them, but realized a long time ago that she would never be able to be what her parents wanted – a weapon.


Appearance:

​

RP:


Valerie shouldn’t have been surprised when she overslept her alarm. Her midnight workout had done more good for her peace of mind than it had done for her sleep cycle and here she was running, again, up the stairs of the DWMA. It didn’t take much effort to find Eli, who was always perched outside of the Mission Bulletin following a completed job. He was already ready for the next mission, the next big adventure. It was something she admired about him – his excitement – it made her excited, too.


She slowed her pace as she turned the hall and made her way towards the Mission Board and there he was. Just like she had said. Typical.


“What’ve we got today? Anything good?” she asked, her hands tucked in her pockets as she looked him over, knowing all too well that looking at the board was pointless when he had already scoped out the entire listing, “Something exciting, I think. I’m all for routine missions but I haven’t jumped off a rooftop or feared for my life in a while so I think we’re overdue.”

​

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah also wasn't surprised. He heard his partner's footsteps echo softly and immediately knew it was her even before she turned the corner. He turned his head and grinned when he saw her walking towards him. "Why good morning sleepyhead!" The weapon knew all about her workout and how much she trained. He hated seeing how far she pushed herself sometimes.


He scanned her face for any traces of fatigue as he wondered if she had managed to sleep well. It was he who had turned off her alarm so it wouldn't wake her up. Elijah was just fine with waiting for his Meister if it meant she'd get the rest she deserved. He wasn't one to worry very often, but he did worry about her.


"Alrighty, we have a good one here! I think you'll like it." Eli took a few cards from the Board as he started to get the bad feeling again. He shivered but quickly recovered and showed Valerie the cards. "Here we have an evil human terrorizing Death City. It's been in hiding for a while, it says, getting stronger. The job requires a powerful team in order to defeat this one. Think you're up for it?"

 

[Poe]

Val rubbed at her tired eyes in an attempt to shake the fatigue that plagued her body. All she needed was a cup of coffee (which, she just now realized, would never happen because she had just run by Deathbucks on her way to school) and maybe to catch a few out on the balcony during her lunch period.


She suppressed a smirk as she watched her partner thrust the mission into the palm of her hand. “An evil human terrorizing Death City, huh?” she handed him back the card and stretched her arms upward before folding her hands behind her head, “Evil human, terrorized townspeople and terrible odds. Sounds like all of my favorite things in one convenient place. I’m all for it.”


Val gave Eli the once over, not missing the ripple of shiver that shot through his wavelength. “What about you?” she asked, innocently, “You all for this one?”

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah noticed as Valerie rubbed her eyes and couldn't help the worry that flooded his mind at the moment. 'What if she gets hurt!? She won't get hurt, what a preposterous thought! But she's so tired... She'll be okay! What if not? What then? My responsibility, I'll protect her! This is a dangerous one, who knows how far the creature is from turning into a Kishin!?' He closed his eyes, though he still felt the worry stir. This was worse of a worry than before, much worse. Usually he'd look at the bright side of things, but what plagued his mind was worry of what was to come.


Eli snapped out of it, drawing in a sharp breath, and nodded towards her question. He took the card back, in a daze. Terrible odds... He wasn't like this. He wasn't so pessimistic usually. He dived in headfirst into the worst of situations and only grinned and encouraged Val with his cheerfulness. His optimism was needed in battle sometimes, but this time was going to be different. He could feel it.


And yet... He nodded. Actually nodded at Val's question. Putting things at risk, that's what he was doing. It's what he often did, yet the air of optimism was absent in this one. However, the determination was not. "Yeah! Let's do it! We can win this one!" The words were steeled with determination. Eli knew Valerie wasn't weak. He knew he wasn't weak. They could do this! The shiver that crawled down his spine was just worry for Val. That's all it was. It had to be.

 

[Poe]

Valerie smiled, “That’s what I like to hear.”


She watched skeptically as an indistinguishable emotion crossed Eli’s face. Worry? Fear? To say she was confused was an understatement. Eli knew that they were one of the strongest pairs at the DWMA and they were nearly undefeated in battle. He was an incredible weapon, capable of so much power. So much power, in fact, that Valerie trained night and day to be the best possible meister for him. She wanted to be enough for him. The more she trained, the less chance she had of failing him.


And she was, obviously, the pessimistic one of the pair. No, not pessimistic—unsure, self-conscious, maybe a bit of both—but he always made sure that she was okay, that she believed in herself when it counted.


Val shook her head. Sometimes she worried a bit too much about Eli.


“Who knows, maybe it’ll be a pre-Kishin,” she laughed, “I could use a good sparing session. The more time we put between these missions the lazier I seem to get. So what do you say, Eli? Let’s hit the streets and find us a bad guy, yeah?”

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah turned away from his partner to go to the receptionist. She looked at the weapon and then at Valerie, approval in her eyes as she took the card. "Oh I'm sure you'll both do quite well with this job! You're all set, you are what this job requires! Be careful, though I know you'll do well." She smiled at them both.


His feet wouldn't move. Eli stared at the desk of the receptionist, frozen. There was so much fear inside of him that he didn't think it was possible. How bad was this? Why did he get himself AND his partner into this!? Dark thoughts swirled in his head, he felt so lost... Elijah snapped out of it when he noticed the receptionist giving him a puzzled look. "I... Thanks." He walked back to Valerie, his feet seeming to weigh a ton.


"We can't..." He was about to finish the sentence. He swore he was about to do it, but he closed his eyes a moment. When he opened them, there was a grin on his face. "We can't be late for our rendezvous with this one! Come on Val, time to kick some butt!" He began walking, back to his old cheerful self.


Inside, however, the battle between doing this mission and chickening out was raging on.

 

[Poe]

Valerie watched as Eli froze at the desk, the receptionist had done nothing more than passed on her well wishes to the pair. What could have possibly spooked him so much that he’d freeze like that? It wasn’t like him, at all. Suddenly his face lit up, a smile stretching from ear to ear as he tried to pump her up for the mission. Then it was gone. All trace of worry gone from his body, from his face, though she knew something was going on with him. His wavelength slowly pulsed in worried bursts—but she knew if he were really bothered, he would tell her…wouldn’t he?


She shook out of her thoughts and tried to catch up to his heels, succeeding easily, “You’re right, let’s do this!”


As they walked she kept stealing glances at his profile, searching for some sign of discomfort but to no avail. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, before nudging herself into Eli’s shoulder with a smile on her own face. One of those rare smiles she only saved for him when she knew he was the one who needed a pick-me-up (which was hardly ever).


“Come on,” she nudged again, “It's a routine mission, nothing huge. We just gotta defeat this guys and then I’ll take dinner duty tonight, okay? I’ll even make your favorite. I promise."

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah walked straight, his back stiffened, the hair on the back of his neck on end. His weapon instincts could sense something that made him want to run far away, but he kept up his cheery demeanor. For Valerie, he told himself. He couldn't stand the thought of telling her that he felt so wrong about this whole mission. It would show a weakness he didn't possess, a FEAR he didn't possess. He was never this scared, ever. He was never this shook up.


He felt the nudge and looked at his Meister. She was smiling at him and he couldn't help but smile back, his worry melting for a moment. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, squeezing lightly, then dropped his hand back to his side. A silent 'thank you'. At least she could help him out of this swirling turmoil inside of him, at least for a little while.


As they approached the location, everything he was screamed at him to turn back. "Yes, that'd be great of you Val. I'd like that," he said, his voice dropped to reduce the risk of pulling the monster out of its hiding place. He didn't want to look at it. He didn't want to see it or touch it with his blade. He wanted nothing to do with him, yet he kept pushing his feet onward.

 

[Poe]

There was something so comforting in his silent thank you that put her heart at ease. Even if he was dealing with these conflicting feelings, she knew he’d never let it jeopardize either of their safety or the mission itself. Valerie let her smile sit for a moment longer until they came upon the location and then let it slowly slide off her face. This was a battle and Valerie was more powerful here and just better here than she was in her everyday life. This was her element.


Suddenly, she felt her body jerk back. Her eyes didn’t leave the square in front of her as she lowered her voice, “We’ve got incoming.”


Her soul perception was something she kept more or less to herself. It was still very weak and Valerie could hardly make out anything except the dull outline of a soul – but she was training night and day to try to improve. It was a special skill that she didn’t feel she deserved because she was, more or less, anything but.


“I’ll lure it out,” she stated, no question in her voice, “When we’ve got a chance to analyze the situation we’ll take it on—got it? ‘Till then, stay behind me and we’ll catch it by surprise.”


Valerie took a few slow steps foreword into the center of the square; the air around her eerily quiet and she could feel the spikes in Eli’s wavelength. What was going on with him?


“Come out, come out,” Valerie whispered, knowing that the beast was lurking in the shadows directly in front of her, “wherever you are.”


And then a figure leapt from the shadows and Valerie felt her heart leap into her throat, her strong stance unwavering. This wasn’t going to be easy.

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah let out a shaky breath as he slowed his steps and traveled behind his Meister. He felt the fear deep inside of him, but it wasn't a fear of this creature. The moment he realized it, he felt even more scared and confused. Eli didn't fear this fight, he knew that. He was ready for this. His Meister was more than capable of ripping the Evil Human to shreds. Of course he'd help, he was her weapon. He was by her side.


He continued to stay behind her, watching as she looked for the creature. It was there, he knew, hiding in the shadows. It had to be; otherwise, why was he shaking so badly? Eli realized that he was at the moment, as he watched his partner go ahead. She was looking, looking, looking... He could barely stand it.


"Yes," he managed to whisper towards her question, to make sure she knew he was listening. And listening he was, to every whisper, every shuffle, every movement.


When it came out, Eli could barely stand it.


It was UGLY. It had a thin body, yet the end of it was almost spider-like in shape, circular and bulbous. Its face was mostly skeletal now, no flesh to be seen. Just bones. It had a sort of beak mouth. When that mouth opened, it showed a row of sharp teeth which proved that this beak was nothing bird-like. This mouth stuck out far and was big, able to swallow a human alive and whole. It was far from a human, standing on four legs that looked nothing like the legs and arms of a human. These legs were attached to end of it and it took up like that, the thin part of it upright and letting it loom. Its hands were just two stubs leading to claws that could shred. It wasn't too powerful now, actually had many flaws to the design, but it it were to transform into a Kishin... Terror would reign, that was for sure.


The monster stood, looming over Valerie, and screeched at her. Without a word, Eli transformed into his weapon form and went into his Meister's hand.


(I made up that whole description, I hope it was alright. xD )

 

[Poe]

Valerie reached out her hand, knowing the moment the monster crawled out from the shadows that Eli would transform and find his way to her. She spun the sword expertly in her grasp before slicing him through the air as a warning to the monster. It screeched again and dove for the pair, but Valerie was quick on her feet and was able to evade easily. They danced like this for a few moments – the monster swiping left and right with powerful and quick movements. Valerie managed to land a few hits with Eli, slicing through the skin just deep enough to anger the monster further. For such a flawed design, it was much faster than Valerie had anticipated. She couldn’t afford to lose focus.


But then she felt Eli’s soul wavelength spiking and shaking fiercely. It stopped her dead in her tracks. This was beyond fear. Something was wrong.


Before she could say anything, the monster managed to side swipe her, and felt her body flying through the air and smack against the far brick wall. Eli had fallen from her grasp midair. She pushed herself up and winced at the pain that shot through her back and the tenderness of the shallow cuts the claws had dug into her skin.


The monster had its eyes locked on hers and began running towards her with its claws extended. Before it could shred her, Valerie dodged to the left and rolled out of the way of the attack so the monster sent itself barreling into the way. She took a knee on the pavement, arm wrapped around her side.


This was going to be harder than it looked.


(It was great! Nice job!)

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah felt himself slicing through the skin of the Evil Human. He knew the cuts weren't enough though, the fury of the monster made his ears ring. Now he started doubting and fearing even more. Though, he knew that his Meister had this. She could defeat it! She could, he knew she could. He had seen her strength before. But then, he slipped out of his partner's grasp.


He transformed back into a human, in a crouched position, watching his Meister. Eli's breath left in a relieved exhale when she managed to dodge the monster's movements. It was rather clumsy, but could move fast. It wasn't just the monster's clumsiness that was saving Valerie, Elijah knew. She had extraordinary abilities from so much training and work. She was such a dedicated individual, truly one of the top Meisters at the DWMA. That's why she couldn't die. She WOULDN'T die. He'd make sure of it.


The monster got up easily from it's crash, using it's clawed hands as support though it took some effort to lift up the heavy end of its grotesque body. Its legs scuttled to make it face the Meister, its beakish mouth snapped towards her. It leaped again, planning to leap right onto her, its claws spread wide to make sure that is she rolled it would still end up trapping her.


Eli ran towards the two. It was the only thing he could do. He wasn't far away at all and made a split-second decision. Elijah pushed his Meister out of the way and dug his now blade-formed arm into its body. The creature screeched in pain, thrashing, and Elijah couldn't pull away. It brought him down, sinking its sharp teeth into his shoulder, making his own mouth open to scream out his pain. He quickly transformed back into a weapon, stuck in the monster's side, his shoulder bleeding. He still hung on to consciousness. "Valerie!" he called, for it was the only thing he could do.


(Thank you very much! )

 

[Poe]

Valerie had prepared herself for the inevitable attack, but before she could even register the monster’s movement Eli had pushed her and leapt in front of her to take the brunt of the attack. She picked herself up quickly, ignoring the shooting pain in her side, and watched as the creature sunk its teeth into his shoulder. Eli transformed quickly into his weapon form and let out a strangled cry for his meister that made her blood boil. The monster had taken it too far – nobody harmed Valerie Grayson’s weapon.


She took a deep breath and launched herself at the monster, allowing her speed and agility to guide her around its sloppy and dangerous attacks. Closing in on the monster, she dodged a swipe, reached for her weapon and yanked fiercely to tear him from its body. It was clear that Eli was struggling for consciousness and Valerie had to figure out how to defeat the monster with as little damage to her partner as possible. He was strong enough to hang on – but she couldn’t be swinging him haphazardly. She needed a plan and she needed it now.


In a split second decision, Valerie laid her partner on the ground and faced the source of evil in front of her. It let out a screech as it encroached on her space, its arms still flailing in deadly movement. Valerie just took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the movement of its harms – quick…but not quick enough. Her eyes shot open and with a new focus, Valerie lunged at the monster while expertly dodging each attack. Left, right, swipe, duck. She evaded each attack until they became crazed and deadly – then with one swift movement, she grabbed onto one of the arms. As it struggled in her grasp, it desperately flung its other arm at her with its claws out. They sliced easily through her side and she bit back a cry of pain before using its off balance stance to launch the monster over her shoulder and into the pavement.


As it shook off the discombobulating hit, Valerie threw herself backwards and crouched down as her feet skidded against the pavement. Her hand reached desperately for her weapon and without a second thought she was hurdling through the air at the monster. The shot was spot on and Valerie couldn’t help but grin as Eli sunk into its intended target – sinking into its chest and dragging downward. The monster fell with a sickening thump and when Valerie was sure he was dead, she accidentally dropped Eli from her grasp and fell to her knees on the pavement clutching her bleeding side.


They’d won.

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah felt Valerie yank him out of the monster's side and couldn't help but feel dizzy. He clutched his shoulder for the most part, teeth gritted. Relief met him after he was taken out of the monster. Eli had hated how being stuck in there had felt. It was one thing to slice through a monster, another to stay in the same position for what seemed like a lifetime. He looked at his partner's face and could see that she was making a choice of her own.


There it was, she had laid him down on the ground. Eli felt so grateful for the rest, closing his eyes for a moment but opening them yet again when his head swam. He had to watch this outcome. He wanted to transform back into a human, but he felt he couldn't handle that. Val needed him for the death blow, he knew, she was so brave to dive headfirst into this battle without him. Elijah watched, his eyes glued to his partner's precise movements as he hoped she'd be okay. He felt as if he were about to black out, the whole battle tilting and spinning right in front of him. It was such an odd feeling, he'd never felt this bad before. Usually he could hold on, he knew he could. He had taken worse hits! He recalled the way the monster had closed its jaws around him. Surely it could have torn out his whole shoulder with those teeth had he not acted quickly. He shuddered.


The weapon's thoughts flew back to the battle just in time to see the Evil Human rake its deadly claws down his Meister's side. How dare it... HOW DARE IT! When Val's hand reached back, she found Eli with a new thirst for bloodshed. This monster was going to pay, with its life. Elijah growled menacingly as he sunk into the monster, his Meister letting him go down in a smooth straight line, hitting the vital parts that this creature required in order to live. It was done! Eli already knew it was dead, but he was too tired to tell his Meister as she checked.


When Valerie dropped him, he slowly transformed into a weapon, his legs slightly curled, his knees drawn up, and his head down. It was like he was half in a fetal position. He held his shoulder, on his side with his good shoulder supporting weight. Elijah looked over at his Meister and gave her a tired grin. "We did it, Val. Fantastic job..." He closed his eyes as if planning to sleep and simply lost consciousness.

 

[Poe]

“Eli?” Valerie choked out through the pain emanating from her side, “Eli, are you okay?”


With all of her strength she pushed herself standing and nearly ran to her unconscious partner. The creature had taken a good chunk out of his shoulder, but he had taken worse hits before. She shook her head to clear it of the worry and knew what she had to do. He always spent every minute of every day protecting her and now it was her turn to protect him.


The wound was nowhere near shallow, but it was clean enough that Valerie knew she could forgo bringing him to Stein. She never knew what would come walking out of that infirmary if she let Eli rest there. No, she could take him back to the apartment and patch him up. He just needed fresh bandages and a good night’s sleep. Her side cried out at the thought of bringing him back that far, but Valerie knew she had no choice.


Using all the strength she had left, Valerie pulled Eli up and onto her back. She could feel the blood seeping through her shirt at the sudden and swift movement. Once he was situated, she slowly but surely started making her way back towards their apartment on the other side of Death City. As she walked, she started taking stock of her own wounds and her mistakes. If only she hadn’t allowed herself to become distracted early on, the monster wouldn’t have gotten the first swipe in. Maybe she would have been in good enough shape to do more than grunt and struggle to carry Eli. He wasn’t heavy, no more so than anyone else, but every time she stepped the pain radiated through her body. She need to sit down but not until he was safe at home in bed.


Not until she knew, without a doubt, that he was okay.


When she finally made the trek up the stairs to their shared apartment, she nearly kicked the door open and brought Eli into the bathroom. She peeled off his shirt slowly and inhaled sharply at the sight of the wound. It wasn’t the worst she’d ever seen – but it looked painful and cleaning wounds was never something Valerie was fond of – especially on her weapon. They were just reminders of all the times she had let him down in battle. If she had her way, he’d come out without a scratch every single time.


She finished dressing his wounds, picked him up, and made her way over to his room. Not even bothering to turn the light on, she maneuvered her way over to the bed and laid him down on top of the sheets before tucking him in with his blankets. Since he had passed out, his face had seemed to calm a bit and his brow was no longer furrowed. Maybe, just maybe, a little bit of rest would be enough to ease his mind and his pain. She left three ibuprofen on the side table and a glass of water for pain in case he woke up in the middle of the night. It was the least she could do.


The entire ordeal had made her so dizzy – or perhaps it was the blood pouring out of her side. She sighed and pulled herself into the bathroom, which was entirely more difficult now because he body was just so tired. Usually she had Eli to help her, but tonight – for one of the first times – she was on her own. Before she could even reach the sink, she crumpled to the floor and laid her head back against the wall. She only meant to close her eyes for a second, but before she could pull herself out of it she fell into unconsciousness.

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah's eyes slowly opened a little while after. The first thing that greeted him was the nonstop ache he felt on his shoulder. It wouldn't go away, it was as if even now the monster's teeth were stuck sunken in. He winced, hardly able to move the arm with the bad shoulder now without causing it to feel as if it were slowly snapping apart from the pain. He'd had worse however, so he simply took his time getting up. He noticed that someone had patched his shoulder up carefully and thanked whoever it had been under his breath.


However, he hadn't been resting at the infirmary. He was in his room. "Val?" he called, worried about her. How could she have done that, hurt and carrying him the whole way? Eli didn't care about his own pain now, his mind was fixed on that ugly wound she had sustained and what she must have done to get him here. How much time had she spent trying to get him all the way here? He knew she would have had to haul him here herself after he had blacked out like that! Elijah hated himself at the moment, and nearly smacked into the shut door of Valerie's room. "Val?" He stopped, panicked beyond belief, and opened the door quickly.


She wasn't there! "VAL!" His voice wasn't cautious of careful or even mildly worried, he was in a panic now. He ached so much yet he never let the pain be the boss of him, searching through all the rooms in the apartment desperately. It didn't take long, thank goodness, and Eli nearly collapsed to his knees next to her in relief. It wasn't the time for things like that though. He had to help with that wound. He wondered what Val would say to him when she woke up. Eli couldn't believe he had put her through this, couldn't believe he had let her end up like this. It was his job to protect her, he was her weapon. That was what he had been trying to do, but he had failed. He was a failure.


He knelt down and slowly tugged up her shirt just a little to let him see how bad her wound was. It still bled so he quickly put a stop to that, looking so very worried. Elijah wondered if she would need stitches, wondered a million other things as he carefully dressed her wounds. "It's not so bad Val, I don't think. You'll be okay. You'll be okay, won't you? Y-Yeah... You'll be okay." Eli then scooped her up into his arms, careful not to disturb her bad side. He let out a sharp hiss as pain radiated from his shoulder and down his arm, but managed the trip to her room. He set her down lightly, wondering if he should just leave her there. Elijah was dizzy from carrying her so he looked her over a few times and finally calmed his worry down.


"I'll tell you next time if I have a bad feeling Val, I promise." He knew she probably couldn't hear him at the moment but he continued to talk. "I don't want you going through this again... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Eli took a deep breath to calm himself down and then walked out of her room, hoping she'd be okay.

 

[Poe]

When Val awoke, she shot up without paying any mind to the wound in her side. She was discombobulated when she found that she was no longer lying on the bathroom floor but in her own bed, in her own room. Eli must have gotten out of bed in the last few hours and moved her. She felt so stupid. How could she have just passed out on the ground like that? Eli must have been so worried and that wasn’t fair to do to him.


She reached for her side table drawer and pulled out a few painkillers. Without any water, she swallowed them whole and ran her hand down the new bandages. The wound wasn’t deep enough for stitches, which was a huge success in her book. The pain, however, meant that she’d have to forgo her workout session tonight in order to let her body rest up enough for tomorrow. It was a small price to pay, but at the end of the day they had defeated the creature and that was all that mattered.


The apartment was quiet when she rose from her bed and when she looked at the clock it hadn’t even passed ten o’clock yet. A little late for dinner, but she knew that Eli would need all of his strength to fight through the pain of his wound. If there was one thing Valerie learned from her mother, it was that a nice warm home cooked meal was the best way to ease the pain of a rough day. Not to mention, Val had promised Eli dinner and she wasn’t about to go back on that promise.


He wasn’t in the kitchen when she got there – but the door to his room was cracked, which meant he had survived long enough to get up and get back to bed, which was a good sign. She quickly pulled out a few pots and pans, started some vegetables and chopped chicken on a flat pan and some pasta in the pot. A nice chicken stir-fry would warm them up, definitely. She added a little soy sauce to the vegetables and allowed it to simmer on low before she turned her attention back towards Eli’s room.


She hesitated for a moment before knocked lightly. The door creaked open of its own accord and Eli was on his bed exactly where Val thought he would be. She made sure her hand stayed away form cradling her side and instead crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway. She smiled, “Nice to see you awake, champ. That was quite a final blow you managed considering your shoulder ended up a bit skewered.”


She let out a soft laugh, “How are you feeling?”

 

[Mikanu]

Elijah was half asleep when Valerie knocked on his bedroom door. He opened an eye and when he saw her that, he nearly flew out of bed. "Valerie!" he said, relief deep in his voice. Eli got up, ignoring the pain that was nagging at him to lie back down, and grinned widely at his partner. He was so happy to see her up on her feet. "You're okay," he said in a bright voice. He felt better already just seeing that she was alright.


His expression fell slightly when he was reminded of the battle. Valerie hadn't been the only one counting up her mistakes; he knew he had made his fair share of them. Perhaps even more. If he hadn't gotten hurt, then she most likely wouldn't be. Not like this at least. Eli continued to stay cheery however, not wanting to kill the mood. They were both okay, wasn't that all that mattered?


"Not too bad," he replied, a little more sober at the moment. His hand went up to his shoulder and nursed it lightly, making himself wince just a little. "I'll be alright, just need to give it some time to heal." Eli's eyes went down to his Meister's side and he looked at the patched-up wound for a moment before looking back up at her face. "You'll be alright too, won't you Val?"

 

[Poe]

Seeing her weapon so excited brought a bit of joy back to her heart. Valerie just smiled at the sight and allowed her shoulders to relax a bit. He had winced when he nursed his shoulder and she knew that it wouldn’t be an overnight heal. He’d need a few days to rehabilitate himself and get back into the swing of things. She could wait on another mission, especially if it meant he was in top shape.


“Glad to hear it,” she smiled and then shrugged at his words, “Of course I’ll be fine. I always am, aren’t I?”


“And I hope you’re hungry. I’ve got a chicken stir-fry on and if that smell is any indication of how good it’s going to be, we’re going to eat like champions tonight,” she motioned for his side table, “So take your pain meds and then come on out. You’ve gotta keep up your strength, you know.”


She walked back out towards the kitchen without another word—her hand shooting to her side immediately in the solitude of the open apartment. It was aching something fierce. She definitely deserved a bit of a rest after dinner, but for now her focus was on taking care of Eli. He needed food – well, he was a boy therefore he always needed food—now more than ever.


Expertly, she sautéed the vegetables and chicken all while seasoning them with Eli’s favorite spices. The pasta was quick and she managed to get it strained and on the plates within minutes. Once the chicken and vegetables were done, she scooped them out generously on Eli’s plate and then finished what was left in the pan on her own pasta.


“Come on, kid,” she called out playfully, “Or else I’m going to eat all of your food and not even feel the slightest bit bad about it.”

 

[Mikanu]

Valerie's words brought his spirits back up. She acted as if it was no big deal, which made his worry ebb somewhat. Looking back, maybe he had been a bit too panicked to rightly judge just how bad the wound was. Seeing her standing there looking well was a relief, and he thought that she most likely hadn't lost a lot of blood. An even bigger relief.


"Food?" Elijah grinned when he heard that, sniffing the air excitedly. The smell was fantastic, his stomach grumbling in agreement. He didn't remember what he last had to eat, nor did he care. This was going to be good, he just knew it. He loved his partner's cooking, she always made some wonderful meals. "Thanks for making that, Val." He smiled at her. Eli looked over when she gestured to the table next to his bed and nodded. "Alright!" He could hardly wait to get a taste of that chicken. He took the medication and swallowed the pills down with some water. It would take some time for it to work, but he wasn't concerned about pain at the moment. Food!


He raced out of his room in excitement when she called, almost like a child. Now that the battle between the Evil Human was over, he was more relaxed and cheerful. The bad feeling that had plagued him at the start was nowhere to be seen now, which made him feel even more at ease. Elijah wondered if he had sensed that they would get hurt. However, his fear hadn't been focused on the battle...


The boy honestly didn't care anymore as he sat down to eat. "You wouldn't dare!" he said, shooting her a quick grin before diving in. "Val, it tastes amazing! How the heck do you cook this great?" Eli said this through a half-full mouth, practically inhaling his food. He ate with vigor, his wound all but forgotten about. After a long hard day like this one, he always loved to enjoy his partner's cooking. It was just so good! It made him forget about the bad stuff, about the mistakes and regrets and the pain.

 

[Poe]

“A lot of practice,” Valerie smiled before she shut off the stovetop and placed the pots and pans in the sink for after dinner, “I was terrible growing up – guess it’s sort of an ugly duckling kind of deal. You become really good at the things you hated as a kid.”


She sat down and scooped a forkful of the dish and began to eat. He was right; it was delicious. Exactly the way her mom used to make it back home. A little less spice and a little more soy, but it was essentially the same recipe. Valerie’s mother was a wonderful cook (on top of being wonderful at many other things) and it, much like her weapon blood, hadn’t been passed on genetically to her daughter. So a few years ago, Valerie picked up a few cookbooks and burned a million soufflés before she could finally make some semblance of a meal.


“I’m glad you’re enjoying it – there’s a little more left on the stove in case you want seconds, if not I figure it’ll be pretty solid leftovers,” she nodded and took another bite. Next time, a little more soy. Definitely.


Valerie glanced at Eli from the corner of her eye and watched him as he ate. It was amazing to see him switch so quickly from pain to excitement over something as simple as food. That’s what she admired so much about him – how much he honestly loved the little things in life. It never had to be anything monumental, he just had a great way of making you feel as though your best effort was always good enough—no question. He was good for her, she knew that much. Even when they were both injured and in pain, there was lightness to the air. That all came from him. He was always that light in the darkness.


So she didn’t have it in her heart to confront him about his fears earlier. It would have to happen, but now was definitely not the time. They were both in too much pain to deal with the weight of whatever he had to say.

 

[Mikanu]

"That practice isn't going to waste, I'll tell you that!" Elijah could barely talk as he continued eating. He slowed down considerably when a little of the food remained in order to savor the flavor of it. He simply adored his Meister's cooking. "I'm glad that you don't seem to hate it anymore, if you weren't such a fantastic Meister I'd tell you to become a Chef! But for now, you're stuck with me." He gave her another grin, truly happy at the moment. He was glad to be here with her now, both okay. They were both hurt, but they'd heal. They always did.


Eli watched as Valerie sat down to eat as well, hoping she'd enjoy her cooking as much as he did. He ate every last delicious morsel and sat back in his chair, satisfied. "Nah, I think the remaining food will be great for leftovers. I'm stuffed! Thanks for making the food Val, I appreciate it." His grin melted down to a smile as he looked at her.


Things had been hectic, so it had been nice just sitting here enjoying some very fine cooking. He sighed softly and patted his stomach, then got up. "Val, I'm feeling a little tired. I'm going to go lay down." Elijah yawned, stretching lightly, then turned and began walking to his room. It had been a tiring day and he was ready to take a nice-


He never finished his thought, never even made it to his room. The dizziness that overwhelmed him made him collapse in the middle of the room. Eli fell unconscious yet again.

 

[Poe]

Valerie was on her feet in an instant. Eli had been fine a moment ago but now he was sprawled out on the ground, his eyes clamped shut. She fell to her knees next to him, her hands instinctively cupping his face and checking his pulse. He was alive, though unconscious, and his skin was colder than usual. She felt the panic rise in her throat, “Eli?” she called out, “Eli, come on—you’ve gotta wake up for me, okay? Just open your eyes and we’ll get you to Stein. Eli? Eli!”


She shook him gently but to no avail. He was completely out cold. Valerie sprung up from the ground and ripped the phone off the wall in one frantic movement. It hardly had a chance to ring once before the line clicked alive.


“Hello?”


“Professor Stein! It’s Valerie, I need you here now!”


“Hold on, Valerie,” he called out over the line, “What’s going on? Are you injured?”


“No—well, yes—but no, it’s Eli. He was feeling fine but he just collapsed and I can’t wake him up or get him to the infirmary. Can you just come over here?” Her voice was short but she knew the professor understood. For such a strange man, he and Valerie had grown to develop a pretty strong relationship. Not to mention, he knew she’d rather die than let him get his experimental hands on Eli.


“I’ll be there in a few moments,” he deadpanned, “make sure you don’t move him. We’ll figure this out, Valerie.”


The line clicked dead and she felt the phone drop out of her hands. The anxiety in her chest was threatening to suffocate her as she dropped to her knees on the kitchen floor, her head in her hands. What the hell was going on with Eli? Why wouldn’t he tell her? How was she supposed to fight something she couldn’t see and didn’t know? How did he expect her to help him?


She crawled back over to Eli and pulled his head into her lap. It was all she could think of to do. The same way her father used to play with her hair when she fell off her bike or skinned her knee. So she ran her hands through his hair gently and coached herself through deep and even breaths. She needed a workout, or a fight, or anything to stop feeling like this.


To stop feeling like this was all her fault.

 

[Mikanu]

Eli couldn't move. That was the first thing he noticed at that point. He felt half awake now, as if he was struggling to get back to consciousness but just wasn't quite there yet. He was stuck in the middle of it all, which gave him a strange feeling. He wasn't lucid. He could hear Val's voice faintly, though it was as if it came from a whole other universe. He couldn't open his eyes or move his limbs, but he could hear. That was the worst part... He could hear.


Elijah could hear her as she whispered into his ear, her voice like a cat's hiss. He didn't know who she was, but her voice wasn't like Valerie's at all. It was broken, cracked, frail. She whispered his name, over and over, as if she was the one trying to wake him up. When he felt like he couldn't take it anymore, it all stopped. Everything was so dark, he felt deaf and blind and dumb.


"You are so very strong, Elijah. I've heard from my sources that you and your Meister are one of the best pairs at the Death Weapon Meister Academy. That's why this is your fault. I thought you were stronger than this. I thought you would take heed my warning." She cackled. "Good thing you DIDN'T! You're the one I wanted at that site. The only one who could have even touched that Evil Human. I'll have to consider leaving the girl alive as well, she could become quite valuable..." There was a pause as she let her words sink in. "I have the Kishin Egg as I speak. Don't you remember? You forgot to absorb it. All that fighting gone to waste! How could you? Don't you know how much you've disappointed your Meister? You're a letdown. Why don't you come for it, Elijah? Why don't you make things right?" With those final words, she was gone from his mind.


Outside of his mind, Eli was sweating badly. He jerked, spasms wracking his body for a second. A tiny whimper left his mouth, he had a look of helplessness on his face. Then, just like that, he stopped moving again. His expression softened.


There was a soft knock at the door. Stein tested the doorknob, opening the door when he deemed it unlocked. "Valerie, what's going on?" He went over to the girl and crouched down to look at Eli.