Hello everyone, I'm the Bio-Devil. I want to apologize for the absence. I've been on a two week vacation with my family at the end of summer and now I have college to deal with, so story writing had been limited. Plus I've been watching One Punch Man and My Hero Academia so I've had Superheroes and Anime on the brain. But now I have an update for one of my older stories so I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 4: The Hellfire Arm. Is Pyro a Demon?

Pyro's POV

I woke up to the sound of someone banging on my door. When I opened it I was groggily glaring at the fleabag.

"What?!" I asked irritated.

"You're late!" Free replied.

"For what?"

"School. You and Damian have ten minutes to get there on time!" I instantly sobered up and in a panicked pace I threw on whatever I could find. I ran to the kitchen and quickly shoved food in my face and then rushed to the door when I noticed something.

"Where the hell is Fulsom?" I asked anxiously.

"Still in his room. I tried knocking but he wouldn't answer." I rushed to Damian's door, it was beaten up pretty badly from Free's "knocking" but that didn't stop me from basically punching it.

"Fulsom! Get up! We're going to be late!" No answer, no sound at all. What the hell is he doing there, I thought annoyed. In an act of total desperation I kicked the door in and it flew open. I figured Fulsom had to be sleeping but I didn't expect him to be completely passed out on his desk. I tried shaking him awake but he just swatted me away, and when I say swatted I mean he outright bitch slapped me in the face! And it hurt! By now I gave up trying to wake him up, luckily he fell asleep in his clothes so I had no problem in letting Free carry him while we sprinted to school. The only problem I did have was getting there on time.

Maka's POV

Soul and I were waiting in front of the Academy for Damian, Pyro, and Free to arrive but they were nowhere to be seen. I wanted to talk to Damian more and hopefully get him to reveal what he didn't want Papa to mention, or just get him comfortable enough so he'll be okay with telling me. But that option was definitely going to take longer; however it was better than forcing it out of him. I had asked Papa what that was all about the other day but he decided not to say anything, either out of respect for Damian's privacy, or for the fact that he doesn't want me to get close to any sort of boy, I'm not sure. Then I saw Pyro and Free rush up the stairs with Damian on Free's back.

"What's going on?" I asked them concerned as Pyro collapsed to his hands and knees, panting. He shakingly pointed towards Free before his hand dropped to the ground again.

"Both of them overslept," he explained. "Well, Hothead over here did but Damian is still sleeping." He shrugged his shoulders to make Damian jump a little but he stayed sleeping on Free's back.

"What'd you do to him?" Soul asked Free.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Just...take him inside…" Pyro said breathlessly.

"Us or Free?" I asked.

"I don't care who...Just get Fulsom outta my sight…'cause the second I catch my breath...I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

"Good luck with that," Free replied but walked into the Academy anyway as the Bell rung. I shrieked in surprise and ran to my classroom, I've never been late once! How could I let this happen?!

The four of us went into the Crescent Moon classroom and luckily Prof. Stein wasn't there yet. But all the students were looking at us shocked. I know everyone thinks it's strange that I wasn't here 10 minutes ahead like always but they shouldn't make a big deal about me being late just this once. No, wait...they're staring at us because Free is behind us carrying an unconscious Damian.

"Where should I put him?" Free asked me ignoring the spectators.

"Um...up there," I pointed to an empty row in front of Black Star and Tsubaki. Free set Damian down gently after Soul and I took our seats, Damian slumped forward and laid his head on his arms, still sleeping.

"What's with him?" Black Star asked annoyed.

"He won't wake up," Soul replied bluntly.

"Is he in a coma?" Tsubaki asked in fear. Soul was about to answer but then he started to ponder the possibility.

"Why would he be in a coma, Soul?" I asked shooting him an annoyed glare. Soul just pointed to Free as an answer.

"I said I didn't do anything!" Free growled.

"And why exactly should we believe you?" Soul asked.

"Why would I lie?" I stopped Soul before he could reply. I wasn't exactly convinced he had amnesia but I still didn't want to take the chance and give him some memory of why he hates us if that truly was the case.

"Why is he still sleeping?!" Pyro asked as he stormed into the classroom.

"Cool it, Pyro," Soul ordered annoyed. "We just got here."

"I don't do cool, Soul, I prefer things hot," he replied as he walked toward us and eyed Damian in an irritated fashion. "Seriously though, how is he still sleeping?"

"Hey Maka," Black Star began. "Why don't you Maka Chop him awake?" I Maka Chopped him for that. Black Star slumped over his desk like Damian but he had a big lump on his head and looked less in peace with his sleep.

"Actually," Soul began. "That may not be a bad idea…"

"Soul, he'll really slip into a coma if I try that," I replied annoyed.

"I'm not talking about a full force one, try just a love tap or something."

"You can't be serious... " I replied pinching the bridge of my nose. "Pyro help me out here…"

"Can't let him sleep through class," he replied with a shrug. I sighed loudly and took my book out. I began prodding him in the head with my book but he was still out cold.

"Oh, come on! Hit him harder than that!" Black Star ordered gaining another Maka Chop. I looked back at Damian again and sighed.

"Sorry, Damian...Maka Chop!" I threw my book down trying not to hit him too hard but instead Damian's hand shot up and caught my book in mid air. Everyone stared at him in stunned silence. By the look on his face Damian was still sleeping, yet he stopped my Maka Chop easily and it left me a bit uneasy. Damian yanked the book out of my hand and then tossed it away, hitting Soul in the face. Pyro and I snickered at Soul rubbing his red forehead angrily.

"Well that isn't going to work...apparently…" I stated still a little weirded out by his counter attack. "Any more bright ideas?"

"Sorry I'm late class…" Stein said as he walked in. He quickly turned to us and asked what was going on.

"We can't wake Damian up," I answered truthfully. Pyro seemed a little nervous, he must've thought Stein would blame him for Damian's current state which is a little silly.

"Oh, is that all?" Stein walked up to us and leaned toward his nephew. "Damian can be one of the world's heaviest sleepers, and he tends to get violent when someone tries to wake him up."

"Now you tell me…" Pyro mumbled rubbing his cheek.

"However there is a way to wake him up. He won't retaliate if you pinch his nose, that always wakes him up." Stein pinched Damian's nose and he began to mumble unhappily before swatting Stein away and slowly sitting up.

"...I hate it when you do that…" he mumbled rubbing his eye.

"Seriously?" Pyro asked. "That was it?!"

"Yep," Stein replied simply. "Now that that's taken care of why don't one of you take Free to the Death Room."

"You heard him Fulsom, go!"

"Why me…?" Damian asked in a yawn.

"Because I nearly died of hyperventilation getting here because of you!"

"...How exactly is that my fault…?" He asked visibly trying to stay awake.

"You should go anyway, Damian," Stein replied. "Walking around will help you wake up."

"Okay…" Damian slowly walked out of the classroom and Free followed him.

"You said Fulsom's one of the most heaviest sleepers, yet this is the first time this happened, why the sudden change?" Pyro asked.

"It means that he's finally starting to get comfortable here," Stein replied with a smile. I couldn't help but smile myself.

Pyro's POV

I was trying not to pass out during Stein's lecture. I was still tired during my morning marathon and I think I got a stomach ache from shoving whatever I could find in the fridge. Fuslom's new sleeping patterns are going to be a pain to adjust to. But maybe after a few nights of deep sleep he can finally stop stuttering around me.

I looked around the classroom and saw that Liz, Patty, and Kid weren't in the classroom for some reason. Not that I was complaining, it was still hard seeing Liz after all this time. Fulsom walked in, he still looked groggy but not like Sid did during...ever. He took his seat between me and Maka and started drawing in his sketch book.

"Wait, how do you have that?" I asked in a whisper while eyeing the sketch book.

"F-Free gave it to me," he replied. "A-apparently he g-grabbed it when you guys left…" Weird, why would Free care about Fulsom having his sketchbook during the day? But at the moment I didn't care. I rested my head on my arms and eyed the clock. After that got old I glanced over at Fulsom to see what he was drawing but I noticed I wasn't the only one.

Maka was doing her duty as top student by paying diligent attention to whatever Stein was babbling about but I caught her glancing over to see what Fulsom was drawing more than once. And by his pink cheeks I could tell he definitely noticed. Those two were cute together, kinda reminds me of when me and Liz when we were a thing. I really wasn't expecting to run into her here. Last time I saw her, she told me that she was leaving me to go live with some rich guy with Patty. I first thought that she and Patty would be his "mistresses" or something but I knew they wouldn't sink that low for money, not when mugging someone came so easily to them. I have no idea what her relationship with this Kid-guy is but I honestly didn't want to know. Back when we were dating I felt like she was someone I could actually get close to without worrying about them leaving me but I was wrong. It hurt when she dumped me for this new life. And it still hurts seeing her.

It's kind of funny. I thought after Liz left; I wouldn't trust anyone else. But here I am with Fulsom, weapon and meister. I'm supposed to lay down my life for the guy yet I'm not sure if he'll eventually get sick of me like everyone else. Guess, I'll have to wait and see.

Damian's POV

Today wasn't like yesterday. It seemed like everyone was done staring at me though Black Star still held a grudge against me for just being here, though that I can deal with that. Maka told me she had gotten him to stop accusing me of special treatment and that made me feel guilty because I really was getting special treatment on account of my apparent "Healing Soul" but I couldn't tell anyone that, which was extremely easy for me. While the day went by Maka told me more about the school and how E.A.T. class worked. Mostly she talked about stuff I already knew but I didn't want to interrupt her. Though, I didn't know that weapons were supposedly devoted to keeping their meisters alive, even at the extent of sacrificing their own lives. I looked at Pyro after hearing that but he didn't seemed concerned about it, why would he? He knows I can walk off anything so he doesn't have to worry about laying down his life. What interested me most was this goal each Meister had. To collect 99 Kishin Egg souls and one Witch soul to create a Death Scythe, a weapon that Lord Death will use. It had to be hard since, according to Maka, there are so few Death Scythes in the world compared to Demon Weapons. I wondered if I could ever make a Death Scythe.

At lunch, Pyro and I sat at in the cafeteria with Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, Crona, and Ragnarok. Apparently Kid, Liz, and Patty were on a mission which is why they weren't in school today. Maka said she would make sure they caught up on their work after they came back, which I thought was nice of her to do. Pyro didn't seem to be very excited at the thought of seeing Liz again but who could blame him after nearly getting strangled yesterday. If that happened to me I would devote my life to never seeing that girl again.

After school, Pyro and I walked towards Stein's Lab with Free. He asked us, me and Pyro I mean, to deliver some papers there while he gave some kind of special training to a meister.

"H-hey Pyro…" I began. I wanted to talk about this goal all the students have, even though conversation is always hard for me, I wanted to know what Pyro thought about it. "Wh-what do you think about the whole...quota thing…?"

"Quota?" he replied as we reached Stein's lab and walked in.

"You know…the whole collect 99 kishin souls and a witch's soul…"

"Oh, you mean the goal! Well, it sounds pretty exhausting…and a little unrealistic"

"...You don't think we can do it…?" I asked as we entered his computer room and I placed the papers on his desk.

"It's not that, it's just…" Pyro mumbled and leaned on a wall.

"W-what?"

"It's just I don't think they'll let someone like me become a Death Scythe."

"I… I really don't think anyone has a say in it…"

"That's not what I mean."

"W-well what?"

"Look it's just… I'm prone to starting fires with my apparent "Burning Soul" and who wants a Death Scythe like that?"

"A-again I really don't think anyone can stop you from becoming a Death Scythe… especially if you meet the quota…"

"Look Fulsom, I just don't think I'm Death Scythe material."

"Oh, come on!" I groaned out annoyed without stuttering, surprising Pyro. "You're giving up before you even try. Pyro, if whoever "they" are, are going to be that picky about the Death Scythe candidates then they wouldn't make it the goal of every E.A.T. student in the Academy."

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to at least try to become a Death Scythe!"

"Your saying you want to reach that goal, you want to turn me into a Death Scythe?"

"Yes, I'd like to."

"...Well… I won't stop you from trying. You're the one doing all the work after all, Meister."

"Thanks," I replied staring at him deadpanned. "You're a real pal, Weapon."

"Nice to see you two getting along," Stein said as he walked in making Pyro jump. "However if you're going to label each other, try using something more tasteful than "Weapon" and "Meister"."

"What are you talking about?" Pyro asked.

"I'm saying that all weapons and meisters have a type. Like how Soul is a Scythe and that makes Maka a Scythe Meister for example, and with how Tsubaki is a Dark Arm and Black Star is a Dark Arm Meister."

""Dark Arm"?"

"Tsubaki is a special weapon as well, Pyro. She has the ability to take on multiple weapon forms, so we call her an arm."

"Interesting… but back to the earlier topic, what would you call me, Fulsom?"

"A-as a weapon…?" I said, my stuttering deciding to make a comeback. Pyro groaned, rubbed his head, and mumbled; "And you were doing so well, too…" "Uh… I-I don't know… maybe… something like… the… Burning Blade…?"

""Burning Blade"?"

"Y-you don't like it?"

"No, no I don't."

"Shame," Stein said gaining our attention. "You two can think about titles later. Now I also overheard you both talking the goal. To put your doubts at ease, Pyro, no one else has a say in who becomes a Death Scythe other than Lord Death. Unless your soul has become a kishin egg, I highly doubt he'll let that stop you from becoming one."

"Sure…" Pyro mumbled, I could tell he still had his doubts but hopefully he'll still cooperate.

"Now, Damian, I heard you wanted to make Pyro a Death Scythe, is that right?" I nodded. I really want to become a great Meister like Stein, and making a Death Scythe will definitely help me become one. "You should know that accomplishing that isn't easy. You need to work hard if you're really serious about it."

"I understand. I-I need to get stronger in order to do that."

"Glad you realize that. If you wanted, I could show you how to use a few techniques."

"What kind of techniques?"

"I can show you how attack just by using your soul wavelength and a few other tricks, both known and made especially by me."

"Attack with my soul wavelength…?"

"Wait, if he can do that, then what would he need me for?" Pyro asked stepping up. I sense the anxiety in his voice. Was he that nervous of losing me?

"Relax, Pyro. This is only a way for him to fight by himself if he ever finds himself alone and without you."

"So… it's impossible for him to fight without me?"

"At his level of fighting, I definitely wouldn't recommend it. He'd need to be a three star meister to even consider fighting without you or a weapon." Pyro let out a very small sigh but I picked it up and so did Stein but he didn't say anything. Pyro leaned back against the wall as Stein went through a training schedule with me. I barely payed attention though, I glanced at Pyro who tried to seem aloof again but I could tell he was still a bit bothered by my new set of training. I can't help but notice how he and I barely know each other. That's mostly my fault because I'm too scared to talk to him but he hasn't tried to get to know me either and it bothered me. Even when I tried to look at his soul I barely got a good look. He and I are basically acquaintances and he's supposed to lay down his life for me?! Again, not that's it's necessary with my soul, but still, it's a bit ridiculous. I have to do my best to get to know Pyro and understand him better.

Maka's POV

I haven't seen Damian in awhile, other than in school, and even then he seems exhausted, I wasn't sure if it was because of his new sleep patterns or something was keeping him up. I've been meaning to ask him but it seems that Stein is taking up all of his time for some reason.

The next morning I decided to wait outside both our doors for him to come out. The first one outside was Soul, followed by Crona.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked as soon as he saw me. "Let's go."

"You go on ahead," I replied watching Damian and Pyro's door.

"Wait. You; miss top of the class and perfect attendance, wants to stay behind and possibly be late?" Soul asked incredulously along with a teasing smirk.

"Of course not," I countered with a small glare towards him, though I quickly went back to watching our neighbor's door. "It's just that, I've been meaning to talk to Damian for a while now and haven't had the chance."

"Aww," Ragnarok sneered. "Do you miss your boyfriend?" I felt my face heat up at that sudden comment.

"Shut up, Ragnarok!" I snarled back. But it was too late, Soul caught my flustered cheeks and grew a surprised smirk.

"Wow, Maka," he began with a chuckle that made me want to throttle him before he spoke again. "I didn't think you were interested in dating…"

"I'm not!" I exclaimed, my face only turning more crimson.

"You don't sound so sure," Ragnarok teased.

"Ragnarok, stop it…" Crona spoke. "You're bothering her…"

"What was your first clue, Crona?"

"Boys, boys," Soul said with his hands making a calm gesture at the two. "You're forgetting the issue here, Maka has a crush on Damian."

"I DO NOT!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs. My entire face was burning and looked like an ash blonde cherry. Ragnarok and Soul kept snickering as I held in the urge to kill them both. But they stopped when the door behind me opened, and I froze when whoever opened it spoke.

"What's going on…?" That voice definitely belonged to Damian. He sounded worn out again. But besides that, there was no way I could talk to him after what just happened, especially not with this blush still on my face. Soul's eyebrows jutted up twice in a suggestive manner and I had the urge to strangle him again, and Ragnarok made it worse with his stupid ugly smile spawning from his tiny head.

"Hey, Damian," Soul began gaining both his and my attention. "You wanna know what we just found out about Maka?" I quickly took out my book and smashed it into his head. Soul's head slammed into ground and made a large crack in the ground that I'll probably have to pay for later. Ragnarok began cackling and Crona was a bit disturbed by another sudden violent outburst. I still wouldn't look at Damian.

"...Do I even want to know…?" Damian asked with a small slur, clearly he was still half asleep.

"I wouldn't ask if I were you…" Crona answered. "I definitely wouldn't be able to handle it..."

"I'll tell him anyway!" Ragnarok exclaimed. I slammed my book in the side of his head and forced his head to slam hard into the side of the building. Crona ducked in time to avoid my angered Maka Chop, but stayed crouched in fear of getting attacked for whatever reason I could think of. Finally, with a deep breath I turned around and faced Damian. His hair was messier than usual and it seemed he was fighting a war to keep his eyes open, and was losing, he really wasn't a morning person.

"Okay, let's go!" Pyro exclaimed as he walked out with Free following him. He handed Damian his sketchbook and a pencil but Damian didn't notice they were there. He waved them in front of his face a couple times but Damian just stood there looking like a zombie, it definitely didn't do Sid justice because he was always chipper in the morning. "Fulsom, take your crap or else I'm leaving it behind," Pyro ordered annoyed earning a glare from me. I watched Damian sluggishly take the sketchbook and pencil from Pyro. Obviously there was no talking to him so I'll have to wait for him to sober up before I can ask him what was going on lately.

"Has it always been like this?" I asked Pyro.

"Ever since he got "comfortable" here, yeah," he answered staring flaming daggers at his now swaying partner. "I know I should be happy about that for him but it's been such a pain in the ass to deal with."

"I can imagine…"

"So nothing wakes him up other than that little trick Stein showed ya?" Soul asked seemingly recovering from my Maka Chop. I glared at him hard making him back up a bit. Just a warning if he got any ideas about his "theory".

"If they did then I could just force Fulsom to use an alarm clock and then I wouldn't have to get up at five in the fucking morning just to wake him up!"

"I'm just asking, you don't have to snap me!"

"And you don't have to ask stupid questions!"

"How was I supposed to know how he sleeps, he's not my partner!"

"Enough!" I yelled. It was too early for them to start bickering. Now I know how everyone else feels when Soul and I are at each other's throats. Pyro just growled before telling Damian it was time to go. We all turned to leave, except Damian and Free. Damian just stood there while his head bobbed up and down slowly like an old rusty bobblehead.

"Fulsom, let's go!" Pyro exclaimed, Damian still didn't move. Free stayed behind for some reason, maybe to catch him if he falls asleep suddenly. We watched Damian wobble in place for bit while he stood next to Pyro, it looked he was debating something in his head, maybe he's going to ask Free to carry Damian again? Before he could say anything our door flew open again and Blair popped out.

"Hi, Dami-!" Suddenly Damian races down the hallway with blinding and comical speed, leaving an actual trail of dust behind him. We all stared at where Damian rushed out to, until Pyro and Soul began laughing hysterically.

"Well that got him moving!" Soul exclaimed.

"I don't have to worry about getting Fulsom an alarm clock, I can just use Blair!" Blair grumbled before slumping back inside our apartment. Pyro, still snickering, walked after Damian's smoke trail along with Free. I decided to do the same with Soul and Crona following me.

After school was the only time I managed to talk to Damian. The second we got to our class was also the second the bell went off so, no time to talk him before class, and definitely not during. I tried during lunch but apparently Stein had pulled him aside for some reason that took the entire period. Finally the school day was over and I managed to catch up with Damian as he left with Free and Pyro.

"Damian!" I exclaimed as I caught up with them. Damian turned to me, his face was etched with surprise.

"H-hey Maka…" Damian replied, bashful as ever but that meant he was fully awake so I could talk to him. Pyro said he'd walk back to the apartment with Free shortly after I walked up to Damian, leaving the two of us alone at the top of the Academy stairs.

"I haven't seen you in awhile," I stated first.

"Y-yeah, I've been busy… Stein's been training me a bit so I'll be strong enough to go for the academy quota…"

"Quota? Oh! You mean you want to make Pyro a Death Scythe!"

"E-exactly! I-I want to be a great meister like Stein, a-and I figured that… making a Death Scythe would help me."

"I can see your reasoning but there's more to being a great meister than making a Death Scythe. Your uncle never made one and he's considered the greatest meister that ever graduated from this school."

"I-I know, Stein told me this… b-but I want to do this. I-if I can do this… or at least get close… then I know I can be as good a meister as Stein…" There was something in his voice, something… sad and disbelieving. And his eyes held some kind of pain.

"Damian… you have nothing to prove…" I began. Damian looked at me, shocked, then he shook his head and gave me an uneasy smile.

"I'm not trying to prove anything!" Damian said quickly and without stuttering. "Anyway, I need to get home and get some rest, I'm going on a mission tomorrow and I need to be ready for it, bye!" Damian raced down the stairs before I could stop him. It was strange how he didn't stutter once even though he seemed extra nervous.

"So when's the wedding?" I heard Soul tease. In a fit of embarrassed rage I smashed his head with a book as hard as possible and hopefully smashing his skull at the same time. I glared down at Soul's motionless body and I ignored the warmth in my cheeks. I turned to head home and I wondered more about Damian and what he could possibly be hiding. Maybe I could ask Stein but even if he does know and decides to tell me I don't think Damian will be happy that I've been prying into his business. It'll be better if I just wait until he's ready to tell me himself.

Damian's POV

In the city of Reno, there was a mad gambler who had decided instead of money, he'd take the souls of the losers as his winnings. He runs around Reno at night, forcing people to play his games and promises that if he wins that he'll let them go. But the thing is, his games are rigged. So basically he's a mad, cheating, murderous, gambler that runs across the rooftop in his top hat and overcoat, shooting people with his silenced pistol, stealing souls. But thankfully we've found him.

"Flame Resonance!" I exclaimed as I rushed to the hotel rooftop. The Mad Gambler Django was up ahead and about to jump off the ledge when he turned around with his pistol out and pointed at me. He fired ten shots, I dodged the first two and used Pyro's blade to block the rest. The Flame Resonance was enhancing my speed so I was easily able to deflect the last eight bullets. When I brought Pyro back down I saw Django jump off the ledge to the neighboring rooftop. Holding Pyro in a one-handed reverse grip I raced to the edge after him. His blade was behind my back like a large sharp tail.

"What's with the weird way you're holding me?!" Pyro asked.

"No idea!" I replied as I leaped off the edge, fire blasting from the bottom of my feet giving me a boost. I really had no idea why I was holding him like this but I had no time to contemplate it, Django was getting away. After slamming down and rolling on the next roof, I quickly get up to pursue Django. Django fired more shots at me, I felt a couple of bullets go through my shoulder and one through my ear, I gritted my teeth and kept going. It helped that the wounds healed instantly but the pain was still there. Why didn't the pain go away as quickly as the wounds? That's just unfair! Django jumped another roof and I followed him. Each time I managed to get a little closer until I lept ahead so far I was going to land on him. I quickly spun Pyro forwards and prepared to cut Django in half, but then he suddenly stopped but I kept going. He knew what was going to happen and he waited for me to screw up so he could end me. My new target was a bare roof floor but just up ahead was the little shack that held the staircase, and an idea popped into my head.

I had focused Pyro's wavelengths into a couple small but powerful blasts of fire onto my back and it propelled me forward, just enough to for me to slam my feet into the wall. I forced fire to shoot out at the bottom of my feet and I launched myself towards Django. Seeing what was coming, Django's eyes widened and he pulled out his gun but it was too late.

"YOUR SOUL IS MINE!" I yelled as I twisted around in mid air, while readying Pyro. I rocketed into him and cut him in two pieces. The fire from Pyro's blade burned Django's body to ash, leaving only his kishin soul behind. With a deep relieving breath I released Pyro. As he turns back into his human form, he walks over to the soul, grabbing it, and stuffing it into his mouth.

"And that's soul number nine!" Pyro exclaimed after swallowing it. "We're on a roll here, Fulsom."

"It's just... nine," I replied. "W-we still have… 90 more souls to get. And then we have to fight a witch. And, call me crazy… but I'm pretty sure that's the hardest part."

"I'm just saying we've been doing pretty good so far," he replied, hands resting behind his head and he began walking down the stairs. Over the past couple of weeks Pyro and I took on seven missions, this one being our eighth, and we completed them quickly. Stein made sure we kept up with our schoolwork, and along with some check ups from Maka we weren't behind.

"W-well I'm just saying… you're kinda, tooting your own horn a little too early..."

"Whatever!" Pyro replied as we reached ground level and walked out of the apartment hotel we were in. He began walking towards the direction of his car. "Let's just get out of here! I'm itching to get back home and sleep in my own bed."

"W-wait! I-I gotta report to Lord Death!"

"Fine…" I ran across the street to a nearby Bakery with a big display window. I breathed onto the glass and wrote on the cloud I created. "Forty two… Forty two… Five, sixty… four! Y-yeah, w-whenever you want to knock on Death's door." There was a ringing sound and the cloud with the numbers on it ripple across the glass.

"I'm pretty sure you don't have to say that stupid rhyme every time you call him," Pyro stated annoyed.

"M-maybe not… but it helps to remember his number…"

"Just do it in your head next time, Fulsom." The ripples cleared the window, showing the death room and Lord Death. Spirit, Stein and Free were behind him. Stein waved at me while Spirit and Free gave us nods of acknowledgement.

"Hiya, boys!" Lord Death said with his usual cheery tone. "What's up?"

"H-hello, L-L-Lord Death!" I exclaimed as nervous as ever. "Dj-Dj-Django the Ga-Gambler has been dealt with, s-sir."

"Oh, Damian… you really need to work on that stutter of yours," Lord Death stated making me whine in embarrassment. It's not like I didn't know that but it just makes it worse when you point it out like that. Pyro smirked at me but said nothing. "But good job on getting rid of that Hussler!"

"Th-thank you!"

"Now I know you boys have really been pushing yourself these past few weeks and are ready to relax here, but something has come up that I'd like you two to look into."

"S-sure!" I answered before Pyro could protest. He slapped his forehead in annoyance before grumbling angrily.

"Good! Stein, give them the details!"

"We've been getting reports of an Axe-wielding maniac that's running rampant in Granite Bay, California," Stein stated. I noticed Pyro's eyes widen but I didn't say anything. "Since you two are close, we'd like you two to find him and exterminate him."

"G-got it! W-we'll go there right away!"

"Good to hear!" Lord Death exclaimed clapping his hands together. "I knew I could count on you two. Well, if that's all, be seeing ya!" Lord Death, Stein, Free, and Spirit blinked away as the window returned to normal. I looked at Pyro with a smile, which instantly crumbled as I saw he was glaring down at me.

"You're paying for gas," Pyro stated while storming to his car.

"Okay…"

Pyro's POV

California. Why the hell does it have to be California. I mean, should I be worried? It's been years since the accident happened, but people just don't forget something like that. I can't back out now, because Fulsom's gonna wanna know why. And if he finds out… our puh-partnership is oh-over.

"F-Fire Sword…?" I heard Fulsom mumble. Right now we were driving down to Granite Bay. It wasn't that long so hopefully we can get there and finish this mission before someone has a chance to recognize me.

"What?!" I asked, snapping out of my thoughts and returning to earth. The tension was giving me a bit of a hostile tone, and hopefully Fulsom won't notice and take it the wrong way.

"W-w-w-we still need a title for you…" was Fulsom's reply. He noticed. And took it the wrong way, great…

"Well, whatever it is, it better not be Fire Sword, because that is just lame." That came off harsher than I meant it to, but I was under a lot of stress about to visit my past demons. Though Fulsom didn't know that so as far as he knows I'm just being a jerk to him for no reason.

"O-okay… H-how, about F-Fl-Flamberge? Th-that's a sword th-th-that's supposed to have h-have fire powers…" I took note that Fulsom stuttered even more than usual. Tone it down, Cole, a quick unwanted visit to California is no reason to chew Fulsom's head off.

"A flamberge is a type of sword that is supposed to have a wavy blade that looks like it's made of fire. I'm a claymore if anything."

"...S-so… F-Flame… Claymore?"

"No."

"... D-do you… have any ideas…?" His stuttering was still worse than normal but he has seemed to calm down a bit. Good job, Cole. You weren't a complete asshole to your Meister.

"I'll let you know if I think of anything, but right now I'm trying to focus on the mission."

"B-but… w-we're not even there yet…"

"We're close enough…"

Granite Bay, California. Not where I'm originally from, but the people here probably know what happened that day. Maybe even who caused it. While driving down the street we passed a pawn shop. I parked in front and walked inside, Fulsom following and taking 10 minutes just to ask what I was doing.

"We're going to stop here and collect information," I lied. "We'll split up and see what we can learn about this nutjob."

"W-w-wait!" Fulsom exclaimed. "W-w-we can't s-split up! I-I can't talk to people!"

"Fulsom that stutter isn't going to get any better unless you practice talking to people, and not just Me, Stein, and Maka." Fulsom let out a couple whimpers before taking a deep breath and slowly looking around for the nicest, most patient person he could find. I walked around the pawn shop and took a big pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap. I walked up to the nearest clerk and placed the attire on the glass display case she was in front of.

"How much?" I asked, keeping my head down.

"Thirty-five," she replied after once-overing the two items. She put away the newspaper she was reading and prepared for negotiating, but instead I just took out my wallet and handed her thirty-five bucks without a fight. She took the money and I quickly put on the sunglasses and hat. Now I got a good look at her. The clerk was in her twenties, had a golden ponytail, tan skin, and full pouty lips. In summary she was gorgeous. If I wasn't in such a rush to get the hell out of this state I might have talked her into having a bit of fun tonight. Wouldn't be the first twenty-year old I charmed.

"You know it's very overcast today," she stated her bright oceanic eyes were looking at me a bit confused. "There's no real reason to be wearing that stuff."

"It's not for the weather," I replied casually, it wasn't a lie. "More of a fashion statement." That was the lie. I glanced behind me to see Fulsom talking to another girl working here. She held a patient but smile while Fulsom tried to talk. Nice to know he found someone who wouldn't force him to spit anything out. Looking at the girl he was talking to I noticed she was really hot too. Straight chocolate hair, healthy pinkish skin, emerald eyes. It sucked I had to leave before I could ever really enjoy hot, california girls, but I knew that even if I did get a taste, I'd still prefer a certain former New York mugger.

"You and your friend aren't from around here, are you?" the clerk asked.

"What gave it away?" I asked turning to her.

"That fish out of water look your buddy has."

"That's pretty much his face, especially when he's around people." She giggled cutely at that.

"So what brings you two to Granite Bay?"

"We're the with the DWMA," I answered. "We're here to take care of that axe wielding maniac that lives around here."

"Seriously?!" she asked surprised. A little too surprised actually, but I couldn't figure out why.

"Seriously."

"Damn, it usually takes you guys a month to act after the first killing," she stated looking at the display case. "It's barely been a week."

"Well, my friend and I happened to be in the neighborhood when the boss gave us the mission."

"Interesting, so what can I do for the handsome academy student and his little friend." She gave me a flirty smile and a wink. It only makes this suck even more.

"How old are you?" I asked, trying not to sound disappointed.

"Twenty-five, why?"

"I'm sixteen. I'm a little too young for you."

"Really? Because you look sooo much older…" Her arm snaked her way over the one I had on the display case.

"And I have a girlfriend back home," I added quickly.

"Should've opened with that," she said as she pulled her hand back and held it next to her in a fist before dropping it back down. Thank god Liz wasn't here to hear me say that. I'm not sure how she would taken it. She'd probably be pissed, especially if she was dating the rich kid now.

"Now that that's out of the way, what can you tell me about the killer?"

"Just what everyone else knows about him. Wears all black, a hood, and has a white mask on. Oh, and if you hadn't heard he carries around a big fire axe. We call him Mr. Hatchet."

"Anything else?"

"Like what?" she asked in an uncalled for aggravated tone. I raised an eyebrow at her but decided to ignore it.

"Like who were his victims? Serial Killers tend to have a prefered prey."

"Can't help you there," she replied. "The victim's bodies were so mutilated that there was barely anything to identify them with. Though the cops have been trying to link the gore with some of the missing person files they've been getting recently. You could try going downtown to talk to them." No, no, not going to happen!

"Police aren't usually in favor of the academy solving their problems," I replied with no idea if that's true or not. "Is there anyone else that can help us?"

"No."

"Okay, then… we'll go to the police." I didn't want to go anywhere near a police station just in case someone decided to link me to grand arson. But it looks like I have no choice. I turned to walk away but she grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Wait!" she exclaimed as she pulled my arm into her breasts, she was leaning over the display case to get closer. If she thinks this'll get me to change my mind she has another thing coming, I can't afford to stay here any longer than I have to, that and admittedly I'm still not over Liz. "One more thing, what kind of weapon can your friend turn into? I mean if you don't mind telling." I let out a breathy chuckle. She must be a fan of the DWMA. I shouldn't be surprised that she thought Fulsom was the weapon and I was the meister seeing as how I was the tougher looking one of the group.

"I can't say," I replied smugly.

"Aww, why not?" she whined. Clearly the whole "If you don't mind me asking" line was just to be polite.

"Because I'm the weapon," I replied matter-of-factly. Her expression went blank and then switched gazes between me and Fulsom in disbelief.

"Seriously?!" she asked aloud, still not believing it.

"What he lacks in social skills he makes up for in combat," I replied casually. I freed my arm from her grasp and began walking towards Fulsom.

"Wait, what weapon are you then?"

"I'm a claymore." I walked up to Fulsom who was trying to stutter out something. The woman kept her smile on but I could tell she was getting a little annoyed and trying not to show it. I tapped on Fulsom's shoulder, he looked at me pleadingly and I jerked my head to the door. He sighed in relief, muttered a quick-ish apology to the woman and we walked out to the car.

"W-what'd you find out…" Fulsom asked as we buckled up and I began driving.

"The kishin wears all black, a hood, and a white mask, and carries a big axe. He mutilates his victims so the cops barely have anything to identify them with, though they're trying. We need to go talk to the police for more information." Fulsom nodded before turning to look at the road. Then he glanced at me and my new attire.

"W… why are you wearing that?" he asked.

"Fashion statement," I replied quickly. Fulsom didn't question it and returned his eyes to the road. This is going to end so badly.

Damian's POV

We drove up to the Granite Bay Police Department and walked towards the front door.

"Hey, Fulsom," Pyro said as we walked. "Can't you use Soul Perception?"

"Y-yeah…" I replied. "W-why?"

"Why?!" Pyro stopped and looked at me incredulously through his sunglasses. "Use it! Then we can find the kishin by ourselves!"

"O-oh! Right, right!" I closed my eyes and focus on my soul's wavelength. I feel a pulse and then open my eyes. I see every soul in the city, what they're like and what they're currently feeling. But what I couldn't see was a Kishin egg. "I… I can't see it…"

"What do you mean you can't see it?!" Pyro asked incredulously.

"I mean I can't see it!" I exclaimed a little annoyed. I wasn't happy that the kishin was nowhere to be seen either. But the thing was I still sort of sensed its presence, I could tell it was still in the city, somewhere. I just couldn't pinpoint where.

"You mean it's not here?!"

"N-no, it's here. I-I just can't find it!"

"How do you know it's here if you can't find it?!"

"I just know, okay!"

"Well, that's just perfect! Now we really do have to talk to the fucking police!" Jamming his hands into his jacket pockets and stormed inside. I slowly followed inside and I tried not to be even more of a nuisance. I followed Pyro's lead up to the cop at the reception desk. Pyro stopped two steps in front of the desk and looked at the cop behind it. I look at the cop too and was surprised he was completely hairless except for his eyebrows, but I'm pretty sure they're penciled in. But what was even more shocking was that half of his face held a nasty burn scar. His left eye seemed to barely be able to open by itself. I blink at him and stay quiet just in case I say something I shouldn't. I glance over at Pyro and wait for him to speak but I see his eyes are nearly bulging out of his eyes. His scar isn't that shocking, but right now he looks completely horrified.

"Can I help you two?" he asks glancing up at us. I just wait for Pyro to start talking but he's still staring at the man like he's watching a horror movie and he's just waiting for something to jump out at him.

"We… um-uh…" I begin seeing as how Pyro isn't in a talking mood, though the man, Officer Von Brandt according to his badge, isn't having it.

"Look, kids if you don't have any business here then you need to leave," he said with a glare. "We're very busy here."

"Th-the Kishin…"

"What?"

"We're from the Academy," Pyro mumbled. "We're looking for the serial killer that has been sighted around here."

"The Academy, huh?" the man replied with a sneer. "Thanks for caring, but we got this under control. We don't need you super children butting in."

"'Super Children'...?" I repeated confused. I can tell he meant the students but I just didn't know why he called us super children. We're not superheroes, he just highly trained teenagers that fight monster with magical weapons and the power of our… okay now I see it.

"I wasn't asking if you needed help," Pyro replied harshly. "The Academy wants us to collect his soul, so we're here to do just that!" Pyro and Officer Von Brandt traded glares. Sander's look shifted to slight confusion.

"Have we met?" I felt Pyro tense up and he briefly looked away.

"Doubt it," he replied quickly. "This is my first time in this state."

"Is that right…? Well if you brats won't leave without something I'll at least take you to the area where we've found the remains."

"That'll do…" Pyro replied. Officer Von Brandt left the desk and escorted us out. Once in the parking lot we jumped into Pyro's car and followed Von Brandt cruiser.

"...Something seems… off…" I stated.

"What do you mean?" Pyro asked nervously.

"H-He clearly didn't want us here… but... now he's suddenly cooperating with us? D-doesn't that seem strange."

"Oh, he's only helping us so we'll leave town as quickly as possible. Not that I'm complaining." He mumbled the last part but I heard it anyway. Something is going on with Pyro and it seems to have something to do with this cop. He's been acting strange ever since we got to California. At first I thought he was just mad at me because I decided to take this mission instead of heading back to the Academy but I'm pretty sure Pyro isn't that hot-headed, despite his Burning Soul. I wasn't going to try and force Pyro to tell me what's wrong but it would be nice for him to open up to me. Then again I'm no better, so who am I to complain.

Pyro's POV

Brandt… it had to be Brandt. I haven't seen that bastard since… no, no. Don't get caught up in that, the past is the past. Just get the kishin and then get the hell out of dodge. Brandt took us to the forest around Folsom Lake; no relation to my nervous partner, it's one letter off. Anyway the police found the piles of gore all around this place so it only made sense that the kishin made this place its hunting grounds. Now it's up to me and Fulsom to get the damn thing's soul and we can leave.

Damian's POV

Officer Von Brandt lead us into the forest and I can't shake the suspicion that he's up to something. Either way Pyro and I follow him deep into the forest. Officer Von Brandt starts explaining how people have been disappearing and there hasn't been any connection between the missing people to link it with the kishin at large, though it's pretty obvious that it's the one causing all these disappearances. While he talked even further on what he knew about the Kishin I felt a disturbance of some kind. I turned my head to what seemed to be an ordinary group of trees but I felt something within them. The Kishin's Soul. It still wasn't clear but I could tell, it was there, watching us.

"Pyro!" I say nervously. I glanced to where he and Officer Von Brandt were only to find that they weren't there anymore. "Pyro?!" I glanced toward the Kishin soul again to find a figure headed toward me. It was wearing all black, wore a hood over a white mask. It's arms swung limply at it's body while it dragged a big fire axe behind it. I used Soul Perception and saw the red and black corrupted soul inside that body. Mr. Hatchet. Target Acquired. Warning! Missing Weapon Partner! "PYRO!" I screamed as Mr. Hatchet rushed toward me. He raised his axe above my head with one arm and brought it down. I rolled away before it struck me and the axe slammed into the ground. I looked at Mr. Hatchet and watched him pull it out of the ground effortlessly.

"He has super strength…" I mumble to myself. "Great…" Mr. Hatchet ran toward me again and this time swung his axe vertically, again aimed at my head. I ducked and put Stein's training to work. My palm sparked with my soul wavelength and I slammed it into Hatchet's stomach. "Soul Force!" I exclaimed. In a burst of energy Mr. Hatchet was propelled back, but he easily landed on his feet. Hatchet rushed towards me again, dragging his axe behind him and performed a huge spin, swinging the axe with its momentum. I stepped forward and blocked the handle with my forearm. The blade nearly reached the back of my head but I stopped it in time. I shoved the axe away and attacked. I jumped and spun mid air, kicking Mr. Hatchet in the side of the head. While he turned his head back I rushed forward and slammed my knee into his solar plexus. The kishin bent forward slightly before slowly standing straight again.

"Oh, come on!" I exclaimed. "PYRO! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!" I screamed his name over and over, I couldn't beat this guy on my own. I needed his help but I couldn't find him. I glanced around the forest for a sign of him but there was nothing. I heard a couple of loud pops and before I could wonder just what the heck they were Mr. Hatchet attacked again, managing to slice open my lower leg before I could roll away. I staggered away, the wound closed up as soon as it appeared but I could still feel the stinging pain and that enough was forcing me to limp.

"PYRO!" I screamed. If I don't find him soon this guy could actually kill me, even with my Healing Soul.

Don't Panic

No. NO! Now is not the time for me to be hearing voices in my head again. I HAVE to find Pyro.

If you panic you will...

"Go away!" I yelled at the voice. "Can't you see I'm in trouble?!" The voice never answered. Instead I felt the blade of Hatchet's axe slam into my back. I freeze as unbearable pain swam through my body. He yanked the blade out of my body, I felt the large gash it made quickly close up but the pain would not let me move so I just collapsed on the spot. Once on the ground my breath came out in shudders, my only option was to wait for the blinding pain to go away. Mr. Hatchet walked over to my limp body. He used his foot to flip me over. Thankfully the pain didn't worsen once I was on my back but that was the least of my worries. I looked up to see Mr. Hatchet standing over me, my body between his legs. I watched helplessly as he lifted the axe above his head with both hands. The last thing I saw was the axe coming down and then everything went black.

You shouldn't have panicked…

Pyro's POV

"Fulsom!" I called out. No answer. Just a minute ago he was right behind me and he suddenly disappeared. Then he just started screaming my name out loud. And not like Black Star does when he's screaming his name, like the bloody murder type of scream. Which in our current environment is not good. "Where the fuck is he…"

"Your friend sounds like he's in trouble…" Brandt stated with his back turned to me. My back was also turned to him but I occasionally glanced behind me to check he was still there. He stood facing a tree with his hands clasped behind his back. The chillingly calm posture was bothering me. "Then again he is begging to get in trouble if he would associate with the likes of you!" My eyes widened and I turned toward Brandt. He turned to me as well with a pistol out pointed towards me. I froze fearing he would have shot me but he didn't, he just kept it there, pointed at me with an unspoken death threat. "Did you really think I wouldn't recognize you, even with that so called disguise, the Hellfire Demon of San Francisco?" He walked towards me slowly, cautiously. He knows what I can do all to well, considering I was the one who gave him that big scar. After standing right next to me, he pressed the gun barrel into my cheek.

"If I get hit by the tiniest spark, you'll know what happens next." He yanked off my baseball cap and my sunglasses and tossed them to the ground. "Cole Connors, we meet again… How long has it been, two years? Right around when that large fire started in San Francisco."

"I'm not the only one at fault for that," I replied against my better judgement, glaring at his black eyes.

"Shut up, terrorist," Brandt snarled. "You've been nothing but trouble since the day you were born, it was only a matter of time until you did something grand scale like that. It's all your good for!" I clenched my fists in anger as Brandt kept insulting me like this. He hasn't changed, you'd think after what happened last time he'd learn not to be so self-righteous.

"PYRO! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!" I heard Fulsom scream. I turned to look at where the sound came from but Brandt grabbed my cheeks and forced me to look at him.

"Look at me, you scum!" Brandt demanded with a crazed look in his good eye. His snarl morphed into a sneer as he glanced into the forest behind me. "Does your friend know about you? About what you did back then?" I silently snarled at him and he chuckled. "Of course you didn't tell him anything. He still wouldn't be here if he knew the truth. Who would want to be friends with a disgusting pyromaniac monster like you? I should have put a bullet in your head back then, the world would have been just a bit nicer without you burning it. I won't make the same mistake again…" Thinking fast I kneed him in the groin and shoved him into the ground. Brandt made a high pitched squeak as he fell. Quickly he raised the gun at me and fired a few shots. I dove to the ground, my right hand landing on my discarded sunglasses and unconsciously closing around them. I bolted towards the direction I heard Fulsom screaming my name. He sounded panicked and I had to find him, then he can help me deal with Brandt.

I ran and ran looking everywhere for Fulsom and keeping my head down in case Brandt caught up and started shooting again. Stopping in between a bunch of trees and my head turning frantically in every direction to find my nervous, four-eyed, meister, but still nothing.

"PYRO!" I heard him yell once more. He was close to me. I bolted toward the direction of his voice. I went to the clearing where we had entered the damn forest. I was pissed but my heart stopped at the sight in front of me. The Kishin that girl described was standing over Fulsom's body, and his axe was buried into his head.

No…

No…!

No!

NOOOOOO!

I'm too late…

I watched helplessly as Mr. Hatchet slowly reached down to Fulsom's body. Was I really going to watch this monster take my partner's soul? Apparently not, because before I knew it, I was consumed by fire and launched myself towards the murderer.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!" I roared readying a literal fistfull of fire. Mr. Hatchet turned to look at me with the white mask he was known to wear; and I punched him in the face as hard as I could. The kishin flew into the forest, its body twisting as if it was a sock monkey being launched out of a t-shirt cannon. I heard a loud crash, Hatchet probably got killed in the crash but I didn't care. All I could focus on was the corpse of my Meister. Fulsom just laid there, the kishin's axe still embedded into his skull. I felt my body collapse onto my hands and knees and tears of regret rushed out of my eye sockets. I failed. Fulsom's dead and it's all my fault. How am I supposed to tell Stein and the others back home? Stein would probably kill me for this and I was strangely okay with that, it was what I deserved for letting them down so badly.

"Well, well, well," I heard the voice of Brandt say as the sound of his footsteps slowly grew louder with his approach. "How tragic. Your "dear friend" has been killed. By who though, the kishin? Or was it you?" Me? I asked myself incredulously. You think I did this? "How convenient that you're the one who found him like this first. And with an axe in his skull, the very same weapon used by the Kishin. How clever…" I didn't kill Fulsom, you bastard! His footsteps slowly became louder but I couldn't bring myself to move. "Or did you decide to kill him yourself so he doesn't find out what kind of monster he's been paired with this entire time? Did you kill your own partner so you could get rid of a possible loose end once he knew the truth about, you scumbag?" He kept getting closer and spitting out false accusations, it's all he's good for. But accusing me of killing my Meister, my partner… my friend? That's going too far. I didn't kill Fulsom, this wasn't my fault. Realization hit me hard and my tears instantly dried up and were replaced with my own boiling blood. Clenching my fists I slowly stood up and faced Brandt with my head down. This isn't my fault… Brandt sneered at me and pointed his pistol at me once more. "Finally ready to end this, huh?"

"IT'S YOURS!" I roared loudly lifting my arms up and then bringing them back. A wall of fire wrapped around me, Brandt, and Fulsom's body. Seeing the flames appear Brandt's confidence and dark intent quickly evaporated and was replaced with panic. He constantly faced different directions looking for a way out but there was none. He wasn't getting away. I'm going to make him pay!

"I WOULD HAVE BEEN WITH HIM IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU!" I exclaimed as I violently stomped towards him. Brandt turned to me fear chiseled onto the parts of his face that wasn't burned. He shakingly held up his pistol but I just smacked it out of his hands and the gun went flying through my firewall.

"I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN HERE IN TIME IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU!" I shouted, grabbing Brandt's neck in both hands and lifting him up in the air. My anger heating up my body and making my fingers burn Brandt's neck. Brandt futilely grabbed my arms and tried to loosen them from his neck but I wouldn't budge. He was going to pay for this! He was going to suffer! Lifting him up even higher I slammed him into the ground. I straddled his waist, held him down by his neck and began to repeatedly punched him in my face with my heated fist, right in his burn scars.

"I WOULD HAVE SAVED HIM IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU!" I yelled raising my fist one more time. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! FULSOM IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU! MY FRIEND IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!" My raised fist turned fiery orange with how angry I was. I opened my palm and planned to press it hard against his unscarred features.

"P-please…" Brandt begged through beaten and swollen lips.

"Please? PLEASE?! You have the nerve to beg after everything you've done?! You really think you deserve mercy?! No fucking way! You'd better get used to fire because when I'm done with you, you're going to end up in a place with a HELL of a lot more fire than what I got. And you better remember how you got down there. You fucked with Pyro, and then you got burned alive!" I was a second away from slamming my hand on his face, and that's when I heard him.

"...P-Pyro…" I stopped, the raging fire inside was dosed with one simple word. I looked over hope to Fulsom's corpse. I saw it twitch and shakingly raise one of his arms. He's alive?! My heat and firewall instantly disappeared and I forgot all about Brandt as I riushed towards Fulsom. I knelt down beside his pale body and I watched his foggy eyes dart from place to place. I barely heard Brandt scramble to his feet and flee, promising he'll get me later.

"Fulsom?! Y-you're alive…?!" I say trying to keep it together but I could feel tears threatening to freefall out of my eyes again.

"Pyro…?" His left hand slowly raised itself and slowly grasped the handle of the axe. He groped it a couple of times, gave it a tug and let out a small pained grunt. He then followed the handle down to the axe blade and trailed his fingers over the edge where it was impaled into his head. "...There's an axe in my head isn't there…?" Fulsom stated slowly.

"...Yeah… yeah there is…" I replied, the guilt sewn perfectly into my tone of voice.

"Fantastic… can you… pull it out…"

"Pull it out?! You can't be serious!"

"Pyro… there is an axe… in my head…"

"I know! I had to tell you that!"

"I should be dead…" Fulsom added making me gulp. "But I'm not… that means my soul is still working… but I should be fine… Instead I'm on the ground, I can't see, I can barely move, and I think I'm beginning to ramble. Now this is just a guess… but I'm pretty sure that this axe has something to do with it."

"Can't we just take you to a doctor or something?" I asked fearing that removing the axe will only make Fulsom's condition worse.

"They'll just think I'm dead... and then they'll take me to the morgue… to get examined and get the axe removed before searching for my next of kin so I can be properly buried… Though if you do take me there the axe will be coming out eventually so I guess that could work but I rather do it here and now so we can get moving sooner and find the Kishin who put this thing in my head and…"

"Alright!" I yelled. "God you are rambling!" With a huff I stood up and then stood over Fulsom. I grabbed the axe and placed my foot on Fulsom's shoulder. I took a deep breathe and then pulled. I heard Fulsom's pained groans but I kept pulling. If he's not dead already then his Healing Soul is still working… he'll be fine. With one big tug, I managed to yank the axe out. The force I put into that last pull and the weight of the axe made me stagger back a few steps. Now that the axe was free I couldn't help but look it over. The blade had a dark red stain on the part that was inside Fulsom's head. I gulped and glanced at Fulsom. Relief washed over me as I saw Fulsom's body had regained its natural color. His eyes also recovered their bright blue shade yet they were strangely wide. His head looked untouched as if the entire incident never happened. I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding and was going to help him up when;

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Fulsom screamed, his hands rocketing to his head and he began spasming on the ground. I backed away as he continued to wriggle violently around on the ground. I had no idea what to do so I just watched him, if this really was a spasm I didn't want to hurt him.

"F-Fulsom?!"

"OH GOD IT HURTS!" Fulsom got on his hand and knees and began bobbing his head vigorously, hands still covering his head and eyes.

"...Are… you okay?"

"AM I OKAY?!" Fulsom said looking at me incredulously. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH IT HURTS TO GET AN AXE RIPPED OUT OF YOUR SKULL?!" he asked while shakingly standing up, one hand still covering the area where the axe blade was. "BECAUSE I DO, AND IT'S NOT PLEASANT!"

"Alright, alright, don't yell at me," I replied displaying the axe. "I'm not the one who jammed this thing into your head."

"No…" Fulsom replied trying not to collapse from the apparent unbearable pain he was feeling. "But you are the one who left me alone to fight that thing!" I felt as if I got stabbed in the gut. My grip tightened on the axe and my palm began heating up.

"That wasn't my fault! That fucking cop wouldn't let me go!"
"And why is that? What the hell is going on between you and him? I'm not stupid, Pyro. I know something is going on with you! And I heard everything when that police officer showed up. What the hell was he talking about when he said "the truth about you"?"

"That doesn't matter now," I replied quickly throwing the axe away. The wooden handle was burnt black thanks to my hand.

"Clearly it does matter. It's been bothering you ever since we got to California. Tell me what's wrong!"

"Drop it!" I ordered turning around to glare at him with added flames.

"No!" Fulsom exclaimed stepping up to me. I backed away surprised and my flames doused themselves. I expected him to go back to his usual stuttering self but he stayed that angry, determined, and intimidating, four-eyed runt in front of me. "I'm not going to drop it. I want the truth Cole and I want it now!" I just looked at him bewildered, let's forget the fact that he knows my real name, but he stood up to me, scolded me confidently, and basically not being who he usually is. But he's right, not being straight with him has really fucked up this mission. I guess I better come clean, because even if Fulsom ends up losing this new found confidence he's not going to let this go.

"Alright…" I finally replied. "You deserve to know the truth." I walked toward the nearest tree and sat down in front of it. My knees huddling together, my arms wrapping around them, and my head resting on top of it. Fulsom sat down next to me, he wasn't as angry as before but his determination still clung stubbornly to his eyes. I looked at my shoes when I asked. "Have you ever heard of the Horrific Firestorm?"

"The massive fire that spread throughout San Francisco and killed a good chunk if it's population?" Fulsom asked gaining a somber nod from me. "Yeah, I've heard of it."

"I caused it." I glanced at Fulsom and saw his eyes grow wide but his face remained neutral. Fulsom's facial features didn't move but his eyes blinked a few times while he kept staring at me. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it and his eyes to. His face grimaced and he brought up a fist. Here it comes, Fulsom thinks I'm a monster and now he never wants to see me again. Then he goes to the academy and has them either has them throw me out, put me in jail, or just execute me and destroy my soul.

"Why?!" Fulsom suddenly asked opening his eyes, mouth, and hand all at once. I looked at him shocked.

"'Why'?" I repeated stupidly.

"Yeah, why!" Fulsom exclaimed standing up. "Why would you do that? What happened?" I just stared at him in disbelief, I couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny?!"

"Nothing… It's just… no one has ever asked me that. Once they hear I caused that big fire everyone instantly assumes I'm some heartless monster, or apparently a demon…"

"Well, I'm not everyone. I saw your soul, Pyro. I know you're not some demon. Now tell me. What happened?"

"...It was all because of that bastard, Brandt."

"Brandt? You mean Von Brandt, the cop? What does he have to do with this."

"That's a long story, Fulsom…"

"Cole…" Fulsom said in a warning tone.

"Fine… I was basically born homeless on the streets of San Francisco. Struggling to survive was not easy and the police only made things harder. They didn't think too kindly of homeless people, whether they're kids or adults. Anyway, down the road I found out that I had fire powers. And as a young boy who didn't know what else he could do… I used my gifts to… acquire my necessities… oh, screw it. I used my fire powers to steal food and other stuff. That's when Brandt comes into the story. Brandt was a cop in San Francisco. They had been trying to catch me for years and Brandt was confident he could do it. To his credit, the asshole managed to find out where I made my home in that damn city. Then without warning he just attacked me. I tried to scare him off with my fire but he wouldn't go for it… And then he just started throwing all these accusations at me, he called me a psychopath, a pyromaniac, a monster, a demon, basically every horrible thing you could think of… And then… He brought up my mother… And I just lost it. I jumped and I burned him, I just wanted him to shut up, but… I was just so mad. Next thing I know the entire place was on fire and it had already spread to the entire block."

"...What happened after?"

"I ran. I ran and ran and just kept going. I didn't where to go I just knew that I had to get out of the city. Everyone knew who I was, they knew what I could do. They knew it was my fault. They've left me alone because they knew I was on my own and had no choice but this, but they would never forgive me for this. And I knew I was right when I heard this for the first time; Cole Connors, the Hellfire Demon of San Francisco…" Fulsom said nothing but he sat down next to me again.

"You said Von Brandt had talked about your mother…" Knowing where this was going I just answered the unspoken question.

"I never knew my mother, I just knew she was out there somewhere. I'm not sure if she abandoned me, lost me, or just couldn't find me. Not even sure if I cared which one it was, I just wanted to know so I could get on with my life. But Brandt, he said that my mother was probably some prostitute that got knocked up and threw me away as soon as she could, or she was some devil worshipper that did horrible things on a daily basis. Etcetera, Etcetera, Et-fucking-cetera. I wasn't sure where I was to stand with that women but for him to say such crap about me and my mother without even knowing a damn thing about us. I was pissed and I did everything I could to hurt him. Which if you didn't notice that giant burn scar on his face, I did. Now that I think about it, the reason I was so mad was because Brandt was throwing an ugly truth into my face over and over again. The very real possibility that my mother wanted nothing to do with me and she abandoned me in that city. Leaving me truly alone." Fulsom said nothing, we sat there for a good long while in silence. Until Fulsom said;

"I know what it's like to be abandoned." I know he did. Stein had mentioned his father to me once. Yeah, it sucks but it's not the same, he still has his mother and Stein. He's not alone even if he tries to be.

"I know about your old man…"

"I'm not talking about him," Fulsom stated casually. I looked at him confused.

"But… he left you when you were a baby."

"Yeah, I know. But whenever I asked mom about him she would always say he was a great man. Nothing bad but nothing good to show me who he was. So instead of driving myself insane trying to figure out someone that wasn't there, I just forgot about him. My father is nothing more than a stranger to me."

"...Then who the hell are you talking about?"

"My brother." Fulsom looked forward but I saw pain in his eyes.

"You have a brother?"

"Had a brother. He hated me from the second he laid eyes on me and I could never find out why. He never said he hated me but I could tell from this look he had whenever he saw me. It was full of nothing but disgust. And he had that look on his face no matter what I did. I tried to be friends with him but he just ignored me. There was this one time I tried to hug him… and he hit me… hard. After a while I just stopped trying. Then one day he was gone. Mom panicked and searched everywhere but she couldn't find him. The only clue as to why he left was a note… and it said… "I can't stand to live with you anymore, I'm gone and I'm not coming back." Mom cried and cried because she thought she did something horribly wrong, but I knew he was talking about me… Now that I say it out loud it may not be the same thing, because maybe he can't be considered family, but you're not the only one who's been disappointed by your supposed family… You're not the only one who feels alone." I was speechless, I had no idea what to say or what to think. Being neglected by a parent was a shrink level problem. But being neglected and mistreated by a sibling… someone who should be your friend… how do you even describe that kind of hurt.

Fulsom and I just sit there for a bit, letting this new information about each other sink in. I glanced at him, now in a relaxed position with my legs stretched out upon the ground. Fulsom took up my earlier knees, arms, and head position. I huffed and stood up but I had no idea what to do next.

"So…" I began. "What now?" Fulsom glanced at me before standing as well. He stood there and breathed slowly for a minute before speaking.

"We go back to finding the kishin, I guess."

"Yeah… we should get back at it…" We headed out of the forest and made our way back to my car. It was parked in a parking lot nearest to the forest. Brandt's police cruiser was gone so hopefully we won't be seeing him again. Then again we have no idea where the kishin went and now it knows it's being hunted, so who knows how long we'll be stuck here. We walked towards the Ferrari and we were about to get in when suddenly, it exploded.

Damian's POV

The sudden explosion blasted Pyro and I back. I skidded on my feet and somehow stayed standing while Pyro landed on his back. After the smoke cleared I looked and saw Pyro's beloved Ferrari a flaming pile of red scrap metal.

"MY CAR!" Pyro screamed horrified, as he stood up. He ran towards the wreckage for whatever reason was going through his head, but there wasn't anything he could do to save his car. "NOOOOO!" Pyro dropped on his hands and knees in front of his former Ferrari.

"What happened?" I asked dumbfounded.

"IT EXPLODED!" Pyro yelled looking at me with an enraged expression.

"I can see that! Just… how?!"

"Von Brandt!" Pyro exclaimed angrily, standing up. "That son of a bitch must've put a bomb in my car before he left!"

"Where would he get a bomb?!"

"How should I know?! All I know is that he had one and stuck it on MY car!"

"Pyro calm down, your shoulders are starting to catch fire!" I wasn't kidding. As Pyro began raving about how he was going to kill Von Brandt his shoulders sprouted fire and it was spreading down his arms. Just then, I felt the presence of the Kishin. I looked behind me and saw Mr. Hatchet with his used axe back in his hands. He began walking towards us, the axe dragging behind him and began making a scraping sound as it hit the road that separated the forest from the parking lot. However the noise wasn't enough to break Pyro out of his angry rant.

"Pyro!" I said. I would've grabbed his arms and shook him but they were still on fire and were swinging around wildly as he kept throwing Von Brandt's death threats to the wind. The kishin kept walking towards us and I was not in the mood to fight that thing alone again or to get my head chopped open. "PYRO!"

"WHAT?!" Pyro snapped at me. I just made an extremely aggravated face and threw my arms toward the approaching Kishin. "What the-oh, oh, OH!" Pyro placed a hand on my chest and he forced me to stand behind him as Hatchet kept walking towards us. "Well, he definitely made our job easier for us now didn't he."

"It only took him all day," I said looking at the creepy snickering moon in the sky peek at us through the clouds that were still in the sky. "Pyro, I would really like a big sword right now."

"You got it." Pyro glowed white transformed into his claymore form. I caught him in my hands and rested it on my shoulder. We faced Mr. Hatchet together as he stopped in front of us, his used axe in his hands. I could still see my blood stain on it's blade and Pyro's burnt mark on the handle. It was kind of unsettling. Hatchet rushed towards us and swung his axe down and I parried with Pyro's balde. I pushed Hatchet back and he staggered back a few steps.

"I rather not have that axe in my head again so I don't think I'll pull any punches," I stated glaring at Mr. Hatchet. It was strange how calm I felt. I mean, I'm still scared but knowing Pyro's with me this time, I'm confident I can win this.

"No arguments here."

"Flame Resonance!" We both yelled. We sent out soul wavelengths into each other, but this time it felt, stronger. But no time to dwell on it. Time to roast this psycho! Pyro's blade became engulfed in fire and I dashed towards the Kishin. Our weapons clashed. Pyro's blade was caught under Hatchet's axe blade. The handle began to burn under Pyro's immense fire. Seeing this Hatchet jumped back and let Pyro spin out of control. Hatchet ran up to us again and swung his axe, aiming for my head once more. I dodged the chop but Hatchet was quick to react. He took the end of the axe handle and thrust it into my face, bashing me in the jaw. He swung the axe to my head again, but I caught it with Pyro. Gritting my teeth, I slammed my palm into his stomach and used Soul Force. Instead of a blast of electricity, it was a blast of fire and it shot Hatchet backwards. Surprisingly he managed to keep on his feet, even though he was having to bend over, but I was ready for him. Pyro's blade grew and glowed bright orange and I ran towards Mr. Hatchet.

"Searing Slash!" I exclaimed swinging Pyro up and making a large scar into the ground. Mr. Hatchet jumped back slightly but I still hit him, tearing his hoodie and his mask. Pyro and I jumped back and readied for the next attack, but stopped when we saw his face. Mr. Hatchet wasn't a mister, but in fact was a miss. He's a girl! And not just any girl.

"Pawn Shop Girl?!" Pyro exclaimed, his blade turning white and his upper body coming out of it to see the woman he was talking to just a few hours ago. Mr. Hatchet or Ms. Hatchet was definitely the girl Pyro was talking to back at the pawn shop. Except now her blue eyes showed just how psychotic she was and now her face wore a crooked smile instead of her subtle flirty one.

"What can I say boys?" Ms. Hatchet asked with a shrug. "A girl's gotta eat." Just then a long frog like tongue slithered out of her mouth and licked at my blood that was still on her blade. I clamped my hand over my mouth and tried not to throw up as I watched the dried blood being licked up by the kishin woman's tongue.

"That is all the wrong kinds of freaky…" Pyro mumbled. Really not appropriate but I could care less about Pyro's dialogue right now.

"And once I figure out how to rip your soul out of your body, little boy, mama will be eating good tonight!" Ms. Hatchet rushed towards us with her axe raised and a feral look in her eye. She swung her axe down and I jumped back before she could hit me. Pyro's body went back into his blade. Pushing the shock away for now, I sprang into action and swung Pyro at her. Hatchet side-stepped away before swinging at my leg and managing to slice it open before pushing me to the ground.

"You okay?" Pyro asked. The wound on my leg closed up but I could still feel the axe on my leg.

"I'll live…" I replied. Hatchet got in close and swung her axe down towards my head. "NO!" I exclaimed. I crunched up my body and shot my legs out kicking her in the stomach and making Ms. Hatchet step back. Gaining a second wind and ignoring the pain I stood up and moved away from her.

"That little healing trick of yours is so annoying," Ms. Hatchet stated swaying a little as she stood. "It's going to make getting your soul sooo much more harder than it needs to be. But that's okay. 'Cause when they fight back it, it makes their souls taste soooo much better." Her tongue came out and licked her lips, then it stretched to her axe and licked my fresh blood off of it.

"Still find her attractive, Pyro?" I asked shuddering as I watched Hatchet enjoy my shed blood.

"Can we not talk about that?" Pyro asked. "Let's kill her and take her soul!"

"Fine with me." Hatchet and I ran at each other. Our weapons collided and we pushed at each other. Although she had super strength, I sprouted jet flames out of my back and up the back of my legs and they helped me push back into Hatchet. Suddenly Hatchet toppled to the ground and I rolled on top of her. She kicked her feet into my stomach strongly and I was propelled high into the air. I tumbled mid air, trying to figure out how to get out of this mess, when Ms. Hatchet was instantly next to me and ready to chop me in half with her axe. In a panic I sent a wavelength into to Pyro to try and get him to do something. Flames erupted from Pyro's blade and the next thing I know I'm getting dragged away, still midair, at an extremely fast speed. I am now floating above a bunch of houses. I look up and see Pyro's sword floating in the air. His flames, instead of swallowing up his blade like usual, surrounded his edges and the top of his hilt.

"Pyro…" I begin amazed. "You can fly?!"

"I can?!" His demon eye begins moving as if to show he's examining the situation. "Holy crap, I can! …So what now?"

"Now let's see if we can use this…" Grabbing the hilt strongly with both of my hands and forcing my feet onto his blade. I swung back and forth until I managed to flip myself over and I was right side up.

"Hey!" Pyro exclaimed. "Get your feet off me! I'm not a surfboard!"

"I'm not going to dangle from your hilt while you fly around!" I shot back.

"Ragh! Fine, but if I have shoe prints on me, you're dead!" I rolled my eyes as I released Pyro's handle and slowly tried to stand up making sure not to fall off. Though it seems I can't lose balance even if I tipped too far to a side. My hand wasn't on his handle, but our souls were still resonating with each other so that's probably why I didn't have to worry about balancing on top of Pyro. Taking a deep breath I leaned forward, and Pyro flew in the direction I leaned towards. I leaned back. I stopped moving but leaning back too much sent me spinning backwards. I flailed my arms as the spinning came to a stop and I was still standing on Pyro.

"We definitely need practice…" I mumbled.

"You can worry about practice if you survive the night!" I heard Ms. Hatchet scream. She had appeared right next to me, axe ready to chop me to bits. When she swung I quickly leaned away from her causing Pyro to rotate vertically and causing me to nearly throw up but avoid Ms. Hatchet's attack. With what little knowledge I had of Pyro's new flying ability, I flew away from the descending madwoman. Ms. Hatchet landed on top of a roof and quickly began running after us by leaping from roof to roof.

"What now?" Pyro asked.

"I'm just winging it at this point," I admitted sheepishly.

"Thanks for the honesty… Look out!" Ms. Hatchet took a big jump and flew towards us I maneuvered away and watched as she landed on another rooftop. "This is getting us nowhere! We need to fight back!"

"I know! I'm just… not looking to getting my head chopped open again…"

"Fuls- Damian… I'm sorry that happened to you, I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you… But I'm here now, I won't let you die."

"... I believe you. Let's get our tenth soul." Looking at Ms. Hatchet, I dived toward her, determined to cut her open. As soon as we neared her I grabbed Pyro and hopped off of him, flipped mid air and descended towards her with Pyro in my hand and ready to attack. We clashed weapons again but I easily pushed her back along the roof. Gaining the upper hand I swung Pyro upwards and made Hatchet stumble backwards. Seeing the opening I rushed forward and swung Pyro back down. Hatchet was quick to parry but I was able to break it again by putting more force into the slash and broke her axe. Hatchet's eyes widened, they still had a clear hold on her madness but now they were mixed with genuine fear. Now's my chance! Running up to her with Pyro at the ready I came up next to her and spun. Pyro's blade ignited itself and it sliced right through Ms. Hatchet. She gave us an empty look of shock before her entire body turned black and dissolved, leaving behind her kishin egg of a soul. I began panting as I watched the corrupted soul slowly float near the rooftop we were on. I noticed something else fall to the ground near my feet. I picked up a small, twisted, purple crystal attached to a small black string. Something was off about it, but I couldn't tell what. I'll have to have Stein look at it when we get back home. Pyro released his transformation and walked to the floating soul in his human form.

"Soul number ten," Pyro stated as he picked up Ms. Hatchet's soul. "Bottom's up." Pyro shoved the entire thing in his mouth and starting chewing it for a bit before he swallowed. Pyro let out a big sigh after the soul went down his throat, but then he suddenly cringed and sank to his knees.

"Pyro?" I asked walking towards him. "What's wrong?!" Pyro didn't answer but instead he grew flames on his back and they spread to his entire body. I would have done something but his flaming body suddenly jumped into the air and began spinning. It started to glow a bright red orange color that nearly blinded me. Then the light died down and I heard a loud metal clang. I looked at Pyro and saw a red and orange demonic scythe stabbed into the roof. A demonic eye sprouted onto the part of the pole that was connected to the curved blade. "P-Pyro?!"

"Ugh… what happened?" The scythe asked in Pyro's voice, the demonic eye closing strongly before slowly opening.

"Pyro… you're a scythe!"

"What?!" the demonic eye moved to examine it's scythe body. "I am! What the hell?! First a sword now a scythe! Neither of them are supposed to emmit fire."

"Pyro, you're an Arm!"

"An arm?"

"A demon weapon with more than one form! Remember we had that talk with Stein about titles and he told us about arms? You're one of them!"

"Well, I can see that now!" Pyro glowed again before returning to his human form. He was kneeling on the rooftop and staggered slightly when he tried standing up. I went to his side and helped him get steady. "Thanks, Fulsom. Now how do we get off of this roof?"

"It's not that big of a jump," I stated.

"I'm not doing that."

"Then how about you transform and I'll jump off of the roof."

"Fine but don't yell at me if you break your legs." Pyro glowed white and transformed, this time deciding to transform into his new scythe form. Grabbing his scythe form and holding it so his blade was behind me I walked towards the edge of the roof and was prepared to jump when suddenly a bunch of police cars drove in front of the house we were on.

"Freeze!" someone yelled as a bunch of cops popped out of the cruisers and pointed guns at me. One was holding a megaphone and had a large burn scar on one side of his face. Officer Von Brandt had returned and he brought back up. "Cole Connors! You are under arrest for grand arson! If you don't cooperate we will fire!"

"Brandt!" Pyro exclaimed, his blade turning white and his eye going dark as his upper body popped out of it. "You son of a bitch you blew up my car!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Von Brandt shot back with a sneer. "But it doesn't matter, you are still a wanted criminal that caused hundreds of deaths!"

"You're just as guilty as I am for that big fire you self-righteous bastard!"

"Don't try and throw the blame at me, scumbag! Now comply or you and your friend will… w-wait… y-you I-I saw your body…! How are you still alive?!"

"I… um… got better?"

"'Got better'?! There was an axe in your head?!" The cops looked at Von Brandt in shock. Then they looked at me and I just smiled nervously and waved. Then they looked at Von Brandt again as if he were crazy.

"Run?" I asked Pyro in a whisper while the cops weren't looking at us.

"Hell yeah." I turned around and ran to the opposite end of the roof. Von Brandt screeched out we were getting away while we reached the edge. Surprisingly there were no cops on the other end of the house which was good for us.

"Flame Residence!" we exclaimed as I jumped. In mid air I placed my feet on the pole of Pyro's scythe and rode him like a surfboard while we flew away from Granite Bay with Ms. Hatchet's soul in Pyro's stomach, her strange necklace in my pocket, and the cops wondering just how the hell we were flying away.

A couple miles away, Pyro and I managed to reach Nevada without any more hassles from the police. Right now we were on a bus that would take us to Death City were we can grab some much needed rest. I looked at Pyro who was glaring depressedly out the window as the bus drove through the desert. Pyro was still sad he lost his beloved Ferrari and who could blame him. I still had no idea what he did to get such a nice car but whether it was legal or illegal it couldn't have been easy. Sighing I looked away trying to think of something to take his mind off of his loss. Then an idea popped into my head.

"Hellfire Arm," I said.

"Excuse me?" Pyro asked looking at me inquisitively.

"Pyro, the Hellfire Arm," I replied with a smile. "It has a nice ring towards it don't you think?" Pyro continued to look at me with that same judgemental look before his face slowly softened and he grew a smile of his own.

"Yeah it does. I think I could get used to that."

"Awesome! Pyro the Hellfire Arm and Hellfire Arm Meister Damian!" Pyro actually laughed at that before turning back to the window and watching the desert go by. Feeling Pyro still needed a nudge I decided to tap his shoulder.

"What?"

"Partners?" I asked holding out my hands. He looked at it before taking it with a smirk.

"Puh-Partners." We both laugh and the rest of the ride back home was as smooth as can be.

And that is it! There you have it, the 4th Chapter of Soul Eater Legacy of Achilles. Nothing else to say but I'll keep working on my other works such as the Force Dragon Slayer and The Dragon Rider Tribe, also I may have a Gravity Falls story out as well, and maybe something from Minecraft...

Anyway, see you guys next time. I'm the Bio-Devil!