Bound Body and Soul
Soul opened his eyes and found himself in the Black Room again.
It was dimly lit, as per usual, the candles casting a menacing glow over the room. Blood red curtains lined the room, hiding any doorways that could take him out of this horrid place. He grimaced as he pushed his hands into his pockets. He hated it here, it brought back memories that he wanted to forget.
A piano stood in the center of the room in a small spotlight. It was a deep black and shined like onyx, the white keys gleaming like ivory. Even though he knew the consequences of playing, the piano called out to him, begging him to create a new melody. He remembered the power that had coursed through him, through everyone, as he had stabilized the Chain Resonance in their battle against Asura.
Asura. That crazy madman. He had destroyed himself by falling into Madness and becoming the first Kishin. He had been freed from his prison and had almost sent the whole world into Madness. Maka, Soul, Kid, Patty, Liz, Black Star, and Tsubaki had fought Asura in his last battle. They had almost lost, but Maka had beaten him in the end with her courage, because instead of falling recklessly into Madness, she had the courage to take in and fight insanity and, ultimately, understand it. Soul smiled at the sense of pride that blossomed in his chest. That was his partner who had defeated Asura, who had been practically a God and had been one of the Eight Powerful Warriors.
Yeah, Maka was pretty cool.
Soul kicked a small rock that was on the floor. It clattered noisily across the room before colliding with one of the legs of the piano. With a scowl, he looked around the room. What was he doing here? This place shouldn't have even existed anymore. He glanced around the room. Well, that Little Ogre wasn't around, so it wouldn't hurt to play a couple tunes…right? With a shrug, Soul sauntered across the room and sat down at the piano. He pushed back the sleeves of his tuxedo before cracking his knuckles and beginning to play. Soul didn't even think about what song he had wanted to play, it just flowed from his fingertips as he remembered a long ago memory. With just a few keys, Soul already felt the power coursing through his veins. He had just started playing when he heard a familiar voice.
"Thought you got rid of me, huh?" Soul looked up to see the Little Ogre. He looked like a small troll with a gigantic head. His skin matched the curtains of the room and his eyes were a dead, unsettling yellow. Horns framed his gigantic head and the little man was dressed in a tuxedo as well. His body was so tiny that Soul absently wondered how such a small frame could hold such a big head. The Little Ogre seemed miffed that Soul wasn't surprised to see him. "You can't get rid of me that easily!" He snapped and Soul ignored him and went back to the piano. He played a few more keys, enjoying the power once more. He hadn't felt it in so long…
"You miss it, don't you?" The Ogre whispered slyly in Soul's ear. Soul jerked away from him and away from the piano. The distance from such a beautiful instrument made his body ache. He wanted to play so badly, but he couldn't use the Black Blood again. It was too much of a risk.
"Why are you here? I ate your puny little soul!" Soul snarled at him, irritated that the Little Ogre had known what he had wanted. The Little Ogre just shrugged, starting his familiar jig again to try and entice Soul to play once more. He hummed the first couple notes of the tune Soul had started to play.
"C'mon! Give it a go!" The Ogre grinned maniacally as Soul started to shake his head, but his feet betrayed him as he started to walk back to the piano. Before he knew it, Soul was sitting back in front of the keys.
"I…can't…" But he was already playing. He closed his eyes as he lost himself in the music. It was the same song as before, the one Soul had played when he had Maka had first met. He smiled, remembering how Maka had described the song as creepy and dark, but it was his song. It described him and what he was, but even though it was 'creepy and dark,' Maka had liked it and decided to get to know him better. They became a team then and had been Weapon and Meister ever since.
Beside him the Little Ogre began to chant his name. As he neared the final notes of the song, the power he had felt earlier reaching its full height, the Little Ogre's chanting got louder and more urgent, disrupting the flow of his music. Soul, irked, slammed his hands down on the keys in a sudden burst of anger.
"WHAT!?" He shouted angrily, but instead of turning to face the Little Ogre, he found himself face-to-face with Maka. Her dark blonde hair was windblown and her eyes were wide as she continued to shake him wildly. Soul's head lolled as his body struggled to wake up. He had been sleeping? Why did she look so concerned?
When he looked closer, Soul saw that her face was bleeding. Everywhere. It was covered in thin scratches varying in depth and her clothes…they were in tatters. Her wounds got worse the lower his eyes went till he was afraid to look down any further. Thin, black needles poked out of Maka's skin in some places, needles that looked horribly familiar. Soul's eyes went back to Maka's face and he found himself squinting because of the sun. Wait…
Sun?
He had been in their apartment!
"Wha…What happened?" Soul asked hesitantly and relief flooded Maka's eyes. Typical Maka; more worried about others than herself. She was practically swaying on her feet, though whether it was from pain or blood loss, Soul wasn't sure. Remembering the state she was in convinced Soul to get back on his feet. He held out a hand to her for support but she ignored it. Soul growled. Stubborn girl. Sadly, that was also typical Maka behavior.
"Your soul! It went haywire!" She looked at the black needles that protruded from her body and sighed. "Will you help me pull these out?" Soul grimaced.
"Aren't you not supposed to remove them? Why don't you wait until we get to a hospital?" Maka rolled her eyes and let out an irritated sigh, though Soul had a feeling she was irritated because he was right. She hated being wrong, no matter what it was. She tried walking but staggered. Soul quickly took her arm and tossed it over his shoulders. She gratefully leaned against him as they walked towards the nearest hospital.
"You were saying?" He asked after a lengthy silence. Maka looked up, her eyes glassy, and Soul's chest tightened with worry. She was going to run herself to the ground this way, but he couldn't pick her up without pushing the needles further into her skin. Maka would have fussed anyway.
"Oh, right…It was like you were trying to synch our souls for Soul Resonance. Your wavelength was through the roof! There was no way I could've matched it. Your soul had materialized around you and everything…" Maka seemed to forget that she was talking again. Soul looked back down at her worriedly. Would they be able to make it to the hospital? She wasn't making much sense. He contemplated picking her up anyway despite the fussing he was going to get. After all, Maka's life was more important than a sour mood.
Soul Resonance is a special technique used by Meisters and Weapons in which they synchronize their Souls wavelength. By doing so, they can release highly powerful techniques and, more often than not, change the tide of a battle. However, for Soul Resonance to be successful, a Meister and their Weapon's soul wavelengths have to match, i.e. be in synch. When their soul wavelengths are in synch, the pair would be able to perform techniques that they would not normally be able to do. But why had his soul reacted like that? Soul Resonance was a mutual attempt. It was unheard of for one soul to try and start the process…Soul groaned softly. He had a feeling that he knew why.
"And then what happened?" He was afraid to ask, but he had to know how the apartment had gotten into such a state. He hadn't seen much of it, but what he had seen wasn't pretty; his main concern being that they literally did not have a roof anymore. Maka didn't even look up this time.
"The Black Blood… took over. You must've gotten cut somehow and it seeped out from some wound. It covered your soul," –In Soul Resonance, the person's soul materializes around them in a large ball—"and then started to…bubble. Then the next thing I knew, needles shot out in every direction." It wasn't that hard to imagine what happened next. Obviously, that little episode had destroyed the apartment, and Maka and her stupid self had risked her life to reach him and wake him up. Soul sighed and let her lean on him more. He was practically lifting her by now, but the hospital was finally in sight. Maka would get the medical attention she needed.
xxXXxx
Maka woke up in a hospital bed. Her body felt like it was on fire every time she moved, but when she turned her head, she smiled at the sight of Soul. He was slumped over in his seat, dozing and snoring slightly. Soul jolted awake after a couple minutes of feeling her eyes on him. When he saw that she was awake, he slowly got up and sauntered over, his hands in his pockets.
"You're alright. Good." Maka smiled. Anyone nearby would have thought that Soul didn't care about her well-being much, but she could see the relief in his eyes and the tension leave his shoulders. He had been worried and that warmed her heart.
"I'll survive. How long have I been here?"
"Just a couple of hours. Your wounds weren't too bad, so you'll be discharged soon."
"Oh my God! Maka! What has this brute done to you!?" Her father, Spirit, chose that moment to barge into the room and rush over to her bed. He thrust his face near her own, his hands tightly gripping one of the bars that lined her bed. Maka scowled and turned her head away from him, crossing her arms with some effort. Her father was not discouraged though and revealed that he had brought a rather large bouquet from behind his back. It was filled with bright orange tulips and Maka wrinkled her nose. She was allergic to those flowers, which was more proof that her father didn't know her at all. She could already feel the sneezes coming on.
"You idiot. She likes lilies. She's allergic to tulips." As if to prove his point, Maka sneezed. Her father, other than quickly throwing the tulip bouquet away, showed no sign of hearing Soul. The bright orange blob hit Soul square in the face. Soul growled and threw it out the window while Maka tried unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle.
"Oh honey! What happened?" Maka turned back to him and scowled.
"None of your business. Don't you have some woman to get back to?" She snapped irritably and her father flinched guiltily. He quickly straightened as silent tears poured down his face. Maka wasn't moved in the slightest while Soul just snickered in the corner.
"Now don't treat me like that! Is that any way to treat your father?" He whined, edging back to her bed on his knees. Maka rolled her eyes and impatiently pushed him away.
"Just go! I don't want you here!" Defeated, her father quickly departed with whatever dignity he had left. Her good mood ruined, Maka stared stonily at the wall. Soul shook his head and sat at the edge of her bed.
"You're really harsh on him, you know." He said softly and Maka's scalding glare landed on him. Unlike her father though, Soul was unfazed. She ignored his comment before turning her gaze to the wall. At least that wall didn't judge her.
Maka knew that she treated her father unfairly, but whenever she saw him, all she could ever think about was how he had cheated on her mother with all those women. She had caught him multiple times red-handed. Maka settled back down on her pillow and closed her eyes. She couldn't understand why her father had done such a thing. Her mother, Kami, had been strong and full of life, way better than all those other women he sought after. Maka, although she did love him, could never forgive her father for breaking up their family and their hearts. She wanted nothing to do with him yet he kept coming back trying to win back her love. Well. She would show him her love wasn't something to be bought. It had to be earned.
"Maka…" She opened her eyes, turning her head to look over at Soul. He was standing next to the open window, a warm breeze ruffling his hair. His back was to her, his hands in his pockets as he stared outside.
"Yeah, Soul?" Maka's tone held a hint of confusion as she tried to figure him out. Even though he was only a few feet from her hospital bed, Maka felt like he was an entire world away. Soul turned back to face her and she saddened when she saw the sorrow in his eyes. "Oh Soul. It's not your fault." She could tell that he didn't believe her. He just grunted softly and walked back over to her bed.
"The Black Blood is acting up again."
"I can see that." Maka jabbed mildly with a worried smile. He just stared at her flatly so Maka quickly moved on. "But that's weird. You ate that little ogre's soul and made him a part of you, which should have tamed the Black Blood. Why is it back now?" Soul shrugged, clearly still moody. Irked, Maka punched him in the shoulder to remind him to pay attention and to contribute to the conversation since it concerned him too. Soul rubbed his shoulder where she had hit him, no doubt humoring her, and tossed her a glare.
"How should I know? We don't know a lot about Black Blood, and the only person who did is dead." Maka winced at the mention of that woman.
Medusa: a powerful Witch, mother of Crona, and the creator of Black Blood. She had been a scary woman and had almost taken Professor Stein away from them. As if she had summoned him with her mind, Stein waltzed into her room. He was wearing his traditional lab coat and was twisting the bolt that stuck out the side of his head. She had gotten used to his appearance, but Maka remembered the first time that she had seen his patched up body. She had been thoroughly freaked out.
"Maka, I'm glad to see that you're awake." He gave her a warm smile and Maka grinned back, still unable to erase the memory of their first encounter. Because of the strength of her Soul Perception he had wanted to dissect her. Sometimes she wondered if he still wanted to do that. "Now, what happened?" As Maka recounted the story, Soul seemed to withdraw further into himself until he was so silent that she would have forgotten he was in the room if they weren't talking about him.
"Well, you're right." Stein conceded thoughtfully, turning his bolt again. Maka wondered absently if turning the bolts controlled his brain and allowed him to think. "Medusa is dead, and she would be the best source to talk to about this problem with the Black Blood. However, she was a scientist," he grimaced as if he didn't like being related to her even with such a title, "and any good scientist documents anything. It's a long stretch since she was still in the experiential stages of her work, but she might have documented something similar in her experiments." Maka was nodding along, but one problem surfaced in her mind over and over again.
"But Professor Stein, we don't know where Medusa's lair is…" Stein then shrugged at the two of them, turning to leave the room.
"Of course you do. You're just not seeing the big picture." He shouted cryptically over his shoulder before vanishing all together. Maka gave a groan of frustration before slouching against her pillow.
"I hate it when he does that."
xxXXxx
"So what do you think he meant when Stein said we're not looking at the big picture?" They were lounging in their temporary apartment while their old one was getting fixed. It was a couple doors down from their old home and the land lord was nice enough to let them stay there for free until their room was finished with repairs. Maka had strewn herself across the couch on her back in her pajamas, staring at the ceiling in fierce contemplation. It had been bugging her all day and she couldn't seem to figure it out. Soul remained silent as usual and Maka sighed. A moody Soul meant nothing was going to get done. Not until she knocked some sense into him anyway. She threw a pillow at him.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" She snapped. Soul blocked the pillow without looking and continued to ignore her. Maka moved to get up but froze when Soul growled a warning.
"The doctor said you are to remain immobile for a day, so stay where you are." He ordered harshly and Maka stopped trying to move with an exasperated sigh.
"Well at least get me some water. I'm thirsty." He moved quickly and efficiently, bringing her a glass before her head had even hit the pillow. She gladly took the glass and downed the contents quickly. "So what's really wrong?" She asked Soul softly. He stared at her for a moment, fighting some internal war, before sitting down heavily on the couch with her. She scooted over a bit to give him more room but Soul glared at her, reminding her that she needed to be still.
"All this…it's all my fault." Maka started to protest but he kept talking, effectively cutting her off. "I've been dreaming of the Black Room for awhile now, but I never played the piano until yesterday. That Little Ogre finally goaded me into playing and…" He leaned back, careful to avoid jostling her, "…it felt so good. All that power…I missed it. By playing I brought back the Black Blood and destroyed our apartment and hurt you." Soul ran a hand over his face and Maka looked at him with worried eyes. She knew that he was angry at himself, but it wasn't because he had fallen into temptation or destroyed the apartment. He was angry because she had gotten hurt because of him, something he could not accept because he was her Weapon, her protector. He was obviously distraught and Maka found herself moving before she had even thought about what to do.
Slowly, Maka sat up and wrapped her arms around Soul's middle, resting her chin on his shoulder. Soul lifted his head and turned it in her direction, cracking one eye open and regarding her warily. They were definitely in uncharted territory. Maka never held anyone like this, let alone a boy, but Soul needed her. He was going to beat himself up until he saw that she was alright. They would talk about him keeping things from her later, but Soul's state of mind was all that mattered to her at the moment. She needed him. It scared her sometimes how dependant she was on him and his presence.
"Soul, look at me. I'm fine. I'll be up at moving in no time! It wasn't your fault Soul," This time she stopped his protesting and silenced him with a glare. He looked away with a grunt but Maka kept talking. She knew he was listening. "How many times do I have to say that? We know that the Black Blood is powerful. I-It's even intoxicating…" Soul looked back at her, no doubt keeping his shock well hidden. Maka's eyes had a faraway look that told him she was remembering the power of the Black Blood as well. It was hard to resist, Maka knew that. She had almost lost herself in it. Only Soul, holding on to both his sanity and hers, had been able to reel her back in and return Maka to her normal self. But then she blinked and that far away look was gone. Maka was back and she bumped heads with him playfully. "I don't blame you for playing that piano or for what happened. All that matters is that you're okay. We'll figure out why this is happening together, alright?" Soul nodded with a sigh, letting his head fall back to the couch. Being so close, Maka was able to feel the tension leave his body. Prickles of embarrassment began to affect her but she held on anyway, surprised that she needed the comfort.
Maka couldn't lie to herself. She had been scared. More for Soul than herself, but she had been scared for her life. She relived the scene in her head: his soul being covered with Black Blood and then practically exploding. The initial burst had destroyed the apartment before the bombardment of needles started. It had been horrible and Maka had been afraid, more than anything, that Soul had somehow died. She remembered feeling that she just had to reach him, no matter what, even to the point of risking her own life to do so.
She was so lost in her thoughts that when Soul's voice reached her Maka was jolted out of them. She blinked up at him and Soul raised an eyebrow. "What?" She asked sheepishly and he shook his head.
"You're not supposed to move." He reminded her dutifully and Maka frowned before looking away.
"Well unless you want to help me use the restroom—" Soul was out of the chair before she could even finish her sentence, backing away towards his room.
"Uh, no thanks. You can move all you want. Just don't come complaining to me when you hurt all over!" Maka was still laughing when he shut his door for the night.
xxXXxx
When Maka walked into the kitchen the next day Soul was, shamelessly, drinking out of the milk carton. Irked, she soundlessly grabbed the book she kept on the counter for this sole purpose, wacking Soul with all of her strength in the center of his head, causing him to crumple towards the floor. With deft reflexes, Maka quickly retrieved the milk carton, hooking her finger through the small hand-hold and grabbing the cap for it in mid-air. She then closed the milk carton and stuck it in the fridge before Soul had even hit the floor.
"What'd you do that for!?" Soul shouted, mumbling something intelligible about her 'Maka Chops' as he staggered back onto his feet.
"You were drinking out of the carton." She said simply as she went over to the toaster to put some bread into it. Soul continued to grumble as he retrieved the milk once more and sat down on the table with a resentful glare. He then served himself some cereal, leaving the carton on the table. Maka growled and lifted her book again in warning before Soul quickly picked up the gallon and put it back in the fridge after pouring her a glass. With a satisfied huff Maka then went back to making her toast while Soul ate.
"So…I was thinking," Soul began as Maka sat down at the table. She moved to say something smart but he threatened to dump his bowl of cereal on her. Remembering the last time she had dared to test his threats, Maka stayed quiet. "When Stein was saying to look at the 'big picture,' I think he meant to think about who else would know where Medusa's lair is since she obviously can't tell us." Maka nodded and took a bite of her toast while Soul kept talking. "So, who do we know had close ties to Medusa?" After a long pause Maka felt like hitting herself.
"Crona!" Soul nodded, leaning back against his chair and folding his hands behind his head. "We have to go find him right now!" Maka was halfway out of her seat when Soul cleared his throat loudly. She looked over at him and he inclined his head to her barely touched toast.
"Eat."
"No."
"Maka, you will eat, even if I have to force feed you." Again, Maka remembered the last time she had tested this and quickly sat down. Begrudgingly, she ate her toast while he finished off his cereal. After they cleaned up and quickly changed, the duo was out the door and looking for their friend.
Crona, as per usual, was off by himself. He had never interacted well with others due to Medusa's abusive and controlling behavior and Maka's heart ached for him. It seemed like no matter how much his new friends showed that they loved Crona he would always be like that. She couldn't imagine the things that he had endured during his childhood and it was one of the few times that she was thankful for her own little dysfunctional family. At least she hadn't been forced to kill people and eat their souls to become the first Demon God.
When they had encountered Crona, he had been under Medusa's spell. In his normal state, Crona is unable to harm even a fly, but with some 'encouragement' from his mother, he became aggressive enough to kill. Even enjoy it. Her goal was to make Crona a Demon God and Ragnarok the Demon Weapon. She had wanted to rule the world with her child at her side, making Crona endure harsh punishments when he didn't meet her expectations. In consequence, Medusa was a very sore subject for Crona, rightfully so. Sadly, that didn't help their cause in the slightest.
Crona looked up at the sound of their approach. Maka's heart warmed at the sight of Crona's happy smile at seeing her. However, it diminished slightly when he saw that she was not alone. She glanced sideways at Soul who only shrugged. He had never liked Crona, but he had reached a grudging respect for the strange boy. Crona had saved her live after all in Medusa's final battle. She repressed a shudder at the memory. Crona, in his rage, had lashed out at his mother and stabbed her, delivering a fatal blow. Instead of a look of betrayal on Medusa's face she had only smiled, a feral expression that still haunted Maka, and told Crona that she loved him. Maka didn't know what was more scarring: Crona's frightening rage or Medusa's last moments.
"Hey Crona!" She called out to the boy with a cheerful wave. He gave a hesitant smile, raising a hand in a small wave. Ragnarok quickly materialized from Crona's back, appearing like a small phantom, and stretched over to her and Soul, dragging Crona along with him.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Enough with the chit-chat! Did you bring me some candy?" Soul grimaced and flung Ragnarok to the side. The small being flew and, sadly, so did Crona. They landed against a tree with a loud thud, making Maka wince at the strength of the impact.
"Soul! Was that really necessary!?"
"Probably not." Irritated, Maka shoved Soul. He barely even budged. He only laughed at her as she stomped over to Crona and helped him to her feet.
"Are you okay, Crona?" She asked worriedly, her voice filled with concern. Crona stammered a yes, his face red, as a very angry Ragnarok materialized again.
"Hey! What was that for!?"
"For being annoying?" Soul offered as if there were many other reasons he could provide for that question. Maka had no doubt that he did. She glared at Soul before turning back to the two bickering Meister and Weapon before her. Ragnarok relentlessly pestered Crona about being weak and unable to stand up for himself and this time was no different. Causing quite a ruckus, he was just starting to shove Crona around when Maka butted in. She dug inside her pocket and held out a piece of candy. Ragnarok, smelling the tasty treat, immediately left Crona alone and snatched the candy out of her offered hand. He quickly darted away to enjoy the tasty morsel uninterrupted. Maka smiled. Great. Now she could ask Crona questions without having to worry about his annoying Weapon.
"Crona, I was wondering if you knew anything about where Medusa's lair might be?" Crona, who had been staring off after Ragnarok, immediately stilled and slowly turned back to her, his expression filled with horror.
"M-My mother!? Why do you want to know where she lived!?" He started to wail loudly and Maka winced before quickly trying to mollify him. After a few soothing words from her Crona soon calmed down enough to have a normal conversation again, although he refused to look at her and was hyperventilating rapidly. This was obviously hard for him and she had a sinking feeling that this conversation only had one outcome.
"Because…something's wrong with Soul. The Black Blood started to act up again and we don't know what's going on. We were hoping that you could tell us where Medusa's lair is so we can see if she left anything behind that could tell us something." Crona trembled, leaning away from her as if she had something contagious and he didn't want to catch it. Maka could feel her heart breaking. How could someone reduce her child to this? He was a sniveling mess, struggling not to cry as he tried everything possible to avoid confronting his past. She could tell he was battling some internal war that she couldn't see. Maka reached out to place a hand on his arm and Crona flinched away.
"No! I don't want to go!" Maka cocked her head to the side, retracting her hand slowly. Crona continued to babble, not making any sense as he got louder and louder. If this got any worse Ragnarok would come running. He didn't like it if anyone else tormented Crona other than him.
"No one's saying that you have to go Crona—"
"Yes! Yes you are! No one knows where it is but me!"
"So you could just tell me…"
"But I can't tell! I was forbidden to tell at all costs! Not even you, my precious Maka…" Maka sighed and ran a hand through her hair. What was she going to do? This wasn't going anywhere. She knew this was going to happen. Anything concerning his mother caused Crona to go berserk. Maka could only watch as Crona withdrew, curling up in a ball at the base of the tree he had been slammed against, muttering himself to him the entire time. She heard a loud sigh of exasperation from behind her and Maka turned to see Soul pushing past her. He crouched to Crona's level and watched him for a moment. Crona stared straight ahead, fixed on something that no one else could see. Soul sighed again before reaching out a hand on touching Crona's shoulder. The poor boy was so far gone that he didn't even react.
"So you can't tell us, but why don't you show us?" Soul asked with a conspiratory gleam in his eye. Crona looked over at him, his eyes a bit glassy, as he struggled to focus on the boy who was offering him a loophole in his mother's orders. Crona continued to fidget as he looked around as if his mother was going to pop out of the bushes and reprimand him for his betrayal. His breathing eventually calmed until he peered up at Soul through his pink bangs.
"Show you?" He repeated softly as Ragnarok emerged from his hiding place, his feasting done and over with. He glanced at the huddled Crona, paused, then launched himself at Soul, pummeling him with his tiny fists.
"What did you do? Crona wouldn't hurt a fly! Only I can torment him like that you big brute!" Maka chuckled as Soul threw up his arms to shield his face from Ragnarok's relentless attacks. It was strange, Ragnarok's relationship with Crona. Ragnarok was Crona's bully and always put him down, but when someone –other than him—tormented Crona, the Weapon would come to his rescue and defend him. But, because his attitude was quick to change, so was his attention. Maka dug into her pocket again and held out a couple pieces of candy. Ragnarok immediately stilled and turned to face her with hungry eyes, his attention now solely on the candy she held in her hand. He then stretched out again, snatched the pieces of candy, and disappeared again. This time he stayed in sight though to keep an eye on the ongoings of their conversation.
Soul, now in a foul mood, moved away and stood slouched beside Maka with his hands in his pockets. He had walked away with a couple of bruises, though they were rapidly healing. She giggled again and patted his shoulder in thanks before turning back to Crona. He kept a wary eye on all of them, fearing some attack from any side, either physical or emotional. Maka took a tentative step closer to see if Crona would react. His eyes got a bit wider in his terror but he didn't move away.
"Crona, could you please show us how to get to Medusa's lair? You don't have to go inside. It would help us –me—a great deal." His ears seemed to perk and he stared at her intently.
"Help you? I could do that? I don't know if I can…" Maka crouched beside him and placed a tender hand on his shoulder. He leaned against it, seeking comfort, and she smiled softly.
"Of course you can, Crona. I believe in you. Please come with us?" Crona slowly nodded and shakily got to his feet. Ragnarok slowly slithered over and stuck his tongue out at Soul and Maka.
"I can't believe you're making us go back. Don't you know that'll be hard on Crona?" With his accusing words still ringing in the air he quickly disappeared back inside his Meister. Maka's mood immediately sobered. Was she being selfish here? Putting Soul's wellbeing over Crona's fragile mental health?
Was she doing the right thing?
Maka felt a hand grasp hers and looked over to see Soul with an encouraging smile. Maka returned his smile with one of her own, finding comfort that Soul would support her with whatever decision she made. They could stop this seemingly futile search and Soul would still stand by her and persevere. She couldn't ask for a better friend. Maka turned back to Crona to see him staring at their interlocked hands with a frown on his face. Maka, suddenly embarrassed, let go of Soul's hand quickly and clasped her hands behind her back. Soul chuckled a bit darkly before throwing a sideways glance at Crona.
"Yo! Are we going or not? We've spent enough time just standing here talking." Crona quickly nodded and moved quickly to stand beside Maka. He grabbed her hand and started to pull her along. Maka, startled, could only fall along with Crona's sudden enthusiasm. Soon they were linked arm-in-arm and singing songs at the top of their lungs with a grumbling Soul trudging behind them.
"This is going to be a long trip." He muttered as Maka and Soul skipped cheerily ahead of him.
xxXXxx
Crona informed them at the gates of the city that the trip was going to take a few days, so the trio had to head back to Maka and Soul's apartment. They packed what they needed before heading out.
Again.
The journey had been hard, especially with the sun mocking them from above with its relentless heat, but they eventually reached Medusa's lair. It had been in the middle of the desert and deep underground. By the time they had reached it, the trio were covered head to toe in grime and dirt.
"Ugh. I feel dirty." Maka complained irritably, trying unsuccessfully to wipe all the grime off. Soul and Crona shared similar complaints as they trudged onward, the latter leading the group. Crona lead them to a dimly lit cavern. It was in the rough shape of a circle and was over three stories high. They stopped at the entrance and Soul and Maka looked around in confusion.
"There's nothing here." Soul groaned, running a hand through his hair. Maka looked around as well for some sort of sign that she had missed something. Had Crona led them elsewhere? Had that loophole in Medusa's orders not been enough? They both looked towards Crona with questioning stares to see that their friend had gone pale, his eyes wide. "What is it?" Soul asked, immediately taking a defensive stance due to Crona's alarm, his eyes scanning the surroundings. Maka focused on Crona, placing a hand on his arm. The contact seemed to bring Crona back and he looked at her.
"The Guardian…the basilisk…." Maka's stomach filled with dread. Medusa was a fan of snakes, her arms were even covered with snake tattoos, and a basilisk just happened to be a very large and very nasty sake.
"What about the basilisk?" She asked softly and Crona just pointed. It was then that Maka saw what had him so frightened. She didn't know how she could have missed it. When Soul stiffened beside her Maka knew that he had seen it too.
The cave's floor was a writhing mass of shining coils. The cavern had been so dark that they hadn't noticed before, but now that Maka had, she could detect the sheen from the scales that could only belong to one animal: a snake. The basilisk that Crona spoke of was massive, and filled the whole room. Crona trembled beside her and she placed a hand on his arm in a silent sign of comfort, though even to her it felt hollow. How were they supposed to pass this beast? Luckily it hadn't sensed their presence—
A large head ascended in the gloom. Golden eyes stared at them as a large, red forked tongue scented the air. Its head swiveled from side to side and the trio stilled, acting out of instinct. Maybe if they were still, they wouldn't be detected. Crona was trembling so hard that Maka was afraid his teeth would start to chatter. Ragnarok chose then to appear and Maka closed her eyes. They were doomed.
"Hey guys! What's going—" An impossibly loud roar filled the cavern, making them cover their ears. The basilisk knew they were here.
"Well, there went coming up with a plan." Maka complained and Soul just chuckled darkly. She tossed him a glare. He was never one for plans. His arm had already transformed to the blade of her scythe.
"You know it's more fun this way Maka." His laughter rang in her ears as he jumped into the air, finishing his transformation. The basilisk, focusing on the sounds of their conversation, pinpointed their location and darted forward. She reached up and caught Soul, now her scythe, and jumped out of the way, realizing too late that Crona still hadn't moved. He was paralyzed with fear, his eyes wide as the basilisk raced towards him for a fatal strike.
"Crona!" She screamed, her feet finding a nearby wall as she readied herself to jump back. She refused to believe that she was too late even as the basilisk head neared her friend. Her voice seemed to shock Crona out of his fear and he moved just in the nick of time in the opposite direction she had taken. Maka took a relieved breath. He was okay! However, her relief was short-lived. He stumbled over one of the coils that riddled the floor and fell flat on his face, leaving him perfectly open for attack. Soul's voice tsked beside her.
"Useless." Maka tossed him a glare before leaping into the air. This time, she knew for sure she would be able to reach Crona before the basilisk. Crona was struggling to get up when Maka reached him, the basilisk colliding into her blade an instant later. The head flew back with a loud screech. Maka grimaced at the sound but felt only satisfaction as the beast reared back, blood spilling from its maw. Its ivory fangs shined with saliva and venom and Maka knew that if she was even nicked by one of those she would be dead in seconds.
Crona got to his feet and Soul tore into him angrily. Maka knew he was just angry that she had to put herself in unnecessary danger to protect him, but Crona didn't need to be agitated anymore than he already was. He was already unstable, and further agitation would truly make him useless in this fight.
"Why the hell haven't you summoned Ragnarok?! Are you stupid or something? Get that annoying little twit out here or there is going to be one less person with black blood in this room!" Crona shrank away from the angry blade while Ragnarok reappeared. The beast scented the air again as if to reorient itself and Maka's eyes narrowed. Was this thing blind? If that was the case…She focused on the tongue. If it was cut off, the beast would have no chance of locating them and could be taken down with ease, even with its size.
Arguing erupted from behind her and Maka's eyebrow twitched. "If you guys don't knck it off…" She warned softly, her voice ice as the threat hung in the air. Instantly there was silence and Maka knew, without having to turn around, that Ragnarok was now a sword. She turned her attention back to the beast only to see it lunging for another attack. With a shout she jumped away and Crona did the same, the snake's head colliding with the ground. It had been going too fast to stop, but Maka had a feeling the basilisk didn't know they weren't there anymore until it had hit the ground. It shook its head and scented the air again. Maka hid behind a pillar as an idea started to form in her mind as the beast tried to locate them. Maka was certain now that the snake was blind, so, to test out her idea, she smacked Soul's blade against the pillar she was hiding behind. Soul was instantly alarmed.
"Maka, what the hell are you—" When she saw that the snake instantly swerved to look her way and attacked, Maka jumped away. The snake collided with the pillar full force, the rocks crumbling on top of its head. Just as she thought. If they stunned this thing enough times, they could get close enough to cut off its tongue.
"Ah, okay! I see what you're doing!" Maka smiled, despite her peril, at Soul's exclamation. He was a bit slow on the uptake sometimes. She jumped from one outcrop of rock to another until she reached where Crona was perched. He was still trembling and could only stare at the monster that hissed furiously across the cavern, momentarily a safe distance away.
"Crona! Listen to me!" She jostled him hard enough that his teeth rattled to get his attention. "You're going to have to be brave, alright? You see all these pillars? Make some noise near them so that the basilisk slams his head into them. He's blind, so he won't know you're not there till he hits rock." Crona started to tremble again and her scythe twitched. Soul was itching to hit him but Maka kept her grip strong. She was patient with Crona when Soul was not, which happened to be crucial for her plan to work. She couldn't do this alone.
"I don't know if I'll be able to handle that. The b-basilisk is very big…"
"But that's just it Crona. If you do this, it won't matter that he's big. He'll be out cold in no time. Just don't trip over his coils." She gave an encouraging smile and Crona returned it with a shaky one of his own. He straightened and gave a determined, curt nod before dashing into action. Together, they were able to disorient the beast enough that Maka got the chance she needed.
Leaping into the air, Maka brought her scythe down across the beast's tongue. It was a clean cut, and the severed appendage bounced weakly on the ground, twitching as the last of its nerves died. The basilisk roared with pain, its mouth open as blood rained down upon them. Maka was unable to escape most of the spray and retreated to a safe distance as the snake thrashed about. Disgusted, she wiped some blood off her forehead and froze. It was black. Maka whirled around, her eyes wide.
It had black blood.
But how?
Crona dashed forward for the fatal blow and Maka moved to shout, but it was too late. The blood that squirted out of the beast rained down towards Crona, sharpening into spikes. Maka dashed over with all that she had, she knew what it was like to be impaled by those, but even as her feet moved, she knew she wouldn't get there in time. The bloodied spikes reached Crona with break-neck speed, speed that she did not possess. Maka shouted his name, hating the feeling of being powerless, the inability to protect her friend. They locked eyes the instant it happened and she choked back a sob. Some went through cleanly, but many stuck out at odd angles, many, Maka knew from her anatomy classes, had hit internal organs. Madly, she compared Crona with a pin cushion.
Her friend staggered at the impact and Maka closed her eyes, waiting for him to fall. But he didn't. The spikes were pushed out with an unseen force powerful enough to send them to the opposite side of the cavern. Some glanced off the basilisk's tough armor and Maka wished they hadn't. She wanted that snake to feel what Crona had. Or had he felt it at all? She couldn't believe that she had forgotten. Crona's entire body was filled with black blood, able to form an impenetrable armor around him to protect himself. However, instead of striking the final blow like he had intended, Ragnarok seemed to have a different agenda. The Weapon was mesmerized by the shower of black blood and dragged Crona closer to the beast. The snake was dangerously still now, poised to strike at the slightest sound. Maka held her breath. Should she distract it so Crona could get away? He seemed unharmed, but what the hell was Ragnarok doing?
Ragnarok lost its weapon form, reducing itself back to the small, chibi-like creature with boggle eyes and a small muscled body that was attached to Crona's back. He watched, mesmerized, before suddenly leaping up and grabbing the snake's tongue. The snake recoiled, but Ragnarok held on tight as he clamped he bathed himself in the black blood. The liquid soaked his skin and disappeared as if he absorbed it and Maka watched Ragnarok grow before her eyes. He soon towered over them, his muscles bulging and his form huge and massive. Ragnarok had been restored to his former glory and looked just like he had when Maka and Soul had first seen Crona. Maka had gotten used to Ragnarok being so tiny, but now he was massive and menacing, a force not to be reckoned with. She was glad that Crona was on her side because she didn't want to face Ragnarok again. She shuddered at the memory of Crona stabbing Soul. He still had the massive scar across his chest, a constant reminder that she had screwed up.
Without wasting any time, Ragnarok wrapped his fingers around the snake's throat and ripped its head off. She heard a sharp intake of breath and Maka wasn't sure if it had been her or Soul that had gasped. It was a massive display of power and strength.
Maka was really glad that Ragnarok was on their side.
The snake fell to the ground, lifeless, while the head continued to snap in vain until it too eventually died. Maka still hadn't moved, but Soul had transformed back into his human self. They both gaped at Ragnarok who, after feasting on the soul that had manifested from the passing of their foe, was busy laughing maniacally as he flexed his muscles, glad to be back to his normal self. He then proceeded to bully Crona who was not so glad that his Weapon was back to normal.
"I don't know if I should be happy about this or just sad for Crona." Soul murmured and Maka chuckled.
"I feel the same away. Ah well, at least the snake is dead." Soul grinned and hi-fived her.
"Yeah, good plan! Thought you were insane for a couple seconds, but good plan!" Maka laughed but paused when she saw his attention was drawn to something over her shoulder. She turned around to see the massive snake slowly disappearing. It took Maka a moment to realize that it was shrinking. Before long it was the size of a normal snake. Well, it was the size of an anaconda, but compared to the monster it had been before, it looked normal.
"What happened?" She asked softly and Soul shrugged.
"Maybe the Black Blood made it more powerful. Now that its dead…the blood doesn't sustain it anymore." Maka nodded slowly. Made sense. Ragnarok was still messing with Crona and Maka sighed, digging into her pocket and throwing the massive Weapon a couple pieces of candy. It was distraction enough and he left Crona alone.
"Alright Crona, now what? The cavern's still empty. I don't see Medusa's lair." Crona fixed his hair as he walked towards the wall that the snake was slumped against. He gave the dead animal a wide berth as Maka and Soul followed him over.
"Then my mother's camouflages are still up. Here, watch this." He placed his hand on the cavern wall and Maka and Soul waited. Nothing happened. They glanced at each other and were about to question their friend once more when Crona took a step forward and disappeared through the wall.
"What the hell!?" Soul exclaimed as they rushed over. They looked at the wall warily. It looked solid enough, but Crona had walked right through it like it wasn't there. As if the mere thought had summoned him, Crona poked his head out. Maka resisted the urge to shudder. Seeing Crona disembodied was a strange sight to see.
"Are you guys coming?" He asked in a strangely cheerful manner and they nodded, cautiously stepping after him as Crona disappeared once more. They passed through the wall as well and Maka looked back behind her in wonder. What a clever disguise. Anyone other than Crona and Medusa would have thought the cavern was a dead end, not the entrance to the lair of one of the most powerful Witches Maka had ever seen.
"Freaky…" Was Soul's only remark before following after Crona. Maka moved quickly to catch up with them, wondering what had happened to Crona's trepidation of entering his mother's lair. Maybe facing the snake had done him some good and he figured that, if he could take down a massive basilisk, that wandering around a lair that had no one in it should be no problem.
She squinted under the fluorescent lights as she tried to get her bearings. Everything was a blinding white, making the hallways almost indistinguishable. If Crona hadn't been there to guide them, Maka would have crashed into the walls on multiple occasions. Soul snickered every time she tripped up, earning him a glare, but she kept walking with her head high. Eventually they reached the main room, coming to a halt at the chaos before them.
"Whoa…" Soul and Maka could only look around while Crona made sounds of distress at the mess in his mother's laboratory. He busily picked up the papers that littered the floor and carefully stepped around the black liquid that coated the floor. It looked like an ink bottle had exploded inside the all white, black ink coating every surface possible in horrible splatters that reminded Maka of blood.
Blood…
Ragnarok had materialized out of Crona's back once more and sniffed the ground hungrily, like a dog sniffing out a tasty morsel he had found in the garbage. He then laughed and started licking up the mess in a frenzy that disgusted Maka. Crona did nothing to stop it, but Soul seemed to share the alarm that she did. Ragnarok didn't need to get any bigger. He was a big enough problem already. Together, they restrained Ragnarok, albeit she had to lose a bit more candy in the process. Soul gave her a wondering look and Maka giggled knowingly. He wanted to know where she was storing all this candy, but all she did was shrug and examined the liquid closely. It was obviously Black Blood, Ragnarok was crazy about the stuff, but why was it splattered everywhere? Someone had obviously come through trying to find something that Medusa knew…but what? Crona was still busily picking up things and was currently trying to handle a large, broken vase. Maka rushed over to help and together they placed the ruined piece on a desk.
"What happened?" Maka asked aloud as she surveyed the room one more time. She couldn't help but feel her heart sink. They wouldn't be able to find anything in this mess, and even if they did find something, it probably wasn't salvageable. Almost everything was destroyed.
"I-I don't know. Anyone could've done this…" Crona wrung his hands in his distraught and looked around, obviously itching to fix his mother's work place but knowing that his efforts would be fruitless. Soul kicked at a piece of paper in his frustration, his posture slouched and his hands deep in his pockets. Maka watched him sadly. She knew those hands were clenched in fists, that he had desperately hoped they would find something that would help him get rid of the Black Blood forever. She moved to take a step toward him but dropped her hand. She didn't have anything to say. What could she even say? With a sigh, Maka looked down and kicked at a paper herself. It fluttered and settled at Crona's feet. What a waste of time. They hadn't gotten any closer to curing Soul and he was losing hope fast. Her heart started to beat rapidly. She knew what would happen. If Soul felt like he couldn't protect her, especially from himself, he would leave. Maka felt herself swaying. She wouldn't know what to do if Soul left. It was something she couldn't even consider right now. They had to keep looking. There had to be something here—
"Hey, what's this?" She heard Crona ask and Maka and Soul looked over to the piece of paper that she had kicked over. He bent to pick it up as they shuffled near, peering over his shoulders. It was one of the few papers that hadn't been damaged in the disaster that had occurred here. The parchment was yellow, suggesting it was a couple of years old, and was covered with Medusa's signature vector arrows. They crisscrossed the page in impossible patterns that made the words below them impossible to read.
"It looks like an encrypted message. What does it say, Maka?" Soul asked and the two boys looked expectantly at her. Maka snorted in mild irritation.
"I don't know everything guys. I can't tell you what it says just by looking at it." She huffed as she stared at it for a bit longer. A signature at the bottom caught her attention. "Who's M.N.?" She asked softly and Soul glanced at her. Maka knew what was coming before he even opened his mouth.
"I don't know Maka. We can't tell you what it means just by looking at it." He retorted in a mocking tone and Maka rolled her eyes. Crona laughed softly at their banter before examining the paper again.
"Should we keep it?" He asked them and Maka nodded.
"Might as well. It could be useful later." Together, they searched the room for anything else that was salvageable but found nothing of interest. With sighs and heavy hearts, the trio left Medusa's lair and started the long trudge back to the academy.