Paint it White
By: RoseWaters
Chapter 1: Hymns
It was lingering in the thick air. The smell of heavy smoke mingled with the screams and chaotic movements of frantic people. There motions so uncoordinated from panic that many stumbled and then continued to run on hands and knees.
His mind was focused on her pale pink lips. The way they were slightly parted as she took deep unsteady breaths. He could feel the rattling of her chest as she pressed him closer to her, the low chuckle like laughter rattling her broken ribs and sending an uncomfortable chill through him. He took a sharp intake of breath as he watched her fingers slip into her blond hair as she tilted her head back her fingers running down the right side of her face and slowly tracing down her neck as her green eyes lingered on the sky above.
That low, slightly haunting chuckle becoming so soft till it all together filtered out in the hazy night sky. Unlike his partner his mind was clear and he realized how inappropriate they must look when his eyes landed on an older man who was plastered to the ground; his eyes staring at his mister in utter terror.
His muscles tensed as the sensation of warm liquid ran down his arm. She was bleeding and as his eyes roamed her he noticed it was from a deep cut that ran from her left shoulder, down to her elbow. He felt the shaking of his long thin fingers as they hovered over the keys of his piano. This was a terribly dangerous situation, and it was stretching out far too long.
This village was being consumed by madness, and there she was in the center relishing the moment. He felt the shift in the air and he knew she did as well when her eyes suddenly widened and her head snapped forward, her body reacting immediately to the stimulus of the shift in the air. She clashed heavily with the disfigured shape, its long dark claws scrapping against his scythe form.
She leaned back suddenly, the sensation of falling making him grip the keys tightly. A loud hollow deep tone reverberating thought their bodies as she brought him up swiftly, slicing the figure in half, right down the middle. He was rammed into the ground roughly as her leg wrapped around him and she spun herself up into a standing position again. Her thigh still tightly pressed against him, the heat of her body not sliding by unnoticed to him.
He was exhausted, the sweat was dampening his entire body and he wondered vaguely how much more either of them could take. It didn't seem to matter how many they took down, whether 50 or 60, it was just an endless stream of these disfigured creatures created by the madness that was blanketing the city.
It had already been 45 nonstop minutes of fully activated black blood. He was exhausted and he could literally feel Maka's grip on reality slipping. Where in seven fucking hells was there back up at.
He felt the chill wind up his chest as her lips pressed into his scythe form. He exhaled a shaky breath at the sensation, his eyes closing and relishing the moment. His fingers wrapped around the keys lid and tighten. He was losing himself too, slowly but surely.
She exhaled slowly and he could feel the tickle of her warm breath against his lower right ear. He shifted his neck to the left as his red eyes narrowed. He could feel the agitation he had with himself grow and mutate into something darker.
His eyes landed on the little red imp as it let out an audible breath of air and smirked in his direction.
"Sadistic kid, the poor girl is battered and exhausted and you're getting off on it."
His teeth clenched as he attempted in vain to refocus himself, however her body leaned into the scythe for support. Her knees buckled and her entire chest pressed into the metal, her thighs following suit as she needed the support.
Her body felt like it was straddling him and the heat and sensation was maddening.
He clenched his eyes shut and the little imp slowly sipped his red wine.
Soul voice came out in a low rumble, "I fucking hate you, you little bastard."
His red eyes opened slowly, as he took a deep breath. He could handle this, this desire, regardless of how untamed his inhibitions currently were.
"Why do you make it sound like it's my fault? You're the only one with illicit thoughts."
He felt his chest tighten as he refocused on the battle. Maka had suddenly sliced up and his eyes caught the sight of the mutated black head hit the ground behind him. She used the other part of the body as a spring board. He could feel the cool air as she pulled him back and swung forward, the sound of him slipping though the enemy was similar to scissors through silk. She landed crouched and instantly thrust him upward with that same distinctive sound. Maka's body followed through and used him as leverage to perform a back flip, her feet and knees hitting the ground at the same time. Her breathing ragged.
He felt her exhaustion as her entire body leaned against the scythe. Once again it felt like she was straddling him and he was hard pressed to keep focused. She was panting, he was panting.
It happened suddenly. His red eyes focused ahead as a monstrously large disfigured black creature stood bent. It was easily eight feet tall and he could feel Maka's fingers tighten their grip on him. He hiss as her fingernails dug into his skin.
In a flash the giant black fingers wrapped around them, the sensation of losing gravity consuming him as the creature rammed her body though a thick wooden door of some random brick building. He felt her fingers leave him and he spun across the tiled floor to the left. He shifted back in time to watch her back skid across the tiles and down a long walkway. The enormous black creature tearing off the wide door frame, as well as, the surrounding walls; Soul's red eyes did a sudden survey.
From the navy shining tiles to the row upon row of dark mahogany benches, the room dimly lit with candles that surrounded everything. A long narrow walkway lined with incredibly tall gold candle stick holders and a deep red carpet lining the walkway.
Panic rushed through him as he struggled to his feet; he needed to quickly get to her side. His right eye twitched at the sharp pain that spread across his temple. His fingers wiping away the blood that was pulling at his hair line, his low voice muttered a quiet, "shit" as he forced his vision to refocus. If he was hurt this bad she must be wrecked.
One giant disfigured black hand crashed into his chest slamming his body into the left side wall. He felt his breath literally forced out of him as me was pinned to the wall with the creature's hand slowly crushing his chest. Concrete and dry wall crumbling and shattering to the ground around his feet; he unwillingly let out a strangled gasp and his vision flashed white for a moment. He focused his eyes, narrowing as he found her in the center her body crumpled into a sitting position as she watched him.
He could vaguely hear the echoes from whatever sound system the place had. The soft sweet echoes of a hymn. He clenched his jaw as he realized he was in a church, a twisted grin coated his features as that realization dawned on him. These holy places and him never really had fond memories together. His fists clenched as he struggled in vain against the grotesque hand pinning him down. His red eyes went to her figure; he needed to help her regardless of what happened to him.
His red eyes roamed over her as the seconds seemed to linger. He was taking her in, slim waist became visible as sweat and blood had made the fabric of her thin long sleeved black shirt cling to her body like wet oil. Her back arched as she forced herself to sit up straight; dark green eyes barely visible as her blond hair fell over her shoulder.
Her chest was heaving as she took swift intakes of breaths. It was small but it didn't go unnoticed by him, her eyes had widened and her body had tensed as her eyes looked past the black creature to where the wooden double doors once stood.
His eyes slowly followed hers; he squinted for a moment as the heat radiating from the flames in the village waved the air. He was forced to close his right eyes as a slow trickle of blood ran down his temple further mutilating his vision.
It was difficult but he could make out the outline of a figure, definably male, and incredibly muscular. Large and undeniably something his thin partner in her current condition had no chance of winning against in hand-to-hand combat.
He watched as her head swung backwards, the low rumbling laughter sending waves of fear though him. It was the first time he had heard Maka speak since everything went to hell about an hour ago.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me."
Her voice was weighted with fatigue and something he couldn't place. The back of his mind was screaming he was missing something that should be apparent.
He followed her as she forced herself to stand, his eyes for the first time noticing how truly broken her body was. From the wound on her left shoulder to the numerous bruises and cuts littering the parts of her body he could see. Though he wasn't entirely sure what, he was aware that here was something wrong with her collar bone.
His head shifted to the gaping hole where a doorway once stood, the sound of heavy footsteps and deep throated laughter finally stealing his attention.
"My, oh my, how many years has it been Maka? I've been waiting for this you know that."
Soul's whole body shook as the man's face finally became visible. Maka's voice carried that same foreign tone that he couldn't place.
"It's been about 7 years. How did you get out of the book? Oh, and when did you change bodies?
Her voice lingered before she add, "Giriko?"
There was something in her tone and it was distracting him. Forcing him to take notice of her rather than think of how the hell he was going to help. It was eating away at what little coherent thought Soul could string together.
"Well the book is a long….." Giriko let the 'o' linger, his tone indifferent and the shrug of his massive shoulders mirroring the tone his voice held, "…boring story."
Giriko took a step forward and a twisted smile mutated the strong jaw line that he had. "I switched bodies about a year ago. I've been training this one up."
Soul watched as the man threw off his coat the maroon undershirt sticking to his huge muscled frame.
"I've been training it up for you Maka. I promised to make you beg, remember? How old are you now, baby?"
Fear rushed through Soul like hot liquid metal as the connotation to Giriko's words hit him. His mind reeled with the memory of that half-assed room in the book of Eibon and that large bed floating in nothingness. The sound of a chainsaw that sounded from time to time echoing in his ears.
"I'm 22."
He was frantic as the desperation to help his partner was rushing his action and throwing his usually analytical mind to the way side.
A leer crossed Giriko's features, "Oh, so your legal now princess?"
"Get the fuck away from her you sick son-of-a-bitch!"
With one swift gesture of Giriko's muscled arm the large black creature thrust its hand deeper into the dry wall and concrete behind Soul. The sudden pressure on his chest breaking his ribs, this was proven true as he spattered blood from his mouth.
"Oh god Soul!" He could hear the shake in her voice and he finally placed why it sounded so foreign to him at first. Maka was absolutely terrified.
"Calm down prince charming. You're not going to be saving the princess this time around. "
He took heavy steps forward and Soul could feel his fingers helplessly digging into the dry wall as the hand held him at bay.
A deep growl shook Soul's chest as he pushed back with every ounce of strength that was still in his body only to remain in the exact same position, "Maka make a run for it!"
Her green eyes shifted to him for only a second before she refocused on Giriko's deep malicious tone.
"Aren't you gonna at least put up a fight baby? I already told you I ain't into the dead fish type."
Soul could see the panic seeping into the confident facade that Maka had put up the second her eyes noticed Giriko. The shadows from the candles swept across her face making the fear that was creeping up on her visible.
"Listen sweetheart, you give me a good fight and I won't kill yer weapon. Seems fair right?"
This was fucking irritating. He wasn't going to let this sick motherfucker use him as some kind of bait to jerk Maka around with. If he could just get free from this damn thing. It was the odd clattering sound that caught his attention. He eyes shoot up to see her hands gripping the long gold candle holder that had been placed along the walk way.
It was sudden and sickening how deep and loud Giriko's voice was as it echoed off the walls and combined awkwardly with the gentle hum of the hymn that was still playing in the background. His head thrown back and his arms wide open.
"You're the fucking best, baby! Just the fuckin' best! What kinda crazy bitch picks up a big ass candlestick to fight a fuckin' chainsaw!"
His head lowered slowly the dirty blond colored hair swaying as he held back his laughter. His eyes locked with her narrowed green ones, an odd strength despite her current situation.
"Don't worry, I won't kill yer weapon. After all, I want him to watch me fuck you. I want him to hear you scream my name."
His movement was sudden for such a large body and the awkward sound of his chain saw blurred and then rose in volume as Maka slid to the right, her small body sliding under his arm and with a sudden swing upward. The base of the gold stick struck his chin forcing his face upward. His body tumbled backwards only a step before he regained his balance, his tongue licking the blood off the side of his lip. His head tipped backwards in deep laughter.
"With a fuckin' candleholder! What the fuck, to funny!"
Soul watched as Maka's right knee gave way for a second before she righted herself. Her ragged uneven breaths shaking her body, she couldn't manage another attack. He knew it, Maka knew it, and he was sure as hell Giriko knew it.
He needed to buy time; Giriko wanted this to drag out anyways. He just needed to get the man's attention on him and far away from Maka. God only knows what this sick chainsaw son-of-a-bitch would do to Maka with enough time.
"Let me fight you. After all you must be pretty pissed about the last time right?"
Giriko looked over to the wall, his eyes running over Soul in a very calculating manor before a frown spread across his face.
"Look here, knight in shining armor. This ain't no fuckin' TV drama. I got nothing to be pissed about since I kicked your ass across that sloth chapter. You only won after your pretty little women took control."
Giriko's eyes lazily returned to Maka, his expression blank before they refocused on Soul, a demented grin lifting and creasing the skin around his eyes.
"Hey baby, you're gonna drop that candle stick."
His head tilted to Maka, her expression clearly displaying her confusion.
"Or…. Imma have to crush Prince Charming's chest and let him fuckin' suffocate to death. Should we find out how long it takes to squish a weapon's lungs? I hear their bodies are built tougher than misters, wanna find out princess? We can add just a little extra pressure every minute until he dies. Fun game, no?"
His voice echoed through the church as a long silence stretched out. Soul watched as Maka stood straight up, her expression completely blank as she released the hold of the gold tinted metal, the object rolling off her finger tips and clatter against the ground. It sounded like a pipe and the sound awkwardly hung in the air. Red eyes wide as defeat and humiliation burned through Soul's throat.
"Oh, look at that! So obedient, let's try something else then too."
Giriko's fingers scratched his chin until he looked over in her direction.
"I want you to not move. You move and I add pressure to the weapon."
He took a step toward her with a cautious look. Her long lean body was perfectly still. Giriko stood right in front of her, his fingers grabbing her chin and tilting her head left and right the movement making her blond hair fall back behind her shoulders.
"Well, your face certainly matured. The pigtails were kinda sexy though, made ya think you had something to hold on too."
His finger then slid down her neck, along her collar bone and he stopped for a moment as he heard her gasp, the small reaction he had elicited from her making him excited.
"Got yourself a nice perky pair of tits there."
Giriko lowered his head into her breast as his tongue glided along her skin, pulling down the v-neckline as he went lower and lower. He let his teeth sink in as he sucked her delicate skin harshly. He felt her arms twitch as the urge to push him away came over her, but she stopped herself. He bit down suddenly and she gasped, her body shaking in rage.
He pulled his head back for a moment as he admired his handy work. Her breasts were heaving and the dark red marks he had left across her breasts were clashing against how fair skinned she was.
Soul let out a low growl as he watched as Maka narrowed her eyes; the embarrassment and humiliation showing on her features.
It was rough and sudden; his fingers suddenly grabbed her throat and shoved her to the ground. A breath left her throat at the contact and her arms flinched in response but froze up and fell to her sides at his comment. Long blond hair fanning out on the navy tile as dark thick lashes fell over narrowed green eyes.
"Now, now, princess, don't move. Wouldn't want to be the reason the scythe dies."
His fingers slid along her throat and stopped at her collar bone before he swiftly grabbed the neckline of her black v-neck shirt and tore it down the middle. He watched in amusement as her arms flinched to cover herself and she forced them down. Green eyes shut as a shaking breath left pouty pink lips; it was humiliating her to be exposed. To have his body straddling her on a church floor, her pale pink lace bra on display to not only him but her partner as well.
"Oh that's a sexy bra. Were you expecting me, no of course not? Hmm, maybe yer' weapon then?"
Soul watch in horror as she laid there, her green eyes becoming glassy with tears she wouldn't let herself cry. He couldn't do anything; he couldn't rush over and protect her, he couldn't fight for her. It was frustrating, it was so fucking frustrating.
Giriko noticed it then, the deep cut that extended from Maka's shoulder all the way down to her elbow. A vindictive smile began to contort his features. His head leaned ever so slightly over his right shoulder and he locked eyes with Soul.
"Hey, Prince Charming; let me teach you how to make her scream."
Soul could feel the anxiety building in his chest as he watched Giriko's face. It clicked in his mind immediately.
"Stop, stop it! Don't do that to her. You sick fuck! If you do I swear to god I will hunt you down and cut you to pieces so fucking slowly!"
Giriko shifted his head back to Maka. Green eyes widening as the pieces slowly began to come together in her mind. Fear and panic began to seize her and she wanted to run. She locked eyes with Giriko once again and her lips parted slowly. A sinister smile crept across his features.
"Remember princess, you move and he gets crushed. However, you can scream bloody murder for all I care."
Soul was shouting at the top of his lungs, "Maka run please run! Screw what happens to me!"
His voice was screeching over the room as he struggled against the hold.
"FUCK."
All noise ceased for a few seconds except for the quiet hymn and the ragged breaths of the girl and her weapon, then in a moment of pure terror Giriko pressed his index finger into the wound on Maka's upper arm.
She gasped as his finger slid in deeper. No sound leaving her parted lips, as searing pain erupted through her body. Her eyes widened as the pain only seemed to increase, her back arched suddenly and her hips ground into Giriko's as her body withered in pain under him. A look of pure sadistic pleasure filled his face as he shoved his finger deeper and against her will Maka let out a blood curdling scream as she forced her right arm to stay down.
Giriko slowly pulled his finger out of the wound, bringing the finger to his lips where he licked the blood off. His eyes fell to her as Maka laid beneath him, her chest visibly heaving with every breath she took, eyes glassy as tears streamed down her face.
Soul simply observed in horror as Maka looked like she was exerting every effort just to stay conscious. Giriko let his right hand cup her right breast, her attention immediately drawn to him at the intimate touch. His ringers rubbing intricate patterns into the pink lace, as her green eyes watch him; her pupils dilated.
"Well that really got me hot and bothered. This time let's go with some movement. I just love foreplay princess."
Giriko was distracted for a moment as Souls voice floated across the now quiet church.
"Stop, please Stop. I'll do anything."
He watched the silver haired weapon for a second longer, the usual vicious energy that consumed him long gone and nothing left but a desperate young man, "Sorry charming, but the princess here is in for one hell of a night. Get ready baby, it's time for round two."
Without mercy he dug his thumb higher up her wound near the shoulder. He watched as her eyes narrowed tears streaming down her pretty face, he could see the determination she had this time to not scream. The stupid bitch was considering her weapons feelings.
"Scream baby."
Maka bit down on her lip eyes shutting tight, blood pulling at the right side of her mouth.
"Oh fuck! I love a fighter!"
With utter delight across his features he dug his middle finger into her shoulder. Maka's back arched as his second finger dug into her, shifting left and right through the muscle and tissue of her arm. Her hips grinding into Giriko's as she fought to not scream, the shear look of ecstasy lighting up his face.
"SCREAM MAKA!"
It happened to quickly for Giriko to react properly; the sword protruding through his neck seemed to come from nowhere. When he finally regained his sense his eyes meet cold black and a body as large as his own. Giriko was stunned for only a second before he pulled backward letting the sword slip out of his throat and his eyes wander around his attacker's features. His hands quickly pulling out a blank sheet of paper a gust of wind blowing out every lit candle in the church.
"Blue hair looks fuckin' retarded on a man."
A second later and his body was already warping into a lose leaf sheet of paper, dragging the monstrous black creature in with him.
Soul could feel the nails of the creature being pulled out of the concrete behind him until the lightness of his chest indicated that he was free. He could hear the anger in Black Star's voice as his yell echoed all over the build.
"FUCK, I won't let you go!"
In another swift movement Black Star had sliced the huge disfigured creature into three pieces the body of the creature hitting the ground with a loud thud, but Giriko long gone.
Black Star's hand dropped his pure white sword and Tsubaki shifted forms, facial features indicating that panic had taken over every logical thought she said. She stood frozen as Black Star knelt near Maka. His voice was firm, swift, and held no kindness as he gave her directions.
"Goddamn it Tsubaki go get Kim! Standing there is not fucking helping!"
The women's fingers went to her long black bangs as her eyes focused on Maka then ran over to Soul as he held his body up on knees and the palms of his hands.
"Tsubaki fucking go!"
His yell roared across the church and refocused her. Tsubaki ran out of the chapel in a frantic sprint.
Soul pushed his body up. His fingers digging into the dry wall for support as his vision blurred into white. His mind forcing him to stay conscious, his white hair swayed as he shook his head attempting in vain to stop the ringing that was currently impairing his senses.
He lost his balance and fell to his hands and knees. Soul's fingers digging into his thighs as he attempted to focus ahead; his chest burning with pain and embarrassment.
He could make out BlackStar's figure next to Maka, her body looking even smaller in BlackStar's arms. As she used his body to support herself, BlackStar's features set somewhere between panic and frustration before he took control of the situation and supported her entire frame with his arms alone.
Maka was struggling to make her way over to Soul.
"Soul, Soul. Are you ok?"
Her voice was broken and he could barely see her as his vision began to blur. Her green eyes glassy as tears were being forced down.
The thought spread across his mind slowly as the room shifted around him. The left side of his face hitting the navy tiles; the coolness of the floor seeming oddly comforting to him as he began to slip into unconsciousness. His own thoughts echoing in his mind as he let the blackness take over. The words leaving his lips in a self loathing whisper.
"So useless."