CH 1
"I'm sorry, Soul. We did all we could for her."
Soul felt like he was falling very fast; as if the floor had disappeared beneath him even though he stood in the infirmary hall with Professor Stein.
"…she's gone…"
He couldn't see anything. The hall spun until the colors blended into one. Stein's words echoed in his shocked ears. I'm sorry … we did all we could … she's gone. When those final, horrifying words sank in, he felt an agonizing pain in his chest. He fell to his knees on the very solid floor with his hand over his heart, gasping sharply as he felt it messily rip in two. *Maka's gone? It can't be. This has to be a bad joke. No, it's a terrible nightmare! If this is a nightmare, please God let me wake up!* these thoughts cluttered his mind as he gasped for air. He could see her clearly again. She lay in his arms desperately gasping for breath. Tears formed in his eyes as the memories of that day replayed cruelly in his mind.
/
It had only been a few hours earlier but it felt like it may as well have been in a different lifetime to Soul. It wasn't an out of the ordinary mission for the Death Scythe and meister. Shinigami was concerned that there was a possible spy outpost being established in the desert surrounding Death City. There was a strong possibility that witches may be behind it so they were sent to investigate. Their primary purpose was to gather information on who was responsible and to only engage in battle if absolutely necessary.
They rode out into the heat on Soul's bike while Maka scanned the immediate area for anything suspicious with her Soul Perception. They hadn't been riding for long before she sensed a witch close by. She informed Soul and he followed her directions until she instructed him to stop just outside a cluster of what were once buildings. Soul got off the bike and began to move towards the ruins but Maka hesitated.
"What is it?" Soul asked, looking back at his meister.
"Doesn't something seem odd?" She asked "Witches usually use Soul Protect when they don't want to be found but this one doesn't seem to be using it"
"So you think there is a possibility we were drawn here on purpose?"
Maka nodded.
"Well, what do you want to do?" Soul asked beginning to get irritated. He had wanted to get this over with quickly and didn't want to waste too much time discussing in the heat. Honestly, he didn't mind just heading back home. He had been annoyed with this mission even before it began. As far as he was concerned it involved little more than driving out into the middle of fucking nowhere in sweltering heat for no more reason than being Shinigami's errand boy. Man, he was way too cool for this. Soul sighed heavily as if to surrender to the situation while he waited for Maka's decision.
Maka looked thoughtfully at the ruins while thinking.
"We were sent to gather information and that's what we'll do. We know someone is here, now we need to know who they are working for before we can leave."
"Fine-" Soul started but he was silenced by his partner stiffening as she stared at the ruined buildings with wide emerald eyes.
"They're coming. Soul…!" Maka yelled. Soul transformed into his scythe form at her call and Maka caught him just in time to block a black object. It exploded on contact knocking them back a bit but they managed to stand their ground. As the dust settled, a lone blonde haired witch was revealed in the distance. She wore a short green dress with large white polka dots and a large triangular-shaped hat with a very frog-like face on it.
"Eruka" Maka muttered to Soul.
"Ahhh, Medusa's bitch. That answers who's behind this little outpost but why?" Soul asked.
He didn't have time to wonder. "NOW!" Eruka cried as she lobed more "tadpole bombs" at the pair. Maka stealthily dodged the bombs, at first. "Maka? Focus!" Soul yelled, concern in his voice as her reactions began to slow allowing the explosions to get closer and closer. She narrowly avoided the final bomb before collapsing to her knees.
"Maka!"