Hello my fellow writers and readers alike! Good news! I 'aint dead! Sorry I haven't been as faithful to my other stories as I promised I would; but my life has gone into hyper drive lately in between school, home, art and my birthday. 16 years old! Woohoo! This is something I wrote while I should have been working on the next Sonic Black Ops chapter. It's different to my current stuff, but kinda the same; so if you liked any of my older stuff, I'm sure you'll like this. Also a huge thank you to all of you who read my Silent Hill fanfic! While it is the story I took the least seriously when I started, it recently exploded in popularity, getting over 1,000 views all by itself! Thank you for supporting me and I hope I can continue to deliver.
The events in this story occur six months after the end of the Soul Eater anime, during which time; Soul has become a Death Scythe and Maka has begun to control her weapon blood. Times are peaceful and no enemies remain to oppose the DWMA. But all this is about to change…
Serpent Soul: Chapter 1
"Come on Maka! More aggression!" Yelled Soul, blades slamming together, sparks flying. The girl slashed faster and harder, her blade smashing against Souls scythe arm.
"That's it! Keep going!"
Maka rushed Soul, crossing her arms as blades sprouted from her forearms. Soul dodged deftly, but a third sabre sprouting from her side stopped him backing up as she uncrossed her arms is a powerful X slash. Soul dropped low and delivered a strong uppercut to Maka's lower jaw. The strike sent her sprawling across the ground. He leapt to deliver a finishing strike, but she rolled aside as his bladed arm plunged into the mat. Slicing wildly while Soul was stuck did Maka no good as he just deflected her attacks with his free hand, but could not be pushed back or unbalanced as a consequence of being stuck. Maka backed up to think of a plan, but Soul didn't give her the opportunity; sprinting straight for her and pelting her with slash after slash, not letting up for second, not giving her long enough to even blink.
Soul cut hard, but was too committed to his attack as Maka dodged. He stumbled, giving her a chance to fight back. An upwards slash from Maka unbalanced him momentarily, so she took the opportunity and attacked with a downwards jumping slash. Their blades collided and locked, leaving them struggling for dominance. Minutes passed in silence as they shoved back and forward trying to gain the upper hand, but just as it seemed that Soul was gaining the advantage, he suddenly stopped fighting back. The lack of resistance sent Maka sprawling forward, but she whipped back around to counter attack. As she turned though, a sudden blast of dust hit her in the face. The scrambled to rub the grit out of her eyes, but too little too late.
"You lose Maka…" he whispered into her ear, his arm wrapping around her neck and the cold steel pressing into the small of her back. "…again."
"That was a dirty trick Soul; throwing dirt in my face like that!" she pulled his arm off and shoved him away, still rubbing the grit from her eyes. "I hope it's a satisfying victory knowing your opponent can't see!"
"Quit bellyaching Maka. You're just sore 'cause this is the at least the eighth time I've beaten you. At least you're improving. That was a new personal best."
But Soul knew that "improved" would never be enough for Maka. Only perfection would do for her, but with him being a weapon for most of his life and her for only the past few months, she was going to be disappointed for a while yet.
"Besides," he continued. "It's a fight. There is no 'dirty' and 'clean' when it comes to fighting for your life. It's either 'win' or 'dead'."
Soul did raise a good point, but that dirt was still sticking in her eye and Maka wasn't going to forgive him until he apologized or at least until it was all gone.
"Now quite pouting Maka, we have to go meet Kid and the others in a half hour."
With that, Soul morphed his arm back to normal and kicked open the door to the DWMA sparring dojo. The weapon and meister pair stepped outside into the fading evening twilight, headed down the huge staircase at the academies entrance and sped off back to their apartment on Souls motorcycle.
Death the Kid stood with his weapons, Liz and Patty Thompson on the edge of the forest that bordered Death City, tapping his foot impatiently. He took out his pocket watch and glanced at it for the fifth time in the last few seconds. They were late.
"Kid, calm down." Chastised Liz. "If you keep worrying like this, you're just gonna wear yourself out and get all cranky once everyone arrives."
"Cranky Kid!" exclaimed Patty before giggling childishly to herself.
"I know, I know." he replied. "But I was very specific that they be here at eight 'o clock sharp. Now that they're late; not only have they thrown off the symmetry of our meeting time but they've also thrown my plan out of sync. We're supposed to be up in the air in less than two hours! The drive will take most of that time. I hope they hurry up."
As if signalled by his words, a sudden rumbling started to come from the road leading to the forest. Soul and Maka came shooting up the road on Souls bike before pulling to a screeching stop in front of Kid and the Thompson Sisters.
"Sup Kid?" Asked Soul, cracking a grin. "Sorry we're late but Maka still had to finish packing. I told her we'd be late if she didn't hurry up, but what you gonna do? Women, huh? Anywa-"
Whatever Soul was going to say was suddenly cut short by a thick encyclopaedia burying itself in the back of his head, with a particularly displeased Maka glaring at him.
"Oh yeah Soul. Like you trying to decide what headbands you couldn't live without really sped things up?" she hissed, trying to pull her suitcase off the rack of Souls bike while her weapon was gingerly massaging his brain back into place. "Where are Black Star and Tsubaki?"
"They haven't arrived yet. Typical." Remarked Kid.
"Yahoo!" came a cry from the forest. Only seconds later, Black Star came bursting through the undergrowth with two huge suitcases strapped to his back.
"Worry not people, the great Black Star has arrived!" he declared.
"And you're five minutes late!" raged Kid.
"Sorry!" came a call as Tsubaki came pushing through the trees. She briefly dusted herself off once she'd reached them before adopting the meekest and most apologetic expression any of them had ever seen. "Sorry about the delay guys. We don't have a car and the Taxis were all busy so we had to run everything here."
"That must have been one heck of a job!" exclaimed Soul, inspecting the massive suitcases on Black Stars back before letting off an impressed whistle. "Man Tsubaki, you pack even more than Maka does."
"Oh, none of that's mine." She replied, before stepping aside to reveal a tiny trolley case that only went up to her knee. "This is mine."
Everyone's jaws collectively hit the ground as they turned to face Black Star. It was Soul who asked the question they'd all been thinking.
"How much stuff do you need?!"
"Just 'cause a big star like me is going on vacation, doesn't mean I can let myself fall out of shape. That's why I bring all my weights and gym equipment wherever I go!" He answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Do you actually have any clothes in there?"
"Nope." He replied. "Big stars like me don't need spare clothes. We can pull of any look no matter what state our clothes are in!"
Everyone grimaced in revulsion; except for Tsubaki, who had a kind of "What are you gonna do?" expression painted across her face.
"Now that we're all finally here," began Kid. "I assume you're curious to which exact destination we'll be traveling."
"Yeah Kid, tell us already." Pushed Liz.
"I wanna know! I wanna know!" chanted Patty.
"Well to be perfectly honest," he said with a grin. "I have no idea where we're going."
The group looked stunned by the news, but Kid continued before they could interject.
"However, my Father did give me this," he said with a flourish, producing a large brown envelope from his blazer. "with strict instructions not to open until eight o' clock sharp on this day; and seeing as it's now ten past eight I suggest we get a move on."
He broke the seal on the letter head before reaching inside and producing seven plane tickets and a letter marked with the seal of the DWMA.
"Dear Students," Kid read aloud. "Thanks to your recent involvement in defeating the Kishin Asura; the school and the world over are deeply indebted to you." He paused. "While this may not be much, I hope this will in some way show you my personal gratitude to you. The destination you will be flying to is none other than Tuscany, Italy?"
Kids voice rose into a kind of surprised squeak as he registered what was actually being said on the page. All the girls were already squealing in delight while Soul and Black Star leant closer to catch every word. Kid cleared his throat before continuing.
"You will spend one month in the Italian province of Tuscany, staying in five star accommodations nightly during some of the finest weeks of weather Italy experiences every year. This area has been carefully chosen to suite all your desires and needs. For Liz and Patty, it is an area heavy in fashion, producing some of the finest clothes in the whole world. There is a multitude of stores and no limit on their spending."
Liz and Patty were hugging each other so tightly, jumping up and down in exuberance all the while giggling like schoolgirls.
"For Black Star, we have chosen this area for its famous cuisine. The best food of all kinds can be found here, and no matter how much he eats, it will be covered at no cost to himself."
Black Star was already drooling savagely at the thought off all the kinds of meat alone he could get there. It was almost too good to be true.
"For Tsubaki, it is an area of quiet and wide open spaces, ranging from verdant flower fields to beaches that stretch for miles. There also numerous roman hot baths that can be used at any time she wishes."
Tsubaki could see it already. Silence as she lay in a bed of Camellias. Nothing but the sounds of the waves as she lounged on the sand during the scorching midday sun and hours spent soaking in the baths. She loved her life yes but, sometimes; she just needed time to herself.
"For Soul, this is a place with a rich and deep music history and a strong musical community today. We hope that he finds himself happy in the many places from which the melodies will stem."
Yes! Thought Soul. Finally a place where people would understand music as more rather than just seeing the surface. Feeling the notes come alive as the played in the halls where the great composers of history once worked. Going out late at night and just jamming with the first people he met; no words were needed, just music.
"For Maka, this is an area rich in knowledge and learning. There are many ancient libraries here, housing books and manuscripts dating as far back as the fourth century. All will be available to her at her request."
Maka whooped uncharacteristically. Books! Centuries and centuries of books! The knowledge of so many great minds all in one place! The feel of the old paper. The smell of the wrinkled parchment. The dusty covers of scripts long forgotten. It was glorious!
"And finally for my own dear son, Death the Kid, I have chosen this area for him because… because…" Kid trailed off, suddenly intensely focused on the words on the page in front of him. Everyone slipped out of their own daydreams long enough to see it.
"Kid, is there something wrong?" Liz asked. But when Kid didn't answer and little tears began to bubble around his eyes, she started to panic. "Kid, are you okay?! Come on, answer me!"
But when he turned to her, they were tears of joy running down his face.
"And finally for my own dear son, Death the Kid, I have chosen this area for him because of its stunning artwork and architecture. Colossal cathedrals; perfectly symmetrical from end to end. Even the towns themselves are symmetrical." He read. Any trace of panic on Liz's face immediately vanished to be replaced by that exasperated look she always got when Kid went seriously OCD on her.
"You wacko." Was all she said; but they were all in such good spirits that the insult didn't carry any weight or malice.
"Now that we have all that out of the way…" said Kid, having regained his composure. "…I suggest we get going to the airport. Driver!" With that strange call, a massive BMW with a powerful, humming engine came creeping around the corner before stooping in front of them.
"Is this what we're riding in?" asked Maka, seeming quite impressed with the choice of vehicle.
"No Maka, this is just for our bags." Replied Kid before turning away from the confused expressions of his and sweeping his arms wide as a white limousine came rolling past the trees to stop just behind the BMW.
"This is what we'll be riding in!"
All the girls suddenly burst out screaming in joy, hugging and jumping up and down while Soul and Black Star bumped fists before giving each other a bro-hug. Liz looked like she was about to cry.
"Italy, shopping and a limo! I feel like a princess!" she yelled as they all clambered into the back of the vehicle. It was just as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside. There was lots of space to stretch, plush leather seats, speakers built into all the walls and a small mini bar inset into each of the seats. Then out of nowhere, a thought unexpectedly hit Maka.
If only Crona were here as well. The thought made her suddenly very sad. In the months that had passed since Medusa and the Kishin had been defeated; Crona had been through some incredible amounts of surgery. The wound that Medusa had inflicted on her had done far more damage than Dr Stein had originally anticipated. She'd had at least four sessions of reconstructive surgery to replace bones and mend organs. She'd also been put through regular blood transfusions to try and shift the black blood from her system and make her less timid and socially awkward. For the most part, removing the black blood was helping Cronas attitude but without its healing and strengthening effects she was weaker than ever; especially with all the surgery she was going through.
"I can see what you're thinking Maka."
Whipping around suddenly, Maka found Kid was addressing her.
"What do you mean? I wasn't thinking about anything." She feigned her innocence. She didn't want to bring down the mood for anyone.
"Don't patronize me Maka. It was quite obvious what you were thinking of. But don't you worry; my father had already foreseen the matter and consulted Dr Stein." Makas ears immediately pricked up. "Stein recons that the food and weather will do Crona good. She just needs a couple of weeks before she's fit to travel. She'll be with us by the end of the second week or sooner." Kid leant back in his chair, smirking and self-satisfied to be delivering the good news.
"Thanks Kid!" said Maka.
"Don't mention it." He replied. "Besides, the odd number of people here bugs me. Once we have Crona we'll have exactly eight. Perfect symmetry."
Maka just sat back into her chair thinking about how soon she'd be in absolute paradise surrounded by all her friends. It seemed such a far cry from battling Witches and Demon Gods as she'd been doing only a few months ago. They had been driving about ten minutes when Black Star had gotten bored and so was trying to race Patty in seeing who could drink the most cans of Soda in a minute.
"Careful Black Star!" called Tsubaki. "They're your only clothes! Try and keep them clean!"
"Are you kidding me?" he gurgled through a mouth full of Pepsi. "A big guy like me could do this all day without spilling a drop! Yah-"
But he was cut off in mid-sentence as the limo was thrown violently to the side. The vehicle tumbled and rolled seven or eight times as its occupants were thrown about like ragdolls to the sounds of crunching metal and screaming. When the limo finally came to a halt, it lay upside down on its roof with the weapons and meisters scattered about uncomfortably inside.
"I win!" Patty suddenly yelled out of nowhere.
"That's it!" raged Black Star, kicking the back door off its hinges. "I'm gonna find the person who made me lose that contest and kick his teeth in!"
He quickly clambered out, followed by the Tsubaki then Maka and Soul and finally Death the Kid and the Thompson Sisters. It had grown dark quickly during their short drive and the landscape looked totally alien. The trees seemed to have a sickly pale palette now; their trunks stained grey like ash and their leaves looking dry and dead.
"Oh no..." moaned Liz, clutching Patty's shoulder. "Kid you know I don't do well in dark, creepy places like this. Can we go?"
"Why would you want to do that? The fun is just about to begin children." Emanated a voice from the darkness. The voice was cruel, mocking and precise; each syllable chiselled to a fine hard point. It called in a hauntingly familiar way; beckoning forth memories they all would have rather forgotten.
"No… it… it can't be." Maka whispered, hands over her mouth in shock.
From the dark stepped a woman cloaked totally in black. She stood before them barefoot in a one piece black garment with a tail shaped like an arrow pointing out its back. Her arms were covered in silver bands and tattoos of snakes that seemed to crawl up her biceps to her shoulders. A black hood was raised to conceal her face, but there was still enough light to see the two braids of dirty blonde hair intertwined on her chest and a single amber eye that stared like a hungry viper surveying its next kill.
"Tell me children." Medusa drawled. "Did you miss me?"
Well guys? Do you want me to continue? Until I finish one of my other stories; this'll be updated only very rarely, but only if you guys say you like it. If not; I'll drop it and focus on my other two. Oh please say you like it! I thought I had a good idea! How's this? I'll do one more chapter with the first main plot point and if you like these two; I'll keep going. That okay? Well happy readings y'all!
'Til next time,
Chaos Critique