Soul Eater: My Way
Episode Seven: The Kishin
The halls of the academy were empty, but Sam slid along the walls just in case, never letting Medusa out of range. He needed to know where she was going in order to stop what they were doing.
As they walked deeper into the depths of the academy, the colder the corridors grew. The light from the flickering flames in the brackets grew harsher and darker. It was all Sarah could do to repress a gasp.
The painted walls of the corridors above were replaced with simple brick walls. The oldest levels of the academy. Home to the vault and some other of Lord Death's more personal rooms.
Sam's brow furrowed. Was that what they were after? Something in the vault?
The academy above him shook. Sam staggered and repressed a small shout.
"What was that?" Sarah whispered.
"Not sure," Sam said, in a barely audible response. He closed his eyes and sensed out the souls above. A total of five witches above ground. He opened his eyes. Medusa was gone. He mentally cursed himself and followed the aura of her soul.
"What do you think they're after?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know, but if it's down here I can't stand by and let them get it," Sam muttered.
The intervals in-between the torches were growing longer. And then Sarah felt it. A shiver of something, impossible.
"Was that you?" she asked, afraid. Sam slowly shook his head.
"I know what they're after now," Sam muttered.
"I'd rather know what the hell that was," Sarah whispered.
"That… was a madness wavelength," Sam explained. "Medusa is going to revive the Kishin, Asura."
Sarah remained silent. Then at last she spoke.
"What will you do?"
Sam stopped in his tracks.
"What do you mean what will I do?" Sam asked. "I will do my duty to the academy and stop this before it escalates."
"But, what if the Kishin were to escape? Would he be the one? The only one who could equal you besides Lord Death?"
Sam thought about this. Then he began to walk again.
"I must stop this. If, and only if the Kishin is revived, will I fight him. I will not stand aside and let Asura walk again."
"I knew you'd say that."
Sam smiled and ran down the corridors and finally reached it. An old, stone archway. This was the entrance to the deepest level of the academy, to the lair of the Kishin.
"Ground wavelength," Sam hissed. The blast threw him upwards, sending him flying down the moss covered stairs. He had a lot of ground to cover.
Stein, Maka, Kid and Black Star stood in the blue bricked passageway. Blocking them from advancing any further, was Medusa. Stein had already filled them in on what they would do, and what he thought Medusa's plan was.
Medusa would be the first to block their path, and so Stein would stay behind to fight her. The demon sword, Chrona would be the second obstacle, and so Maka, having mastered the Direct Soul Attack would keep him busy. Freed the Immortal and the witch Erika would be guarding the black blood and would so head straight for the Kishin. Kid and Black Star would therefore either stall them for long enough so Stein and Maka could catch up, or destroy the black blood on the spot.
Medusa chuckled.
"Making your plans right before your enemy? Not one of your better moves."
Stein sighed and wiped his glasses.
"Ah, well," he said. "We'll just have to see how it goes."
"Vector Arrow!" screeched Medusa, snapping her arms out, sending long tendrils of darkness, tipped with evil arrow heads.
Maka, Kid and Black Star dashed forwards. The arrows flashed, changed direction and darted towards the three young Meisters. Medusa laughed and pointed at each Meister, the arrows concentrating upon each one.
But with Beelzebub at his feet, Kid slid along the arrows and rocketed past Medusa.
"Black Star! I'll go after the Kishin! See you there!"
Black Star snarled and charged forward.
"Tsubaki, Enchanted Sword Mode," Black Star ordered.
"Right," the Weapon answered, complying to her Meister's wish.
Black Star charged forward even faster, slashing through the Vector Arrows flying at him. Medusa hissed and pointed two fingers at Maka.
"All Vectors to Maka," she ordered. Maka closed her eyes and sprinted past Medusa. "Oh no you don't!"
Medusa turned to attack Maka's unprotected back. But Stein was there.
"Soul Force," he said quietly. Medusa flew forwards, her face scraping against the floor.
"Sorry about that," Stein said. "But it just had to be done. I couldn't have you attacking Maka like that. Especially when her father is my Weapon partner."
Medusa growled as she got to her feet.
"I didn't really think you were much good at dancing," Medusa spat. "Especially with that broken hand of yours."
Stein snarled and dashed towards Medusa. The witch laughed and pointed at Stein.
"Vector Plate," she said. A black arrow appeared on the floor, and as Stein stepped onto it, it glowed even darker. Stein flew backwards and skidded along the floor.
"You're not as good as you thought you were," Medusa observed. "But still I think you are more worthy than most others of my time. What happened when you were forced to surrender by your own son?"
Stein gave an indifferent shrug.
"I'm the only Stein here at the moment. I'm the only thing you should be worrying about."
Medusa smiled.
"Well I think you should be worrying about me rather than the Kishin at the moment."
Stein took a step forward, when something rumbled around them. The walls shook and the floor shivered.
And then the spear head burst from the floor, just short of Medusa's feet. The witch stepped back shocked, but more spears were sprouting from the ceiling, the walls and the floor, all of them driving them selves towards Medusa.
"What magic is this?" Medusa spat, dancing away from the onslaught of metal tips. Then the spears froze and retracted. Only on remain pointed out. The one that hung down from the ceiling above Stein.
"Well," Sarah muttered. "This isn't what I was expecting."
Medusa looked at the spear.
"Well don't mind me. You continue your little fight to the death. I'll just wait for my Meister."
Medusa stared. Stein raised an eyebrow. Footsteps echoed up the tunnel.
"Sorry I'm late I got lost," Sam admitted walking past Stein and pulling the spear out of the ceiling.
"So, where is everyone, or were you the only person who got out of the cube dad?"
"They went on ahead, past Medusa," Stein explained.
"Oh well that's not much to get past," Sam said smiling.
"I wouldn't be so cocky," Medusa snarled. "Vector-"
"Ground Wavelength," Sam yawned. Medusa flew straight up and hit the ceiling. Sam walked leisurely past and continued on along the corridor.
And then he broke into a sprint.
"That was a mistake," Sarah snapped.
"Sorry, I lost my grip," Sam said, as Sarah reverted back into a dagger. "Still we bought dad some time with Medusa."
"And wasted precious time in which we could be getting to the Kishin."
"I know, I don't need the lecture."
The surroundings changed as Sam ran further down it. The walls were replaced with towering stone pillars, the ceiling was high and vaulted and the sounds of metal on metal could clearly be heard as Sam ran further on.
"The demon sword," Sam guessed. Sure enough, Maka and Chrona were battling with each other, Chrona with the demon sword Ragnarok as his weapon, Maka using Soul. As Sam ran he leapt and flipped over the combatants.
"Don't mind me!" he called as he sailed over there heads. He skidded on the floor slightly, then caught his stride and flew underneath the archways. And then his surrounding changed again, more like the blue bricked passageways before, only held up by stone pillars, and the bricks were coloured orange.
And then there came the rubble.
"The others must have already come through here," Sam said, jumping over huge chunks of stone.
"Doesn't look like there's much room to get by it," Sarah observed.
"Then we'll make some more," Sam said, planting his feet on one of the heavier boulders. "Soul Force!"
The energy poured into the single boulder, and sent it shooting through the others, causing a collapse of the accumulated mound of rocky rubble.
"And that's the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh uh-huh," Sam sang as he dashed over the rock fall.
"Let's do the musical thing after we stop them from reviving Asura," Sarah suggested. Sam chuckled in agreement and dashed forwards, jumping through dust and over rubble.
The further they went, the more they could feel the pulses of madness, of the Kishin's wavelength. He could feel Freed and Erika progressing far ahead of Kid and Black Star.
"We're getting nowhere!" Sam yelled in frustration.
"Calm down, we'll get there with time to spare," Sarah soothed.
"Not good enough!" Sam roared. He picked up a sizeable slab of stone and threw it, leaping the instant after, landing on the power speeding slab.
"Now we're moving!" Sam cried in elation.
"You do realize this is just what Mercenary Tao does on Dragon Ball?"
"'Course I do! Where'd you think I got the idea from?"
Black Star flashed by. Sam waved, and Black Star stopped in his tracks. Kid flew by underneath Sam's makeshift transport. And that's when it was grounded.
The slab skidded along the floor and came to a halt.
"That was fun," Sam said smiling. "Can we do that again?"
"Er, no," Sarah said.
Sam smiled at his partner's response and dashed forwards, the Kishin filling his mind. The strength of the madness was growing the further he went. But he couldn't stop. And yet his feet were starting to way themselves down.
"Sam," Sarah said reverting to human form. "What's wrong?"
Sam bent over and took shuddering breathes.
"My Soul Perception is just too damn good," he said, after taking a few deep breathes. Sarah looked confused. Sam sighed and began to explain.
"My Soul Perception is like Azusa's, but seeing as though I'm a Meister, it's a thousand time more accurate. Meaning I'm a thousand times more vulnerable to the Kishin's madness."
Sarah considered this, then her eyes widened.
"But if your Soul Perception is a thousand times more accurate than that of Azusa's, wouldn't that mean that it should be a thousand times more penetrating? I think it's because you're leaving yourself vulnerable to the Kishin that you're being affected by the madness."
Sam's eyes flared. Sarah felt the instant change in him.
"Thanks for the obvious," Sam said straitening up. "I suck at seeing what's right in front of me."
Sarah smiled and reverted to dagger form.
"Time to kick some ass," she said as Sam took off a full speed once again.
"And don't you know it!" Sam yelled as he flew through the tunnel. His perception had skyrocketed, and he saw straight through the madness. He could practically see Erika's and Freed's souls. He leapt over what appeared to be three eyes, painted on the floor. He saw that they were a regular pattern at regular intervals.
"We must be getting close," Sarah said. Sam nodded but didn't slow down. Even when the door loomed up in front of him.
"Shouldn't we stop?" Sarah asked. Sam's response was to leap into the air and the kick the door straight from its hinges. Freed and Erika looked up in shock at Sam's sudden entrance. In Erika's hands was a huge syringe filled with black blood.
"I see you started without me!" Sam called.
"Erika get the Kishin!" Freed yelled, "I'll stop the Meister!"
"On it!" yelled Erika in response, turning to the sack that held Asura.
"Oh I don't think so!" Sam yelled, Sarah becoming spear. "Spears of the Thousand!"
Erika squealed and leapt into the air, landing on what appeared to be a giant tadpole, as the spears burst from the floor and splintered through the wooden beams that held up the room.
"No you don't!" Freed yelled, launching himself forwards and lashing out. Sam cracked against the wall and grunted. Sarah quickly morphed in his hands, becoming cannonball and chain.
Sam dropped to the floor and smiled through his own blood.
"As long as we go for the black blood the werewolf can't more!" Sam yelled. "Mind covering us Kid?"
Kid rolled into the room and began suppressive fire upon Freed. Black Star stormed into the room after Kid. Sam smiled and charged after Black Star.
"Be careful!" Sam warned. "I think the Kishin's madness causes hallucinations!"
"Understood!" Kid called.
"My Soul Perception stinks! I can't sense the madness even from here!" Black Star yelled confidently.
Sam smiled and charged forward.
"Erika! They're coming!" yelled Freed. Sam smiled at Freed's distress but then he stumbled. Someone stood in his way. A tall, thin man, dressed in a pinstriped red coat. His face was wrapped in long bandages imprinted with a three eyed pattern.
"Sam what is it?" Sarah asked. Sam swayed and screwed up his eyes.
"Only a hallucination, only a hallucination," he muttered over and over again. His little moment of jubilation at Freed's distress had left himself open to the madness. When he opened his eyes the apparition was gone. But Erika had nearly reached the Kishin as Black Star was pounding the stuffing out of the tadpole.
"Oh no you bloody don't!" Sam yelled. He launched his fist forward and let go of the cannonball, sending it flying forwards. It swept Erika's legs out from under her and she dropped the syringe.
"Black Star!" yelled Sam. The young Meister looked up and saw how close Erika was with the black blood.
"Got it!"
Erika rolled over and extended an open hand.
"Ribbet croak croak ribbet frog croak ribbet frog!" she yelled. A swarm of black smiling, shark toothed spheres flew at Black Star. The first few Black Star managed to avoid, but the rest slammed into him, causing colossal explosions and dropping the young Meister like a stone.
Sam drew back the chains and prepared for another shot, but Freed had caught him in a choke hold and still keeping covering fire for Erika from Kid.
"Erika hurry up!" Freed yelled.
She reached the bag.
"Kid GO!" Sam roared, throwing all his weight forwards, sending him and Freed rolling over each other.
Erik raised the syringe.
Kid dashed forward, aiming steady. He pulled on the trigger, but then froze. Sam groaned. Kid was hallucinating.
Erika was struggling to get the tip of the syringe into the bag.
Sam grunted and pushed Freed's body off of him. He got to his feet and charged.
Erika struggled to push the syringe through the bag of skin.
Sam slid on the wood and stumbled. Kid snapped out of his hallucination and ran forwards.
"I got it!" both Meisters yelled.
Erika squealed and tried all the harder.
Sam and Kid leapt at the same time and, in true old cartoon style, slammed foreheads together.
Erika with one last push forced the needle in, and the black blood was injected into the bag.
Sam clutched at his head, not only due to the pain, but because of the increase of the madness.
"We failed," he hissed. And then he blacked out…
Muhawhawhaw! I am the Lord of All Chaos! Actually, I should change that to Lord of All Cliff-hangers shouldn't I? Still that was a nice chapter and so I move to the next-
BS: HEY YOU!
Me: What?
BS: Sam's getting all the attention! He's the one in the spotlight! How dare you do that!
Me: Well Black Star the anime series is called 'Soul Eater' so Soul and Maka are the main characters originally so you weren't even in the spotlight in the first place.
BS: :O
