DISCLAIMER: WE DON'T OWN SOUL EATER
A Shibusen Mystery
Chapter 9: Subjugating Fear
Kid fired the last of the fly mobs unto nothingness as the ghost vanished due to light shimmering above.
"Aliens, aliens!" Patty sang as she returned to being human. Kid nodded as he grasped Liz's weapon form tighter and ran to help Black Star. The ninja was currently slashing at his final alien as the creature kept teleporting around him.
"Damn these stupid monsters need to learn to face a real god." Black Star hissed as he finally managed to kill the alien creature.
"Finally face your fear Black Star?" Kid asked as he and his weapons moved closer.
"Yeah, so how did Liz and Patty hold up?" the assassin asked as he and Kid began to ascend the stairs.
"Soul is really mad, soul is really mad, Excalibur, Excalibur, and all of us are mad!" Patty chanted as she danced around.
"Come along Patty or I'll make you become a pistol." Kid warned as he and Black Star continued forward.
"FOOLS!"
Both miester's faces twisted in disgust.
"Never mind our other fears." Black Star growled.
"This thing is the devil." Kid retorted.
"I have been told not to let you pass," The holy sword proclaimed before starting his five-hour story telling.
Soul could barely feel his miester's wavelength as he dodged Justin's guillotine attacks.
"You need to focus more on me right now, not your dead girlfriend," The priest instructed.
"Why give advice to the enemy?" Soul asked as he made a swipe with his bladed leg.
"It just doesn't seem fair that you would be killed without notice," Justin explained.
Soul growled as he tried to move closer to his fallen love. If he had anything to say about it, Justin wasn't leaving this building alive.
Halfway into Excalibur's story, Kid flung himself forward and kicked Excalibur into the air.
"Shut up and die!" yelled Kid.
"Holy shit," gasped Black Star before leaping at Excalibur with Tsubaki's chain scythe form.
From below, Kid continued pumping the unsuspecting Excalibur full of lead while Black Star made several wounds in its penguin like body. This thing had annoyed them to high hell one too many times. Black Star slammed it back down into the ground and it screamed as Kid followed, continuing to fire into it. He didn't care that he was asymmetrical, he cared that this bastard had helped hurt Liz. Tsubaki became a normal katana as Black Star drove her into Excalibur's heart before landing by Kid's side. The two miesters gave each other a small high five before turning to head further.
"Not dead! Not dead!" sang Patty.
In horror, Kid and Black Star turned back to see Excalibur rise. Being so close, Excalibur slammed Liz out of Kid's hand and threw him into the wall. Black Star leaped over Excalibur's head as Liz screamed Kid's name and rushed back to him in her human form. He stabbed Excalibur through the chest again and then slammed Tsubaki's back across his neck. Kid gasped as Excalibur's ugly head went flying backwards across the room. Now the truly dead Excalibur fell to the ground, allowing Kid and Black Star to go on.
"Nice Black Star," Kid stated as Liz became a weapon again.
"What did you expect? I shall surpass God!"
"Soul is angry, Soul is angry! Dead, dead, I see two dead! Maka peril, peril!" Patty sang.
They had been basically chasing one another for hours with Soul trying to stay as nearby to Maka as he could and Justin trying to attack, only for Soul to dodge. Nothing could describe Soul's current fury and no one would dare try. He loved the girl laying behind him, the girl Justin participated in the injuring of; the torturing of. At this rate, what kind of person would he be if he let Maka have gotten tortured for no reason? It was time to fight Justin right, especially after Maka's screams rang in his head again. Soul launched himself at Justin and slashed a wound into Justin's side before Justin could dare hit Soul. His fury was pooling in him and his concern was pooling with it all. Maka did not stir, she remained unaware. Was she even alive anymore? Soul wasn't sure anymore, but Justin would die either way just as Kitsune before him. Soul sliced Justin's back and side, throwing Justin into the Western wall. Soul ran at him and Justin sliced him in the side again. Soul clenched his teeth and stabbed Justin into the torso again. Justin cried out too as Soul twisted the blade inside of him. He ripped his blade back out and made deep lacerations in each of Justin's arms and legs as Justin had done to him. Soul repeatedly sliced him before trusting his blade into Justin's heart, just as Kitsune had died earlier.
Soul transformed each limb back into what it was supposed to be before rushing back to Maka. His precious meister was caked with blood. Burn marks, stab wounds, and large lacerations covered her so much that Soul couldn't even see where one began and one ended. To hell with that, he couldn't even see many white patches of her skin through all of the red blood and he could barely see where her clothes were. The blond haired, green eyed, pale skinned meister looked like a red, black, and blue mass with some shreds of fabric covering her where it counted. She was so bruised and lacerated that even her hair had blood in her. Her face wasn't lacerated, but there was a large bruise on her cheek. She lay so limp, so lifeless. With a fretful look upon his face, an ill-at-ease Soul used his gentlest touch and the ultimate care as he knelt down onto his knees and collected Maka in his arms, laying her across his lap. He brushed her bloody and matted hair from her eyes to find her emerald orbs covered by her eyelids
"Maka! Maka, wake up!"
Silence reverberated through the walls of the stone room. The air thickened and grew so very cold around them. Soul shuddered and cried Maka's name again. She failed to respond and Soul shook her gently, causing her blood to pour heavily, soaking Soul's shirt and jeans. Soul felt his eyes burn as he screamed Maka's name, his wail echoing throughout the abandoned hotel. Pain and fear mixed with concern, forming another heartbreaking cry as Soul screamed her name again. He cradled her, bending himself over her as she remained motionless across his lap. He felt something hot on his face and found that his eyes were letting out stupid and uncool tears. Soul didn't care as he lifted himself up to look down at her again. Sighing, he pressed his lips to her forehead.
"Maka, come on...please get up," Soul murmured
He was afraid to move her for how bloody she was, but he knew he may have to.
"I-!"
Kid slammed his hand over Black Star's mouth at the sight before them both. Soul knelt there on the floor, clinging onto a possibly dead Maka.
"Oh Lord Death, no," gasped Kid.
Tsubaki and Liz turned back only to have to clasp their hands over their mouths. Kid sighed heavily and quickly made a phone call to Stein to ask him to hurry. The five friends stayed in the doorway, staring on at their two friends.
"Maka, do something...let me at least know you're alive," Soul sighed, kissing her cheek this time.
"Nhh...S...Soul?"
"Maka!"
Soul pressed her forehead to hers, "You're awake?"
"Nhh...it...it hurts S...Soul..."
Soul lifted her and himself from the ground and rushed at the doorway.
"Soul, Stein's coming!" called Kid.
"I don't care!" yelled Soul as he rushed past all five of his friends, "I'll just freaking carry her, I don't care!"
His friends rushed after him as Soul ran with Maka, who passed out again as quick as she had come conscious. He even ran past Stein and Spirit.
"My precious Maka, nooooooooo!" wailed Spirit.
"Shut it Spirit," grunted Stein, "Soul, chill out! Let me see Maka."
Soul stopped and tried to ignore his own pain again as he let Stein catch up. This was bad, so very bad.
"I tried so very hard to fight quick enough and save her, but I failed!" cried Soul as he turned back to him.
"You failed alright!" yelled Spirit, turning human as the others exited the hotel.
"You think I wanted her to get hurt? Spirit, I love her damn it! I currently hate myself, happy?" bellowed Soul.
Spirit stepped back in shock as four of the five other teens gasped. Stein grinned as he took Maka from a depressed Soul
"Dying, dying! Must hurry!" sang Patty
"This is bad," murmured Stein, "Soul, you are a fast runner, but you're hurt too. Are you sure you can run Maka all the way to the DWMA infirmary?"
"Sure I can. It's called adrenaline, concern, and...yeah, you get it. I'm hurt anyway too, may as well make it two for one for Nygus."
"I call them and have a car or something sent to meet you two halfway. You two have to move now, there's nothing I can do at this point. The rest of us will finish up here; we still have to put together the report for Death," Stein explained.
"Um...I'm sorry Soul...don't hate yourself. Now hurry up and get my daughter saved or I'll kill you!" roared Spirit.
Soul collected Maka and began that run with his friends calling encouragement.
"You can stop, but make it rare!" yelled Stein.
"I will!" yelled Soul.
He ignored the pain in his body and kept Maka as still as he could, hoping he could make this run without getting them both left out to die. Before he knew it, he was out of Tonopah and charging across the Nevada Desert as he made his first stop for a breather. During his second run, he came into contact with that transportation. It was in this ride that Soul finally passed out alongside his love in the car taking them back to the DWMA.
It was a few hours later when Soul came to, finding Nygus checking his vitals.
"Oh morning Soul. You and Maka have been out since that car brought you two yesterday."
"Is she okay?"
"Worse off than you, but she'll wake up soon. Feel free to pull up the chair and wait," Nygus invited as she walked off.
Soul carefully moved himself and settled into a chair at Maka's side. She lay covered in gauze, but at least her hair shimmered blond again; Nygus had clearly cleaned her up a lot. Soul grasped her bruised hand and pressed his lips to the limp appendage. He brushed her hair from her eyes gently and kissed her cheek.
"Wake up soon love," he sighed as he settled into his seat again
No sooner had Soul spoken those words did Maka's eyes twitch as she stirred.
"S...Soul?" Maka moaned softly.
"Maka? Maka, you up?"
Her eyes twitched again and her green eyes finally showed themselves to her weapon's red eyes.
"Soul...Soul, you're okay...I'm so glad you're okay..."
Her voice was soft and weak. Likely because of a nonfatal but pretty bad cut close to her throat.
"Maka, you know I don't care how I'm doing...how are you doing?"
Maka sighed and shifted slightly to be a bit nearer to Soul, cringing slightly as she did so.
"Pretty sore. I must have a wound to my neck...my throat hurts."
"You do have one. And plenty of other wounds to other places."
Maka nods softly and small tears collect in her eyes, "I'm sorry-!"
Soul cut her off by pressing his lips to hers. When he broke it, Maka was looking at him with a milky glaze of shock in her eyes.
"Stop saying sorry, there's no need. I love you Maka and I will gladly take the beating to save you. We both got beaten, no one needs to be apologizing."
Maka smirked, "I won't if I get another kiss."
Soul grinned, "You can have as many as you want. My lips are all yours."
"And mine are yours," she giggled.
Soul kissed her again as Nygus hung a sign outside the door.
'Warning, do not come in without knocking or you will suffer Maka, Soul, and Nygus' wraths. Especially Soul and Maka's.'
Not much longer after that, Spirit and Black Star crashed through the door, startling Soul straight from Maka's lips and side.
"Is my baby okay?" wailed Spirit..
"I am the godly Black Star!"
"MAKA CHOP!"
Soul watched and soon burst into laughter as Spirit and Black Star each got three severe 'Maka chops' to their skulls.
"It's refreshing when it's not me."
Maka moaned as she sat back, "It's easier when you don't have lacerations in your arms and shoulders."
Soul chuckled while the other six students stood at the door staring at the student and death scythe lying on the floor. Nygus threw the bodies out the door and shooed them off as Spirit and Black Star somehow regained consciousness. She walked back into her office to work while Soul claimed Maka's lips again. By the time he broke it, Maka was breathless and she couldn't care less.
"Love you Soul."
"Love you Maka."
He leaned over and laid his head next to hers as both allowed exhaustion to claim them for another round of sleep, their fingers laced together.
A few weeks later the young couple were released from the infirmary and now were seated amongst their friends at Kids home.
"So, the mystery is finally solved." Liz sighed as she relaxed into Kids arms. Both had confessed their love soon after the battle.
"Yeah, but sadly no zombie giraffes attacked us." Patty whined.
"That's a good thing Patty, I think Soul would have wet his pants If that happened, death knows Blackstar did enough of that for everyone." Kid chuckled as Blackstar glared daggers at the shinigami child.
"How about cake?" Tsubaki asked as she began to cut some chocolate cake she made.
"Actually we never really announced who the real person lord death feared was." Maka said as Soul cuddled her bandaged body.
"Really, then who was it? Kitsune or Justin?" Liz asked confused while the others equally listened in.
"The true culprit is Patty Thompson; her mind is what lord death fears. The enemy was using her mind against us. Everything we fought was from her thoughts." Maka explained.
"I call a vacation." Soul grunted as he bit into a chocolate cake covered spoon.
"Agreed." The others announced as Patty chuckled happily beside them completely forgetting her odd behavior during the mystery.
