Disclaimer. You get it.

Summerizer. Do I need to go into details?

Ch9. nightshade and blood. "not the best time to test me." an awkard remedy. :)

he was right after all. Kidd was just as much in the dark as he was. This whole situation had become completely out of hand and he racked his brain for a way to unravel the situation. "this is so fucked man... I hate standing by."

"i understand your duress soul but we cant fight what only maka can see. Trust me I would help if I could. But as it stands all I can do is offer her some mild support." the reaper boy gingerly sipped on a cup of tea as soul ran a hand through his own white locks in frustration. "however I do know someone who might know a way to help... though maka would probably disapprove."

"at this point im willing to try anything to get into that dome of hers man. Throw what you have at me." he chuckled dryly as he eyed the young man.

"blair. Have you concidered asking her if she knows a spell that perhaps would force you two to resonate?" he cleared his throat.

"okay when I said anything I didnt quite mean that litteraly." he deadpanned. "not only am I sure blair lacks the brain copacity for such a thing. But maka would probably kill me just for concidering it. So..."

He set the cup down upon a folded knee. "do you have a better idea soul. The only way through is magic. Naigus knows nothing and stein would disect her surely. Unless you want to try beating the images out of the poor girl I suggest you at least concider it. From what I hear shes particularly terrified. And crona's story doesnt help either. If she doesnt have black blood where is his sense of it coming from?" he seemed to ask himself more than soul.

"well she was infected thanks to me back in the day. But we've been cleared since. But I dont think its black blood. Doesnt feel right" he shivered remembering the power that nearly destroyed him not long ago.

Kidds amber eyes narrowed. "what do you mean?"

"i mean. I got this gut feeling that its not black blood. It just doesnt feel the same" there was a silence "maybe it really is all in her head..."

"that I very much doubt. Maka has always been a very strong person. Proud and stubborn. I doubt she would be terrified of an entity that was just an imaginary being. I also doubt simple depression would drive her to these extremes that she's been suffering lately." he scoffed.

"maybe you have a point. Maka may kill me later. But right now we're kina short on options." he stood. "ill find the damned cat. Can you do me a favor and send liz or patty to go collect her If im not back soon? I dont wana leave her alone."

"soul I do believe you are whipped." he chuckled

"not cool man." and there was the heated glare.

"dont hide it youre only lying to yourself." he laughed harder "but of course Ill have her brought here when she recovers. You just do what you have to."

meanwhile

"sid..." she was regaining her composure. "where is soul? What about crona?" then she realized that her weapon was nowhere to be found. "SOUL?!"

"calm down kiddo. Itll be alright. I wouldnt let anything happen to ya. Thats not the kina man I was." the zombie chuckled. "soul's out colleting Kidd. You guys are gonna hang out with him for a few days."

"no you dont understand, soul!" she paniked before he pushed her gently back to her bed.

"chill out. He'll be back. Nothings gona happen. I promise." he was more gentle than she remembered of the man. It was almost sickening pity but she relaxed regardless. "okay . Now can you tell me what happened."

she looked behind him and saw the glass of one of the medicine cabinets which held her twisted reflextion once more. 'oh no...' she decided that she would ignore it but felt its cold gaze "its fine... nn..nothing happened... j... just a panic attack."

later.

"blair.? Cat lady?" he called to the estranged magical woman with no response other than a loud chewing sound coming from the kitchen. "HELLOOO!" he popped his head around the corner to find her in cat form snacking on some random fish she had acquired.

"soul!" she finally answered a mouth full of fish and a purr of benign presence. "want some fish?"

"no I need to ask you something" he almost fell over when she pounced at him and took her human form.

"oh my little scythey boy finally wants a date huh?" she locked her arms around him and for the first time in their estranged relationship he didn't have a nose bleed.

"blair now isnt a good time to test me. Im about three steps from loosing my mind and im in a situation where I need answers in the worst way." the glare was enough to rival steins and even blair knew he was not in a playing mood.

"geez dont look at me like that. Im innocent I swear." she pokked the ends of her fingers together "i only took one fish this time."

"look I need to know something about magic." he was blunt.

she beamed "oh I see so you wana make maka's boobs bigger now. I told you you'd reconcider!"

"no retard." the deadpanned stare was enough to crush that hope. "i need to know if theres a way that magic can force a soul resonance."

"always buisness with you two huh?" she pouted "no not exactly. Why?"

"well" he went into the shorthand version. "i need to know what maka's thinking. I need to see what she's seeing."

"well thats actually simple I can use an astral shift spell!" she seemed too chipper for souls liking.

"and just what the hell is that?" he quized the thought thuroghly.

"well I can lock your mind into maka's while shes sleeping. But it requires three ingrediants a potion and her to be asleep. Its a sneaky spell ya see." she wispered as if afraid someone else would overhear them.

"i was afraid of this... so what do we need." he sighed. "eye of newt? Cat tongues?" he sniggered which brought a grimace to the woman's face.

"no! We need blood." she struck a creepy pose.

"blood? Whoa im not cutting on maka." he stuck a hand out in defiance.

She shook her head disprovingly at this "not hers silly. Yours."

he swallowed at the thought "o...okay... and what else."

"we need a piece of her. Something she holds close or a litteral piece haha. But" she tapped her foot thoughtfuly. The last ingrediants tricky."

"and that is?" truthfully he dreaded to know.

"you need to take a tiny amount of nightshade." she giggled innocently.

"uh... isnt that toxic?" he sounded skeptical "because don't get me wrong. Im willing to die for my miester but I dont really want to."

"do you want in her head or not? If you'd rather just wait around and not try its fine by me. But thats the ingredients. The nightshade is to make you comatose while youre roming around in her noggin. Otherwise your body's gonna get up and wander around on its own while you stay stuck in her brain like a bad imaginary friend." she waved her finger as if chastising his thoughts.

"alright... so I bleed a little poison myself and get something important from maka... what should I grab? A book? Its not like she's really attatched to anything... blair?!" he noticed her wandering towards maka's room.

A small moment later she returned with what appeared to be a small wad of paper "this'll work." She spoke almost sinisterly as she tossed it up and down.

"is that really what I think it is..." he grimced as he noticed the faded stains of blood upon the white surface. "Because if It is this just got more gross."

"oh boy's I swear. Its just blood. Its not like she's never bled on you before." she scoffed at his disgust.

"nasty" he swallowed hard. "Okay so where do we get nightshade. Cause I'm not going to stein for this... I dont want anymore stitches."

"back to the pumpkin!" she grinned before grabbing him. "there we shall make this awkward little remedy."