Family History
Summary: Maka's mom returns to Death City to take her to a trip to Japan. They soon get wrapped up in battle against a force that is after their family. Their friends soon get pulled into their struggle against ancient forces.
Disclaimer: I don't own soul eater or any of it's elements.
Chapter 10: Death in the Family
The sky was dark and it seemed awfully fitting for how everyone felt. They had returned to the house.
Soul was staring at the door to the room where Maka had closed herself off in. No sound came from the room, Soul wanted to believe that Maka had stopped crying but he was sure that she was just crying silently because she couldn't stop. It was Kami's room and Maka ran right into it when they arrived and she didn't even bother to turn on the lights.
No one had really said anything since they had arrived. Stein had carried Kami's body and placed it in an empty room and covered in a blanket. No one dared get close to the room.
Spirit had gone in a state of shock and just trembled every few minutes. Marie had put and arm around him trying to reassure him but her eye was red from crying and she was barely keeping herself together. Tsubaki seemed lost not sure how to react with Maka clearly wanting to be alone and Black Star was unusually quiet. It was almost scary seeing Black Star being respectful and not making any sort of sound. Patty seemed a little a jumpy and Liz was just hugging her. Liz already felt like she lost Kid and this just reminded her she could lose her only family.
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She brushed her fingers through her short blonde hair, it had been freshly cut into a bob cut and her red skirt was ironed, her vest clean and her tie with the school symbol was straight.
Inwardly she questioned herself ,'Why am I making such a fuss for him?'
She walked out onto the balcony of the school and Spirit was standing there looking at the sun set.
Her heart raced for a moment. Kami wondered why that happened when she saw him. He'd flirted with her for months to no result and then she found out about the experiments that Stein did on him. She told Lord Death and they had become partners. Spending more time together she started to see past the surface and more to the real him.
She didn't know it at the time but in a few short moment they would share their first kiss.
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A small blonde girl rested her head on her mother's lap. She always found peace in that spot. Her mother would watch animes and other shows dubbed from Japan. Since she moved from Japan to the United States to go to the DWMA she missed her life in Japan and the shows would help her remember.
The girl would watch the shows with her just to spend time with her mother and slowly she developed a guilty pleasure for the shows too because they would always remind her of her mother.
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Kami stared off at the horizon as the sun set. She sat on top of the remains of the Great Pyramid of Anubis. Lord Death had asked her to make sure the rebuilding was going on without trouble. She still wondered what kind of idiot would destroy it by accident.
"Oh, that's a sight."
She turned back to see a man in a blue pin striped suit and brown coat looking over her back.
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Kami couldn't say that she and Stein were the best of friends, some would argue that they weren't friends at all. Really she liked to think at worst they were rivals that made each other better.
Certainly their sparring matches didn't make anyone think they were friends. Through their entire time at school they often had intense sparring matches. Marie, Spirit and Azusa watched from the side. Both Spirit and Marie both sighed to watch the fight happen once again. Azusa just studied her fight as she fixed her glasses in her usual detached manner. School was coming to an end so they were more than tired of all of it.
Each attack they sent at one another has either dodged or blocked. Stein was certainly stronger but Kami was faster. A strong attack is good but if it doesn't land it was as good as a gentle breeze. They ended up usually doing more damage to the area around them than each other.
What gave Stein the edge was Kami's temper, Stein didn't mind reminding her about his experiments on her boyfriend.
Kami let her guard down and went to punch Stein only for him to slip beneath the fist and moved towards her gut. He opened his palm ready to strike and Kami silently cursed feeling so foolish to let him get that opening. She knew he'd using his soul force to knock her back and just braced herself for it. But then a second past and his palm was an iota away from her gut. His eyes opened up in surprise as he looked up to her.
Kami noticed a slight light flicking from his eyes. "You don't know, do you? You wouldn't risk it with a sparring session."
"What are you talking about?" She questioned him.
He looked back down to her gut where with his soul perception he saw a small wisp of a new soul forming within her. Stein just walked away without saying another word.
Kami would always remember that day because in an hour's time she would get a call telling her parents died in a car accident.
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Kami sat across a table at a restaurant. Sitting across her was a girl with long silvery hair wearing a cute purple frilly maid like outfit, her helm and gauntlets were all that was left of her usual armor.
Kami smiled, "You looks so cute in that. I can't believe you have a job and something of a normal life. I'm so happy for you."
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The eight year old girl fell over to be caught by her father.
"I guess the recoil is still a little much for you." He smiled at her.
They were at a gun range and her father was teaching her to fire a gun. She knew it wasn't normal thing for a father and daughter to do but he had been a gun meister and she always felt closer when they had target practice together.
0000
Kami sat in the cave as a small white penguin like creature stared at her removing its top hat as he held his cain close.
"I'm sorry I already have a partner." She told him. "I just heard from two other class mates about you and wanted to meet you myself. I don't know why they seemed so overwhelmed, you seem easy to get along with."
He blinked at as he stared at her, "I'm sure your partner is very lucky. I have the feeling that you'll be a great meister."
"I hope so. I heard you like telling stories." She smiled at him. "If you don't mind I'd like to hear one."
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The young blond woman blocked the attack with a wooden sword. Her mother slashed at her with her kendo sword. Her mother was more than eager to make sure that the girl never forgot her cultural heritage. She made sure her daughter knew Japanese, cultural stories, rituals and rites.
The girl had taken martial art since a young age and her mother took that as a cue to train her with a sword. Every morning they sparred for a good hour. It was tiring but it had always gave her an insight to her mother. The way her mother moved, it was so natural and smooth as powerful as it was it was also elegant.
She felt she could understand her mother here. Fighting eased her and to some extent it made her feel like there was a place that she belonged. Fighting seemed to come to a second nature to her.
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She was five and drawing on the sidewalk with some chalk. She had been alone. For a long time she had been alone. She blamed her eyes. She saw things that no one else seemed to see. Sometimes the world would turn dark and everyone was replaced but floating orbs and she knew things from them, she could read them like the books that kept her company from time to time.
Her father's was passionate and lively. Her mother's was like staring at the sun too long, it was so radiant. The mail man who delivered their letter was always so bitter. She tried to explain it to the children in the neighborhood but they made fun of her. The children teased her and called her crazy and they all refused to go near her.
"Grandfather?" She heard a young woman talking to the older man that walked next to her.
The girl looked over to them. They seemed a little strange but she didn't pay attention to any of that as he head hurt a little her usual sign that it was happening again.
"Please no." The small girl pleaded hopping that it would all stop and she could be normal and have friends.
Her eyes flashed as the world turned dark as she stared at the orb of the two people. Her body shook overwhelmed but what she was seeing, they were not human, frankly far more than human, that was when she got a glimpse at how much more of the world there was. That would be the first time she didn't feel so much of a freak.
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"I see, I see." Lord Death mused out loud rubbing his chin. "I understand. I do hope you find what you're looking for. And I hope you don't mind helping the school out from time to time."
Kami told him, "No, I'll try to check in from time to time." She looked around the Death Room. "Just promise me you'll keep an eyes on Maka for me."
"I promise. It'd the least I can do, you did watch my kiddo when he was small."
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Kami watched the battle field covered in snow. She pulled her coat close over her frame. The cold was getting to her skin. She had her fill of wars long before this.
"Its time to go." A red haired woman put a fur coat on her. Her own armor just sticking out of her thick coat. "Its over now and we have to find shelter." She tried to give her a smile.
"Huh, I think that's the first time you've smiled since I've known you. It looks good on you."
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Kami was racing towards the window. She had kicked off her black heels and ripped her skirt so she could run faster. The black dress was rather form fitting so she had to so she could run. She held closed to the suit case and leapt out of the window as bullet flew past her. She hung in the air a moment before the room behind her exploded. The blast launched her into the river next to the hotel. After a moment she gasped for breath sticking her head out of the water. Another moment soaked she managed to make it to the shore.
"Damn you Monaco." Kami gasped as she fell onto the shore line. "I just wanted to have one trip for fun. But no I had to find out that mob bosses were using it as a front. They were collecting souls and going to feast on it. No, then I had get their attention and get close enough to sneak in to find proof. " She opened the suit case were three small souls slept. "And children's souls." Her anger faded away. " And the fight and they started shooting at me and were stupid enough to fire in the room were they kept weapons and explosives."
Kami had intended to take the souls as proof to a DWMA station about what she found so they could act. Now it seemed like all that was left was to take the souls to the station and explain things.
"It seems like you keep yourself busy." A voice in Japanese said.
Kami looked up to see a golden fox looking at her. "The King of the Forest?"
"We need to talk."
The fox gave her the vision and the warning of what was going to happen. As the police arrived
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Kami held her small daughter in her arms. The small toddler in her orange dress played with her mother's long blonde ponytail. Kami smiled, she was glad she let her hair grow out so her daughter play with her hair.
Kami put her daughter in her high chair. "My turn" Kami grabbed her pig tails like wings. "Flying Maka. Fly so high."
Maka giggled, "Mama! I'm flying!"
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"Ah!" Kami gasped. "That was new and a little random." She felt strange that scenes from her life had began to flicker before her randomly.
Kami found herself laying in a lush green field, the sky was bright blue and the air was nice and warm. She was wearing a bright white sun dress that hugged her curves and her blonde hair flowed down her shoulder.
Kami got up and looked around.
"Lay down, Kokoro."
Kami turned around to see her mother standing there. Wearing her white kimono and her purple hair shining.
"Mama!" She said and little more than a whimper. "Don't call me Kokoro." She said purely as a reflex.
"Its you name. It's the name I picked for you. You might have changed it but you will always be my Kokoro." She pulled her towards her and sat on the grass. Haruhi rested her daughter head on her lap.
"What happened?" Kami asked.
"It should be obvious. Being stabbed in the chest isn't something you just walk away from." Haruhi ran her fingers through her daughter hair. "My beautiful, brave and stupid reckless daughter. You should have found another way."
"I'm sorry. I had to make sure Maka survived."
"I'm betting she would rather have you there."
"I know the feeling." Kami got up and looked into her mother's eyes.
Haruhi hugged her daughter. "Oh, there is so much to say and so little time to do it."
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In the land of the living Maka had lit a candle in the room. She had found her mother's coat and found a journal. The journal was old and worn out filled with extra pages. It held stories about her travels, notes about creatures she had met, lists of people she trusted and how to contact them.
Maka sighed knowing it was of little help since there was no way to contact them. She was on her own and her mother gave her everything so that she could continue and carry on the fight. Maka felt the weight of countless of generations of her family weighing on her shoulders. She had to put down the Demon King or he would put her down. He would regain his power and everyone there would die. A new evil would rise and at best would conquer Japan. At worst it would be a force that could rival the kishin. So there was a little pressure.
From the door to the room came a loud banging.
"Maka! Come out quick!" Black Star pounded on the door as if to try to knock it down.
Maka wiped the tear from her eyes to put on a brave front and opened the door. Black Star went quiet seeing how red her eyes were.
He looked away unused to seeing such weakness in a friend he knew was so strong. His voice was quiet. "There someone here."
Maka quickly went outside the room towards the front of the house not noticing how her breath was becoming visible.
As she stepped outside to the dark world Maka was greeted by countless souls and none human.
"You're the spirits of the land." Maka had seen some before in the forest by the lake and she saw the snow woman again.
"We're here to help." Yuki told her. "None of us wanted Kami…" Her words died in the air. "It's too late to save her but we won't let it end with you here today. For centuries your family has protected us, watched over us and shared their land with us. They made it possible for us to live in peace for centuries as most of Japan cast us aside. They have done so much that we can never pay them back for so we will do what we can to protect you."
Maka wondered why they hadn't tried to help before besides a few warnings. But as Maka thought about and looked at them and they were scared. Maybe some of them had lived through the first battles or like her family the stories of the demon were passed down as warnings. They knew the dangerous just like she did and her mother wanted to protect them as well. The same reason they didn't bring the other meisters or weapons, they were the only ones who could fight the demons with some safety. Her mother had been doing what her entire family had been doing for centuries, she had been protecting those spirits.
"So what will you do now?" A gold fox walked up to Maka and spoke in Japanese.
The spirits whispered, 'The King of the Forest.' The King was the leader of the spirits that lived there and kept them in control.
"Beat the Demon King." Maka said without hesitation in fluent Japanese. Her mother had taught her the language when she was young, just like her own mother had taught her.
"Spoken like someone with the Hiiragi blood." The King spoke. "Confident despite how foolish it was, a little reckless and vague. It's how your blood line came to be. One boy foolishly trying to save someone and a girl who thought she could save him. Its noble and stupid. Had he died no one would bother remembering but had he died none of us would be here. Sometimes we need someone noble and stupid."
Maka leveled a glare at the fox. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"No, that was supposed to help me judge you. I just back handedly insulted your family and your didn't raise your voice. That very good, after your own mother's death no one would blame you for lashing out at me but at the moment you're focused."
"I don't have much of a choice, the Demon King wants me dead and will kill anyone who gets in his way. I don't intend on letting him hurt anyone else I care about.
"Yes, and he's likely to come soon. I mean why wait and let you get a drop of strength to use against him."
"Do you have something to say?"
"I have many things to say. I think we should step inside and talk about them."
"All right." Maka said waving the fox in.
Soul was about to follow when Tsubaki stopped him. "I think we should stay here."
"They have something to talk about and it's not for us to hear." Stein added.
Tsubaki and Stein being the only ones with the ability to speak and understand Japanese actually understood what Maka and the King of the Forest had said to one another.
"So, what did they say?" Black Star questioned since he like everyone else who wasn't a spirit had no clue about the conversation.
Farther inside the fox looked at the meister and the meister looked at the fox.
"From what I have gathered it seems like the Demon King has taken the power that the other two had for himself. He intends to take the power they all had for himself. He would be a force of nature and that would conquer this island in less than a day. We have to stop him for doing so and you are the key to it."
"I already knew that." Maka spat out the words. "Don't waste my time."
"No, this is the thing that must happen and not a waste. There is fear and anger in your words, just hidden behind them. There is great pain."
"Of course there is!" She shouted at him. "My mother is dead. Her body is cold in the other room!" Tears started to stream from her eyes. "She died to make sure I would live…. and now I have to fight…. I have to fight the thing that is responsible for her death! I'm not sure I can beat it."
"That's the thing. Why are you fighting? Is it for survival? Or is it for revenge? You are a warrior for Death and that threat is always there for any warrior, to stay on the path of the warrior or the path of the demon. Even a noble soul can be lead astray onto the path of the demon with wrath and pain filling their heart. If you fight for the wrong reason you could become one of the kishin you hunt." The Fox's gold eyes stared at her. "Your mother had that spirit, to fight for others, she believed that you have to protect others to protect yourself."
"I think mom got that line from Seven Samurai." Maka smiled remembering her mother tell her that too.
"Oh, really. I hadn't seen that one. The point stand, when she told me that was her reason for becoming a meister. Those words were very similar to what your ancestor told me when I asked why they had started to defend the spirits." He paused. "We lost your mother today and I won't let us lose you too. Now, answer why are you fighting?"
Maka paused to think about it, it seemed like the natural thing to do. She didn't think about it after he mother died. She cried and cried and when she finally managed to stop she looked through her journal. Maka studied the notes on monsters that Kami had run into and how to deal with them. She thought about fighting and never questioned why.
Images flashed before her mind, her mother, Kid and then Crona. The feeling of lost and pain coiled in her gut. Then the images of Soul, her father, Black Star, Tsubaki, Liz and Patty, Marie and Stein.
"I… I…. I…" Maka fell to her knees. "I don't want to lose them. I don't want to lose anyone else." She remembered when Stein and Marie left and when Kim left, she hated that the events forced them away. She hated when Crona left and cursed Medusa for her part in it. She hated when she found out Kid was taken away but at least she was glad that Kid manage to give Liz and Patty away to avoid capture too. Then her mother was gone but unlike everyone else there wasn't hope for her coming back to her. "I don't want to lose any one."
The fox placed a paw on her shoulder, "You really are your mother's daughter. Possibly the most powerful demon I've ever heard of is coming to kill you and you can only worry about is the safety of your loved ones. You really are a Hiiragi. Those two who started this felt the same thing. The reason to fight is to protect others, we don't have to worry about you being corrupted. Keep that in mind, do not fill your heart with hate and fight for revenge but fight for love and those you love, fight to survive."
"Will you help me?"
"Who do you think I am?" The fox grinned. "There is one thing we must do first."
The fox lead her along to the room they had laid her mother's body. Maka felt her body go stiff at the sight. The fox lowered his head and that was when Maka realized that the fox was whispering a prayer for her. The Fox retrieved a small napkin and placed it on the bloody wound that had started to turn the white blanket red and slowly the blood sipped into it turning it red. They held a moment of silence before the fox lead her away deeper into the house.
Finally they reached a room in the back, it was dusty and dark. They found some candles and lit the room with its light. The fox stared at a pink kimono that hung in the middle of the room. Something, mostly the dust around it, told Maka it was old but it seemed almost brand new.
"That kimono was made by the spirits of Japan as a gift to the first born of the shrine maiden and the warrior."
"Their daughter?"
"Yes, we made it as a present to show them how grateful we were, it was a gift for her coming of age birthday. She was the true first member of the family born as a Hiiragi. Trained with the sword by her father and taught about ritual as spirituality by her mother. She was the first to be born of a Hiiragi and your mother was the last born of the Hiiragi and with her blood we will focus power that is left behind to you."
"You mean magic? I don't know any ritual like mama did."
"There is no need, the power runs through your blood. Magic isn't that hard, its life and it runs through the world. Witches pull in their power but more often than not pull away from nature and try to control it and force their complete will on it and it comes out destructive and chaotic. Spirits move with it and flow with the power and we sway it. The enchanters who make golems come close to our process." He looked up at Maka. "I need your shoulder cleared."
"All right." Maka took off her coat and moved up her sleeve.
The fox pressed the napkin to her shoulder and the blood seeped out and inked her skin. The markings began to shape themselves and move down her arm. It started to look like red tattoo of red cherry blossoms on a long branch.
The King of the Forest explained, "We complete the circle when you wear the kimono, the first with the last will allow you to wield the sword. If you weren't her daughter and had a good heart this wouldn't work."
"What does it do?" Maka was still unsure.
"It's a trick, it will allow to tap into the powers of the sword for a short time to inherited the powers this land has given your family over the years and focus it for this battle."
"Powers?"
"When your ancestors defeated them demons the first time around they removed a great deal of their power. Normally demon power would corrupt but love fueled your ancestors actions instead of greed and it purified that power and was absorbed into the land. Your family has always been connected to that power and the land because of that action. Maybe it's because half of them were shrine workers that allowed them to refine that power but gifts have been passed onto you all. Your aunt could feel the flow of nature and it's powers and speak to the plants. Your mother could see souls at a very early age. Your grandmother …" The Fox hesitated. "She could focus her power or emotions and was a force to deal with. And you can dispel evil."
"My anti-demon wavelength?"
"Maybe it was a gift or maybe the land just helped nurture potential abilities you could have. Then again you are far removed from the blood line so you might not have been affected by it all."
"What does it has to do with anything?"
"Nothing I as just making small talk while waiting for those two to show up."
A gray and silver fox stood behind Maka. The gold fox started to walk away, "They will help you get into the kimono and bring the sword. I can feel it, the last demon will be here soon."
With the King of the Forest gone the other foxes turned into two young women and help undress Maka and dress her in the kimono. Maka was actually used to that as she did live with Blair.
Maka looked herself in a mirror as she had the pink kimono on. She had a dark red obi wrapped around her waist. Maka looked at the spring themed flowers around the bottom of the kimono that served as decoration. The kimono was meant for a celebration of life but now she was wearing it to battle, it almost felt like an act of disrespect.
The ground shook and like the beating of the drum they told of the oncoming battle. Someone was to die soon. Maka picked up the sword and sheath it and tucked it in the back of obi and walked out. She was greeted by friends and family and an army of spirits. She paused to think of her mother, she wished to see her again. For a moment she wanted to try that ritual she saw to speak to her one last time but she forced herself to give up that thought. She didn't know to perform the ritual and lacked the time to learn it or perform it.
Dark red clouds covered the dark black sky.
"Why are you wearing a kimono?" Black Star asked casually. "I thought we were going to fight not go on a picnic and go flower watching!"
"Its pretty." Patty chirped not dampened a little by the gloom or the ground shaking.
"Yeah, you look pretty and everything but the blue idiot does have a point." Soul said who was acting like someone should with the ground constantly shaking. "I don't think its time for a costume change."
"It's a family relic. It's important to wear this." She turned and looked to the horizon. "Its time to start this. You don't have to come. We wanted to keep you all from this so if you want-"
"Not going to hear it." Soul said his voice firm. "I said it before, I'll follow you where ever you go. I'm certainly not going to leave you when you need me."
"We're all here for you." Tsubaki smiled that reassuring smile of hers.
"Why should we run?" Black Star said ever confident. "With me here this demon doesn't have a chance."
"We're here for you Maka." Liz said less than confident but making the effort not to run, she didn't want to lose another friend.
"We'll beat up that demon!" Patty said her bright smile lighting the dark.
"Maka, we won't leave you." Marie placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You're one of my students and your mother was one of my friends. I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if I left you and I know I wouldn't forgive myself."
Spirit smiled at her in silence. He was there for her, he saw a lot of her mother in her and she saw that his little girl was becoming a strong woman ready to face the world. Stein took a long hit from his cigarette, he didn't have to time to save Kami like he did with Sid so he made a silent promise to protect Maka.
Maka smiled at all of them before she took a breath and walked towards the battle and they all followed. It was out of instinct she walked to the field, the same field that battle took place centuries ago. With one last shake the ground cracked open, the s cracked and stopped before Maka. Maka to her credit didn't even flinch. The crack cracked apart and hot lava flood through the cracks like blood out of an old scar ripped open. A towering figure ripped out of it roaring as it did.
It was a towering figure about four stories tall with body made of stone it could have been mistaken for a small mountain. Its grizzly face was covered with rouge patches of hair, its sharp mangled teeth glinted through it's mouth. It's eyes were red balls of hate and greed.
"The Demon King." Maka said in a whisper.
Authors Notes: Okay, I'm back and I hope that you liked this chapter. I think there are two chapters left one is the battle and the other is the epilogue. Anyway I hope to update soon and I hope you leave me a review. So tell me what you think. I'm hopping to get back in the flow of writing soon and get an update out soon.