Spoilers: after the Anime and sort of from Manga chapter 62/3. You have been warnied.
Warning(s): Possible swearing, mild/medium gore level potential, fluff.
Pairing(s): SoMa, possibly some TsuStar and/or KidxLizxPatty
Brief: With the Kishin defeated, what new threats will rise up to face the heroes from Shibusen? Will Kid's words of warning when the Kishin was killed come true sooner than they thought? And can the Madness be eliminated completely before it consumes the world?
Disclaimer: Atsushi Okubo owns Soul Eater, not me.
Chapter Ten: Power Beyond Compare; Return to Shibusen
England
Maka's eyes shone as they snapped open, the shadowy melody coming from Soul's Black Room seeping through her mind from his soul. She spun Soul over her head, channelling her wavelength through Soul's scythe form, an intense blue aura surrounding both.
"It's working," the Meister heard Soul say as he played. Maka realised quickly that she was hearing him in her head.
Yeah, but don't let it go to your head, she told him. Keep focussed, Soul; we have to go higher than this.
"Yeah, no kidding Maka," Soul replied. She could practically hear him roll his eyes. "You can't build up from the start; just let me concentrate on increasing our resonance."
Maka nodded. As she spun the scythe faster and faster, she became aware of the intense Witch Hunter she was wielding was growing bigger with every revolution. Streaks of electricity coursed through the air as the energy built and discharged slightly. The Clown cocked its head and moved forwards from its position with feral and frightening speed, bladed arm reared back to swing. Maka reacted in an instant, charging forward with a trail of lightning behind her as she reeled back the scythe. The music was building around her, a dark purple energy lacing her movements as Maka neared the demonic beast. With a great shout, she swung, the music hitting a forte as she let fly the attack. Sparks flew as the two blade met, each trying to be dominant. Maka's eyes flickered with dark purple energy as Soul's piano strokes built in volume, the intense crescendo going from forte to fortissimo and further to fortississimo. With every step in the rhythm and every burst of melodic darkness, Maka's force behind her attack built and mounted, pushing the Clown backwards a step, then another. It looked shocked as its feet began to grind backwards on the stone.
"Impossible!" the creature growled. "You cannot possess such strength! I do not believe this!"
"Believe it or not," Maka replied, a dark grin on her face. "You're still not getting away!" The purple energy pulsed over Soul's glowing blade, making it seem as though the scythe was electrified. "Now, Soul! Genie Hunter!"
Bright light shone from Maka and Soul as he slammed the final notes in sequence, the fierce energy swirling around them as they let loose their power. Maka's swing finished with the burst of energy, sending the Clown flying into the bridge, which cracked even more under the weight of the creature and force of the impact. When it raised it's head again, Maka was stood there, wielding Soul with a purple and blue halberd blade atop his handle. A red eye stared blankly out at the creature as Maka reared the blade back once more for the final strike, and the Clown could clearly see the small, white wings sprouted from Maka's back as she started for it.
The beast moved quickly, standing upright and bringing it's bladed arm up to intercept the attack, but it was in vain as Maka swung, the Genie Hunter fuelled by Soul's dark music and Maka's Anti-Demon Wavelength and sheer determination. The axe-like blade slammed into the Clown, meeting resistance for a moment before yielding to the power behind the weapon. In the blink of an eye, Maka shot forwards passed the Clown, standing on the other side of the bridge. At first, nothing, then a cry of pain.
Maka dropped to her knee, the base of Soul's handle resting on the ground to help support her. Her hand trailed to her left side, where a fresh cut had made itself known. Blood poured between her fingers and a puddle of crimson emerged beside her, her left leg also torn open from the clash. Soul groaned, his energy depleted. In the Black Room, he sweated profusely, the macabre music having used all his stamina. Thunder sounded overhead as the first droplets of rain began to fall.
"Did we... lose?" Soul wondered, looking out of his Weapon form at the Clown, which was still standing. The creature turned and grinned to him.
CRACK!
The porcelain face on the Clown split in half as a line of white built about its torso.
"What do you know," it mused, almost sounded pleased by the outcome. "You were better than I expected, children of Spartoi." It grunted as white light erupted in a plane from the cut. "Farewell for now."
The light grew as white flames coated the disfigured being, before it suddenly exploded in a cloud of white particles. The bridge it had been standing on collapsed under the blast, and the soul which should have appeared disappeared from Soul's sight. He sighed in relief and changed to human form. He was burnt in places, sooty marks splattering his white attire and hair, and, he noted with a grimace, his chest was bleeding a little, leaking through his scar from Crona; the sheer force of soul he was having to put into the attack, the might of his resonance with Maka, had torn the scar open a little. He looked to Maka, noting how injured she was, and knowing that his wounds were mere scrapes compared to hers.
"Maka, are you alright?" he asked, the rain pouring down over them, making his hair fall close over his skull. Maka looked up, grimacing, and nodded.
"Yeah," she voiced her decision. "Come on, let's get back to Shibusen."
The blonde Meister tried to pull herself up, but the laceration in her leg seared with pain, making her stumble. Soul caught her before she hit the ground, supporting her on her better leg.
"Yeah, right," Soul replied bluntly. "You're too banged up to try resonating with me for that long, and it's not like we can walk it." The rain fell harder as he spoke. Maka sniffed, a little hurt that she was so unable now that she was injured, but agreed with her Weapon.
"Then what do you suggest?" she asked. Soul looked up the path leading away from the river, noticing the faint light on the hill top.
"I've got an idea," he replied. "Can you walk like this?"
"Maybe, but I'm no- WAH!" Maka yelled as Soul sighed, shifting her onto his back with ease. "What the hell are you doing, Soul?!"
"You think I'm gonna let you walk around in the rain like this?" he replied simply, running with her on his back. "Calm down; this way is much faster anyway. Just hold on to me."
Maka sighed, rolling her eyes, but did as he asked, hugging him loosely around the neck so that she was not choking him, leaning her head on it's side against his back, just enjoying the feel of him carrying her and the dull thump of his heart in her ear. Despite the circumstances, she felt glad to be with Soul.
Shibusen, Nevada
The group in the training room turned to the sound of the doors opening. Kai had been sparring in a three-way fight with Black Star and Mifune, the Kishin Weapon enjoying the different manner of fighting, while Professor Stein tutored Crona on utilising his full abilities, knowing how to manipulate the Madness within him ever so slightly to increase effectiveness. All eyes fell on Kid as he approached with Liz and Patty hot on his heels. He was moving quickly, his fists clenched and eyes glaring. Kai changed his arm back into its human state and cocked his head.
"Hey, Kid," he said simply as the Grim Reaper walked up to him. "What's up?"
Without a verbal reply, Kid did something which shocked everyone present; he reeled back his hand and thrust forward, punching Kai hard in the jaw. The older man stepped back a little, holding his wounded face lightly and glaring back at Kid.
"The hell's your problem?!" he growled. "Have you lost it?"
"You bastard!" Kid roared back, trying to punch him again, but Liz gripped his arms and Patty pushed herself between the males, pushing Kid back and getting some space between them. "Dammit! It's all you fault!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Kai asked heatedly. Patty turned to him, her face almost sympathetic as she handed him a small camera with a screen visible. Confused, Kai watched the video in silence, ignoring Kid's shouts. He clamped a hand over his mouth as he watched Agni's brutal death and execution before watching as the screen went black. By the time he had seen it all, Kid had calmed down and was on his knees, Liz still gripping his arms in case he flipped out again. "What is this?"
"They had Kishin Blood there," Kid explained, clearly distraught. "The incidents were because of it being exposed to the citizens there. It was part of a Witch's plan called Project Armoured Sword, headed by Vulcan, a prototype Weapon designed to be used by the Kishin." Kai's eyes widened. "You're part of it, Kai." Kid paused, letting it sink in. "What do you know of this?"
"Nothing," Kai replied, still shocked. "I didn't think anything was left of it after I came to Shibusen... Whatever it was, it can't be good if they used me as a prototype."
"What's going on over here?" Stein asked as he neared, having seen Kid punch Kai but little else due to being quite far off. Kai threw the camera to Stein, not bothering to look up at the man.
"Give that to Lord Death," he said in a dark tone. "Make sure he sees it right away." Stein looked as though he was about to argue, but Kai cut him off. "It's about where I came from." Stein understood and sighed, twisting the bolt in his head.
"Fine," he replied, walking away. "Just try not to kill each other while I'm gone."
"Liz, Patty," Kid said as Stein walked away. "Go with Professor Stein to my father, and give him the drives we took from the computers." His Weapons looked unsure, but agreed all the same, hurrying behind Stein. Kid looked at Kai and sighed. "I'm sorry for hitting you." Kai shook his head.
"No," he replied. "I would have done the same in your position. If you'll excuse me, I need to be alone."
Without another word, Kai stretched out his wings and took to the air, finding somewhere to be by himself. As he flew away, Black Star watched the man then turned to Kid, his face blank and slightly confused.
"What was that all about?" he asked, more to anyone who could answer than someone in particular.
England
They trudged through the fields and the wind and rain for a long time before they finally found the place Soul had been searching for. The fact the he had to carry Maka up the hill and through knee-deep mud in order to get there was a strong factor in the lengthy travel, and both Weapon and Meister were thoroughly soaked by rain water, caked by mud and various bits of bracken and plant life, and even had crimson tie-dye streaks over their white clothing from their wounds. As Soul hauled her up the stony driveway, Maka gasped at the sight of the house before them.
It was very large, that was the first thing which struck her. She had been to Kid's mansion before, but this was completely different; it was an old, brick building, which looked like it had been around since the Victorian era. The grand mansion had a main body where two large oaken doors stood intimidatingly above them as they approached, and two wings which shrunk back a few feet from the porch. Stone columns and steps decorated the porch, along with the more lavish golden knocker on the doors and the patterns of holly leaves on the frame of the doors. Maka stopped her astounded stares as Soul ascended the stairs, wondering who lived there. Before she could ask, Soul had raised his hand to the large knocker, which was held in a lions mouth. A few minutes later, the right hand door swung aside, revealing a tall woman who seemed a little surprised to see them there. Maka poked her head out from behind Soul's to get a better look at her.
She was very tall for a woman, standing at almost six feet with no real heel on her shoes, and had bright blue irises. Her face was framed by a shock of golden hair which was mostly twisted into a single plaited ponytail which hung over her left shoulder and cascaded down to her left hip. Her skin was the same tone as Soul's, Maka noted, and the tall woman was wearing very nice clothes despite the late hour. A pair of reading glasses were perched upon her head, indicating that she had been reading and that was why she was still awake.
"Soul?" she asked finally, having stared at the two stood in the doorway for some time. "What on earth are you doing out in this weather?"
"Heh, we kind of got caught out, mum," he replied sheepishly. "It's not like we planned this."
"I can tell," the woman, Soul's mother, replied with a smile. Her eyes turned to Soul's chest and also to Maka's still bleeding leg. "Oh, dear, are you two hurt?"
"I'm fine, mum," Soul replied. "Most of this blood isn't mine." He paused, hesitating. "Uh, mum, we can't get back to Shibusen in our condition; Maka can barely walk as it is. Could we-"
"Oh, of course!" Soul's mum exclaimed, stepping aside to let them in. "You don't need to ask, Soul! Come in before you both catch your death!" Soul walked in carefully, Maka still upon his back. "So, this is the infamous Maka we've heard so much about," Soul's mum went on, closing the door behind them. "She certainly is a pretty one, Soul." Maka blushed at this comment. Before she could say a word, another voice came from behind them.
"Mommy?" it said. "What's going on?"
Soul turned, taking Maka with him. Stood in the hallway was a small girl who was rubbing her eyes tiredly and had a small brown teddy bear in her other hand. She was about nine, if Maka had to guess, with dark hair down to her shoulder blades. Like Soul's mum, she had blue eyes.
"Hey, squirt," Soul grinned at the girl. "What are you doing up so late?"
"Soul!" she grinned, running up to him and giving him a hug around the legs. "You're home!"
"Yeah, I told you I'd come back, Rosie," he smiled, ruffling her hair affectionately, careful not to drop Maka in the process. Soul's mum laughed a little and scooped Rosie up.
"We've all missed you, Soul," she said with a sad smile. "But we know that you are doing good for the world at Shibusen." Soul nodded, understanding the hurt he had caused because of his abilities. Before he could speak up, however, Maka let out a groan, an unintentional action due to a pain shooting up her leg. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dear!" Soul's mum put Rosie down again. "Rosie, honey, go fetch your father." The girl nodded and hurried off. "Soul, hold onto Maka for the moment while I get some towels." Soul nodded and stood awkwardly with Maka still perched upon his back as his mother dashed off to find some old towels. He looked to his Meister and gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Sorry about this," he said. "But it was the only thing I could think of." Maka shook her head.
"It's fine," she replied, understanding. "Your family seems nice."
"Thanks," Soul chuckled a little. "Hard to beat your dad though." Maka snorted at the thought.
"Yeah, right," she replied sourly. "He's still a dumbass for hurting mama like that."
Soul nodded knowingly as two people appeared, one being Soul's mother, the other being a fairly tall man, perhaps a little shorter than Soul's mother, with dark hair in a short, neat styling, and red eyes like Soul's. He was wearing a white coat and carrying a black doctor's bag. He looked at Soul and Maka and nodded.
"Good to see you again, son," he said without changing his face from neutral. Soul nodded back.
"Hi, dad," he returned. "Could you help my Meister?"
"Certainly," the man rolled his crimson eyes. "What kind of doctor would I be if I couldn't help a girl in the middle of the night? Let's take her into the lounge so I can work." The group moved together, Soul's mother laying the towels in her arms over a bed of sorts in the lounge. With it covered, Soul placed Maka down on the bed, allowing her to lie down. Soul's father sat on a stool beside her, setting his bag down on the table. "Now then, my dear. I am Doctor William Evans. Could you explain how you got these injuries?"
"A fight which got out of hand," Maka replied. "We weren't expecting then to have so many tricks up their sleeves." She paused. "Sorry, what did you say your name was?" William blinked.
"William Evans, my dear girl," he replied. "Why do you ask? Have I worked on you before?"
"No, it's just... Your surname is Evans?" William nodded to Maka. "I'm sorry, I was under the impression that you were the Eater family."
"Ah," William nodded, working on Maka's leg. "That would be because of Solomon's choice of name when he went to Shibusen." Maka had to pinch herself to make sure she had heard correctly. "He prefers to be called 'Soul' instead, but he changed his surname to keep his family name out of his life there." Soul was fidgeting by now, uncomfortable with the topic. "I never understood it myself; my father raised my brother and I to be proud of our heritage and familial bonds." Maka winced and cringed as William worked on her side. "My apologies. It is difficult to tell where the tissue is still suffering from the damage." Maka nodded, facing away from the injury. Soul's mother smiled at her.
"You're doing fine, dear," she told the young Meister reassuringly.
"Lilian," William finally said. "Could you make sure that Soul's room is prepared for the night? Maka will need time to recuperate before they return to Shibusen." Soul's mother, Lilian, nodded and headed off, nudging Soul towards Maka as she left. William put his needle and thread away, having finished stitching up the final wounds on Maka's body. "There you are, Maka. I've done all I can with your injuries; the worst are stitched and have gauze over them to prevent infection. You had quite a few needle-like puncture wounds which had clotted when I started; be careful not to break the scabs until they fade. Would you like any pain medication?" Maka shook her head, and William nodded in return. "Very well. You both may stay in Soul's bedroom tonight; it is more than sufficient for two people to spend the night. If you'll excuse me, I need to clean my equipment before I retire." The man stood and picked up his bag. "Good night, Maka, it was a pleasure to meet you even if the circumstances were not pleasant." Maka smiled despite her battered state of being.
"Thank you for your help, Doctor Evans," she replied. "Good night." William nodded and walked over to Soul, who had barely moved since Maka had been laid down.
"It is good to have you home, Soul," he said, his tone almost void of emotion, though Soul could have sworn there was an edge of joy about it. "I will see you in the morning." Soul nodded and shook his father's hand.
"Night, dad," he replied. "It's good to be home."
Maka was sure that she heard William chuckle at Soul's remark, but he moved away as if nothing had happened all the same. Only once his father had left did Soul move to Maka's side, kneeling and taking place beside her left shoulder.
"How do you feel?" he asked. Maka smiled softly, her peridot irises glued to her Weapon as he watched with anxious scarlet eyes.
"I'm fine," she replied simply. "This is nothing compared to what we've been through together." Soul sighed, agreeing. There was a brief silence, then Maka spoke up once more. "Why did you change your name, Soul?" she asked. "And why did you never mention your family before?"
"I don't like to keep my family in this," he replied with a shrug. "I changed my name to 'Soul Eater' so that no one in school knew of my family's connections." Maka raised an eyebrow quizically and Soul sighed again. "Maka, it can't have escaped you attention that my family is well-off, and the name is kind of well known in the right circles; I couldn't risk someone at school knowing that I was part of this family for that reason." Maka nodded, understanding his reasoning. "I don't want to have a partner who is with me for my family status; I want a partner who is with me for me..." Maka placed her hand on Soul's shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"But why didn't you tell me once I was you partner?" she asked, curious. "I understand at first, but what stopped you after that?"
"I guess it never came up," Soul replied. He looked Maka in the eyes and noticed the hint of hurt in her eyes. "You don't think..." Maka looked away, flushing a little. "Maka, do you really think I'm uncool enough not to trust my partner?"
"No, it's just..." Maka trailed off a little. "Tsubaki has told Black Star about her family, and he has none to speak of. Kid told Liz and Patty about his, and they told him about theirs. You even know about my family!"
"Maka, it's hard not to know about your family between your wierdo father's shouts about your mother and you," Soul replied in deadpan. In any other situation, Maka might have laughed or cringed at this comment, but she made no such sound.
"You know what I mean, Soul," she complained. "You're the only one who hasn't talked about your family with your partner. I know you trust me, but... I don't know, it's just unusual."
Soul was quiet as he thought about his Meister's words. Laying there at his side, she looked disappointed by Soul's lack of willingness to discuss his family. He ran a hand through his hair and gripped her hand. Maka looked back to him, wondering what he was going to do or say.
"I know you think it's weird that I haven't told you about my family when everyone else has," he said finally. "But I can't bring myself to bring my family into it. When I joined Shibusen, I changed my name and made sure that no one knew the real me as a defence mechanism, and I guess I never allowed myself to drop it because I had built my life there around it." Maka furrowed her eyebrows but said nothing. "I guess I thought, if anyone knew about my family life, they would reject me and call me a fake. That's why I couldn't do it; I couldn't break my image."
Maka smiled and patted his shoulder.
"You're an idiot, Soul," she said softly. "We would never reject you for something as simple as family; Liz, Patty, Tsubaki, Kid, Black Star and me, we're all like your family at Shibusen, and family doesn't hide things from each other. Don't forget that, Soul."
"Thanks, Maka," Soul smiled back. They stayed there in comfortable silence until Lilian returned.
"Soul, your room is ready," she said. "Could you take Maka up?" Soul nodded, scooping his Meister up bridal style and lifting her off of the bed. "I'll wake you both up at half past eight for breakfast tomorrow."
"Thank you for everything, Mrs Evans," Maka said gratefully. Lilian laughed lightly at this.
"Oh, honey," she replied. "Mrs Evans was Soul's grandmother. Please, call me Lily."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Maka replied, rubbing her eyes; with her adrenaline surge from the fight draining itself from her system, she was beginning to feel fatigued.
Lilian pushed open a door on the second floor, revealing a large room with a bed, a large couch and a desk evident in it. Maka did not pay much attention to the details within due to how dark it was, and she was half asleep. Soul gently set her down on the bed and covered her with the duvet. She was asleep in moments.
Soul smiled and softly kissed her forehead as she began to softly snore.
"Sweet dreams, Maka," he said as he went to the couch and curled up on it.
Neither Weapon nor Meister noticed Lilian smiling as she watched the short scene from the doorway. She slipped out silently, leaving the young duo to rest of their own accord.
Okay, I hope you guys and girls liked this.
I'm going on holiday for the week, so additions might be slow as a generalism, but I can't help that fact. I just hope this suffices until I return.
As usual, read and review; I appreciate any constructive criticism or pointers.
Also, good luck to anyone receiving their GCSE results next week, or anyone who received their A-Level results yesterday; I'm still biting my nails about my results to come :/
Anyway, goodbye for now!