A/N: Hello everyone. I'm sorry it has been so long. I went on a long hiatus. Thanks to those who are still following, favoriting and leaving me reviews. I really do appreciate it. Hopefully I can continue to interest you! And wow 100+ reviews! THANK YOU
Also- Please check out my new story "Patty Cake" and tell me what you think :D
So without further ado….
Chapter Eleven
"Soul, please tell me you're joking!" Maka cried, aghast with the idea of fighting friends with weapons. Not including her books of course. However Soul was dismissing her protests with a smirk. Half of his body appearing out of the scythe to waggle a finger in front of her face.
"Hey, hey. You'll need to learn how to fight against kishin and this is the best option because both Kidd and Black Star aren't out to kill you, so it's cool." Soul assured her.
"Black Star might." Maka deadpanned. Soul chuckled in response.
"The great Me can finally get you back for all those Maka-chops that were unjustly dealt!" Black Star called out from behind them as he and the rest of the gang made their way towards Maka and Soul. Maka leveled him with a small frown.
"Now Black Star, you shouldn't seek revenge on a lady." Kidd chastised.
"Pssh! Maka's no lady!" Black Star chortled.
"What did you say?!" Maka fumed but was only met with him sticking out his tongue at her. She raised a fist but Soul lowered her hand to calm her down. She obliged reluctantly, still glaring at Black Star with promises of pain. Soul's eyes flickered to Kidd and jerked his head towards the vacant yard.
"I think for starters Kidd and Brat Star should demonstrate, so Maka can see how it's done." Soul suggested and Kidd was more than happy to oblige with a refined nod. Black Star frowned at him slightly but Soul paid him no heed, sticking his tongue out at Black Star this time, Patty imitating him as well.
"Hmph fine! But Maka-Baka and I fight after this!" Black Star stated.
"Bring it on!" Maka challenged as she pointed at him threateningly. Tsubaki looked between the two seeing the tension in the air and tried to distract Black Star.
"L-let's go Black Star." Tsubaki chimed in softly. She placed her hands on Black Star's shoulder's to steer him into the direction Kidd and the Thompson sisters were waiting for them. As Kidd motioned towards Liz and Patty to transform and got into one of his fighting stances, Black Star's competitive nature kicked in. A wicked grin crossed his features as he too got into position.
"Alright transform Tsubaki! Katana mode!" He ordered.
"Right!" Tsubaki replied and transformed into a beautiful sharp katana. Black Star raised Tsubaki with one of his arms and pointed her directly at Kidd, his other hand pounding against his chest in bravado.
"I'm the Great God and I will beat you Kidd!" He boasted.
"We'll see about that Black Star. I won't go easy on you." Kidd warned with a polite smile as he aimed Liz towards him.
"He sure has a death wish huh?" Liz said with a smirk.
"Hehehe! He doesn't stand a chance!" Patty giggled.
"Yosh!" Black Star shouted as he sprinted towards Kidd. Maka was surprised at how agile Black Star was becoming as he jumped up high and reared Tsubaki over his head with both hands, ready to strike Kidd down with a formidable swing-
-BANG!-
And in an instant, Black Star was knocked back, sprawled face down into the dirt.
There was a brief moment of silence as Black Star remained motionless. Maka looked at Kidd with a mix between shock and awe then cast a worried glance at Black Star. Soul was also surprised at the amount of power Kidd wielded.
"D-did Kidd seriously just shoot Black Star in the chest?" Maka wondered aloud.
"Yes, but the bullets he shot were his wavelength. Sure it will hurt, but an attack like that won't kill humans." Soul summarized.
"Black Star? Are you okay?" Tsubaki asked in concern. Her worried face reflected on the steel of the katana. He turned towards her slowly though his head was still in the dirt.
"Ow." Black Star groaned as he coughed out dirt.
"But how-" Maka was cut off.
"How did you do that!? That was so awesome! Can you teach me!?" Black Star asked in awe. He quickly got up and dusted himself off before plastering a grin on his face. Maka deadpanned at Black Star, stupefied at his ability to forget pain for excitement though she was relieved to see that Black Star did not have visible injuries. Kidd smiled.
"I shot you with my wavelength. I can harness it through Patty and Liz in the form of bullets but it really depends on the weapon…or meister." Kidd explained.
"What do you mean?" Black Star inquired.
"Well some meisters can harness their own wavelength and use it themselves. Like close hand combat. It is better that you fight with your weapon of course, however it's always good to have a back-up strategy. You just need to focus on your wavelength." Kidd instructed. Black Star nodded in understanding.
"Okay I'll try it." Black Star stated. He closed his eyes to try and concentrate his wavelength to his hands.
"Just remember we are still fighting after all!" Came Kidd's sing-song voice, he aimed a kick towards Black Star's head that he just narrowly dodged backwards for. Black Star tumbled then quickly got back up to his feet and gave Kidd an unamused glare.
"You sneaky son of a gun!" Black Star barked as he charged at Kidd again. He swung Tsubaki down towards Kidd's legs to knock him off balance. Kidd however back flipped away just in time. While he was in mid-air he shot a couple of bullets near Black Star's shoulders which Black Star squawked at in surprise. He jumped back as he heard Patty giggle from the pistol in Kidd's right hand.
"Pay attention or you'll go boom!" Patty guffawed.
Black Star grunted as he lunged again to attack with Tsubaki. All the while he was trying to multitask by focusing on his wavelength. Kidd was not making it easy for him to do both but he figured if this was a real battle it would be hard to do at first regardless. Tsubaki was encouraging him with advice and warnings of Kidd's approach as he kept trying.
-Crackle-
There it was. Black Star could start to feel the energy surging through his hand. He felt powerful as he grinned triumphantly. His eyes flickered towards Kidd.
'It's working! But if I want to do this I have to be quick.' Black Star thought quickly, and as Kidd ran towards him he reared his hand back then struck out towards Kidd. Kidd jumped sideways to dodge the powerful attack as it made contact with the ground, leaving quite an impressive dent.
"Yahoo!" Black Star shouted in accomplishment.
"H-he did it!?" Maka stated incredulously.
"Well damn… that was pretty cool." Soul smirked, giving Black Star a thumbs up.
"Great work Black Star!" Tsubaki congratulated.
"That was quite impressive Black Star." Kidd complemented.
"The great Me can do anything I set my mind to! Let's keep going, I want to perfect my godly skills!"
They continued to spar however it eventually ended up with Black Star using Kidd as target practice for his wavelength blast. Tsubaki, Liz and Patty had long gone from their meister's hands. Instead they took residence beside Soul and Maka. Tsubaki silently cheered for Black Star while Liz decided to play with her phone while Patty used one of Soul's thighs as a pillow, asleep almost instantly. Soul was unfazed as he continued to watch the fight.
Maka couldn't help but feel a small pang of jealously as she watched the display. Soul was oblivious until he turned his head and saw her expression. He was puzzled at first until he saw her green eyes drifting towards Patty. He couldn't help but break into a huge smirk.
'Well, well, well… I never knew she would feel jealous.' As much as he wanted to revel in the fact an angry Maka nonetheless was not a good situation. Although he couldn't help find that her expression was adorable.
"Liz and Patty are my childhood friends, they're like sisters to me." Soul quietly answered her unspoken question as he ruffled Maka's hair. She squawked in protest, her face heating up at rapid speed. He knew she was jealous, how embarrassing! Instead she faced away from him with a scoff to notice Black Star and Kidd were done and walking back towards them. Kidd was talking to someone on his cell phone before shutting it with a sigh as he approached.
"I'm afraid we must go now, my father has summoned me. Liz, Patty…wake up! Let us be on our way. Maka and Black Star…Keep practicing but don't kill each other. I shall be back in a few hours. Goodbye." Kidd bid farewell as he ventured towards the front door. Liz followed with Patty clinging to her back who was chanting "piggyback" with a sleepy grin. Liz sighed but obliged to her sister's request.
"You ready for this Maka?" Soul asked as he transformed back into a scythe. She nodded as she caught him with ease. She could feel their wavelength coinciding with one another which helped boost her confidence.
"Yeah! I'm feeling pretty excited now about this actually." Maka smiled as she readied herself, her forest-green eyes locking onto Black Star's cobalt ones.
"I bet I can take you down with one wavelength punch!" Black Star bragged as he reared his hand back to prepare a strike.
"Black Star don't you dare try to use your wavelength on Maka!" Soul threatened. Black Star deflated as he mumbled "buzzkill" towards Soul.
"Hmpf fine. Tsubaki, chain scythe mode." Black Star pouted as Tsubaki transformed. And without a moment's notice he charged towards Maka.
Maka tightened her grip on the scythe handle as she debated on her next course of action. This was a fight after all but did she really want to swing a scythe at her best friend? Though, by the looks of Black Star he didn't seemed bothered by the idea.
'I don't want to cut him, I'll just use the handle.' Maka settled with that option as she quickly switched Soul in her hands so the handle was facing Black Star. She stabbed it towards him as he lunged but he deflected her attack with ease.
"I hope you don't plan to poke me to death. C'mon Maka you need to use your scythe. I can handle it." Black Star urged. He wasn't trying to make fun of her this time. He genuinely wanted his best friend to improve and become stronger, she would definitely need it for the future. Not that he would dare admit that he cared about her and would worry if she got hurt.
'Black Star has a point! I need to try harder!' Maka thought in agreement.
She reared Soul down towards him however she was met with resistance. Black Star holding the chain taut in both hands to prevent her from applying more pressure downwards. He grinned at her in victory as she jumped back to strike again. Maka had to give him credit, Black Star was persistent with his training and it certainly shows. He was constantly blocking her attacks yet she was not deterred, he spurred her confidence to keep attacking. They continued sparring for quite some time.
Maka was getting ready to block one of Black Star's attacks when an ominous feeling stopped her dead. Her eyes wide from the sensation that was invading her thoughts. She felt a pull from somewhere behind them.
'What was that!?' She thought to herself.
"Stop!" Maka called out to Black Star. Soul quirked an eyebrow up at her in question while Black Star smirked. She quickly turned to peer behind them to observe the houses.
"What? Had enough Maka?" Black Star sneered.
"Can't you feel it? Something seems off around here. I can't put my finger on it but I feel like something bad is going to happen." Maka explained.
"I don't feel anything." Black Star stated although he did survey the area for suspicious activity.
"What does it feel like?" Tsubaki questioned. Maka furrowed her eyebrows together as she tried to concentrate.
"It feels…wrong…cold…bad?" Maka explained, unsure of what she was feeling.
There was a loud roar coming from behind a nearby house. The gang watched warily as they readied their weapons. Maka tried to focus on the feeling she had before to try and pinpoint its location. A few moments later they saw a gigantic clawed paw grab the roof of the house before the other paw followed suit. It hoisted itself unto the roof and stood in all its monstrous glory. It reminded Maka of a demonic bear. It raised its mangled snout to sniff the air before its yellow eyes dilated as it focused on the group. It bared its sharp fangs in a twisted smile.
"I found you, fresh meat." It growled. It jumped down from the roof sending tremors through the ground, knocking over anything in the vicinity of its huge body. It lowered itself onto all fours and roared again before it charged towards them, mouth agape and ready to rip anything and everything to shreds.
"I told you I felt something!" Maka shot to Black Star.
"What the!? They can talk?" Black Star exclaimed in surprise.
"And of course it chose to show up when Kidd isn't here! Figures!" Maka complained.
"Who cares? We can take him! C'mon Maka!" Soul encouraged.
"Right!" Maka shouted back as both she and Black Star jumped backwards to avoid the kishin's charge. It hit a couple of trees instead before it turned its body to face them with a snort.
It narrowed its eyes as it focused on Soul and then onto Tsubaki. It reared back on its hind legs before slamming its front paws down onto the ground with a snarl. It was quite the intimidating sight to behold.
"Give me…..the weapons." The kishin growled before it began to charge towards them again.
"Like hell we will!" Black Star shouted with a scoff as he threw Tsubaki's scythe part into the kishin's side. It hissed angrily in challenge and took a deft swing towards him, successfully knocking him into the ground but Black Star got up swiftly to avoid being a sitting duck.
Then it swiftly changed its target to Maka, lashing out another strike.
"Maka look out!" Soul yelled.
Maka was just quick enough to hold Soul out horizontally to defend herself, however she was knocked back into a wall. The impact shot up her spine which was highly unpleasant. She clenched her teeth together and tried to will away the pain. She would have to be stronger than this.
'I will not cry or be weak!' Maka thought with resolve.
"Ouch." Maka was all she allowed herself to say before removing herself from the wall to attack the kishin. Soul asked if she was alright but she merely shrugged off his concern. It prepared another strike before Black Star's loud shout distracted it. Black Star jumped onto the kishin's back and was headed towards its neck with determination.
"Heh, you can't beat a God you puny kishin! Eat this!" Black Star shouted as he shot his wavelength into the back of the kishin's neck. From Maka's point of view it looked like Black Star electrocuted the kishin. He then followed the attack with a slice of the chain scythe in the same spot.
The kishin howled in unbridled fury and pain as it tried to swipe Black Star off its back. Black Star jumped off quickly and regrouped with Maka.
"What's our next course of action?" Maka asked.
"Go for the neck where Black Star punched him! Weaken his injury." Soul ordered.
Black Star and Maka agreed before they ran towards the kishin again. This time the kishin was lashing out at them to deter them from getting closer. Both meisters narrowly dodged its constant riotous strikes. They both lunged on top of the kishin, running towards the injury. Maka was praying that she didn't get knocked off as she prepared to strike, Black Star was right behind her.
"Now!" Black Star yelled as he struck the kishin with another wavelength blast and jumped back. While it was still slightly dazed both Maka and Black Star swung their scythes into the neck. The force behind it was strong enough to decapitate the kishin's head, Maka and Black Star rapidly jumped away from the kishin as its head fell to the ground, the body falling down moments later.
Black Star punched the air in victory as Tsubaki and Soul returned to their human forms. Maka was happy that they defeated it, though she could still see its eyes focused on the group. Faint breathing could be heard as it bared its fangs one last time.
"She shall send more." The kishin gurgled.
"What did you say?" Maka asked. She was surprised it spoke again she almost failed to register what the kishin said before it disintegrated into nothing. Soul and Tsubaki understood though.
"It didn't mean…." Tsubaki trailed off. Soul nodded before confirming her suspicion while he turned to Maka.
"It's Medusa….Call Kidd and tell him what happened."
"It's a relief you managed to kill the kishin with little injury." Kidd expressed with relief. Once Kidd heard about the incident he rushed back immediately. The group had returned to Black Star's home in his living room while they relayed to Kidd and the sisters what happened.
"I'm glad you guys didn't die!" Patty chimed as she hung over the back of Black Star's couch patting Maka's head as Maka was sitting on the couch in front of her. Maka smiled while she took a sip of her coffee.
"Did it sneak up on you?" Liz asked. Tsubaki shook her head before answering.
"Maka sensed the kishin before it attacked. I'm thinking she might have-" Tsubaki was cut off.
"Soul perception." Kidd answered.
"What's that?" Maka enquired.
"Basically it is the ability to sense any soul nearby, I assume you probably felt it now because you were matching wavelengths with Soul but if you hone your senses you can improve this and do it on your own." Kidd explained.
"I will definitely practice." Maka guaranteed.
"Good. Now we have to consider our next course of action. As Medusa will send more kishin." Kidd forewarned.
"Which means she is trying to locate us." Liz supplied.
"That is if she doesn't already know our exact location." Soul muttered as he took a bite from a sandwich.
"I hope that is not the case, however this is a good incentive to leave to DC." Kidd suggested.
"When do you want to leave?" Black Star questioned. Kidd closed his eyes pensively as he finished his tea before answering.
"We need to prepare and pack accordingly so I think two days will be enough time to gather food and clothes. However pack lightly. Hopefully she won't attack us within that time. Keep an eye out regardless. I think it is time we called it a day, call if you need anything."
Maka peered at Soul and noticed he was still wearing Black Star's loaned attire. That wouldn't do for the mission they plan to embark on. Soul quirked an eyebrow after sensing her gaze on himself.
"Should probably get you some clothes, huh?"
-x- TBC –x-
A/N: And that's the end of chapter 11! Hope you liked it! I might add a flashback in the next chapter.
Feel free to review and leave your feedback/suggestions as it would be greatly appreciated!
See you in the next chapter!
-KC