A/N: I am so sorry it's taken so long to get the next chapter out for Beloved. Now that everything's coming to a head, I wanted to really map out the events and make sure it's the best I could make it. As most of you know, I pick a song to help represent the chapter. I highly suggest you listen to the chosen song Suspiria for this one. If for nothing else but this opening scene.
Beloved Helpless
Chapter 13
The unseen insanity flowed over Stein like a river current as he passed the threshold of the Death Room. His intentions of buying the students time or perhaps managing to weaken the daunting entity within were washing away. Or perhaps it had been his already existing insanity that had caused him to open the door and enter in the first place. Regardless, it was clear now that he was drowning, swept into the undertow. Where there had once been wide, open space and a guillotine walkway, was now a narrow pathway made of black, slick, snake-like tendrils trembling and crawling against one another, pulsing with each foot fall he made. The air was one thick, almost physical, tangible wavelength, distorted and oh so perverse.
The tunnel became narrower and narrower and the unseen light source was quickly fading as Stein waded further inside. The moving organic walls slipped over his stitched skin, chilling his flesh. One or two contacts soon turned into constant entanglement as the walls closed in with less than two feet clearance between. Like little headless snakes, or perhaps like little slippery tongues, the tendrils brushed over his face and whispered words he simply couldn't decipher. Pressing through them like a crowd, Stein could hardly breathe, his feet drawn to go forward despite his growing desire to stop and turn around. The wiggling, squirming, slimy little creatures were everywhere, to the point that there was no way to know if he was going straight, to the right or to the left. They were below and above, now. No light, just whispering, tasting, slithering. He was being swallowed.
Yet, it was warm here. There was a strange sense of oneness. He belonged here, like a key to a lock, sutured into the maddening quivering blackness. When had he last felt this? When had he belonged? The squirming mass pulsated into him. This was it. They pressed again. This was his real home. Then all at once they peeled away revealing blinding light.
Where the organic madness had been was now a wooded park and her.
Long, straight, ever perfect pale blonde hair fluttered in the sweet-smelling air. Her back ridged, locked in self confidence, arms crossed over her modest chest she stood there, her back turned to him. Her back was always turned to him. Yellow blouse, white pencil skirt she stood among the spring greens. Back turned, that untouched, unmarked back. It needed to be marked. Her outward flawlessness had to be tarnished or threaten to derange them all, and if she was going to stand there with her back as her front, Stein would have no problem starting there.
Did she think he wasn't worth looking at? Was it his scars or was it that he was in the way? His hand gripped the handle of the ever-present scalpel in his lab coat pocket as he stepped forward through the grass. Perhaps if he could make her innocent, perfect exterior match her selfish insides then maybe Spirit would understand. Maybe that idiot would have a chance. Maybe if she had scars like him, Spirit would think of him. Think of him when he was holding her hand. Think of him when they'd make love.
Selfish, so selfish, how could something that vile work? What about her made everyone love her? He'd love to peel away the outer trappings of her angelic exterior and let free the bugs and snakes he knew resided underneath. Would her screams sound like angels or would they sound like the last squeal of a lab rat? Would her blood even be red, or perhaps some other color that a goddess like her would display?
What if he claimed her? Would it mark her like him? Would people skirt away from her then? Would it ruin the illusion, and would Spirit rethink his decisions?
He was almost upon her, the scalpel glinting happily in the sunlight. Just one pass, one slice and there'd be no stopping. He wanted to paint the grass red, dress the trees like Christmas time with her organic garland. However, like every time before, like every time after, she turned, those green eyes burning into him with that stern, accusing gaze. Slowly, Kami turned only half way. Only halfway acknowledging him with her perfect body.
"Can you blame Spirit for leaving you? Honestly?" Her words were like honey, even when they were cutting deep. "You're lucky he chose to humor you at all. I hope you'll find someone that will take you, I really do. I sure would hate to have to take your soul later, Stein. I don't know if he'd be able to eat it." And then she laughed, she laughed. "I wouldn't want him to get sick."
At once he tackled her to the ground, straddling her hips in the grass. That surprised, slightly frightened look on her face, it caused him to pause. Her long perfect hair had fallen into disarray around her head. Her pale skin, so smooth, so soft. This angel was everything he'd never have: a woman's attention, her desire. This monster was everything he had lost. His one true friend. The only person too stupid to stay away, the only one who had shown him kindness and she had taken him. Stein raised his scalpel, choosing what pretty feature to remove first. Without trying, she had lured Spirit away and that same stupidity that had held Spirit to him was the same stupidity that fell for this. This. THIS!
She raised her arms then, one hand touching his that held his scalpel high and her fingertips traced over his knuckles delicately before running her index finger down the razor edge. Her blood dripped red, smearing the silver of the blade. The other hand had rested on his chest, feminine fingers lightly clutching the fabric. Without a hint of pain in her suddenly warm, caring, almost loving expression, Kami moved her bleeding finger and gently pressed it against his lips.
"I'm just like you. I'm a person. I bleed and cry. I have hopes and dreams, just like you." She whispered.
Stein's face flinched at her words, an unstoppable twitch of sorts and he lowered the blade.
"You're like me?"
"Yes." Sweetly.
"A person?"
"Yes." Patiently.
"With hopes and dreams?"
"Yes. Let's work together, as friends." Earnestly, with a smile.
Stein leaned down, his forehead almost brushing with hers as he blocked out all of the light on her perfect face. "If you're like me, then neither of us deserve to live. Let's die together." A wide distorted grin spread across his face. "As friends."
Before her full lips could spout any more lies, Stein wrapped his hands around her delicate neck and squeezed. This method reflected his rage. Blades and scalpels were too impersonal for her. No, he'd feel her life slip from the tight muscles, veins and tendons in his hands. Her hand fumbled in the grass and finally found his scalpel, thrusting it into Stein's side again and again as she struggled under him for breath.
The glorious friction she was providing, the satisfying gasps she was making, the way her lips were turning blue, Stein could hardly contain himself as he continued to squeeze. The pain of her slowing jabs only thrilled him more. All he could do was laugh as Kami's struggles began to die down. Her white skirt was spattered with his blood and smeared with grass stains. Her shirt had become wrinkled and skewed. Her shoes had come off in her wiggling and tore up the grass at her heels. And her eyes. Those emerald green eyes just stared up at him dully as her blue lips hung slack and parted.
Strange, how much better she looked this way.
Now. Now she was just like him.
Softly, Stein moved some of her hair from her face before standing, not feeling the wounds in his side as he took in the angel that remained under him. The moment he closed his eyes, she was gone, along with the grass and trees. In their place, the familiar emptiness of his classroom.
Well, it wasn't entirely empty. Sitting there, studying at her seat sat Maka.
The child had inherited almost all of her mother's evils when it came to personality. She gathered the respect and love of the other school officials as easily as Kami had and ruthlessly clawed her way to the top of the class, offering that innocent, proud smile to all her on-lookers. And her perverse scythe obsession, it slimmed his stomach to think about. Her mother had cruelly withheld some of her beauty from the girl, as if exacting her revenge on the child for bothering Kami with her presence at such a young age.
She was a poor soul and Stein had true sympathy for Maka. They both should have never been born. He walked from the door of the classroom to the steps leading up to where she remained sitting, reading. The poor girl worked so hard, so very hard to reach her parent's glory, never truly living a life of her own. Such a plain girl. Like him, so easily overlooked, only called on in emergencies. Only wanted for their skills and nothing more. Did she know what real joy was? Had she ever been a child at all?
When he stopped next to her, Maka looked up at him and offered a friendly smile. That same sort of smile that could tear apart partnerships and earn trust from the insane. Inside of her, Stein could almost feel the pain she was feeling. Betrayed and abandoned by Spirit as well, this poor little girl still found some way to smile. Pressured to live up to her mother's unfeeling expectations, the sacrifice of Maka's innocence and the reddening of her hands in pre-kishin blood. He could feel it choking him.
How could she smile? How could she come to school and carry this burden?
"Aren't you tired?" Stein smiled and patted her head.
"Not really." But she yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Ok, maybe just a bit."
"You don't have to work any more. You've done enough."
"Professor Stein?" Maka blinked and looked up at him, but his response was to again pat her head gently, running his hand over the smooth tautness of her hair before grasping one of her pigtails. Just as when he had first met her, he had wanted to dissect her out of bitterness, but now...now this was just pity. Using her hair as a handle he dug his fingers into the gathering at the scalp and smashed Maka's face down onto the writing ledge.
This was mercy.
She screamed in pain, her hands raising to clutch at his wrist.
He couldn't stand to see her suffer. Again, he smashed her face into her desk, blood smearing onto her text book and notes. He couldn't let her go on to meet a fate like his. A tool for Shibusen, easily forgotten. Easily exploited. This was better for her. This was better.
Maka tried to stand or fall from her seat, but his grip kept her in place. She was crying, but still he brought her head down again.
"It's ok. You don't have to fight anymore. You get an A+ for effort."
Even after he had brought her head down again, Maka still struggled, but sluggishly.
"S...Soul..."
Stein's fingers released her and Maka fell from the seat panting and coughing up blood and broken teeth.
"He's going to leave you, you know that."
Somehow, somehow she lifted her head and looked at him, her face smeared with blood, nose clearly broken. From somewhere the girl managed to glare at him with her mother's eyes before muttering a gargled but stern: "Soul isn't Papa."
No. No, he and Maka weren't the same. Here Stein was trying to help her, he had even forgiven her for being from that monster of a woman and here this arrogant child was, practically spitting in his face.
"Soul may not be your father," He pressed the toe of his shoe against her side. "But you're just like your mother." With that said, he kicked her swiftly in the ribs, sending Maka rolling down the classroom steps. End over end she tumbled, hitting her already injured head and cracking new bones until a final thud ushered in new silence.
She remained there, still and tangled in her own limbs. Slowly, Stein stepped down to the next step, careful not to tread where her blood seeped into the nooks and scratches on the classroom stairs. She looked like a doll, discarded.
Discarded like he had been by society at large, only useful to Death.
Discarded like she had been by her parents. Like she would have been by her weapon eventually. It was the appropriate end for people like them.
At the bottom of the steps, he scooped up the girl's body and brought her to the table where he had dissected so many creatures for the students. He removed his lab coat and wiped the blood from her face and carefully shifted her nose into the proper place. What was a proper study of the perfect student? Would the other students benefit from a proper lecture and dissection? No, he had promised her that she could rest, and making her work as a specimen would be going against his promise.
Let the child sleep, returned to her innocence, finally allowed some peace.
It was then he felt two arms wrap around his neck from behind in an embrace. The smooth feminine limbs were dotted with two interlocking snakes on both arms chasing and wrapping around one another on her olive skin.
"She looks so much happier now." Her voice was so smooth, the sweet warmth of her breath near his ear. Who she was, was just a little out of his mental reasoning at the moment. It didn't matter, she felt safe, right.
"She is."
"Don't you want to be happy?" One hand lifted to run soft fingertips along the curve of his screw. "I could make you happy."
Outside of his madness, Stein's body was laying amidst the broken glass of the Shinigami Mirror. Resting, finally allowed some peace he laid there with much the same pathetic helplessness Maka had displayed in the man's delusion. The frightening power within him combined with his brilliance had scared those he cared for, just as the same people judged and feared Medusa's kind. While not hunted and killed without mercy, Stein was used and never allowed to expand to his true dangerous potential.
And he had slipped too easily into her coil. Had the world still held its order, he may have put up a fight. If she had simply relied on the influence of small snakes, the struggle for him would have went on and on. But she was beyond those little tricks. She was so much further than witch or woman.
Medusa was a goddess of power. Of insanity, and he had to have been insane to believe that he had a chance against her from the start. Or perhaps it was his hidden wish for the release of death. With only empty classrooms and silent laboratories to look forward to, when asked to mentor the child born from his partner's betrayal, how could anyone blame him? A death here, in a hopeless stand, would offer him some sort of final purpose. Whether or not he was aware of these thoughts when he entered didn't matter. Stein was hers now, to do with as she wished. To her right lay Kid still lost in unconsciousness. His thin body still draped in bloodied clothes and rested on his side on the heap of his father's cloak. The boy could sleep forever, as far as she was concerned. All that mattered was that the threat was gone. She had won.
Medusa's delicate fingers touched the cool surface of a shard of mirror, a pleasant grin sliding over her features as she recalled the wondrous sound it had made. In the smooth surface she could see the new creature she had become. Her cobra-hood lynch rope blonde hair had lengthened and coiled loosely around her waist. Two tattoo snakes entwined down both bare arms and four more made a circle on her back. Instead of her feet touching the cold glass ridden stone floor, stationary arrows appeared in the air for her feet to rest upon. She could expend more power towards her appearance, but Medusa had too many other things to concern herself with. Her plans had a few more stages left to see through.
Step by step, she hovered over the broken debris to the door and casually stepped into the quiet hallway of Shibusen. It was funny. No more anxiousness, no worries, just quiet with the muffled sounds of the last of the massacre happening outside. Medusa walked to a nearby window and looked down at the burning city. Ash floated by on the breeze and her kind flew by, claiming dominion over the home of their hunters. Her eyes were searching for one flying target in particular.
Crona finally appeared at the glass and Medusa lifted the pane to allow her child inside. "We've captured or killed all of the technicians." It said, eyes on the ground as Ragnarok withdrew himself from wings into his true form, huge and towering over the bent child's back. "All the humans are being held in the center of town. We're waiting for your orders."
"Yeah, with no help from this pathetic lump." A white and black fist hit Crona's head.
"Well done." The words instantly made Crona look up. It had never, ever, ever heard those words from its mother. Not ever. But sure enough, Medusa stood there with a half amused expression on her lips. There wasn't the slightest hint of disappointment or anger at all!
"Really?" Both Crona and Ragnarok asked in unison.
"Yes, now come with me. There's something else I need from you." She lead Crona back to the Death Room and shut the door behind it. As soon as the door closed, something twisted in Crona's stomach, chasing away all feelings of accomplishment. Ragnarok quickly withdrew into Crona.
"As you know, I've taken it upon myself to become a Kishin." Medusa began, hands on Crona's shoulders from behind. "You weren't able to do anything I had asked of you. I'm really sorry I ever had you. No. I take that back. I was at least able to complete my research on Ragnarok through you."
"I-I-I-I can do better! I'll try harder!" Crona trembled in Medusa's hands so she dug her nails deeper into the child's shoulders.
"At what?" she chuckled. "I've done all the work. Now, I'm going to need to take your weapon back."
"You-you can't! I'll die!"
She pressed her cheek against Crona's and whispered "I know."
"I won't let you!" Crona pulled from Medusa and held out its hands, only to stare at the empty palms. "Ragnarok? S-stop playing around!"
He peeked his head out of Crona's shoulder. "It's over pip-squeek. You don't think you can actually take her on, do you?"
"You're just gunna l-let her kill me?" Tears rolled down Crona's cheeks.
"You were a lot of fun to push around, but I'm not gunna risk my life for ya."
Crona's legs gave out at that, falling to its knees amongst the splintered wood and bent metal of the destroyed guillotine walk way. No one loved Crona. The bunny wasn't the one that should have been killed, it should have been Crona all along. In death there'd be no more pain or loneliness. With a smile, Crona looked up at its mother and tilted its head with a tear-streaked smile.
"If I die easy, will I be a good child?"
Medusa's reply was to send a vector arrow through the child's midsection, severing the thin torso in half since Ragnarok had given up hope on his meister.
"Come, Ragnarok." She held out her hand and all the black blood that seeped from the still warm corpse formed into a sword in her hand. "As my own weapon, you will not say a word or appear when I have not called you. Understand?"
"Gotcha."
That said, Medusa opened her mouth and swallowed the sword whole. It was then she heard Kid shift in his sleep. Something was beginning to stir him.
Change. It was a word whispered somewhere in the distance of this sleeping nothingness. This darkness here had welcomed the failed prince with wide and open arms as if it was the home he was always meant for. It was quiet here, with endless balance, endless peace. No guilt and no regrets, no loneliness to haunt him. Kid held it to his breast, clinging to this sweet, precious oblivion. Yet, the whisper kept calling out. Change kept begging from the fuzzy edges of nowhere. Slowly, his lips parted, giving his response...
"Disconnect cleanly."
It was what he had been taught to do all his life. Disconnect. Withdraw. Double up inside until the world could no longer touch him. There was nothing the world could offer him anymore...
"You'll take...care of her, right?"
Kid felt the nothingness grow heavier at the memory of her very last words to him. She had counted on him, and yet, he had allowed Patty to go, as he had allowed Liz to fade away, and his father to collapse around him. Every promise made, every duty given, he had failed at each and every turn. Kid closed his eyes.
Yes, this was where he belonged.
It was then he felt fingers run through his hair, stroking the black and white strands and soothing the tension under his scalp. The gesture was too sweet, too kind to dare open his eyes and risk it disappearing. So instead, Kid tilted his head to let the soft fingertips have more access. Silence was broken by the soft clink of thin metal bracelets. The cool nothing turned into warm and the soft texture of worn denim against his cheek. The stale air turned into the sweet, familiar, calming scent of her.
"It wasn't your fault." Hearing Liz's words was a blessing but in the face of such a welcomed mercy, his first reflex was of pain, flinching under her fingers.
"Of course it was my fault. I should have been able to do something. Now everything is ruined."
"You mean your symmetry?" She removed her hand, taking with it the kindness and warmth it had provided. Kid lifted his head, sitting up.
"No! I'd never refer to something so petty at a time like this!" Liz smiled softly as his own words washed over himself.
"I'm sorry, can you say that again?" She giggled and cupped her ear. Kid crossed his arms like a spoiled child for a moment before his defensive pose softened in the light of dawning realization. Slowly, his eyes found their way back to her.
"You weren't just part of a set to me. At first..." His mind drifted back to that time so many years ago. He had been a insufferable child then. In light of all the events that had happened, his obsession with visual balance suddenly seemed so pointless. How could he have thought that the arrangement of vases could make any sort of positive influence on the world around him? It had been a selfish desire, clinging to a pleasant memory of his mother, an effort to show his understanding of balance to his father. A futile effort to make him feel as though he had any power at all.
"At first that was it," Kid continued, his voice quiet in the fear of breaking. "Please don't suggest that's all I care about now."
Liz reached out and patted his head before standing and offering him a hand to help him up. He looked at her fingers, the slick nail polish without a stray drop of red color on the perfectly shaped edges. In life, Liz had done everything possible to make herself acceptable to him, never wanting to be the cause of his tantrums. How many hours did she waste fretting about such trivial things for his sake? Her nails, her eyebrows, the part in her hair. So much time wasted, all for his own pathetic needs. Had she ever felt beautiful at all, or had his own obsessions instilled in her that constant notice of flaws?
Kid simply looked away from her hand before getting up on his own. He wasn't worthy to touch her, not even after death.
"Something on my hand?" Liz looked at her palm and Kid simply shook his head, looking ahead at the endless black.
"I'm trash, I don't deserve your help."
Sighing, Liz placed her hands on her hips. "And here I was thinking you had changed."
Changed? Had he? The soft warmth of her hand taking his stopped his thoughts as their fingers intertwined.
"You've changed." She whispered to him, feeling his hand tremble a bit at the bitter-sweetness of this interaction. The simple act of holding her hand was so intimate for someone so rarely touched skin to skin, her very presence overwhelming for someone so rarely, truly emotional and vulnerable. The fact remained that outside of this unconsciousness, Liz no longer existed. This would never happen in reality, hand in hand, together but separate, resonating all the same.
"You've grown." She whispered again. His gaze turned from the black to the warm peach color of her bare shoulder, the crimson of her top, the strong sandstone of her hair to the soulful blue of her eyes.
"You're wrong." His voice betrayed him, trembling with each constricted beat of his heart. "I've failed to do anything but allow everything to fall apart." His life had been shattered like his father's mirror and gold misted over as he tried to push the images away. "I've never progressed. I'm still a child unable to stop anything-"
Kid's rambling was stopped when Liz placed her free index finger on his lips. "Stop. Just listen, for once." She swallowed, her eyes falling on his lips and she replaced her index finger for her thumb, gently brushing over them. "Now is the time for your awakening."
"My awakening?" It was possible that Liz was simply speaking of returning to consciousness, but somehow that didn't seem likely. He watched her take a deep breath and remove her hand from his cheek.
With hands at her sides, Liz stepped back from him and with her head held high said proudly "For so long, I had thought my life was pointless. Now I see that my whole point to living was to die."
"If I ever made you feel that way I apologize!" Kid reached out for her hand, but Liz moved from his touch.
"No. You never did. What I mean is this change inside of you is so important. You understand now what it is like to live. All these feelings you feel, regret, disappointment, need, grief, they're mortal emotions and in the world that's out there right now, there will be millions of people who will feel the same way as you. You've come to see that things aren't as easy as names on your father's list and real balance doesn't come from straight picture frames. Helping you become who you're meant to be is the best purpose of all."
"You shouldn't have had to die for my growth!" Unable to hold back the tears, they fell freely over his pale cheeks. "You didn't deserve to...not like that. Not for me."
"What do you know about what I deserve?" She asked softly, quietly. "I have killed people when Patty and I lived on the streets. I betrayed peoples' kindness. I stole. I sold myself if I had to. I did drugs. I could have left Patty in the care of social workers. She could have had a good home, with a good family somewhere but I selfishly kept her with me. And she suffered. She was cold and hungry because I didn't want to be alone."
Her voice broke, but Liz kept her head high. "When we first met, I had planed to take advantage of your kindness. We were maybe days away from joining the names on Shibusen's target list, but instead you found us. You took us in and didn't ask for money or sex. For the things I've done, I deserve much more than just death. Most of all, I didn't deserve you."
Kid was speechless and wiped at his face with feelings of shame. "It doesn't change how I feel."
"How do you feel?"
Her question went without an answer as Kid bowed his head. His chest ached at all these feelings and in their current overwhelming tide, it was hard to give them any sort of description. Only one word came to mind.
"Regretful."
"What do you regret?"
"Everything."
"Everything?" Liz asked and Kid nodded. "You'll have to be more specific."
"Why are you doing this to me?" His eyes looked up at her through his messy bangs. "I don't understand."
Slowly, Liz stepped closer and gently tilted his chin up. "You have to sort through these things to grow. If you don't, then there's no hope for the future. Do you understand just how important you are? Do you know who you are?" When his eyes welled with fresh tears Liz kissed his forehead.
"This was always meant to happen, Kid. The moment you over looked two street walkers' pasts and accepted them into your heart, you became the only one who could bring true balance to the world. My place in all of this is more than I could ask for and in order for my part to be complete, we have to move through this together. Now, tell me what you regret."
"I-I..." He was just trying to keep air in his lungs, and at this point trying to look strong was pointless. Then again, with Liz, he never had to try to be perfect around her. She had seen him break over his obsessions, she had carried him, cared for him. This was a safe place, inside of himself, in her arms. All at once, Kid allowed himself to spill his heart as he wrapped his arms around her.
"I regret forcing you to take part in my obsession. I'm so sorry for the stress it caused you. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel a-any less beautiful than you are. I regret that I forced you into situations that scared you. I regret that I would embarrass you at times with my behavior. I regret that I yelled at you over little, petty things. I regret that I never truly shared much of my inner thoughts, or my past with you. I regret limiting your self expression in your appearance and I regret being so distant even-even though you showed time and again that I could trust you. I regret going to Russia, I regret not b...being able to do anything. I regret...I regret...not knowing h-how to express...just how important you are...were to me. I regret not telling you that I..."
Liz opened her mouth to say something further, but there was a sudden cold wetness that slipped across her midsection. Before Kid was aware of what was going on, she had been pulled backwards from his arms by a tendril of the same surrounding darkness.
"Liz!" He grabbed her hand, desperate to keep hold and she in return held onto his wrist.
"Kid, what's-" A lump of the darkness rose up behind him, a tall blob before the black slid away like slime, revealing black, shining hair; pale, beautiful features; and a long, slender neck. From the darkness she raised black-dripping arms and wrapped them around Kid's chest.
"Shhh, let her go, baby." Her piercing blue eyes stayed focused on Liz, a smirk on her features. "You shouldn't be speaking to ghosts."
His grip on Liz almost failed at the sound of her voice. There was no mistaking that soft, comforting, honey sweet tone. The darkness had slithered up, covering most of Liz's legs now, still trying to pull her away.
"Kid, Kid listen to me!" Liz called, holding onto his arm with both of hers. "When you get out of here, you have to remember us! Remember me and Patty and Black Star and Soul when you have to put the world together again. Promise you'll remember!"
The woman behind Kid caressed his cheek. "Don't listen to her foolishness. She doesn't know anything about us."
And between them, Kid remained paralyzed. Unable to let Liz go in fear of losing her for good, unable to fight against the hold of...of...
"Listen to your mother and let her go. Don't be selfish, let her move on. You can't hold onto her forever."
Liz cried out in pain as the blackness pulled her harder around her stomach. "Kid, just promise and then you can let go."
"No!" With one foot forward, he pulled against the arms of his mother. "I won't lose you again. I couldn't protect your body, but I can at least protect your soul!"
"If you won't give her up, then the darkness will dissolve her." His mother whispered near his ear. "You know how fragile souls are in environments they're not supposed to endure."
Inky black tendrils slithered up Liz's body, along her neck and in her hair till they began to push at her lips that she now kept shut tight. With her hands still clutching Kid's arm, she couldn't stop them as the slimy little creatures headed towards her nose, eyes and ears.
"Let her go. She's a mortal, you have to let go."
So this was their fate. The two of them together for a short time, only to be ripped away by a darkness that had no interest in swallowing him. Only her. Always her. As painful as it was, one way or another, he'd have to let her go. With how she was being pulled and covered, it was possible her soul could be damaged, torn or destroyed. He watched Liz flinch and shake her head as the darkness crawled over her features.
"I-" This was it. After this, he'd truly be alone. "I promise I'll remember."
Liz let go with one hand and wiped her face off, a sudden tug from behind almost stealing the grip from her other hand. "Remember, we all believe in you. I believe in the god you'll become." Fresh tears welled in his eyes and she just shook her head. "Don't make such a sad face. One last smile, for me?"
Somehow he managed to pull the corners of his lips up into a smile. "Thank you." Kid lifted his chin. "For everything."
With that, Liz let go, her hand slipping from his. "See you later, cowboy." And then she was gone, swallowed into the darkness.
"My poor baby," the woman behind him coo'd, stroking his hair. "It's ok now. You did the right thing. Now, come and rest with your mother. Come and rest with your father. We can be a family together again."
Outside of his unconsciousness, Medusa studied the pink soul in hand. So much fuss over one girl. It had taken a lot of pulling, but she had finally removed the nuisance that was trying to wake up her victory snack. Once she had proper control over the city and world there after, Medusa would take the time to truly savor the taste of the last Shinigami's soul. Until then, it was best he just remained in this state of slumber. It would be a shame if he woke and she'd be forced to take his soul earlier than she planned.
But what to do with this girl's soul? Obviously she meant a great deal to the sleeping lump of a boy. She could be useful later. A small incantation allowed Medusa to open a small rift in space and slip Liz's soul inside for safe keeping.
One distraction taken care of, another on the way. Medusa could feel Maka making her way towards the Death Room, now pressing into her field of influence. While the girl held anti-insanity properties, her fatigue and physical injuries were letting in little whispers of darkness and Medusa could feel it, as if her own fingers were digging through the cracks in her shield. Still, it had to be dealt with.
"Stein," he sat up at her calling. "I have an errand I think you may enjoy."
Maka could hardly catch her breath before the next witch volleyed another magical attack her way that twisted the metal lockers and pulled up tiles. She had only managed to dodge the attack by throwing herself into an unlocked classroom. Her staff that she had used before had long since broken in half leaving her with just two long wooden stakes. There had been a moment of quiet once the spell had run its course down the hall, leaving Maka with just the sound of her own exhaled breath. Her left leg ached dully, the pain stifled by the adrenalin running through her veins. The new minor gashes and cuts she had earned on her way here had stopped bleeding, but left her clothes torn and bloody.
She glanced up at the ceiling, her back pressed against the wall next to the door's handle. What was today? A Saturday? Normally she and Soul would watch a movie on TV while eating dinner and he'd complain about having to do the dishes. If they were getting along well that day, they might even go for a ride after that. She'd hold onto him, safe to blush behind his back. The click of the door opening and the screech of the dying witch didn't even jar Maka from her day dream. Her body had moved on its own, prepared with a stake for the unsuspecting witch's chest as soon as she stepped inside. Maybe they'd even go get ice cream and Soul would make some sort of crack about how she needed to eat more ice cream so she wouldn't be so scrawny. That jerk.
It was only when she jerked the spike back that Maka blinked back into the situation at hand. The witch collapsed at her feet and cautiously, she stepped over her and headed out into the hallway, leaving bloody foot prints behind. The Death Room was just up ahead, but the air was different here. Thicker somehow. The smell made her swallow hard to get the taste out of her mouth. The odor rested somewhere between mildew and sweat. When the sound of footsteps appeared behind her, Maka paused.
"Murderer." The word was slurred and distorted, followed by the sound of liquid spilling onto the floor. Slowly, Maka turned to see the witch she had just killed, standing there with a gaping hole in her chest, blood sliding from the corner of her frowning lips. Behind her walked the others Maka had slain on the way with their various head injuries and wide, open wounds.
"This has to be an illusion." Maka said, but still took a step backwards. The witches she had killed today were joined by the faces of pre-kishins she and Soul had taken out in the past. The hallway was full, the crowd advancing towards her over and past the twisted debris of the lockers and classroom doors and windows.
"Murderer. Slay those you're told. Wash your hands in false holy water. They're never clean. Never clean. Murderer killing innocents, claiming them the criminals. Never clean. Never clean."
Maka took another step back before closing her eyes. "You're not real. You're-"
Her words cut short when she felt her back hit something warm and firm. Before she could turn her head to see who it was, two hands moved and covered her eyes.
"Guess who."
Stein's whispered voice relieved Maka, the sudden overwhelming push of his distorted wavelength panicked her. Before Maka could slip from his grip, the professor sent a soul pulse through her closed eyes. It wasn't enough to kill her, oh no, that would be too easy. He wanted to play with her first. As she screamed in pain he could only laugh.
When the surge was over, Maka fell to her knees, holding her eyes. The world seemed to have tumbled over and over its self amongst the pain and deafening ringing. When she removed her hands, all she could see was white. Endless, searing white. All she could hear was ringing and his laughter. Maka scrambled up onto her feet and staggered forward, trying to desperately put space between herself and him. He watched with amusement as Maka ran ahead and then stumbled on a broken section of the floor.
"Where are you going?" The lockers had been destroyed by the last witch she had killed, the floor was torn and uneven. There was nothing to guide her down the hall. Still, Maka struggled back to her feet and rushed ahead until she slammed against the hallway's end and began to follow the wall to the right.
"There's nowhere for you to run to." She struggled to get away, further through the milky whiteness without a plan, without of any hope of defending herself. "You can't even hide. You know you can't hide, you know very well." He laughed, especially as Maka stumbled on a piece of ruble. "I can see your soul! Can you see mine? No! No you can't! You can't see anything! Now you're not special, not like your mother, not like me, you're not even fit to be a meister anymore! Stop fighting! Just accept it."
Maka stumbled again, but this time because the torn and tired muscles in her left leg ceased up, sending her crashing onto the floor. Again, for just a moment there was just the sound of her exhale.
"I'm offering you rest. Just rest. The humans wanted to arm themselves. Let them! Hahaha! L-Let them all die by the hands of witches! We can rest. Let me show you peace."
Maka took a deep breath in, and then a deep breath out before turning her head, her red, swollen eyes looking up at him. Right now there was just white, but when she tried, despite the initial shock of pain, soul perception switched the white to black. This form of sight relied partly on her vision, but partly on her soul. There in the black was the fuzzy, swimming haze of his soul. Where characteristics and personalities would be clear, there was just a smudge of color and light. Knowing it rested in the man's chest was all she needed before bringing her right leg up to kick the man in the gut. Imagining the rest of his body, she was able to follow it with a kick to the groin. Stein instantly doubled over onto the floor and Maka stood, frowning down at him.
"I can see your soul too."
There were just two choices. She could try to kill him now that he was in a vulnerable state of pain, but... He was still Professor Stein. She couldn't kill him. Without being able to see her surroundings there was no way for her to bind him or lock him somewhere. The only option was to get a head start and find a place to hide where he may not be able to find her.
With a deep breath, Maka rushed off into the black nothing.
It was over. In Soul's arms was the tired body of a little girl as the both of them watched the fires consume their prison. There was no recalling this declaration of war. Around them simply lay the desert horizon and a world that smoldered like Nowhere.
"What now, Mr. Soul?" Amy's small voice asked, her soot streaked cheeks turning to him. The fire danced in the reflection of his red eyes and for a moment he didn't answer. What could be next? Her tiny fists clenched the fabric of his shirt and his eyes finally looked at her sweet, innocent face.
"We move on." Soul's voice betrayed his own fatigue as he put the girl down with the other gathered children. Like before, the children and elderly would be kept back as the other weapons went ahead to Death City. The adults assigned to watch and protect the little ones were currently loading them into vans.
"Be good and listen to the grown ups."
Amy hugged his leg, burying her face into the denim of his pants and Soul knelt on one knee, stroking her tangled hair. "You'll be ok." It was strange, how this child had somehow given him strength. He had known her for only a few days, but she was precious now, a small symbol of all that was still worth fighting for.
"I want you to stay." She sniffled.
"I can't. There are people who need me and the others right now. People like your mommy and my friends. What I need you to do is to be a hero for me, ok? Keep your eyes and ears open for bad guys when you're with everyone else. Stay brave and let everyone know it's going to be ok." Soul wiped the tears and soot from her round cheeks. "Can you do that?"
She nodded and he picked her up into a hug. "I know you can."
"Thank you, Mr. Soul." Amy whispered before he shifted her over to the arms of one of the young women loading the children into the vans.
"Goodbye, Amy." The small girl waved as she was carried into the vehicle and Soul hardly noticed when Black Star put a hand on his shoulder.
"If you ever wanna have one of your own, we better get going."
They had found a supply cargo truck tall enough for them to stand in with room for them to sit. The metal would help protect them from any attacks that might happen. It hurried towards Death City, leading the small army of other vehicles of the other freed weapons who chose to return and fight. Two weapons from the camp drove as tired quietness filled the space in the back between Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, Patty and her new weapon Pete. Beside Soul lay Spirit. He had found his meister's father in the research facility shortly after finding the control room. He had been locked in a room much like the one Soul had shared with little Amy. A bed, four walls and little else. Spirit was unconscious when he found him, and he remained that way still.
Across from him, Tsubaki was laying with her head in Black Star's lap. How lucky. Despite being thankful that his friend had pulled through, Soul couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Somehow they had managed to keep a firm grasp of one another in the turbulence. To top it off, Black Star hadn't mentioned Maka at all. He just sat here, one hand on Tsubaki's shoulder, his eyes closed with his head leaning back on the metal wall of the cargo truck.
"Hey Black Star." Soul nudged his friend's foot with his own until he peeked open one drowsy eye.
"What?" Black Star kept his voice quiet from tiredness, and his desire to let Tsubaki sleep at least for a little while longer.
"Maka..." Soul suddenly was worried for the answer. "She was ok when you left, right?"
Black Star closed his eye and took in a deep breath before sitting up a bit more. How could he tell Soul? What was the best way to tell him not to keep his hopes up?
"Black Star, c'mon, stop playing around. She was fine, right?" Soul leaned forward when he still hadn't replied.
"She was alive." Was Black Star's reply, finally opening his eyes. His words twisted Soul's stomach and he brought a hand to his mouth in frustration and a sudden wave of illness. If Maka...if she was gone, then what was the point? What would any of this suffering mean?
"We took your bike," Black Star continued when he saw the panic beginning to build behind Soul's eyes. "Maka was driving and Tsubaki and I were on defense. We managed to smash through the witches' front, but an attack from behind flipped the bike. She couldn't get up."
He just stared at him in disbelief. "So where is she?" She wasn't here, they weren't going towards any side goal where they may have dropped her off to wait. No...they couldn't have left her bleeding, helpless, wounded, dirty and abandoned.
"You didn't leave her there did you?" Soul's voice was raised in growing panic and Black Star placed his hand over Tsubaki's ear.
"We didn't have a choice."
"Of course you had a choice!" Soul moved away from the wall of the truck, "She couldn't get up and you left her there in the middle of an army of witches?" If it had been anyone else, the news may have had a less violent effect on him, but Black Star? His friend, his brother in times of danger had left the most important person to him there to die?
Black Star frowned. How could Soul just attack him? He had no idea what kind of hell he had been through. "If we didn't, we wouldn't have gotten away and you'd have a bullet in your face right now, so you should be thanking me!"
Tsubaki sat up at that point, moving out of the way just in time as Soul grabbed his friend's shirt and jerked him to his feet. "She'd never have left you behind. You were scared so you just took the bike and left!"
"Hey! I'm not a coward!" Black Star pushed Soul off, sending him onto his backside.
"It's easy to say 'we had no choice' because it wasn't your partner," Soul frowned. Soul's words had felt like a back hand to his face. Black Star gritted his teeth, fists clenched and face red with anger.
"You have no idea what kind of hell I went through to keep Tsubaki. You weren't there. None of you were there, none of you helped. You didn't care if she lived or died. You don't know what I had to do-"
"Just what was that?" Soul stood again. "How did you manage to wake her up?"
"Please stop!" Tsubaki begged, tugging on Black Star's pant leg only to be ignored.
Soul pressed closer to Black Star, chests practically flushed against one another as both exchanged glares. "If she dies, it'll be all your fault and I'll never forgive you."
"Who the hell are you to talk to ME like that? I'm the damn hero here! I saved you when we could have just taken off into the night!"
"Yeah, you could have run like a coward!"
Black Star's jab to Soul's jaw was quick, and in his angry and exhausted state, Soul simply couldn't dodge in time. It sent him staggering back a step or two which served enough room for his own wind-up, returning the blow to Black Star's face.
It wasn't true anger, no, there were far too many emotions here to label it as simple anger. Soul truly didn't know what Black Star had gone through, just as Black Star couldn't understand what it was Soul had endured. Soul hadn't seen the city surrounded by witches. He hadn't seen the terrified expressions on Maka and Stein's faces when they had reached the Death Room. Soul could never comprehend his decisions.
Black Star would never know what it was like to be treated as an object. He wouldn't understand what it would be like to be forcefully separated from his home and partner. It had been over a day since they had slept and perhaps as long since they had had a decent meal. There was fear also, of what awaited them, of the fate of their city and those they had known.
But none of that could easily be vocalized, so they spoke in blows. Black Star's frustration, his shaken loyalty, Soul's fear and desperation traded back and forth with knuckles.
"Enough!" Patty yelled, pulling Soul backwards. "We need to be a team right now if we're going to help anyone! You guys are best friends!"
Tsubaki took the opportunity to slip in front of Black Star. "Soul, Maka asked us to go. We tried to help her." The breaking in Tsubaki's voice quickly dulled Soul's anger. He hadn't thought that his accusations against Black Star would fall on her as well. "We didn't want to leave her, I swear."
"You don't have to explain anything to him." Black Star frowned, putting a hand on her shoulder. "That's the last favor we do for him."
Tsubaki shrugged his hand off and stepped ahead to take Soul's hand in both of hers, not bothering to wipe at the tears welling in her eyes. "Maka was our friend too. If there had been any way to bring her, we would have but we had to choose. If we were caught, then we wouldn't be able to help free everyone. There'd be no one left to fight against the witches. She wanted to make sure that you'd be safe and free. You know if we had been a moment later-" She shook her head unable to say it. "Please don't be mad at Black Star. He won't say it but he needs your support right now. We all have to support one another!"
"Besides," Patty patted Soul's shoulder. "You know Maka. What's some thousand or so witches to her? I'm sure she's just fine kicking butt as we speak, waiting for you to get your lazy butt back home."
Dullness had washed over Soul and where anger and frustration had been, the ache of loneliness and the feeling of helplessness resided. Despite all that they had been through, the good they had done, the suffering they had endured, there was a real danger that it was too late. There was nothing he could do now. She might be gone before he got there and his best efforts would still have been for nothing. In the warmth that surrounded him in the kind, sympathetic gazes of his friends Soul felt his walls tremble.
After a pause, he sat down and looked away to the truck's ceiling, his eyes blurring with oncoming tears. "Fine. It's just..."
"Maka, I-"
That brief night, the short-lived morning could be all they had together.
"Tell me when you get back."
They had tried so hard.
At that moment he broke. Shamefully, Soul covered his face and surrendered to the tiredness and all the pent up emotions. Patty sat next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, urging him to lean against her as he cried. Tsubaki moved to his other side, rubbing his back and Black Star crossed his arms turning away.
Soul had started the fight and now all the girls were petting him like some poor lost puppy just because he got a little teary eyed...But the anger soon faded and he glanced back. He had never seen Soul cry and it eased his shoulders down from their hunched position. It just proved how much things had changed.
His attention turned then to Patty who was busy whispering reassuring words to Soul. Out of all of them, Patty had the most right to cry and carry on, yet here she was breaking up the fights and supporting them. Suddenly his own troubles and burdens seemed so small and he felt ashamed of his actions. It was twice as bothersome as the throbbing in his face from Soul's punches.
Black Star squatted down and put a firm hand on Soul's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
None of them deserved any of this.
In the cab of the truck, the two middle aged weapons driving had decided to kill the quiet with a little music. Surfing over the static and commercials, a news broadcast caught their attention.
"-lexi Mirkov has disappeared after his admittance to his part in the massacre of over 500 innocent people that helped begin the weapon confiscation movement in most major nations. This statement was made in response to the surprise witch attack on Death City, home and headquarters of the now disbanded Shibusen. In Mirkov's statement, he explained that his co-conspirator, a witch, had used his organization's message to help set the events in motion that would lead to the disarmament of Shibusen. His current location is un-"
The radio was cut short as the weapon in the passenger seat hit the dash when the truck stopped suddenly. The other dozens of vehicles from Nowhere all pulled to a stop in front of the line of black armored trucks.
Patty was the first one out of the back when they had stopped. She knew this, after all they had been in a truck much like that one in Russia when things had gone wrong, so her boots hit the dusty desert dirt prepared to fight. Pete slipped cautiously after her, followed by the others. Next to them, the other vehicles were doing the same, expecting a human force coming to intercept them and force them back into captivity.
The humans who stood by their vehicles were armed with weapons, all of which were hard to tell if they were natural born or synthetic. None showed any signs of emotion as the tired, betrayed weapons gathered in front of them, stretching into a wall of their own. Both sides prepared to fight on the parched earth.
In the gap between the two forces, Black Star stepped forward. With all the anger he could muster, he bellowed "Who is your leader?"
And the line of humans parted and a man stepped forward, but Black Star hadn't had a chance to see his face. In an instant, Patty had dashed forward, jumped, leap-frogged off Black Star's shoulders and landed a flying punch to Alexi's face. The man and girl both toppled into the dirt and now straddling him, she pulled back another fist.
"You killed my sister!" She sunk another blow to the man's jaw. Black Star, Soul and the others hurried around, humans making the other half of the circle around them. Patty raised a bloody and shaking fist. "All of this is your fault!" The sound of the weapons in human hands shifting, raising in aim at her caused Patty to pause, fist raised high in the air and tears in her eyes. Still, she did not remove her gaze from him. "Are you going to order them to execute me too?"
Her shoulders shook as her fist lowered slightly. "Are you going to shoot me without reason?" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Are you going to kill me in front of the last people who love me?"
"I'm sorry." Alexi said under her, and Patty's reply was to open her fist and slap him across the face.
"You've destroyed everything good in all our lives. How dare you say you're sorry!"
Pete fidgeted. If they didn't do something, the humans might really shoot Patty. He moved to reach her, but Tsubaki touched his shoulder and shook her head. It might be too tempting for Patty's current weapon to reach her, who knew if she'd use him on Alexi. So in his stead, Tsubaki moved forward.
"Patty, this won't help."
"She dived in to save me and they pinned Kid down and made him watch. When Liz came up for air, they..." Patty turned, looking up at Tsubaki. "And I was in resonance with her, my sister, I felt it. Every hit. And Kid. If you could have heard his screams and cries..." Her anger returned as she glared down at Alexi. "And then he tricked us and made us do horrible, horrible things and made Kid think all of this was his fault when all he ever wanted to do was protect everyone! If it wasn't for this monster we would all be home right now!"
The tension in the air tripled at that. Those in the group who didn't know of Alexi before suddenly wanted to be in Patty's position, able to destroy him if they so wished.
"You are right." Alexi said under her. "All of this is my fault." A cry to kill him came from some weapon further back in the crowd and soon clamored into a chorus. "Before you kill me, please allow me to explain. I have come here to meet you in the desert for a reason."
With hesitation, Patty turned to Tsubaki who helped her up off of him and Alexi stood and dusted dirt from his clothes before climbing onto a truck and accepting a megaphone from one the nearby humans.
"We have come here today to join you in your fight. It is true that because of me, things are as they are. My nation has a contract with Shibusen and each town and village must pay part of contract money to be protected. My village could hardly pay and many of my people grew hungry. We could not break our contract, there were witches near, but we could not protect ourselves without high grade weapons. We captured them at first since we could not pay. Then I met a woman named Medusa who offered to help. We planned the events, thinking it would be worth it if we could have a chance to save ourselves. Protect our own home and not have to pay so, so much. I did not know she was a witch. She used us to do this."
He took a deep breath, continuing. "I have told my government what I have done. I have explained it was not Shibusen's fault for the deaths, or the fault of the heir. I offer to you here one thousand men, ready to fight with you to reclaim your home, like how we had wanted to protect ours. In our hands are the last of our inventory of kidnapped weapons. Their bodies are here to help reclaim their home. There are another thousand coming in from the north to join the fight and your government has promised to allow more weapons to go to join as well. When it is over, I accept any punishment you have for me. Please understand this was not an act of hate. We just wanted to survive."
Murmers in the small army of weapons turned into a roar of discussion until Black Star jumped up onto the truck and took Alexi's megaphone.
"All of you be quiet. Listen up! I've seen the witch army myself, and we're gunna need all the help we can get."
"Shinigami-Sama's there, he'll help make a way!" A loud shout came over the crowd, which again ignited everyone there into shouts.
Black Star flinched and shook his head before yelling through the megaphone "No he's not! He's dead!" He regretted the words though as an instant silence fell on the crowd.
"What do you mean he's dead?" Patty asked, about ready to jump up on the vehicle too if Tsubaki wasn't holding her back. "What about Kid, is he ok? Black Star, what happened?"
She struggled forward, as though getting closer to Black Star would somehow make the answers clear. Shinigami-Sama was their leader, a symbol of who they were and what they stood for. Their symbol of victory. If their immortal god had fallen to this witch, how could they possibly hope? And if Kid...if he was hurt. If he was gone then there would truly be no hope left at all. Especially not for her. Patty would be orphaned for a second time. There'd be nothing to protect or to cheer up. There'd be no reason to smile or joke or giggle or sing.
With a deep breath, Black Star opened his mouth but stopped. He gazed out over the hundreds of weapons gathered, trying to find the words to explain to them...while trying to hide his own guilt or risk joining Alexi in his public execution.
"The witch Medusa that was really behind all of this managed to get into the Death Room before any of us could stop her."
"H-How could you know that?" Patty struggled still.
"Professor Stein and Maka were there and they saw it happen with perception. He's gone."
"But Kid! Is he-is he?"
"I don't know." He turned his attention from her to the crowd gathered. "But it shouldn't matter. Yea it's a little scary that we don't have the big ol' black and white zig-zag around to make it all better, but that doesn't mean we should give up! Even if Kid's...even if there aren't any more Shinigamis we're still just as strong as we were before and what we fight for isn't any different! Everyone we love back home is still in danger, so sitting here in the desert fighting over who caused what isn't helping anyone! I say we get our asses back in our cars and get the hell back on the road!"
"You sound awfully guilty." Alexi whispered to him. Black Star looked to the man with a strange mix of hate but understanding before shoving the megaphone back into his arms.
"We can talk about this after I save the day. Now get in your big fancy car and make your last stand."
Those gathered separated, weapons returning to their vehicles, humans to theirs. Tsubaki ushered Patti to Pete before waiting for Black Star. He looked down at her from the top of that car and knew, without a word shared between. The sorrowful look in her eyes told him everything, so he hung his head for a moment before leaping down from the truck and walked towards her.
"Black Star, I-" She had began but he held up a hand.
"Don't say it."
Tsubaki touched his up held hand before slipping her fingers through his, not paying any mind to the roughness of his skin. "No, we need to talk about this, at least just a little." She closed her eyes "I need to talk about this."
He sighed "What happened to him wasn't your fault. I made the choice to do what I did." When she opened her eyes again, slick with moisture, he wrapped his arms around her. "I would do anything to protect you. I'm not..." His voice cracked a bit, and Black Star quickly swallowed the growing lump in his throat. "I'm not one bit sorry."
Shinigami-Sama could have had him killed as a baby, assumed him to fall into the same destructive future as his clan. Shibusen had taken him in and spared him his life and gave him the teachings and opportunities to become what he was today. Without Shibusen he wouldn't have found Tsubaki in the first place. And he had had a hand in all of its undoing. His actions personally lead to the death of...
No, he shook his head. "We can talk about this when we get..." He trailed off. There wasn't a home to come back to. Their pictures, that cookbook filled with notes now written in both their hand writings, all of it had been lost in the fire. "When we're safe. Right now I have to stay focused. After all, Soul and the other idiots can't go into battle without Big Me, right?"
With a quick squeeze, Tsubaki let him go. "Ok. And thank you."
"No problem. Now let's go!" He took her hand to lead her back to their truck.
Back in Death City, Medusa chuckled. In her healing of Tsubaki, she had implanted a small snake, much like the ones in Eruka. She knew the position of the on coming weapon/human force and now could arrange a proper welcoming for their return.
"Good work, little weapon." She had personally seen Black Star's skill when he was fighting to prevent the girl's death, so having her pet take out Tsubaki would only make a fiercer opponent out of Black Star for her witches to attend to. No, she had a much better idea. A simple snap of her fingers echoed in the otherwise quiet Death Room.
They hadn't made it more than three steps back towards their truck when Tsubaki stumbled forward, her hand slipping from Black Star's before collapsing to the ground.
"Tsubaki!" Black Star fell to his knees next to her as Tsubaki curled into a ball, holding her chest. "What's wrong?"
"My-" Was all she could manage before another wave surged over her, causing her to curl up tighter.
Soul rushed to his side and quickly knelt down next to him. "C'mon, I'll help get her into the truck. We need to go."
"We're going to move you, you can squeeze my arm if it hurts." Black Star said to Tsubaki before wrapping his arm under her shoulders. Soul got her legs and together they rushed back into their cargo truck.
Inside, he had her lay down with her head in his lap. Tsubaki had relaxed a little but now and then would still flinch in pain. With great care, Black Star brushed her hair from her face, trying to keep the racing of his heart down. She was ok, they were going to be ok. This was nothing. She'd be ok. He didn't betray everything to get her back, only to have her die in his arms. Soul looked on and felt guilty for having felt jealousy towards the two of them still having one another. Now everyone truly was worried for their loved ones.
A quiet stirring noise stole Soul's attention. Spirit shifted before sitting up and stretched with a yawn as if nothing was going on. With a lazy hand, he scratched his head and rubbed his eyes. When the others came into view, Spirit blinked and rubbed his eyes again.
"Oh hey. What did I miss?"
"What did you miss?" Soul growled, glad the old pervert was up so he could let out some of his pent up anxiousness. "Just about everything!"
"Both of you, shut up." Black Star snapped. Tsubaki had flinched at every yell the others had made. "Keep it down."
"What's going on?" Spirit asked, looking from Black Star, back to Soul.
"Everything's gone to hell," Soul scratched his head. "Witches attacked Death City while we were held up in camps."
"Is that all?"
Both Soul and Black Star stared at him for a moment before saying in unison. "Is that all?"
Spirit simply shrugged. "It's not more than like ten, right? Maaba never seems to get anything together and-" His words were cut short as Soul grabbed the man's collar.
"Medusa, the nurse you used to make disgusting faces at was a witch, ok? She set this whole damn thing up and now we're heading back to try to fight an army of witches under her rule, you got it?"
"But Shini-"
"He's dead." Soul let him go with a little push back against the wall of the truck. "We don't know if Kid is too and Maka's still in the city."
"Maka?" As if to see if Soul was telling the truth, Spirit looked around at the other occupants of the truck. "No! How much longer till we get there?"
"Who knows. She was captured by witches before Black Star was able to get to us, so..." Soul trailed off. This time it was Spirit who grabbed Soul by the collar and shook him violently.
"Don't you dare talk about my baby girl like that! She's fine!"
"I haven't given up hope either, so back off! Your breath smells!"
"If both of you don't keep it the fu-" A sudden impact to the side of the truck cut Black Star off. The passenger in the front opened a small sliding window in the wall dividing the cab from the cargo area.
"They must have known we were on the way. They've prepared a welcoming party. Everyone stay down!" There was a loud explosion as a vehicle near theirs burst into flames and blew apart.
Spirit got up and rushed to the window and stared through its small opening to see through the windshield the airborne division of witches throwing attacks at them from a safe distance.
"It's an army in the air..."
"I have an idea." Patty stood and then pointed at Spirit. "You! Cut a hole in the roof! Big enough to fit through!"
Wait, was a student giving him orders? He held up his hands. "We need cover from the attacks-"
"I SAID DO IT. DON'T ARGUE WITH ME!" He jumped at her mean voice and quickly did what she asked. "NOW GET ON ALL FOURS SO I CAN GET ON YOUR SHOULDERS!" Again, Spirit quickly did as told. Patty smiled and positioned herself just right and when Spirit stood she ducked low as to not go through the hole just yet. "Soul, can you hold his hips to keep him from falling?"
Soul grimaced at the idea of having to put his hands anywhere on Spirit's grimy body, but it couldn't be helped. Looking away, he gritted his teeth and held his hips.
"Alright! Now, Pete!"
"Me?" He asked, stuck in the far corner of the truck.
"Yep! Let's turn this cargo truck into a fire truck!" He smiled at that and rushed over, transforming into a flamethrower. Patty tightened her grip on him before sitting up, her chest above the edge of the hole.
"How about some fire, my pretties?" Patty cackled before shooting a stream of flames, catching an unsuspecting witch on fire. The stream extended a good four feet past the front of the truck "Burn! Burn! Mwahahaa!"
Other vehicles around them began to follow their lead, throwing any sort of airborne attack or gun fire that they could back at the flying horde. Still the witches were able to pick off one vehicle after the other.
"Patty, look." Pete called and she turned her gaze from the witches to the fast approching Death City. Many parts of the familiar sky line were missing. In the air fell ash and the smell of burning homes thickened the air. "It looks like snow."
"It's not. Now just keep up the heat! We're coming home!"
A wind witch flew up to Patty, blowing Pete's fire back at Patty who barely managed to dodge. She didn't even notice the burn on her right cheek from the close call. Instead Patty reached up and grabbed the witch's broom with one arm and pulled her closer before shooting Pete off right in her face. The weapon could feel his temporary meister's rage. Every bit of anger rolled through him as fire. Her worry kept his metal hot and her desire to protect whoever she had left behind made the stream wide and long. That last display, and when she had flying-attacked that Russian man had showed him that there was a lot more to the girl than her cute grinning exterior.
"We just got a call that there's rescued technicians waiting at the east gate." The driver shouted back at them as he maneuverer the truck around the burning debris of another vehicle. "They're going to have it open as long as they can, keep that fire going!"
Together, humans and weapons drove towards the east gate, held open by the technicians Maka had managed to free. Car after car sped past the gate and into the city.
"Drive us as close as you can to Shibusen!" Soul shouted to the driver as he helped Patty back down from the roof. No sooner had Patty ducked back inside and placed her boots back on the truck floor than the road bent suddenly, a wall of rubble blocking the way. It came up too suddenly and the truck smashed into it, sending everyone in the back tumbling forward. They'd only have a few seconds before they'd be swarmed by witches.
Soul opened his eyes to find Patty on top of him. "Hey get up, we-we have to move."
She groaned before opening her eyes. "Did we win?"
"Not yet. Grab Pete and go on. Kid's probably inside the school too."
"Oh right!" She perked her head up and grabbed Pete's wrist, pulling the still unconscious boy from the truck.
Soul then proceeded to dig his knuckles into Spirit's head. "Get up, old man, if you ever wanna see your daughter again!"
"Maka! Daddy's coming!" Spirit rushed out and Soul got up and hurried after him.
"Wait for me, stupid!"
Black Star gently shook Tsubaki's shoulder. "Hey can you get up?"
"Yes. I think so."
"Alright, just transform and let's go kick some witch ass."
She nodded and closed her eyes. When nothing happened a look of panic spread over her features. "I-I can't."
"You can't? Are you sure? Try again!" The driver and front passenger had left, their friends had left them alone, assuming Black Star and Tsubaki to just follow behind. There was the sound of a number of witches rushing towards the truck. If she couldn't change, there'd be no way for them to defend themselves.
Tsubaki just shook her head. "I can't. I'm sorry."
He paled but still took her hand and pulled her from the truck. "Alright, c'mon, I need to find a safe place for you to hide." Before she could argue with him, he pulled her into an alley and then into an empty house. "Stay here until I come for you."
"No!"
"Don't argue with me. This is probably the safest place for you right now."
"Black S-"
"No, you're staying here and that's final. Right now you're a little broken. I'm the boss and I said this is your place!"
It was a wonder how the sound of her slap across his face hadn't alerted the witches to their hiding spot. Black Star held his cheek and Tsubaki held her burning palm.
"I-I'm not broken." She fought back tears. "Even if I can't be your weapon, my place is here with you, by your side. Please don't make me leave your stage. I want to see you shine." One tear rolled down her cheek. "If this is the last act, let's bow out together. Please don't discard me."
He wrapped his arms around her. "I could never discard you. I don't even know what that means." He half laughed before squeezing her.
"Weapon or not, I'm yours."
Her whispered words made him swallow. "Me...me too. Meister or not."
"Then let's go. Our friends are going to need our help. You can't expect Soul and the others to go into battle without Big You, do you?"
"You're right." He let go. "Let's find you a decent weapon."
Nearby was a shovel in the chaotic debris in the once beautiful living room. "Here. You can still change your mind."
"Nope." She smiled, taking the shovel. "I can't live all these years with someone as brave as you and hide when I should fight."
He returned the smile and grabbed a knife from the adjacent kitchen. "If you keep sweet talking me like that you might send a guy the wrong signals." He turned around to find her standing very close to him and before Black Star knew what was happening, she leaned down and kissed him, lips-to-lips. Even though it had been short, it set Black Star's face on fire.
"Wha..." He teetered to the side and she giggled and put a hand on his shoulder to stabilize him.
"We'll talk about it later, when we're safe."
A/N: Ok, so recap: Medusa is a Kishin-Witch-Queen and she has Stein under her control. Liz tried to get Kid to wake up and give him the keys to his awakening but was cut short when Medusa stepped in and pulled her away. She met up with Crona and reclaimed Ragnarok which therefore gives super evil Medusa all the powers Crona had such as flight, impenetrability, bloody needle, and all the sword attacks on top of her snakes and vector arrows. Stein is sent to fight Maka and uses soul pulse to temporarily blind her, but with the help of fuzzy soul perception, she's able to escape and hide for now.
Alexi admits his guilt to help the weapons fight Medusa, and his group, along with the kidnapped weapons they have, join the weapon resistance. On the way, Medusa ends Tsubaki's weapon status. They manage to again break the witch front and enter the city with the help of the freed technicians. Spirit, Soul, Patty and Pete rush off to the school and Black Star and Tsubaki argue about whether she can come or not. Some slapping, speech making and then kissing goes down before he allows her to join the fight.
Fun times indeed.