Chapter Twenty-One

Author's Note: This is another short chapter because I didn't know where else to go with it and it seemed like a good idea to make this chapter a bit of a heart-felt one. You learn a little more about Misao's past. There is also an appearance of a character a lot of people love. Have fun!

The tower was quiet; almost peaceful for a while. Misao's wounds were healing quickly, due to the orb leaking its power through her soul. She laid in the bed fast asleep, desperately hoping her situation was nothing but a horrible nightmare. But the dream she had made her remember that everything that happened was real.

She was in her village, surrounded by her friends and all of the villagers. She then heard a voice calling her from the crowd. It was her father, Isame. Misao's grin stretched over ten miles wide as she ran towards him. Standing beside him was Blood who had his hands in his pockets. Misao ran into her father's arms, hugging him tightly. "Papa, you're really here! I'm…so happy." Tears fell from her eyes at the sight of the two of them.

Her gaze shifted to Blood as she embraced him as well. She was surrounded by full bliss at where she was and who she was with.

The sky soon turned into a mixture of black and blood red, engulfing everything. The people all had grim faces with widened eyes. Their skin turned pale white before they all completely froze. Misao suddenly noticed Blood and her father became ice cold and lifeless. "Papa? Blood? What's wrong with you?" She pulled away from them and looked into their dead eyes. "Please papa, answer me!" She tried to shake his shoulder, but just one touch caused her father to turn to ashes before her eyes. It wasn't long before everyone fell apart into ashes. Misao's tears of joy turned into tears of horror. "No…this isn't happening. What's going on? Someone please! Help me! Help my people!"

Misao soon experienced a strange glow coming from her soul. It was a burning sensation that consumed her entire body and then concentrated straight to her chest. From her chest emerged the orb her father sealed within her. It had turned a sinister shade of red and became entangled with black tentacles. It had absorbed the power of darkness and released madness upon the world. Everything soon turned to ash and kishin eggs began emerging from the ground and feeding on the souls of the living. "The orb…how did this happen?"

Laughter filled the sky and soon evolved into a cackle. "This is how the world will be…once madness consumes it." From the black clouds appeared the Kishin Asura with his face covered. He descended in front of Misao, who looked at him with fear and shock in her eyes. Her jaw hung open as if she was unable to take a breath. The orb flew straight to Asura's hand. "When the orb takes in enough negative energy, it will heighten the madness. Not even the DWMA will be able to oppose my power!"

'I can't move. I can't even breathe.' Misao was on her hands and knees, feeling her strength escape her.

Asura approached her, hovering over her with a grin of pleasure on his face. "I've done it. I've broken your barrier. Now you are weak against me and cannot fight off my madness." He ascended his hand and used his powers to force Misao to rise to her feet and made her look at him in the face. His bandages separated and showed his evil face. His hair fell loose to his neck. "Have no fear. I will not eat your soul. Rather, I will use it as a trophy." He said as he inserted his hand through Misao's chest and took hold of her soul.

Misao gagged and gasped, feeling his cold fingers wrap around her soul and slowly pull it out of her body. Through her tear-filled eyes, she looked down to see her soul in Asura's hand. She was in so much pain that she couldn't even speak. All of the feeling in her body faded away and she was left numb and paralyzed. 'No…that's…my soul. My mind…is going blank…everything is…'

"I will claim your soul as a prize, to remember how all of this was accomplished. None of this would be possible without you…Misao."

Everything soon faded to blackness the moment her soul was completely removed from her body. She felt nothing. Heard nothing. The last thought that ran though her head was, 'No…this can't be how it ends…it can't…'

The blackness soon began to fade to a blinding light as the mumbles of a voice called Misao. "Hey, are you going to wake up? Hey?" Something cold touched her head that caused her nerves to reactivate, starting at her fingertips and working through her entire body.

Misao's eyes soon opened, feeling a rush of what she had just experience. She quickly sat up in a loud gasp and clenched her chest. She was still alive, her soul was still inside her, as well as the orb. "Thank goodness. It was just a nightmare."

"Hey, say something before you lunge out of bed like that!"

Misao looked to her left to see a small girl standing there with a displeased look. In her hands was a slightly damp cloth. 'This girl is…a witch?' Misao stared at her for a while, examining her soul. "Umm…who are you?"

"My name's Angela. I'm a witch."

"Why are you here, Angela?" she asked her.

"Mifune and I were sent here to check on you. You were asleep for a long time. It's past noon."

Misao looked at her with confusion. "Mifune?" She looked up towards the wall and saw a tall man with a toothpick in his mouth and a sword on his hip stand with a narrow glare. He looked Misao dead in the eye. Misao was shocked and covered herself, despite her already being dressed. 'He's an ordinary human.' She thought, examining his soul. 'He's a human, but his soul is strong.'

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked coldly.

Misao gasped when he spoke to her. "Uhh, no I was…"

"You were reading my soul." He answered for her. "I've been told about your situation. I'm here to keep a close eye on you, so you won't escape again."

She looked back down at Angela who rung out the cloth in a small bucket and hung it on the edge of the bucket. "Angela, did the Kishin kidnap you too?"

"No, Mifune came here and I came with Mifune! He protects me!"

"Protects…you?" Misao looked back at Mifune who didn't change his expression this entire time.

"Angela is a young witch, meaning she doesn't yet have her powers. She's been the target of not only the DWMA, but kishin eggs as well. So, I keep her safe from these threats so that she may grow up."

Misao sat at the edge of the bed, watching Angela run towards Mifune and hug his leg. Seeing that image reminded her of her and her father…then her and Blood. "You keep her safe, yet look at where you've brought her. You've allowed her to get this close to the Kishin's madness. Is this how you protect her?"

"What do you mean?" Mifune glared at her.

She stood up, her chest puffed out in anger. "Look at where you are. Do you really believe it was smart to let a small witch like her be in a place like this, ruled by Asura?"

"Hey, who are you calling small!?" Angela exclaimed, waving her fist in the air and puffing her cheeks in anger.

Misao ignored her and continued. "By bringing her this close to the Kishin, you've endangered her and possibly shortened her lifespan!"

"The Kishin promised to make the world safe for Angela and other witches like her."

"You're an idiot if you actually believe that." Misao scoffed. "Whether you're a witch or human, the Kishin will kill anyone he wants to. He will allow his madness to enter everyone who comes into contact with it. Not even witches are safe from him and you of all people should know this!" She calmed herself and grasped her chest as she remembered the smile on Asura's face as he murdered her father. "Asura is the reason I'm an orphan; the reason for my nightmares. He killed my father and devoured the souls of everyone in my village. That's why I say that no one is safe, not even a strong warrior like yourself."

"I'm sorry for what happened to your village." Mifune said, unfolding his arms. "But even still, she'll be safer once the DWMA is out of the way."

Misao's eyes widened as he looked straight towards Angela. "You mean…"

"The DWMA targeted Angela just because she was a witch and was going to reap her soul. The kid was a goof, but with the help of his ninja weapon, he almost defeated me."

"Ninja weapon?" There was only one meister Misao knew of who had a ninja-weapon partner. "Black Star and Tsubaki came after that witch?"

"So you know them." He glared at her. "I don't know why you're surprised by this information. You're a meister of the Grim Reaper. You and your weapon know of his justice system that all witches are evil and therefore they all must be killed, even at a fragile age like Angela. If anyone is plaguing the world, it's meisters like you."

"Don't you dare compare me to those morons!" Misao slammed her fist against the wall next to Mifune. She had made an imprint in the wall. "I'm not like them in the least bit! The only reason I came to the DWMA, was because they came and got me and Blood, claiming they could protect me. It doesn't mean I'm with them or believe in the same rights as them! In fact, it's because of a witch that I was even born in the first place."

"What?"

She removed her fist from the wall, letting small pieces of gravel fall to her feet while some were embedded into her fist. Misao brushed them off while cooling herself down. "My nanny happened to be a witch. She was the one who delivered me when I was born. I remember her clearly." Misao turned her back to Mifune and looked out the window. "Her name was Bella. She fed and took care of me while my mom was bed-redden. Every night, she'd tell me stories to help me sleep. She even used all of her magic to try to come up with a cure for my mom. Bella worked day and night to help my mom…but she was unsuccessful. She gave me a shoulder to cry on, telling me how mom was an angel that followed me."

"What happened to her?" Angela asked.

Misao noticed that Angela was right behind her with compassionate eyes. She couldn't help but bend down to Angela's height and pat her gently on the head. "One day, a kishin egg came to the village, threatening everyone. Bella used all of her magic to stop it. The kishin was a powerful one. In the end, she sacrificed all of her magic and defeated the monster. We gave her a proper burial. I was so heart-broken." She looked up at Mifune with eyes of rage and sorrow. "I never agreed with Lord Death's way of justice. So to compare me to his students is an insult to me and my family."

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please R&R!