Chapter 25 hot off the press. I do have an exam in two days, so it may be three or four before my next update. Maybe not, though. As of right now I am unemployed so that makes writing easier, but I'm looking far and wide for a job. No one really wants to hire minors though, and I won't be a legal adult for another month. What can you do, right? Anyways, enjoy some violence.
Disclaimer: No ownership of Soul Eater here, folks.
"Let's make this quick." Maka ordered, taking the lead over this battle. Soul submitted it to her willingly, knowing that this was something she needed out of her system; out of her way.
Medusa finally rose from her seat on the ground, dusting the dirt off of her loose-fitting black pants. "I had a feeling you little skittering mice would be back." She hissed, unable to mask her grin. The light of the moon accentuated it. "Snakes eat mice, you know."
"Good thing we aren't mice." Soul drawled, evidently bored by her dramatic comparison. "Got any real threats?"
Medusa swiveled her gaze over to Soul, whose stark bangs created a shadow over his eyes in the dim light of the moon, his stern frown being his only visible feature. "So nice to see you again, Evans. How was Hell?"
"Don't know, maybe you can send me a postcard once we finish this." Soul replied, keeping his composure. A clear head was something he needed for this fight. Medusa was no one to sneeze at.
"Fall back, Soul." Maka ordered, already tired of listening to their mindless banter. Soul shared a hard glance with her, his eyes a silent plea which she refused. After a few lingering moments, he nodded, taking a few steps back to allow Maka some room. He promised he would let her take Medusa herself, as much as he hated sitting back and watching Maka throw herself into precarious situations. This was something she had to do.
"Oh? You want all the fun, hm?" Medusa asked in clear amusement, pulling a dagger from its holster on her belt. "I'll cut you down first, and then finish slicing the boy into lunch meat."
Maka laughed, her giggle clear as a bell as her ashen bangs fell to cover much of her face. Soul felt his stomach twist, watching Maka closely as she shook with mirth. He had come to learn that Maka laughing was almost exclusively linked to her episodes, and the thought of her going under always made him uneasy. She was unpredictable, reckless. He couldn't get a read on her in that state. Medusa's eyes narrowed, frowning as she hissed, "Going mad on me again? Oh, you really are just like your father."
"Don't be ridiculous." Maka replied with ease, lifting her head so that the moon light caught her bright, focused jade eyes. "I don't need the madness to take down someone as pathetic as you, I simply find your arrogance to be funny." Maka shared a reassuring look with Soul, who grinned. The blanket of worry lifted from him as he heard the sane determination ringing through his partner's voice.
"Intolerable brat." Medusa spat, mostly to herself, as she lunged forward and made the first move to initiate their battle.
Maka blocked her easily, swinging the blade of her scythe to counter Medusa's attack. The older woman withdrew another blade whilst still barring the other against Maka's scythe, using her free arm to swipe at the girl, who narrowly dodged and gave her own weapon a powerful shove, sending Medusa skidding back a few feet. Without giving her time to react, Maka angled the point of her blade to the ground and swung down towards Medusa, who sprung backwards to let the scythe dig into the old paved ground. The blacktop gave way with a crunch, bits of it breaking apart and creating loose chunks of ashpalt.
Medusa grinned, swinging around the large blade to make a play for Maka's feet, but the young woman used the staff of her weapon to spring herself into the air, straddling the blade as she came down and ripping it from the ground to swing it upward toward Medusa. Medusa sidestepped the vertical bound attack, using her opening to sling a dagger at Maka, which clipped her cheek but not much else. Maka recovered her attack by tossing her weapon to regrip and catching it again to pick up rotation.
"What's wrong, brat? Lost your touch?" Medusa taunted, lips curling to bare her teeth as she leapt forward once again.
"Hardly." Maka spun her scythe expertly, twirling the gaudy blade as if it were effortless. She slammed the flat of her staff into Medusa's stomach, causing the woman to wheeze. Without hesitation, she swung the scythe around to catch Medusa's waist, barely missing her as the woman charged her again. Unfortunately, the arc of Maka's swing left Medusa nowhere to go but forward.
Medusa slashed at Maka's arm with her dagger, slicing it open and causing Maka to grunt in pain. Blood began dripping from her wound almost immediately, seeping through her fitted black jacket and dripping to the ground. Maka swung for Medusa's feet, effectively escaping her entrapment when the older woman jumped to dodge her feint. The girl whirled around gracefully, switching the arm she wielded her weapon with on account of the tell-tale numbness beginning to grow throughout the arm Medusa managed to damage. Maka doubled her resolve, eyes narrowed as she assessed the rate at which the poison was spreading. She needed to act fast.
She waited for Medusa to make her next move, having noticed a pattern of headlong attacks from the older woman long ago. As Medusa struck yet again, Maka ran towards her, using the head of her blade to slam Medusa against the wall, her back connecting with a resounding crack as Maka relentlessly pushed her against the brick. Medusa cried out in a mangled concoction of pain and anger. Maka's grip loosened the longer she held on, one of her arms completely out of commission at that point. She fought to conceal her panting, a thin bead of sweat rolling down her forehead.
"Time's running out for you, Maka." Medusa taunted, sounding winded from the pressure on her abdomen as she tossed another laced dagger Maka's way. Unable to take any more of the poisonous damage, Maka was forced to dodge the attack, giving Medusa the opening she needed to free herself. She felt numbness creeping down her abdomen and across her shoulder.
Medusa snatched Maka by the wrist, ripping her scythe from her hands and tossing it to the side. Soul made a move to step in, but Medusa cut eyes at him, slamming Maka into the wall with one arm and using the other to hold yet another dagger to her throat. "Any closer and she's dead, Evans." Medusa snapped, watching his internal turmoil as he was forced to watch from a distance. This time, she would make sure he didn't have a chance to move before she killed the girl.
Medusa reverted her attention back to the matter at hand, eyes locking with Maka's and taking note of the obvious difference now from the previous times they fought. Her eyes held life rather than hollowness. She was enraged, lips curled in a snarl as Medusa dug the edge of her blade deeper into Maka's flesh, just short of breaking skin. "What's wrong, little girl? Finally found your fear of death?"
Maka's eyes swiveled to Soul, entrapping his gaze with her own. He was furious, his entire body rigid and his hands visibly trembling. She could practically hear his thoughts from where she stood, blaming himself for letting it get this far, wanting to dish out the only the cruelest punishment for Medusa, feeling utterly useless and conflicted. He was afraid; afraid of losing her. Unspoken thoughts riddled his features, painting a picture for her. Despite herself, she winked at him and caught him completely off guard. "Actually, I have." Maka answered honestly, "I've finally begun to realize that life isn't about what's happened so far, it's about what's happening right here, right now. Dying isn't going to change anything; living will. Really living, engaging, creating a purpose. And I have all the purpose I need right here."
"Oh, well isn't that sweet." Medusa hissed, grabbing Maka's face and digging her fingers deep into the girl's cheeks, forcing her to look up at her. "I've always loved to play with my food."
Maka flinched as Medusa leaned closer towards her, bringing her face in to undoubtedly continue her self-righteous sneering. She wasn't allowed the chance as Maka used what movement she still had in one arm to shove Medusa away, immediately landing a kick in the center of her face afterward. "That means I'm not letting you take this life from me!" Though Medusa had the upper hand, she had become overconfident, relaxed, albeit only a little. A little happened to be enough. Maka took that chance and rode it out, planning to utilize Medusa's shock fully to her advantage. "Stay put, Soul!" She ordered, knowing he would be jumping in to intervene any second.
The kick sent Medusa stumbling back a few feet, momentarily blinded as a result of the sheer force of the slam to her nose, which was most definitely broken. Blood covered her hands as she brought them to her face. Maka swung her other leg to slam into the side of Medusa's head, taking her down to the ground. Medusa cried out in outrage, re-gripping her dagger as she attempted to rise from the ground. Maka slammed a boot in the center of Medusa's chest, effectively pinning her.
Medusa grinned something sinister as she stuck her dagger deep into Maka's calf and gave it a strong twist. "Wrong move."
Maka grit her teeth, strangled moans of pain rising and dying in her throat as she forced herself not to let up. Crimson poured from her bare leg and down to her ankle, the warmth of the liquid on her skin a reminder of the searing gash in her leg. Medusa ripped the dagger from Maka's limb and prepared to jab it into her flesh once again when a foot weighing down painfully on her forearm stopped her. She dropped her weapon out of reflex, which was immediately confiscated along with the others she had so carelessly left about. A dagger was slammed deep into each hand, effectively pinning her to the ground as the tips of the daggers stuck deep into the asphalt. The last dagger was being spun around an index finger. Medusa hissed in pain, furious at having her own blades used against her.
"I told you not to interfere." Maka ground out, glaring at her partner as he handed her his hand-painted weapon to utilize.
Soul's glare rivaled hers. "After seeing you with a knife to your throat? Tough luck."
Maka wordlessly removed her foot from Medusa's chest, who immediately began seeking her escape, even as the poison began to numb her limbs. Soul didn't allow her the chance, dragging just enough of her body up from the ground by her hair to give Maka a good bit of clearance.
"You think this is the end of me?" Medusa spat, her words coming out as an incredulous guffaw. "I'll be back, I'll always be back! You stupid fucking kids will never see the end of me. In the darkest corners of your mind, that's where I'll be. Just lurking, waiting for you. Born again as your worst fucking nightmare, you'll never sleep another day in your life!" She cackled, her golden eyes wide as tears rose to the brim. "You'll see me in Hell! You'll see-"
Her ramblings were cut short as Maka used her undamaged arm to swing her blade down upon Medusa's neck, severing her head cleanly from her body. Soul held her wide-eyed portrait in his hand as her body fell limply to the ground, blood pouring from her in a way they'd become all too familiar with. Soul tossed her head down atop the rest of her, stepping over to confiscate the holster for her blades.
"It's about damn time someone shut her up." Soul grumbled, turning to see Maka propping herself up with the alley wall. "Are you alright?"
"Better than ever." Maka replied dryly, grunting as she gingerly applied pressure to her injured leg. Not a good idea, not even with the poison that doubled as a numbing agent. "Let's get back to base, our job here is done."
"Maka." Soul began, catching her gaze before he continued. "You... I..." He paused, realizing how uncool he must sound as a stuttering mess. The ivory mopped boy took a step towards Maka, pulling her towards him and wrapping himself around her in a long overdue embrace. Maka's eyes widened, but she returned the hug with the arm she hadn't completely lost to paralysis. Her expression seemed to ease as she relaxed into Soul.
"Thank you, Soul." She breathed out sincerely, burying her head in his shoulder. "For everything."
Soul grinned into her neck. "No need to thank me." He replied, regretfully breaking the embrace to hold her by her shoulders. "Let's get home."
I hope this wasn't too lame of a last battle with Medusa. Also, it's really fucking hard to write about scythe wielding. Who would've known? Anyway, please review, I love to hear from you all. I seriously stalk my reviews every time I post a new chapter or upload a new story, haha.