Larza stood in the middle of the three other individuals, completely confident of his ability to survive if the retrieval of his hatchling became violent. The fourth one had left a few minutes prior; saying the affairs of dragons had nothing to do with him. Larza had agreed with a quip about how someone was at least willing to see wisdom.
'Now if only these two stupid humans and the so called Death God could be as easily convinced.' He thought tiredly.
"You have no right to claim Sylvia after you gave her up!" The man screamed, his mate nodding. "If not for us, she would have been killed for what she did!"
"Yes, yes, I heard you the first time. There's no need to raise your voice you barbaric human." Larza drawled out slowly. "Sylvia is my hatchling. She doesn't need to be raised among your kind."
"And a witch is a better substitute?" Azusa asked, her voice cold.
"Than a mere mortal human?" Larza scoffed. "What wouldn't be?"
"The sway of magic causes witches to be nothing but destructive! We've given her a loving home!"
"Yes, I heard that my hatchling has so enjoyed living cooped up underneath your roof, unable to even spread her wings." Larza looked up then, and his countenance grew grim.
A bestial roar filled the Death Room. "WHERE IS MY HATCHLING?!"
Spirit was in weapon form and in Lord Death's hands before either of them realized it, Larza's form blurring and shifting. Deep purple eyes stared down at the Death God and the scythe, pure white scales glinting in the light. Ice armored the dragon and he roared again.
The room seemed to shake. Lord Death just sat Spirit's end on the ground and looked up at the dragon. "You forget where you are, dragon."
A chill ran through the two weapons.
"You are in my domain." Death's voice was cold and ominous. "I would not see Sylvia truly orphaned when she has just now found out that you are her father."
James and Elsa walked back to the lab slowly when Elsa suddenly stopped. James reached behind himself to grab her arm and tug her forward. It wasn't the first time the girl had stopped walking. He was sure it wouldn't be the last.
This time however, the girl didn't start walking with his gentle tug. She spoke.
"James, what if Sylvia never comes back?" Her voice was soft.
James turned to face the girl. "She'll come back, Elsa."
"How can you be so sure, though? She just left us for that asshole and his friend!" Elsa's hands were balled up in fists and James could tell that she was close to crying.
"She didn't leave us, Elsa. We're not technically her partners. Sylvia's an antonymous weapon- you know that." He patted the girl's shoulder gently.
Elsa sighed, and for a brief second James thought that he had diffused the situation, until he heard Elsa's nearly inaudible whisper.
"If she doesn't want a partner, then he can't be her partner either. I'll dissect him first…" James' soul froze at how cold and menacing Elsa sounded. The girl walked past him, moving at last with purpose towards the lab.
'But for what purpose?' James wondered to himself.
Larza laughed. The beast's laughter echoed through the Death Room, and Azusa took a step back. "How about this, Shinigami? If you can best me with your little toy, in your domain, I will allow you to borrow my hatchling for a while."
Spirit's voice erupted from the scythe. "What kind of father barters with his own daughter's life?!"
"When I best you, Larza, you will leave Death City and never return- you will leave Sylvia alone unless she seeks you out herself." Lord Death said, his voice still deep.
Another burst of laughter erupted from the dragon. "I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE!"
Scythe met claw. The impact knocked Azusa off her feet, and she quickly retreated to a safe distance to watch as the fight drew out. 'I want to believe that Lord Death will win…' She thought to herself, 'but dragons are immortal, and what power does death hold over someone who doesn't die?'
"REAPER CHOP!" Lord Death slammed his oversized hand down on the top of the dragon's head.
Larza's head hit the ground hard, his four legs easily absorbing most of the blow. A laugh erupted from him as he raised his head back up to look at Lord Death.
"Is that all you have, then, Reaper? The best you can do to 'protect' my hatchling? It doesn't comfort me." He mocked, still laughing.
"WITCH HUNTER!" Spirit's blade expanded, forming a crescent shape, and Lord Death brought it down on the dragon.
Larza hissed, the attack going through his armor and leaving a large gash. A smirk crossed the dragon's face briefly, and he opened his mouth, expelling a gout of blue-white flames with a gold center. Spirit flinched in his weapon form, remembering all too well how painful dragon fire was.
It never reached them. Lord death swirled his cloak around in front of him and the fire hit it- and was absorbed. Lord Death's mask curved upwards and he tilted his head to let a gout of smoke escape from the bottom hole of the mask.
"Well, Larza. It appears that you cannot harm me- do you wish to concede?"
The dragon laughed and lunged, sharp claws once again meeting metal as Lord Death blocked. Blood fell briefly from the dragon's wound before the wound closed itself. A savage bite knocked the Death God back, a part of his mask chipping, but at the same time a shockwave jolted through the dragon, sending the massive beast crashing backwards. Lord Death spun Spirit before lowering him into a defensive position.
"Yield, Larza. I have no wish to kill an immortal." Shivers ran through Azusa.
'I haven't heard him so serious since he fought the kishin!'
The dragon retook his human form, laughing. "Very well, Reaper. I will leave your precious Death City."
Spirit hit his human form and spoke before Lord Death could. "And you'll leave Sylvia alone too!"
"Ah, stupid human. That was never the bargain." With that, Larza turned and left the death room. "I will see my hatchling when she leaves this terribly constraining place." He turned as he left, grinning. "Try not to die in fire, would you? I so hate when it is tainted by the ashes of a human."
Spirit seethed.
Elsa strode into her home, going straight to her father's lab. "I need you to stay here so you can tell my mother and dad where I've gone, James." She was rummaging through a desk drawer.
James stood behind her. "Where are you going to go, Elsa?" He asked quietly.
"To visit Kiru." She said coldly, finally turning to face him, something held in her hand behind her back.
"No, you're not. Your dad told us to stay here, and we're going to." James argued, one hand grabbing her shoulder.
"Actually, he said we could go wherever we wanted and I want to go visit Kiru." Elsa smiled sweetly, tilting her head to the side.
James sighed. "No."
Elsa's face contorted in rage. "I will if I want to, James!"
"Give it to me." James said, holding his hand out for whatever she had hidden from him.
"Take it." Elsa laughed and danced backwards. It wasn't her giggle; it was a full bodied laugh that made James' blood run cold.
James lunged at the girl, catching her cleanly around the waist and knocking her to the ground. She landed on her back, her right arm twisted underneath her body. She screamed and James could smell blood. A look of fear crossed his face and he twisted off of her.
As soon as he released her, Elsa was on her feet. She buried the scalpel in his stomach, twisting it as she laughed. The blood that James had smelled wasn't from the scalpel burying itself in her back, but from a shallow gash that she had made on her other arm as she fell. James sagged against the wall with his hands clasped around the wound even as Elsa pulled the blade from his stomach, wiping his blood onto his gakuran.
As the darkness overtook his vision James heard Elsa whisper. "Looks like I'll need a weapon too. Maybe I can use Nicole-chan after I dissect Kiru. Goodbye, onii-chan." Her sweet voice seemed to twist the endearment into a curse even as she pressed her lips against his cheek.
The world went dark.
"Kiru-kun is already looking for a bigger apartment!" Nicole said happily as she helped Sylvia move the last box into their bedroom. "We shouldn't have to stay cooped up like this much longer!"
Sylvia smiled weakly. "Thank you, Nicole-san."
The girl burst out laughing. "You don't have to be so formal Syl-chan! We're living together now!"
Sylvia just nodded. "I'll… try, Nicole-chan."
Nicole just laughed again, and from the hallway looking in Kiru smirked.
Stein darted down the alleyway towards Kiru and Nicole's apartment when he felt Elsa's soul. She was alone, James nowhere within his Soul Perception's radius. Narrowing his eyes he watched as his daughter skipped up the stairs leading to the apartment, and very nearly missed the glint of metal in the sunlight. A second later he saw the stains on the metal.
"Marie, we have a problem." He whispered.
"I see her, Franken."
Stein hesitated. "Marie, she has a scalpel and it's already bloody."
Panic rushed through him from the bond he currently shared with his wife. "What do you think that she's done, Franken?"
"We can only hope that it was to herself." Stein sighed, darting towards the apartment even as Kiru opened the door. 'I can guarantee it wasn't.' He thought to himself. 'She's not in any type of distress and if she lost herself, a small cut wouldn't stop the need.'
The blood pumping from in between James' fingers slowed.
"Elsa? What the hell do you want?" The dhampir demanded, stepping outside and closing the door behind him.
"I'm bringing Sylvia-chan home." The dhampir frowned. Her voice was… wrong?
"Sylvia's living here now, so go home kid." He said dismissively, turning from her to reopen the door.
Elsa buried the scalpel in his back. Kiru cursed, one hand reaching to try to pull out the scalpel even as Elsa channeled her wavelength through the surgical device, her laughter echoing oddly along the empty street.
"ELSA!" Stein's voice distracted the girl for a second, and Kiru collapsed, coughing blood. The second was all that Stein needed. With Marie screaming at him not to he brought the weapon crashing into Elsa's side.
The girl went flying, but she landed on her feet and skidded to a stop. She stood, her shoulders hunched and a glare on her face. An inhuman scream ripped itself from her throat and she charged back towards them, yellow energy flickering across her hands.
Stein stood his ground. The attack hit hard, but he managed to dissipate all of it. Elsa hit him again and again. He never used Marie to block, just kept dissipating the attack. Marie was sobbing in his mind as she watched their daughter caught in the worst attack Stein had ever seen. Kiru breathed weakly on the ground, a foot away from the door.
A shriek tore through the air and Stein threw Marie into the air. She hit her human form behind him, and darted to the open door, shoving Nicole back through it. She grabbed Kiru and pulled him into the living room, removing the scalpel from his back as Stein blocked Elsa's renewed attack. Sylvia stood in shock, watching what was going on in horror.
"El-elsa-chan!" She finally cried out.
Elsa's attack ceased immediately. She smiled sweetly at Sylvia. "Let's go home, onee-chan." She said, tilting her head, extending her bloody hand.
"Elsa… I am home. I can't live with Azusa-sama and Spirit-sama anymore." Sylvia said almost brokenly.
"You can't live with him!" Elsa shrieked, darting towards Kiru.
Stein's wavelength rushed through the child's body and she flew back against the wall, slamming her head against it. She collapsed against the base of it, her breathing already smoothing into a regular, deep pattern; completely indicative of unconsciousness.
James' chest barely moved.
Marie cradled Elsa to her chest, sobbing as Stein looked Kiru over. He gave the boy a knowing look and the teen shrugged. "I gave you asses the last ones I had." He said. "I'll be fine though. Just get that insane bitch out of here."
Stein's face hardened and it was obvious that he was struggling to keep from striking Kiru. The boy realized this and stood unsteadily to his feet, Nicole darting under his arm to let him lean on her. There was a tap on his left side and Kiru just shook his head. Stein noted the motion, but let it be, instead choosing to stand and move to Marie.
He gently but firmly took their daughter from Marie's grasp. "I tried to warn you, Marie." He said, sadness in his tone. "It's not easy to have to fight her." The strangled sob Marie gave was enough confirmation that he knew she finally understood. The two left quickly, heading home with Elsa.
Stein's thoughts turned inward as they walked, Marie hovering at his elbow, brushing Elsa's hair from her face when the wind would blow it in it.
'Where is James?' Stein thought, a sour feeling in the pit of his stomach. 'He would never have allowed Elsa to do something so rash.'
Stein hastened his steps.
A/N: Sorry that this chapter took so long to get up. Like I said, I've been having some issues that prevented me from being able to write. Thanks so much for waiting patiently! I know… this chapter was angsty, but I can promise more fluff is to come! :D
I don't own Soul Eater or anything else in this except Elsa and James.
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