DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Soul Eater'. All rights belong to Okubo Atsushi. I also do not own any of the songs referenced. All rights belong to their respective owners. I only own this fanfiction. Thank you.
It was as if everything were moving in slow motion. Maka could see what was happening so clearly and in such detail, like every sequence was being drawn out just for her. The motions were smooth, the actions vivid. The plan was coming to life, with every second that ticked by.
She saw the form of Arachne, beginning to descend from above. But it was not directly over her. No, it was at a distance; she was coming down over Soul. Maka wasn't happy that her friend was the one being targeted again. But, she also knew that she wasn't going to let anything happen to him, and he sure as hell wouldn't go down without a fight.
Her stance shifted. Giriko had already started his saw, and was rushing towards the landing point. Below her, Soul had assumed a combat position, and Arachne was taking measures to guard against it. Her attention was entirely on her foe; she wouldn't have any time to properly defend herself from the onslaught about to be wrought by the approaching duo.
It wasn't the easiest task to run through that sticky forest of strings, but Maka did her best, dragging the scythe behind her. Crona was left back, with the rapidly fading Medusa. Her eyes were widening, the pupils dilating. She was panicked, for once.
The woman had no idea if Maka's plan, whatever it was, would actually be successful. And she'd already taken one chance that hadn't paid off. She couldn't risk things a second time.
"Crona!" Her tone was commanding of her attention, but unlike before, it wasn't entirely demanding. There was a hint of something there, something that, for once in her life, made Crona feel needed by her. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
"Press the button!" Her mother was pleading with her, asking of her. She could no longer threaten her with any sort of abandonment or verbal abuse; she couldn't even hit her if she'd wanted to. This was her last request, and out of all the people in the world, it was Crona who could fulfill it. This was the task that had been bestowed upon the girl. It was all on her whether or not she would complete it.
Would she trust Medusa's words, and push the switch? Would this really help Maka and her friends out of this dire situation?
By now, Arachne had dropped down, enough to dive at Soul, intending to take a solid bite out of him. Her teeth just barely grazed his arm, but it wasn't deep enough for her to inject any venom. He hissed as he stepped away, swinging his scythe out forwards. She leaned back and ducked down before swooping, ready to try again. "You brat!"
Crona was beginning to tremble, as was the remote in her hands. The colors were blurring in her vision, and she couldn't tell if that was because she was staring at them too long, or because those pesky tears in her eyes were mucking them up. Tears. When was the last time she'd truly allowed herself to cry? Was she going to do it now? Was she going to cry while she did or didn't press the button in her hands?
Medusa was still looking up at her, expression frantic and pleading. "You want...to save your friends, right? Push it!"
"AAAHH!" Arachne suddenly let out a shriek of agony, as the saw drove into the right side of her upper spine. Giriko had caught her unexpectedly when she'd gone forward to lash out at Soul again. She'd heard the noise, but she had assumed, based on the distance in-between, that he wouldn't be able to make it in time before she got a chance to attack!
Giriko was grinning wildly, as she pulled away and struggled to make it back onto the web. "How'd ya like the taste of that?!" Blood was running down profusely from her shoulder, and she was having trouble using her right arm fully now. But she was beginning to draw up. That was when Soul's scythe caught her in the side, this time puncturing her and leaving a modest gash. Another unholy scream escaped her mouth as Soul yanked the blade out, and jumped back. "Now! MAKA!"
Do it. Don't do it. Do it. Don't do it. Do it. Don't do it. Do it. Don't do it. The options kept flashing back and forth in Crona's mind. Push the button, or don't push the button. Medusa was watching the battle, her eyes darting to and fro, trembling as she took in the sight before her. Not yet. Arachne was not dead yet. And those bombs would go off any minute. She couldn't die without securing at least some sort of victory over her sister!
"Crona! You have to trust me!" She gasped then; this was the last thing she could say, before the pain and burning rose up in her throat. This was the end, it was all over - !
The pinkette was looking back and forth hurriedly, from her mother to the battle in front and the remote in her hands. The options flickered rapidly, becoming one mass as her eyes took in the two buttons below. Her thumb hovered over them, unsure and beginning to feel the strain of being extended for so long while so tense.
Trust. She had no trust in Medusa. But she did trust Maka. She wanted Maka to be safe. And she was willing to do anything to achieve those ends. Right?
"Crona...you failure. Go ahead and kill all those people. It'll be perfect for someone like you." Her heart jumped then; she would not! She would not give into Ragnarok! If she believed in Maka, then she could do anything! Like put aside the hell she'd been through the first eighteen years of her life, and do something she'd never thought possible.
It's not for you. Her expression was resolute as she pushed the red button. It's for her.
"YAAAH!" Before Arachne could get up the web, Maka had cornered her, slicing at her with the scythe. It partially severed the thread that held her, the rest beginning to fray quickly. As she jumped away, startled and pained while trying to escape, Maka sprung up and jammed the needle into her neck, pumping her full of the liquid madness.
The woman gasped, still clinging to the thread. With a swing, her free arm slammed into Maka's face, helping to knock her to the ground.
But she landed on her feet, and ignoring the pain leapt up once more, to deliver a solid kick to the spider woman's head. This severed the string for good, and Arachne went flying across, skidding to a sticky halt in the middle of her own messy nest.
The trio were now rounding on her, boxing her in as she rose to her feet, looking for a way out of this. There had to be somewhere, anywhere she could shoot a web! She had to run again, this was too dangerous! These three...were a lot stronger than she had been expecting, even like this. And that pigtailed whore, she had stabbed her with something else, too...
She took notice then, of the empty syringe in her neck. Growling, she pulled it out with a faint wince, and threw it aside. It was probably something to impair her movements. She had to hurry before it took effect! She now regarded the three with a hateful look.
"Think you've won? That this is all I've got in me, is that it? That I, the great Arachne, would roll over and play dead for you?" She spied a lower hanging web strand, running just above her to the left. She could attach to that, and then make her way back up. Afterwards, she'd have to figure out a new plan of attack.
"No, I don't think," said Maka, smiling confidently even with the blood trickling from her mouth and nose. "I know." Arachne loathed that look. She so longed to be the one to rip it off her face.
Now she was filled with all the desire in the world to kill this girl, this girl who had stolen so much from her. Maka was the embodiment of everything else that had gone wrong with her life. Medusa was the first effigy, and she had been properly sacrificed. It was time for round two.
"You cocky little bitch. I will relish the moment I can - " That was when Arachne halted. She had to pause; there was a hint of movement to her left, and it wasn't natural.
As she tried to focus on it, it suddenly sprang, this time to her right. Following it quickly, it spread, now at both sides, and the center as well, messing with her image of Maka and crew. Arachne felt her breathing hitch, as the strange visual disorder drew closer to her.
It was as if the outlines for everything, the edges, were coming alive and dancing around. Like static on a TV. They scrunched and wiggled and shifted and with them, so too went the things surrounding her. Arachne was trying not to panic as the colored mass of what was once Maka drew closer to her. She stepped back, eyes wide.
The fear was rising inside of her, and she couldn't hold on, it was so very hard to hold on - !
"You!" she rasped at Maka, clutching at her throat as she struggled to breathe through her anxiety. Her heart...she thought her heart would burst! This fear, this terror was beyond overwhelming! It was as if her soul itself was screaming out in pain, overflowing with the adrenaline of fresh horror coursing through her in an endless flow. "What did you do to me?!"
Maka stepped closer, the confident look to her features replaced with a severe stare. "How does it feel, to experience the very same madness you wanted to force on everyone at Shibusen?" Arachne let out a wail of horror, clutching at her head as she staggered back. She was trying to cover her ears.
"No...no, no..." The sound...the sound that was coming from this being before her, these were not the tones of a human! She couldn't even begin to understand what Maka was saying! The fear rose up in her, overwhelmed her, reduced her to a cowering mess before the trio. Maka watched as the once strong, proud woman was now whimpering and twitching before her. It seemed impossible for her to attack in this state. They had won.
Maka let out a sigh, and looked back to her companions. "She's completely out of it. I don't think we need - "
She was cut off unexpectedly. Something long, thin and sharp suddenly went driving through the back of her left shoulder, and out the front. Soul and Giriko gaped in angry fright. "MAKA!"
The girl let out a cry, stumbling as she struggled to keep her balance. She turned her head, to look down at her upper arm, quietly stunned. Had that just...actually happened? A throb of pain, as she took in the sight of a thick humanoid-arachnid claw through her fucking shoulder, who the hell could ever be prepared for something like that?! Not just the sensation, but the shock!
It wasn't like Maka had never taken a hit before, but this? This was too unbelievable to be real. Yet again, the limb twitched, and she winced, letting out a faint whimper. She supposed she should've been prepared for this, it wasn't exactly a simple task they were attempting here!
But that didn't negate the agony she currently felt at that moment...and the rage towards the one who had caused it. The one who had actively tried to harm those around her. The one they were fighting now, to make damn sure she'd never get a third chance to try again. This was the end of the line. Fresh as the wound was, Maka did her best not to let the hurt overwhelm her. She still had a job to do.
Arachne drew her appendage back with a crazed grin, causing another spurt of blood, and a grunt. It took a couple of steps, but the girl was soon quick to regain her balance, without that unwanted extra part in the way. It just really smarted, and now even more lifeforce was coming out! She didn't have much time!
Slowly, Maka forced herself to lock eyes once more with the spider woman. Although they were distorted, the bloodlust in them was clear.
"You...you're the source of all this! If I destroy you, everything will right itself! Therefore, you have to die! So be a good dog and PLAY DEAD! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She screamed the last part, breaking into demented laughter as she charged at Maka, not straight but with a steady path to carry out her intentions.
By this point, Maka had had enough.
"Will...you just..." Her grip tightened on the scythe, as she drew back. "GO TO HELL!" With all the strength she had in her, fighting through the ache, Maka brought the scythe back around, to slice cleanly through Arachne's neck. The woman stopped abruptly, as Maka tried to catch her breath where she stood. Her heart was pounding like a drum. This was the solo of her life, taking place inside her chest.
She had just done it. She had killed Arachne. Killed Arachne. Killed. Arachne.
There was silence for a few moments. Then, the spider woman's legs began to buckle. Her head wobbled atop her neck, face in a mask of excited surprise. It rolled off and fell to the floor, along with the rest of her. A decent thud echoed out. A pool of blood began to form under the bloody stump of her neck. The stunned silence that followed had not yet dissipated, and was now starting to border on eerie.
Relaxing her position, Maka tried once again to soothe the adrenaline and emotions that were pumping through her.
They had won. They had stopped Arachne. Because of all of them, but she had been the one to deliver the finishing blow. Her hands were stained, no matter how you looked at it. She had willingly taken on this task, willingly marched into damnation with her friends following behind her, and it was all for...
"Umph." She was caught off guard when a strong arm came to wrap around her, with her face now being pressed into a well-built chest. It was alright – for the first few seconds. Then, she started to flail her arms in a frenzy. Or at least, one of them. Her injured shoulder was smarting badly at the moment. The scythe swung along with her motions. Can't breathe! The hell is going on?! Who's doing this?
"Giriko!" Soul came running over. "I know you're trying to help, but holy fuck, haven't you ever hugged someone before? You're killing her! And if you don't let her go soon, she's probably gonna kill you!" he added on, noting the weapon in one of Maka's outstretched, tightly clenched hands.
Giriko tilted his head in bafflement, but let go of the girl, a bit roughly. "Sorry, jeez. She's always doing that to me when I space out, so I thought it'd be okay if I did it, too. Just this once, though." He coughed, doing his best to keep up a front of cool indifference. "You know, since you just took down the pair of Gorgon sisters and all. That's kinda a big deal to someone like you, I'm guessing. It doesn't really matter to me much, heh." Always the tough guy.
After catching her breath, she proceeded to slap his cheek with her palm. It wasn't hard enough to leave a mark, but it still stung some. Since her free hand was the sore arm, it wasn't anywhere as hard as it could've been. He growled at her, waiting to hear her explanation before he decided whether to retaliate. Did she really want to pick a fight here and now?
"Hee. That's for nearly suffocating me. And aggravating my wound. You big jerk." Even as she called him by that name, Maka was smiling. "And now, this..." she began, as she stood up to brush her lips over his, "...is for being nice. Thank you." She wasn't going to tell him not to do it, they just needed to work on it some. She wouldn't mind practicing it with him, though. That is, if he were up to the challenge, and if she were feeling better. Heh, a hug challenge. Funny image indeed.
"Feh. Whatever. Don't get used to it." Inside, he was secretly enjoying receiving the praise. It was rather fun, to be important to somebody. To think, that he had such power over a girl like this, who could do these things when they were together. Of all the people in the world that he could've found, he'd found her. And this was where it had led. Looking around, he smirked to himself.
Yes, this was a fitting outcome. The day was saved, his girl got to look cool, and he got some good ol' fashioned revenge as well as his freedom. That was all a win in his book.
Wait...his girl?
"Ah! That's right!" Maka was scrambling now, reaching for his pants. He looked at her, a bit surprised by her boldness. "Huh Maka, I wouldn't have taken you for an exhibitionist. And in a place like this too, when you're all banged up. Kinky." Soul snickered quietly, and Giriko smirked as the color shot into Maka's face. Her cheeks puffed out in a heated pout.
"That's not it! The com link! We haven't been in touch with anyone for so long, and we just took out the head of Arachnophobia! We need to find out if the others got everything else done, too! What time is it?!"
With the link in her hands being attached to her ear, she was now scrambling for the screen in the middle of the room. The images had changed – there were what appeared to be masked, armed individuals, making the rounds throughout the mess. There were no bodies lying about, but at least she knew now that some form of authority was doing their job and taking care of the rest.
She assumed that with Arachne gone, any officers who were under loyalty to her would be forced to clean up their act. Unless they were really so crooked as to search for someone else to serve. That didn't seem like a fulfilling existence, but stranger things had happened. This entire excursion, for one.
"Hello?" She pushed the button, and tried to see if anyone else was listening. "This is Maka! Is anyone out there? What's the status of Shibusen? Does anyone know? There are armed forces searching the place now, but did everyone escape intact? Oh, and we have taken down Arachne! I repeat: Arachne is dead!" She paused, unsure for a moment of how to go on. "Like a spider after you slap it with a newspaper! And Medusa too! They're both gone!" There was silence. Yes, it was a bad joke, and too soon. Her emotions were fit to burst.
"Well, if no one's going to answer, the best thing we can do is head upstairs, to see for ourselves what's going on." Soul had hoisted his scythe over his shoulder. Maka turned to address him, when she felt a wave of nerves hit her out of nowhere.
She fell to her knees, panting. It was all coming on at once: she'd actually gone and done it! She had made her way through the Arachnophobia base, and eliminated Arachne. She had killed the woman, taken her life. It was not the first life she had taken, but she would certainly remember how it had occurred more than the first. But both of them weighed heavily on her mind. Where did she go from here?
"Ayup." Maka blinked – she was being lifted up by someone, someone who was bending down to come under one of her arms, allowing her to lean on them. Whoa, it was the one holding the scythe, they ought to be careful! Is that why they were moving so strangely? All of the assembled group were gaping, even Maka once she realized who it was.
She had come out of nowhere – they'd kind of forgotten she was there, actually – and bent down to help her before anyone had a chance to say anything otherwise. Maka was amazed that the girl was that strong. Either that, or she was lighter than she thought. Perhaps collapsing had made her weaker? "C-Crona..."
The girl looked a bit nervous, but she still had that small smile on her face. "I hope – I hope that this is okay?" She was referring to the contact.
Maka nodded, then regarded her a bit worriedly. "Umm, what about...Medusa?" A quiet befell the group then; no one had given any thought to the second Gorgon sister, the other they had been meant to defeat.
"She's...not here anymore..." Crona didn't really want to get into the details. It was still too raw for her to speak of. She'd seen her body, she'd watched her close her eyes. She'd seen her breathing stop. That was enough for the pinkette. There was another topic she could address, though. "But it's okay – Medusa gave me the controls, to stop the bombs! Medusa told me to push the button and stop the bombs!"
Maka was looking at her now in panicked horror. "Crona, you didn't - "
"Wait, Medusa gave you the controls to stop the bombs from going off?" Soul was confused, and a bit wary. "Why would she do that?" His friend looked at him, frantic.
"She was probably trying to trick Crona into setting them off early or something! We need to go upstairs, now!" The blonde was starting to freak out again, and her legs were getting wobbly. She had to stop herself, taking a few deep gulps of air before returning her attention to the girl before her. Crona was now fiddling with her hands and looking down.
"Well, if I – if I can be so honest, but I think...well I think that Medusa...wanted me to stop the bombs. That's why she gave me the remote." She looked up at Maka earnestly then. "Medusa has hurt me many times, but I...don't think that this is one of them. Um. I think."
Now, she was seeming to sway where she stood, leading her friend with her. "I did it to help Maka. Please don't hurt me." Maka shook her head, leaning into the girl as she faced forwards. She stared at her.
"I believe you, Crona." Maka's expression was steadfast. She wouldn't understand quite why Medusa had wanted to stop the explosions – perhaps out of some final desire to thwart her sister in some way? - but she would trust Crona when she said that Medusa's true intention had been to deactivate them.
Crona knew Medusa better than her in the end, as twisted as that relationship may have been. Maka still didn't fully understand the depths of it, and she probably wouldn't, not for a very long time, if ever. It was up to Crona whether or not she wanted to continue their friendship after this.
She was certain however, that she wanted things to stay the same between them. She couldn't imagine not knowing the girl, even with all that happened.
"Alrighty then." Giriko was heading back towards the exit, revving up his saw once again, to hack through the now useless webbing. "If you're all done consoling each other, let's get the hell outta here. This scenery's becoming a drag, y'know?" Maka and Crona followed after him, along with Soul. They'd won their battle. There was nothing left to do down here.
"Oh, umm..." Maka stopped, and looked at Crona once more. "Are you gonna...leave her here, then?" The girl understood instantly what Maka was referring to.
She nodded. "I...don't really know what else to do for her. She never really talked about death...well, actually, she never really talked to me at all..." The air was becoming uncomfortable, so Maka figured she'd drop the subject. The two Gorgon sisters could rot down here for eternity.
This time, they didn't bother closing the door as they left. What reason was there to worry about such a thing now? The room was still, and empty.
Of life at least, it wasn't lacking for bodies. Not a single thing stirred in this spider's nest, the trap that had been wielded against its creator. The beast had been slain, and with it its venomous rival, the snake. Now both of them would become the prey of the Earth. Their bodies would return to dust, just as they were formed from dust.
Suddenly, a sound. It was faint at first, but slowly began to grow louder. As it did so, it also became clearer: movement, among what sounded like something akin to soft meats.
That guess wasn't all that far off from the truth.
Medusa's body was trembling on the ground. Something was wriggling forth from inside her, making its way up from her middle to her chest. Then her throat, and finally, it forced its way forth from between her slightly parted lips. As it slid out, it became all too apparent what it was.
It was a honey-golden colored snake, with a very familiar pattern running along its body. It was slimy too, having been freshly spewed from the woman's insides. Its scales gleamed ever so faintly in the light. Still, a disgusting sight indeed, as it slipped away through the tiniest spaces in between the web threads. Sliding out the open door, it slithered away down the hall.
Looks like that first gamble had just come into play.
…...
"Goddamn it, I don't have the time to tangle with you!"
In the middle hallway, a strange confrontation was now taking place. Black*Star, Tsubaki, and even Mifune were engaged in battle with a most peculiar enemy indeed: five small women, identical in appearance and skilled with short knives.
But the fight that was in progress seemed far more like a skit with weapons than anything else.
"What do they want?!" Tsubaki was currently grappling with one enemy, while her companion and previous opponent were both dealing with two each. She looked at the frantic woman before her, darting about and slashing wildly as she squeaked and chattered. She seemed to be yelling at her. It wasn't very fun to be insulted while you were trying to stay alive.
Black*Star was swinging his sword, trying to catch either one of the two who were tag-teaming him. But whenever he would go for one, the other would come up on the other side and make a move for him. Now he was trying to get both of them in one swing, but they wouldn't stop scurrying around and striking out at him. The boy was getting annoyed, and his wound was starting to ache.
"Like hell if I know! But they sure ain't with us, and from the way things look, I don't think they're with Arachnophobia, either!"
Mifune was trying to grasp what was going on. He recognized this face; he'd seen them around while he was on patrol through the manor. They worked for Arachne. But now, there were five of them, and they were going on the offensive. Had this woman been planning against Arachne this entire time? How had no one noticed her until now? And had it even been the same woman each time? For all he knew, they'd been switching in and out! If someone like Black*Star could get into this place, then anything was possible.
Hmm...perhaps this was really not the job for me. No, he was a good bodyguard. Things had just aligned in such a way tonight as to allow all this mayhem to occur. But he was still skilled at his work. Unfortunately, being hired muscle wasn't really a very stable environment to make a living in, not when you were charged with watching over someone like An. Which was why they'd gone on the run with him as her protector. But that wasn't a good setting for a child, either.
Dodging another swing from the two mousey women, who were flittering about his waist and legs like overeager puppies with a biting problem, Mifune brought his sword down, cutting the space between the women as they split apart.
One of them made another move for his lower half, cutting at his knees with her daggers. The other had actually jumped up onto his sword, using that as leverage to take a slice at his face. She just managed to graze his nose and cheeks as she jumped away, before he punched her. He must've looked ridiculous like this. A fearsome bodyguard, indeed.
Suddenly, Tsubaki let out a gasp, defending herself but with her attention seemingly focused elsewhere. She was looking to her right slightly, as if listening to something on that end. That's when Black*Star remembered that she had been wearing the com link. Avoiding his opponent's dual strikes, he got in-between Tsubaki and her target, to block them from coming after her again. "Is someone contacting us?"
"Mm-hm!" Tsubaki nodded, before turning her attention to Black*Star's previous foes, who were now after her. "It was Maka! She said that the authorities are at Shibusen, but she doesn't know if things are okay there or not!"
The boy's eyes widened in surprise, and he took a stab at one of the two assailing him, only to have her spin around and kick him in the shin. He cursed and made another powerful strike. "Shit! Well, what else?"
The girl managed to elbow away one of the two coming for her, and skimmed the other's cheek with the sword she still held. "She said Arachne is dead! And Medusa as well!" Throwing out her chain sickle, it smacked into the blades held in the smaller woman's hand, and she was forced to bring it down roughly, losing her grip on them completely. They fell to the ground, and she swooped frantically to pick them up. Her companion had stopped where she stood, staring at Tsubaki with a look of panic on her face.
There was a sudden loud cry. Mifune had overpowered both of his targets, sending them flying back with a shove, as he now looked at Tsubaki with a serious expression. "Did you just say...that Arachne is dead?" All five of the smaller women had stopped their assault, as well as Black*Star and Mifune. All were watching Tsubaki, and it was a bit unnerving, to have such intense energy focused on her all at once. But, she nodded and replied.
"Yes. She's dead. And so is Medusa." Now the identical females let out a group shriek of shock. They started chattering again, and Tsubaki could make out Medusa's name, repeated many times. Well, it was obvious that they had some sort of connection to this woman. She was willing to bet that they worked under her, and had been flushed out of hiding by their noisy battle. They couldn't get away if the escape route was occupied, right? So they'd gotten into that silly scuffle with the trio.
"Whoa! Hey!" In a flash, the women had gathered together, and went barreling past Black*Star in the direction of the stairs. He fell over, letting out a grunt as the impact aggravated the wound in his side again. He looked after the group with a questioning, slightly crazed grin.
These people waste his time, and then they have the nerve to just push him aside, like he was nothing? What, did they think that just because he was injured they could get away with looking down on him?
He was on his feet in a flash, charging after them with a new fury. "I'm going to KILL you, until you DIE from it! RAAAH!" Tsubaki sighed, and was about to go after him when she remembered Mifune. Slowly, she turned to gaze at him once more. The man was looking away, towards the door. A familiar face was peeking out from around the barrier, eyes shaded by that hat. Tsubaki's expression softened. Their battle was over.
"Where are you going from here?" Mifune regarded her then, blinking with a look of bemused curiosity. "Where are we...going?" An came toddling out from the doorway, and wrapped herself around his legs.
"Mifune, Mifune!" She looked at Tsubaki with those wide eyes. "Are we going with them?"
The girl felt her heart ache – this child needed to be somewhere she could be safe, and enjoy life! Couldn't this man find a healthy career, for both of their sakes? Obviously, he wasn't willing to part with the child, and she cared deeply for him.
"That's right...we can't stay here." He looked upwards, at the high ceiling and grimly plastered walls, and sighed. "Now I need to find a new home for us again. A new source of income..." Looking down at the little girl who stared up at him so adoringly, Mifune felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Picking her up, he began to head back into the room. Tsubaki watched them go, still worried. Wasn't there something else he could do, something that wasn't so risky and traumatic?
"We'll find somewhere else to stay. We just have to have faith. I'll be there to watch over you, so for now, An can go to sleep. We'll head out after you've gotten sufficient rest." Everything he did, he did it for this child.
That was when it clicked for Tsubaki: he seemed to like being with Angela. He was good at rearing her, even if the surroundings weren't so stable. Maybe...maybe he should be a...
"Teacher!" Mifune froze, at hearing the word. It was a strange word to address him by, and he gave Tsubaki a quizzical look. She had a gentle, hopeful smile on her face. "Mifune, have you ever thought...about working with children as a job?" He stared at her. "You care so much for An, I think you would make a wonderful teacher."
Mifune was struck then, with the images of many children, all like An, surrounding him. Warm and cheery, playful, with round faces and wide eyes, clamoring for guidance. "Teacher! Teacher!" They called for him in his mind's eye.
The man coughed quickly, looking away. Was that a touch of flush to his features? Tsubaki couldn't tell. "D-Don't say such foolish things..." Once again, he prepared to head back inside with the girl. But he paused for a moment, thinking over his last parting words as a sudden distant screech came from somewhere outside of where they were.
Tsubaki winced – something was going on out there, and it was probably not a good idea to leave Black*Star alone any longer. But, turning to leave, she was stopped by Mifune's voice. "Tsubaki."
She looked at him, slowly. He was glancing over his shoulder at her departing form.
"Your partner is quite skilled. But part of that skill comes in the fact that he has someone like you to fight beside him, and keep him grounded. It's so easy to lose one's way." She blushed, but did not say anything. "You two are a good pair. I enjoyed our battle.
"But I hope," he added on as the door closed behind him, "that our paths do not cross again...at least, not in this manner. I will not be a part of any further confrontations here tonight." She understood his intentions perfectly. Perhaps one day, they'd meet again, as passer-by in the street, or as allies in a new battle. However, for now, this was goodbye. An waved over Mifune's shoulder at Tsubaki just as the door closed completely.
Letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, the ninja girl began jogging down the hall, to catch up with her infuriated companion.
A/N: And, that's it! The battle has come to an end: for the time being, at least, both Gorgon sisters are either dead, or out of commission. Hm-hm-hmm, that last little note on Medusa does leave the door open though, huh? Where could that snake in the grass possibly be off to now...? And what about Shibusen? Was Crona right for honoring her mother's final wish?
Also, the wrap-up for Black*Star and Tsubaki's fight! Doesn't really end with a bang, but I felt it was fitting enough, to end on a sort of silly-sweet note. Teacher Mifune, eh? Wonder where he and An will wind up after this? Hopefully, somewhere more stable. Now, it's just on Tsubaki to go and rein in her partner-in-crime.
As always, feedback is welcomed, encouraged, and appreciated. The story's winding down; less than ten Chapters left, wow! It's been a long time coming, to reach this point. But man oh man, what a ride! If you've stuck it out this long, throughout all the ups and downs of nearly seven YEARS, then thank you. You're the real MVPs here.
Next time: Two battles down, a couple more to go, until the war is won. Back into the thick of things we go, as gradually, the loose ends are all tied up. Until then everybody, take care, and stay safe.