The Demon Sword
3rd POV:
Rebecca sits on the back of Soul's motorbike with Maka'a arms wrapped around her middle as they ride through the beautiful streets of Italy as the trio continue hunting down Kishins for the Academy. "Here we are, in Italy!" Soul exclaims over the roar of the engine. "Italy sure is cool, huh?"
"It was just as beautiful as when I was here last," Rebecca replies as she looks around the beautiful city.
"You've been here before?" He asks her, and she nods.
"Yep, when I first became a Death Scythe," She answers and looks behind her at the blond. "Hey, Maka, are you getting hungry?"
"Let's get some all-you-can-eat Italian pasta! After all, this is Italy!" Soul dreams of the fantastic pasta.
"We didn't come here for the fun of it," Maka scolds her Weapon, hitting him over Rebecca's shoulder over the head. "The reason we're here, ul-ti-mate-ly, is for our extracurricular lesson, okay?"
"That hurt. And I know that!" Soul replies and turns into a popular area for tourists before heading down another side street. "Our target this time out is Killer Sonson J, right?"
"Just so long as you know," The blond replies.
"Then again, he only comes out at night, right?" The white-haired male questions.
"Either way, sightseeing comes afterwards! First, we have to gather more information about the city." She reminds him, looking at their Teaching Assistant, wanting to get on her good side.
"Okay…" Soul sighs as he drives.
"We can go to this amazing restaurant, I know, it's got the best pasta in the city," Rebecca comments, and both students look at her in surprise. Finally, Soul comes to a stop outside a public building as the three DWMA members walk around to look for clues on their next Kishin.
"Now then, information gathering, information gathering…." Maka mutters as they walk, and Soul accidentally bumps into another pedestrian.
"Sorry," He says, and the man stops, looking at the male student as he continues walking.
"Hey, hold it, you!" The man snaps, grabbing the Demon Weapon by his jacket, hoisting him in the air.
"What?" Soul asks him, not seeming bothered by the man's aggressive nature.
"Hey, you! What's the big idea, bumping into me like that?" He demands. "Do you know who you're messing with when you do that?! Eh?!"
"Your pronunciation is terrible. I can't understand you," The teen replies, and both girls sigh as more goons arrive, trying to intimidate the three teenagers.
"What was that?"
"Heh, no problem! If you don't get it, we'll explain it to you." ten or more goons arrive, surrounding the teens. "This town is controlled by the Materazzi! Don't you forget it!"
"I don't really care about that," Soul replies, winding the thugs even more.
"Soul, let's hurry and go gather some information," Maka tells him and begins walking away.
"Yeah, all right," He agrees.
"Hey, you! What do you think you're doing?!" The main thug yells.
"Huh?" The Demon Weapon questions.
"You think you can cross the Materazzi and get away with it?!" He snaps.
"We'll teach you to talk to us like that!" Another thug snaps.
"Let him have it," The leader orders his men, who go in for the attack, Soul sighs to himself before beating the thugs to the ground, and the three teenagers walk away unharmed.
"I wonder who we could ask," Maka says as she walks, and Rebecca looks at Soul, impressed with his strength.
"Good questions. Let's ask at that smoke shop on the corner," Soul comments.
"Oh, that does sound good!" Rebecca exclaims but stops herself as the two Demon Weapons look at her.
((CHAPTER THREE))
The city succumbs to darkness as night takes over, the moon rising over the silent city as a dark figure floats on a broomstick, covered by the light of the moon. "Go on, eat," She mutters to herself. "You are the form of the ultimate Weapon and Meister."
((CHAPTER THREE))
Inside the Santa Mario Novella Basilica church, the Materazzi surround someone, seeming to intimidate the small pinkette. "Hey, what do you want?" The leader demands the teen.
"Eat lots of souls," The Witch instructs them.
"I can't. I'm not up to it yet," They reply under their breath, looking down at the sword in their hands.
"What's your deal?" The thugs mutter amongst themselves.
"They aren't even close to Kishins," They mutter, avoiding eye contact.
"I asked you what your deal was!"
"Who are you talking to?!" They ask the Sword Meister.
((CHAPTER THREE))
Outside, the Witch is sitting on her broomstick, watching over her experiment with glee, but notices the hesitation. "Nake Snake… Cobra Cob-bra…" She whispers, and a swirl of black magic slips out of her lips, falling towards the church. "It's all right. Have faith in yourself. Crona, you will be a Kishin."
((CHAPTER THREE))
Across the city, Rebecca walks with Maka and Soul as they hunt for the Kishin, and a chill runs down her spine; she stops in her steps and looks around but sees nothing and continues walking. "Did you feel that?" Rebecca asks the other two, who look at her, shaking their head; she looks around, but a scream splits the air, and she sees the Kishin up ahead from them, and Maka and Soul run forward as the Death Scythe is overqualified for this particular mission. She was only to intervene if deemed necessary.
((CHAPTER THREE))
The spell the Witch cast slips inside of Crona's head, changing the timid demeanour of the pinkette as they stand tall in the middle of the group of thugs and begins giggling uncontrollably. "I am a Kishin!" They laugh, aggravating the thugs.
"Don't think you can come into our castle and just walk out again you filthy brat!" One of the thugs' snaps, getting in the pinkette's face.
"This is a public place. There isn't any place that has been given to you. Which is why Ragnarok will eat you. Right?" Crona asks and looks down at the long black bladed sword. "Huh, Ragnarok?" A pair of lips form out of the side of the blade and opens its mouth, letting out a high pitched scream; the thugs cover their ears, trying to stop the cry, but it's no good.
"W-What's with that sword?!"
"It's too loud!" They cry out.
"Listen, everyone. Has anything amusing happened? The doors here open inward," Crona giggles. "That thing yesterday sure was fun, huh?" They lean back, looking at the roof of the church. "What was it, again? No matter. What's more, my blood is black." More screams come from within the church.
((CHAPTER THREE))
Meanwhile, Maka, Rebecca and Soul arrive at the top of one of the nearby buildings and find the Kishin they hunted down. "We finally found him," Maka announces as she holds her Demon Scythe.
"Power…souls…" Sonson J mutters to himself, turning to look over at the two females.
"Sonson J, homicidal maniac of Emerald Lake, your soul is mine!" She yells and jumps into the air; the Kishin runs towards her, brandishing a knife, and jumps to join her; she slices at his middle, defeating him with ease. Rebecca jumps over to join Maka as the Kishin runs into a glowing red egg. Soul returns into his human form as Rebecca lands on the rooftop. The Death Scythe looks at the Kishin egg; remembering the first time she ever ate one, she licks her lips at the thought; it's a taste only Demon Weapons will understand. Soul walks over to the Kishin egg and plucks it from the air. "That's our quota for our extracurricular lesson, right?" She asks their Teaching Assistant.
"Yes, once Soul has eaten, we're done here," Rebecca replies, and Soul eats the soul with haste, enjoying his meal.
"Say, Soul, Miss Stein, do souls taste good?" Maka questions, looking at the two Demon Weapons.
"Yeah, they're delicious," Both Weapons answer.
"They don't especially have any flavour," Soul adds.
"But their texture and the way they feel going down can't be beaten," Rebecca adds, and the two Demon Weapons share a look, feeling happy that they have someone who understands.
"Come to think of it, I wonder if Black Star and Tsubaki are having any luck collecting souls." The blond comments and looks at the Teaching Assistant.
"They're perpetual no-soul remedial-lesson fanatics, so I doubt it." Soul replies and Rebecca nods, agreeing with him.
"Poor Tsubaki," Maka sighs, feeling bad for her friend.
"Black Star's motivational directionality is not aimed at soul collecting, after all," Rebecca comments and the blond becomes alert, gasping as she feels a shift in the air.
"Now then, shall we head home?" The male Weapon asks the girls. "Wait down below; I'll bring the bike around."
"Wait, Soul, Miss Stein," She stops them.
"Hmm? Is something wrong, Maka?" The greenette asks her student, and the blond turns around, facing a church.
"That building…" She announces.
"Hey, now, we didn't come here for fun, right?" Soul teases her. "If you want to sightsee…."
"It's not that!" She snaps, interrupting his taunt. "What is this I'm sensing? So many wound-up souls… There's so much noise. Concentrate, concentrate." She closes her eyes and focuses on the souls around her; both Demon Weapons share a look. "I'm reading the souls of as a Weapon and Meiser, one each. Then there are 50 or 60 human souls surrounding them."
"You can tell that much?" Soul asks her.
"This is a first for me," The blond replies. "All those humans are probably the punks we ran into this afternoon."
"Oh, those guys. So what about them?" He asks.
"They are punks, to be sure, but they're still human. It's not like their souls have become Kishin eggs." Rebecca reminds him.
"Leave those guys alone. Tonight is Saturday night. You sure they're not just having a little friendly fever?" He complains, wanting to go home.
"You fool! Don't talk so irresponsibly! As students of the DWMA, you can't let this slide!" The greenette snaps at him, her sense of duty outweighing anything.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Maka voices, looking at Rebecca, glad she feels the same way. "Once anything happens, it will be too late, right?"
"Okay, okay, understood. But…" He groans, and they head down into the streets, heading for the motorbike to head for the church.
((CHAPTER THREE))
Soul manoeuvres through the streets on his bike as Rebecca and Maka hang onto the back, heading for the building where Maka sensed the crowd of souls. "If Black Star has a bunch of people together, and it turns out he's in there saying 'this is the start of my big show,' I'm gonna cry." Soul groans.
"I hope that's all it is," Maka mutters, and the motorbike comes to a skidding halt outside the church as the bell tolls.
"We're here," He announces.
"I sure do love gothic architecture," Rebecca comments.
"Same, this is one cool, soul-shaking building," He adds, and Maka gasps, sensing a shift in the souls in front of them.
"Oh, no! That's impossible!" Maka gasps, jumping off the end of the bike.
"Hey, what's the matter?" Soul asks her as she runs to the large green doors of the church.
"What's going on? In that one moment…." She mutters to herself, and the Demon Weapons get off the motorbike and join her.
"Really, I'm sorry, but I can't keep up with you," He says as they walk up behind her.
"All gone…" She mutters, looking up at the church bell.
"Yeah, the bell? It stopped," Rebecca says, looking up at the silent bell.
"No. The 50 or 60 human souls all disappeared in one moment, leaving just the Meister and Weapon." Maka informs them and walks over to the door, putting her hand on it, feeling something deadly inside. "I got the sense that I must not open this door. But I have to see. As a student of the DWMA, I have to see who did this," She thinks to herself and pushes the door open with a gust of wind, and the darkness lifts to see a lone figure dressed in black with pink cropped hair standing in front of the glass stained windows at the front of the church.
"You see? The doors…open inward." Crona mutters to themselves, turning to look at the newcomers.
"Him? He's all alone. What happened to his partner?" Soul asks, looking over Maka's shoulder, and Rebecca feels a sense of dread coming over her.
"How can that be?" Maka questions as she looks at the souls in front of them.
"What?" Rebecca asks, looking at the Meister.
"Lady Medusa, two others have arrived," A deeper voice comes from the pinkette.
"Keep it down. Ragnarok, you be quiet," Crona lightly scolds the unknown voice.
"The souls I'm reading are of a Meister and a Weapon, and both of them are directly in front of us. In other words, there is a Weapon inside his body." Maka announces, and Rebecca looks at the person in front of them with wide eyes.
((CHAPTER THREE))
Back at the DWMA, Spirit sits in the Nurse's office on one of the beds, feeling sorry for himself. "I screwed up. To think that Maka would be on an extracurricular lesson… To see Maka, I have no choice but to come to the DWMA. But there is a giant obstacle for me here at this school. Franken Stein! All I want to do is see my daughter, but what an enormous barrier to overcome! But your papa…your papa, is not going to back down! Once I get past this barrier, your papa's love is sure to grow infinitely within you, Maka! But before that happens, I need to have the lady doctor here nurse my wounded heart. It is essential!" Spirit talks to himself, and the door to the office opens. "She's here!" He beams and jumps onto the person that walks in without looking, wrapping his arms around their waist. "I've been waiting for you, my angel! Hurry and heal my heart with your medical love!" Death Scythe gushes as he rubs his head against their middle, but Spirit's face falls as he looks up to see the person he most fears, Franken Stein.
"Hey there, Senpai. I've been looking for you," Stein greets him, and Spirit jumps onto one of the beds in fear.
"What do I do?! It's Stein!" Spirit screams and hides poorly under the blanket. "I don't know what you want me for, but all of the scars you gave me from your experiments have completely disappeared! I'm not afraid of you anymore! Nyah! I'm not afraid of anything!"
"Then, you noticed that I swapped your middle toes from left to right?" Stein teases his former Weapon partner.
"Huh?! Are you nuts?! How could you do such a thing?!" He exclaims and jumps to sit up, taking his socks and shoes off, looking at his toes for any signs that his toes had changed.
"Just kidding," The Meister jokes, with Spirit looking at him with his jaw to the floor. "You know, Maka sure has grown up. When I heard that you were getting married, I honestly felt a little uneasy. I thought, there's no way it's going to work out. But seeing you snuggled up so close, I was reassured."
"Wha - wha - wha - wha- wha -" Death Scythe tries to form words but seems unable due to the shock.
"It's okay. Their love will last forever. That was what Savannah used to say." Stein comments and Spirit looks at the floor in defeat as there's a silence over the two of them.
"Um…er… You may not be aware of this yet, but the truth is, we got divorced last month." He confesses.
"I know," The grey-haired Meister teases the Weapon, who glares deadly at the back of his head and jumps from the bed, grabbing the Meister by his lab coat.
"Damn it! I'm gonna kill you!" Spirit yells, shaking Stein around.
"Oh, yeah, right…." Spirit stops shaking him. "The Demon Sword turned up."
"What?"
((CHAPTER THREE))
Maka, Rebecca and Soul stand in the church with Crona, Soul in his Weapon form, ready for a fight. "What do you mean, Maka? There's a Weapon within that guy?" Soul asks his Meister.
"Watch yourself. It's coming out," The blond announces, and Rebecca looks at the pinkette, as they look horrified before beginning to scream and rive in pain, before a spurt of black substance bursts out of the Meister's back as they holler as the black substance begins to take shape. Rebecca looks in terror at the scene in front of her as the black fluid takes the form of a muscular body, and the three DWMA members look in shock.
"P'ggg… Goobeebee…" The Demon Weapon mutters as it looks back at the newcomers and punches Crona in the side of the head.
"That hurts," They tell the Weapon, who responds by repeating the same action and does it with his other hand. "That hurts! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Stop grinding on me! Don't poke me! That hurts. Stop it, already! Don't pinch my nose! You're bruising my nose!" They complain as the Demon Weapon continues to assault them. "Stop it! Enough, already!"
"No, no, no, no, no! Crona, you're scary when you're highly strung," The Weapon teases its Meister.
"I-It talks," Maka looks in shock but controls herself. "You know that hunting human souls is forbidden. Are you students at the DWMA?"
"DWMA? What's that?" Crona asks, and the Weapon squashes their hands around the pinkette's face. "She said it was okay to eat them. What's wrong with that?" The pinkette asks Rebecca and Maka, who look at the Meister, who begins blushing. "I'm not very good when it comes to talking to girls."
"Never mind that their souls look tasty," The Weapon comments, leaning over the Meister's shoulder, looking at the two girls.
"Meisters and Weapons are not allowed to take the souls of humans for any reason whatsoever," Rebecca informs them, and blades form on the side of her arms. "As a Death Scythe of the Grim Reaper, I cannot allow you to do this!"
"As a student of the Academy, I cannot allow you to do this!" Maka says at the same time as the Death Scythe.
"Let's do it, Crona," The Weapon orders, poking the side of the pinkette's head, which hums in agreement. The Weapon reforms into a black substance, and Crona lifts their arm towards the cloud of black glowing substance and plucks out a sword's hilt with the black fluid conforming into a long-bladed sword.
"The black fluid became a sword…." Maka mutters as she looks on in shock.
"It's true…." Rebecca mutters, and Crona swings the sword around before rushing towards the pair.
"He's going to thrust from below!" Soul warns them; Maka listens and adjusts the blade of her Scythe onto the floor, blocking Crona's attack, who looks in shock, while Rebecca swings her fist at the pink-haired Meister.
"Why, you…!" She snaps as they push away from the hit.
"You're poking at me, too?" Crona questions and Maka swings the Scythe down, using it as a vaulting pole, and smacks down onto the pinkette's head, slamming into the floor hard.
"You've got him, Maka!" Soul cheers, and she swings down, slicing into Crona's flesh, but it just stops; the Weapons and Meister look in shock as the pinkette seems indifferent to the situation.
((CHAPTER THREE))
The Witch watches on in amusement from up in the dark night sky out of harm's way. "You can't cut him in half…." She mumbles to herself.
((CHAPTER THREE))
"...with a stroke like that," Crona says at the same time, and blood seeps out of the wound inflicted by Maka's Scythe.
"Black blood…?" Rebecca questions as she looks at the drops of blood on the floor, and Crona leans into Maka's face.
"Yes. My blood is black," The pinkette confirm, and Rebecca pushes the blond away.
"What's up with his body?" Soul questions.
"The way I figure it, I think his blood itself is his weapon," Maka replies, and Rebecca nods.
"You'd be correct. That's why you were able to cut through his skin, but it seems his blood hardened and stopped the blade at his blood vessels." Rebecca informs the students.
"Then, is there any way to cause any damage to him?" The Demon Scythe asks the greenette.
"The odds are too great against you, just swinging at him. I'm not 100% sure Witch Hunter would work." She replies.
"If only I could shoot soul wavelength attacks at him like Black Star does, I could do some internal damage." Maka sighs as she sizes up the pinkette.
((CHAPTER THREE))
"Crona, why are you raking it so easy?" The Witch asks.
((CHAPTER THREE))
"Well, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to treat girls," Crona replies, feeling odd.
((CHAPTER THREE))
"How silly," She giggles. "You should kill them."
((CHAPTER THREE))
"What's with this guy? Who is he talking to?" Soul questions as they watch the pinkette, who grins.
"Oh, I can kill them, can I? I didn't realise that. Don't you want to watch me play with her hair by winding it around my finger? Those doors open inward, you know. Ragnarok…" Crona mutters to themselves and raises the sword into the air. "Scream Resonance," A pair of lips appear on the side of the blade.
"Goobee," Ragnarok says before letting out an ear-piercing scream, disorientating the three DWMA members, letting Ragnarok attack as Crona swings the blade against the ground, allowing two streams to come out of the edge, attacking Rebecca and Maka. They block the attacks, quickly as they disappear. Crona jumps up, swinging the sword down at Maka, who stops it with a bit of difficulty at the sudden change; Rebecca moves forward as the blond jolts backwards from the attack.
"Rebecca, here he comes! Guard!" Soul yells as Crona stops forward, both blades slashing together, and Ragnarok, seeing them struggle, lets out another high pitched scream, vibrating the sword. It chips away at Rebecca's blades; she begins to bleed, and seeing this, Maka kicks Crona away.
"Miss Stein!" Maka yells as she kicks Crona away.
"Rebecca!" Soul yells with worry, seeing the greenette in pain. "Why you…" He growls.
"Are you okay, Miss Stein?" She asks her, seeing blood dripping down from her arms.
"Don't worry about that! I'm prepared to die to protect you both!" The Death Scythe tells them, and Ragnarok lets out another high pitched scream.
"What do I do?" Maka questions. "Between that screaming causing vibrations along his blade, and his hardened blood, I can't guard, nor can I do any damage." She watches as Crona swings the sword around as they step towards them, leaping towards Maka, who dodges out of the way and kicks out Crona's legs, which spins into the air, landing away from the Scythe Meister. "I screwed up," Maka tries to steady her breath, and Crona lunges towards her and jabs quickly as the blond dodges.
"What's the matter, Maka?! Stop his momentum, and start attacking back!" Soul snaps at her, but she ignores him, seeing as Ragnarok continuously screams. "Maka!"
"But if I do that, Soul will be… I can't very well block his sword. The only thing I can do now is run away." Maka thinks to herself as she dodges the sword, and Crona giggles, swinging at her ankles, spooking her as she backs into the door. "Right! The exit!" She bangs on the door, trying to open them, but they won't budge. "Why?"
"That was no good, was it?" Crona comments as they raise the sword into the air, who lets out another scream. "You have to keep a firm grasp on what's around you."
"Oh, no!" The blond whimpers as she looks at the sword.
"Those doors open inward," They inform the Meister.
"Maka! Guard!" Soul orders her, worried for her.
"But if I do, Soul, you'll be…!" Maka argues, but it comes too late; as Crona swings down, the sword growing closer, seeing his Meister in trouble, Soul returns to his human form, blocking the attack, taking the hit. Crona slices down Soul's front, spewing blood, Rebecca and Maka watching in horror as Soul falls to the floor, seeming unconscious. "Soul!" The blond yells. "Soul!" She screams.
((CHAPTER THREE))
"Now, Crona, finish them," The Witch orders her experiment, happy with the turn out. "Kill them, and eat their souls."
((CHAPTER THREE))
"Roger wilco," Crona mutters, hearing the Witch's voice.
"Goobee," Ragnarok agrees, as Rebecca slowly walks towards Maka and Soul as the blond cradles her Weapon with unshed tears in her eyes.
"No… Soul…" Maka mutters.
"You dumbass… Hurry and get out of here…" Soul orders the girls, and Crona walks over to them.
"Okay, then…" The pinkette smiles as they walk over, towering over the blond and her injured Weapon and the greenette.
"Soul… I'm sorry. This is my fault," She cries, and Crona goes to swing at the pair, but before they can attack, sharp blades pierce through the door, striking through the pinkette's stomach.
"Huh? What happened? My body…!" Crona questions as they look down at the blade, and Maka looks up in shock before whoever is on the other sidekicks in the door, sending the pinkette flying. Stein steps into the now open door; Rebecca sees her father and sighs with relief.
"Dr Stein!" Maka gasps at the sights of her teacher. "So then, that blade is…." She looks at the blade, which morphs into Spirit, who stands before the injured Weapon and his daughter.
"Father," Rebecca greets Stein, who looks at her, placing a hand on her shoulder, seeing her tense form.
"Papa has arrived!" Spirit announces as he stands in front of his daughter. "Well, Maka? Burn this image of your valiant papa into your mind!" He looks over to see Stein placing his lab coat over Soul, who lies on the floor succumbing to his injuries.
"Dr Stein, how is Soul?!" Maka demands in a fluster.
"The wound is pretty serious. He needs proper treatment, or his life will be in danger." Stein informs her, getting a closer look at the wound.
"She's not looking!" Spirit whines a little but gets back to what they were there to do. "I have to admit, that ended a lot easier than I thought it would."
"I've heartened the blood around the wound and stopped the bleeding. Hey, where's my thanks?" Ragnarok asks as he pops up out of Crona's arm.
"Thank you," Crona says.
"Very much!" He orders but doesn't give the pinkette a chance to say it before assaulting them. "I'm gonna pummel you!"
"V-Very much!" They stutter out due to the squishing to their face; Spirit takes notice of the scene in front of the group as Crona groans in pain.
"Dr Stein, who are those guys? I've never seen anything like that before." Maka comments, looking at him.
"He is the reason why the DWMA was created," He replies.
"The reason why the DWMA was created?" She repeats. "So then, he is… a Kishin?"
"To be more precise, he's still one stage prior," Stein replies, taking a drag from his cigarette.
((CHAPTER THREE))
Franken Stein stands in the Death Room in front of the mirror with Lord Death inside as he was away at the time. "Go with Death Scythe, and stop the Demon Sword from awakening into a Kishin." Lord Death orders.
"Right. That is the reason why you brought Rebecca and me to the Academy, after all. We shall take care of it." Stein assures him.
"We cannot allow the Kshin to ever be born again. I'm counting on you, Stein,"
((CHAPTER THREE))
"Now then…" Stein stands up. "...let's get to work."
"Yeah!" Spirit agrees, turning to the Meister.
"Hmm," Rebecca agrees, turning to her father, both turning into their Weapon form; Stein catches Spirit in his scythe form with his right hand as he catches Rebecca with his left in her tonfa form.
"Hey, Crona, what are you dilly-dallying around for?!" Ragnarok snaps at the pinkette while poking at him. "Hurry it up, or tonight, I'll wake you up once every hour!"
"No! Don't! The circles under my eyes will get darker again!" Crona cries, pushing the Weapon's hands away. "I don't know how to deal with those dark circles!"
((CHAPTER THREE))
"DWMA's greatest Meister and two Death Scythes. This will be a good test to see how long Crona can last. Get them, Crona." The Witch thinks to herself with a smile and orders the Meister, who keeps getting bullied by the Weapon.
((CHAPTER THREE))
Hearing the Witch's voice, Crona snaps their eyes open as Stein swings the Scythe around, stepping towards the Demon Sword Meister. "Senpai, you can defend against the Demon Sword, right?" Stein asks Spirit.
"Who do you take me for?! I'm my baby's papa! Why aren't you asking Rebecca that!" He exclaims.
"Because I'm not an idiot!" Rebecca retorts with a sarcastic smile.
"Hey!" The redhead snaps and looks at the Meister. "How many years has it been since you and I teamed up?" He asks, and Stein can't help but laugh.
"We've both gotten older, huh?" He jokes.
"Don't say that!" Spirit whimpers.
"Father looks better," Rebecca comments, upsetting the older Death Scythe.
"Come on, hurry up and get going, Crona!" Ragnarok snaps and slaps Crona on the top of the head, disorientating the pinkette, who clears their head, running towards the Meister and Death Scythes.
"I've never seen a man with a screw stuck through his head before. I don't know how to deal with him!" Crona complains as they run.
"Eat him! Eat every last one of them!" The Demon Sword snaps, and the pinkette swings; Stein blocks the attack with Spirit's blade, using Rebecca to slice at Crona, seeing the hits; Ragnarok lets out a scream, vibrating the edge. Stein sees this and swings the pinkette over his shoulder, slamming the Sword Meister onto the floor. Rebecca retracts her blades a few inches as Stein slaps his hand down onto the pinkette's middle.
"Soul Force!" Franken yells, sending his soul wavelength into Crona, making them shake with pain, shouting as the shock shakes through them.
"He's hitting him with his soul wavelength! He can do damage to his insides directly that way!" Maka gasps as she watches the fight; Crona sputters out black blood as Stein raises his hand for another.
"Another blast!" Stein says but stops, feeling a puncture from behind. "What?" He gasps, turning to see a spike coming from the floor.
"Father!" Rebecca yells in worry for him.
"That blood that was spilled earlier?!" He questions and looks around at the droplets of blood dancing around him; the blood drops grow eyes.
"Blood Needle!" The droplets let out a squeaky voice before forming pointed ends, sending spikes directed at the madman, who jumps away.
"Professor!" Maka yells.
"Each drop of his blood is a weapon?! What kind of ability is that?!" Spirit questions, looking at the young Meister.
"He's a Demon Sword, created by the overhunting of souls," Stein explains.
"If we don't stop him right here, he will definitely become a Kishin!" Rebecca reminds her father.
"What's more, with that Meister and Demon Sword soul…." The Meister remarks as he looks at the souls in front of him. "It looks like the bullying nature of the Weapon is keeping the introverted personality of the Meister confined. Right now, the bullyee is still fighting back against the bullier, but when he's completely swallowed up, it gets dangerous. Also, what is that snake he has coiled around him?" Stein questions, looking at the dark purple cobra wrapped around the bright red soul.
"Hey, come on! You get hit with that technique again, and I'll stick thumbtacks in your shoes!" Ragnarok threatens Crona, pulling at the pinkette's lip.
"Oh, no! If I don't know how to deal with thumbtacks in my shoes, I can't go outside, can I?" Crona mumbles, barely able to speak because of the Demon Sword. Stein sees his moment to move, rushing towards them, quickly getting past the Bloody Needles before they had stuck him, and rushes towards Crona, who yelps in fright, poking the sword out, but the madman deflects it quickly with his left arm. The pinkette swings again, with the older Meister blocking the attack with his Scythe; Maka watches the fight in awe.
"So that's Dr Stein's fighting style," Maka mutters to herself, watching as Stein fights with Crona. "After he guards, using Papa entirely as a shield, he immediately throws a left…."
"Soul Force!" Stein slaps his hand against Crona's stomach; Rebecca enlarges her blades, piercing into the pinkette's sides as Stein throws the younger Meister out of the doorway into the open.
"Amazing!" The blond looks at him in awe, the droplets of blood shape pointed ends again, but Stein sees this and rushes out of the open door towards Crona.
((CHAPTER THREE))
Stein jumps out of the open doorway, and a blood droplet follows him, and he stops it in front of him. "Damn, a time-lag attack?!" Stein exclaims, and Ragnarok giggles as he comes around Crona.
"Die, Screwball four-eyes!" The Demon Sword snaps, and Stein feels his earlier wound tear a little as the droplet forms a sharp point, slashing the side of the madman's face, his glasses smashing to the ground.
"Professor!" Maka yells as she pokes her head out the church doors.
"Father!" Rebecca exclaims with worry.
"I'm going to dissect you!" Stein threatens the Demon Sword with a grin on his face as blood drops down from his face wound.
"You're through now, you dirty screw!" Ragnarok yells, and Stein looks around at the blood droplets surrounding them.
"Senpai! Rebecca!" He calls on them.
"Yeah!" They both nod in agreement, and Rebecca forms into her staff form, Stein swinging both around him, the blood droplets swirling around him and coming to a stop.
"Bloody Needle!" They yell, and Stein slams the staff and scythe down onto the ground, a cloud of debris surrounding them, and a bubble humanoid envelopes Stein, stopping the Demon Sword's attack.
"Experimental Ectoplasm!" Stein smirks as he watches the needles poking at the bubble, protecting him.
"This is too much!" The mini Ragnaroks exclaim, trying to tear through the bubble.
"See if you can catch all of these!" Ragnarok yells but sees that Stein has disappeared, leaving behind his Weapons. "That dirty screw is gone! Where the hell did he go! Damn it!" He exclaims, looking around, but it's too late as Stein spins down, slamming his foot down on the top of Crona's head, scrambling his brains. "Damn! He rattled your brain! Hurry and come to your senses! You take any more of his soul wavelength, and we're in trouble!" The Demon Sword tries to snap him back.
"Wow, I can see stars… I don't know how to deal with stars…." Crona mumbles, unable to focus.
"You deal with stars by respecting nature, first and foremost! So hurry up and come to your senses!" Ragnarok snaps, and Stein leaps towards them.
"Double-palm Soul Force!" Stein slams his hands into the pinkette's stomach. "Twin Spears!" He sends Crona away, Ragnarok disappears, and blood drops appear around the madman.
"The needles will be coming again!" Maka exclaims, and Stein walks over to Spirit and Rebecca, plucking them out of the ground, the black blood splattering to the ground.
"No, it's over," Stein assures her. "I hate to do it, but I have to finish you."
"Well, I guess that's it. I'll have to do more testing," The Witch sighs to herself, and Crona's hand twitches; the others spot this and the pinkette screams in pain, black sparking out of his mouth, his blood spiking out of his body, swinging him around.
"What's he doing?" Spirit asks, watching the scene in front of them.
"He's going through rejection," Stein informs them.
"The soul wavelengths that had been united up until a moment ago are now all scrambled," Maka adds.
"That's all he could take," The Witch mutters in disappointment. "Soul Protect release," She lets go of the protective spell, her soul coming out in waves, and Maka feels the deadly soul as it spreads out with evil intent.
"All of a sudden, I'm picking up another soul!" Maka announces with a gasp, looking up at the sky.
"It's the same magic I sensed earlier," Rebecca remarks.
"That sensation…it's a Witch!" Stein mutters, looking up at her soul to see the enormous bright purple soul with arrows pointing out, slithering around like snakes.
"A Witch?!" Spirit questions, looking up.
"What's more, her soul is not inconsiderable. The Witch must be the one who put that Weapon inside that kid's body, too." The Senior Meister replies.
"That's the Witch's soul? But how…? I didn't feel that powerful soul just a moment ago." Maka asks, not understanding as she shakes in fear.
"Soul Protect," Stein answers.
"Soul Protect?" She asks him.
"It's advanced magic that some Witches can use. They enclose that area around their own souls with magic, completely blocking their own wavelength. The magic camouflages them, so their soul appears to be that of a normal human." He explains to the blond, who looks at the Witch in awe and fear.
"That's a real witch? Mama defeated someone like that in order to turn papa into a Death Scythe?" Maka questions as she looks at the soul of the Witch.
"Good grief, Crona is such a weakling," The Witch mutters with disgust. "I'm going to punish him when we get home. Nake Snake, Cobra Cob-bra… Nake Snake, Cobra Cob-bra…" She waves her around in front of her. "Before I go, you all must be…punished, as well. Vector Arrow!" She sends a horde of arrows towards the Meister and Death Weapons on the ground, the arrows moving in different directions. Stein seeing the attack, he readies Spirit and Rebecca, spinning them around behind them, both blades sparking as they slash into each other.
"Soul Resonance!" Stein, Spirit and Rebecca shout; the blades light up as Stein spins them around and grips them tight. "Witch Hunter and Witch Impaler!" The edges of the two Death Scythes glow blue and green, enlarging and reshaping, cutting the arrows coming towards them.
"Impressive!" The Witch smirks, holding out her arm, the snake tattoo slithering with haste towards the group; Stein readies his weapons as it grows closer, the head of the snake becoming real, and picks up the unconscious Crona in its mouth before slithering back to the Witch. "I just came here to take care of a bit of errand, but who would have thought I would run into DWMA's greatest Meister and two Death Scythes? I really would like to stay and play a little longer, but right now, I have to excuse myself. " She begins to slither away, but Spirit pops out of his form for a second.
"Hold it!" Spirit yells after them, but it's too late as they disappear.
"No, it's okay. Let's not go after her. I'm concerned about Soul," Stein tells him, looking over into the church doorway with Soul still lying on the floor unconscious with Maka by his side, barely able to keep it together.
"Soul…" Maka looks down at her Weapon with guilt; Rebecca and Spirit revert back to their human forms, Spirit walking over to his daughter, placing his hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention. "Papa…"
"Come on, let's go home," He tells her and looks at Rebecca as Stein checks over her injuries from the earlier fight.
((CHAPTER THREE))
The group makes it back to the DWMA; Spirit calls Lord Death in the Death Room, informing the Shinigami. "You don't say. So then, how is Soul?" Lord Death asks his Death Scythe.
"The Steins are operating on him right now. I think he will be all right," Spirit informs him.
"The Demon Sword….and the Demon Sword uniting with a Meister… And behind it, all is a Witch, huh?" He questions, and there's tension in the room. "Things are starting to get all crazy and problematic, huh?"
"A-Aren't you taking this a little too lightly, Lord Death?" The Death Scythe sighs at the Shinigami, who comically shrugs his shoulders.
"Am I?"
((CHAPTER THREE))
Maka sits outside the Nurse's office as she waits for news on Soul, racked with guilt and worry; when the door opens, she looks up to see the Steins walking outside. "Dr Stein… Miss Stein…" She greets them meekly.
"Huh? You've been waiting here this whole time?" Stein asks the blond, seeing her sitting on the floor. "You should have gone and taken a shower or something."
"How is Soul?!" She demands, jumping to her feet, surprising the two Steins, but they smile.
"The operation was a complete success," He assures her.
"Once he gets some rest and quiet, he should be fine," Rebecca adds, making the blond sigh with relief.
"Thank goodness," The weight lifts from her shoulders, and she grabs the older Meister's hand in thanks. "Thank you both so much!" She looks sheepishly into the room. "Um… Is it okay if I go in and see Soul?"
"Yeah, that's fine," Rebecca tells her, and she smiles.
"Okay," She smiles and rushes into the room.
"You shouldn't go feigning smiles like that," Spirit comments as he leans against the wall behind the Steins. "So, what is Soul's condition, really?" Stein lights a cigarette as his daughter takes off her coat, revealing the bandages around her arms.
"The wound is all right after operating on it. That much is certain. There's just one thing that bothers me." He reveals.
"Something that bothers you?" The redhead questions.
"You might even call it a curse," Rebecca informs her fellow Death Scythe.
"Curse? What are you talking about? Is he all right?" Spirit asks them.
"The Demon Sword Ragnarok's black blood has gotten mixed in with Soul's blood." She reveals with a sense of dread.
"It's not clear what's going to happen to him right now," Stein tells him, and Rebecca looks at the closed door.
((CHAPTER THREE))
Inside the Nurse's office, Maka stands by Soul's beside, not looking at him, feeling immense guilt for the unconscious Demon Weapon, her partner. "Soul…" She remembers his words about protecting her when they first met the Steins. "I'm sorry..." She remembers his words from their fight with the Demon Sword, and tears drip onto her clenched fists. "You did it for me…." She tries to compose herself, but the tears continue to fall. "Just you wait, okay? I'm going to become as strong as you are, Soul." Rebecca quietly walks into the room, hearing Maka, and walks over to the blond, placing her hands over hers, startling the Meister, who jerks her head up at the Death Scythe.
"I think that's a very good start," She smiles at Maka, who looks at her, but before she can say anything, the door slams open, and Black Star stomps into the room towards Soul's bedside.
"Soul! Are you okay?!" He yells and jumps onto the bed, shaking the unconscious Weapon. "Snap out of it! I'm here for you! Open your eyes!" He peels his eyes. "My smiling face is a source of get-up-and-go!"
"Black Star!" Rebecca snaps, gaining the assassin's attention, who looks at the greenette glaring at him. "Soul has just finished an extensive surgery; please leave him alone; he needs rest and quiet; if you can't do that, I will remove you with force, argue back," She warns him, seeing him open his mouth. "I will sew your mouth shut with wire in your sleep."
"S-Sorry about that, Miss Stein," He whispers, jumping off the bed and standing next to Tsubaki, who looks at Maka.
"Maka…" She mutters, and the blond wipes the tears from her eyes, forcing a smile on her face, and Tsubaki smiles back when someone walks inside.
"Oh my, the door's been broken down," The newcomer comments. "Things sure are lively in here, aren't they?" Maka looks up to see the woman, recognising her.
"Dr Medusa…" Maka greets her.
"Good afternoon," The students and Rebecca greet her.
"Yeah! Doc, are you here to see Soul, too?" Black Star asks her.
"Um, Maka…?" Medusa questions, looking at the blond.
"Yes? What is it?" She asks.
"I wonder if you could pry off your father, who's clinging to my leg," The Doctor requests, and Maka looks down to see her lovesick father with his arms wrapped around the Doctor's leg.
"Oh, my white-coated angel! Let today be the day you heal me with your medical love-ove-ove!" Spirit whines like a puppy, rubbing against her smooth leg, Maka seeing the acts of her father, grows angry and takes out her large and heavy book, slapping him in the face, and Rebecca sighs, placing the unconscious Death Scythe into the bed next to Soul.
"I have to say, Soul sure had a rough time of it, huh?" Medusa questions.
"Yes, I'm sorry. It was all because of me," Maka replies, looking at her feet, and the sandy blond places her hands on her shoulder.
"Cheer up," The Doctor tells her, making the lighter blond look up at her. "Maka, I'm sure you'll become even stronger."
"Right!" Maka says after a few seconds with a smile and walks over to her friends; Rebecca grabs more bandages, everyone in the room unable to see the black snake escaping out of Medusa's lips.
"Miss Stein? How did that happen?" Black Star asks Rebecca; Maka looks, finally seeing the bandages around the greenette's arms, feeling more guilt.
"Oh, it's from the fight with the Demon Sword; it's not the first one I've gotten; I once got my leg chopped off; it was the Meister I was partnered with. It was their fault, but I was only six at the time." The greenette replies and they look at her in shock. "Father sowed it all back on in no time. There is always a risk in hunting Kishin. I decided after that to become a Death Scythe on my own."
"Wait, you didn't have a Meister?" Tsubaki asks her in surprise.
"Yeah. I became a Death Scythe a few years later. I'm glad Lord Death is my Meister; he's the only one I'm willing to let wield me besides my father." She replies, and they look at her in shock. "But I know what Soul did for you; Maka is what any Weapon should feel for their Meister; you both are an even match."
I am using the pronouns Them/They for Crona as it's unclear if Crona is a boy or girl and seems more non-binary than anything; I hope you enjoy the first chapter forever. Thank you, and I have also edited the first two chapters.