Chapter Twenty-Three
Times have not been good to me. I had computer trouble and I took three hours to fix it. But hope you enjoy this chapter :)
"Asura wants me to wear that?" Misao pointed and stared at the outfit with disgust. "You can forget it. There is no way I'm putting that so-called outfit on."
"Listen cupcake, I'm only following orders. Asura wants you to put this on, and that's that. You don't get a say in the matter." Noah explained as he stepped towards Misao. "So, you have two choices: put this on willingly…or, the more fun option, I help you put it on." He had a perverted grin on his face as he stared at Misao, who continued to scowl at him.
A chill went through her spine as Noah spoke the options he gave her. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms down for a short while before giving in and taking the outfit from Noah. "I'll change it, but you all have to get out. Peek even once, and I will kick your ass."
Noah shrugged as he proceeded to exit the room. "Don't take too long."
Mifune followed Noah out of the room. "Angela, stay here and keep an eye on her. Can you do that?" he asked her.
"You can count on me, Mifune! I won't let her out of my sight!" Angela saluted to Mifune as he exited the room and shut the door behind him.
Misao let out a sigh of relief and exhaustion as she stared at the outfit that was in her arms, feeling sick that she was going to stand in front of the Kishin in this. She turned away from Angela and began to take off her arm warmers and then her top. She folded it neatly and set it down on the bed. Misao held the top of the outfit in her hands before putting it on over her head.
"Did you drink a lot of milk when you were a kid?" Angela asked.
Misao stared at Angela, thrown off by her question. "Did I drink milk?"
Angel nodded as she stared at Misao so intently. "Yeah, your curves are perfect and your chest is big without your top on."
Her face blushed as she wrapped her hands and arms around her chest. "Umm…I guess…I did drink a lot of milk as a kid." She took her boots, socks and bottoms off before putting on the skirt and belt. "Do you drink milk, Angela?" Misao asked while adjusting the belt.
"Mifune says I have to if I want to grow big and strong."
Misao let a chuckle escape her throat. "Well, he'd be right." The last thing she put on were the boots that went with the ensemble. She inhaled and then exhaled a large breath before turning to Angela. "How do I look?" she asked her.
Angela stared at Misao up and down with envious eyes. "You look like a princess."
'A princess…' Misao forgot that she technically was a princess; a stray princess with no kingdom to rule. Her title was worthless to her because there was no one to pass on her influence to. She began to shed tears as she walked out of the room and met Mifune and Noah.
The two men stared at her, ignoring the tears that formed in her eyes. "You look very sexy." Noah said. "But there's one accessory that I forgot to give you." From his pocket, he pulled out a golden tiara headband with a blue gem in the center of it. He approached Misao and carefully placed it on her head. He backed away and examined her full profile. "That's much better. A tiara suited for a young princess."
She didn't even look at Noah or Mifune. She stood practically lifeless, feeling like nothing but a doll to them.
"Huh, Mifune, is she really a princess?" Angela asked.
"Yes she is, Angela."
"Wow!"
"Yep, she's a princess. A princess without her knight in shining armor and her kingdom. Mifune, keep watch over the castle." Noah instructed before looking back at Misao. "As for you, Asura awaits. Follow me."
Misao quietly did what she was told. As she passed Mifune, she stared at him, pleading with her eyes that he would do the right thing and help her out of this. But still, Mifune gave her the same static expression he constantly wore. 'It was stupid to try to rely on him.' She wrapped her arms around herself as she continued to follow Noah to a more dense part of the castle. It was deep below, where it seemed like the temperature had dropped several degrees. Misao felt the madness wavelength increase in power the further she walked. Her chest began to compress on itself to where it became almost difficult for her to breathe properly.
They stopped at a large door that was decorated with the Kishin's symbol: three vertical eyes staring blankly at Misao. Her heart stopped the moment she set eyes on the door. His evil whispers filled her ears. All she wanted to do was protect the orb. Her body was the shield that kept the madness at bay, but even she was beginning to feel weak this close to the madness. 'It's just like my dreams. His power holds me…and I can't escape. This time…I can't wake up.'
Noah knocked twice on the door before stepping back. "My lord, I brought our guest." The doors slowly opened, releasing more of the madness.
'His power…has grown stronger.' Her eyes widened and her heart pounded rapidly as the doors opened enough to let Misao and Noah pass through. 'I can barely stand up straight. I don't…I don't want to go in there.'
"After you, Princess Misao." Noah stepped to the side and gestured for Misao to enter the room. "Well, what're you waiting for? Asura is waiting for you."
Misao kept her hands clenched at her chest as she slowly entered Asura's room. Her body tensed the moment she was fully in the room and the doors slammed shut behind her. In front of her was the Kishin himself, sitting on the edge of his bed with a maniacal smile on his face.
"Welcome, Misao. Glad you could join me." He said before chuckling and grinning. "Come a little closer."
Misao's breathing was rapid and deep, as the madness surrounded her. She had goose bumps on her arms and the back of her neck. It was hard to even swallow because she was on the verge of throwing up as she slowly made her way towards Asura.
Asura laughed at Misao's frightened and weak expression. "You can feel the madness wavelength consume you, can't you?"
She stopped halfway, unable to move her legs which became heavy as lead. The same went for her heart. It began to drop down into her stomach, which triggers her nauseated feeling. Misao's eyes widened more when Asura rose up and met her halfway.
He stood very close to her while his bandage wraps opened to reveal his face. His eyes peered through Misao to see her uneasiness. He grabbed Misao's chin and forced her to keep her gaze locked on him. "The trembling in your skin. The fear I see in your eyes and from the sweat running down your innocent face. You're absolutely terrified right now. A helpless child with nowhere to run."
"I may be scared…" her voice cracked a she spoke. "…but that doesn't mean I won't protect the orb with all I have."
"Such a confident little thing, aren't you?" Asura snickered as he pulled Misao closer to him.
His eyes peered into Misao's soul. From the inside out, Misao could feel his gaze freezing her soul and heart the longer she stared into his eyes. She summoned as much energy as she could to protect her from the madness. 'I can't let him get in my head. I have to protect myself until Blood comes for me.'
"You're running low on energy." He told her. "You won't be able to fend off my madness for much longer. It's easier to just accept it. You'll feel much better once you do."
"You think people will be happier if they just let madness in?"
"I do. They will be free from their imagination and strife. Let it in and you'll understand."
Misao shook her head to where she was free of Asura's grip. Her hands were glued to her chest as if her hands were protecting the orb from the wavelength that engulfed her. "I won't give in. My father entrusted me with the orb. I'll…do whatever I can to protect it, even it means I have to give up my own life."
Shortly after Misao gave her speech, Asura busted into a maniacal laughter that caused him to bend almost all the way backwards. The position he was in, most people would've already fallen to the floor or completely broke their spine. Misao watched in horror as he continued laughing. He quickly stopped laughing and then straightened up. "That would be interesting. If you killed yourself here and now, then your partner's goal to rescue you would be in vain. Tell me, my dear, what do you think his face would look like if he found you dead? Would he cry and let out a mighty roar? Or will his face be distorted in agony at the sight of your corpse that he would be unable to make a single noise? Please pick one. The idea of it makes me laugh!" He began to laugh and chuckle again.
Misao closed her ears to block the sound of Asura's cackling. She fell to her knees, seeing clearly Blood's expression if he did find her dead. The images seemed so real that Misao could almost feel her body become numb. "Blood, no…I'm sorry." She whispered to herself as tears fell from her eyes. 'No, this isn't real. You're alive. The orb is still within you and Blood is coming for you. He will rescue you, and the Kishin will fall before you.'
"No, my head is…is going to burst." Misao could feel the madness entering her body the longer she was in contact with Asura. He was playing his mind games with her which caused her to see these images of Blood in agony. Her breathing and heartbeat were out of control as she slumped over herself on the floor while keeping her hands clenched to her chest. 'It hurts…the madness…'
A shock of pain shot through Blood's chest as he was in his home preparing for battle.
Soul and Maka stared at Blood as he made a small grunt. "Everything alright, Blood?" Soul asked.
"It's Misao. She's in pain."
"Are you sure?" Maka asked, turning her body towards Blood.
"She's my meister. Our bond is so strong that I can sense when she's in danger." His face twisted into pure anger over the thought of Misao being tortured by Asura and his men. "When we get there, I will handle Asura."
"Blood, I know you have strong feelings for Misao personally and as her weapon," Soul said as he placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "but you need to stick to the plan Stein came up for us. We need to stay in formation if we're going to survive this battle."
"Soul's right. This is different from going after kishin eggs. We're going after the one true kishin himself. If we break our strategy, we'll fall victim to his madness and be killed."
Blood's body continued to tremble at the fact that Misao was in pain, which prevented him from helping with the preparations. "Sorry guys, I need a minute alone." He stood up and went outside to catch the breeze that went by so quickly and quietly. The clouds came in with the breeze and blocked out the sun, covering the area in a giant shade. 'Misao would love this breeze.' After they previously rescued Misao, all she wanted to do was stay in the sun; stay outside and enjoy the day's breeze.
She was always like that. As children, Blood and Misao would play outside everyday. Playing soccer with their friends, collecting flowers or swimming in a lake that was outside of the village. Misao always went outside. If it rained, she found things to do indoors, but Blood remembered that behind her eyes was a hint of sadness and boredom.
"Hey Blood." Soul came out of the house and stood behind Blood. Maka soon followed behind soul with the supplies. "We're ready if you are."
Blood stared at the two of them and nodded. He walked past them to close and lock the door to the house. As they headed back to the academy, Blood kept a strong grip on his bandaged arm, remembering the power he was able to unleash when he and Misao used Soul Resonance.
"Is your arm hurting, Blood?" Maka asked as she walked beside him.
Blood stared down at her and shook his head. "No, it's fine. Just…trying to get that awful memory out of my head."
"Don't worry yourself over it." Soul said, patting Blood on the shoulder. "That battle was rough for everyone. Soul Resonance doesn't come easy for everyone."
"Yeah, Soul and I had trouble with it ourselves."
Blood sighed. "It's not Soul Resonance itself. It's the fact that I hurt Misao while we performed it. She took on more damage than any other time we attempted to use Soul Resonance. I'm supposed to help my meister grow stronger as we fight. My job is to protect her. But instead…I hurt her."
Blood came to a halt when Maka ran in front of him and blocked his path just as they were approaching the DWMA. Her hands were resting on her hips and she made a scowling face at Blood. "Blood, stop feeling sorry for yourself and talking like you're worthless! You love Misao, and I'm sure she loves you! That means, she doesn't blame you for what happened and is still depending on you to save her. If you don't have confidence in your own strength, how the hell can you expect to give strength to the one person you cherish the most?" Her scowl went away and she stood up straight, wearing a smile and resting her hands behind her back. "Don't doubt yourself, Blood. We all need your strength for this battle. Keep your head up and give it your all. Promise?"
Blood smiled, feeling his heavy heart drop all of the weight holding it down. He felt his chest warm up as he released his arm and smiled back at Maka. "I promise, Maka. Thank you."
Maka giggled as she led them to the academy where Black Star, Kid and the others were waiting for him. "Hey guys, we made it."
"It's about time you slow pokes got here! Let's get things started already!" Black Star exclaimed while throwing his fist in the air and jumping up and down.
"Can't wait to fight the samurai guy again?" Soul asked.
"That guy's gonna pay for making a fool out of me. Tsubaki and I will definitely put him in his place, right Tsubaki?"
"That's right, Black Star." Tsubaki giggled as she answered Black Star.
Spirit came out to see everyone standing at the entrance of the school. "Alright everyone, head to your homeroom. Sid and Nygus are there with some of the others. We're going to do one last mission brief and then head out."
"This will be the ultimate battle: us against the original kishin." Soul said in a low tone only Blood could hear. "All of our training is about to pay off."
"For me, it will be about revenge. When I kill Asura, Misao will be freed from her never-ending nightmares. She won't have a heavy heart."
Soul tapped Blood on the arm with his fist. "That's a cool line. I'd expect nothing less from you, Blood. Let's fight with everything we have."
Blood nodded as he and Soul walked side by side up the stairs.
"Blood, before you go to the classroom, Stein wants to have a word with you in his office." Spirit stood in front of Blood, giving him a serious expression.
The climax is sooo close! Stick around and please R&R!