Spoilers: after the Anime and sort of from Manga chapter 62/3. You have been warnied.
Warning(s): Possible swearing, mild/medium gore level potential, fluff.
Pairing(s): SoMa, possibly some TsuStar and/or KidxLizxPatty
Brief: With the Kishin defeated, what new threats will rise up to face the heroes from Shibusen? Will Kid's words of warning when the Kishin was killed come true sooner than they thought? And can the Madness be eliminated completely before it consumes the world?
Disclaimer: Atsushi Okubo owns Soul Eater, not me.
Chapter Seven: New Look for Spartoi; Missions around the Globe?
Maka straightened and smoothed her new skirt down before looking herself over. She had to admit, she had been meaning to change her usual mission uniform, seeing as how her attire had become noticeably tighter in recent months, and the new Spartoi uniform looked impressive.
The young Meister was stood in the female changing rooms across the corridor from the Deathscythe Training Room, wearing a blue undershirt, a white button-up blouse with a blue sailor uniform collar with a white stripe, a red tie which featured an unusual twisted pink tip, a blue skirt and black tights beneath it. She still wore her white gloves from before, along with a pair of comfortable pair of white shoes with a gold band about the ankle, and there was also a white overcoat, the cuffs of which were adorned with the same twists as the tie, though these remained the same colour as the coat itself, but she had not put it on because of the heat in Nevada. Maka smiled at her reflection, satisfied with the new uniform.
She turned as one of the closed doors behind her opened, revealing a rather pleased looking Tsubaki. As with Maka's uniform, the blues and whites remained a key feature in the older girl's uniform, but her nature as an assassin's dark-arm Weapon also made black an important incorporation in the styling. Tsubaki wore a form-fitting sleeveless shirt which buttoned up the front and was tucked into a pair of dark blue short-shorts, differing from the dark-arm's usual, more traditional clothing choice. The black-haired girl also wore a pair of black thigh-high socks, the left of which twisted around her leg instead of covering the entire leg, coating the ankle, knee and the top of her thigh in the item while leaving most of the remaining leg exposed, and a pair of black gloves which went high up her arms and were covered in a long white bandage each, hiding the gloves beneath except for slithers about the elbows. The new attire was finished off with a black scarf wrapped loosely around Tsubaki's neck. Maka looked between Tsubaki's uniform and her own and smirked slightly, getting a confused look from her friend.
"What is it, Maka?" she asked as the blonde Meister giggled slightly.
"Sorry, Tsubaki," she managed between laughs. "I just can't help but wonder who's going to ruin their uniform with all this white."
Tsubaki smiled sheepishly, knowing that both of them knew Black Star was in high contention for this competition. However, the two of them were cut off by a boisterous shout from the remaining two doors in the changing room, announcing the appearance of the Thompson sisters.
"These are soo cool, sis!" Patty's childish shout said. "Giraffe likes them!"
"Yeah, they're pretty good," Liz agreed, taking her younger sister's actions in stride.
The sisters were wearing very similar uniforms; both wore a blue undershirt and a white blouse, much like Maka's uniform, both wore a short, long-sleeved white jacket, which they had decided to do up at the front, and the standard issue shoes and a pair of socks, both of which were in white. However, while Liz wore a blue skirt to finish her uniform, Patty had a pair of blue baggy-legged short-shorts, and the younger sister also had a black hat with a pair of flaps covering her ears. The Thompsons walked forward and joined the other girls, the atmosphere in the changing room jovial as a whole. They talked for an age before a loud shout in the corridor drew their attention and had them move slowly outside.
"The great Black Star demands to know what this mockery is!" the assassin's yells filled the school's towering corridors while he shouted at a rather bemused Kai.
"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked. "And get that bloody fire extinguisher out of my face, you arse!"
"Your almighty god will not bow to the requests of peasants!"
"Black Star, perhaps it is wise to stop this now," Kid pointed out, his eye twitching. "And for the sake of symmetry, put down the fire extinguisher!"
"He's right, Black Star, this is getting uncool," Soul put in. The girls exchanged confused looks before hearing the hiss of the extinguisher going off. Soul sighed as Kai wiped the foam from his face, a look of annoyance on his face. "I take it back, that was totally uncool."
"You're dead, you little bastard!" Kai shouted, his hands and forearms becoming scaled and clawed in his fury.
"Ha! Your god accepts your challenge, foolish mortal!" Black Star boasted, getting ready to fight just as his Weapon got between him and his opponent.
"Black Star, maybe you should rethink this," she pleaded. "After all, Professor Stein said he would suspend you if you had another fight in the corridors." Looking Tsubaki in the eyes, Black Star nodded, and backed down, easing his pose. Tsubaki smiled gratefully and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"No sweat," Black Star shrugged, thrusting his hands in his pockets.
Now that he was stood still, the groups could see his uniform. Black Star was wearing a white zip-up, sleeveless top with a long white scarf around his neck, a pair of blue trousers with the end of the legs and a pair of black shoes. His hands, wrists and lower legs were bound in white bandages, and another acted as makeshift belt around the waist of his trousers. The uniform was simple, but the contrast with his usual flamboyancy was a refreshing change for the group.
"Thank you for making Black Star think rationally, Tsubaki," Kid said graciously. "I appreciate it."
"It's fine, Kid," Tsubaki replied with a smile. Liz, Patty and the Dark-Arm all turned their attention to Kid now.
Like Black Star, he wore a pair of navy blue trousers, but he wore a more formal uniform on top, consisting of a black tie around the collar of a white dress shirt and a white jacket over them both, the Spartoi insignia on his back in a large image which covered his shoulder blades and the upper back. Soul stepped out behind Kid, revealing that his uniform was almost completely the same as Kid's apart from the addition of a white belt and his jacket was more military in styling with the Spartoi logo on the left shoulder instead of the back. The logo and 'EAT' stamp from his headband were on the right arm, the latter beneath the former. Soul's hair was also held out of his eyes by the same black hair band as before. He caught Maka in his gaze and grinned lopsidedly as he walked over to his Meister.
"Not bad," he complimented. Maka blushed a little, smiling.
"You don't look so bad yourself," she replied teasingly. Soul's grin widened as he raised a hand to his tie and tightened the knot slightly.
"It's not the best uniform," he noted as he played with the knot. "But I make it look cool." Maka could not help but giggle at his coolness complex. She looked around, realising that someone was missing.
"Hey, where's Crona?" Maka asked, looking around.
"I think I might know," Kai replied, swiftly sidestepping to reveal a shaking Meister who had been hiding behind him.
All eyes fell on the two latest members of Spartoi. Crona wore a uniform like Soul and Kid's, but the jacket was black and featured a pair of silver twin-cuffs, much like the pink-haired Meister's original clothing, and was detailed with silver skull buttons. Another difference with Crona's uniform was the thick white gloves which went over his hands and a short way passed his wrists.
Kai, on the other hand, looked much different to the others. The only similarities were the jacket he wore, which was much like Soul's, and the presence Spartoi logo on the left shoulder. Passed this, however, the jacket was made of pitch black leather with a blood red interior trim, and sported a trio of silver spikes on each shoulder, along with the word 'advisor' in block gold letters on the back with an image of Lord Death's mask beneath it in white. The shirt was also black, and the tie around his neck was the same blood red of his coat's trim, but did not follow the same pattern as the other ties, this one being a regular, pointed-tipped tie. His trousers were more like combat trousers than the others', the black clothing held up by a black leather belt with a silver skull on the belt buckle. The whole thing was topped off by Kai's previous black military-style boots and a pair of black fingerless gloves with a red mid-section on the back of the hands.
Crona looked up briefly, then bashfully ducked back behind Kai. The Kishin Weapon frowned and jerked a thumb behind him.
"Uh, is he always like this?" he asked, confused by the reaction. Maka giggled and walked over.
"Yeah, Crona's a little shy sometimes," she shrugged, taking the Meister's hand and dragging him into the open. "Come on, Crona, let's have a look at you." Crona blushed a little and looked away.
"I've never had a uniform before," he explained. "I'm not sure how to deal with this."
A mass of black liquid appeared out of Crona's back, taking the shape of the small Ragnorok, his cartoonish shape and crossed pupils rolling around the group before growling.
"Dammit!" he cursed, punching Crona's head in fury. "How come I've been left out again?"
"Try because you don't wear anything," Soul shrugged. "Besides, you aren't exactly around very often, so it's not like you need something you'd leave when you disperse." Ragnorok glared but said nothing. Kai looked at the creature with a familial glaze in his eyes.
"The Demon Sword Ragnorok, I take it?" he said. The spirit turned his gaze to Kai.
"Who wants to-" the black-fleshed creature stopped short, sensing the shift in Kai's energy. "Ah, so that's who. Nice to finally meet my extended family."
"Likewise," Kai nodded. "I've heard a lot about you... What the hell happened to you?" Ragnorok pointed at Maka and Kai got the gist. "I see. Well, when they made me, they made sure a Soul Exorcism Wavelength wouldn't hit me like that." The two of them turned to the others, realising their confused looks. Maka broke the silence.
"What do you mean 'meet your extended family'?" she asked.
"Ah, technically I am the extended line from the research into Ragnorok," Kai replied casually. "I don't understand the precise facts, but apparently I have an updated version of the Black Blood in my system, which probably accounts for my heightened resonance sensitivity, called Kishin Blood." Soul frowned now.
"Kishin Blood?" he asked. "Is that what makes you a Kishin Weapon?"
"That's right," Kai nodded. "If Ragnorok were reforged in it, or a standard Weapon or Deathscythe were exposed excessively to it, the Kishin Blood would make them into a Kishin Weapon. But, as far as I know, the stockpile of it was destroyed in the raid Kami Albarn led, so it shouldn't be possible to do any more."
Soul felt somewhat relieved of this, wondering if such as thing could be used as a weapon against the Black Blood in his veins, or if it would affect Maka when they resonate, but even so, it was an unsettling development. However, before he could press the matter further, Stein rolled into the midst of the group.
"Oh, good, you're all ready, I see," he stated. "It is about time you all set off on your missions. Kid, Liz, Patty, you will need to use Beelzebub to get as close to Niglesh as possible, but it seems that the village has an interference field around it, meaning that the last leg must be made on foot. Black Star, Tsubaki, since your training in sustaining flight, you will need to make your way to the East Sector of Death City and travel via the airport to the nearest airport to the Magic Tool Facility. Maka, Soul, since you are able to fly using sustained resonance, you will use this ability to go to England and hunt down the source of the Madness in the area. Kai, Crona, you two should return to the training room and begin your training as soon as possible."
As the group parted and left, Maka stopped Kai briefly, a perplexed look on her face. Kai looked down at the young Meister, confused.
"Tell me," she said. "Why was Black Star shouting at you?"
"Oh, that," Kai half grunted, looking away. "The little baboon was shouting something about my use of black while the standard uniform is white. Honestly, how do you put up with such an ignorant imbecile?" Maka giggled.
"Yeah, he is a bit of a handful," she agreed before they parted.
Training Room
"I don't know about your methods, Mifune," Kai said to the Samurai, having been introduced. "But I think you might do better as a teacher to teach Crona using a single sword. With that said, since Ragnorok is a Demon Sword, it may be better to wield me, seeing as how my Kishin Sword status would match it in power." Mifune narrowed his eyes slightly, uncertain whether to trust such a judgement, but he soon acknowledged with a nod. He sheathed his sword and held a hand out to his side.
"In that case, transform," he said bluntly.
Kai's entire body illuminated a deep red as he jumped towards Mifune's hand with a somersault, his shape twisting before solidifying in his grip. The hilt of Kai's Weapon state was like a standard sword, able to have two hands on it and bore a black binding with a crimson end. The blade was a dark, gun-metal silver with a double-edge to it, but this, too, was fairly normal. The different thing about it was the guard, in the sense that it was absent altogether. In its place was an ebony dragon's head, featuring a slender snout, a wide, spiked plume and a pair of scarlet eyes, the wide blade protruding from the mouth and the grip from the plumage. Mifune looked at the sword and raised it to his eyes, looking the Kishin Weapon in the eye.
"I'm not sure if you can hear me," he said. "But you will need to balance your wavelength with mine since I'm not a Meister." The dragon's eyes rolled and fell into an unimpressed look.
"You don't have to tell me, I already am modulating my wavelength," Kai replied in deadpan. "Besides, just because I'm a sword doesn't mean I can't hear things, genius."
"Hm, so this your Weapon form, eh, cuz?" Ragnorok's voice spoke from the sword in Crona's hand. "Impressive what time can do."
"Enough regarding my form," Kai replied. "Let's get this going!"
Mifune lunged, feeling an impulse pull from his right hand and egging him on. Crona raised Ragnorok, running forward too, the sword tightly caught within his twin handed grip as he swung in on the Samurai. Mifine dodged left, evading the sword's tip by a hair's breadth, then swung with the Kishin Weapon in his hand, meeting Crona's sword in a well-timed block. The pink-haired boy swung his blade outward to release the swords and thrust forwards, catching the swordsman across the left shoulder in a light graze. He followed with another rapid strike, then another and another, the swings powerful and precise, but not meeting Mifune's flesh. However, despite the way he was coping with the strikes, Mifune could not counter with such a short opening between strikes.
Now, Mifune heard Kai say, and his hand obeyed, thrusting out and knocking the sword from Crona's hand.
The blade turned to liquid and reformed in Crona's grip as it struck the floor, but the opening had been left, allowing Mifune to pouch in with another powerful, trained swing, this one blocked by Crona's forearm as he solidified the Black Blood in his veins like armour. However, he was on the back foot, having to defend as Mifune swung mercilessly this way and that, blow after blow glancing off of each Weapon. Then, without Crona realising, he was at the back wall of the training area. He looked back, surprised, and missed the movement Mifune made with his sword. With a slightly laboured effort, the blade pierced his flesh. The wound was not too deep, but blood abruptly poured out of the nick in Crona's abdomen. Instantly, Kai transformed again, his right hand tipped with blood.
"Shit, what happened?" he asked, looking between them. Crona's hand had released the sword and clutched the wound in his stomach tightly. Ragnorok appeared from the boy's back, regarding Kai with shocked surprise.
"How the hell did you get through the Black Blood?" the Demon Sword asked. "I had hardened it as much as it went; no Weapon should get through it without resonating with a Meister."
"Don't apply that rule to Kishin Weapons; there is a frequency I can reach through self resonance which can pierce Black Blood with enough force behind it." Kai's eyes fell upon Crona. "You ok, Crona?"
"I'm fine," Crona nodded shakily, remembering when Medusa had run him through with her Vector Blade. "It's just a shock."
"I think we'll call it quits today," Kai said. "Let's-"
"No," Crona said firmly, his wound sealed and his sword back in hand. "Please, let's continue. I want to be stronger..." The Kishin Weapon blinked then smirked.
"Alright then," he said, transforming again. "But I won't hold back."
"It would be pointless if you did," Crona replied resolutely, readying himself for further sparring.
Yeah, not much to say, except that I'm sorry for the delay.
Let me know what you want to see in future or what I'm doing well/bad.
Bye.