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 Eleven: Ultimatum; Final Training of Spartoi?
Maka's eyes scrunched up tight as she felt something twitch against her left side. Instinctively, her hand shot to it, finding the dampened warmth of cloth under her touch, causing a jolt of worry in her. Pulling the covers back, Maka's eyes fell upon the crimson-coloured bandage on her left side, and as she eased it way her fear turned to relief; the wound had mostly clotted except for a couple of patches where she had moved, and the blood on the gauze was nothing more than the remnants of the stemmed bleeding from the night before. As her relief settled her nerves, the Meister became aware that something had changed.
Looking around, she noticed light behind the dense curtains, casting a low-level glow over the large, alien room, and began to pick out objects and shapes in the room. She could see a large, black grand piano occupying the far corner of the room, lonely and forgotten from the time her Weapon was away, and a desk strewn with sheet music sat along side it. A couch, a coffee table and a large flat-screen TV took the next wall, with the window opposite them and the bed opposite a second door which was open a crack with steam pouring out. It was then Maka turned her attention to the bed itself; a large four-poster double bed, the wooden chassis styled with musical instruments and souls carved into it. The bed spread was simple, plain blue with darker edging. As Maka's eyes drifted up to the top of the bed spread, she came to a shocking realisation. Before she could elaborate in her mind, she heard a loud, familiar shout.
"Hey hey hey! Good to see ya, Soul!" Lord Death's unmistakable voice rang out. "Oh! I'm not interrupting, am I?"
"Nah, it's cool," Soul's quieter words responded. "I wanted to give a mission report before we headed back to Shibusen."
"Yes, you had us worried when you did not return," Lord Death's tone implied he was asking what had happened.
"We ran into complications," Soul elaborated. "The source of the Madness here has been stopped, but Maka suffered heavy damage in the fight; we had no real choice but to remain here until Maka had been treated." Shouts of 'Maka!' could be heard in the background as Spirit began whining about his daughter's safety, but they were ignored as Soul went on. "We are currently at my family's house in England, and we will head back as soon as possible."
"Excellent," Lord Death announced. "I'll leave you to it, then. Later, Soul!"
A few moments later, Soul sighed, muttering something about how strange Lord Death was, and walked out of the door, a white towel tied around his waist as he emerged from the steam-filled en suite. Maka's eyes fell upon his torso, and she had to practically wrestle her thoughts into submission as she did. His scar, she noticed, looked a little more vibrant than before in places, though why she could not pin-point. His hair was damp and messily hung over his head and neck, his eyes misted with something Maka did not expect; nostalgia would have been the closest thing she could relate it to. Soul turned to her and smiled.
"Hey," he said softly. "How do you feel?"
"Better," Maka shrugged, pulling the covers over her torso and pulling herself into a sitting position. As if sensing her discomfort, Soul unhooked a black and red dressing gown and threw it to Maka, turning away to allow her to put it on in semi-privacy. "But what happened to my clothes?"
"They got wrecked in the fight with that Clown," Soul replied, back to her. "Don't you remember?"
"Of course I remember that!" Maka snapped irritably, tying the gown shut. "Ok, you can turn around now." Soul did so obediently. "Anyway, what I meant is where are they?"
"Oh, that-" Soul started, but a knock at the door cut him off. "Yeah?"
The main door swung open gently, revealing a young woman with brown hair in a green-blue apron, black skirt and white button-up blouse. She was not too tall, a little shorter than the average twenty two year old, but she was slender with a kind face and gentle green irises. Her hair was up in a bun, and in her hands was a pile of white clothes.
"Good morning, master Solomon," she smiled politely, bowing slightly. Soul sighed audibly.
"How many times, Maria?" he asked. "Please, call me Soul."
"I could never be so improper, master Solomon," the woman, Maria, shook her head with a smile. She seemed to pause, as if she were a game character, just for a moment, then blushed and bowed. "My apologies; I should have made sure you were decent before I entered."
"Don't worry about it," Soul replied, shaking it off. "I admitted you, after all." Maria nodded and placed the clothes on the desk before pulling the bed sheets straight again. She spotted Maka standing in Soul's bath robe and blushed again before bowing.
"I'm sorry, miss," she said courteously. "I did not notice you before; did you sleep well?"
"Uh, yeah," Maka blinked, taken aback by the action the maid had performed. "It was fine."
"That is good," Maria nodded again. "I hope I did not wake you up when I removed your clothing." Maka's mind screamed at the thought of a woman, one she had never met before to boot, taking off her clothes, but Maria explained herself all the same. "Mistress Lilian requested I collected them so that they could be repaired and cleaned. If it makes you feel any better, you may strike me."
"Wha- No no, I could never do that!" Maka said hurriedly, shaking her hands in front of her chest. Maria looked relieved, but Soul pouted, knowing this was not true from his stand-point. Despite this, he stayed quiet, not wanting a concussion so early in the morning. "Thank you for doing that."
"It was no trouble," Maria smiled. She shifted uneasily on her feet, her smile faltering. "Pardon me, miss, but I do not recall your name."
"Oh, don't worry," Maka smiled, holding her hand out. "I'm Maka, Maka Albarn." Maria hesitantly shook her hand limply.
"So, this is the miss Albarn I have heard so much about," she smiled. "It is a pleasure to meet you at last." She released Maka's hand and turned to Soul. "Mistress Lilian would like me to tell you breakfast is ready when both of you are."
"Thanks, Maria," Soul smiled, nodding. "You can go now; Wes probably has you rushed off your feet as usual." Maria bowed, uttering a quick thank you to Soul as she left. Soul turned to Maka, her uniform in hand. "You can use the shower before you get dressed; I'll get you some clean bandages before we go downstairs." The young Meister took the clothes and smiled gratefully. She paused as she walked away and turned to her weapon.
"Thank you, Soul," she said. He grinned at her.
"Come on," he said. "What kind of Deathscythe would I be if I couldn't look out for my Meister?" Maka giggled, causing a frown on Soul's face. "What? What's so funny?"
"You so just ripped off Kuroshitsugi," she replied jovially. Soul chuckled a little at this.
"Maybe, but it's true for cool guys like me," he shrugged. "Hurry up, and don't take as long as you usually do."
"Baka," Maka growled lightly, sticking her tongue out as she sauntered into the humid bathroom and shut the door behind her. The Weapon grinned, at the closed door for a moment before getting dressed and creeping downstairs to get Maka's replacement bandages.
In the en suite, Maka turned the water on, cringing as the icy liquid poured upon her, and turned it up as high as her skin would withstand. With her bandages removed, she could see the full extent of the damages she had received in the battle against the Clown. The wounds were sore and red, but at least they were not bleeding, nor were they infected in any way. She was grateful for the work which Doctor Evans had performed on her the night before. She ran her hand over the angry puncture in her left side, craning her neck over her shoulder to see the opposing wound, though her hand could not quite reach it. She frowned.
"This could be troublesome," she murmured. "If there are any more like that Clown, we could be in trouble. Still, we won't be bothered by that one again."
Pushing her thoughts aside like curtains in the morning, Maka shut off the cascade of water and stepped out of the shower, drying herself with a fluffy white towel. As she was pulling on her clothing, she heard a knock at the door.
"Hey, Maka," Soul called through the wooden barrier. "I've got the bandages for you."
"Ok!" Maka replied, pausing shortly. "Um, Soul? Could you... help me?"
The Weapon, who was holding a first aid kit in one hand, frowned as the lock slid back into the door, allowing it to swing open freely. Maka stood there, a great blush on her cheeks, wearing her uniform on her lower half and her bra on her top. It took every effort of Soul's being not to pass out from a gargantuan nosebleed which was threatening to emerge. The Meister was clearly not overly comfortable with the situation, but she did not voice her concerns.
"I can't reach the wound on my back," she explained. "Could you..."
"Uh, sure," Soul replied, handing Maka a couple of sticky-back medical pads to deal with her other scrapes.
The Meister turned around, allowing her Weapon to apply the pad in his hands. As he unravelled a bandage to hold the pads in place while not restricting Maka's movements.
"They don't seem as bad as I thought they would be," Soul mused, more to himself than Maka.
"H-hey!" Maka squeaked as Soul began to wrap the soft bandage around her midsection. "Stop staring, pervert!"
"Alright, jeez, you don't have to get so testy," Soul rolled his eyes, pulling the bandage tight and pinning it using the bandages and tape. "There, done." Maka looked down, as if confirming that the bandage was in place, then pulled on her shirt, keeping her back to Soul while she buttoned it.
"Thank you, Soul," she said. She turned around once her shirt was buttoned and smiled confidently at her Weapon. "Now, let's get going; it sounded like we're needed at Shibusen."
"Alright, let me say goodbye to my family, then we'll go," Soul replied. Maka nodded, understanding her Weapon's wish. "Hey, how about I introduce you to them?"
"Huh?" Maka frowned, cocking her head in confusion. Damn, Soul thought. She looks too cute when she does that. "Why would you do that?"
"Well, they all have been wanting to meet you since I went to Shibusen," Soul replied nonchalantly. "This is probably the best moment for us to do it." Maka's eyebrows furrowed, but she nodded.
"Alright then," she conceded. "Let's go meet them."
Soul grinned before leading Maka downstairs and into the dining room. Around a long, dark mahogany table sat five figures. Lilian looked up from her cup of tea and smiled at Soul and Maka as they entered while William read his paper, a mug of black coffee sat before him, not looking up to acknowledge them. Three other people sat around the table; one the spitting image of Soul, though his eyes were more purple than Soul's crimson, he was also slightly taller and his hair was longer but more tame; on this man's left, and William's right, sat the young girl from the night before, Rosie; opposite the young man, and on Lilian's left, was an elderly woman who was short in stature and had silvery white, curly hair. This woman turned to Maka and smiled.
"Well," she spoke softly, her gentle grey-blue irises scanning over Maka's figure and making the Meister a little nervous. "I see our little Soul has finally decided to reveal his Meister to us. It is good to see you are paired with such a lovely young lady." Maka blushed.
"Uh, thank you, Mrs Evans," Maka smiled, bowing slightly. Soul chuckled.
"Granny's not Mrs Evans," he corrected. "Maka, this is my grandmother on mum's side, Holly McCarthy. Granny, this is my Meister, Maka Albarn."
"It's a pleasure, deary," Holly smiled. This time, now that she was not in a state of shock, Maka could pinpoint a faint Irish accent in the older woman's tone.
"You have already met my mother and father," Soul went on. "And my little sister, Rosaline. Last on the list is my brother, Wes." The man in question rose and smiled, walking over to Maka and extending his hand to her.
"I've heard a lot about you, miss Albarn," he said courteously. He took her hand gently in his and laid a soft peck upon it, much to Soul's agitation. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Um," Maka faltered, blushing. "Thank you."
"Would you like something to drink, Maka, Soul?" Lilian asked, standing up from her position.
"Actually, we need to head off, mum," Soul replied for himself and his Meister. "Something's going on at Shibusen; we've been ordered back as soon as possible."
"Oh," Lilian looked shocked by how sudden it was. "Must you dear? My, you certainly live busy lives as Meisters and Weapons."
"Yeah, you could say that," Soul replied. He smiled a little. "Goodbye, everyone."
"Goodbye, Soul," Wes smiled, shaking hands with his brother. "It was good seeing you again."
"Take care, Soul," Holly smiled endearingly. "Don't be a stranger."
"Yes, and please bring Maka back some time," Lilian added. William looked up, placing his paper on the table, and walked over to Soul, pulling out a bundle of black silk.
"Your grandfather wanted me to give you this when the time was right," he told Soul, handing the bundle to him. "I don't think there is a better time than now."
Soul gave a confused look as he opened the bundle, the ebony silk parting to almost perfect silver. Plucking up the silver chain attached to the circular device and raising it, Soul saw the item was a silver pocket watch with the crest of the Evans family, a red shield with yellow divisions surrounded by white stars on one side and black spines on the other, a trio of small souls occupying each of the top left and bottom right shield panels while green musical notes took the top right and bottom left, covering the hunter, the Royal Irish Rangers emblem in the central point of the shield. Soul looked up at his father.
"I am proud of you, Solomon," he smiled. "And I know my father is proud of your work too."
"Dad..." Soul started, but he had already moved off and bid Maka goodbye. Soul smiled a little, then turned to Maka, who had just said goodbye to Lilian. "Come on, Maka, let's get going."
"Right!" Maka nodded. She turned to the family one last time. "Thank you all for your help."
"No trouble, dear," Lilian smiled. "Come back some time."
"I will," Maka agreed. With that, Soul transformed into his scythe form and fell into Maka's awaiting grip. "Goodbye, everyone."
The Weapon and Meister began to resonate as they left the grand building, Maka's wings taking shape as they leapt into the air, heading for their destination at full speed.
Shibusen, Death Room
Maka and Soul stepped inside the huge room and into the group gathered at the central platform. They saw that the group was made up of the members of Spartoi, along with Stein, Spirit and Lord Death. They walked onto the platform, the group gathered there acknowledging them immediately.
"Sorry, everyone," Maka said. "We got caught out against an entity of Madness, but it has been dealt with."
"That is good news, Maka," Lord Death nodded, his tone missing its usual jovial, light-heartedness. "Following the update I received from Soul Eater, we were contacted by the Black Knight in the Death Room." Soul's eyes widened.
"What did you say?" he asked. "How is that possible? I thought the Death Room couldn't be reached by an outsider?"
"That is how it should be," Stein confirmed, taking a long drag from his cigarette. "However, it seems the particular wavelength not only jams Soul Perception and intensifies the user's strength, but it has the ability to pierce even the high security in the Death Room."
"What was the message?" Maka asked. Spirit sighed before speaking up.
"It gave us an ultimatum," he replied. "'To members of Spartoi, come to the coordinates enclosed within my transmission at 0 hundred hours, or I will destroy Shibusen. Bring no one but Spartoi members, or I shall destroy Shibusen.' That was all it said."
"This was expected," Kai added, his arms folded and his eyes down-turned. "But the scale of the battle will be huge. As such, I recommend that Crona stay here for this. Also, we will all need to do further training before the battle."
"According to the coordinates," Lord Death announced. "You will be travelling for three hours at a pace which will not limit your fighting capabilities, therefore we only have nine hours remaining before deployment. All members of Spartoi are to engage in priority one training; Kai is to work with Maka and Soul; Kid, Liz and Patty are to help them. Black Star-"
"We already have our training," Black Star cut him off. "It's cool."
"Very well then," Lord Death nodded. "Crona, report to Crescent Moon classroom for training with Sid and Nygus." Lord Death swung his arm out in an arc. "Spartoi, to your posts!"
As the group headed for the training room, Soul and Black Star started talking about their missions, as did Maka and Tsubaki, though the former had a more pressing worry in mind.
"Hey, Tsubaki?" she asked. "What's wrong with Kid, Liz and Patty? They don't seem their usual selves." Tsubaki looked at the Meister and Weapons in question, her expression one of sympathy.
"Their mission was very taxing," she replied. Maka frowned, so Tsubaki elaborated. "I'm not sure exactly what happened, but they found something linked to Kai which... which killed a civilian in front of them." Maka gasped a little, raising her hands to her mouth.
"That's terrible," she managed. "What happened?"
"Something about my blood makes it toxic to humans," Kai's voice was dark as he spoke, cutting Tsubaki off. "It drives them into pure Madness with the slightest touch." Maka cocked an eyebrow, but Kai ignored it. "I'm going to go on ahead; I'll see you in there." With that, the Kishin Weapon spread his wings and took off down the corridor at full pelt. Maka turned to Tsubaki again as the taller girl spoke.
"Kid was asked by the civilian to execute him," Tsubaki added. "That's why Kid attacked Kai when he got back." Maka was stunned by this news, but did not press the matter. "Anyway, enough about that. How did your mission go?"
"Uh, not as smoothly as we thought it would," Maka replied, blushing as she thought of the way Soul had acted in the storm. "We came out a bit worse for wear, which is why we didn't come back yesterday." The blonde Meister evaded the point of Soul's house and family. "What about your mission?"
"No problem," Tsubaki smiled. "It was much easier than we thought it would be; we did not even take a hit." Maka's eyes widened.
"Wait, you mean Black Star didn't wreck his uniform?" she asked. Tsubaki shook her head, provoking a groan from Maka. "Great..."
"What is it, Maka?" Tsubaki asked curiously. The shorter girl turned to Tsubaki with a pitiful look.
"I owe Patty ten dollars," she complained.
After that discussion, the training room had loomed before them. Walking inside, they found Kai flying through the airspace above them all, flying rapidly and sporadically as if chasing an invisible target. Once he spotted the group watching him, he slowed and touched down once more, turning to Maka and Soul
"Alright, we don't have time to gawp aimlessly," he growled. "Let's go you two."
Sensing the tenseness of the Kishin Weapon, Maka and Soul quickly moved off from the group, which dispersed into their training sections. Once they were in position, Kai turned to Maka and Soul.
"I'll be training you two to utilise my power in combat," he explained. "It will be an important skill to have in this confrontation."
"What are you talking about?" Soul asked. "Maka's a Scythe Meister, and I'm a Weapon; how can we use your Weapon form if you're a sword?" Kai sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I'm not solely a sword, genius," he replied. "Weapons don't have to have a single form; look at Tsubaki." He took a breath to compose himself, then went back to his explanation. "My alternate states number only three, but they cover most things I would need.
"The first is my full offensive ability," Kai went on. "My dragon sword form is my most efficient form for attacking head on with no regard for protection, both autonomously and synchronously. My defensive capability, the dragonscale armour, increases either my own endurance or my wielder's, but the claws I use then allows some form of offence. The final form I call the dragon-charger.
"When I was developed into a Kishin Weapon, I was given the ability to boost a user's Soul Resonance with a Weapon or amplify their Soul Revolutions by a great deal. It was meant to strengthen the Kishin and be a manner of merging me to it, permanently strengthening the Kishin. That's what we will be training with."
"Alright," Maka nodded. "Let's get on with it."
While Kai transformed into his decided form, Black Star was sat down with the Enchanted Sword over his lap, black markings snaking up his arms and face, as well as black electricity pulsing around the Meister. Within the combined consciousness, the assassin stood on the surface of the watery land, Tsubaki stood opposite him with the sword there in her hand.
"Are you ready for this, Black Star?" she asked. "You may have control over the Enchanted Sword in its simplest form, but this will take more work than you have ever put in for training. To unlock its full potential, you must go one step further than before."
"I know that, Tsubaki," Black Star replied, rotating his neck with a satisfying crunch. "Ok, bring 'him' out."
Tsubaki nodded, raising her arm so that the tip of the blade pointed to the water below, then released the sword from her grip, letting it fade into the water. Dark undercurrents ripped through the aqueous body and began to surge upwards in four long streams, forming a four-legged creature with huge antlers. The creature began to turn white, black swirling patterns taking up the remainder of the huge figure.
"So," the being grunted, a cloud of white steam pouring from the snout. "You have returned, child. What do you want with me?"
"You've been holding out on me," Black Star replied coyly. "I won't accept that from my sword."
"Oh? You believe me to be yours now that I have leant you my power?" the deer cocked its head. "I am the Will of the Nakatsukasa Clan, not the plaything of a puny boy."
"How dare you?!" Black Star roared. "I am a God amongst men, you ingrate! I will not be denied my power!"
"You are foolish, boy," the deer shook its head. It looked down. "Tsubaki, I require your body to demonstrate the power I possess."
"Of course," Tsubaki nodded, allowing the deer to swarm around her in the form of black energy.
It wrapped and twisted itself around her body, marring the Weapon's form and transforming her into a combination of Tsubaki and the Will, the black markings covering her body and two large antlers emerging on her head, along with a long tail uncoiling behind her from the small of her back. The humanoid form of the Will looked up and at Black Star.
"So, child of darkness," it growled, a sword of darkness emerging in its hand. "Show me your great power."
Ok, this one took me a lot longer than I thought; I kinda hit the wall face first 'cause of homework and getting used to A-level. Still, I'm trying to overcome everything as it comes at me.
Anyway, I'll post again when I can, but I'm planning a fourth story to write (damn Gundam 00 for infecting my mind with ideas :/), so it may take some time.
Anyway, I'm off for now, everyone. Please let me know of what you liked and if you have any pointers for me that'd be appreciated too :)