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 Fifteen: Binding Madness, What Is Music?
Catacomb Room
Crona's cries of agony and fear rang through the room, bringing Kai and Medusa out of their conflict briefly. His eyes widened as he saw the pink-haired Meister, the small creature latched to him and seeming to twist to his form.
"Damn, I got too caught up with her," he cursed. "I lost sight of that damned thing!"
"My, it seems you're not a very good friend," Medusa scoffed, a hand resting on her hip as she looked from Kai to Crona. "Still, it does not matter; this would have happened regardless."
Kai ignored Medusa's words, hurrying to Crona's side as a purple ripple of energy pulsed over Crona and the Purple-Dyed Clown, the Meister's head lowered so that his eyes were shaded from view. Kai neared Crona and came to a halt.
"Crona?" he asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"
Wordlessly, Crona raised his right arm, a spray of red-black blood spurting from Kai's torso; the Meister's arm was coated in a blade on the back edge, silver black tipped with the crimson blood. The Demon Sword Meister looked up, revealing his transformation; a half crescent sat atop his head, the purple and black striped flesh of the Purple-Dyed Clown forming a hat atop Crona's head, a single white orb with a black cross running over the front, mimicking Ragnorok's eyes. Crona's own eyes looked like this too, but the iris remained a faint lilac. A curved protrusion appeared from Crona's shoulder, matching the lower portion of the Clown linked with Crona, a mouth on the front which turned to a wide, deformed grin, with the purple streaks running down Crona's right arm. The spiked frill emerged from Crona's neck, while the blade on Crona's arm vanished in exchange for a pair of swords, one like Ragnorok, the other shorter and with a serrated edge.
"Crona?" Kai asked, the wound he had sustained scabbed over as he straightened into a defensive stance.
"My blood is no longer black," Crona purred in a twisted voice. "Now it is purple. Here, let me show you..." Crona stabbed the sword in his left hand into the ground, cut the palm open and raised his left hand over his head. "Bloody slicer!"
As Crona threw down his arm, a trail of purple blood etched into the air, launching an arc through the space towards Kai. The arc shimmered, then split into three, spiralling in the air as they soared forwards. Kai ducked, dodged left, then right, avoiding being cleaved in two, but just barely. Three deep cuts etched into his body from where the fast-moving projectiles had grazed him. Behind the Kishin Weapon, three pillars exploded into rubble and dust as the arcs impacted, purple sanguine splattering the floor as they fell.
Kai stood up, in a dilemma; he had to stop Medusa and the Clown, but now Crona stood in his way too, and he did not want to hurt the young Meister. He sighed; perhaps he could stop this with as little injury dealt to Crona as he could. He powered down his arm, going to the Dragon Scale Armour mode to protect himself from the augmented attack power Crona now possessed and to limit the damage he could deal to Crona.
"I'll get this sorted out, Crona," he vowed.
He ran at Crona, evading the spikes of blood which Crona was launching this way and that, taking the odd hit where he had to. A trail of red energy pulsed up his hand as he lunged.
"Soul Force!" he shouted out, striking Crona in the Solar Plexus and discharging the soul energy into the Meister. There was a scream and he was flung backwards, the spikes dissipating into a puddle, but Crona was soon on his feet again, lunging and thrusting with his swords. "Damn, I'm almost regretting the tuition I gave you!"
Crona did not pay attention, keeping on the attack, but he was attacking in a pattern, and soon Kai had spotted the opening he needed; a quick kick in the stomach saw Crona's attack fall, and Kai jabbed again, aiming this time for the Clown's head. A shrill scream echoed and a flash of purple, then Crona fell to the ground, the Clown in Kai's hand. He turned to Medusa, who looked less than pleased.
"Still not figured out how to shield it from direct soul impacts, huh?" he said, throwing the Clown aside. The creature sank into the floor. "Now, where were we?"
"I was just leaving," Medusa replied, the ground turning black at her feet. "I have what I came for."
"What does that mean?" Kai asked as the witch began to sink into the floor. "Hey, wait!"
Too late; as he spoke these words, she was gone, and the gateway she used to travel through closed behind her. Kai sighed as he went to Crona's side, trying to figure out what Medusa had meant as she departed.
Black Room, Soul's Being
The Little Demon smirked to Soul as the albino Weapon appeared in the room. Soul's crimson eyes glared to the black-suited imp as it stared back with its teeth showing in a warm, at least as warm as the strange being could, grin.
"Is something the matter, Soul?" the demon asked. "You do not seem pleased to see me. Why is that?"
"Maybe it has something to do with your attempt to take over my soul last time we met?" Soul grumbled. The demon laughed lightly.
"Still don't trust me," he noted. "How disappointing. But, if that is true, why are you here now?"
Soul's mouth turned downwards a little further as he swallowed his pride.
"I need your help," he said. The demon blinked.
"Well, I did not expect that," the black-suited demon said with a look of genuine shock on his features. "In all the time I have known you, Soul, you have never willingly asked for my help. What is it which makes you now?"
"You know already, don't you?" Soul said guardedly. He did not want to give too much information unnecessarily.
"I am aware of your damaging resonance, yes," the Little Demon nodded. "And I suppose that means you have realised that it was I who held back the worst of the damage from your soul. But I ask you now, what are you willing to do in order to bring me back?"
Soul clicked his tongue, irritated; he did not want to be in this position if he could, but now that was out of the question.
"What do you want, demon?" he asked huffily.
"What I have always wanted," the Demon replied. "I want the music to play."
Soul snorted.
"Yeah, right; last time I played that piano, you tried to take over my soul," he spat back. "How can I trust anything you say?"
"You can trust me because I only want to protect myself," the Demon shrugged. "And if you die because your soul is destroyed, I would die too. Ergo, I have no choice but to help you. So, whether you choose to trust me or not, it does not matter to me."
Soul sighed, running a hand through his white locks.
"You still haven't answered," Soul said, though more calmly. "What do you want in exchange for your help?"
"But I did answer," the Demon grinned. He gestured to the Black Piano, a spotlight illuminating the area. "Now, play, Soul. Play the music of your heart, and let the Black Blood flow once more."
Soul sighed with a small smile and walked to the piano, lifting the cover from the keys.
"Well, guess I've got no choice this time," he said, sitting down. "Hope you're ready, Maka."
His fingers flexed gently above the keys a moment, as if contemplating the instrument, then Soul began to play. A spark jolted across his mind; his wavelength extended to find Maka's to resonate, but it found nothing but a dense darkness, a thick black mist like tar preventing the resonance.
"Maka," he said, his hands freezing. "No…" He turned to the Little Demon. "What happened to her? What happened to Maka?!"
"Calm down," the Demon replied. "She is engulfed in her own darkness, but it is not too late to save her. It will take great resolve to do so, however. You will have to awaken her, remind her of herself and drag her from her insanity. I will guide you, give you an opening; you will have to do the rest."
Soul nodded, understanding, and resumed playing with a new ferocity, concentrating his wavelength into the music. Black-blue sparks of wavelength burst from the keys as he played, the notes laced with uncontrolled energy. The Little Demon smiled widely and began to dance, as if enjoying the music, but there was more control to it than just dancing for pleasure, as if he was influencing the music.
Soul felt something, more a twitch than a true feeling, but he felt it; Maka's wavelength. It was faint, muffled under a mass of shade, but it was unmistakably hers. He played more quickly, spurred on by this discovery. The wavelength grew stronger and brighter, and soon Soul was certain he had his chance. He raised his head and felt his soul flow into the void between them; it was thick and red, like being underwater but without the inability to breathe. He looked, his spectral form searching for it, for Maka's soul.
The reaction was faint, but he had it; he floated towards it with intrigue, and found an orange soul with a cutesy face on it and pigtails. He almost laughed; even her soul was typical of Maka. But then he saw closer; the face was not happy or bold, but pained and fearful, and a faint blackness was affecting it, infecting the right side like a poison. He softly cradled the soul, resting his forehead to its.
"Maka," he said in his delicate baritone as his vision faded to white.
Maka's Nightmare
The skies were blackened with pitch plumes of smoke, the debris and scorched remains of the town littered the streets as a solitary lithe figure charged through, eyes wide as she desperately searched for someone, anyone at all, just a sign of life. Her heavy boots were scratched and scuffed from her running, her legs burning like the buildings around and her lungs screaming for rest, but there was nothing for her to do but run and search and panic.
She was practically screaming in fear; the terror, the chaos and pandemonium, it was worse than anything before, even the experiences of the Kishin did not compare. Her home, her school, her very life, it was all crumbling like a sandcastle in the embrace of the incoming tide.
She skidded to a halt at the basketball courts, a charred and mangled mess of what once was the place she spent many afternoons with her friends, and fell back onto her backside with a thump. Franticly, Maka looked behind her, but she could see no sign of what she had been running from. She turned her gaze to the floor, wondering what had made her slip, and felt her stomach churn uncomfortably at what was there; the flagstones of the street were painted a sickly crimson, and the source was a rather mangled mess of pale flesh and dark hair, eyes wide and lifeless as the lithe figure strewn over the ground. She had slipped on Tsubaki's blood.
She turned her eyes upward to the area above the street, and spotted Black Star, who seemed to have fought longer, but was now in just a bad state as his weapon. Maka whimpered, feeling tears stinging her eyes, but she forced herself to her feet and started running again, hearing the sound behind her once more. She sprinted passed Shibusen, the bodies of many students, teachers and friends strewn over the steps, and no doubt the courtyard, but she was not going that way; her mind was racing, her heart beating a mile a minute, but she was focused on one destination, searching for the one person she needed most.
The stairs to the small flat were the longest flight she had ever had to climb, but when she reached the all too familiar door, she did not hesitate, wrenching the door open wide, hopeful to find him inside, beyond the threshold. Instead, she was met with a rush of searing pain and a scream of agony as a burst of flames shot forth and engulfed her, scorching her body and scalding her left side. She screamed and staggered backward as she felt the skin melt from the left side of her face. Tears fell freely as the pain of the fire and the loss bit into her nerves and burnt to the core of her soul. She felt she was about to die, lost, alone and afraid.
And then it happened; something cool in the scorching heat pressed to her face. The aches and sorrow remained, but the coolness was a comfort in the harsh times, and one she accepted without wondering just what it was. She felt her body calm and the pain dull, yet her tears still fell. She wondered if it was merely the sorrow of… She could not even recall what, only that she had been filled with sorrow previously. The coolness felt nice, filled her with comfort and pleasant thoughts, and washed away her worries and injuries.
She looked up slowly, a muted voice echoing over her senses and drawing her attention. A small smile spread over her features as she saw his face, his unyielding look of concern towards her and the sharp, jagged teeth visible in his slightly parted mouth.
"Soul," she said.
Soul looked in disbelief around the area he was in; it was bright white, barren and empty except for himself.
"What the hell is this?" he wondered aloud. "Hey, Demon, can you hear me?"
"Always, Soul," the Demon responded. "I see you have made it to the girl's soul."
"Yeah," Soul looked around again. "Why is it so… empty, here?"
"This is the inner room of a person who has begun to degrade into madness or fall away from their ideals as a human," the Demon replied. "You will find it is easy to find her like this, but be wary of how you may find her, Soul; you will need to pull her back from how deep she is."
"Right," Soul nodded before walking forward.
As he began his search for Maka, he noticed his clothes had changed; he was wearing the orange top, black jacket and dark jeans from when they had fought the Kishin. He did not question the change, as a scream caught him off guard, and drew him in. He sprinted over to the huddled mass of his Meister, who was clad in a torn Spartoi uniform, and clutching her face on the left side.
He stopped a few feet from her, but she did not see him. He hands slipped back from her face, revealing something sinister; over the left side of her face lay a mask, the same as the Mad Clown's. The mask was broken, but seemed melded to the skin of the Meister perfectly. Concern welled up in him; was he too late?
"Maka…" he said, barely more than a mutter. "What the hell's happening to you?" Maka made no response, or even any reaction at all. Soul swallowed a little to moisten his throat, and stepped forward, now directly before Maka's frail frame. "Maka."
She looked up, revealing her beautiful emerald eyes to him; the right one was still green, albeit reddened and slightly puffy, tears streaming from it, but the left was yellow and smaller, though the same tears poured out of it, trapped beneath the mask.
"Soul," Maka said, her voice small, timid, but still her own. Soul felt relief flow a little as he crouched before her, gently cupping the left side of her face.
"Looks like we're in trouble, Maka," he said, a small smirk on his face. "I'm sorry I left you, Maka. I swear, I won't let that happen again."
"Soul," Maka said weakly. "They're all dead, a-and it's my fault." Sould frowned.
"Who's dead?" he asked, looking around.
"Tsu-Tsubaki, Bl-Black Star, Kid, e-e-everyone!" Maka shivered. Soul gulped, this was bad. "I'm not strong enough, I couldn't save them! They all died!" Soul looked to his right, spotting something on the floor. "It was all my fault that they died! If I was strong like Black Star, I could have helped them!" Soul lifted the object from the floor and swallowed again. "And now no one is left but us, it's just-"
"Sorry, Maka," Soul interrupted. "Soul Chop!"
The heavy hard-back in Soul's hand struck Maka directly on the top of her head. Silence fell, Maka's eyes facing down. When she raised them, she could see something akin to anger in Soul's red irises.
"That's enough crap, Maka!" he barked sternly. "You think this is your fault?! You are not to blame, and the Maka Albarn I know, the Maka Albarn I chose as my Meister, my partner, would know that! You think it's your fault for not being there? You can't be everywhere at once, it's not possible! Understand that!
"And you are not weak!" Soul went on. "You are the strongest person I know; tough enough to face a Kishin, brave enough to take on Medusa and Arachne, and strong enough to beat them all blindfolded! You are not weak enough to break like this! You will-"
"Ow…" Maka mumbled, rubbing her head. Soul blinked. "I'm sorry." She looked up and smiled, but more confidently than before. "You're right, Soul. Thank you." She stood unsteadily, her world beginning to repopulate with its usual things. She saw her reflection in the mirror and grimaced. "Oh, that's not good."
"Eh, you've been worse," Soul teased. Maka frowned to him, but it did not last long before she smiled again.
"Mind helping me with this?" she asked, holding her hand out to Soul. The scythe chuckled.
"It wouldn't be cool if I didn't," he replied, taking her hand. A bright blue light blossomed in the world as the visions faded.
England Room
The Mad Clown looked down upon its opponent, the blonde Meister huddled on the floor in a very difficult to defend position, her weapon on the floor beside her with a blank expression in the eye. It let out a small laugh, raising it's arm in preparation to spear Maka through the heart.
"Foolish Meister," it purred, driving the right arm forth towards its target.
A loud roar and the sound of metal on metal tore through the room, and the Mad Clown backed away, attack parried by the now human Soul, a scythe blade running down his right arm.
"Nobody touches my Meister," he growled as Maka dragged herself to her feet. He transformed back into his Weapon mode, falling into Maka's grasp. "You won't get another chance like that."
"Just because she returned once, does not mean she will be so lucky next time," the Mad Clown sneered, rushing at them.
Maka stayed silent, swinging Soul to intercept the swings of the clawed left arm and the blade-like right, blocking and forcing back on the Clown. It was almost startling how much differently she was moving now, as if her time lost in her madness had sharpened her mind to its patterns. She dodged left, parried right, and seized an opening with a sharp Figure 6 Hunter, cutting the fiend open before backing away to prevent a counter attack with the Black Blood.
"Now, Maka!" Soul said, beginning to play the Black Piano with intense strokes, channelling his soul wavelength to Maka's.
"Right!" Maka nodded, focusing her power into Soul and receiving it again in greater levels. Their resonance increased, turning the air around them electric with static. "Soul Resonance!"
Bright blue engulfed Soul's blade, elongating it into Witch Hunter form. Maka lashed out with the energised weapon, but the Mad Clown dodged back and lunged.
"Pierriat!" it bellowed, right arm extended, but Maka was ready, ducking the attack and slashing Witch Hunter through the spindly upper arm, dropping the blade arm to the floor with a thud. It hissed. "Your Witch Hunter won't defeat me, girl!" It lunged again.
"Wouldn't count on it!" Maka shouted back, the music between herself and Soul resonating louder and clearer. She charged to the Clown as it charged at her. "Now, Soul!"
"You got it!" Soul replied, the music getting faster and more powerful. "This is our melody, Maka. Show this clown our strength!"
"Genie Hunter!" Maka shouted as they neared the Mad Clown. With a sudden jolt, Soul's blade morphed to that of an oversized halberd, blue energy streaming over it. Maka slashed with the Genie Hunter, splitting the Mad Clown in two across the middle. Light streamed from the Clown as the anti-Demon wavelength in the attack dissipated it. "Be gone, Mad Clown; your soul is ours."
"Well played, girl," the clown managed, speaking laboriously. "But you have not stopped the Clowns, do not forget that…"
And with that, the creature faded away to nothing, leaving not even a trace of anything which resembled a soul. Maka breathed a sigh of relief as the madness stopped for now.
"We did it, Soul," she smiled. "We resonated like we used to…" She looked up. "How do you feel?"
"How do I feel?" Soul repeated the question, before smirking. "I feel twice as cool as normal."
Maka giggled, understanding, and stood, hurrying forwards towards the throne room to help Kid. She could not feel the presences around in this maze of stone and iron, but she had hope that he would be alright.
Well, sorry for the wait, but here is the next chapter of Next Step!
I'm aiming to finish this tale in one or two more chapters, get it over with at long last.
For now, all I have is this, so hope you enjoyed this instalment!
Also, yes, the concept of Maka's madness was derived from chapter 42 of the Manga, and a little from episode 21. I make no apologies of this, they just fitted so well with the situation.
With that said, bye-bye for now!