Training Days

by. Lacrow

Chapter Five

The Devil's Water Ain't So Sweet

As the duo's fists missed their one target and plummeted to the sand beneath them, the force of the impacts caused the earth itself to cascade into the air with each unplaced hit. Plumes of dirt rose from the desert sands, each one reaching higher than the last. Leon teeth clenched as he rushed into the air and dove towards the lunatic scythe in a last ditch effort to stop him from rampaging, both of his arms fully formed into blades as he spearheaded towards him. Soul's head stayed locked in place as his body did all the moving, quickly sidestepping to the left as Leon crashed into the sands yet again. Another plume formed. Followed by insane cackles.

"You should pay attention!"

The death-scythe swiveled around and found Stein right next to him, readying another blast of concentrated soul wavelength. The professor wasted no time as he grabbed the boy's bleach white hair and pulled his head in, thrusting his own arm deep into the weapon's stomach. A banshee shriek filled the air, along with the electric-like arcs of blue soul energy that seemed to radiate in all directions. Stein didn't let up. Again he pulled the arm back and again he channeled raw energy into the insane former self of Soul Evans, the scythe's eyes twirling in their sockets as he screamed in agony.

"Leon! Get up and secure him!" Stein roared over the sound of his own assault, words almost inaudible as screams filled the air. "Before he recovers agai-!"

His orders interrupted, Stein's sentence was cut short as Soul's eyes flickered back into place. The wicked grin he had earlier returned with a vengeance and, without warning, he suddenly broke free from his torture and jumped onto his teacher, sinking his sharp fangs into the base of his neck. Stein's soul resonance with himself quickly halted as the pain shot down his body and the air left his lungs. He stood there, trembling, as his student sunk his teeth deeper into his neck. Finally mustering up the strength to utter a few hoarse shrills, Stein grabbed at the boy's back and tried to pry him off.

"Soul! G-get...get the hell off of me!" he gasped, pulling ever harder at the back of his shirt.

The meister gathered his quickly depleting energy as best he could. He grabbed the back of Soul's jacket tightly and pulled with all his force. The harder he pulled, the harder Soul clamped down. Finally fed up with it and losing control of the situation fast, Stein took his hand and grasped the back of they boy's head. In an all or nothing attempt, Stein poured the remainder of his power into a full powered blast. Electricity arcing through finger tips, the professor sent a thundering bolt of energy directly into his head.

The smell of burnt hair. A horrific scene of electrically torched flesh. Helpless squeals from one of his own. It was a sensory overload that the weakened teacher just couldn't comprehend at the time. Soul released his grip immediately. The damage had been done. Falling backwards as the smoke poured from every inch of his head, he landed with a soft thud into the sand underneath him.

Stein stood over the lunatic for a moment. His knees trembled. His wound ached. The assault on his senses still poked deeply as his core. Then, slowly, Stein mimicked his students actions. As his head reeled, so too did he fall backwards into the sand. And as the thud of him landing soon disappeared from the air, the only thing left was the tense silence it left behind.

...Twenty Minutes Earlier...

"Don't do this, Soul!"

He didn't notice her at all, still engaged in his primal screech that seemed to go on forever. Soul's body heaved from lack of air, but somehow the sound still continued to reverberate from his lungs. The sight was terrifying, but there was no time to succumb to it. Throwing caution to the wind, Maka burst into a full speed sprint towards her weapon. She hoped it wasn't too late.

"S-soul! Stop it, please!"

She panted as quickly the gap between them closed. Her heart was racing from work and adrenaline and she tried desperately to calm herself, but the sights and sounds that met her as she approached him made things even worse. Maka's spirits sank as she stood over him, the weapon completely oblivious to her presence. Soul continued his own self-induced torture, the pain clearly visible on his marred and twisted face.

"Stop it!"

Still no response came from him. Maka watched in sorrow and pity as he fell to his knees, his breath becoming shallow. He could scream no more, but not of his own accord. The oxygen had long since left him and instead all he could do was move his chest, trying desperately to continue as if the insanity fueling his actions was forcing him to. The sight sickened his partner, her pity quickly turning into fury over the sad state she found him in. Maka wanted him to stop. He would've wanted her to make him stop as well, and the meister already had it in her mind she would oblige.

"I. Said. STOP IT!"

The book came out of nowhere, just as it always did. With all the force she could muster she brought the spine directly on his head to beat some sense into him. Soul shuddered, the force of the hit quickly snapping him out of his demented loop. He turned his head slowly to meet her eyes, blinking a few times as he seemed to partially regain some of his sanity. Maka looked down on him, eyes resolute though hazy. She desperately waited for a reply, anything. Something that would prove to her that he was still there, that he wasn't just some demon who masqueraded as the boy she cared for.

Luckily, her prayers were answered. With a heave, he coughed up as the air returned to him. His eyes softened and they grew wide, a small glimmer of realization reflected in his face. His fingers curled in the sand as his mouth parted, voice raspy as the words wheezed from the back of his throat.

"...Maka?"

Expression easing a bit, Maka gave him a tiny smile. "Welcome back."

"...What'd I do this time?" Soul looked away from her, severing their eye contact in fear of her noticing the broken expression on his face.

She shook her head. "Nothing yet. You should be glad I stopped you before you could."

He didn't reply. Soul just knelt there on the ground, staring out in front of him. Maka shifed uneasily, thinking that the realization of him losing control over his own body was too much for him to swallow. She came closer and stood behind him, gently putting her hand on his shoulder as she waited patiently for him to come fully around. His shoulders tensed up at her touch. He wasn't completely free from the madness, but she wasn't afraid of him. He was her weapon, her responsibility. Maka just waited there as his muscles relaxed on their own, letting him slowly adjust to her.

"Where's Leon?" he asked quietly

Maka's eyes quickly widened at his inquiry. Where was Leon? He had taken a blow to the head a minute before, did that mean he was passed out somewhere? Her stomach churned a bit as the realization of her words from earlier slowly sunk in. He won't go down that easily. Wasn't that what she had said? And hadn't she been right? The thought of a pissed off Leon frightened her. Not because of what his reaction might be, but because of what Soul's reaction would be when he saw him.

She watched her words carefully. "He's not here."

"Where is he then?"

"I don't know, Soul."

He snapped his head back, looking up at her through blood red eyes. They vibrated slightly, as if an indication of his unstable mind. "Tell me, Maka! I need to know!"

Maka held her breath. "I really don't know..."

She tightened her grip on his shoulder, fearing he might soon lose it again. He continued to stare up at her, not even so much as blinking. Then, as if being alerted by some unknown sign, Soul darted his eyes back in front of him. Maka sighed to herself in relief, thinking that Soul was merely focusing on non-existent clues as to Leon's whereabouts. However, when she felt his muscles become very tight and his head cock slightly to the side, Maka knew that her worst fears had been realized. He had found Leon.

Out from the scenic view of dirt and cactus' came the unmistakable image of a boy emerging from the sands. Half buried by the earth, the silt fell from his body as he rose up. Leon rubbed his forehead as he stumbled from the area. His feet wobbled underneath him as he slowly started to walk, but overall he remained relatively unhurt. He took a few steps before realizing he was being watched, then warily he brought his head up to see who it was.

"Didn't expect you to be up and about so soon. You death-scythes are just full of surprises." he grinned from the corner of his mouth, still very cautious of the opponent in front of him.

"You!" Soul hissed, body trembling as he hurriedly rose to his feet. Maka tried desperately to keep him from getting up, but to no avail. "I'm gonna break your neck!"

His partner could hear the harshness in his voice and the darkness that fueled it. It pained her to admit it and she desperately didn't want to, but Maka knew that there was nothing more she could do for him. He came up quickly and took a few steps forward, again ignoring her as he devoted all of his attention to the Demon Pata.

Leon tried his best to remain calm. "And why would you do that?"

"Stop FUCKING with me! You know what you did!" Soul roared as he brought his arm across his chest and pointed at the hole in his jacket. "You stabbed me right through the fucking HEART!"

Maka's eyes widened, realizing something as she stood behind him and watched. Where was the hole in his back? There wasn't anything there! His shirt was tattered and the hole was still clearly present in his jacket, but there were no wounds. She clearly remembered them being there not even two minutes ago, but then again, how long had they been there? And how was he moving his arm all of a sudden! Was it the Black Blood in his veins? Was it speeding his recovery? It still didn't explain how he had healed so quickly! What was going on?

From his spot some twenty feet away, Leon's face contorted into what looked like confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? I didn't stab you through the heart! Are you insane?"

A wicked grin spread across Soul's face. Leon was taken aback by the sudden zeal his opponent displayed and he took a step back. There was a terrifying feeling in the back of his mind that the scythe was quickly losing control of himself, and he was not going to take any chances on the matter. The Pata's arm quickly flashed at his side, transforming into a blade soon after. He let it hang loose, still unsure if he was actually going to need it or not.

"You really wanna know if I'm insane?"

Maka's heart sank as Soul brought his arms out in front of him, letting them morph into steel before everyone's eyes. The metal didn't have the usual gleam to them and it seemed dull, the usually silver parts turned a horrid gray. She wanted to reach out to him, to save him from the darkness mounting inside that morphed his very being, but Maka knew that it wasn't possible. She was left powerless as her friend and partner brought the scythes behind him, crouching into the perfect position for a sprint.

"Taste my blade, and tell me what you think!"

Leon stood firm in his place as Soul took off from his spot, the sheer force of his start-off causing the sand to whip up and blow into Maka's face. The latter brought her arms in front of her to shield her from the debris, trying desperately to keep her eyes on him. Leon swallowed as he transformed his other arm into a blade, quickly bringing the newly formed weapon across his other in an x-formation in front of him.

"Dammit, Soul Eater! I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Leon roared as the scythe approached his blades. "I never stabbed you there!"

With speed equivalent to that of his opponent, Soul quickly appeared in front of him. Blades poised to strike, the death-scythe rushed Leon in a frenzy. "You're a fucking LIAR!"

Squaring his stance and bending his knees, Leon held his ground as Soul came crashing into him. An audible clang of metal came from their blades, followed by their grunts as they fought for dominance. Leon pushed forward as he drove his feet, Soul fighting him off with the strength of his arms. Neither let up intentionally, but soon Leon was forced to. The longer their weapon-selves touched, the more Soul's blade dug into his own. It was as if his steel had become much sharper in the past few minutes, and he quickly had to concede before losing the weapon completely.

"Fine, call me a liar!" Leon shouted to his opponent as he brought his to foot to the latter's chest. "It won't change the truth!"

Kicking him off his own assault, Leon sent Soul backwards as he bought himself time to recover. The Demon Scythe fumbled a bit, not expecting the counter, but he didn't lose his focus. Quickly regaining sense of himself, the mad weapon came lurching forward again as Leon hurriedly readied his defenses. Neither had enough time to finish their actions though, because as quickly as they started, the sudden presence of a person between them caught the pair completely off guard.

Mid-motion, Soul looked over the interrupting body with wild eyes, quickly finding that it was teacher and mentor. He flashed his teeth at the interrupter. With little reason present in his thoughts anymore, Soul brought both of his blades forward and hoped to get rid of this added threat to his plans. Stein merely stood in front of him, wielding his death-scythe behind his back in a preparatory stance.

"That's enough, Soul!" Stein bellowed at him as the scythes came for his head, gripping the hilt of his weapon tighter.

"Get a hold of yourself!" his partner added.

"Everyone shut up!"

With intent to kill in his motions, Soul aimed to finish things. Scythes closing in quickly towards his face, the professor took immediate action. He spun his own scythe around in front of him, fingers dancing along the hilt as he flawlessly executed the maneuver. The butt of the shaft was banged against the ground as he concluded, resulting in the uniform shouts of the two participants. Soul Resonance.

Streaks of silvery ectoplasm emerged from Spirit's weapon form, balling up and mounting quickly as the form of a ghastly and ghoulish figure became more and more visible. Soul's blades connected with the mass, his attack being completely absorbed by the continually growing form. The ectoplasm crept up his weapon arm as he fought wildly to resist it, only to be sucked in even faster as the image of a misshapen ghost became completely reflected in the stuff. By the time everything was finished, Soul was in the belly of the beast with Stein, suspended in the plasm as the latter stood unfazed in an untouched spot. The death-scythe was trapped.

"What should we do with him?" Spirit asked, still stuck partially in the sand.

"Not now, senpai." Stein hushed him quickly, eyes narrowed at the suspended weapon in front of him.

Confused, Spirit looked on from his subconscious space. Behind them stood Leon, mouth agape in awe at the strange sight before him. In front of them, the gaze of a frozen-in-place Soul Eater met his eyes, the look on his face being a mix of shock and anger. Ever so slowly, the student began to twitch in the goo. First his fingers, then his foot, and soon his entire body started squirming. It was all very slight and he still seemed relatively restrained, but Spirit knew that it was not going to last forever. He would eventually free himself of his prison.

"Spirit..." Stein said in a low tone. He pulled the scythe out of the sand and held it gently in his hands. "Listen carefully."

The death-scythe could sense his meister's sentiments and intentions clearly. Without a word, he immediately changed back into his human form as Stein released him. Landing on his feet, the weapon stayed obediently in his place as he looked with concern at his partner.

"What is it?"

Stein adjusted his glasses. "I want you to stay out of the fight. When the plasm gives way, go to your daughter. Stay with her, comfort her, do something. Just stay away from here, and let me handle it."

"Why would you want me to do that?" Spirit replied, taking a step back. "You need me, Stein! You honestly expect me to leave you alone with him?"

He motioned to the now writhing weapon suspended in the goo. Soul's movements were getting more noticeable and slowly the mass started to give way to his struggle.

"The insanity is coming from Soul, meaning that the longer we fight, the more of a chance that I'll succumb to it. If I start to lose control, and I'm wielding you, who knows what could happen? It'd be safer for everyone involved if I did this myself."

Maka's father looked at his partner, then at his daughter's weapon. The young scythe's legs started to kick violently as his confinement started to loosen, his arms thrashing just as wildly. The muscles in his face twitched in anticipation as his lips parted into an evil grin, eyes flashing a threatening, demented look.

Spirit shifted uncomfortably. "I still don't think you should go in alone."

"Caring for me, senpai? I'm touched." Stein chuckled, looking back to find his weapon's eyes narrowed at him. "I won't be doing this alone, of course. Leon will assist me. The two of us will handle this quickly."

"You sure?"

The sloshing sounds of falling liquid forced the two to divert their eyes back to Soul. He had broken his arm through the inner wall of the ectoplasm and, his right hand free, began to claw around the hole he created. Pieces began to fall off in bulk and the material itself seemed to weaken. As it fell to the ground the mass turned to liquid instantly then after a few seconds, evaporated into nothingness. Very quickly the wall itself began to break down, leaving an ever growing window for Soul to soon climb out from.

Stein slid his feet into position as he crouched into a battle ready stance. "There's no time to think about it, Spirit. You know what to do."

Spirit nodded as the scene quickly shifted in front of him. The walls came crashing down around him, the ectoplasm finally reaching its breaking point as Soul ripped at it meticulously. With the small window of opportunity that was allowed him, the older death-scythe turned and ran towards his daughter as he left his partner to deal with the weapon that came rushing towards him. Throwing a glance over his shoulders as he ran, Spirit saw Stein parry his student's strikes with electrically charged fists, eyes intense as he read every move that came his way.

"Leon!" he yelled out to the Demon Pata as he ran in the opposite direction. "Get in there and help Stein fix this mess you made!"

From across the desert sands, the previously inactive weapon suddenly popped to attention at the sound of his name. Leon didn't know this person who was yelling at him, nor did he particularly know who Stein was, but he could figure soundly that he was the teacher who was fighting Soul. Not wanting to be blamed for the situation nor left out the action, he gave a self directed nod of confirmation. He brought out his arm blades and immediately set out with his incredible speed, dashing with a newfound sense of vigor.

"I'm coming, Stein!" Leon shouted out as he ran, assuming that the gray haired man was the one he was referring to.

Stein blocked a swipe from one of Soul's blades, only to have blood drip from the fresh cut it made onto his steel. "Make it quick, Camp!"

Roaring as if in acknowledgement, the young Pata did his signature jump into the air, bringing his arms in as he spiraled towards his target. Soul was too busy to notice the quickly approaching weapon flying towards him, opting instead to continue pounding away at the target in front of him. Stein dodged jab after jab, swipe after swipe, trying to buy enough time for Leon as he came in for a landing. After coming close to pegging Stein in the chest, Soul opened his mouth to say something but was quickly hushed by a whistling sound behind him. Bewildered, he turned around to see what it was, only to watch in shock as Leon came crashing towards him.

With barely enough time to blink, the force of the blow caused the two opponents to slam into the ground, a giant plume of sand forming from the sheer magnitude of the impact. Stein stayed motionless as the wind rattled his hair, remaining calm even though he knew that at any moment Soul would probably jump up and continue his assault. Sure enough, a moment after the dust settled and the gusts calmed, the unmistakable images of Soul and Leon emerged. The scythe had Leon by the throat, somehow having caught him mid-air during the attack. Stein gaped at the sheer strength that the Black Blood awarded him, but there was no time to ponder.

"That's enough, Soul Eater!" he screamed at his student, quickly charging a Soul Menace attack as he blitzed towards him.

Soul shook Leon as he clamped down on his throat, completely oblivious to the other opponent as he took sadistic pleasure in hearing the Pata's grunts and rasps. It wasn't until Stein came within a foot of him did he spare a glance his way, but it was already too late. A blue lightning infused fist came as an uppercut into his stomach, sending Soul flying backwards as his grip on Leon was released. The scythe skidded on his side along the sand, kicking up debris until he came to sudden halt. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Stein held out his hand to his other downed student, the latter quickly taking him up at the offer.

"Thank you, sir." Leon wheezed, rubbing his throat.

"Don't thank me, just fight. I want to finish this with as little collateral as possible." Stein replied coldly.

"Understood."

Quickly returning their attention back to their target, they watched as Soul hopped back to his feet with relative ease. Seemingly not fazed by the hit at all, the possessed boy cocked his head to the side. Eyes clear, the tell-tale signs of reason and humanity had long since left them. Instead, the posture and behaviors of an animal replaced them, Soul crouched into his now overused posture. He stared directly at them as if taunting them to come at him. The duo looked at each other and decided silently that they would take him up on the offer. Readying themselves for a moment before breaking apart in a pincer formation, Stein and Leon rushed towards their mark. They hoped to finish things in around five minutes.

...Twenty Minutes Later...Present Time...

Spirit stood there awkwardly with his daughter at the other end of the field. They had been observing the entire battle together for the past half hour or so, and the entire time he had tried to console her. The only problem was she was inconsolable. Not because his daughter was distraught, far from it. Maka was a rock that could not be budged. She stood there with him, albeit it silently, and had glued her eyes faithfully to her partner the entire duration of his rampage. Spirit tried to fulfill his fatherly duties to her, but as always that goal seemed so far out of reach. She didn't need him at the moment, then again she never really needed him. Still, that fact didn't seem to keep him from trying.

"M-maka? Angel?" he asked timidly as he gazed at her through the corners of his eyes.

"What is it." she replied flatly, eyes still glued to the fight.

A rock formed in the father's throat. That tone of her's made his blood run cold, but there was no way he could chicken out on her. He had to scrounge what little dignity he had and be a responsible parent. If not for the sake of maintaining their already strange relationship, then at least to comfort her. Even if she didn't want to be comforted.

He cleared his throat. "You know I'm here for you, right...?"

The scythe berated himself over and over again in his head. He had already said that at least twice already, and he doubted she wanted him to say it again. His palms sweat out rivers. What else could he say? He wasn't good at stuff like this! Maybe if he put her arm around her and hugged her? No, that would only piss her off. Dammit! What to do, what to do-

"-I know, papa."

Spirit's eyes forced open, quickly turning his head towards her. She didn't dare look at her father, but Maka had done the next best thing. She had acknowledged his attempts, and that was all he could ask for as a father. The confidence inside him mounted and he felt assured enough to carry on with the conversation.

At the same time, however, his heart sank a bit when he caught her expression. Maka's brows were stoic and strong, but her eyes were the exact opposite. They seemed so distant, so sad. It was as if on the outside she seemed to be keeping a strong upper lip, while deep down she was being ripped in two. Spirit couldn't help but think of his ex-wife when he saw this. The second she broke up with him, that face was there to greet him. Kami had been so hurt she could've burst into tears, but she had to be strong, both for her dignity and for the sake of her daughter. So, she just bit through it and kicked his sorry ass out the door. He had hoped that he would never see the same look on his daughter's face, but apparently, it was meant to be.

Even more unfortunate still, he knew exactly how to fix things. The one time where he could actually solve one of his daughter's problems, also happened to be the same time where he wanted so desperately not to tell her anything. But, her sadness convinced him otherwise. Sighing to himself as he jammed his fists into his pockets, Spirit looked out in front of him.

"You know the little pervert likes you, right?"

Maka immediately broke her frozen gaze and looked at her father, completely bewildered as to how to respond. She actually thought she heard him wrong. "What?"

"You heard me!" Spirit snorted, his usually gentle demeanor with her turned to a sour annoyance. "Everyone else seems to think so!"

Out from the corners of his eyes, the death-scythe couldn't help but notice the shift in his daughter's mood. The underlying sadness that pervaded her ceased altogether, and was replaced instead with a sort of exuberance that he'd never seen in his daughter before, at least not around him. Maka's sad eyes welled up with tears, but her father knew it wasn't from the aforementioned emotion. It pained him to say it, but Spirit knew that simple thought he had instilled in her was enough to bring her completely around. He sighed to himself mentally. How would he get out of this later?

"...Why are you telling me this?" she asked thickly, taking a deep breath as she looked at her papa.

Spirit ducked his head, grinding his teeth slightly as the words came from his lips. "Because, Maka. You care a lot about him. I just thought that you should know."

"Of course I care about him!" Maka croaked in quick response to his statement. "He's my weapon! My partner! Why wouldn't I care?"

He picked up on her tone and smiled a bit as he went along with her false words. "Well then, if he's your partner, why are you here telling me this? Shouldn't you be out there with him?"

Maka stood there for a moment as the water in her eyes slowly receded, staring at her father with a strange sort of look. He wasn't being an asshole like he usually was, and he was actually bearable enough to talk to this time. Where was the strange papa she loved to hate? Maka didn't have the answer to that, but she knew that whatever was happening it was a good thing.

"Papa, I-"

"-Just get going already." he cut her off, motioning with his head at the fight taking place so far off. "Before I change my mind."

His daughter looked at him for a moment, then at the desert in front of her. He could tell by the way she looked that Maka wasn't sure what to think. But, after a moment of contemplation, she turned her head to him and gave him a very rarely seen smile.

"Thanks, Dad."

Spirit closed his eyes, trying to hide the exuberance that shined through them. "You're welcome, angel."

With those few words, Maka immediately took off towards her partner. She left Spirit there by his lonesome, letting him watch her as she ran as fast as her legs would carry her. The red headed death-scythe just stood there, sighing to himself as his daughter ran off towards danger. He wasn't worried for her, no more than usual anyway. She was a mesiter. She was his ex-wife's daughter. If anyone could bring Soul Eater around, it was her. Still, he couldn't help but run his fingers through his hair at the thought of that little punk getting anywhere near his precious Maka.

"The hell did I just do?"

A.N:

It's 5 in the morning. Out with the stomach flu I guess, but there was no way I was going to miss another deadline. I do it for you guys!

Prom was interesting. Between food poisoning, losing my phone, and my girlfriend getting pissed off at me, it was not a magical night. But, it worked out, so whatever lol

I made sure to make this chapter a long one (due to me not having updated) and no doubt you've noticed a few plot twists in this one. Trust me, I masquerade as a professional. I know what I'm doing :P

I've made it a habit to read all your reviews faithfully. Ya'll are the bread to my butter, thanks for all of your continued support! Chapter 6 is coming soon (I promise I won't make you wait a week for this one)