Kuroi Chi no Yume 7
Once again, thank you all for your lovely and inspiring reviews! It's great to know that people are really taking an interest in this story and it really motivates me to continue writing. Okay, chapter 7!
^^^^^^^CHAPTER 7^^^^^^^
Maka rolled off her bed to avoid the first Kishen's deadly sword-shaped arm. The blade sliced through the mattress and bed frame like it was rice paper.
"Soul! Transform into a scythe!" She yelled to her disoriented partner who was groggily rubbing his eyes.
"Wha-?" He glanced at Maka who was trying to wriggle out of the twisted covers on the floor and then at the second Kishin who was now closing in on his helpless meister. The second of the twin Kishin eggs raised an enormous sword like arm just as Maka freed herself. Like the well-oiled team they were, Maka raised her arms to defend herself and Soul appeared in her grip in scythe form. The blow was much harder than Maka was expecting and her arms nearly buckled from the force of it.
That was insane! And that wasn't even a powerful attack… It was true; the blow had been a casual swipe at a disabled target, not even a powerful strike at an equally strong enemy. Out of the corner of her eye, Maka saw the first monster coming at them again from the side. Vaulting high in the air with the intention of leaping over both Kishin eggs and getting an attack from behind, Maka was startled at just how fast these Kishins really were. The first reached out a long claw-like hand that would have hooked her torso if the second Kishin hadn't also been reaching for her. The second Kishin missed but managed to knock her out of the path of the first. It was a lucky break, Maka knew.
I can't believe how strong and fast these Kishin eggs are…this is like nothing I've ever faced before… Maka picked herself up, but before she even had time to take her stance the first Kishin egg was attacking again. She leapt his swipe at her legs, swinging Soul towards its neck. The beast casually flicked its sword arm at the oncoming scythe, nearly knocking it from Maka's hands. She had hardly regained her grip on the weapon when the sword of the second Kishin egg came crashing towards her head. She swung her weapon up, bracing for the impact. The blow reverberated through her arms and legs, making them feel like Jell-o, but she held him off, even if it was just barely.
"Maka!" Soul yelled from his scythe form, "On your right!" The first one saw his opportunity while Maka was holding off the second's attack. Maka bit her lip in concentration, twisting the scythe to deflect the sword pushing down on her. She twirled and ducked, managing to avoid both attacks. Now behind the second Kishin egg she took advantage of her opportunity to hook the blade of her scythe between the Kishin's legs in an attempt to bring it down. She couldn't believe how fast the monster moved, curling it's left clawed hand around the blade of the weapon. Maka jerked back, but the scythe was caught firmly between the claws of the second Kishin. Her sixth sense suddenly screamed at her that there was a presence directly to her left. The young technician pulled again, but to no avail.
"Shit…!" Maka tried to dodge the blow and managed to avoid the first Kishin egg's sword but the thick arm caught the side of her head and with force that she wouldn't have believed possible, she felt herself being thrown back, crashing through the hotel window right next to the hole created by the twin Kishins earlier.
"Maka!" Soul called out, turning back to human form and attempting to disentangle himself from the Kishin's claws and legs. He rolled; barely dodging the deadly claws aimed for his head and dove out the broken window without a second thought.
"MAKA!" He hollered again, getting his meister's attention. He stretched out his arm reaching for her hand. Their fingers brushed for a moment and it seemed like it wouldn't be quite enough but then their hands clasped together firmly. Turning his other arm into a blade, Soul caught the side of the building, slowing their descent enough for Maka to grab hold of a window ledge. With her usual grace the young scythe technician pulled herself up onto the ledge next to her partner.
"Damn…" Soul breathed, trying to catch his breath. That had been far too close for comfort. He was going to die of a heart attack at the age of 20 if they kept getting missions like this one. "You okay, Maka?"
"Yeah, you?" Maka was also struggling to catch her breath from the death-defying sky dive. Her green eyes were still wide and she could feel her body shaking with the combined adrenaline of the fight and the near-death experience a few moments ago.
"Fine," Soul assured her, "but can we please get a room that's on the ground floor next time?"
"It wasn't my choice!" Maka protested, "Shinigami-sama is the one who paid for the rooms."
"Well that explains why it's on the forty second floor then…" Soul sighed, glancing up to the floor they had fallen from.
"Yeah…" Maka frowned as if in thought.
"What?"
"Well, don't you think it's a little weird that those Kishin eggs came right for us? I mean, we were all the way up there; it would have been much easier for them to attack someone on the ground floor. Not to mention anyone else wouldn't have been able to fight back."
"Huh," Soul frowned, "You're right. Do you think someone sent them after us?"
"Maybe…I didn't know it was possible to command Kishin eggs; we were always taught that they gave up their rationality in exchange for power when they devoured human souls-" Suddenly the young technician's eyes widened and she grabbed Soul's wrist.
"Hey! Wha-" Maka pushed off of the building, pulling her partner with her a moment before the ledge they were standing on exploded into millions of pieces. Before the dust and rubble even cleared the first of the Kishin eggs burst out, furious that it had missed the targets that should have been sitting ducks.
"Soul!"
"Right!" Without hesitation, Maka raised her hands, her weapon materializing in her grip and blocking the attack that would have ripped her in two. Of course she had a new problem; she was now falling again towards the ground, this time with a Kishin on top of her.
"Maka!" Soul warned her as she again blocked the beast's sword arm with the pole of the scythe. The Kishin swiped at her with its left claw hand, forcing her to focus her blocking on that side. With its right arm free, it lunged confidently at the meister. Gritting her teeth, Maka brought her foot up, deflecting the flat side of the blade with her heel. She took advantage of the Kishin's surprise to twirl the blade of the scythe up and hook it around the back of the creature's neck. With lightning reflexes, the monster stopped the blade before it could sever its neck with the claw hand.
Now you're mine! Determined to wipe the smug look off the Kishin egg's face, she brought her knees to her chest before slamming both feet into the beast's face, gripping the scythe tightly. Unable to stop the force of Maka's kick the Kishin's neck snapped back against the blade, severing its head from the rest of the body.
"Maka!" Soul yelled again and the meister assumed that the ground was closer than she'd initially thought. Flipping the decapitated body of the Kishin off of herself, she reached out her weapon for the hotel building, hoping the blade would catch on something enough to slow their fall. Luck was with the young meister and weapon as Soul's blade caught on a brass light fixture which astonishingly held their weight. Maka tightened her grip on the scythe, but still gasped as her arms were nearly wrenched from her shoulder sockets from the force of suddenly stopping.
"Don't you think you cut that one a little close?" Soul breathed after a moment.
"Maybe a bit." Maka admitted, hopping the remaining three feet to the ground. Under other circumstances this distance may have been unnerving, but the meister was still feeling the rush of victory from defeating the first Kishin. Maka surveyed the destroyed Kishin as it disappeared, leaving only a floating red soul in its wake.
"Above!" Her partner called out, turning back to human form to tackle his meister to the ground, knocking her out of the way of the second Kishin who had jumped all the way to the ground without injury. Without hesitation, the Kishin leapt at the pair. Maka and Soul were already getting used to the unfaltering speed of the twin Kishins and were already in battle-ready stance. Only moments into the fight however, Maka became acutely aware that they had gotten a very lucky shot on the previous Kishin. The unnerving power combined with unwavering speed made for the most deadly Kishin she'd ever faced, save for the Devil Sword in Italy. Her arms were quickly starting to feel like limp noodles from blocking the impossibly powerful hits and the beast's speed made her think twice about trying to attack and leaving herself open.
"Maka, are you okay?" Soul questioned after a particularly hard hit brought the technician to her knees. Maka rolled out of the way to avoid a sword slash that shattered the pavement as if it were nothing but a sheet of glass.
"I'm fine." Maka replied, breaths coming heavily.
I can do this! She vowed to herself, trying to quell the exhausted trembling in her legs. The last few minutes she had been running on pure adrenaline and it was starting to wear off, leaving the same dead-tired girl that had slumped into her bed only an hour earlier.
I have to be strong! I know I can do this! Tightening her grip on her weapon, she charged at her enemy, swinging with all her might. The Kishin egg swatted away her strike as if it were nothing more than a pesky fly.
Shit…! She was wide open now, her momentum not allowing her to turn back. The monster lunged at her, teeth bared and deadly claws raised. Luck was again with the young technician as she slipped sideways, managing not to be impaled by the slicing claws, but the creature's shoulder clipped her head, sending her spiraling to the ground. Not wasting any time, the meister sprung to her feet, dodging the sword that buried itself in the pavement where her head had been mere milliseconds earlier.
"Maka, I think we need to try something else. What about the Witch Hunt?" Soul suggested, noting the exhausted trembling emanating from his partner. Maka bit her lip, trying to steady her shaking limbs.
"But…"
"The goal of the black blood is to create a Kishin by devouring any soul it can, including that of its technician."
The professor's words played through Maka's mind again.
"But Soul wouldn't-"
"He might not be in control."
She hadn't told Soul about what Stein had said to her, mostly because she knew he would never agree to use the Witch Hunt if there was a chance Maka's soul would be devoured.
I trust him…
She remembered her own revelation that took place right before their trip. I would trust Soul with my life; I can trust him with my soul.
"Okay, let's do this!" Maka answered determinedly.
Whew, first real fight scene I ever wrote! How was it? Good? Bad? Impossible to follow? So amazing that you want to leave a detailed review dedicated to just how perfectly written it was? No? Sigh. A girl can dream… Feedback is much-loved as always and any critique is also welcomed. :D