Once again a long time between updates, for which you all have my utmost apologies. As per usual, I appreciate all the comments and the people who have taken time for this story: Thank you!
To Cheng: I'm not entirely sure about your question, so I will simply respond with: Because I am eeeeviiiil! Muah ha ha ha!
To Wanderwithme4now: *Is properly chastised by your finger-shaking* Thank you for your review. I'm glad you thought the characters were…well…in character, and I'm glad you enjoyed the morphine bit :) I have personally never been on morphine, though I was drugged up with something when I got my wisdom teeth pulled and this is kinda how I remember it! As for pairings by the end…well I make no promises;)
To MusicSoundsMySoul 14: I loved your emoticon reactions! I hope you still have hair by this time, my apologies for the slow update.
To Aquatwin: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much, but as I said, no promises for endings;) Muah ha ha ha! (Although I should probably add I'm a sucker for a happy ending so writing a sad ending would be difficult for me…)As for the drama, I know reading stories like this always drive me crazy because the whole time I'm thinking "Just talk to each other already!" but at the same time, it's a good hook to keep people interested (I'm shameless…)
To Scythemeister: Thank you! Your comments mean a lot to me, it's always encouraging to find someone who enjoys my writing ^^
Well, here it is, chapter 11. At least it's a long one after all that waiting:)
^^^^^^^^^^^Chapter 11^^^^^^^^^^^
Soul carefully climbed out of the cab, mindful of the thick bandages covering his back. The doctors had been very reluctant to sign their release forms that afternoon, but Maka had been insistent. Unhappily, their doctor had finally filled out the required paper work and seen them on their way with a warning not to overexert themselves. He glanced around to see that Maka had already climbed out of the cab and was waiting for him. Under normal circumstances she probably would have tossed an impatient "c'mon Soul, we're going to miss the plane!" at him, but instead his partner only met his eyes for the briefest of moments before finding her shoes more interesting.
Is she scared of me? He blinked, unsure where the thought had come from. He could picture her being upset, angry, disappointed with him, but was it possible she was actually scared of him?
She should be. I'm scared of me…
"Maka?" He asked, shoving his hands further into his pockets to avoid fidgeting. She looked up sharply and he couldn't mistake the anxiety in her eyes.
"Yeah?" Though she tried to keep her voice light, he could hear the tension.
"Nevermind." He muttered softly, turning away, "we should get going before we miss our flight."
"Yeah…" They shuffled along in silence for the next little while, Maka flashing her ID at a flight attendant who led them to the VIP boarding area. Soul didn't miss the way she grimaced in pain and held her ribs, trying to make the gesture look casual. Despite the obvious pain she was in, she thanked the flight attendant who gestured to the corridor to board the plane and set of with her head high and shoulders squared.
Maka… You are so much stronger than I am…
"There are ways of becoming stronger, Soul." An unmistakable voice whispered in his ear.
"What!" He whirled, trying to find the culprit. The poor flight attendant who was the closest person looked completely taken aback at the weapon's hard glare.
"Ahh… I-I didn't say anything, sir…" She said meekly, stepping away from the rather intense look Soul was casting in her direction.
"You shouldn't scare people like that, Soul. It's not very nice. They're going to think you're crazy if you start talking out loud to the voices in your head!" Giggled the voice Soul never wanted to hear again.
"You!" He growled in a low voice. The flight attendant looked like she was on the verge of bolting; her terrified eyes scanned the area for an escape.
"If you desire power…" The world suddenly went dark, the only light coming from floating blue orbs all around him. There was a delicious looking one right in front of him. They were everywhere and Soul could feel the saliva pooling in his mouth.
"Soul!" A shake of his shoulders, followed by a sharp rapport from the wounds on his back brought light back to his dark world.
"Wha-?" He glanced to his side to see a pair of worried looking green eyes peering into his.
"Are you okay?" His partner asked in a low voice. Soul understood she didn't just mean 'do your wounds hurt?' but that she meant 'are you alright in the head?'. The proper answer to both questions was of course the following lie.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired…" Maka offered an apology to the frightened attendant, telling her they had just gotten out of the hospital and there were probably still drugs in his system and he really wasn't himself right now. The flight attendant smiled a tight wobbly smile, accepting Maka's apology and unlikely explanation.
Coming to my rescue again… Soul thought, still trying to shake off the image of all those souls dancing around and looking so delicious…
"You will fall."
Stay out of my head, you bastard! Soul mentally raged, making sure not to say anything aloud this time.
"Let's go." His meister murmured to him, ushering him along with her good arm. They made it to their seats, the voice thankfully remaining quiet. Soul shifted in his seat, reaching for the belt when he saw the sign above their heads flash on. Clicking the belt in place he noticed Maka was fumbling with hers, attempting to fasten the belt with only her left hand.
"Do you need any help?" He offered, noting her growing frustration.
"No, I can do it!" She growled in return. Soul almost smiled. He should have supposed that would be her answer. He'd been her partner long enough now to know how fiercely stubborn and independent she was.
"Ha!" His meister exclaimed when the belt finally clipped into place. Hardly a moment passed after Maka's triumph over the seatbelt before the Captain's voice came over the PA system, instructing them to fasten their seatbelts, put their trays and seatbacks in the upright positions and enjoy their ride.
"Hopefully it will be more enjoyable then the last one." Soul muttered under his breath. Maka snorted in agreement. Despite the forecasts for nice weather, Soul's fingers still dug into the armrests as the plane began taxiing down the runway, gathering speed before lifting from the ground. It was unnatural that anything this big could fly so effortlessly. Soul shot a glance at his partner to see if she was sharing his anxieties and was mildly amused to find she was already sleeping, mouth hanging open as she snored softly.
I guess it has been quite the long trip. He thought to himself, reclining his own chair. In reality I suppose it was only a couple of day's time, but it felt like it's been weeks. At least we got two Kishin souls out of it; that's two souls closer to becoming a Death Scythe… With a start, Soul suddenly remembered that such things would no longer matter when they returned to Death City. That's right… my dreams of becoming a Death Scythe are pretty much over aren't they? He glanced again at his sleeping partner, thinking of how close he'd come to devouring her soul. Even if it means giving up my dreams… giving up you as a partner… I can't allow myself to hurt you, Maka. No matter what happens, I'll protect you… With that grim resolve set firmly in his heart, Soul closed his eyes, allowing the past few days' exhaustion to overtake him.
==-S-O-U-L-_-E-A-T-E-R-==
"Aw Soul, that's so noble of you!" An annoying voice exclaimed sarcastically. Soul opened his eyes to the usual checkerboard floor room, complete with skipping gramophone and small well-dressed demon. He ignored the small monster, deciding not to dignify anything it had to say with a response.
"How very tragic," The monster giggled, "but do you really think that simply leaving your little girlfriend will solve all your problems?" Soul continued to ignore the beast, closing his eyes and listening to the cheesy jazz music.
"They're still going to think you're crazy! They'll lock you up in a padded room! They'll throw away the key!" The small demon suddenly appeared in front of him, invading his personal space.
"They will hunt you down like every other Kishin," The demon's voice changed from its usual irritating tone to a creepily serious one, "and when that time comes you will either be strong enough to destroy them, or you will be killed." Soul tried not to think about the words but couldn't deny the cold shiver that ran down his spine.
"You're better off just handing over the key now." The monster continued.
"Huh?" Momentarily forgetting his vow to ignore everything the frustrating beast said, Soul turned to him trying to see what he meant.
"In your hand." The red monster's eyes were gleaming as it spoke.
"What?" Soul looked in his hand and sure enough a silver key shone in the dim light.
"Just hand it over." The demon said, holding out its hand expectantly. Soul studied the key for a moment. As he did, he got the overwhelming sensation that he needed to protect this key with his life. He didn't know what it was for and couldn't explain where the sudden desire had come from, but clutched the key closer anyway.
"No."
"Soul, give me the key." He looked up at the demon and took a step back, shocked. In the monster's place now stood Maka, her hand outstretched and a smile far too big for her face stretching from ear to ear.
"I can't…" He replied taking another step away.
"I need it!" She roared suddenly leaping for him, eyes flashing an unnatural yellow. He couldn't move out of her way fast enough and was knocked to the ground, his partner raining down blows on him.
"I need it! I need the key!" She screamed, nails digging into his arm in an attempt to get him to release his death grip on the key.
"No!" He yelled, trying to throw her off.
"Give me the key, Soul!" The demon's voice roared from Maka's throat.
"You can't have it!" Soul growled, managing to flip his meister off and climb to his feet. Turning again to face his opponent, he saw that the demon had abandoned its Maka disguise and was back to its usual inhuman shape.
Only bigger. Soul had to crane his neck to see the monster's face. Faster than the scythe weapon could react, the demon's giant meaty hand reached out, knocking him down and pinning him to the checkered floor in a smooth motion. The enormous hand that had grown to the size of his entire torso was squeezing, wringing the life from him. Soul gasped in pain as he felt ribs break, organs squish, and blood pool.
"Give me the key!" He couldn't reply; he had no breath left in his body. Were dreams supposed to be this real? Soul could feel his body going slack against the shock and pain, his trembling fingers loosening their grip on the silver key.
No… I can't…I…can't… With its second giant hand the monster delicately pinched the key between its oversized thumb and forefinger, lifting it from Soul's grip. He had the overwhelming sense that he'd just lost something very important…
==-S-O-U-L-_-E-A-T-E-R-==
Maka yawned loudly, stretching her good arm in the air and wincing as her broken ribs protested the stretch. Glancing at her watch she noted that they had about half an hour before the plane was scheduled to land. She glanced over to her partner to see him tossing restlessly.
Another nightmare? She wondered worriedly. Admittedly with everything that had happened in the last couple of days she'd completely forgotten about Soul's sleepless nights.
He was probably tired to begin with and then I forced this tough mission on him… She grit her teeth at her own inconsiderateness. Really, what was I thinking? Soul, I'm sorry…again… A sudden movement from the seat next to her made her look up to see her partner sitting perfectly straight in his seat. Maka's danger sense was screaming at her that something was very wrong.
"Soul? Are you okay?" Her worries were confirmed when her partner slowly turned to her, pointed teeth forming a huge grin and normally red eyes now twin pools of endless black.
"Soul isn't here right now." A grating voice exclaimed gleefully. Maka felt her eyes widen at the foreign voice coming from her partner's throat.
"What have you done with him?" She cursed the trembling of her voice.
"He was weak. We will become strong." The Soul who was not Soul turned his arm into a scythe, slicing the seatbelt and standing in one fluid motion. Maka fumbled with her own seatbelt as the monster in her friend's appearance strode purposely toward her. Managing to release the catch right before he reached her, she rolled out of her seat the moment before it was sliced in half by a red and black scythe arm.
"Soul! Soul, you have to wake up!" Maka yelled, desperately.
"Silly girl," the voice taunted laughingly, "that won't work on us." He lunged for her again and she managed to sidestep his attack, wincing as her wounds protested the movement.
"Hold still!" The obsidian eyes drilled into hers, sending shivers down her spine. He lunged again. Maka felt her feet slip from under her. She went down hard, the blade of Soul's weapon aimed at her throat. Instincts took over. Both feet up. Hit square in the stomach. Throw the weight over her. Roll to her feet. Soul's body went crashing through the narrow passageway of the plane, past the curtain that separated the first class area that they'd been in from the economy class where at least fifty other people were sitting.
Shit! Maka could make out panicked talking followed closely by screams from the rest of the passengers. She clutched her chest as pain from the already broken ribs flared.
This probably doesn't count as taking it easy. Maka thought grimly as she pushed aside the pain and rushed past the curtain into the economy cabin. Chaos surrounded her with people screaming, shoving each other aside, fumbling with their own seatbelts and Soul stood in the middle of it with the same frightening grin and black eyes.
"Soul!"
"More power! We must have more power!" The dark eyes fell on a young woman who was desperately trying to unfasten her seatbelt and move to the other side of the plane like the others. Unfortunately her fingers were trembling too much to undo the buckle. The grin on her partner's face widened as the scythe arm went up.
"Oh no you don't!" Maka growled at the demon possessing her friend. She leapt forward, ignoring the burning pain in her knees, the knife-like pain in her ribs and the dizzying pain in her head. The scythe arm came down as Maka's body collided with Soul's. The technician heard a whoosh of air whistle past her ear and felt a tug on her hair. The sandy colored hair in her left pigtail fell free from its tie, telling her just how close the blow had been. The two bodies tumbled into the narrow aisle, knocking against seats, luggage and other passengers. Maka felt a something hard like a knee or elbow hit her in the stomach and gasped as the air rushed out of her lungs. Twisting limbs, flashing blades and dark eyes filled with malice became her reality for the moment. Maka could only thank her intensive training and sharp instincts for managing to flip her partner off of herself, smoothly pinning his arms behind his back.
"Get off of us!" The growling voice that did not belong to her partner roared from his throat. Still panting from the blow to her stomach, Maka only tightened her grip, pushing her knee between her opponent's shoulder blades.
Now what?
"Soul! Soul, please wake up!" She yelled, desperate for her voice to get through.
"Release us!" The voice screamed the body beneath her writhing against her grip. She almost lost it for a moment before leaning heavier on Soul's back, preventing him from twisting so much under her.
What can I do? If only Professor Stein were here… or Shinigami-Sama… or even that nurse, Medusa… Maka's train of thought was interrupted when she noticed her knee was starting to feel wet. The technician looked down to see her own scrapes were bleeding over the back of Soul's shirt. She grimaced and was about to turn away when something else caught her eye. Soul's wounds also seemed to have reopened and blood was pooling around her knee. Black blood. A sudden flash in her mind's eye replayed their last battle in Italy.
The Devil Sword's black blood. Nearly unstoppable. The insanity in the meister's eyes. Their desperation to defeat this enemy. Professor Stein's palm glowing with the strength of his soul. The sound of contact between the professor's hand and the Devil Sword. Purging the black blood…
But I'm not Professor Stein! My soul isn't strong enough… She was forced to tighten her grip yet again as her partner nearly slipped from her grasp. She tried not to think about the damage she was causing to the injuries on Soul's back.
"RELEASE US!" The inhuman voice seemed to come from Soul's chest rather than his mouth. Maka ignored the voice, ignored the sounds around her, the panicked passengers, the plane engines. She ignored the pain radiating throughout her body, her ribs protesting her every breath, her knees screaming in pain, right arm now loose from the sling and hanging uselessly at her side. She concentrated on her soul, the small glowing blue light at her center that was the very essence of her existence. She felt its rhythm, the melody of her heart, the song that was Maka. She let it move through her with the beating of her heart, to her fingers, to her toes, to her head. She pushed all the energy singing through her body into her left hand.
"Purge!" Hoping against hope that by some miracle this might work, she released all the energy, pushing it into Soul's body. It was a similar process to resonating souls with her partner, the only difference was instead of trying to harmonize to melodies, this was more like forcing the other to play your melody. It felt a bit wrong, invasive, forceful, but Maka grit her teeth and continued.
"NO!" The inhuman scream was terrifying, blood-chilling, but the scythe technician pressed on. Light enveloped her partner's body, every inch of skin, every hair glowing brightly. And then it was over. The silence was the most deafening thing Maka had heard in her life.
"Soul?" She whispered, terrified of the answer she might get, or, more terrifying, might not get. "Soul… please be okay… please wake up…" She fought to keep the tears in check, angrily wiping them away with her left sleeve. She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried as much as she had the past week or so.
"Soul…"
==-S-O-U-L-_-E-A-T-E-R-==
The giant beast that was pinning him to the ground suddenly let out a blood-curdling shriek. It shook its head, covering its head with its free arm as if in pain.
"NO!" It roared, light pouring from its mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. Light exploded from the demon's torso, shattering its skin into thousands of pieces. Soul closed his eyes against the blinding power, feeling the force of the explosion on his face. The sound of something metal clattering to the checkered floor made Soul open his eyes. He sat up slowly, his wounds apparently healed. Where the giant monster had once been now lay that silver key. He reached a trembling hand out for it and froze, suddenly aware of something's eyes on him. Soul looked up to see the little demon smirking at him from the shadows.
"You may have won this round, Soul," It spoke smugly, "but in the end you will succumb just like all the ones before you." Soul hesitated a moment before shooting the demon his own pointy-toothed grin.
"Oh yeah? Just try it." The monster's grin disappeared to be replaced by a scowl as Soul's hand confidently grasped the silver key.
==-S-O-U-L-_-E-A-T-E-R-==
"Soul…" His eyes snapped open, his lungs greedily sucking in air. Everything hurt. His body seemed to throb in time with his breathing, his frantic heartbeat, his thoughts.
"Soul!" He twisted his neck to try and see the source of the voice. He could feel the pressure on his arm and back lessening, the pain receding somewhat with it.
"Are…are you okay?" His meister's trembling voice asked, making no effort to disguise the worry. Fighting back the pain, Soul managed to flash her a crooked smile.
"Yeah… I think so." He watched the relief flood over his partner's face, taking note of the wet sheen in her eyes.
"Good…" After the moment of grateful relief passed, Soul became aware that Maka was still on top of him, knees on either side of his torso and fingers still gripping his wrist tightly.
"Err, Maka?" He could feel the back of his neck getting warmer as Maka looked at him curiously. "You're kinda…"
"Oh! Sorry." She quickly got off, helping him to a sitting position. He hoped she couldn't see how flushed he felt. Soul was suddenly aware of all the eyes on them. The passengers of the plane had all huddled to the opposite side of room and were talking in hushed panicky voices.
"-did you see what he-"
"-a monster!"
"-going to attack us again-"
"-someone should help her-" Soul felt a growing sense of apprehension rising in him. He had no idea what had happened in the last few minutes, but judging by the passengers' frightened looks and Maka's serious face it hadn't been good.
"Maka, what happened?" He asked, keeping his voice low.
Did I try to hurt all these people? Did I try to hurt her? The sense of apprehension grew when his partner didn't answer his question.
"Maka…" The plane shifted, cutting off their conversation for the time being. A brave looking flight attendant was trying to get the other passengers back into their seats to prepare for the landing. A large man wearing a security outfit approached the duo still on the floor.
"I'll have to ask you to return to your seats for now. When the plane lands I'm going to have to take you in for some questioning."
"Now hold on!" Maka interrupted, "We're both tired and injured! The only place we're going when this plane lands is home!"
"Miss," The security guard tried again, but Maka was stubborn. Soul tuned out the argument, instead watching the other passengers of the plane. Their eyes followed his every move and he shifted uncomfortably under the multiple gazes. The flight attendant was trying to calm some of the more hysterical guests, offering free drinks as a consolation. Soul noted that many of the passengers were reluctant to fasten their seatbelts, despite the attendant's warning that they would be landing soon.
What happened? What did I do?
"We're students from Shibusen on an important mission!" Maka was saying, "And you are obstructing us! We can't guarantee your safety if you do not cooperate." Soul smirked inwardly at his meister's words. Almost everyone was afraid of Kishin Eggs and as there was only a small amount of people, like Shibusen students who were trained to fight them, most people listened when they spoke. Their mission might be over, but this guard didn't have to know that. Their conversation was interrupted abruptly by the PA system crackling to life.
"Attention all passengers and crew. We will be landing shortly, so I ask that you please put all your chairs and table trays in the upright and locked position. As you can see the fasten seatbelt sign is lit, so please fasten your seatbelts and remain in your seats until the plane has come to a complete stop. I would like to thank you for flying with-" A loud bang and screeching sound of metal on metal cut off the captain's message. The plane shook hard and the screeching worsened.
"What-" Soul glanced to Maka to see her eyes widen.
"No…" She whispered, looking to her partner. The loud banging and screeching seemed to be coming from just above their heads. The complimentary drinks and calming reassurances of the flight attendant forgotten, the passengers descended into hysterics once again, screaming, covering their ears at the sound, holding each other.
"Maka, what is that?" He had to yell to be heard over the sounds of screeching metal and panic. His partner opened her mouth to reply but this turned out to be unnecessary. With the most horrible screeching noise yet, Soul watched in wonder and horror as a section of roof from the plane was wrenched off revealing the biggest Kishin he'd ever seen. The entire world seemed to stop for a moment as the beast's eyes locked onto his, staring into his very soul. He could feel his blood run cold, eyes widen, and body freeze caught in that stare.
Then hell broke loose. Air from the pressurized cabin rushed out, creating a hurricane effect and pulling everything in towards the hole the Kishin was widening.
"SOUL!" He barely hear Maka's scream over the deafening sounds of the cabin, but already knew what she was thinking. After all, this was their job.
"Right!" He transformed his body into the scythe form, feeling Maka's professional grip catch and twirl him. The plane bucked under the weight of the Kishin Egg and the loss in aerodynamics. With nauseas realization, Soul was suddenly aware that the plane was heading for a steep nosedive. And then all rational thought was lost as the Kishin finally broke through, destroying an entire row of seats as it landed. Even in scythe form his body hurt and it took all his willpower to avoid crying out in pain when Maka swung the blade at the monster's head. The Kishin blocked the blow and lunged for his own when the plane shifted sharply again. Maka and the Kishin both lost their footing and tumbled inside the demolished cabin, crashing into the remains of seats and luggage bags.
"Maka!" Soul hollered at the limp form of his meister. The technician didn't respond, her body crumpled into awkward angles that couldn't be comfortable.
"Damnit!" Soul swore as he changed back, carefully disentangling his partner from the seatbelts, chair cushions and duffel bag that had wound around her limbs. The bone-rattling snarl of the giant Kishin sounded right behind them and Soul turned to see the monster also caught up in the debris of the destroyed plane. Its black eyes never left Soul's red ones, fangs bared, mouth salivating.
Damnit, Damnit Damnit… Soul grit his teeth, holding Maka close as the Kishin began tearing itself free.
"-peat…ce for…act…" Soul's eyes widened as he turned to the PA speaker which was somehow still working.
"I repeat, brace for impact!"
Impact? Then that means…! An impossibly loud noise shook through the entire plane. The screeching that followed made the previous noise seem like a whisper. Soul's instincts told him his body was flying through the air and he clutched Maka's limp body closer to him.
Noise.
Pain.
Blackness.
Nothing.
…and it's another cliffhanger! I'm so cruel… Well, what were you expecting on the second-last chapter? Only one more chapter to go! By the way, although I do have a pretty good idea of what I want in the last chapter (thanks to my epic life-changing journey to discover my inner self) I'm still open to any ideas and willing to make the ending a happy or not-so-happy one. Let me know! :)