Okay, I feel the need to tack on another warning with this chapter. There is talk of blood, some violent scenes, and near death. These were the warning in the chapter summary. They all apply to this chapter. If you are uncomfortable with these sort of things please read with discretion. I tried to tone down some of the language, but it may be triggering to some individuals.
Chapter 16: In Which the Kids Realize They're Not Alright
"Nothing?" Maka asked, aghast. "What do you mean nothing?"
The detective sighed in his coffee as Maka and Ox gave him identical incredulous looks.
"I'm sorry kids, but the evidence checks out. There's no record of Ms. Gorgon having any children living in her residence. We did a thorough search of the property. The lady even opened all the locked rooms upstairs for us to search, and we've come up empty handed. Her record is completely clean as well."
Miss Marie shushed any argument with a firm look at the children. She turned back to the man and asked, "Have you checked to see if there was anything at the orphanage?"
"We checked there as well, but there's no record of a person by the name of Crona ever being there. It's as if your friend doesn't exist. The detective sighed again. "I've filed a missing person's report, but because we have no paper documentation of Crona it'll be hard to find them. I hope you understand we're doing all that we can."
"Thank you detective," Miss Marie said.
He nodded. The detective finished his coffee, leaving a bill on the table. "Keep the change."
The man tipped his hat as he exited. Silence followed with him. As soon as their car left there was a buzz of hushed whispers around the café. No denying the rumors of the quiet child would be spreading around their corner of town by late afternoon.
Marie gathered the detective's leftover dishes onto a tray carried them to the sink in the kitchen. Maka and Ox followed her to help. What they didn't expect was to find Miss Marie slamming the tray down hard on the counter, teeth gritted as she seethed with anger.
"All that he can, he says," she growled. "Ha! I wouldn't be surprise if they're just going to sweep this under the rug like all their other unknowns!"
"Miss Marie—"
Ox cut himself off after seeing the pure rage written all over the woman's face. It took Marie a minute to compose herself. When she did she looked exhausted. Both teens could tell she hadn't gotten enough sleep since Crona's disappearance.
As if sensing his wife's distress (which he probably did) Dr. Stein walked in.
"Marie, you should rest. The kids and I can take care of the shop. You shouldn't be putting yourself under too much stress. It's not good for you or the baby."
"But the store—"
"Can be handled by Ox and Harvar. Maka's here too, so don't worry. Go rest. It'll help."
As Marie left, Maka asked, "Dr. Stein, is there anything we can do?"
The doctor sighed. "I'm afraid not. Everyone's hands are tied. I may try talking to Medusa personally at some point, but she's always been a secretive woman. I wouldn't be surprised if there something darker behind all of this. I just hope there isn't."
The day went slowly. Ox and Harvar finished their shifts before leaving, promising they would see if there was anything in the library on the legal system that would help. Tsubaki stopped in for a bit, but it was only to see if there were any updates on the case. She seemed beyond disappointed when she heard there was nothing to charge Medusa with.
"I have to go and babysit Angela soon," Tsubaki said. "Are you going to be okay?"
Maka plastered a smile onto her face. "Yep!"
"Are you sure?"
"No…but I'll do my best. We both need to work. But I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
"Of course."
The two girls bid each other farewell and went their separate ways. Maka ended up having two small deliveries, both on the other side of town, so she didn't have time to look for Lady Medusa's house again. Blair tried starting up a couple of conversations, but seeing as her witch wasn't paying attention the cat gave up and allowed them to fly in silence.
It wasn't until after she'd bid Miss Marie and Dr. Stein goodnight that Maka was able to sneak out. She waited until all of the lights in the house were off before getting out of bed. She hadn't changed, so all she needed to do was slip on her shoes and grab her broom.
Maka shut the door to her room behind her. She took the stairs down and into the backyard. The curtains to the couple's room were drawn; they wouldn't see the witch leave.
If no one else will try, then I will! Maka thought determinedly. She mounted her broom when her familiar came dashing down the stairs.
"Maka, wait!"
"Don't try to stop me. I have to do this for Crona."
"Bu-tan's not here to stop Maka. She's here to help her!"
"What?"
Blair hopped onto the end of the broom. "I'm coming with you!"
"Blair!"
"Bu-tan can't convince you to stop, can she?"
"She can't."
"Then let me help. Don't do this alone, Maka. I'm your familiar. I care about you."
Maka sighed. "Alright. You can be my lookout. If anything happens, then let me know and we'll fly back here as fast as possible, okay?"
Blair nodded. Maka took a deep breath and took off.
マカの宅急便
It was risky, Maka was aware, but she needed answers. Blair was more open about how nervous she was. She clung onto Maka the whole flight to Lady Medusa's house. The black gates were still closed to the world. Maka shivered as she flew over them. Something about the aura the property seemed to giving off make the hairs on the back of her neck stick up.
She wasn't the only one to feel it. Blair shuddered.
"There's dark magic here," she whispered.
"Dark magic?" repeated Maka.
Blair nodded. "This isn't good. I don't sense a witch, but something's off. Be careful, Maka."
Maka ended up landing near a small bush by the fence. She settled into a crouch, Blair beside her. Knowing she didn't have much time Maka let her vision slip into soul perception. She searched the entire house, then frowned. She searched again.
Nothing.
"Have you found them yet?" Blair hissed.
"Not yet. Give me another minute."
Maka searched the entire attic area with her gaze, but there was absolutely nothing. She couldn't give up yet. Maka looked down at her feet and sighed. There wasn't a secret shed in the backyard, and no extra garages.
Then Maka noticed something shimmering below her. She blinked and stared at the ground until her vision returned to normal.
Below her?
Maka racked her brains for the conversation she'd had with the officer earlier that day. He said Medusa had opened all the locked rooms upstairs for them to search, right?
The lady even opened all the locked rooms upstairs for us to search—
"…but they didn't ask if she had a basement."
"What?" asked Blair.
"That's it," said Maka. "A basement. If there was a secret entrance to a basement the police didn't know about, then how could they have checked it! Of course! Crona's locked away somewhere downstairs!"
"Are you sure?"
"Only one way to find out."
Maka focused her energy back on seeing wavelengths. Instead of looking at the house she began to scan the ground around it. It took a minute, but directly beneath the area by her feet was a glow. Excitement coursed through Maka's veins. There was no mistaking that wavelength.
There they are.
"Don't worry Crona," Maka murmured under her breath, concentrating on the quivering soul. "I'll get you out of there somehow. I promise."
The sound of a snapping branch behind them made the witch and the cat stiffen. Blair crouched into an attacking position, claws out and lips pulled back in a snarl. Maka's vision fluttered back to normal. She whipped her head back to see a figure walk by.
Whoever this was was tall and muscular. They were wearing all black, and their face was obscured by the shadows. They were scanning the property as if sensing someone was there.
Maka and Blair stayed perfectly still until the strange person passed. They immediately took off back home after that. Maka was thinking. She needed to save Crona, but she would need some help.
マカの宅急便
"We need to break Crona out of Medusa's house!"
Maka had called a meeting that night after the stores had closed. Tsubaki, Black*Star, Soul, Kid, Liz, and Patty were gathered in her room, either sitting on her desk, table, chairs, bed, or floor.
Everyone agreed that Crona couldn't stay there any longer with Medusa. The problem was there was no way to get Crona out. The group was constantly arguing whether to go to the police again, try to do something themselves, get the Council involved, or wait and hope for the best.
"The police," Tsubaki said, "are here to help us. If we can convince them to go search the house again but to look for a basement—"
"Then Maka would get in trouble for being on Medusa's property," said Soul from one of the chairs. "We can't afford that."
"So you're saying we should just wait?" asked Black*Star.
Soul frowned. "That's not what I'm saying. I just don't know what we can do."
"Then report to the Witches Council," said Liz. "Even Dr. Stein said he suspects something's wrong. He's a warlock with superior soul perception. That should be more than enough."
Kid was the one to shoot her down, pointing across the room to the bed. "But there's no evidence Crona exists except for what we've been saying. That probably won't be enough to get the Council's attention."
"Then that means we need to break them out!" said Maka.
Black*Star, for once, was the voice of logic. "Face it Maka. If the police aren't willing to move how can we, a bunch of kids, possibly stand up to her? I'm not saying it's impossible, but we'd be breaking numerous laws to even attempt this. Plus, there's no guarantee that's actually Crona down in some secret basement."
"I saw them! My soul perception may not be the best, but it's good enough to do that."
"No one's doubting your ability, Maka," said Liz. "But we have to know our limits. We can't do anything to help them without getting in trouble."
"Not necessarily."
Everyone turned to stare at Kid. He had one hand over his mouth thoughtfully, eyebrows scrunched up in thought.
Black*Star asked, "Kid, do you have a plan."
"I'm formulating one right now."
"Then what is it?"
He smiled. "It's simple. If more evidence if brought forth, then the police will be obligated to search the property again. All we have to do is find it and tip them."
"And how are we supposed to do that without getting caught?" Soul asked. "Hate to say it, but no one here can turn invisible and search the house."
"We get invited in." When no one commented, Kid continued. "Think about it. If someone goes to the door and Lady Medusa lets them in, then we aren't forcing our way into the house. Whoever is inside will be the one to find some more evidence. We can simply tell them we were invited in and whatever item seemed strange can be brought up then. Then we've submitted our evidence that'll require further investigation without breaking any laws."
"For a mayor's son you're pretty good at bending the rules, Kid," Soul mused.
"Of course. I helped Father write some of the laws after all."
"So who's going in?" asked Liz.
Maka stood up. "I will."
"You can't! It's too dangerous," said Soul.
Maka glared down at him. "If we're not willing to take some risks, then how on earth are we going to help Crona? Plus, it makes the most sense if I go in. You and Kid are too high-profile. She'll immediately suspect something. And Medusa hasn't met anyone else so it would be very suspicious if anyone else did it."
"And your saying she won't suspect you? You're the most suspicious!"
"And the most obvious. Think, Soul. She'll play around with words, try to bait me into giving away something. I'm not stupid. Two can play at that game. One slip-up and she'll spill everything. Besides, with my soul perception I can try and pinpoint Crona's relative position. That'll help me narrow down where to look."
"But—"
"If anyone can do it, it's Maka!" Patty exclaimed. Somehow it dissipated some of the tension in the air. Everyone visibly relaxed.
Soul ran a hand through his hair. "Fine. I don't like it, but fine."
Black*Star clapped a bit. "Great! So we just need to see the evidence and we can let the cops know what's up."
"Will they take a tip if we just say it?" Liz asked.
Kid said, "A confession would be nice. Something we can write down, or maybe take a picture of."
"So we need either a recorded confession or a photograph." Tsubaki sighed. "How in the world would we get either? I don't think Lady Medusa will turn herself over by writing down a confession and we couldn't possibly go inside her house with a camera."
Black*Star suddenly jumped up. He had a delighted gleam in his eyes.
"Everyone wait right here," he commanded. "Your god is about to save the day."
Black*Star dashed downstairs to where his bike was and pedaled away. He came back less than fifteen minutes later, out of breath and carrying a briefcase.
"Tsubaki, you're brilliant," Black*Star wheezed.
"I am?"
"You are! You said it has to be recorded, right? So we can't get her to write it. Too bad. But people tend to be more relaxed when talking."
He finally showed everyone what was in the bag. It was a tape recorder. Maka had never seen one in real life, let alone have it held out to her so casually. Even she knew these things cost a fortune.
"Where in the world did you get this?" Liz asked, whistling lowly.
"It's my old man's. He's a private investigator. I figured if we can sneak this into Medusa's somehow, then we can get a recording of her confession. That should be enough to make the police move a second time, right?"
Kid sighed. "Well this certainly makes our endeavors less legal."
"But you've gotta admit it's a lot easier to gather evidence if it's recorded from the source."
"That I cannot refute," admitted Kid.
"Will it work?" asked Tsubaki.
Liz shrugged. "Who knows? But it's our best shot, isn't it?"
No one could deny that.
"So tomorrow, right after three." Nodding. Maka took a deep breath. "Okay, we can do this. We can free Crona."
There was still hope.
マカの宅急便
"Miss Albarn. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Maka gripped the strap of the handbag she was borrowing from Tsubaki tighter as she stood before the woman who was keeping Crona prisoner. Just by looking at her there was no way to tell that Lady Medusa may have a hidden dark side. She was smiling as pleasantly as ever, wearing a simple blouse and pencil skirt over low heels.
"I was just hoping we could talk for a bit. If you have time," she added quickly.
"Well, I can certainly make a bit of time. I hope you don't mind I can only have you over for a cup of tea. I'm afraid I have a shift at the hospital tonight I can't possibly miss."
"It's fine, ma'am. I'm sorry for coming so suddenly."
Medusa laughed. "Not at all, not at all. Come inside. The drawing room's to the left."
"Thank you." Maka stepped inside the building.
"You can leave your broom by the door if you'd like."
Maka thanked her again. She propped the broom gently against the front door before following Medusa into the drawing room. There was step one. She was in. Maka adjusted the bag in her lap as she took a seat.
The entire room was in purple. The floor was wood with a large rug over a majority of it. Large windows with heavy drapes overlooked the backyard.
Maka took the moment to look around. She could still sense Crona. They were further down, not in this room. Probably underneath the kitchen Medusa was making tea in. The entrance would probably be there.
Medusa sat in one of the armchairs. She set a tray of fine china on the coffee table between them.
"So what in the world brought my favorite delivery girl here out of the blue?" Medusa gave Maka an innocent look. "Surely you're not here about the police inquiry that happened earlier?"
"A bit…" Maka pretended to admit. "I just wanted to say I hope the police weren't too unkind the other day. I know they can sometimes be brash."
"You seem to know a lot for a girl so young. No problems with the law, I hope."
"Nothing I would like to note," Maka said.
Lady Medusa laughed, Maka nervously joining her a moment later.
"Should I pour you a glass, ma'am?"
"Oh, not yet. That's an herbal tea of my design. I found the effects to be particularly soothing. Especially for those with magic in their blood. But they do take some time to seep: almost ten minutes in fact." Medusa laughed again. "Well, I'm sure you came here for more than me to talk my ear off at you. What did you really come here for?"
Crona, Maka thought, but she had already come up with another guise. "Yes, I did. I wanted to ask about the work you and Dr. Stein did back in medical school. He mentioned you two worked together to try and find the relationship between magic and DNA."
"Did he now?" Medusa smiled. "Yes, we did work together for almost a year. I'm sure he told you all of our experiments were failures."
Maka nodded.
"Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck after we decided to go our separate ways. He found Marie and decided that he needed to be able to provide for her. Not that he needed to. Marie is a very self-sufficient woman. Still, that was meant to be.
"I don't know if you know, but I continued experiments for a while. None of them were successful, but hopefully they will contribute to both magic and science someday in the future.
"Oh, you can go ahead and pour the tea."
Maka leaned forward and did so. Medusa watched her as attentive as a snake watching its prey.
"Don't add any sugar or milk. I found they don't go well with it."
Maka nodded. She waited until Medusa took a sip before drinking some of the tea herself. It was a bit bitter, but not completely unpleasant. Maka had a second sip out of politeness before holding the saucer in her left hand.
Medusa smiled at her. "My experiments were a bit drastic, I must admit. There's not much I wouldn't do in the name of science."
Not even against children?
Medusa laughed. "No need to give me such a scary look. I'm a mere scientist, nothing more. And like every scientist I have some things that just aren't teatime conversation starters. That's why I write the notes down instead."
Notes could help.
"Do you think I could see some?" Maka asked.
"Goodness no! There're some things in there that are best left until technology advances a bit more. Until then I'll keep all of those journals in the basement."
"In the basement?" Maka asked.
Medusa froze. She frowned as she sipped her tea.
"Oh dear, did I just say that? Pity."
Something seemed sinister in her expression. Maka suddenly felt unsafe in the room. All of her instincts were telling her to run. Her hands shook. The cup in her hands fell to the floor. Not good, not good.
Maka stood up and was surprised by the pull of gravity on her body. She tried to focus, but the wooziness made her grab hold of the chair for balance. Medusa watched as the witch sank back into the chair she'd been sitting in.
"Are you alright?" Medusa asked in a way that was sickly sweet.
That woman must've spiked the tea. The question was why.
"Why, this is unexpected. I didn't figure you would be this weak." Medusa continued to sip hers, completely unaffected. "Did you know I developed this for Stein? It really helped him stay in control. Not that he needs it anymore. He has that lovely wife of his with her healing wavelengths. Left me for that Marie."
Maka hated this. She hated the weakness and nausea, she hated the way Medusa spat Miss Marie's name, hated the fact that this woman was a terrible person.
"I'm afraid I've overstayed my welcome," said Maka, standing unsteadily while gritting her teeth.
Medusa laughed, high and dry. "Oh no, not at all. Though if you do have to go home I completely understand. Let me show you out."
She helped Maka slowly to the door. Maka ended up tripping on her way out on a loose floorboard under the rug. Medusa lead the witch to the front door, handing her her broom. Maka took it in still-shaking hands.
"What excellent timing. I'm just about to get ready to leave for work myself. Would you like me to drive you to the hospital, dear? I'm sure I can give you something for the wooziness there."
"No, thank you. I'll go back to Dr. Stein."
"Very well. Enjoy the rest of your day." As Maka walked away, she was stopped. "Oh, and Maka?"
"Yes ma'am?"
Lady Medusa leaned into the girl's ear, gripping her wrist. "Just so you know, if you dare take this recording to the police you can say goodbye to the hope of ever seeing Crona again. Do I make myself clear?"
Ice ran down Maka's spine.
She knew!
Maka hopped onto her broom and kicked off as hard as she could. She could barely sense her magic past the dizziness, but bit back the bile and flew straight for her room. She wobbled through the air. Desperation was winning over the strange tea.
She made it in one piece, but everyone who was waiting could tell something was wrong. Tsubaki immediately stood to help Maka. The witch felt nauseous, collapsing as soon as her feet hit the ground.
"Are you okay?" Tsubaki asked.
"Lady Medusa," Maka groaned. "I think she put something in my tea. I feel awful. And my magic is weakening."
"Quick! We should get you to Stein then!" Black*Star insisted. "Can you stand."
"I'll be fine," Maka said truthfully. At least she hoped it wasn't a lie. "Just let me lay down in my bed."
Maka was moved to a lying position. Her breathing was much easier now that she didn't have to focus on standing. Maka waved away everyone's concern, holding up the bag.
"More importantly, I think you should listen to this."
マカの宅急便
The tape ended with a click.
"What should we do?" Liz asked as the recording went silent.
No one responded. No one wanted to. The implication of Medusa's last words was too grim to comment on.
"Well, we'll have to save go and save Crona," Kid said matter-of-factly. "Tonight, if this tape indicates anything."
"I'll leave this recording with my old man. If there's anyone who can make the task force move out to give us backup, it's him."
"Are you sure?" asked Tsubaki.
Black*Star's lips were drawn into a thin line. "I hate to agree with Kid, but he's right. It's our best shot. If we wait too long Crona's life is on the line."
"What about the legal stuff?" Soul asked. "Hate to bring this up again, but just because we're minors doesn't mean the law doesn't apply to us. I'm saying this especially because we've got the son of a private investigator and the mayor of this town with us. You guys would know better than us."
Kid spoke. "If we are able to find Crona, then we have enough evidence to force a formal investigation on Ms. Gorgon. Crona in police custody speaking about their imprisonment will be more than enough to divert the attention from us to Ms. Gorgon. And even if we were to be charged, a) we're all minors, and b) we helped in a court of law. I think the punishment dealt to us would a small sacrifice to save Crona's life. Besides, we've already broken some law by recording Medusa. We may as well follow through with everything."
Maka turned from the bed. "Medusa has a night shift at the hospital tonight. That means we have enough time to break in, find Crona, and leave before she gets home. From what I gathered there's only one guard."
"A guard?" asked Tsubaki.
Maka nodded, still groggy from the effects of the tea. "Blair and I saw him yesterday when I went to see if Crona was still alive. That's why I know there's a secret basement in her house."
"Was he in the house earlier?" Kid asked.
"I don't know. I couldn't get a clear wavelength off of him yesterday, and I'm not sure he was there today. I did sense Crona though. They're definitely there."
"Then that's all we need," said Black*Star. "Let's get Crona outta there."
マカの宅急便
Liz parked the car down the street from Medusa's house. She cut the engine.
"Alright, we know the drill, right?" Black*Star. He was surprisingly quiet.
Maka nodded. "Kid, Liz, and Patty will keep their eyes out for the guard I noticed the other day. Tsubaki will watch the entrance. Black*Star will be her backup. Soul and I are going to find Crona."
"We meet back at the car in an hour if we fail and hope the tape we got will be enough for the police to act upon," Tsubaki added.
Kid nodded. "Let's get this over with."
Black*Star picked the lock to the front door. It took him a few tries, but they were in within a minute. The house was much scarier in the dark. Everyone took out their flashlights.
"I'll stay here," said Tsubaki as the door shut behind them. "If I see anything I'll let you know."
Black*Star nodded. "I'll take the back entrance then. Good luck finding the basement."
The searched for over forty minutes. It was pretty comical at first; Liz was clinging onto everyone, Patty was relaxed and laughing, and everyone was feeling good about being able to get Crona to safety. But they soon became disheartened as the search came up to nothing. Every book in the library was checked, every fireplace and staircase as well. The boys even went as far as pulling the refrigerator and oven back a bit to see if
"How hard could it be to find a basement?" asked Soul. "We've checked every door on this floor."
"And every not door," Liz added. "Honestly, if if weren't for Maka knowing Crona's downstairs I'd call it quits. We aren't having any luck."
Soul looked desperate. "Think, Maka. Was there anything unusual that happened aside from you getting your drink spiked and almost throwing up on her nice carpet or whatever?"
"Unusual?" the witch repeated, frowning.
"You know, like evidence of a hidden door behind a bookcase or a trapdoor under the couch. Anything!"
"There's no way it's a trap door," said Kid. "Every room in this house except for the kitchen is carpeted."
"That's it! The carpet!"
"What?"
"Think. Every room has carpet except the for the kitchen and the sitting room I was in. It's not carpet, it's just a big rug! That was the only room with hardwood floors. And I tripped over something sticking up slightly when I was leaving."
It was a long shot, but they still took it. The small party went to the sitting room and pulled the rug aside. Sure enough, just like any lame action flick, there was a trapdoor leading to a secret basement.
"Trapdoor!"
They all shushed Patty. Maka took a deep breath and took the ladder down. Soul was right behind her.
"We'll be back as soon as possible."
The basement seemed to be a maze of rooms. Most were open laboratories, with jars full of floating body parts and dead animals. There were journals everywhere. Filing cabinets of notes were there too. It would take days for anyone to sort through it.
"What the hell is all this?" asked Soul.
"Probably some of her failed experiments," Maka suggested. She cringed at a jar full of dead frogs. "Not exactly the most pleasant place to be."
"Let's just find Crona and get the hell out of here."
Maka couldn't agree with Soul more. They followed the main hallway. It led them further in, past more books and jars and notes. They came to the end of the hallway, where there was nothing but a door. It was probably led to a windowless room. Soul tried the door. When it didn't open, he shrugged before kicking it down. The door's lock had been surprisingly weak. Maka stepped inside. She saw a figure huddled in the far corner.
"Crona!"
The child looked up, pale eyes wide and sightless. They focused on Maka, blinking in surprise.
"Maka?" Crona shook their head. "No, I must be dreaming again."
The witch smacked them lightly on the head. Crona gasped at the sensation.
"It really is you…" they murmured.
Maka nodded, then pulled Crona into a tight hug. "Oh Crona, I'm so glad you're okay. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. We're here. You're safe now."
"But Lady Medusa—"
"Don't worry about her. Let's get you out of here, okay?" Maka stood, holding onto both of Crona's hands. "Here. Can you stand? We need to leave before we're found."
"Why did you come back for me?" they asked.
"Why? That's a silly question. Because we're friends!"
"But I said all those terrible things to you. I hurt your feelings. Why would you still want to be friends with someone like me?"
"Because friends forgive each other. I know you were only trying to protect me. So let's go!"
"Maka," Soul warned. "We don't have much time."
"I know, I know."
It took longer to get back not that they had Crona. The child was obviously starved and freezing, not to mention absolutely petrified. They had to be carried up the ladder by Soul. But in the end they got Crona out safe and sound.
"Oh thank god," breathed Liz. "I was afraid we'd have to leave you behind."
"Not funny," muttered Soul, but he was grinning. He set Crona down beside Maka.
"Take Crona. I'll go let Black*Star know we're done here."
"Where's Patty?"
They all looked around, but there was no sign of the hyperactive blonde. Liz groaned.
"She was here literally a minute ago. Where did she go this time?"
"She's probably in the hallway," Kid said. "Let's go. We've been lucky so far."
He was right. It would be best to go before their luck ran out. The small group guided Crona towards the hallway. The front door was not far from there.
We can make it, thought Maka. It'll be okay.
And then their luck ran out.
"Don't move!"
Everyone turned. Medusa Gorgon was standing at the top of the staircase, dressed in a long black dress with malice in her eyes. In her hand was a gun which she had pointed at the head of the blonde-haired girl she had in her grip. Liz was the first to react. She screamed and ran forward before Kid could stop her.
"Patty!"
Medusa cocked the gun threateningly. "Ah ah ah, I wouldn't take another step forward if I was you. One wrong move and I will dispose of this girl. And I'd rather not. Things can get a bit messy."
The older Thompson stopped dead in her tracks. Medusa sneered.
"Good girl."
"You bitch," Liz snarled. "Let her go!"
"Only if you return what is rightly mine. Crona? Come here."
"Crona, don't!" Patty shouted, but she was pulled even closer to the barrel by her hair. Liz was shaking, obviously wanting to hurt Medusa but being unable to.
"But I can't let her get hurt," said Crona.
Patty, surprisingly, giggled. "Trust me, I won't."
Then she slammed Medusa into the floor. She casually disarmed the taller woman and held the gun at her as if by second nature. Liz's shoulders slumped a bit as she backed off. Patty was done giggling now. She stared down Medusa with blue blue eyes, her pupils only pinpricks.
Medusa spat blood, glaring daggers at the girl standing over her.
"Don't think I won't find a way to make you pay for that, girl," she spat.
"They won't charge me," Patty said. "I did it all in self defense, after all."
Black*Star ran in. "Yahoo! Kid said he'd call the cops, so I should tell you guys to go ahead…" He trailed off, looking at the scene before him. "What did I miss?"
Patty didn't reply. She glanced to the side where Liz was still standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Sissy, go start the car. I'll keep her here until you're ready to go."
Liz nodded. "You do that, Patty. C'mon guys."
Liz led them towards the front door. Despite his shock, Soul tried to joke a bit.
"And here I thought we'd have an anticlimactic search-and-rescue."
"What was all that about, huh?" Black*Star demanded as they walked towards the exit. Tsubaki was waiting for them, waving.
"Know how we're from New York?" Liz asked. "Well, let's just say life wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. We were orphans. It's a world of kill or be killed. But I don't wanna go into it. We have to get Crona back to Marie."
There was a bang from inside the house. Gunshot. Liz winced.
"We don't have much time. I'll get the car from the side entrance. You guys go up front and open the gate. If we're lucky we'll get out of here without any more incidents."
Liz ducked out the side while the others went through the front. They were almost to the gate when the ground beneath them trembled.
Soul shouted at her. "Maka, look out!"
Maka whipped around. Standing before her was the tall figure from earlier. His entire skin was inky black; so it hadn't been a trick of the light. He towered over her, all muscle underneath the black pants and white tank top he was wearing. Maka ducked the swing to her head.
She noticed it was cradling Medusa in it's arm. The woman looked in pain, blood running down her pale leg. So she'd been shot. Hopefully Patty was alright.
"What is the meaning of this, Medusa?" Maka asked. "What is this to you? Is Crona's life not important? Is the life of your bodyguard not important? I know you've been doing experiments on them! Why?"
"Because all I want is knowledge," said Medusa. "What's wrong with wanting to find the balance between science and magic? Nothing!
"My experiments may have failed, but they did have some good results. Like Ragnarök here." Medusa pet the massive human's arm. "All this mutation is done by magic. It's temporary, or course. He turns back into a weak little boy when this wears off. But like this I have complete control over the child. It makes them much stronger and much more loyal."
"Child?" asked Soul. "You tellin' me that thing's a kid?"
Medusa only laughed. "Ragnarök," she cooed. "These pests have broken into my house. Get rid of them for me."
The thing set Medusa down on the ground before taking a sword from his back. It was covered in a viscous black that shined like oil. Maka didn't like the look of it. It was definitely magical, and felt sinister.
Maka and Soul leapt out of the way of his first swing. The second swing was aimed at Soul. He barely managed to dodge it before running towards the gate. Ragnarök leapt over Soul and blocked his way.
So we can't fight him. He's too strong. Maka swallowed. We have to escape.
"Soul! The side entrance!"
Soul heard Maka's voice and began to run past Medusa and towards the other side of the yard. Ragnarök went after him, but Maka was doing her best to distract him. It ended up running in circles was the best tactic. They were too small for Ragnarök to easily attack.
Out of breath, the two almost made it to the door. To freedom.
And then Maka saw his soul.
She gasped, frozen in place. As if from a distance she heard someone calling her name, but all she could sense was her impending doom. She knew what was coming: pain and blood. She knew, yet she couldn't make her body jump out of the way or block it.
Before her was a soul with absolutely no remorse left in it. The light it gave off was black and corrupted, as if the humanity had slowly been burned away. Flickers of purple ran across it like lightning.
It was the single most terrifying moment of Maka's life.
Fix it, something was telling her. You've got to fix it.
'How?' she wondered, unsure if she said it out loud or not.
MAKAAAA!
The witch gasped as she practically felt a scream pierce her soul. She blinked into focus as the blade in Ragnarök's hand flashed towards her…
…and never made contact. Instead Maka felt her entire body run cold as she saw red. Red red red in the air before her. As if in slow-motion Maka's brain registered the fact that there was someone standing in front of her, arms wide open to accept the knife. She saw the spikey white hair, the black jacket, the narrow shoulders that looked impossibly wide in that moment.
He somehow managed to stay on his feet as the black-skinned man backed off after attacking.
He turned over to her. Maka had her hands over her mouth, eyes wide and unseeing. "Soul…?"
Soul looked down at his bloody chest then back up at his friend. His expression was more shocked than pained. He laughed at bit.
"Oh damn. How uncool."
And then he collapsed.
"Soul? Soul?" Maka was leaning next to him, rolling him onto his back. "Soul, speak to me!"
The boy wasn't responding. Maka pulled her hand away from his chest. It came back red. She was so horrified she barely registered Ragnarök standing over her until it was too late. She ducked as he swung the sword again.
A resounding clang came instead. For the second time that night someone had rescued her. Maka looked up to see Black*Star standing over her with a fire poker in his hand. Tsubaki as at his side, Maka's broom in her hand.
"Black*Star. Tsubaki."
"Maka! Get out of here. And take Soul with you. I'll deal with this asshole one-on-one!"
"But—"
Tsubaki knelt by Maka's side. "Maka, listen to me. We have to help Soul. Grab one his arms. I'll get the other. We'll lift him on the count of three, okay?"
They did, taking him outside. There was still the resonating battle between Black*Star and Ragnarök. Maka hoped the blue-haired boy wouldn't be hurt either.
"What the hell is this?" Liz asked as she pulled the car in. "What happened to Soul?"
"He was attacked by that bodyguard," said Maka. "He's bleeding out."
Kid limped into the driveway then, panting. Patty was right behind him with the gun.
"I called the police," he gasped. "They should be here soon."
"Oh, thank goodness!" Liz said. Then she noticed the way Kid was hunched over, holding his stomach. "Kid, oi, what's wrong?"
"Medusa attacked Patty. I stopped her from getting stabbed. Patty shot Medusa in the leg. She won't be going anywhere anytime soon."
"Stabbed?" asked Liz. "Where?"
Kid removed his hands. There, embedded deep in his gut, was a blade. It was covered in the same slick black stuff the one Ragnarök had been carrying was coated with.
Kid coughed up a bit of blood. It came out black.
"Something's wrong! He's not responding!"
"Kid! Kid!"
The boy's eyes slid shut as he began to shake violently.
"The hospital—" Tsubaki tried to say.
"No!" said Maka. "There's something weird about those weapons. I think they're infused with magic. Even if we take them to the hospital there's no guarantee that they can treat it! Besides, Dr. Stein's is closer. I can fly them over in five minutes if I go fast."
Liz was shouting now. "That's impossible! Even if you can get there in five minutes, you have to carry two people! Can you honestly manage that?"
No.
Maka looked away.
"Take Soul."
Everyone turned in shock to where Patty was standing. She was wide-eyed, yet eerily calm. The girl was staring at Maka with an intensity that was borderline insane. She pointed down at Soul's still body without taking her eyes off of Maka.
"He's bleeding out faster. If that wound isn't closed, he'll die. Get him to Stein. Liz'll drive with Kid in the car. We'll meet you there."
Liz bit her lip. "Patty's right. Since the blade's embedded in Kid he won't bleed as much."
Black*Star nodded. "Get Soul to safety. Tsubaki and I'll take care of the cops. You guys make sure they don't die."
Maka mounted her broom, making sure Soul was secure. She took off carefully. It was definitely harder to fly with two people, but the witch was determined. Maka kept muttering "don't die" under her breath as she flew.
She could feel the flutter of his heartbeat against her back, the warm wetness that was soaking through her dress at an alarming rate, the unsteady staccato of his breath. Soul's chin was limp on her shoulder.
Maka landed in front of the apothecary in record time. If she was lucky the doctor would still be in his study working. Maka balanced Soul on her shoulder and dragged him in.
"Dr. Stein! Please help. Soul, he's hurt."
She was lucky now. Stein took one look at the scene before him and immediately went into action. He took Soul's limp form from Maka's shoulder and carried him to the back room. It was the locked room Stein never let anyone into. She knew it must've been his basement.
"Maka, there's a key in my right pocket. Grab it and open the door."
Maka fumbled with shaky fingers, but she finally managed to open the door. Stein was already muttering incantations, the walls around him flashing as he took Soul into the basement. Maka went down with him. She couldn't care less what this secret room looked like.
It was a laboratory of some kind, that was for sure. There were three cots in the middle of the room with trays of shiny medical equipment. Dr. Stein lay Soul on one of the cots before turning to Maka.
"Is anyone else hurt?"
"Kid."
"Was it Medusa?"
Maka nodded. Stein rubbed his eyes.
"I figured as much. She always dabbled with black magic.
"Maka, listen very carefully. I need you to go upstairs and get me as much poppy as you can find. I also need hemlock and henbane. There's a bottle of quicklime as well: grab it. Then some sage and bandages. And my book on blood magic and transfusions. If Marie wakes up, have her boil water for me. Mix it with salt. Can you do that?"
Maka nodded again. She forced her shaky legs to run up the stairs. Maka dug through the entire store. She found everything clearly labeled, as well as the book. The book took a few minutes though. Time was of the essence. Maka tried to take everything with her, but ended up dropping it all to the floor. She swore loudly.
"Maka?" It was Miss Marie. "Maka, calm down. Tell me what's wrong."
"We messed up," she said, shaking. "W-we went t-to get Cron-n-na out, but M-medusa, she knew. She used m-magic against us. Black magic. And now Soul's downstairs and he's hurt really bad and I can't help him and—"
Marie shushed her. "I understand. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Dr. Stein told me to ask you to boil some water, and mix salt in it."
She nodded. "I'll do that. Is everyone else alright?" Noting Maka's guilty look, she asked, "Who else is hurt?"
"Kid."
"How bad?"
"I…I don't know. Bad."
Marie nodded again, then patted Maka's shoulder. "I'll get the water ready. Go help my husband. He'll need it. And you may want to use a basket to take everything downstairs."
A car came screeching into the driveway. Liz and Patty exited carrying Kid's limp figure. Marie opened the door and ushered them inside.
"Franken's in the basement. Go take Kid to him." Once they did that Marie glanced in the car. "Is Crona there? Crona?"
Crona was shivering on the floor of the backseat.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry," they were muttering in a mantra, eyes wide open, shivering and rocking back and forth on their heels.
Marie was by their side, shushing them and rubbing calming circles into their arm. She helped to guide the shivering child back towards the kitchen and away from the activity around the apothecary.
"Let's get you some hot cocoa, okay?" Maka heard Miss Marie say before the two of them vanished out of sight.
Maka took a breath before taking the basket full of herbs and bandages down to the basement. Liz and Patty were coming up from it. Both of them looked grim.
"Help the doctor," said Liz. "I'm afraid he's going to go mental in there."
Maka ran downstairs to find Dr. Stein standing between the two boys. His magic hit her like a wall. It was rampant and powerful. Maka braced herself before bringing the supplied over to him.
"Dr. Stein?"
There was a crazy gleam in his eyes, but the doctor recognized Maka and the items in her hand. "Good, good. Maka, bundle the sage and burn it. Make eight laps around this room. Wave it up and down. We need to clear the residual magic off the boys."
Maka did as she was told. Soon the room smelled of smoke and sage. The doctor was working quickly to clean Soul's massive wound. It seemed to be going all right. Stein had opened up his book and was murmuring. Those were probably spells to replenish the blood Soul had lost.
"I'll need to stitch the wound. Maka, please get me more poppy. This will hurt him a lot."
It was a long back and forth for Maka. She ran up to get supplies and back down. Her hands were soon covered in blood as she held together the skin Stein was sewing. It made it so much worse that the body under her was still warm and breathing.
Marie came down with fresh water every ten minutes. She was surprisingly unphased by the amount of blood in the room. She would dab Stein's forehead with a cool cloth and whisper encouraging words.
It took forever before Stein was done. Soul didn't look good. Even after being completely closed up he didn't look good.
"That's all I can do for now," said the doctor. "Now let's see what Medusa's done to poor Kid."
Dr. Stein pulled the blade carefully out of Kid's gut. He sniffed.
"Good. His stomach wasn't cut. That was quite a miracle. But I wonder what this is?"
Stein put the black liquid to his lips and tasted it. He immediately collapsed.
"That poison is strong," he muttered. "Stronger than anything she's ever administered to me. Soul's lucky he was only grazed by the knife. This can kill a man in minutes."
Stein threw the knife into a bowl of boiling herb water. It sizzled, but the knife refused to dissolve. The warlock muttered a few things at it. The water flashed green, then blue, the violet. Nothing happened. Stein's frown only grew and he continued saying powerful spells. After a small red explosion, he realized what was happening.
"It's incantation-resistant," he growled. "She did this on purpose."
"Why?" asked Maka.
Dr. Stein laughed a bit. "To make me do this. Unseglest."
A moment later Maka felt consumed. There was a powerful force telling her—commanding her—to cut, to dissect, to discover. Rip, tear, shred. Maka clutched her head, trying to will the thoughts away.
"What is this?" she gasped.
Dr. Stein was cackling. He looked at Maka with crazed eyes.
"My madness."
This was madness? No wonder warlocks were so solitary! If secondhand madness did this to a witch like Maka, she couldn't imagine how ordinary people would react to it.
The doctor reached towards Soul. He forced the madness to heal. The scar on Soul's chest closed up, leaving a puckered scar. It had dashes over it like the ones on the doctor's face: fake incision marks. Soul's back arched and his mouth opened in a silent scream. The boy's eyes were open and he was thrashing a bit as the magic forced his body to sew itself back together.
It's too much, Maka realized.
Then get rid of it, a voice seemed to tell her.
The witch looked down at her chest, which was glowing blue. She felt light. She knew she could get rid of the madness so it would never manifest again. She could heal him.
No!
Maka grit her teeth. If Stein's madness was what would heal Soul and Kid, she couldn't get rid of it. Besides, he wasn't broken. How many times had Miss Marie said that?
This madness is just a part of Dr. Stein. I shouldn't get rid of it. I should just stop it for a second.
Maka reached out with her wavelength and latched onto Stein's. She willed the madness to simmer. It was still there, but nowhere near as much.
Stein gasped and let go of his hold on Soul. The boy choked a bit before falling back on the mattress. His eyes slid shut.
"Maka? What in the world?"
"I'm sorry," the witch said. "I have no idea how I did that. But you were hurting him."
The doctor groaned a bit. "Get Marie."
She didn't need to be told twice. Marie was quick to go downstairs, telling Maka to bring the water down once the salt had melted into it. Maka stirred the salt into the pan in silence. She didn't look at Liz, Patty, or Crona, all three who were sitting at the dining table with mugs of cocoa.
"How bad is it?" Liz finally asked.
Maka didn't know what to say. It did look bad, but maybe not as bad as she thought? Maka hung her head and answered honestly. "I have no idea."
Liz sighed. "Let's just hope it's not as bad as we think it is."
Maka took the water down to the basement. She stopped halfway down the stairs, awestruck by the sight before her.
Marie was standing so her back was to Stein's chest, her hands wrapped around his. A golden glow was coming off of them. The woman was guiding her husband's hands over Soul's body, murmuring incantations in unison. The madness that had almost driven Maka out of sanity was gone, replaced with something that could only be described as calming and healing. No, it wasn't gone. It had been transformed.
So this was what Miss Marie had meant in keeping the doctor under control.
Maka stepped in the room and set the bowl of water next to the instruments. Miss Marie smiled and nodded at her in acknowledgement. Maka looked down at the boys. Soul was still in pain, but color was beginning to return to his face and his breath was evening out.
Kid, on the other hand, was deathly pale. There was a syringe next to him, with a bit of residual brown liquid in it. An antidote of some sort. He was breathing shallowly and twitching occasionally. His skin was drenched in sweat. Black liquid was floating out of his wound and into the empty bowl by the table.
"Go upstairs, Maka," said the doctor quietly. "We have a guest."
Maka went back upstairs, confused. Her confusion didn't last long. Just then the door banged open. A man wearing a long black cloak and a top hat came in.
"Mr. Mayor!"
Maka had never seen him look so serious in his life. Gone were the laugh lines and smiles. Mr. Shinigami looked gaunter than before, as if he news of his son's injury left him haggard.
"Save your formalities," he rasped. "Where is my son?"
Maka led the mayor to the basement. Dr. Stein was standing at the foot of the stairs, already expecting the visitor. He didn't waste any time in speaking.
"Poison. And a strong one at that."
The mayor nodded slowly. "Can you do anything?"
"Not at the moment. I've administered a potion that should work as an antidote, but I'm not sure if it's strong enough. It looks like the poison changes a person's blood black and kills them slowly, burning away their soul. All we can do is wait and hope what I've done will be enough."
"Then that's enough of a reassurance for me." Mr. Shinigami took a deep breath before stepping forward towards the door. "I'd like to see my son through this. I know he needs my presence. It may be the last time I can be there for him."
Stein's eyes widened slightly. Maka and Marie froze at his words.
There was a very tense moment of silence until Stein nodded and led Mr. Shinigami into the makeshift hospital room.
"Maka, wait with the others."
With that the door shut, leaving the young witch outside.
マカの宅急便
Almost an hour had passed. Maka hadn't moved from her position of sitting upright in the hardback chair. Crona was curled up in the corner. Patty had dosed off against her sister's shoulder.
Then an earsplitting shriek broke the tense silence.
Everyone outside of it immediately moved. The scream was a loud and pained. It rattled around the shelves and echoed off the walls. Patty was awake now, fear evident in her eyes. Liz had bitten her knuckles. Her leg was shaking and she was as pale as a ghost. Crona curled up even more, hands covering their ears.
The screaming went on for almost two minutes before it finally quieted. Maka could make out faint sobbing from the basement. Her chest constricted. That had to be Kid. She'd never heard a human make that kind of sound before. She never wanted to hear it again.
Dr. Stein finally came into the kitchen. Liz was the first to move, grabbing the front of Stein's coat.
"What the hell's happening?" Liz demanded. "Dammit doctor, you've gotta tell us if Kid's okay or not!"
"That's to see," he muttered.
Liz let go as Dr. Stein collapsed onto the nearest open chair and pulled out a pack of matches and a fresh cigarette. No one bothered to tell him to stop, or even ask where he'd gotten them. He took several long drags before removing his glasses and wiping his brow. Everyone waited with bated breath.
"They're not dead, if that's what you're going to ask. And I can tell you for a fact that Soul will be fine." Some of the tension eased. "But I don't know about Kid. It's still up in the air. Almost all of his blood was turned into poison. It'll be a miracle if he survives.
"I'm also concerned for Mr. Shinigami. This is a very trying time for him."
"What do you mean?" Patty asked. "Is he okay?"
"Yes, and no. It's very complicated. To put it simply Kid's body reached a limit that no human can withstand and survive from it. But," he added at everyone's concerned faces, "he's not exactly a normal human now, is he?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Liz. "That Kid's not a normal human?"
There was a long moment of silence as Stein put out the cigarette outside. He came back in, grim-faced. It seemed that only Maka understood what the doctor was actually talking about.
"Both Mr. Shinigami and Kid are warlocks," Maka explained in a hushed tone. "Just like Dr. Stein."
Liz wasn't convinced. "You've got to be joking. This is just some sick joke, right? Okay, I could see his old man being a warlock. That guy doesn't look a day over twenty-five and he told us he knew his late wife for almost thirty-five years. Fine, I'll accept that. But Kid's no warlock."
"Not yet," said Stein. "That could all change tonight."
"It could?"
Maka was the first to speak again. "Are you trying to tell us Kid's going through his Awakening?"
"Possibly." Stein lit a second cigarette. The shivering of his hands did not go unnoticed. "His body is rejecting both the poison and the antidote right now. The only thing he can do is either die or heal. Death would be the easy way out at this point, to be perfectly honest. But we all know Kid's not the type to give up here. It's possible this healing process will be enough to trigger his Awakening.
"It's also entirely possible that he won't Awaken completely since he was partially healed before entering that critical a condition."
"So a partial Awakening? Is that even possible?"
"We won't know until we see if Mr. Shinigami is alive in the morning or not."
Liz and Patty looked horrified.
"So Mr. Shinigami could die?" asked Patty. "And so could Kid?"
"The most likely outcome is that one of them will not make it. And we won't know for a few more hours."
マカの宅急便
It was the longest few more hours of Maka's life. No one was able to get up. Miss Marie made them all hot drinks. Crona had eventually passed out. A blanket was draped over their shivering figure.
It was around five in the morning that the door to the basement opened. Mr. Shinigami came out. He looked considerably older, closer to his fifties or sixties than the younger man Maka had first met. No one spoke as he took a seat and poured himself a whiskey.
The warlock downed his drink, then turned to the group. He smiled.
"No need to look so sad. Kid's stable," Mr. Shinigami said. "He'll be alright."
The tense bubble that seemed to surround them immediately popped. Liz clung onto Patty, crying. Maka slumped in her chair, boneless. Mr. Shinigami was, despite everything, smiling.
They're both going to be okay. They're going to live.
The ambulance was called, taking both Soul and Kid out on stretchers. Maka didn't get a good look at either of them, but she did see Kid looked paler. Still, he was breathing. That was all that mattered.
Once the ambulance had gone the witch returned to her room. The sun was beginning to come up. Maka let out a sigh of relief as she finally peeled off her dress. The back of it was clinging to her skin uncomfortably, as was the white tank top she was wearing. It would be nice to finally take a shower.
There was a gasp. Maka turned around and saw Blair staring at her.
"Blair?"
The little cat gave Maka's back a horrified look before hopping out of the window from which she came. Thoroughly confused, Maka looked over her shoulder to stare at her reflection in the mirror. Then she realized why her familiar had been so afraid.
All she saw was red, darkening to brown. Soul's blood. Her entire back was stained in his color.
Maka tossed the offending clothing away. Not caring about her dignity she grabbed her towel and ran straight for the shower, turning it up to a scalding hot. Maka flinched under the hot spray. She saw the water change color around her ankles.
Don't think about it. They're fine now. Just don't think about it.
Maka grabbed the nearest hand towel, lathered a generous amount of soap onto it, and began scraping the blood off of her shoulders. She scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until the suds were clean and the hot water ran ice cold.
No matter how hard she scrubbed Maka felt like she couldn't get rid of the sensation.
And there you have it. The monster chapter that's almost double the length of pretty much every other chapter. A lot of bad happened here. A lot of good may happen later.
Translation notes:
Old English: unseglest = unseal
Next chapter: The Witches Council gets involved, the kids learn some horrifying things about Medusa and her relation to Crona and Ragnarök, and Maka loses something she though she'd never lose.