"Senpai, don't!" Stein's scream tears through the sudden silence, but is heard a moment too late. To the death scythe that has just come around the corner there is no ally in this place, no one for them to trust. There is only Stein and him, everything else is the enemy.
Eyes blinded to the identity of the person that is apparently threatening Stein, Spirit's bladed arm plunges deeply into the woman's chest, erupting from her back. Stein's hand is outstretched towards the woman as her eye goes wide, blood exploding from her mouth. She looks down at the blade buried in her chest as her hammer transformed arm reverts to normal and the red blood flows from the wound.
Spirit's eyes focus on her, his rage dissipating as the woman's identity sinks in. His mouth opens in a gasp as he staggers backwards. "Snow. Ice. Not blood! She should be falling apart into snow and ice. She's not Marie!" his voice rises almost into a scream at the end.
Her gold eye fixates on Stein briefly, blood bubbling from her mouth as she chokes out his name. As she crumples to her knees Spirit hits his, his body trembling. Stein watches as she collapses forward, the blood pooling tranquilly around her body. A moment later the pair is left staring at the soul that hangs in the air above the woman's battered body.
The bright blue soul that hangs above a flesh and bone body.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Little girls should be seen and not heard." The woman's voice was sing-songy, and she just tugged in the rope that was attached to Maka's wrists. Maka stumbled a bit, her head reeling a bit from whatever they had forced her to drink.
The bag over her head was making it hard for her to breathe, but she hadn't been harmed yet. With any luck Soul would figure out she was missing soon and would come to find her. Maka felt her spirit's sink a little bit, though.
Ms. Marie had died because no one came for her in time, yet Maka was now following someone who looked exactly like her. Maka knew that Marie was dead- she had attended the death scythe's funeral.
'Please hurry, Soul,' Maka thought to herself as she followed the rope that was leading her, worried about the consequences.
Soul's fist slammed into the wall of the apartment that he was sharing with Maka. Tears threatened to fall from his red eyes, but he stubbornly blinked them away.
'Crying isn't cool,' he savagely reminded himself.
He strode to the mirror, fully intent on calling Shinigami-sama and demanding that he let him go after his meister. He stood looking at his own reflection for a long moment, his hands trembling at his sides as realization rushed over him.
He didn't know where they had taken her. The only person that knew was Spirit, and the man had left on his own to go after Stein and Maka.
Soul's fist crashed into the mirror.
"Senpai?"
Spirit's face turned towards Stein's, shock covering it. The death scythe looked back to the woman in the middle of the floor before looking to Stein again.
Stein's expression was determined. "Tell me who you are."
Spirit blinked. "You know who I am, Stein-"
"Then tell me." The scientist pulled himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall. "Tell me who you are, who I am. Prove to me who you are."
Spirit looked at the scientist for a moment before standing to his feet, his gaze caught for a second by the body. "I'm Spirit Albarn; you're my meister, Franken Stein. As for proof…" Spirit moved to Stein, his hand touching the scientist's shoulder, "You can see my soul. You know I am who I say I am."
Stein's gaze met Spirit's, his face devoid of any emotion. "I can't." Shock crossed Spirit's face again. "They've brought "you" to me three times. Each time you had been beaten even worse than the previous. Now you stand here, uninjured, and ask me to believe that you are who you say you are?" Stein's voice flitted to laughter. "You ask a madman to choose reality?!"
In that moment Spirit knew what he had to do. His hand slid down Stein's shoulder to catch the man's wrist as his other hand pushed Stein against the wall. He gently pressed his lips against Stein's, almost as if he was afraid that a sudden move would startle the man. After a long moment he felt the scientist's hand settle slowly and hesitantly against his back as Stein reciprocated.
When the death scythe pulled away from him, Stein collapsed forward, nearly taking them both to the floor; it did put both of them on their knees. The not-Marie's blood soaked into their pants, mixing with Stein's own on his clothing. Spirit supported the scientist for a moment, Stein's lanky frame shaking. He let his hands wrap around Stein's back, the other man's hanging limp at his sides.
After a few moments Stein pulled away from him, the scientist's hand pressed to his side. Spirit could see the hastily stitched wound and something twisted deep in his chest.
Stein stumbled slightly as he stood. Spirit was beside him, draping the scientist's arm over his shoulder. Stein walked slowly to the floating soul with Spirit's aid, capturing it in his hand and looked at it for a long moment before handing it to Spirit who slipped it into the pocket of his dress shirt. "We need to get out of here, Spirit."
"I can't leave, Stein," Spirit said quietly, though he was guiding the scientist in the same direction the not-Marie had been.
"Senpai?"
"They have Maka. I'll get you outside, but I have to come back for her."
Green eyes met blue, and Stein forced himself to stand straight. The pain in his side was incredible, and anything strenuous would most likely tear the haphazardly done stitches. He gritted his teeth against the pain though, and turned to look deeper into the complex, cursing the loss of his Soul Perception.
"Then let's go get her, Senpai."
Spirit's eyes were filled with concern for the man, but they had his daughter, and neither one of them would leave until she was recovered.
A/N: I know that this is a very short chapter for me, so I hope that you'll forgive me, but it felt like a good stopping point. I'd like your opinions on the first section of this chapter- I tend to not use present tense, but I felt like it would make the scene more impactful if I did- did it? Regardless, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. And again… thank you for all the support, both in reviews and PMs that I have received from all of you, it means a lot to me. :3
Also, if you would vote on the poll I have up now I would appreciate it.
I don't own Soul Eater.